,^ijSxorpRiifcf?8j> 


C^fOlOfilCAL  st*^ 


if'. 


A 


COMMENTARY, 

CRITICAL,   EXPERIMENTAL,   AND  PRACTICAL, 

ON  THB 

OLD    AND    NEW    TESTAMENTS. 


^ 


COMMENTARY, 


CRITICAL,  EXPERIMENTAL,  AND  PRACTICAL, 


OLD  AND  NEW  TESTAMENTS, 


BY  THE 

REV.     ROBERT   "JAMIESON,    D.D.,    ST.    PAUl's,    GLASGOW; 
REV.  A.  R.  FAUSSET,  A.M.,  ST.  CUTHBERT's,  YORK; 

AND  THE 

REV.   DAVID   BROWN,  D.D.,  PROFESSOR  OF  THEOLOGY,    ABERDEEN. 


VOL.  Y. 
MATTHEW— JOHN 

BY    THE    REV.    DAVID    BROWN,    D.D. 


PHILADELPHIA-. 
J.     B.     LIPPINCOTT    &    CO. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  GOSPELS. 


ATHOR.OTJGHLY  critical  Introduction  to  the  Gospels  is  rather  for  a  separate 
Treatise  than  for  the  Preface  to  such  a  Volume  as  this.  Happily,  if 
amongst  the  biblical  works  with  which  our  language  is  now  enriched,  one 
complete  and  satisfactory  Treatise  on  this  subject,  adapted  to  the  present  state 
of  research  and  of  thought,  is  scarcely  yet  within  the  reach  of  the  mere  English 
reader,  the  materials  for  it  are  abundant. 

In  what  follows  we  can  do  little  more  than  indicate  the  proper  line  of 
investigation,  state  briefly  the  leading  facts  on  the  different  branches  of  the 
subject,  and  di'aw  the  conclusions  which  these  justify  and  demand. 

When  we  enter  on  a  critical  examination  of  any  work  of  ancient  literature, 
we  have  first  to  discover  its  value;  next,  to  ascertain  its  integrity,  or  the 
purity  in  which  its  text  has  come  down  to  us;  and  finally,  to  determine  its 
'meaning.  Applying  this  to  the  Four  Gospels,  our  first  inquiries  must  be 
Apologetical;  our  second  Critical;  our  third  Exegetical. 

By  the  Value  of  any  ancient  book  we  mean  both  its  literary  and  its 
intrinsic  value:  that  is  to  say,  its  genuineness  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the 
other,  its  intrinsic  worth.  A  work  is  '  genuine '  when  it  is  the  production  of 
the  person  it  is  ascribed  to,  or,  if  it  be  anonymous,  when  it  belongs  to  the 
period  in  which  it  professes  to  have  been  written,  and  has  been  composed  in 
the  circumstances  alleged  or  presumed.  When  it  is  otherwise,  it  is  '  spurious,' 
or  a  forgery.  Of  this  latter  nature  are  some  treatises  once  ascribed  to  Plato, 
for  example,  and  several  of  the  Apocryphal  books  both  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments.  But  some  spurious  works  may  possess  considerable  intrinsic  worth 
— such  as  the  Apocryphal  books  of  Wisdom  and  Ecclesiasticus  (as  it  is  called) 
— while  there  are  hundreds  of  genuine  works,  in  every  branch  of  literature, 
which  are  altogether  worthless.  It  will  be  necessary,  therefore,  to  inquire 
into  the  value,  in  both  senses,  of  our  Four  Gospels.  And  this  inquiry  must 
be  conducted  on  the  same  general  principles  as  an  inquiry  into  the  value  of 
any  other  literary  production.  But  before  we  begin,  let  us  well  understand 
what  is  at  stake. 

The  Fourfold  Gospel  is  the  central  portion  of  Divine  Eevelation.  Into  it, 
as  a  Reservoir,  all  the  foregoing  revelations  pour  their  full  tide,  and  out  of  it,  as 
a  Fountain,  flow  all  subsequent  revelations.  In  other  parts  of  Scripture  we 
hear  Christ  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear;  but  here  our  eye  seeth  Him.  Else- 
where we  see  Him  through  a  glass  darkly;  but  here,  face  to  face.  The 
orthodox  Fathers  of  the  Church  well  understood  this  peculiar  feature  of  the 


iv  TNTRODUCTION  TO   THE   GOSPELS. 

Gospels,  and  expressed  it  emphatically  by  their  usages — some  of  them  ques- 
tionable, others  almost  childish.  Nor  did  the  heretical  sects  differ  from  them 
in  this;  the  best  proof  of  which  is,  that  nearly  all  the  heresies  of  the  first 
four  or  five  centuries  turned  upon  the  Person  of  Christ  as  represented  in  the 
Gospels.  As  to  the  heathen  enemies  of  Christianity,  their  determined  opposi- 
tion was  directed  against  the  facts  regarding  Christ  recorded  in  the  Gospels. 
And  it  is  the  same  still.  The  battle  of  Christianity,  and  with  it  of  all  Revealed 
Religion,  must  be  fought  on  the  field  of  the  Fourfold  Gospel,  If  its  Credi- 
bility and  Divine  Authority  cannot  be  made  good — if  we  must  give  way  to 
some  who  would  despoil  us  of  its  miracles,  or  to  others  who,  under  the  insidious 
name  of  'the  higher  criticism,'  would  weaken  its  historical  claims — all  Christianity 
is  undermined,  and  will  sooner  or  later  dissolve  in  our  hands.  But  so  long  as 
the  Gospels  maintain  their  place  in  the  enlightened  convictions  of  the  Church, 
as  the  Divine  record  of  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  believers,  reassured,  will  put 
to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens, 

'  I  will  arrange,'  says  Michaelis,  who  may  be  called  the  father  of  the  modem 
criticism  of  the  New  Testament,  whose  learning  and  research  were  vast  and 
various,  and  whose  tendencies,  certainly,  were  in  the  direction  rather  of  scep- 
ticism than  of  credulity — '  I  will  arrange  under  their  several  heads  the  reasons 
which  may  induce  a  critic  to  suspect  a  work  to  be  spurious : — 

'1.  When  doubts  have  been  made  from  its  first  appearance  in  the  world 
whether  it  proceeded  from  the  author  to  whom  it  is  ascribed.  2,  When  the 
immediate  friends  of  the  pretended  author,  who  were  able  to  decide  upon  the 
subject,  have  denied  it  to  be  his  production.  3,  When  a  long  series  of  years  has 
elapsed  after  his  death,  in  which  the  book  was  unknown,  and  in  which  it  must 
unavoidably  have  been  mentioned  and  quoted  had  it  really  existed.  4.  When 
the  style  is  difierent  from  that  of  his  other  writings,  or,  in  case  no  other 
remain,  difierent  from  that  which  might  reasonably  be  expected,  5,  When 
events  are  recorded  which  happened  later  than  the  time  of  the  pretended  author. 
6.  When  opinions  are  advanced  which  contradict  those  he  is  known  to 
maintain  in  his  other  writings ;  though  this  latter  argument  alone  leads  to  no 
positive  conclusion' — for  reasons  which  need  not  be  here  quoted  *  '  Now,  of  all 
these  grounds  for  denying  a  work  to  be  genuine,  not  one,'  adds  this  author, 
*  can  be  applied  with  justice  to  the  New  Testament.'  But  we  must  not  take 
this  upon  his  or  any  man's  testimony.  We  must  make  it  good  for  ourselves. 
What,  then,  are  the  facts  of  this  case? 

In  one  of  the  most  important  chapters  of  his  'Ecclesiastical  History' f 
Eusehius,  who  wrote  in  the  fourth  century,  reports  the  judgment  of  the  Christian 
Church,  from  the  beginning  up  to  his  time,  on  the  books  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment which  claimed  to  be  canonical.  And  as  his  testimony  on  such  matters  of 
fact  is  of  the  utmost  weight,  let  us,  in  the  first  place,  listen  to  it.  \     He  divides 

•  Introd.,  vol.  i.  page  27.  t  E.  H.,  iii.  25. 

J  We  the  rather  call  attention  to  this  important  testimony,  because,  from  an  incidental  but  very 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE   GOSPELS. 


all  the  books  claimins:  to  be  canonical  writino^s  of  the  New  Testament  into  three 
classes : 

The  acknowledged  (Ta  6/uo\oyov/xEva), 

The  disputed  (Ta  avTiXeyofx&va), 

The  spurious  (Ta  v69a). 

The  iirst  of  these  divisions  embraces  no  fewer  than  tiventy-one  out  of  the 
tiventy-seven  books  of  the  New  Testament,  or  four-fifths  of  the  whole  collection. 
Of  these  twenty-one  books  Eusebius  testifies  that  they  had  all  along  been 
received  in  the  Christian  Church,  without  any  dispute,  as  canonical  books  of  the 
New  Testament.  Of  the  remaining  six — on  what  grounds,  to  what  extent,  and 
with  what  justice  they  were  'disputed' — we  shall  speak  when  we  come  to  them 
in  the  Commentary.  But  what  we  wish  here  to  mention  is  that,  in  the  list  of 
the  twenty-one  undisputed,  always  and  universally  acknowledged  books,  the 
first  place  is  assigned  to  those  which,  by  way  of  distinction  from  all  the  rest, 
Eusebius  styles  '  The  Holy  Quaternion  of  tJie  Gospels'  * 

Important,  however,  as  this  testimony  is,  we  cannot  allow  it  to  decide  the 
question.  What,  we  have  still  to  ask,  are  the  facts  of  the  case?  The  more  we 
investigate  these,  the  more  evident  will  it  appear  that  the  Genuineness  of  the 
Four  Gospels  is  attested  by  a  mass  of  evidence,  external  and  internal,  altogether 
unparalleled  and  quite  overpowering.  No  work  of  classical  antiquity,  even  the 
most  undoubted,  is  half  so  well  attested,  or  can  lay  claim,  one  might  say,  to  a 
tithe  of  the  evidence  which  the  Gospels  possess. 

It  will  greatly  facilitate  our  inquiries  to  bear  in  mind  the  following  fact : 
'  It  is,'  to  use  the  words  of  Olshausen,  '  wholly  a  peculiar  circumstance  in  the 
history  of  the  Gospels,  and  one  which  goes  a  great  way  to  sustain  their 
genuineness,  that  we  notvhere  find,  in  any  writer  of  any  part  of  the  ancient 
world,  any  indication  that  only  a  single  one  of  the  four  Gospels  was  in  use, 

interesting  fact,  the  testimony  of  any  intelligent  and  impartial  historian  writing  when  he  did  was  of 
far  more  value  than  it  would  have  been  in  an  earlier  age.  In  the  last  of  the  Pagan  persecutions, 
under  Diocletian  (which  burst  forth  in  the  year  303),  an  order  was  issued — for  the  first  time  since 
Chi-istianity  had  been  persecuted  at  all — 'that  the  Scriptures  should  be  desti'oyed  by  fire.'  This 
order  was  instigated  by  a  bitter  antagonist  of  the  Gospel,  who  well  knew  that  so  long  as  the  sacred 
writings  of  the  Christians  remained  Christianity  would  contiuue  to  hve,  and  the  Church,  though  exter- 
minated, would  spring  up  afresh.  What  was  the  effect  ?  Wliile  many  preferred  death  to  the  surrender 
of  their  dearest  ti'easures,  others  (who  were  called  traditores),  unable  to  face  the  consequences  of 
resisting,  yielded  them  up.  But  as  some  of  the  proconsuls,  anxious  to  save  the  Christians,  were 
willing  to  seize  any  books  which  they  might  resign  iato  their  hands  iu  place  of  the  New  Testament, 
some  gave  them  the  writings  of  heretics,  and  those  reckoned  among  the  '  spurious '  writings  of  the 
New  Testament;  and  as  the  'traditors'  of  the  canonical  books  were  subjected  to  severe  ecclesiastical 
discipline,  while  these  latter  were  subjected  to  none  at  all,  the  question  was  thus  raised,  as  it  had 
never  been  before — it  being  now  a  matter  of  life  and  death — '  What  are  the  Genuine  Scriptures  of  the 
New  Testament?'  Certain  it  is  that  this  whole  question,  by  the  time  of  Eusebius — that  is,  by  the  end 
of  the  third  and  beginning  of  the  fourth  century — had  assumed  a  more  scientific  form  than  it  had  ever 
done  before.  Not  that  the  conclusions  then  arrived  at  differed  from  the  behefs  of  the  previous  age — 
the  reverse  was  the  case — but  that  what  had  all  along  been  held  by  the  Church  with  little  definite 
expression  was  now  put  with  the  precision  which  we  observe  in  the  chapter  of  Eusebius  abovo 
referred  to. 

*  'H  dyia  Tuiv  evavweXiwv  xeToaKTi'S, 


VI  INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS. 

or  ever  known  to  exist  separately.  All  possessed  the  entire  collection  of  the  four 
Gospels'*  Hence  the  current  name  by  which  they  were  known,  as  one  work 
— 'The  Gospel.' t 

Ascending  upwards  to  the  age  of  the  apostles,  it  is  needless  to  begin 
so  late  as  the  age  of  Councils.  It  is  enough  here  to  say  that  in  the  very 
first  General  Council  which  was  held  under  Constantine — that  of  Nicsea  (a.  D. 
o25) — though  no  catalogue  of  the  books  of  Scripture  was  drawn  up,  because 
this  was  no  subject  of  dispute,  the  Gospels  were  referred  to  on  both  sides  of  the 
Arian  controversy,  as  they  were  by  all  the  orthodox  Fathers  of  that  age  who 
wrote  against  the  Arian  heresy,  as  of  undisputed  canonical  and  divine  authority. 
But  passing  from  this,  the  external  evidence  for  the  genuineness  of  the  Gospels 
may  be  ranged  under  the  four  following  heads  : — 

First,  The  evidence  of  the  Ancient  Versions,  of  which  it  is  enough  here 
to  notice  the  two  earliest  and  most  venerable :  The  original  Syriac  (commonly 
called  the  Peshito)  and  the  Old  Latin  (which  used  to  be  called  the  Itala,  or 
the  Italic) ;  the  one  prepared  for  the  use  of  the  Oriental  portion  of  the  Chris- 
tian community;  the  other  for  the  use  of  the  Latin-speaking  Christians  of 
North  Africa,  and  generally  of  the  West.  Whatever  differences  of  opinion 
exist  among  critics  as  to  the  precise  age  of  these  venerable  Versions  of  the 
New  Testament,  it  is  almost  unanimously  agreed  that  they  both  belong  either 
to  the  latter  half  of  the  second  century  or  the  beginning  of  the  third.  And 
if  so,  it  is  obvious  that  the  books  of  the  New  Testament  which  are  found  in 
those  Versions  must  have  been  familiar  to  both  the  Eastern  and  the  V/estern 
Churches,  and  been  recognized  by  them,  long  before  those  Versions  tvere  made — 
which  carries  us  back  to  a  period  not  much  later  than  the  death  of  the  Apostle 
John.  Well,  in  both  those  earliest  Versions  the  Four  Gospels,  it  is  almost 
unnecessary  to  say,  occupy  the  first  place. 

Second,  The  evidence  of  individual  Christian  Writers,  both  mihodox  and 
heretical.     Of  the  former  we  name  the  following: — 

L  Origen  (a.  d.  18-i  or  185-253) :  of  Egyptian  birth ;  the  greatest  scholar  and 
the  first  thoroughly  biblical  critic  that  the  Chm-ch  produced.  He  may  be  said 
to  have  spent  his  life  in  biblical  inquiries  ;  he  examined  MSS.,  observed,  compared, 
and  weighed  various  readings  ;  he  defended  Christianity  against  acute  enemies, 
and  explained  it  to  Christians  themselves,  and  was  of  too  independent  a  mind 
not  to  form  his  own  judgment  and  speak  out  his  convictions  on  the  books  of 
the  New  Testament.  Well,  not  only  did  this  great  Father  publish  commentaries 
on  the  Gospels,  as  on  other  parts  of  Scripture,  but  he  has  in  several  of  his 
extant  writings  given  lists  of  the  canonical  Scriptures,  in  all  of  which  the  Four 
Gospels  stand  first  among  the  books  of  the  New  Testament.  And  never  does 
he  drop  a  word  from  which  it  could  be  inferred  that  a  doubt  existed,  either  then 
or  at  any  former  period,  as  to  the  genuine  and  canonical  character  of  those 
books. 

2.    Tertullian  (as  early  at  least  as  about  A.  D.  ]  60-220)  :  born  at  Carthage ; 

•  'Commentary  on  the  Gospels'     Introd.  (Clark).  t  To  evayyiXiov. 


INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS,  VH 

the  most  ancient  of  the  Latin  Fathers;  the  first  great  light  of  the  African 
Church,  and  the  most  original,  forcible,  and,  in  his  own  peculiar  style,  the  most 
eloquent  of  the  Latin  Fathers,  until  Augustin  rose  to  eclipse  all  others.  In  the 
fourth  of  his  books  against  the  heretic  Marcion — who  rejected  all  the  Gospels  but 
that  of  Luke,  and  mutilated  even  that — he  rests  his  whole  case  upon  the  noto- 
rious ftict  that  not  only  Luke,  entire  as  we  have  it,  but  the  other  three  Gospels 
of  Matthew,  Mark,  and  John,  had  the  unbroken  testimony  of  all  the  churches 
either  founded  by  the  apostles  or  in  ecclesiastical  fellowship  with  them, — in 
other  words,  of  the  whole  catholic  Church  ;  and  so  confident  is  he  that  an 
appeal  on  this  subject  to  all  the  churches  would  be  at  once  responded  to, 
that  he  narrows  the  whole  question  to  this  one — of  known  and  undeniable  fact.* 
Such  statements,  so  near  the  apostolic  age,  cannot  but  be  felt  to  possess  immense 
weight. 

3,  Clement  of  Alexandria  (nearly  contemporary  with  Tertullian) :  assistant  to 
Panttenus,  who,  if  not  the  first,  was  the  second  head  of  the  celebrated  catechetical 
school  of  Alexandria — a  seminary  which,  though  it  seems  to  have  embraced  a 
lower  department  for  the  training  of  catechumens,  was  chiefly  a  school  of  theo- 
logical teaching;  and  if  it  had  not  St.  Mark,  according  to  the  tradition,  for  its 
founder,  was  at  least  of  high  antiquity.  Pantsenus  and  he  seem  to  have  taught 
jointly  till  211,  when  Clement  became  its  head — dying  about  two  years  thereafter. 
Only  four  of  his  wiitings  are  extant;  but  these  are  of  great  value,  partly  as  illus- 
trating the  peculiar  type  of  theological  thought  which  reigned  then  at  Alexandria., 
and  partly  for  the  facts  to  which  they  incidentally  bear  witness.  In  a  fragment 
of  one  of  his  works,t  which  Eusebius  has  preserved,  J  he  gives  the  tradition  (says 
Eusebius)  regarding  the  order  of  the  Gospels,  derived  from  the  earliest  presbyters 
(which  we  need  not  here  repeat),  and  says  that  John,  finally  perceiving  that  all 
whicli  pertained  to  the  body  {ra  (yMjuariKu),  or  the  outward  life  of  Christ,  had  been 
sufficiently  recorded,  being  invited  by  his  friends,  and  moved  by  the  Spirit, 
composed  a  sjjiritual  Gospel  {-TrvevinaTiKov  ivayyiXiov).  This  testimony  to  the 
apostolic  antiquity  and  genuineness  of  the  Gospels  is  that  not  only  of  an  early 
Presbyter  but  a  Divinity  teacher,  in  the  highest  repute  over  the  entire  Church ; 
of  one  who  not  only  taught  according  to  what  had  been  handed  down  in  the 
Alexandrian  school  from  the  beginning,  but  had  travelled,  as  he  himself  tells  us, 
in  Greece,  Italy,  and  various  parts  of  the  East,  studying  under  superior  masters, 
and  weighing  the  information  he  received  from  all  sources.  And  his  method  of 
establishing  the  authority  of  the  Gospels  was  the  same  with  Tertullian's,  assert- 
ing nothing  on  his  own  judgment — for  the  age  of  historical  criticism  had  not 
then  come — but  sending  us  back  to  the  earliest  antiquity,  giving  no  hint  that 
there  ever  had  been  the  least  diversity  of  opinion  on  the  subject. 

4.  The  Muratorian  Fragment  (as  it  is  called) :  an  anonymous  Latin  fragment 
on  the  Canon  of  the  New  Testament,  so  called  as  having  been  discovered  in  the 
Ambrosian  Library  at  Milan,  and  first  published  by  Muratori  in  his  '  Antiquities  of 
Mediaeval  Italy'  (17-iO),  who  ascribed  it  to  Caius,  a  well-known  Presbyter  of  the 

*  Adv.  Marc.   c.  2  and  5.  t  Entitled,  'YTroTyTrcoo-eis  ('  Outlines').  J  E.  H.  vi.  14. 


vm  INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS. 

Roman  Church,  about  the  close  of  the  second  century.  Though  this  has  been  dis- 
puted, it  is  agreed  by  all  who  have  critically  examined  the  Fragment  that  it  be- 
longed either  to  the  latter  part  of  the  second,  or  at  latest  the  very  beginning  of 
the  third  century.*  If  we  place  its  composition  between  the  years  160  or  170  and 
200,  we  shall  probably  be  near  the  truth.  The  Latin  is  that  of  one  who  hardly 
knew  the  elements  of  the  language,  and  abounds  in  Greek  idioms ;  confirming  his 
connection  with  the  Roman  Church  at  a  time  when  Greek,  not  Latin,  was  used  at 
Rome.  Be  the  writer  who  he  may,  he  simply  states  the  current  view  of  the  Chui'ch 
of  his  own  day  regarding  the  Canon  of  the  New  Testament — that  is,  a  century  or 
so  after  the  death  of  the  Apostle  John.  The  half  sentence  with  which  the  Frag- 
ment begins  is  unintelligible.  But  we  gather  from  what  immediately  follows  that 
the  writer  had  begun  to  enumerate  the  books  of  the  New  Testament,  and  had  just 
said  that  of  the  Four  Gospels  Matthew  and  Mark  were  the  first  in  order ;  for  he 
immediately  adds  that  'the  third  book  of  the  Gospel f  is  that  according  to  Luke. 
.  .  .  The  fourth  of  the  Gospels  is  that  of  John,'  &c.  After  describing,  accord- 
ing to  the  current  tradition,  how  John  was  induced  to  undertake  this  work, 
the  Fragment  proceeds  to  enumerate  the  other  books  of  the  New  Testament ; 
and  after  naming  all  the  '  acknowledged'  books  (o/uLoXoyovnieva),  it  passes  straight 
to  the  'spurious'  (voOa'),  'which  cannot  be  received  into  the  catholic  Church,  for 
it  is  not  fit  that  gall  should  be  mingled  with  honey.'  J  While  this  writer  simply 
reports  the  judgment  of  the  Church  in  his  own  day — high  antiquity  certainly — 
on  the  books  of  the  New  Testament,  he  drops  no  hint  of  any  difference  of 
opinion  having  ever  been  entertained. 

5.  Irenceus — perhaps  the  most  important  witness  of  all,  as  being,  until 
Origen  appeared,  the  most  textual  and  expository  of  the  eai-lier  Fathers.  He 
was  a  disciple  of  Poly  carp.  Bishop  of  Smyrna,  and  succeeded  Pothinus  as 
Bishop  of  Lyons  in  the  year  177,  when  that  venerable  man  suffered  martyrdom 
at  the  age  of  ninety  or  upwards.  Of  his  works,  only  his  Five  Books  '  Against 
Heresies'  are  extant,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  first  book  and  fragments  of 
the  others,  these  exist  only  in  a  Latin  Version,  which,  however,  was  probably 
almost  contemporary  with  the  original  Greek.  In  his  third  book  (c.  1)  occurs 
an  important  passage  which,  besides  the  Latin  version  of  it,  Eusebius  has  pre- 
served to  us  in  the  original  Greek.  In  this  passage,  while  giving  an  account  of 
each  of  the  Gospels,  this  disciple  of  Polycarp,  less  than  a  century  after  the  death 
of  the  Apostle  John,  speaks  of  our  four  Gospels  (and  we  know  them  to  be  ours 

*  The  late  venerable  Dr.  Routh,  who,  in  the  second  edition  of  his  Eeliquice  Sacrce,  has  printed 
this  Fragment,  and  appended  to  it  some  forty  pages  of  valuable  Latin  Annotations,  is  of  opinion  that 
if  not  wiitten  soon  after  the  middle  of  the  second  century,  it  must  have  been  at  least  before  its  close. 
This  opinion  is  founded  on  an  allusion  which  the  Fragment  makes  to  Hermas's  having  '  very  recently 
in  our  times  [nuperrlmetemporihus  nostris)  written  at  Piome  the  book  called  "The  Shepherd,"  during 
the  Episcopate  of  his  (Hermas's)  brother  Pius.'  Now  the  date  of  Pius's  Episcopate  ranges  from  142-157. 
And  though  Hug  has  given  some  ingenious  reasons  for  assigning  it  a  rather  later  date,  even  he  ascribes 
it  to  the  beginning  of  the  third  century. 

+  Evangelii,  tov  EuayyeXiou. 

X  Quce  ill  cathoUcam  ecclesiam  recipi  non  potest  {possunt):  fel  enim  cum  melle  misceri  non  congruit. 


INTRODUCTION  TO   THE   GOSPELS.  IX 

because  he  quotes  them  so  largely  and  verbally)  as  not  only  the  genuine  produc- 
tions of  two  of  the  apostles  and  of  the  constant  companions  of  two  other  apostles, 
but  as  the  very  teaching  of  Christ  Himself;  and  this  not  as  an  opinion  of  his 
own,  but  as  matter  of  undisputed  fact.  In  another  chapter  of  this  same  book 
(c.  11)  occurs  a  grand  passage,  the  original  Greek  of  which  has  been  happily 
recovered  since  the  date  of  the  early  editions  of  the  work.  'Nor,'  says  this 
Father,  '  can  there  be  more  Gospels  in  number,  nor  yet  fewer  than  these  [four]. 
For  as  tliere  are  four  quarters  of  the  world  which  we  inhabit,  and  four  presiding 
spirits,*  and  the  Church  is  diffused  over  the  whole  earth,  and  the  pillar  and 
foundation  of  the  Church  is  the  Gospel  and  the  Spirit  of  life,  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple has  the  Church  four  pillars,  breathing  everywhere  incorruption,  and 
kindling  in  men  new  warmth.  Whence  it  is  evident  that  the  Word,  the  Arti- 
ficer of  all  things,  who  sitteth  upon  the  Cherubim  and  keepeth  all  things  in 
order,  hath  given  us  the  Gospel  in  a  four-fold  kind,  but  informed  by  one  Spirit.'  f 
After  giving  the  symbolic  signification  of  the  lion,  the  calf,  the  man,  and  the 
eagle — which  made  up  the  form  of  the  Cherub — he  continues:  'And  with  these 
harmonize  the  Gospels,  whereon  Christ  sitteth'  [that  is,  sitteth  enthroned,  as  on 
the  Cherubim,  Ezek.  i.  26 — a  grand  idea].  After  expatiating  on  the  cherubic 
characteristics  of  each  Gospel,  he  concludes  thus :  '  And  these  things  being  so, 
foohsh  and  ignorant,  yea,  and  daring,  are  all  they  [heretics]  who  set  aside  the 
idea  (or  plan)  of  the  Gospel,  bringing  in  either  more  or  fewer  Gospels  than  those 
we  have  specified;  some,  that  they  may  seem  to  have  discovered  more  than  the 
truth,  others,  that  they  may  set  aside  I  God's  arrangements.' 

Now,  we  make  nothing  of  all  that  Irenseus  says  about  the  figures  of  the 
Cherubim ;  for  that  part  of  his  statement  is  no  matter  of  fact,  but  purely  of  specu- 
lation— ingenious,  indeed,  and  beautiful,  and  like  his  conjecture  as  to  "the  number 
of  the  beast," §  echoed  not  only  by  the  ancient  Church  but  by  many  moderns. 
But  the  fact  on  which  Irenseus  bases  this  speculation,  which  he  states  as  a 
thing  familiarly  known  and  recognized  in  the  Church — that  there  were  not  only 
four  harmonious  divinely  inspired  Gaspels,  neither  more  nor  fewer,  but  this  by 
a  Divine  arrangement — this  is  the  important  point.  And  this  is  stated  by  one 
between  whom  and  the  Apostle  John  there  was  but  one  link — Polycarp. 

6.  Fapias,  Bishop  of  Hierapolis  (in  Phrygia),  and  a  disciple  of  John — but 
whether  of  the  apostle  or  of  a  presbyter  of  that  name,  is  not  certain.  He 
flourished  somewhere  about  the  year  110,  115,  or  116;  and  he  devoted  himself 
chiefly  to  the  collecting  of  every  scrap  of  tradition  which  he  could  pick  up  regard- 
ing our  Lord  and  his  apostles.  Some  of  these  are  silly  enough,  verifying  the 
well-known  opinion  of  Eusebius  regarding  him  as  a  man  of  slender  judgment. || 
Yet  in  matters  of  fact  his  testimony  is  not  to  be  despised,  and  Eusebius  himself 
(three  chapters  before)  commends  him  in  that  respect.     His  writings  are  lost ; 

*  KudoKiKci,  pnncipales: — probably  apx^'ia  (Stieren). 

+  eSwKev  rjfj.lv  TCTpd /xopcpov    to  eiiayyeXiov,  evi  Se  irvevfxaTi  ffwexop-t^ov.  J   ddfTticwaiit, 

§  *'  666"  =  Xa-reiVos  (Eev.  xiii.  18). 

II  a(p6dpa  yap  toi  a^uKpoi  wv  top  povv.     E.  H.    iiL  39. 


INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS. 


but  Eusebius,  in  whose  time  they  were  extant,  tells  us  that  he  made  express 
mention  in  them  of  the  Evangelists,  and  how  they  wrote  their  Gospels, 

Over  against  this  Hexapla  of  express  witnesses  to  the  genuineness  of  the 
Gospels,  we  might  place  another,  of  those  who,  without  expressly  naming  them, 
refer  beyond  all  doubt  to  them,  and  are  as  valid,  and  some  of  them  no  less  valu- 
able witnesses,  than  the  former.  Ascending  up  from  Irenseus  towards  the 
apostolic  age,  the  latest  we  need  quote,  and  the  most  important,  is — 

1.  Justin  Martyr.  Though  a  Greek  by  descent,  his  family  had  settled  at 
Flavia  Neapolis,  near  the  site  of  the  ancient  Sichem  or  Sychar,  and  there  he 
was  born  (as  he  tells  us  in  his  first  Apology,  addressed  at  Eome  to  Antoninus 
Pius),  Whether  he  was  born  so  late  as  103  (according  to  Cave),  or  as  early  as  89 
(as  Fabricius  and  Grabe  judge) — some  seven  years  before  the  last  survivor  of  the 
apostles  died — we  cannot  be  wrong  in  placing  his  birth  (with  Westcott)  about 
the  close  of  the  first  century,  or  quite  near  the  time  of  John's  decease.  His 
v/ritings  are  all  extant  in  the  original  Greek ;  and  what  renders  his  testimony  of 
peculiar  importance  is  the  immense  quantity  of  references  which  he  makes  to 
the  facts  of  our  Lord's  life  and  teaching — so  many  and  so  explicit  that  even  if 
the  Four  Gospels  had  perished  we  might  construct  a  tolerably  accurate  summary 
of  their  principal  contents  from  Justin's  writings.  All  this,  however,  he  draws 
from  what  he  calls  'Memoirs  of  the  Apostles,'*  which,  until  the  beginning  of 
this  century,  was  always  understood  to  mean  our  Gospel  History.  The  Tubin- 
gen critics  have  tried  hard  to  show  that  the  reference  is  not  to  it,  but  to  shorter 
narratives  which  were  in  wide  cii-culation  before  our  Gospels  appeared.  But 
this  hypothesis  has  been  shown  to  rest  on  narrow  and  untenable  grounds,  while 
the  positive  evidence  that  it  is  our  Gospels  that  Justin  quotes  from  is  most 
convincing  (though  there  appear  to  have  been  some  passages  in  the  copies  he 
used  which  are  not  now  extant).!  Here,  then,  we  have  large  portions  of  the 
Gospels  quoted  or  referred  to  in  the  works  of  a  Christian  philosopher  and  martyr, 
writing  less  than  fifty  years  after  the  death  of  the  Apostle  John ;  and  as  this 
was  probably  about  twenty  years  after  his  conversion  to  Christianity,  and  not  a 
hint  is  given  in  any  of  his  writings  that  doubts  of  the  genuineness  of  the  History 
to  which  he  refers  had  been  known  or  heard  of  amonsj  Christians,  we  are  thus 
carried  up,  in  a  manner  singularly  convincing,  to  the  very  age  of  the  apostles. 

2,  The  anonymous  and  very  interesting  Fpistle  to  Diognetus :  written  in  a 
classical  style  of  Greek,  which  has  with  good  reason  been  assigned  to  the  close 
of  Trajan's  reign,  or  about  the  year  117.  This  letter  leaves  no  doubt  that  the 
writer  of  it  was  acquainted  with  the  First  and  Fourth  Gospels,  and  with  the 
Epistles.  We  cannot  doubt,  therefore,  that  had  he  had  occasion  to  refer  to  the 
other  two  Gospels,  we  should  have  had  evidence  that  he  knew  them  too. 

This  brings  us,  in  our  ascent  towards  the  apostles,  to  tlie  Apostolic  Fathers, 

*  ^ ATTofivijfioveo/xaTa  -ruiv  'AwoaToXuiv, 

+  No  one  has  handled  this  subject  more  searchingly,  candidly,  and  convincingly  than  Wesicoti, 
pages  126-201,  If  we  might  ventiire  to  obtrude  our  own  judgment,  founded  on  an  examination  of 
Justin's  writings  many  years  ago,  it  would  be  altogether  in  the  same  direction. 


INTRODUCTION  TO   THE   GOSPELS.  XI 

as  they  are  termed,  or  such  of  the  disciples  and  companions  of  the  apostles  as 
have  left  works  behind  them.     Of  these,  the  latest  we  name  in  point  of  time  is — 

3.  Polycarp,  Bishop  of  Smyrna,  who  heroically  suffered  martyrdom  for  his 
Lord  at  a  great  age.  '  Eight}^  and  six  years  have  I  served  Christ,'  said  he  to 
the  Proconsul.  Whether  we  take  this  to  mean  simply  that  he  had  been  a 
Chiistian  all  that  time— which,  if  he  suffered  under  M.  Antoninus,  about  the 
year  166,  would  make  his  conversion  to  have  happened  about  A.  D.  80 — or 
whether  we  take  it  to  refer  to  the  duration  of  his  services  as  a  minister  of 
Christ,  which  is  not  probable,  it  is  beyond  doubt  that  he  was  a  disciple  of  the 
Apostle  John,  and  may  have  seen  other  apostles  and  many  who  saw  the  Lord 
Himself;  and  some  have  thought  that  "  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Smyrna,"  to 
whom  our  Lord  directed  the  second  of  His  Apocalyptic  Epistles  (Rev.  ii,  8), 
was  no  other  than  this  Polycarp.  Well,  this  most  venerable  and  apostolic 
bishop  wrote  several  letters,  only  one  of  which  remains — his  Epistle  to  the 
Philippians — trul}^  a  precious  relic,  supposed  by  Lardner  to  have  been  written 
about  the  year  108.  It  contains  more  references  to  the  New  Testament 
than  was  customary  in  such  early  writings,  though  they  are  interwoven  with 
his  own  language  rather  than  expressly  quoted ;  and  these  show  beyond  doubt 
that  this  Asiatic  bishop,  whose  life  and  ministry  were  like  a  prolongation  of  the 
beloved  disciple's,  was  familiar  with  the  Gospels  and  the  Epistles  of  the  New 
Testament.     Still  ascending  upwards,  we  come  to — 

4.  Ignatius,  Bishop  of  Antioch,  whose  ordination  is  placed  by  Eusebius  in 
the  year  69,  after  the  death  of  the  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul  at  Rome.  In  this 
case  he  was  doubtless  acquainted  with  some  of  the  apostles ;  and  Chrysostom 
says  he  conversed  familiarly  with  them,  and  was  perfectly  acquainted  with  their 
doctrine.  He  suffered  martyrdom,  under  Trajan,  about  the  year  107,  though, 
according  to  others,  a  few  j^ears  later.  The  extant  writings  of  this  bishop 
consist  of  seven  Epistles,  though  several  others,  now  admitted  to  be  spurious, 
were  ascribed  to  him.  We  have  nothing  to  do  here  with  the  intensely  interest- 
ing and  much  litigated  question,  whether  the  longer  or  the  shorter  Recension  of 
these  Epistles  be  the  genuine  one  (by  which  questions  of  ecclesiastical  antiquity 
are  considerably  affected,  and  which,  after  much  learned  controversy,  the  Syriac 
version  of  them  recently  discovered  and  edited  by  Dr.  Cureton  would  seem  to 
have  set  at  rest  in  favour  of  the  shorter).  The  question  for  us  here  is.  What 
testimony  does  this  martyr-bishop,  who  preceded  even  Polycarp,  bear  to  the 
New  Testament?  The  brief  answer  is,  that  his  references  to  the  Gospels  and  the 
Epistles  of  Paul  are  numerous  and  explicit, — a  fact  the  importance  of  which,  in 
one  so  very  near  the  apostles  themselves,  cannot  be  over-estimated. 

5.  Barnabas,  who  has  left  an  extant  Greek  Epistle,  though  part  of  it  existed 
only  in  the  Old  Latin  version,  until  quite  recently,  when  the  indefatigable  Tischen- 
clorf  discovered  that  it  existed  entire  in  the  precious  Codex  Sinaiticus,  which  he 
brought  from  the  convent  of  St.  Catherine,  at  mount  Sinai,  and  has  now  given  to 
the  world.  Whether  he  was  the  very  Barnabas,  "  the  son  of  consolation,"  who 
was  Paul's  companion  in  missionary  travel,  or  another  of  the  same  name — about 


XU  INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS. 

"** 
which   even  yet   there  is  not  entire  unanimity  among   scholars — he  certainly 

belonged  to  the  apostolic  age ;  and  as  his  Epistle  gives  plain  evidence  that  he 

was  acquainted  both  with  the  Gospels  and  the  Epistles  of  the  New  Testament, 

this  is  one  more  link  in  the  chain  of  evidence. 

We  pass  by  HerTnas,  who  has  left  a  work  entitled  'The  Shepherd'  * — fragments 
of  which  are  also  in  the  Codex  Sinaiticus — and  whom  many  have  taken  to  be  the 
same  Hermas  to  whom  Paul  sends  a  salutation  (Rom.  xvi.  14) ;  because  there  is  reason 
to  think  he  was  a  somewhat  later  person,  though  his  testimony  is  quite  as  clear  as 
the  former ;  and  we  are  now  brought  to  the  most  ancient  relic  of  apostolic  antiquity, 
next  to  the  books  of  the  New  Testament  themselves.     We  mean  the  Epistle  of — 

6.  Clement,  Bishop  of  Rome.  Without  doubt  he  is  the  very  person  of  whom 
Paul  says,  "  With  Clement  also,  and  other  my  fellow-labourers,  whose  names  are 
in  the  book  of  life"  (Phil.  iv.  3).  A  number  of  writings  have  been  palmed  upon 
this  Clement;  but  all  these  are  now  rejected  as  spurious — even  what  is  called 
his  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  One  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  only  is 
universally  regarded  as  the  genuine  production  of  this  Clement,  written  in  the 
name  of  his  own  Roman  church,  to  aid  in  composing  the  dissensions  which  had  again 
sprung  up  in  that  church.  Its  date  cannot  be  later  than  the  year  90,  while  some 
think  it  earlier.  Well,  his  references  to  the  Epistles  of  the  New  Testament,  as  well 
as  to  the  Old  Testament,  are  numerous ;  and  though  his  subject  did  not  lead  him  so 
directly  to  the  Gospels,  the  three  or  four  passages  which  bore  the  most  upon  his 
point  are  quoted,  and  with  such  explicitness,  as  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
that  it  is  quite  clear  he  had  the  Gospels  before  him  just  as  we  have  them. 

Thus  have  we  the  unbroken  testimony  of  the  orthodox  Fathers  of  the  Church 
to  the  genuineness  of  the  Gospels, — in  two  chains  of  evidence,  each  consisting  of 
six  links,  reaching  up  to  the  apostles  themselves.  They  are  not  all  that  might 
have  been  quoted,  but  they  clearly  prove — according  to  the  ordinary  rules  of 
literary  evidence — that  those  original  Documents  of  the  Christian  Faith  were  the 
genuine  productions  of  their  reputed  authors.     But  this  evidence  is  confirmed  by — 

Third,  The  testimony  borne  by  Heretical  Christians  in  their  controversies 
with  the  orthodox.  We  can  afford  room  here  only  for  two  of  these,  both  within 
the  first  two  centuries. 

1.  Tatian:  an  Assyrian  convert  to  Christianity,  who,  on  coming  to  Rome,  met 
with  Justin,  and  who,  after  the  martyrdom  of  that  Christian  philosopher  (about 
164  to  167),  continued  his  work  at  Rome  with  some  success.  Being  of  a  restless 
turn,  he  began  to  introduce  novelties,  and  returning  to  the  East  he  put  himself 
at  the  head  of  a  sect  called  the  Encratites,  about  the  year  172.  His  only 
remaining  work  is  an  Oration  against  the  Gentiles.  But  we  refer  merely  to 
one  exceedingly  interesting  fact  regarding  his  literary  activity,  which  is  pre- 
served by  Eusebius.  This  Tatian,  he  saysf  'having  put  together  J  a  certain 
combination  and  collection  of  the  Gospels,§  I  know  not  how,  called  this  the 
Diatessaron,!!   which   is  still  in  the  hands   of   some.'     Now,   as  Eusebius  had 

•  6  Uoifiiiv.  t  E.  H.    iv.  29.  J  awdeh. 

§  TuJi;  tvayyeXitov.  [|  to  6i&  Teiraapwv. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE   GOSPSLS.  XlU 

just  said  that  Tatian's  sect  'made  use  of  the  Law,  the  Prophets,  and  the 
Gospels*  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  is  our  own  Four  Gospels  which  he 
says  Tatian  wove  into  one  continuous  narrative.  And  that  this  Diatessaron, 
though  it  wanted  the  genealogies  of  Matthew  and  Luke,  came  immediately 
into  great  repute,  even  in  the  orthodox  Church,  is  evident  from  two  interest- 
ing facts.  One,  stated  by  Assemani  (Biblioth.  Orient.),  is,  that  Ephraem  the 
Syrian,  who  flourished  some  centuries  after  Tatian,  issued  a  commentary  on 
this  Diatessaron.  The  other,  and  still  more  interesting  fact,  is,  that  in  the 
diocese  over  which  Theodoret  presided,  in  the  fifth  century,  this  Diatessaron 
seems  actually  to  have  superseded  the  Gospels  themselves  in  the  public 
worship  of  the  churches.  *  I  have  met,'  says  Theodoret,  '  with  above  two 
hundred  of  these  books,  which  were  in  use  in  our  churches, — all  which  I  took 
away  and  laid  aside  in  a  parcel,  placing  in  their  room  the  Gospels  of  the  four 
Evangelists.'  From  this  it  is  perfectly  evident,  not  only  that  the  orthodox 
Church  had  the  same  Four  Gospels  that  we  have,  little  more  than  seventy  years 
after  the  death  of  the  Apostle  John,  but  that  the  heretical  sect  of  which  Tatian 
was  the  head  used  the  same  Gospels ;  and  when  Theodoret  charges  his  Diates- 
saron with  leaving  out  the  genealogies,  that  is  only  an  additional  evidence  that 
in  other  respects  it  diflered  not  from  the  orthodox  copies. 

2.  Mavcion,  who  preceded  Tatian  by  about  thirty  years — flourishing 
somewhere  between  the  years  130  and  144,  From  a  strong  antipathy  to 
everything  that  seemed  to  savour  of  Judaism  in  Christianity,  he  rejected 
all  the  Gospels  except  Luke's,  and  cut  down  even  it  to  suit  his  own  ideas. 
The  Tiibingen  critics,  Baur  f  and  Ritschl,  |  made  a  desperate  attempt 
— which  Eichhorn  had  made  before  them — to  show  that  Marcion's  was  the 
original  Gospel  from  which  that  of  Luke  was  derived.  But  the  torture 
of  internal,  and  the  defiance  of  all  external  evidence  by  which  alone  this 
monstrous  position  was  made  plausible  is  now  almost  universally  admitted 
among  the  scholars  of  Germany ;  and  such  ingenuity  of  negative  and  destruc- 
tive criticism  has  met  there  with  the  fate  which  it  deserved,  althousfh  in 
this  country  the  more  critical  Unitarians  still  entrench  themselves  in  it. 
Extravagant,  however,  as  were  Marcion's  claims  for  his  own  Gospel,  he  not 
only  gained  many  followers,  but  impressed  his  own  critical  spirit  upon  them, 
and  drew  forth  replies  from  Iren^us  and  Tertullian.  From  these,  and  frag- 
ments of  Marcion's  own  statements,  we  find  that  he  accused  all  the  apostles 
except  Paul  of  altering  and  corrupting  the  original  Gospel.  Tertullian  challenged 
Marcion  to  produce  a  copy  of  the  original  Gospel,  with  historical  attestation 
of  its  being  handed  down  as  such  from  the  beginning.  But  he  only  met 
this  challenge  by  alleging  that  as  the  corruption  took  place  in  apostolic  times, 
and  was  perpetrated  by  apostles  themselves,  it  was  impossible  to  do  so — which, 
as  Tertullian  rejoins,  was  only  to  throw  the  blame  upon  our  Lord  Himself  for 
choosing  such  apostles.     But  besides  this,  when  he  begins  to  assign  his  reasons 

•  Tois  ehayyekioL's.  -f-  'Kritlsclie  Untersuchungen,'  1847, 

t  'Das  Evang.  Marcions  u.  d.,  kanonisclie  Evang.  Lucas,'  1S4G. 


xiv  INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS. 

for  rejecting  all  but  his  own  mutilated  Gospel  of  Luke,  we  find  them  purely 
subjective  or  doctrinal.  In  other  words,  he  rejected  the  rest,  not  because  it 
was  not  historically  attested,  but  because  it  taught  what  he  was  not  prepared  to 
believe.  And  thus  Marcionism,  by  its  unhistorical  and  capricious  formation  of  an 
Evangelical  canon  of  its  own  (we  have  not  required  to  advert  to  the  Epistolary 
part  of  it),  and  by  its  inability,  when  challenged,  to  produce  such  attestations  as 
the  true  canon  possessed,  only  acted  as  a  foil  to  show  the  more  clearly  on  what  a 
firm  historical  foundation  the  true,  canon  of  the  New  Testament  had  all  along 
rested. 

Fourth,  If  the  Heathen  Authors  who  attempted  to  write  down  Christi- 
anity were  obliged  to  admit  the  genuineness  of  its  sacred  books,  they  must 
surely  be  regarded  as  beyond  question.  Now  there  are  two  such,  whose 
writings  were  unfortunately  destroyed  through  the  mistaken  zeal  of  the 
Christian  emperors,  for  had  they  survived  they  would  have  been  of  great  service 
to  the  Christian  cause.  "We  refer  to  Celsus,  who  wrote  against  Christianity  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  second  century,  and  Porphyry,  who  lived  a  century 
later. 

1.  Porphyry  was  a  man  of  great  critical  sagacity,  and,  living  in  Syria,  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  Old  Testament,  examined  it  critically,  and  made  acute  objec- 
tions to  the  book  of  Daniel,  for  instance,  on  critical  and  philological  grounds 
So  well  qualified  was  he  to  speak  to  the  genuineness  of  the  New  Testament 
books,  that,  as  Michaelis  says,  every  real  friend  of  Christ  would  gladly  give  the 
works  of  a  pious  Father  to  rescue  his  Avritings  from  the  flames.  'He  possessed' 
says  this  critic,  '  every  advantage  which  natural  abilities  or  great  political 
situation  could  afford  for  discovering  whether  the  New  Testament  was  a 
genuine  work  of  the  Apostles  and  Evangelists,  or  whether  it  was  imposed  upon 
the  world  after  the  decease  of  its  pretended  authors.  But  no  trace  of  this 
suspicion  is  anywhere  to  be  found,  nor  did  it  ever  occur  to  Porphyry  to  suppose 
that  it  was  spurious.'  And  again  he  asks,  '  Is  it  credible,  then,  that  so 
sagacious  an  inquirer  could  have  failed  to  discover  a  forgery  with  respect  to 
the  New  Testament,  had  a  forgery  existed;  a  discovery  which  would  have 
given  him  the  completest  triumph,  by  striking  a  mortal  blow  at  the  religion 
which  he  attempted  to  destroy?'* 

2.  Celsus' s  work  against  Christianity,  entitled  '  The  True  Word,'  t  was 
answered  by  Origen  in  the  middle  of  the  third  century ;  and  as  he  speaks  of  the 
author  as  long  since  dead,  he  may  have  issued  it  somewhere  about  the  year  180  or 
]  90.  Happily,  Origen  has  quoted  from  it  so  largely  that  we  can  hardly  doubt 
he  has  preserved  at  least  its  more  important  statements  and  reasonings.  Though 
he  quotes  none  of  the  New  Testament  books  by  name,  no  one  who  studies  his 
references  to  it  can  doubt  that  the  Gospels  from  which  he  draws  his  arguments 
are  our  Gospels.  Indeed,  he  makes  a  merit  of  drawing  from  the  Christians'  own 
writings,  and  says  he  has  no  need  to  go  beyond  them,  since  their  own  weapons 
were  enough  to  destroy  them.     He  denominates  the  Evangelical  writings  '  The 

*  Introd.  i.  pages  42-44.  t  'A\i)6r(s  Aoyos. 


INTRODUCTION   TO  THE   GOSPELS.  XV 

Gospel,'*  and  refers  to  circumstances  peculiar  to  each  of  the  Gospels,  showing 
that  he  had  them  all  four  before  him.  No  testimony  to  the  genuineness  of  those 
writings  can  be  more  satisfactory  than  this. 

This  surely  is  a  chain  of  external  evidence  perfectly  irrefragable.  Accordingly, 
up  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  no  doubts  as  to  the  genuineness  of 
the  Four  Gospels  had  ever  arisen  within  the  bosom  of  the  Christian  Church.  Till 
then  these  had  all  come  froifn  luitlwut — from  the  dark  regions  of  infidelity  and 
scepticism.  But  in  Germany,  during  the  last  thirty  years  of  the  last  century,  a 
spirit  of  rationalism  had  been  gi'adually  creeping  over  its  Professors  and  clergy, 
which,  like  the  dry  rot,  penetrated  the  whole  fabric  of  its  theology.  This  is  not 
the  place  to  write  the  melancholy  workings  and  products  of  that  spirit.  But  it 
is  the  place  to  notice  one  of  the  directions  which  it  took,  and  still,  in  one  form  or 
another,  takes.  The  celebrated  Eichhorn,  the  successor  of  Michaelis  at  Got- 
tingen,  in  his  '  Introduction  to  the  New  Testament'  (1804-181 4),  while  admitting 
the  Credibility  of  the  Gospel  History,  maintained  that  there  are  no  traces  of  our 
Gospels  before  the  end  of  the  second  or  beginning  of  the  third  century,  when, 
out  of  the  many  different  and  discrepant  narratives  of  this  kind  which  were 
then  in  circulation,  the  Church  deemed  it  necessary  to  select  the  most  credible 
and  best  adapted  for  general  use,  and  accordingly  pitched  upon  four,  which  from 
that  time  have  been  acknowledged  in  the  Church  as  the  authentic  Gospel  His- 
tory. Why  Eichhorn  fixed  upon  the  end  of  the  second  and  beginning  of  the 
third  century  as  the  time  by  which  the  Gospels  must  have  been  adopted,  will 
be  obvious  after  what  we  have  stated  about  Iren^eus's  testimony  to  the  universal 
reception  of  the  Gospels  in  his  day. 

The  most  crushing  answer  to  this  assertion  has  been  given  by  Professor 
Norton,  t  We  could  wish  to  have  found  room  for  at  least  the  principal  portion 
of  this  reply,  which  is  very  valuable  for  its  own  sake.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that 
from  the  nature  of  the  case  the  thing  supposed  is  shown  to  be  impossible ;  that 
even  if  it  could  have  happened,  or  anything  like  it,  there  must  of  necessity  have 
remained  some  historical  traces  of  it ;  but  that  as  there  are  absolutely  none,  it  is 
against  all  the  principles  of  historical  evidence  to  assume  and  affirm  it. 

Other  modes  of  destroying  the  credit  of  the  Gospels  have  been  successively 
and  perseveringly  tried  in  Germany,  only  to  be  first  refuted  and  then  abandoned, 
or  to  fall  into  neglect — such  as  the  theory  of  Strauss,  and  that  of  Baur  and  the 
Tubingen  school.  Schleiermacher's  method  of  handling  them — which,  while 
admitting  their  substantial  truth,  regards  them  as  well-meaning  but  in  many 
respects  confused  and  inaccurate  efforts  to  exhibit  the  Life  of  Jesus,  and  out  of 
which  it  is  the  part  of  the  '  higher  criticism '  to  construct  the  true  History — is 
more  subtle,  and  has  told  to  too  large  an  extent  upon  many  otherwise  sound  and 
able  scholars. 

On  the  score  of  external  evidence,  then,  the  Four  Gospels  stand  on  an 
immoveable  foundation  of  continuous,  unbroken,  historic  attestation. 

•  TO  'SLvuyye\iov.  t  Genuineness,  &c.,  vol.  i.  pages  19-35. 


XVI  INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS. 


But  mere  external  evidence  for  the  Genuineness  of  such  books  as  the  Gospels, 
however  unanswerable,  is  not  all  that  we  have  a  right  to  expect.     The  very 
nature  of  the  case  is  such  that  we  cannot  rest — and,  we  will  venture  to  say,  ought 
not  to  rest — satisfied  without  internal  evidence  also.     By  this  we  mean  not  what 
are  called  the  Internal  Evidences  of  Christianity,  or  the  Nature  of  the  Religion 
itself.     We  shall  advert  to  that  by  and  by.     But  our  present  point  is  with  the 
Boohs  which  constitute  the  primary  Documents  of  our  Faith ;  and  of  these  we 
say  that,  after  finding  them  attested  to  us  from  without  by  irrefragable  evidence, 
we  naturally,  and  even  irresistibly,  feel  impelled  to  inquire  what  internal  marks 
of  genuineness  they  present.      But  here  we  find  it  impossible  to  separate  the 
Genuineness  of  the  books  from  the  Credibility  of  the  History;    for,    from  tlio 
nature  of  the  case,  the  vindication  of  the  writings,  as  those  of  their  reputed 
authors,  will  go  far  to  authenticate  what  they  relate. 

Observe,  then,  first  of  all,  the  language  of  these  naiTatives.  It  is  Greek, 
indeed,  but  Jewish  Greek;  bearing  the  nearest  resemblance  to  the  Greek  of 
the  Septuagint,  yet  difiering  even  from  it ;  such  Greek,  in  fact,  as  (we  may  say 
with  Michaelis  *)  could  not  have  been  wo-itten  a  hundred  and  twenty  years  after 
Christ.  For  after  that  period  there  were  hardly  any  Jewish  converts  to  Chris- 
tiamty — any,  at  least,  who  became  preachers  or  writers  ;  and  none  but  a  Jewish 
convert  could  have  written  these  narratives.  Mark  the  style  of  the  Greek 
Apostolical  Fathers:  not  one  of  them  writes  in  such  a  style  as  that  of  the 
Gospels,  nor,  we  may  safely  say,  could  have  done  so.f  Thus,  these  naiTatives 
must  of  necessity  have  been  written  within  the  three  quarters  of  that  one 
century  which  intervened  between  the  ascension  of  Christ  and  the  time  when 
the  peculiar  language  in  which  they  are  couched  could  no  longer  be  ^vritten  by 
any  one.  But  that  is  just  to  say  that  they  could  only  have  been  written  in  the 
apostolic  age  itself,  which  extended  to  the  close  of  the  first  century.  | 

Observe,  next,  the  style  of  these  productions.  It  is  that  of  uneducated,  yet 
sensible  men,  perfectly  artless  and  unpolished,  such  as  you  expect  from  the 
publican  on  the  shore  of  the  Galilean  lake,  who  gives  his  name  to  the  First 
Gospel,  and  the  fisherman  on  the  same  lake  from  whom  the  Fourth  receives  its 
name.  If  there  be  any  exception,  it  ought  to  be  in  the  Third  Gospel,  professing, 
as  it  does,  to  be  from  the  pen  of  a  physician,  and  one  who,  if  we  may  judge 
from  his  other  treatise — the  Acts  of  the  Apostles — must  have  seen  something 
of  the  world.  Accordingly,  while  the  prevailing  character  of  Luke's  Gospel  is 
that  of  all  the  rest — Jewish  Greek — there  are  portions  of  it,  and  of  the  Acts 
also,  which  are  written  in  a  quite  classic  style. 

But  far  more  decisive  of  the  genuineness  of  the  Gospels  are  the  innumerable 

*  Introd.,  i.  47. 

+  This  remark  is  still  more  applicable  to  the  Clementine  Homilies,  a  romantic  yet  important 
prodiiction  of  the  latter  part  of  the  second  century,  wi-itten  in  the  name  of  the  apostolical  Clement 
of  Eome. 

t  This  is  a  Und  of  argument  the  peculiar  force  of  which  will  be  felt  with  ever-growing  strength 
in  proportion  as  we  familiarize  ourselves  with  the  Greek  of  the  Gospels,  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the 
other  with  the  Greek  of  the  Apostolic  Fathers. 


INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS.  XVll 

allusions  which  they  incidentally  make  to  the  geography  and  topography  of 
Palestine,  the  mixed  political  condition  of  the  people,  their  manners  and  customs, 
religions  principles,  observances,  and  prejudices,  the  sects  and  parties  into  which 
they  were  divided,  &c.  Had  these  narratives  been  spuriovis  productions  of  a 
later  time,  after  Jerusalem  was  destroyed  and  the  Jews  dispersed,  or  constructed 
at  a  distance  out  of  but  a  few  fragments  of  truth,  their  authors  would  have 
either  taken  care  to  make  as  few  allusions  as  possible  of  the  kind  we  have 
noticed,  or  they  would  have  infallibly  discovered  their  own  fraud.  In  fact,  it  is 
hardly  possible  to  avoid  detection  in  fraudulent  histories  which  go  into  any 
degree  of  detail.  Anachronisms  are  almost  invariably  committed,  either  in  fact 
or  in  style ;  and  the  latter  are  fully  more  difficult  to  avoid  than  the  former. 
Well,  our  Gospels,  steeped  as  they  are  in  all  manner  of  allusions — every  par- 
ticular narrative  which  they  contain  being  full  of  them — have  supplied  the 
severest  test  of  their  own  truth.  And  how  do  they  stand  that  test?  Every- 
thing is  in  keeping — such  a  difficulty  as  that  about  the  taxing,  for  example, 
in  Luke  ii.,  only  revealing  the  undisputed  accuracy  of  the  rest.  There  is 
a  pre-raphaelite  minuteness  and  accuracy  of  detail  which  it  is  a  perfect 
delight  to  trace,  attesting  them  to  all  candid  readers,  in  whose  minds  they 
are  vivified  afresh  at  every  reading.  Who  has  not  been  struck  with  those 
inimitable  touches  of  character  by  which  the  Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees, 
Avith  the  rivalry  that  subsisted  between  them,  are  depicted  or  chiselled  to 
the  life — not  to  speak  of  the  Samaritans,  differing  from  and  disliked  by 
both  ;  the  allusions  to  the  different  members  of  the  Herod  family,  with  the 
account  of  the  Baptist's  death,  so  strikingly  agreeing  with  that  of  Josephus; 
and  all  that  we  meet  with  in  every  page  of  the  Gospels,  and  which  burn  these 
incomparable  narratives  into  the  memory  and  imagination  of  every  reader  ? 
Some  allusions  are  of  such  a  kind  that  their  minute  accuracy  only  appears  on 
investigation,  but  which,  when  pointed  out,  are  at  once  felt  to  be  astonishing 
and  beautiful.  For  a  mass  of  these  we  must  refer  the  reader  to  such  writers 
as  Lardner,  Michaelis,  and  Hug. 

There  is  a  class  of  internal  evidences  of  genuineness  of  a  peculiar  but  irre- 
sistible nature, — what  are  called  Undesigned  Coincidences  between  the  different 
Gospels.  That  the  Four  Gospels  were  not  di-awn  up  by  one  writer,  nor  by 
any  number  of  writers  acting  in  concert,  is  perfectly  evident  on  the  slightest 
examination  of  them.  Remarkable  as  their  agreement  is,  their  differences  and 
appai-ent  contradictions — some  of  them  exceedingly  difficult  to  explain— put  it 
beyond  all  doubt  that  they  are  independent  productions  of  different  pens.  And 
yet  there  occur  a  niunber  of  coincidences,  at  those  points  where  they  travel 
over  the  same  ground  or  cross  each  other's  path,  which,  while  manifestly  unde- 
signed, are  strikingly  confirmatory  of  the  coinciding  narratives.  And  the  more 
trivial  the  circumstance  about  which  the  undesigned  coincidence  occurs,  so  much 
the  more  convincing,  of  course,  is  it  as  a  mark  of  genuineness  and  truth  in  the 
different  records.* 

*  One  example  may  here  be  given  merely  to  ilhistrate,  to  those  to  whom  the  remark  may  be  new. 


XVIU  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  GOSPELS. 

But  there  is  one  internal  mark  of  genuineness  in  tlie  writings,  and  at  the 
same  time  of  truth  in  the  things  written,  which  is  beyond  eveiy  other — the 
Story  itself  which  these  Documents  tell.  It  could  not  by  possibility  have  been 
told  by  any  forger,  designing  to  palm  off  a  composition  of  his  own  as  the 
authentic  records  of  eye  and  ear- witnesses  of  the  things  related;  whether  we 
view  him  as  inventing  the  whole,  or  only  dressing  up  a  few  fragments  of  truth 
in  the  way  which  we  find  done  in  these  narratives.  Who  could  have  invented 
such  a  Character  and  such  a  History  as  that  of  the  Christ  of  these  Gospels? 
Every  one  whose  intellectual  judgment  and  moral  sense  have  not  been  miserably 
warped,  must  see  that  in  order  to  be  written  it  must  first  have  been  real.  Nor 
let  it  be  said  that  as  many  such  narratives  were  afloat  in  the  early  Christian 
ages,  the  Four  we  now  have  may  fairly  be  regarded  as  just  specimens  of  the 
religiously  inventive  turn  of  that  age.  For  while  the  existence  of  those  many 
narratives  shows  beyond  doubt  that  they  all  rest  on  the  basis  of  a  real  historical 
Christ,  the  still  extant  remains  of  such  productions — of  the  Apocryphal  Gospels, 
we  mean — are  so  childish,  extravagant,  and  contradictory,  as  only  to  act  as  a  foil 
to  our  Gospels.  We  shall  have  occasion  to  recur  to  this  subject;  and  in  the 
Commentary  we  have  once  and  again  adverted  to  it.  Here  we  shall  only 
observe,  that  these  apocryphal  fragments  seem  to  have  been  providentially  pre- 
served just  to  show  that  those  Four  Gospels,  which  the  Church  unanimously  and 
from  the  first  acknowledged,  were  the  Gospel  History,  whose  truth  was  to  carry 
its  own  evidence  and  extinguish  every  rival. 

Thus  is  the  internal  evidence  of  the  Genuineness  of  the  Four  Gospels  as 
complete  and  resistless  as  the  external.  Both  together  constitute  a  mass  of 
evidence  such  as  no  other  book  in  existence  can  lay  claim  to ;  and  we  hesitate 
not  to  say,  that  he  who  resists  this  evidence  ought  not  to  believe  in  the  genuine- 
ness of  any  literary  production  of  older  date  than  the  generation  in  which  he 
lives. 

There  still,  however,  remain  some  points  to  be  disposed  of.  The  character 
of  the  writers  is  a  point  of  much  interest.  If  they  were  not  wilful  impostors  or 
designing  knaves — and  the  time  has  gone  by  when  that  needs  to  be  disproved — 
they  must  be  regarded  as  honest  men ;  for  there  is  no  medium.  It  is  needless  to 
ask  whether  any  one  would  fly  in  the  face  of  all  his  known  interests,  and  persist 
in  doing  so,  with  a  knavish  purpose — whether  the  Evangelists,  having  neither 

the  nature  of  the  thing  intended.  In  the  First  Gosi)el  it  is  said  (Matt.  xxvi.  67),  "  Then  did  they 
spit  in  His  face,  and  buffeted  Him ;  and  others  smote  Him  with  the  palms  of  their  hands,  saying. 
Prophesy  unto  us,  thou  Christ,  Who  is  he  that  smote  thee .«"'  Had  we  no  other  infoiination  than  what 
is  conveyed  in  this  Gospel,  or  the  Second,  or  the  Fourth  Gosjiel,  we  should  never  have  been  able  to 
account  for  one  who  struck  another  asking  the  person  struck  to  point  out  who  did  it.  But  in  the 
Third  Gospel  the  difficulty  vanishes ;  for  there  (Luke  xxii.  64)  we  read  that  it  was  after  "the  men 
that  held  Jesus  had  blindfolded  Him"  that  they  asked  Him  to  point  out  who  had  smitten  Him.  In 
the  present  Commentary  several  such  coincidences  are  pointed  out  (as  in  the  remarks  on  Mark  viii.  9, 
page  169).  But  the  reader  who  would  wish  to  pursue  this  subject,  the  line  of  which  was  first  sug- 
gested by  Paley  in  his  'Horse  Paulinse,'  is  referred  to  Dr.  Blunt's  'Undesigned  Coincidences,'  &c. — 
although  considerable  deduction  must  be  made  for  some  of  his  examples  which  are  weak,  and  others 
which  are  more  than  doubtfuL 


INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS,  XIX 

pecuniary  advantage  nor  literary  reputation  to  gain  by  putting  forth  as  true  what 
they  knew  to  be  false ;  and  belonging  as  they  did  to  a  party  whose  testimony  to 
what  they  record  exposed  them  to  ridicule,  reproach,  loss  of  property,  and  death 
itself — whether  they  can  be  believed  to  have  deliberately  done  that  very  thing, 
and  four  of  them  independently.  But  it  is  not  needless  to  call  attention  to  the 
peculiar  character  of  the  History  itself,  in  so  far  as  it  bears  upon  such  a  theory. 
The  Evangelists  represent  the  Person  whose  Story  they  tell  as  brought  into  the 
world  with  no  attractions,  and  born  only  to  suffering  from  the  first;  as  passing 
the  first  thirty  years  of  a  life  destined  to  great  things,  in  perfect  obscurity,  and 
emerging  into  public  life  only  to  encounter  opposition  from  the  leading  spirits  of 
the  nation ;  as  raising  comparatively  few  constant  followers,  deserted  about  the 
middle  of  His  brief  career  by  a  considerable  number  even  of  these,  frequently  mis- 
understood by  the  selectest  band  of  His  attendants,  one  of  whom  betrayed  Him 
at  last  to  His  enemies,  while  another,  to  save  himself  from  danger,  swore  that  he 
knew  nothing  about  Him;  as  arraigned  before  the  highest  council  of  the  nation, 
and  by  it  condemned  to  die,  and  after  being  treated  with  every  species  of  con- 
tumely, handed  over  to  the  civil  authority,  which,  after  some  feeble  efforts  to  save 
Him,  yielded  Him  up  to  crucifixion ;  as  led  forth  to  execution,  nailed  to  a  cross, 
and  uplifted  between  two  malefactors,  with  every  circumstance  of  ignominy ;  as 
covered  with  the  derision  of  all  classes  of  the  spectators,  and  at  length  dying 
and  being  buried;  and,  though  rising  again,  yet  appearing  no  more  in  public,  but 
after  forty  days'  seclusion  from  every  eye,  with  the  exception  of  occasional 
manifestations  to  His  handful  of  adherents,  leaving  the  world  altogether  for 
heaven ;  His  disciples  having  the  task  committed  to  them  of  telling  all  this  to  the 
world,  and  making  it  the  basis  of  a  religious  community  over  the  whole  earth.  Is 
such  a  story,  either  in  its  substance  or  in  its  details,  what  a  designing  person 
would  invent?  Who  can  doubt  that  in  the  hands  of  a  dishonest  writer,  the 
whole  would  have  assumed  a  different,  and  in  most  of  its  particulars  an 
opposite,  complexion?  We  speak  not  of  the  precepts  inculcated  and  the  sins  con- 
demned, such  as  it  is  inconceivable  that  any  writer  should  have  put  into  the 
mouth  of  a  Teacher  whose  life,  as  written  by  him,  was  known  to  be  fictitious, 
or  in  the  main  unreal.  Such  transcendent  morality  could  not  by  possibility 
have  come,  either  more  or  less,  from  a  dishonest  writer.  It  must  have  been 
Reality  before  it  became  History. 

But  even  after  the  thorough  honesty  of  the  Evangelists  has  been  admitted, 
there  are  still  some  points  to  be  cleared  up.  Had  they  the  requisite  informa- 
tion ?  Are  they  telling  us  what  they  had  immediate  access  to  know,  or  giving 
us  information  received  at  second  or  third  hand,  or  further  off?  Every  reader  of 
the  Gospels  can  answer  this  question.  The  First  and  Fourth  of  the  Evangelists 
were  two  of  the  Twelve  whom  Christ  selected  to  be  constantly  with  Him,  on 
purpose  to  be  able,  from  their  own  eyes  and  ears,  to  report  all  that  He  did  and 
said ;  and  as  for  the  other  two,  it  is  enough  at  present  to  say,  that  their  narra- 
tives so  perfectly  agree  in  all  main  particulars  with  those  of  Matthew  and  John, 
that  if  the  History  as  told  by  the  First  and  Fourth  be  authentic,  the  same  History 


XX  INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS. 


as  told  by  the  Second  and  Third  cannot  consistently  be  rejected.  Indeed,  a 
mere  glance  at  the  narratives  themselves  is  sufficient  to  show  that  they  are 
given  on  the  authority  of  those  who  saw  and  heard  what  they  report.  Who,  for 
example,  can  doubt  that  the  whole  scene  of  Lazarus's  sickness,  death,  and  resur- 
rection is  recorded  by  an  eye  and  ear-witness?  and  the  resurrection  of  Jairus' 
dauohter  and  of  the  widow  of  Nain's  son;  the  storms  on  the  sea  of  Galilee, 
when  Jesus  and  His  disciples  were  on  it,  and  His  walking  on  that  sea;  the 
feedino-  of  the  five  and  of  the  four  thousand: — are  not  all  these  related  with  a 
circumstantiality  and  an  artlessness  which  bespeak  the  presence,  in  the  Record,  of 
parties  to  the  scenes  themselves  ?  Still  more,  perhaps,  is  this  felt  in  such  nar- 
ratives as  that  of  the  triumphal  Entry  into  Jerusalem,  the  Last  Supper,  Geth- 
semane,  the  Betrayal,  Apprehension,  Trial,  Crucifixion,  and  Burial;  the  scenes  of 
the  Resurrection-day,  the  subsequent  Appearances  and  the  eventual  Ascension,  in 
the  sio-ht  of  the  disciples,  into  heaven.  Each  and  all  of  these  are  related  in  a 
way  which  would  defy  invention,  had  the  things  never  happened,  or  even  had 
it  been  intended  merely  to  dress  up  a  meagre  outline  of  fact  with  imaginary 
circumstances. 

But  we  must  look  a  little  deeper  into  the  History  itself,  or  the  Tale  it  tells. 
The  existence  of  the  Four  Gospels,  supposing  the  History  unreal,  would  involve 
three  distinct  moral  impossibilities.  First,  The  conception  of  such  a  character  as 
the  Christ  of  the  Gospels ;  next,  the  construction  of  the  Narrative,  considered 
as  a  literary  task,  so  as  to  keep  up  tlie  character  throughout,  and  never  let  it 
down — to  make  the  great  Actor  in  all  its  scenes  neither  to  say  nor  to  do  aught 
that  is  incongruous  or  out  of  keeping ;  finally,  that  not  one  person  should  do 
all  this,  nor  two,  nor  three,  but  four  persons,  and  all  independently  of  each 
other,  or  without  any  collusion  (as  is  manifest  on  the  face  of  the  narratives) — 
so  as  that  the  Story  told  by  all  four  should  be  one  and  the  same  Story,  and  the 
success  in  telling  it  should  be  equal  in  all,  while  yet  each  narrator  should  have 
peculiarities  and  attractions  of  his  own.  Add  to  this,  that  one  of  these  four 
astonishing  writers  was  an  untutored  fisherman,  another  a  publican,  on  the 
Galilean  shore,  a  third  the  companion  of  another  of  those  fishermen  of  Galilee; 
and  that  only  one  of  these  had  any  pretensions  to  literary  culture ;  and  that  with 
the  exception  of  him — if  even  with  that  exception — none  of  them  had  written  a 
line,  of  a  literary  nature,  before.  When  all  this  is  considered,  the  moral  impos- 
sibility of  four  such  narratives  coming  from  four  such  hands — not  to  say,  if  it 
was  in  the  main  untrue,  but  even  if  it  was  more  or  less  an  invention  of  their 
own — is  complete  and  overwhelming. 

Consider  only  for  a  moment  what  those  four  men  have  done.  They  have 
written  the  History  of  One  to  whom  they  all  give  the  name  of  Jesus,  because, 
as  divinely  announced.  He  was  to  be  a  Saviour  from  sin.  Keeping  this 
perpetually  in  view,  they  all  agree  in  representing  Him  as  bone  of  our 
bone,  flesh  of  our  flesh,  man  as  we  are  men;  yet  free  from  all  the  moral 
imperfections  by  which  other  characters  are  stained;  subject  to  every  innocent 
infirmity  of  our  nature,  yet  morally  spotless.     And  what  is  particularly  worthy 


INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS.  Xxi 

of  notice,  it  never  appears  to  be  their  professed  object  to  teach  this,  or  teach 
anything  at  all.  They  are  not  preaching  Histories:  they  tell  their  tale,  an 
unvarnished  tale,  leaving  the  facts  to  speak  for  themselves.  'Exen  the  Fourth 
Gospel,  which  differs  from  the  other  three  in  being  of  a  reflective  character,  is 
so  in  a  way  which  in  nowise  interferes  with  the  remark  just  made.  But  the 
Human  in  Christ  is  not  more  manifest  on  every  page  than  the  Divine.  We 
state  this  quite  broadly  and  generally  here — not  requiring  to  do  more  for  our 
immediate  purpose.  And  what  we  say  is,  that  in  His  claiming  equality  with  the 
Father,  and  speaking  and  acting  in  a  vast  number  of  particulars  in  a  way 
which  could  not  fail  to  suggest  the  conviction  that  this,  and  no  other,  was  His 
meaning,  our  Evangelists  have  to  do  with  a  Character  altogether  unique  and 
totally  unmanageable,  save  in  the  Record  of  a  real  life.  No  human  ingenuity 
could  have  hidden  the  art,  if  art  had  had  to  be  put  in  requisition  at  all,  in  the 
construction  of  such  a  life.  At  some  places  or  other  the  writers  would  infallibly 
have  discovered  themselves.  If,  indeed,  the  story  had  been  of  a  very  vague  and 
general  character,  we  might  conceive  of  its  being  passably  executed.  But  no  such 
History  is  that  of  the  Gospels.  The  Evangelists  carry  the  Person  whose  life  they 
write  through  a  multitude  of  the  most  novel,  the  most  complicated,  the  most  testing 
scenes  conceivable — scenes  such  as  had  never  before  been  dreamt  of  They  have 
undertaken  to  represent  Him  as  so  speaking,  so  acting — in  a  word,  so  conducting 
Himself  throughout — that  the  readers  of  their  Histories  may  be  convinced, 
as  they  were,  that  this  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  and  believing,  may  have 
life  through  His  name.  In  doing  this,  need  we  say  that  they  had  no  model 
whatever  to  guide  them — no  literary  work,  and  no  known  example,  to  give 
them  the  least  hint  how  to  make  the  subject  of  their  History  speak  and  act  so 
as  never  to  be  out  of  keeping  either  with  real  Humanity  or  with  pi*oper  Deity. 

But  the  strength  of  the  case  only  grows  upon  us  as  we  proceed.  The  Four 
Gospels  only  record  with  the  pen  what  had  been  proclaimed  by  the  lips  of 
Christ's  followers  from  the  fiftieth  day  after  His  resurrection,  without  intermis- 
sion, in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  the  most  public  parts  of  the  country 
where  the  scenes  of  the  History  are  alleged  to  have  taken  place.  The  followers 
of  Jesus  neither  waited  till  the  whole  affair  was  likely  to  be  forgotten,  nor  went 
away  to  distant  lands  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of  detection.  But  they  told  their 
Tale  in  the  very  spots  where  it  occurred,  and  while  every  circumstance  was  quite 
fresh  and  warm  in  the  public  mind.  Even  this  might  be  conceived  possible  con- 
sistently with  invention,  provided  the  things  related  had  been  of  so  trifling  a 
nature  that  nobody  cared  to  sift  them,  or  of  so  private  a  nature  that  few 
could  be  supposed  privy  to  them,  or  of  so  abstract  and  unimpassioned  a  nature  as 
to  encounter  no  formidable  prejudices  and  be  fitted  to  produce  no  great  changes. 
But  the  facts  reported  were  of  the  most  public  and  patent  nature;  they  were  of 
the  most  vivid  and  startling  character;  they  were  in  the  teeth  of  every  existing 
prejudice;  they  were  fitted  to  destroy  the  whole  edifice  of  the  existing 
Judaism  ;  they  were  of  a  nature  to  revolutionize,  so  far  as  embraced,  the 
religious  views  of  all  mankind.     It  would  be  ridiculous  to  suppose  that  such 


Xxii  IXTRODrCTION  TO   THE   GOSPELS. 


a  Tale  should  stir  no  public  interest,  and  be  for  any  time  let  alone.  If 
the  whole  thing  was  a  falsehood,  or  even  in  its  leading  particulars  false,  it 
could  not  have  lived  a  month.  If  true,  and  yet  the  Jewish  communit}' 
unprepared  to  submit  to  it,  we  may  be  quite  sure  that  attempts  would 
immediately  be  made  to  put  the  witnesses  and  preachers  of  it  down.  Such 
attempts  we  know  were  made,  and  that  within  the  first  day  or  two,  but  all 
in  vain.  The  Story  was  credited,  and  the  believers  of  it  increased  by  thousands 
every  day  in  Jerusalem  itself  The  first  and  most  splendid  triumphs  of  the  Story 
of  a  Crucified,  Risen,  and  Glorified  Saviour  were  achieved  in  the  very  spots  to 
which,  and  over  the  very  people  to  whom,  they  could  point  as  the  scenes  and 
the  witnesses  of  the  transactions  which  they  reported — transactions  the  chief  of 
which  were  but  a  few  weeks  old  when  the  preachers  first  stood  in  the  streets  of 
the  capital  to  proclaim  it,  and  on  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  which  the  whole 
nation  could  with  perfect  certainty  pronounce.  But — to  try  every  supposition — 
it  is  conceivable  that  the  written  Documents  of  our  Faith,  though  faulty — that 
the  character  which  they  depict,  though  defective— might,  if  well  executed  on 
the  whole,  escape  detection,  provided  they  were  subjected  to  little  criticism,  or 
criticism  on  narrow  or  false  principles.  But  these  Four  Documents — multi])lied 
as  no  writings  ever  were,  translated  into  other  tongues  as  no  writings  ever  were, 
commented  on  as  no  writings  ever  were,  sifted  untiringly,  by  foes  to  destroy  and 
by  friends  to  defend,  them,  for  sixteen  or  seventeen  centuries,  as  no  writings  ever 
were — must,  if  untrue,  have  been  torn  into  ten  thousand  pieces  long  ere  now,  and 
ceased  to  obtain  any  credit  or  exercise  any  influence.  But  these  Four  Produc- 
tions— which  may  all  be  read  through  in  a  few  hours — live  still,  and  sit  enthroned 
on  the  faith  and  affection  of  the  most  cultivated  portion  of  the  human  race,  and 
most  of  all  of  those  who  have  shown  that  they  understand  the  principles  and 
laws  of  evidence,  and  are  quite  competent  to  detect  literary  fraud,  who  have  no 
motive  whatever  for  maintaining  the  credit  of  any  falsehood,  and  who,  from  pure 
conviction  of  the  truth  of  this  History,  profound  admiration  of  its  glorious  Sub- 
ject, and  gratitude  to  Him  for  what  He  hath  done  for  them,  have  dedicated  all 
their  gifts  to  the  study  of  this  History,  and  their  lives  to  the  propagation  of  its 
facts  among;  their  fellow-men.  Nor  is  it  a  barren  faith  which  the  Christian 
world  reposes  in  this  unique  History.  This  Story  of  Jesus  has  penetrated  to 
the  core  of  that  commanding  portion  of  the  human  family  which  we  call 
Christendom,  has  permeated  its  whole  manifold  life — its  intellectual,  moral, 
social,  political,  religious  life — and  has  revolutionized  and  ennobled  it.  Paganism 
is  dead;  Judaism  is  dead;  Mohammedanism  is  dead;  the  various  intermediate 
speculations  of  restless  and  proud  minds,  if  they  cannot  be  said  to  be  dead,  con- 
stitute no  substantive  Religion  at  all,  and  never  will  nor  can  crystallize  into  any- 
thing worthy  of  that  name,  on  which  a  living  soul  can  repose  and  a  dying  man 
may  build  hope  for  a  future  state.  Christianity  alone  lives.  It  lives  not, 
indeed,  an  undisturbed  life.  Transcendental  philosophies,  rationalistic  criticism, 
materialistic  science,  and  political  theories  for  the  advancement  of  the  human 
species,  bred  of  materialism,  are  at  this  hour  in  full  activity.     But  this  History 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE   GOSPELS.  XXlll 

—with  the  preceding  and  following  portions  of  the  Bible  that  do  but  minister  to 
it — has  not  only  stood  its  ground,  but  seen  nearly  every  successive  form  of 
antagonism  to  its  grave.  Fresh  forms  of  hostility  succeed,  because  the  spirit  of 
enmity  to  Revelation  and  all  divine  authority,  that  gives  them  birth,  still  lives. 
But  since  nearly  every  imaginable  form  of  hostility  to  Revelation  has  already 
run  its  course,  while  Biblical  Christianity  is  only  fresher  and  mightier  than  ever, 
we  have  in  this  a  sure  pledge  of  its  undying  vitality.  For  every  new  specula- 
tion in  philosophy,  for  every  new  discovery  in  science,  for  every  new  develop- 
ment in  the  life  of  nations,  Christianity  shows  itself  prepared; — to  grapple  with 
and  overcome  it,  if  false  and  deadly;  to  own  it,  to  regulate  it,  to  ride  on  the 
top  of  it,  if  sound  and  salutary.  It  superannuates  and  supersedes  whatever 
stands  in  its  way;  itself  never  superannuated,  but  eternally  young.  It  is  tlie 
vital  element  of  modern  society,  and  the  very  spirit  of  progress.  It  is  the  salt  of 
the  earth ;  it  is  the  light  of  the  world.  It  has  its  points  of  real  difficulty — in 
criticism,  in  doctrine,  even  in  form,  considered  as  a  Documentary  Revelation. 
On  all  these  sides  it  will  continue  to  be  assailed  so  long  as  enmity  to  whatever 
is  Divine  remains  among  men,  and  has  leave  to  speak  out.  Nor  will  such  things 
cease  to  stumble  even  some  "  who  believe  and  know  the  truth."  But  as  the 
efforts  of  its  adversaries  prove  bootless,  the  hearts  of  its  leal  disciples  get 
reassured.  The  difficulties  remain  where  they  were,  and  *'  that  which  is  crooked" 
we  find,  with  the  wise  king  of  Israel,  "  cannot  be  made  straight."  But  on 
every  side  we  behold  shattered  systems — and,  alas!  the  wreck  of  noble  minds 
who  commit  themselves  to  them.  "  Come  and  behold  the  works  of  the  Lord, 
what  desolations  He  hath  wrought  in  the  earth."  Outside  of  Christianity  we 
find  no  harbour  of  refuge  for  our  tossed  and  weary  souls,  but  here  we  enjoy  deep 
and  settled  repose.  And  thus,  as  we  survey  historically  the  vicissitudes  through 
which  the  Gospel  has  come,  from  the  first  day  until  now,  is  the  uncorrupted  heart, 
as  by  a  method  of  exhaustion,  "  shut  up  unto  the  Faith,"  exclaiming,  as  it  enters 
this  haven  of  rest,  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  Thou  hast  the  words  of  Eternal 
Life." 

On  the  subject  of  Miracles,  as  a  preliminary  objection  to  the  reception  of  the 
Gospel  History,  this  is  not  the  place  to  enter.  One  might  have  thought 
that  since  the  days  of  Hume  this  objection  had  been  sufficiently  disposed  of.  In 
so  far  as  it .  drew  forth  an  astonishing  amount  of  beautiful  investigation  and 
important  illustration  on  the  subject  of  human  testimony,  one  may  be  pleased  at 
the  extraordinary  attention  which  that  objection  attracted.  At  the  same  time 
we  are  free  to  confess  to  something  akin  to  shame  at  the  panic  it  created,  the 
anxiety  which  some  writers  have  shown  in  dealing  with  it,  and  the  elaborateness 
and  even  metaphysical  subtlety  of  some  of  the  ablest  replies  to  it — as  if  it 
involved  some  real  difficulty.  The  possibihty  of  a  miracle  (and  the  possibility  of 
authenticating  it)  is,  in  our  view,  simply  a  question  of  Theism  or  Atheism.  If  there 
be  no  God,  there  can  be  no  miracle,  in  any  proper  sense  of  the  term.  But  if  there  be, 
'the  laws  of  nature'  are  but  His  own  method  of  rule  iu  His  uwu  physical  creation. 


XXIV  INTRODITCTION  TO   THE   GOSPELS. 

Whether  He  has  at  any  time,  and  in  certain  given  cases,  for  ends  higher  than  the 
jthysical  creation,  acted  otherwise  than  according  to  these  'laws' — that  men  might 
be  startled  into  the  recognition  of  His  own  presence,  and  constrained  to  receive 
truths  of  eternal  moment  as  an  immediate  message  from  Himself — must  be  purely 
a  matter  of  evidence.  And  if  this  evidence  be  in  its  own  nature  convincing,  and 
to  the  candid  mind  overwhelming,  it  is  not  to  be  weakened  by  difficulties  as  to 
the  possibility  of  such  Divine  Intervention,  wliich,  explain  them  as  men  will, 
have  their  rise  only  in  the  atheistic  spirit.  It  is  a  grief  to  us  to  observe  these 
difficulties  obtruded  anew  upon  the  Christian  world,  not  by  professed  infidels, 
but  by  ordained  ministers  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  our  land — the  victims  of  a 
wretched  Naturalism,  which,  while  clinging  to  the  sentiment,  or  what  they  call 
the  spirit  of  Christianity,  is  impatient  of  the  Supernatural  in  every  form.  There 
seems  to  be  a  growing  party,  including  some  learned  clergy,  who,  like  an  extinct 
school  in  Germany,  flatter  themselves  that  they  can  retain  their  belief  in  the  Bible 
in  general,  and  in  the  Gospels  in  particular,  while  they  sit  loose  to  all  that  is 
miraculous  or,  in  the  strict  sense,  supernatural  in  it.  No  doubt  this  phase  of 
scepticism,  like  others,  will  pass  away.  It  is  an  inclined  plane,  and  we  know 
the  terminus  of  those  who  venture  on  it.  Meanwhile,  we  add  our  testimony,  in 
various  parts  of  this  Commentary,  to  that  of  all  other  thorough  students  of  the 
Gospels,  that  they  must  be  accepted  entire,  or  entire  rejected,  as,  like  the  Saviour's 
own  tunic,  "  without  seam,  woven  from  the  top  throughout." 

This  naturall}^  suggests  the  sulject  of  Inspiration,  on  which  it  will  be  proper 
to  say  a  closing  word  or  two. 

Every  thoughtful  reader  of  the  Gospels  must  at  times  have  asked  himself 
how  the  Evangelists  were  able  to  report  as  they  have  done  so  much  of  what  our 
Lord  said  and  did,  with  all  those  circumstances  and  incidents  which  so  much 
affect  the  sense  and  design  of  it.  As  mere  memory  would  plainly  have  been 
inadequate  to  the  production  of  such  nari-atives,  there  remains  but  one  other 
explanation  of  them.  Some  -prompting  from  above — enabling  the  Evangelists  to 
reproduce  the  scenes  and  circumstances,  discourses  and  actions,  as  we  have 
them — is  irresistibly  suggesti^d  to  the  mind  as  the  only  adequate  explanation  of 
those  four  unique  compositions  called  The  Gospels.  Yet  so  little  can  one  safely 
rely  on  mere  conjecture  or  theory  in  such  a  case,  that  had  we  no  explicit  infor- 
mation in  the  narratives  themselves  as  to  the  source  of  their  proper  authority, 
we  should  never  have  felt  satisfied  that  we  had  solved  the  problem.  But  happily 
that  information  we  have,  and  the  solidity  which  it  imparts  to  our  faith  in 
these  Four  Gospels,  and  by  consequence  in  the  rest  of  the  Scripture,  is  complete 
and  reassuring. 

"  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,"  said  Jesus  to  His  disciples,  in 
the  upper  room,  the  night  before  He  suffered,  "  being  yet  present  with  you. 
But  the  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  Whom  the  Father  will  send 
in  My  name.  He  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your 
remembrance,  whatsoever  I    have  said   unto   you."*       So  imperfectly   did  the 

*  John  xiv.  25,  26. 


INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS.  XXV 

apostles  apprehend  what  Jesus  said  to  them,  that  they  could  not  be  expected  to 
remember  it  even  as  it  was  spoken;  for  nothing  is  harder  than  to  recall  with 
precision  any  but  the  briefest  statement,  if  it  be  not  comprehended.  But  while 
Jesus  here  promises  to  send  them  a  Prompter  from  heaven,  it  was  not  to  recall 
His  teaching  simply  as  it  fell  on  their  ears  from  His  lips.  This  would  have  left 
them  the  same  half-instructed  and  bewildered,  weak  and  timid  men,  as  before — 
all  unfit  to  evangelize  the  world,  either  by  their  preaching  or  their  writings. 
But  the  Spirit  was  to  teach  as  well  as  reynind  them — to  veprodiice  tlte  luhole 
teaching  of  Christ,  not  as  they  understood  it,  but  as  He  meant  it  to  be  under- 
stood. Thus  have  we  here  a  double  promise,  that  through  the  agency  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  the  whole  teaching  of  Christ  should  stand  up  in  the  minds  of  His 
disciples,  when  He  was  gone  from  them,  in  all  its  entireness,  as  at  first  uttered, 
and  in  all  its  vast  significance,  as  by  Him  intended.  Before  the  close  of  this 
same  Discourse  our  Lord  announces  an  extension  even  of  this  great  office  of  the 
Sj)irit.  They  were  not  able  to  take  in  all  that  he  had  to  tell  them.  He  had 
accordingly  expressed  much  in  but  a  seminal  form,  and  some  things  He  could 
hardly  be  said  to  have  spoken  at  all.  But  when  the  Spirit  should  come,  on  His 
departure  to  the  Father,  He  should  "  guide  them  into  all  the  truth,"  filling  up 
whatever  was  wanting  to  their  complete  apprehension  of  the  mind  of  Christ. 
On  these  great  promises  rests  the  Credibility — in  the  highest  sense  of  that 
term — of  the  Gospel  History,  and  so  its  Divine  Authority.* 

We  have  here  said  that  the  Credibility  of  the  Gospel  Histor}',  in  the  lofty 
sense  guaranteed  by  our  Lord's  promise,  gives  it  Divine  Authority.  We  some- 
times hear  the  Inspiration  of  the  Gospels  spoken  of  as  if  it  were  something 
distinct  from  the  character  of  the  History  itself  But  the  Gospels  possess  no 
separate  element  of  Inspiration — separate,  that  is,  from  their  strict  Historical 
accuracy  in  the  lofty  sense  above  explained.  And  the  best  proof  that  this 
accuracy  is  such  as  attaches  to  no  human  composition  whatever,  will  be  found  in 
the  Gospels  themselves,  which,  while  evincing  their  own  Inspiration,  determine 
also  the  nature  of  that  Inspiration.  Each  Gospel  has  its  own  broad,  indelible 
characteristics;  yet  each  tells  the  same  Tale,  travelling  on  its  own  line.  And 
not  only  is  the  History  the  same,  but  amidst  not  inconsiderable  diversity  of 
representation  in  minor  details,  the  success  of  each  in  bringing  out  the  One 
Historical  Result  is  equal ;  each  contributes  something  towards  the  complete 
conception  of  the  Great  Subject,  and  so  may  be  said  to  be  indispensable  to  the 
others  ;  and  all  together — amidst  partially  unharmonizable  diversities  in  subor- 
dinate features  of  the  Narrative — constitute  in  four-fold  perfection  the  True 
History  of  the  Saviour  of  the  World.  Like  the  four  seasons  of  the  year,  each  is 
welcome  and  each  beautiful  in  its  turn.  We  read  them  again  and  again,  and 
yet  again,  and  never  tire  of  them.  Try  this  upon  the  most  accurate  and  exalted 
history  that  ever  came  from  a  merely  human  pen.  Read  it  twice  or  thrice  you 
may ;  four  or  five  times,  not  so  likely ;  but  oftener,  never.  It  gets  flat,  stale, 
and  unprofitable.  The  best  do  so.  But  these  peerless  Histories  never  do, 
*  See  the  Commentary  on  John  xiv.  25,  26. 


XXVI  INTRODUCTION  TO   THE   GOSPELS. 

Millions  read  them  and  re-read  them.  Still  they  are  as  fresh  as  the  first  day. 
New  wonders  appear  in  them,  and  still  new.  Men  comment  upon  them,  and 
people  read  with  endless  interest  every  sensible,  elevated,  warm  commentary 
on  them.  But  the  text  itself  rises  above  all,  and  keeps  above  all.  In 
our  most  enlarged,  most  heavenly  frames  of  mind,  these  incomparable  Docu- 
ments are  ever  above  us.  And  who  that  weighs  tliis  will  not  be  ready  to  say, 
with  the  most  entire  conviction,  that  these  Four  Histories  "  came  not  in  old 
time  by  the  will  of  man,  but  holy  men  of  God  wrote  them" — from  personal 
knowledge,  no  doubt,  and  the  materials  they  possessed,  but  still,  in  the 
use  of  that  knowledge  and  those  materials,  wrote  them — "  as  they  were  moved 
by  the  Holy  Ghost."  Yes ;  and  while  they  have  defied  hostile  criticism, 
and  will  for  ever  baffle  all  attempts  to  break  them  down,  they  minister  alike 
to  the  rudest  and  the  most  refined,  who  open  their  souls  to  the  reception  of 
their  testimony,  light  and  life,  daily  nutriment  and  strength  for  work,  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory ; — nor  will  they  cease  to  do  this  until  that  which 
i":  perfect  is  come,  when  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done  away. 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  MATTHEW. 

The  author  of  this  Gospel  was  a  publican  or  tax-gatherer,  residing  at  Capernaum,  on  the 
western  shore  of  the  sea  of  Galilee.  As  to  his  identity  with  the  "Levi"  of  the  Second  and 
Third  Gospels,  and  other  particulars,  see  on  Matt.  ix.  9.  Hardly  anything  is  known  of  his 
apostolic  labours.  That,  after  ijreaching  to  his  countrymen  in  Palestine,  he  went  to  the 
East,  is  the  general  testimony  of  antiquity;  but  the  precise  scene  or  scenes  of  his  minis- 
try cannot  be  determined.  That  he  died  a  natural  death  may  be  concluded  from  the 
belief  of  the  best-informed  of  the  Fathers,  that  of  the  apostles  only  three,  James  the  gTcater, 
Peter,  and  Paul,  suffered  martyi-dom.  That  the  first  Gospel  was  written  by  this  apostle 
is  the  testimony  of  all  antiquity. 

For  the  date  of  this  Gospel  we  have  only  internal  evidence,  and  that  far  from  decisive. 
Accordingly,  opinion  is  much  divided.  That  it  was  the  first  issued  of  all  the  Gospels 
was  universally  believed.  Hence,  although  in  the  order  of  the  Gospels,  those  by  the  two 
apostles  were  placed  first  in  the  oldest  MSS.  of  the  Old  Latin  version,  while  in  all  the 
Greek  MSS.,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  the  order  is  the  same  as  in  our  Bibles,  the  Gos- 
pel according  to  Matthew  is  in  every  case  placed  first.  And  as  this  Gospel  is  of  all  the  four 
the  one  which  bears  the  most  evident  marks  of  having  been  prepared  and  constructed 
with  a  special  view  to  the  Jews — who  certainly  first  required  a  written  Gospel,  and 
would  be  the  first  to  make  use  of  it — there  can  be  no  doubt  that  !<•■  was  issued  before 
any  of  the  others.  That  it  was  written  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  is  equally 
certain;  for,  when  he  reports  our  Lord's  prophecy  of  that  awful  event,  on  coming  to 
the  warning  about  "the  abomination  of  desolation"  which  they  should  "see  standing  in 
the  holy  place,"  he  interposes  (contrary  to  his  invariable  practice,  which  is  to  relate 
without  remark)  a  call  to  his  readers  to  read  intelligently — "  Whoso  readeth,  let  him 
understand"  (Matt.  xxiv.  15) — a  call  to  attend  to  the  divine  signal  for  flight,  which  could 
be  intended  only  for  those  who  lived  before  the  event.*  But  how  long  before  that  event 
tliis  Gospel  was  written  is  not  so  clear.  8ome  internal  evidences  seem  to  imply  a  very 
early-  date.  Since  the  Jewish  Christians  were,  for  five  or  six  years,  exposed  to  persecu- 
tion from  their  own  countrymen — until  the  Jews,  being  persecuted  by  the  Romans,  had 
to  look  to  themselves — it  is  not  likely  (it  is  argued)  that  they  should  be  left  so  long  with- 
out some  written  Gospel  to  reassure  and  sustain  them,  and  Matthew's  Gospel  was 
eminently  fitted  for  that  purpose.  But  the  digests  to  which  Luke  refers  in  his  Litroduc- 
tion  (see  on  Luke  i.  1-4,  with  the  Remarks  at  the  close  of  that  Section)  would  be  sufficient 
for  a  time,  especially  as  the  living  voice  of  the  "eye-witnesses  and  ministers  of  the  word" 
was  yet  sounding  abroad.  Other  considerations  in  favour  of  a  very  early  date — such  as 
the  tender  way  in  which  the  author  seems  studiously  to  speak  of  Herod  Antipas,  as  if 
still  reigning,  and  his  writing  of  Pilate  apparently  as  if  still  in  power — appear  to  have  no 
foundation  in  fact,  and  cannot  therefore  be  made  the  ground  of  reasoning  as  to  the 
date  of  this  Gospel,  Its  Hebraic  structure  and  hue,  though  they  prove,  as  we  think, 
that  this  Gospel  must  have  been  published  at  a  period  considerably  anterior  to  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  are  no  evidence  in  favour  of  so  early  a  date  as  a.  d.  37  or 
38 — according  to  some  of  the  Fathers,  and,  of  the  moderns,  Tillemont,  Toimson,  Oicen, 
BirJcs,  Tregelles.     On  the  other  hand,  the  date  suggested  by  the  statement  of  Irenaeus 

•  Hug,  page  316. 


XXVIU  INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS. 

(iii.  1),  that  Matthew  put  forth  his  Gospel  while  Peter  and  Paul  were  at  Rome  preach- 
ing and  founding  the  Church — or  after  a.  d.  60 — though  probably  the  majority  of 
critics  are  in  favour  of  it,  would  seem  rather  too  late,  especially  as  the  Second  and 
Third  Gospels,  which  were  doubtless  published,  as  well  as  this  one,  before  ths  destn;c- 
tion  of  Jerusalem,  had  still  to  be  issued.  Certainly,  such  statements  as  the  following, 
"Wherefore  that  field  is  called  the  field  of  blood  unto  this  day;"  "And  this  saying  is 
commonly  reported  among  the  Jews  until  this  day"  (Matt,  xxvii.  8,  and  xxviii.  15), 
bespeak  a  date  considerably  later  than  the  events  recorded.  We  incline,  therefore,  to  a 
date  intermediate  between  the  earlier  and  the  later  dates  assigned  to  this  Gospel, 
without  pretending  to  greater  precision. 

We  have  adverted  to  the  strikingly  Jewish  character  and  colouring  of  this  Gospel. 
The  facts  which  it  selects,  the  points  to  which  it  gives  prominence,  the  cast  of  thought 
and  phraseology — all  bespeak  the  Jewish  point  of  view /row  which  it  was  wi'itten  and 
to  which  it  was  directed.  This  has  been  noticed  from  the  beginning,  and  is  universally 
acknowledged.  It  is  of  the  greatest  consequence  to  the  right  interpretation  of  it;  but 
the  tendency  among  some  even  of  the  best  of  the  Germans  to  infer,  from  this  special  design 
of  the  First  Gospel,  a  certain  laxity  on  the  part  of  the  Evangelist  in  the  treatment  of 
his  facts  must  be  guarded  against. 

But  by  far  the  most  interesting  and  important  point  connected  with  this  Gospel  is 
the  language  in  which  it  was  written.  It  is  believed  by  a  formidable  number  of  critics 
tliat  this  Gospel  was  originally  written  in  what  is  loosely  called  Hebrew,  but  more 
correctly  Ara7naic,  or  Syro-Chaldaic,  the  native  tongue  of  the  country  at  the  time  of 
our  Lord ;  and  that  the  Greek  Matthew  which  we  now  possess  is  a  translation  of  that 
work,  either  by  the  Evangelist  himself  or  some  unknown  hand.  The  evidence  on  which 
this  opinion  is  grounded  is  wholly  external.  But  it  has  been  deemed  conclusive  by 
Grotius,  Michaelis,  (and  his  translator)  Marsh,  Tou-nson,  Campbell,  Olshausen, 
Greswell,  Meyer,  Ehrard,  Lange,  Davidson,  Oureton,  Tregelles,  Webster  and 
Wilkinson,  &c.     The  evidence  referred  to  is  the  following : — 

(1.)  Papias  (of  whom  see  page  ix.)  is  reported  by  Irenseus,  Eusebius,  &c.,  to 
have  stated,  in  a  lost  work  of  his,  that  '  Matthew  drew  up  the  oracles  (meaning  his 
Gospel)  in  the  Hebrew  dialect  (or  tongue),*  and  every  one  interpreted  them  as  he  was 
able,*  (2.)  Irenanis  says,  '  Matthew,  among  the  Hebrews,  put  forth  a  written  Gospel 
in  their  own  tongue.'t  (3.)  Pantwnus  is  said  by  Eusebius  (E.  H.  v.  10)  to  hav«  gone 
to  the  Indians,^  and  there,  as  '  is  reported,'§  to  have  '  found  the  Gospel  of  Matthew, 
which  had  been  in  the  hands  of  some  there  who  knew  Christ  before  his  arrival;  to 
whom  the  Apostle  Bartholomew  is  said  to  have  preached,  leaving  them  this  writing 
of  Matthew  in  Hebrew  letters,  ||  which  they  kept  till  tlie  time  referred  to.'  Jerome, ^f 
who  gives  substantially  the  same  report,  adds  that,  '  on  his  return  to  Alexandria, 
Pantsenus  brought  it  with  him.'  (4.)  Origen  says,  according  to  the  report  of  Eusebius,** 
that  '  the  first  Gospel  was  ^vl■itten  by  him  who  once  was  a  publican  but  afterwards  an 
apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  Matthew,  and  that,  having  drawn  it  up  in  Hebrew  letters, ft  he 
issued  it  for  the  Jewish  believers.*  (5.)  Eusebius' s  own  statement  is  that  '  Matthew, 
having  first  preached  the  Gospel  to  the  Hebrews,  when  about  to  go  to  others,  also 

•  "E^/3aiOl  OLoKsKTio  TO.  Xoyia,  -f-  xjj  l^ia  SiaXeKTio  ai/TuuV. 

\  lis  'Iv^oiis,  §  Xeyfxai. 

II  'Ejipaiwv  ypanixcKn,  1[  De  Viris  lUiistr.,  c.  36.  3;  and  in  hisPrefac(j  to  Matthew* 

•*  E.  H.  vi  25.  ft  ypdfi/j.aa-kv  'E^fiaiKol^ 


THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   MATTHEW.  XXlX 

delivered  [to  them]  in  writing  the  Gospel  according  to  him  (Matthew),  in  the  native 
tongue,'*  (6.)  Jerome  (later  in  the  fourth  century)  sayst  that  'Matthew  first  com- 
posed a  Gospel  of  Christ  in  Judsea  for  the  benefit  of  the  Jewish  believers,  in  the  Hebrew 
tongue  and  character.  Who  afterwards  translated  it  into  Greek  is  not  sufficiently  certain. 
Moreover,  that  very  Hebrew  Gospel  is  in  the  Library  of  Cresarea,  which  Pamphilus 
the  martyr  collected  with  the  greatest  diligence.  I  myself  also  translated  it,  with  per- 
mission of  the  Nazarenes,  who  make  use  of  that  volume  in  Beroea,  a  town  of  Syria.'  And 
again,  he  speaks  of  the  Gospel  used  by  the  Nazarenes  and  Ebionites,  'which  Ave 
recently  translated  from  Hebrew  into  Greek,  and  which  is  by  most  called  the  authentic 
Gospel  of  Matthew. '+  (7.)  Epiphaniiis,  in  the  same  fourth  century,  says  §  regarding 
the  Nazarenes  and  Ebionites,  that  what  they  call  tlie  Gospel  according  to  the  Hebrews 
was  just  the  original,  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  and  character,  of  Matthew's  Gospel. 

This  chain  of  testimony  is  certainly  formidable,  especially  as  it  is  unbroken, 
there  being  no  external  testimony  to  the  contrary.  But  when  closely  examined,  it 
will  not,  we  believe,  be  found  to  bear  the  weight  laid  upon  it.  Tliere  is  the  strongest 
reason  to  suspect  that  most  of  the  preceding  testimonies  are,  after  all,  but  one  testi- 
mony— that  of  Papias — repeated  from  hand  to  hand.  Irenaeus,  at  least,  who  had  the 
greatest  regard  for  all  that  Papias  wrote,  as  he  must  have  seen  his  statement  on  this 
subject,  and  says  nothing  himself  in  addition  to  what  Papias  had  said  before  him, 
in  all  probability  just  echoed  it  from  him.  As  to  Origen,  the  following  circum- 
stances are  very  suspicious :  that  the  report  comes  to  us  only  through  Eusebius ;  that, 
as  reported  by  him,  Origen  is  not  said  to  have  ascertained  it  as  a  fact  in  conse- 
quence of  investigations  made  by  himself  on  so  important  a  subject,  but  merely  to  have 
learnt  it  by  tradition  ;||  it  is  not  said  he  had  ever  seen,  or  made  it  his  business  to 
search  out,  this  Gospel — which,  considering  the  energy  with  which  he  prosecuted  such 
biblical  inquiries,  is  somewhat  surprising  if  he  ever  stated  what  Eusebius  reports;  it 
is  not  said  even  that  he  believed  in  the  tradition,  but  merely  that  it  had  reached 
him.  But  more  than  this :  in  his  extant  commentaries  on  Matthew,  Origen  speaks  of 
the  Greek  of  it  as  if  it  were  the  only  and  the  original  Matthew,  reasoning  on  the 
Greek  word  rendered  in  the  Lord's  Prayer  "daily"  (iTriovaiog)  as  one  formed  by  the 
Evangelists  themselves;  and  in  several  places  he  refers  to  "tlie  Gospel  according  to 
the  Hebrews"  as  a  work  known  to  be  in  existence — but  only  if  one  chose  to  use  it 
for  illustration,  not  as  having  any  authority.  This  is  enough  of  itself  to  throw 
doubt  over  the  whole  tradition.  The  Pantsenus  -  story  wears  a  very  mythical  air. 
Eusebius  merely  says  that  he  was  said  to  have  gone  to  India,  and  there  said  to  have 
found  a  Hebrew  Matthew;  and  Jerome,  who  just  echoes  Eusebius,  adds  only  that  he  was 
said  to  have  brought  it  home  with  him  to  Alexandria.  That  he  went  to  India  (or 
probably  southern  Arabia)  is  likely  enough.  But  without  inquiring  too  critically  into 
the  Indian  part  of  the  story,  if  Pantsenus  valued  it  so  highly  as  to  bring  it  home  with  him, 
why  do  we  hear  nothing  of  it  after  that  ?  Either,  tlien,  he  brought  home  no  such  Gospel, 
or  if  he  did,  it  was  found,  on  further  examination,  too  worthless  to  be  even  spoken  about, 
much  less  published  as  Matthew's  original.  As  to  Eusebius,  the  probability  is,  that 
what  he  says  was  designed  to  express,  not  so  much  the  result  of  his  own  critical 
judgment  as  what  he  had  learnt,  and  the  rather  as  elsewhere  he  speaks  of  the  Greek 

"  TTttTpio)  -yXcoTxr;  ypafprj,  "j-  In  his  Comment  on  Matt.  xii.  13. 

X  Vocatur  a  plerisque  Matthsei  authenticiim.        §  Hser.  xxx,  3.  II  <"«  eu  -irapaSuaei  fiadwD. 


XXX  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  GOSPELS. 

Matthew  as  if  it  were  the  original  and  only  Gospel  according  to  Matthew,  Before  referring 
to  the  testimony  of  Jerome  and  Epiphanius,  which  is  more  independent,  let  us  inquire 
for  a  moment  what  is  the  value  of  that  of  Papias,  on  which  most  of  the  others  appear  to 
us  to  lean.  We  stay  not  to  ask  what  can  be  the  meaning  of  that  strange  clause,  that 
'every  one  interpreted  this  Hebrew  Gospel  of  Matthew  as  he  was  able.'  We  accept 
it  as  a  fact,  that  Papias  did  report  that  Matthew  wrote  his  Gospel  in  Hebrew.  Now,  if  this 
report  had  involved  no  exercise  of  discrimination,  we  should  attach  great  weight  to  it ; 
for  a  man  of  slender  judgment,  if  honest,  earnest,  industrious,  and  successful  as  a 
collector  of  facts — all  which  even  Eusebius  vouches  for — is  entitled  to  deference. 
But  it  so  happens  that  the  very  point  now  in  question,  so  far  from  being  a 
simple  matter  of  fact,  required  a  careful  discrimination  of  the  true  from  the  false,  the 
genuine  from  the  spurious.  Those  Nazarenes  and  Ebionites  were  no  other  than  the 
Judaizing  party  in  the  Christian  Church,  who  were  kept  within  its  bosom  so  long  as  the 
apostles  lived,  but  thereafter  broke  away,  and  became  two  distinct  though  closely  allied 
heretical  sects.  That  they  had  a  Hebrew  Gospel — which  they  confidently  affirmed  to  be 
the  original  of  the  Gospel  according  to  Matthew,  which  each  of  these  sects  modified 
according  to  its  own  ideas,  and  which  was  variously  called  the  Gospel  according  to  the 
Hebrews,  according  to  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  the  GosjDel  of  Peter — admits  of  no 
doubt.  And  as  there  was  a  total  separation  between  them  and  the  catholic  Church,  and 
individuals  belonging  to  each  only  occasionally  met,  it  may  easily  be  supposed  that  this 
assertion  of  the  Nazarenes  and  Ebionites  regarding  the  original  of  the  First  Gospel  would 
find  its  way  into  the  orthodox  pale,  and  give  rise  to  the  supposition  that  as  the  First 
Gospel  was  manifestly  designed  in  the  first  instance  for  Jewish  Christians,  and  of  all  the 
four  was  the  best  adapted  to  them,  it  was  first  drawn  up  in  the  vernacular  langniage, 
and  that  so  the  Nazarene  and  Ebionite  tradition  might  have  some  foundation 
in  truth.  We  do  not  affirm  that  this  was  the  case.  But  as  we  find  Jerome  and 
Epiphanius  both  expressing  their  belief  in  it,  and  Jerome  going  the  length  of  translating 
this  Nazarene  and  Ebionite  Gospel  into  Greek,  as  being  the  original  of  Matthew's  Gospel, 
we  are  not  able  to  resist  the  inference  that  some  confusion  on  this  subject  did  very 
early  get  into  the  Church;  and  if  it  existed  as  early  as  the  time  of  Papias,  he  at 
least  was  not  the  man  to  extricate  and  give  us  the  precise  truth.  In  a  matter  about 
which  Jerome  and  Epiphanius  write  with  some  degree  of  obscurity  (for  so  much 
will  be  allowed  by  the  most  strenuous  upholders  of  a  Hebrew  original),  we  are  not 
entitled  to  build  much  on  anything  so  very  brief  from  the  pen  of  Papias.  As  to 
Jerome's  translation  of  this  Hebrew  Gosj^el,  different  conclusions  have  been  drawn  from 
his  way  of  speaking  of  it  at  different  times.  One  thing  is  veiy  suspicious.  It  is  not 
now  extant — indeed,  he  seems  never  to  have  published  it;  and  without  going  into 
the  disputes  raised  by  his  language,  when  we  put  the  few  fragments  of  it  still  remaining 
— differing  considerably  from  the  canonical  INIatthew — over  against  the  fact  that  Jerome's 
version  never  properly  saw  the  light,  we  may  safely  conclude  that  he  placed  no  reli- 
ance upon  the  work,  and  regarded  it,  at  most,  in  the  light  of  a  literary  curiosity 
rather  than  a  valuable  instrument  of  interpretation,  which,  on  his  first  sui;)position, 
that  it  was  the  original  of  Matthew's  Gospel,  it  surely  would  have  proved. 

In  a  word,  and  leaving  out  of  view  all  the  suspicious  things  attaching  to  the 
testimonies  we  have  adduced  in  favour  of  a  Hebrew  original  of  our  First  Gospel, 
who  can  readily  bring  himself  to  believe  that  if  such  Hebrew  original  of  the  Gospel 
according  to  Matthew  was  in  existence  for  nearly  four  centuries,  the  orthodox  Church 


THE   GOSPEL   ACCOEDING  TO  MATTHEW.  XXXI 

would  have  allowed  it  to  go  out  of  their  own  hands  almost  from  the  first,  and  that  this 
treasure  was  preserved  exclusively  among  a  contemptible  body  of  Judaizing  heretics, 
who  at  length  melted  away  altogether,  and  their  Gospel  with  them? 

Now,  how  stand  the  facts  as  to  our  Greek  Gospel  ?  We  have  not  a  tittle  of  his- 
torical evidence  that  it  is  a  Translation,  either  by  Matthew  himself  or  any  one  else. 
When  referred  to,  it  is  invariably  as  the  work  of  Matthew  the  publican  and  apostle, 
just  as  the  other  Gospels  are  ascribed  to  their  respective  authors.  This  Greek  Gospel 
was  from  the  first  received  by  the  Church  as  an  integral  part  of  the  one  Quadriform 
Gospel.  And  while  the  Fathers  often  advert  to  the  two  Gospels  which  we  have  from 
apostles,  and  the  two  which  we  have  from  men  not  apostles — in  order  to  show  that  as 
that  of  Mark  leans  so  entirely  on .  Peter,  and  that  of  Luke  on  Paul,  so  these  are  really 
no  less  apostolical  than  the  other  two-^though  we  attach  less  weight  to  this  circum- 
stance than  they  did,  we  cannot  but  think  it  striking  that,  in  thus  speaking,  they  never 
drop  a  hint  that  the  full  apostolic  authority  of  the  Greek  Matthew  had  ever  been 
questioned  on  the  ground  of  its  not  being  the  original.  Further,  not  a  trace  can  be 
discovered  in  this  Gospel  itself  of  its  being  a  Translation.  Michaelis  tried  to  detect,  and 
fancied  that  he  had  succeeded  in  detecting,  one  or  two  such.  Other  Germans  since,  and 
Davidson  and  Cureton  amongst  ourselves,  have  made  the  same  attempt.  But  the  entire 
ftiilure  of  all  such  attempts  is  now  generally  admitted,  and  candid  advocates  of  a 
Hebrew  original  are  quite  ready  to  own  that  none  such  are  to  be  found,  and  that  but 
for  external  testimony  no  one  would  have  imagined  that  the  Greek  was  not  the  original. 
This  they  regard  as  showing  how  perfectly  the  translation  has  been  executed.  But 
those  who  know  best  what  translating  from  one  language  into  another  is,  will  be  the 
readiest  to  own  that  this  is  tantamount  to  giving  up  the  question.  This  Gospel  pro- 
claims its  own  originality  in  a  number  of  striking  points ;  such  as  its  manner  of  quoting 
from  the  Old  Testament,  and  its  phraseology  in  some  peculiar  cases.  The  length 
to  which  these  observations  have  already  extended  precludes  our  going  into  detail  here. 
But  the  close  verbal  coincidences  of  our  Greek  Matthew  with  the  next  two  Gospels  must 
not  be  quite  passed  over.  There  are  but  two  possible  ways  of  explaining  this.  Either  the 
translator,  sacrificing  verbal  fidelity  in  his  Version,  intentionally  conformed  certain 
parts  of  his  author's  work  to  the  Second  and  Third  Gospels — in  which  case  it  can  hardly 
be  called  Matthew's  Gospel  at  all — or  our  Greek  Matthew  is  itself  the  original. 

Moved  by  these  considerations,  some  advocates  of  a  Hebrew  original  have  adopted 
the  theory  of  a  double  original;  the  external  testimony,  they  think,  requiring  us  to 
believe  in  a  Hebrew  original,  while  internal  evidence  is  decisive  in  favour  of  the  origin- 
ality of  the  Greek.  This  theory  is  espoused  by  Guericke,  OlsJiausen,  Thiersch,  Townson, 
Tregelles,  &c.  But,  besides  that  this  looks  too  like  an  artificial  theory,  invented 
to  solve  a  difficulty,  it  is  utterly  void  of  historical  support.  There  is  not  a  vestige  of 
testimony  to  support  it  in  Christian  antiquity.     This  ought  to  be  decisive  against  it. 

It  remains,  then,  that  our  Greek  Matthew  is  the  original  of  that  Gospel,  and  that 
no  other  original  ever  existed.  It  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  Dean  Alford,  that  after 
maintaining,  in  the  first  edition  of  his  'Greek  Testament'  the  theory  of  a  Hebrew 
original,  he  thus  expresses  himself  in  the  second  and  subsequent  editions:  'On  the 
whole,  then,  I  find  myself  constrained  to  abandon  the  view  maintained  in  my  first 
edition,  and  to  adopt  that  of  a  Greek  original.' 

One  argument  on  the  other  side,  on  which  not  a  little  reliance  has  been  placed, 
we  have  purposely  left  unnoticed  till   now,    believing  that  the  determination   of  the 


XXXll  INTRODUCTION  TO   THE   GOSPELS. 

main  question  does  not.  depend  upon  the  point  which  it  raises.  It  has  been  very 
confidently  affirmed  that  the  Greek  language  was  not  sufficiently  understood  by 
the  Jews  of  Palestine,  when  Matthew  published  his  Gospel,  to  make  it  at  all 
pi'ohable  that  he  would  Avrite  a  Gospel  for  their  benefit  in  the  first  instance  in 
that  language.  Now,  as  this  merely  alleges  the  improbability  of  a  Greek  original,  it  is 
enough  to  place  against  it  the  evidence  already  adduced,  which  is  positive,  in  favour 
of  the  sole  originality  of  our  Greek  Matthew.  It  is  indeed  a  question  how  far  the 
Greek  language  was  understood  in  Palestine  at  the  time  referred  to.  But  we  advise 
the  reader  not  to  be  drawn  into  that  question  as  essential  to  the  settlement  of  the  other 
one.  It  is  an  element  in  it,  no  doubt,  but  not  an  essential  element.  There  are  ex- 
tremes on  both  sides  of  it.  The  old  idea,  tliat  our  Lord  hardly  ever  spoke  anything  but 
Syro-Chaldaic,  is  now  pretty  nearly  exploded.  Many,  hoAvever,  will  not  go  the  leng-th,  on 
the  other  side,  of  Hug'"'  and  Ptoberts.t  For  ourselves,  though  we  believe  that  our  Lord,  in 
all  the  more  public  scenes  of  His  ministry,  spoke  in  Greek,  all  we  think  it  necessary  here 
to  say  is,  that  there  is  no  ground  to  believe  that  Greek  was  so  little  understood  in 
Palestine  as  to  make  it  improbable  that  Matthew  would  write  his  Gospel  exclusively 
in  that  language — so  improbable  as  to  outweigh  the  evidence  that  he  did  so. 
And  when  we  think  of  the  number  of  Digests  or  short  narratives  of  the  principal  facts 
of  our  Lord's  History,  which  we  know  from  Luke  (i.  1-4)  were  floating  about  for  some 
time  before  he  WTote  his  Gospel,  of  which  he  speaks  by  no  means  disrespectfully,  and 
most  of  which  would  be  in  the  mother  tongue,  we  can  have  no  doubt  that,  the 
Jewish  Christians  and  the  Jews  of  Palestine  generally  would  have  from  the  first  reliable 
written  matter  sufficient  to  supply  every  necessary  requirement,  until  the  jjubli- 
can-apostle  should  leisurely  draw  up  the  First  of  the  Four  Gospels  in  a  language  to  them 
not  a  strange  tongue,  while  to  the  rest  of  the  world  it  was  the  language  in  which  the 
entire  Quadriform  Gospel  was  to  be  for  all  time  enshrined.  The  following  among  others 
hold  to  this  view,  of  the  sole  originality  of  the  Greek  jNIatthew: — Erasmus,  Calvin, 
Beza,  Lightfoot,  Wetstein,  Lardner,  Hug,  Fritzsche,  Credner,  de  Wette,  Stuart,  da 
Costa,  Fairhairn,  Roberts. 

On  two  other  questions  regarding  this  Gospel  it  would  have  been  desirable  to  say 
something  had  not  our  available  space  been  already  exhausted : — The  characteristics, 
both  in  language  and  matter,  by  which  it  is  distinguished  from  the  other  three; 
and  its  relation  to  the  Second  and  Third  Gospels.  On  the  latter  of  these  topics 
— whether  one  or  more  of  the  Evangelists  made  use  of  the  materials  of  the  other  Gospels, 
and  if  so,  which  of  the  Evangelists  drew  from  which — the  opinions  are  just  as  numerous 
as  the  possibilities  of  the  case,  every  conceivable  way  of  it  having  one  or  more  who 
plead  for  it.  The  most  popular  opinion  until  within  a  pretty  recent  period,  and  in  this 
country,  perhaps,  the  most  popular  still,  is  that  the  Second  Evangelist  availed  himself 
more  or  less  of  the  materials  of  the  First  Gospel,  and  the  Third  of  the  materials  of  both 
the  First  and  Second  Gospels.  Here  we  can  but  state  our  own  belief,  that  each  of  the 
First  Three  Evangelists  wrote  independently  of  both  the  others;  while  the  Fourth, 
familiar  with  the  First  Three,  wrote  to  sui)plement  them,  and,  even  where  he  travels 
along  the  same  line,  wrote  quite  independently  of  them.  This  judgment  we  express, 
with  all  deference  for  those  who  think  otherwise,  as  the  result  of  a  pretty  close  study 
of  each  of  the  Gospels  in  immediate  juxtaposition  and  comparison  with  the  others.     On 

*  Introduction,  pages  326,  &c.  t  Discussions,  pages  25,  &c. 


THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO   MARK.  XXxiii 

the  former  of  the  two  topics  noticed,  the  linguistic  pecuHarities  of  each  of  the  Gospels 
have  been  handled  most  closely  and  ably  by  Credner*  of  whose  results  a  good  summary 
will  be  found  in  Davidson.t  The  other  peculiarities  of  the  Gospels  have  been  most 
felicitously  and  beautifully  brought  out  by  da  Costa,X  to  whom  we  must  simply  refer 
the  reader. 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   MAEK. 

That  the  Second  Gospel  was  written  by  IMark  is  universally  agreed ;  though 
by  what  Mark,  not  so.  The  great  majority  of  critics  take  the  wiiter  to  be 
"  John  whose  surname  was  Mark,"  of  whom  we  read  in  the  Acts,  and  who  was  "  sister's 
son  to  Barnabas"  (Col.  iv.  10).  But  no  reason  whatever  is  assigned  for  this  opinion, 
for  which  the  tradition,  though  ancient,  is  not  uniform ;  and  one  cannot  but  wonder 
how  it  is  so  easily  taken  for  granted  by  Wetstem,§  Hug,  Meyer,  Ehrard,  Lange, 
ElUcott,  Davidson,  Tregelles,  &c.  Alford  goes  the  length  of  saying  it  'Ims  been 
universally  believed  that  he  was  the  same  person  with  the  John  Mark  of  the  Gospels.' 
But  Grotius  thought  differently,  and  so  did  Schleiermacher,  Campbell,  Burton,  and 
da  Costa;  and  the  grounds  on  which  it  is  concluded  that  they  were  two  different 
persons  appear  to  us  quite  unanswerable.  '  Of  John,  surnamed  Mark,'  says  Campbell,|| 
'one  of  the  first  things  we  learn  is,  that  he  attended  Paul  and  Barnabas  in  their 
apostolical  journeys,  when  these  two  travelled  together  (Acts  xii.  25;  xiii.  5).  And 
when  afterwards  there  arose  a  dispute  between  them  concerning  him,  insomuch  that 
they  separated,  Mark  accompanied  his  uncle  Barnabas,  and  Silas  attended  Paul.  When 
Paul  was  reconciled  to  Mark,  which  was  probably  soon  after,  we  find  Paul  again 
employing  Mark's  assistance,  recommending  him,  and  giving  him  a  very  honourable 
testimony  (Col.  iv.  10;  2  Tim.  iv,  11;  Phil.  24).  But  we  hear  not  a  syllable  of  his 
attending  Peter  as  his  minister,  or  assisting  him  in  any  capacity' — although,  as  we  shall 
presently  see,  no  tradition  is  more  ancient,  more  uniform,  and  better  sustained  by  internal 
evidence,  than  that  Mark,  in  his  Gospel,  was  but  '  the  interpreter  of  Peter,'  who,  at  the 
close  of  his  first  Epistle,  speaks  of  him  as  'Marcus  my  son'  (1  Pet.  v.  13),  that  is, 
without  doubt,  his  son  in  the  Gospel — converted  to  Christ  through  his  instrumentality. 
And  when  we  consider  how  little  the  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul  Avere  together — how 
seldom  they  even  met — how  different  were  their  tendencies,  and  how  sej)arate  their 
spheres  of  labour,  is  there  not,  in  the  absence  of  all  evidence  of  the  fact,  something 
approaching  to  violence  in  the  supposition  that  the  same  Mark  was  the  intimate 
associate  of  both  ?  '  In  brief,'  adds  Campbell,  '  the  accounts  given  of  Paul's  attendant, 
and  those  of  Peter's  interpreter,  concur  in  nothing  but  the  name,  Mark  or  Marcus; 
too  slight  a  circumstance  to  conclude  the  sameness  of  the  person  from,  especially  when 
we  consider  how  common  the  name  was  at  Eome,  and  how  customary  it  was  for  the 
Jews  in  that  age  to  assume  some  Roman  name  when  they  went  thither.' 

*  Einleitung,  u.  s.  w.  f  Introduction. 

X  '  Four  Witnesses,'  in  -wliicli,  however,  tliere  are  a  few  things  we  cannot  concur  in. 
§  Who  says,  '  Nihil  vetat  quominus  simpliciter,  cum  Victore  et  Theophylacto  hunc  eundem  Marcum 
intelligamus,  quoties  illius  nomen  in  Actis  et  Epistolis  reperimus,' 
II  Preface  to  Mark's  Gospel. 


XXxiv  INTRODUCTION  TO   THE   GOSPELS. 


Regarding  the  Evangelist  Mark,  then,  as  another  person  from  Paul's  companion  in 
travel,  all  we  know  of  his  personal  history  is  that  he  was  a  convert,  as  we  have  seen,  of 
the  Apostle  Peter.  But  as  to  his  Gospel,  the  tradition  regarding  Peter's  hand  in  it  is  so 
ancient,  so  uniform,  and  so  remarkably  confirmed  by  internal  evidence,  that  we  must 
i-egard  it  as  an  established  fact.  'Mark,'  says  Paplas  (according  to  the  testimony  of 
Eusebius)  'becoming  the  interpreter  of  Peter*  wi'ote  accuratelj'-,  though  not  in  order, 
whatever  he  remembered  of  what  was  either  said  or  done  by  Christ;  for  he  was  neither  a 
hearer  of  the  Lord  nor  a  follower  of  Him,  but  afterwards,  as  I  said,  [he  was  a  follower]  of 
Peter,  who  arranged  the  discourses  for  use,  but  not  according  to  the  order  in  which  they 
were  uttered  by  the  Lord.'  To  the  same  effect  Irenceus:  'Matthew  pubHshed  a  Gospel 
wliile  Peter  and  Paul  were  preaching  and  founding  the  Church  atPtome;  and  after 
their  departure  (or  decease)t,  Mark,  the  disciple  and  interpreter  of  Peter, %  he  also  gave 
forth  to  us  in  An'iting  the  things  which  were  preached  by  Peter. '§  And  Clement  of 
Alexandria  is  still  more  specific,  in  a  passage  preserved  to  us  by  Eusebius :||  'Peter, 
having  publicly  preached  the  word  at  Rome,  and  spoken  forth  the  Gospel  by  the  Spirit, 
many  of  those  present  exhorted  Mark,  as  having  long  been  a  follower  of  his,  and  remem- 
bering what  he  had  said,  to  write  what  had  been  spoken ;  and  that  having  prepared 
the  Gospel,  he  delivered  it  to  those  who  had  asked  him  for  it;  which,  when 
Peter  came  to  the  knowledge  of,  he  neither  decidedly  forbade  nor  encouraged  liim.' 
Eusebius  s  own  testimony,  however,  from  other  accounts,  is  rather  different :  H  that 
Peter's  hearers  were  so  penetrated  by  his  preaching  that  they  gave  Mark,  as  being  a 
follower  of  Peter,  no  rest  till  he  consented  to  write  his  Gospel,  as  a  memorial  of  his 
oral  teaching;  and  'that  the  apostle,  when  he  knew  by  the  revelation  of  the  Spirit 
what  had  been  done,  was  delighted  with  the  zeal  of  those  men,  and  sanctioned  the 
reading  of  the  writing  (that  is,  of  this  Gospel  of  Mark)  in  the  churches.'  And 
giving  in  another  of  his  worlis  a  similar  statement,  he  says  that  'Peter,  from  excess  of 
humility,  did  not  think  himself  qualified  to  write  the  Gospel ;  but  Mark,  his  acquaint- 
ance and  pupil,  is  said  to  have  recorded  his  relations  of  the  actings  of  Jesus.  And 
Peter  testifies  these  things  of  himself;  for  all  things  that  are  recorded  by  Mark  are  said 
to  be  memoirs  of  Peter's  discourses.'  It  is  needless  to  go  further — to  Origen,  who  says 
Mark  composed  his  Gospel  'as  Peter  guided'  or  'directed  him,  who,  in  his  catholic 
Epistle,  calls  him  his  son,'  &c. ;  and  to  Jerome,  who  but  echoes  Eusebius. 

This,  certainly,  is  a  remarkable  chain  of  testimony;  which,  confirmed  as  it  is  by  such 
striking  internal  evidence,  may  be  regarded  as  establishing  the  fact  that  the  Second 
Gospel  was  drawn  up  mostly  from  materials  furnished  by  Peter.  Li  da  Costa's  '  Four 
Witnesses'  the  reader  will  find  this  internal  evidence  detailed  at  length,  though  all 
the  examples  are  not  equally  convincnig.  But  if  he  will  refer  to  our  remarivs 
on  Mark  i.  ,36;  xi.  20-21;  xiii.  3;  xvi.  7;  Luke  xix.  32;  xxii.  34,  he  will  have  evidence 
enough  of  a  Petrine  hand  in  this  Gospel. 

It  remains  only  to  advert,  in  a  word  or  two,  to  the  readers  for  whom  this  Gospel  was, 
in  the  first  instance,  designed,  and  the  date  of  it.  That  it  was  not  for  Jews  but 
Gentiles,  is  evident  from  the  gi'eat  number  of  explanations  of  Jewish  usages,  opinions, 
and  places,  which  to  a  Jew  would  at  that  time  have  been  superfluous,  but  were  highly 
needful  to  a  Gentile.     We  can  here  but  refer  to  ch.  ii.   18;  vii.  3,  4;  xii.  18;  xiii.  3; 

*  epfxrivevTiii  IXeVjOou  yevo/xevoi,  E.   H.   iii.   39.  +  /uexa  Se  Ttiv  toiovtwv  e^ooov. 

X  6  /ua6t(T^s  Kat  fpurivevTiii  IleTpou.  §  Adv.  Hser.  iii.  1. 

II  E.  H.  vi.  14  .         %  E.  H.  ii.  15. 


THE    GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO   LUKE.  XXXV 

xiv.  12;  XV.  42,  for  examples  of  these.  Regarding  the  date  of  this  Gospel — about 
which  nothing  certain  is  known — if  the  tradition  reported  by  Ireneeus  can  be  relied  on, 
that  it  was  wi-itten  at  Rome,  '  after  the  departure  of  Peter  and  Paul,'  and  if  by  that 
word  'departure'*  we  are  to  understand  their  death,  we  may  date  it  somewhere  between 
the  yeaxs  64  and  68 ;  but  in  all  likelihood  this  is  too  late.  It  is  probably  nearer  the 
truth  to  date  it  eight  or  ten  years  earlier. 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  LUKE. 

TuE  writer  of  this  Gospel  is  universally  allowed  to  have  been  Lucas, t  though  he  is 
not  exj)ressly  named  either  in  the  Gospel  or  in  the  Acts.  From  Col.  iv.  14  we  learu 
that  he  was  a  "physician;"  and  by  comparing  that  verse  with  verses  10,  11 — in  which 
the  apostle  enumerates  all  those  of  the  circumcision  who  were  then  with  him,  but 
does  not  mention  Luke,  though  he  immediately  afterwards  sends  a  salutation  from 
him — we  gather  that  Luke  was  not  a  born  Jew.  Possibly  he  was  a  freed  man 
(libertinm),  as  the  Romans  devolved  the  healing  art  on  persons  of  this  class  and  on 
their  slaves,  as  an  occupation  beneath  themselves.  His  intimate  acquaintance  with 
Jewish  customs,  and  his  facility  in  Hebraic  Greek,  seem  to  show  that  he  was  an  early 
convert  to  the  Jewish  Faith;  and  this  is  curiously  confirmed  by  Acts  xxi.  27-29,  where 
we  find  the  Jews  enraged  at  Paul's  supposed  introduction  of  Greeks  into  the  temple, 
because  they  had  seen  "  Trophimus  the  Ephesian"  with  him;  and  as  we  know  that  Luke 
w\as  with  Paul  on  that  occasion,  it  would  seem  that  they  had  taken  him  for  a  Jew,  as 
tliey  made  no  mention  of  him.  On  the  other  hand,  his  fluency  in  classical  Greek 
confirms  his  Gentile  origin.  The  time  when  he  joined  Paul's  company  is  clearly 
indicated  in  the  Acts  by  his  changing  (at  ch.  xvi.  10)  from  the  third  person  singular 
("he")  to  the  first  person  plural  ("we").  From  that  time  he  hardly  ever  left  the  apostle 
till  near  the  period  of  his  martyrdom  (2  Tim.  iv,  11).  Eusebius  makes  him  a  native  of 
Antioch.  If  so,  he  would  have  every  advantage  for  cultivating  the  literature  of 
Greece,  and  such  medical  knowledge  as  was  then  possessed.  That  he  died  a  natural 
death  is  generally  agreed  among  the  ancients ;  Gregory  Nazianzen  alone  affirming  that  he 
died  a  martyr. 

The  time  and  place  of  the  publication  of  his  Gospel  are  alike  uncertain.  But  we  can 
approximate  to  it.  It  must  at  any  rate  have  been  issued  before  the  Acts,  for  there  the 
'  Gospel'  is  expressly  referred  to  as  the  same  author's  "  former  treatise"  (Acts  i.  1).  Now 
the  book  of  the  Acts  was  not  published  for  two  whole  years  after  Paul's  arrival  as  a 
prisoner  at  Rome,  for  it  concludes  with  a  reference  to  this  period;  but  probably 
it  was  published  soon  after  that,  which  would  appear  to  have  been  early  in  the  year  63. 
Before  that  time,  then,  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  Gospel  of  Luke  was  in 
circulation,  though  the  majority  of  critics  make  it  later.  If  we  date  it  somewhere 
between  a.  d.  50  and  60,  we  shall  probably  be  near  the  truth;  but  nearer  it  we  cannot 
with  any  certainty  come.  Conjectures  as  to  the  place  of  publication  are  too  uncertain 
to  be  mentioned  here. 

That  it  was  addressed,  in  the  first  instance,  to  Gentile  readers,  is  beyond  doubt. 

•  i^oloi,  t  Kov>.a<s,  au  aLJjrevijited  form  of  Acu^wo'?,  as  Silas  of  SUcanus. 


XXXVl  INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   GOSPELS. 

This  is  no  more,  as  Davidson  remarks,  than  was  to  have  been  expected  from  the  com- 
panion of  an  'apostle  of  the  Gentiles,'  who  had  witnessed  marvellous  changes  in  the 
condition  of  many  heathens  by  the  reception  of  the  Gospel*  But  the  explanations  in 
his  Gospel  of  things  known  to  every  Jew,  and  which  could  only  be  intended  for  Gentile 
readers,  make  this  quite  plain — see  ch.  i.  26 ;  iv.  31 ;  viii.  26 ;  xxi.  37 ;  xxii.  1 ;  xxiv.  13. 
A  number  of  other  minute  particulars,  both  of  things  inserted  and  of  things  omitted, 
confirm  the  conclusion  that  it  was  Gentiles  whom  this  Evangelist  liad  in  the  first 
instance  in  view. 

We  have  already  adverted  to  the  classical  style  of  Greek  which  this  Evangelist 
writes — just  what  might  have  been  expected  from  an  educated  Greek  and  travelled 
physician.  But  we  have  also  observed  that  along  with  this  he  shows  a  wonderful  flexi- 
bility of  style;  so  much  so,  that  when  he  comes  to  relate  transactions  wholly  Jewish, 
where  the  speakers  and  actors  and  incidents  are  all  Jewish,  he  wiites  in  such  Jewish 
Greek  as  one  would  do  who  had  never  been  out  of  Palestine,  or  mixed  with  any  but  Jews. 
In  da  Costa's  'Four  "Witnesses'  will  be  found  some  traces  of '  the  beloved  j9%5^c/a?^'  in  this 
Gospel.  But  flir  more  striking  and  important  are  the  traces  in  it  of  his  intimate 
connection  with  the  apostle  of  tlie  Gentiles.  That  one  who  was  so  long  and  so  con- 
stantly in  the  society  of  that  master-mind  has  in  such  a  work  as  this  shown  no  traces  of 
that  connection,  no  stamp  of  that  mind,  is  hardly  to  be  believed.  Writers  of  Intro- 
ductions seem  not  to  see  it,  and  take  no  notice  of  it.  But  those  who  look  into 
the  interior  of  it  will  soon  discover  evidences  enough  in  it  of  a  Pauline  cast  of  mind. 
Refening  for  a  number  of  details  to  da  Costa,  we  notice  here  only  two  examples.  In 
1  Cor.  xi.  23  Paul  ascribes  to  an  express  revelation  from  Christ  Himself  the  account 
of  the  Institution  of  the  Lord's  Supper  which  he  there  gives.  Now,  if  we  find  this 
account  differing  in  small  yet  striking  particulars  from  the  accounts  given  by  Matthew 
and  Mark,  but  agreeing  to  the  letter  with  Luke's  account,  it  can  hardly  admit  of  a 
donbt  that  the  one  had  it  from  the  other;  and  in  that  case,  of  course,  it  was  Luke  that 
had  it  from  Paul.  Now  Llatthew  and  Mark  both  say  of  the  Cup,  "  This  is  my  blood 
of  the  New  Testament;"  while  Paul  and  Luke  say,  in  identical  terms,  "This  cup  is  the 
New  Testament  in  My  blood."  Further,  Luke  saj'-s,  "  Likewise  also  the  cup  after 
supper,  saying,"  &c. ;  Avhile  Paul  says,  "  After  the  same  manner  He  took  the  cup  when 
He  had  supped,  saying,"  &c. :  whereas  neither  Matthew  nor  ]\Iark  mention  that  this 
was  after  supper.  But  still  more  striking  is  another  point  of  coincidence  in  this  case. 
Matthew  and  Mark  both  say  of  the  Bread  merely  this:  " Take,  eat;  this  is  My  body;" 
whereas  Paul  says,  "Take,  eat;  this  is  My  Body,  ^cMch  is  broken  for  you,"  and  Luke, 
"  This  is  ]\iy  Body,  ichich  is  given  for  you."  And  while  Paul  adds  the  precious  clause, 
"  This  do  in  remembrance  op  Me,"  Luke  does  the  same,  in  identical  terms.  How 
can  one  who  reflects  on  this  resist  the  conviction  of  a  Pauline  stamp  in  this  Gospel  ? 
The  other  proof  of  this  to  which  we  ask  the  reader's  attention  is  in  the  fact  that  Paul, 
in  enumerating  the  parties  by  whom  Christ  was  seen  after  His  resurrection,  begins, 
singularly  enough,  with  Peter — "  And  that  He  rose  again  the  third  day  according  to 
the  Scriptures:  and  that  He  was  seen  of  Cephas,  tlven  of  the  Twelve"  (1  Cor.  xv.  4,  5) 
— coupled  with  the  remarkable  fact,  that  Luke  is  the  only  one  of  the  Evangelists  who 
mentions  that  Christ  appeared  to  Peter  at  all.  When  the  disciples  had  returned  from 
Enimaus  to  tell  their  brethren  how  the  Lord  had  appeared  to  them  in  the  way,  and  how 

*  lutroduction,  page  1 86. 


THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO   JOHN.  XXXvii 

He  liad  made  Himself  known  to  them  in  the  breaking  of  bread,  they  were  met,  as  Luke 
rehites,  ere  they  had  time  to  utter  a  word,  with  this  wonderful  piece  of  news,  "  The 
Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath  appeared  to  Simon"  (Luke  xxiv.  34). 

Other  points  connected  with  this  Gospel  will  be  adverted  to  in  the  Commentary. 


THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  JOHN. 

The  author  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  w^as  the  younger  of  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  a  fisher- 
man on  the  sea  of  Galilee,  who  resided  at  Bethsaida,  where  were  born  Peter  and  Andrew 
liis  brother,  and  Philip  also.  His  mother's  name  was  Salome,  who,  though  not  without 
her  imperfections  (i\Iatt.  xx.  20,  &c.),  was  one  of  those  dear  and  honoured  women  who 
accomiDanied  the  Lord  on  one  of  His  preaching  circuits  through  Galilee,  ministering  to 
His  bodily  wants ;  who  followed  Him  to  the  cross,  and  bought  sweet  spices  to  anoint  Him 
after  His  burial,  but,  on  bringing  them  to  the  grave,  on  the  morning  of  the  First  Day  of 
tlie  week,  found  their  loving  services  gloriously  superseded  by  His  resurrection  ere  they 
arrived.  His  father,  Zebedee,  appears  to  have  been  in  good  circumstances,  owaiing 
a  vessel  of  his  own  and  having  hired  servants  (Mark  i.  20).  Our  Evangelist,  whose 
occupation  was  that  of  a  fisherman  with  his  father,  was  beyond  doubt  a  disciple  of  the 
Baptist,  and  one  of  the  two  who  had  the  first  interview  with  Jesus.  He  was  called 
while  engaged  at  his  secular  occupation  (see  on  Llatt.  iv.  21,  22),  and  again  on  a 
memorable  occasion  (see  on  Luke  v.  1-11),  and  finally  chosen  as  one  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles  (see  on  Matt.  x.  2,  4,  with  the  Remarks  at  the  close  of  that  Section).  He  was 
the  youngest  of  the  Twelve — the  "  Benjamin,"  as  da  Costa  calls  him — and  he  and 
James  his  brother  were  named  in  the  native  tongue,  by  Him  who  knew  the  heart, 
"Boanerges,"  which  the  Evangelist  ]\Iark  (iii.  17)  explains  to  mean  "  Sons  of  thunder;" 
no  doubt  from  their  natural  vehemence  of  character.  They  and  Peter  constituted  that 
select  triumvirate  of  whom  we  have  spoken  on  Luke  ix.  28.  But  the  highest  honour 
bestowed  on  this  disciple  was  his  being  admitted  to  the  bosom-place  with  his  Lord  at  the 
table,  as  "the  disciple  wdiom  Jesus  loved"  (John  xiii.  23;  xx.  2;  xxi.  7,  20,  24),  and  to 
have  committed  to  him  by  the  dying  Redeemer  the  care  of  His  mother  (xix.  26,  27). 
There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  this  distinction  w'as  due  to  a  sympathy  with  His 
own  spirit  and  mind  on  the  part  of  John  which  the  all-penetrating  Eye  of  their  common 
]\Iaster  beheld  in  none  of  the  rest ;  and  although  this  was  j)robably  never  seen  either  in 
his  life  or  in  his  ministry  by  his  fellow-apostles,  it  is  brought  wonderfully  out  in  his 
^\Titings,  which,  in  Christ-like  spiritualitj^,  heavenliness,  and  love,  surpass,  we  may  freely 
say,  all  the  other  inspired  wiitings. 

After  the  effusion  of  the  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  we  find  him  in  constant  but 
silent  company  with  Peter,  the  gTeat  spokesman  and  actor  in  the  infant  Church  until  the 
accession  of  Paul.  Wliile  his  love  to  the  Lord  Jesus  drew  him  spontaneously  to  the  side 
of  His  eminent  servant,  and  his  chastened  vehemence  made  him  ready  to  stand  cour- 
jigeously  by  him,  and  suffer  with  him,  in  all  that  his  testimony  to  Jesus  might  cost  him, 
his  modest  humility,  as  the  youngest  of  all  the  ajDOstles,  made  him  an  admiring  listener 
and  faitliful  supporter  of  his  brother  apostle  rather  than  a  speaker  or  separate  actor. 
Ecclesiastical  history  is  uniform  in  testifying  that  John  went  to  Asia  Minor — but  it  is  next 
to  certain  that  this  could  not  have  been  till  after  the  death  both  of  Peter  and  Paul — • 


XXXVlll  INTRODUCTION   TO   THE    GOSPELS. 

that  he  resided  at  Ephesus,  whence,  as  from  a  centre,  he  superintended  the  churches  of  that 
region,  paying  them  occasional  visits,  and  that  he  long  survived  the  other  apostles. 
Whether  the  mother  of  Jesus  died  before  this,  or  went  with  John  to  Ephesus,  where  she  died 
and  was  buried,  is  not'agreed.  One  or  two  anecdotes  of  his  later  days  have  been  handed 
down  by  tradition,  one  at  least  bearing  marks  of  reasonable  probability.  But  it  is  not 
necessary  to  give  them  here.  In  the  reign  of  Domitian  (a.  d.  81-96)  he  was  banished  to 
"the  isle  that  is  called  Patmos"  (a  small  rocky  and  then  almost  uninhabited  island  in 
the  ^gean  sea),  "  for  the  word  of  God  and  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ"  (Rev.  i.  9), 
Ireua^us  and  Eusebius  say  that  this  took  place  about  the  end  of  Domitian's  reign.* 
That  he  was  thrown  into  a  cauldron  of  boiling  oil,  and  miraculously  delivered,  is  one  of 
those  legends  which,  though  reported  by  Tertullian  and  Jerome,  is  entitled  to  no  credit. 
His  return  from  exile  took  place  during  the  brief  but  tolerant  reign  of  Nerva :  he  died 
at  Ephesus  in  the  reign  of  Trajan, t  at  an  age  above  90,  according  to  some;  according 
toothers,  100;  and  even  120,  according  to  others  still.  The  intermediate  number  is 
generally  regarded  as  probably  the  nearest  to  the  truth. 

As  to  the  date  of  this  Gospel,  the  arguments  for  its  having  been  composed  before 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  (though  relied  on  by  some  superior  critics)  are  of  the 
slenderest  nature;  such  as  the  expression  in  ch.  v.  2,  "there  is  at  Jerusalem,  by  the 
sheep  gate,  a  pool,"  &c.— as  to  which  see  remark  on  that  verse;  and  there  being  no  allusion 
to  Peter  s  martyrdom  as  having  occurred,  according  to  the  prediction  in  ch.  xxi.  18 — a 
thing  too  well  known  to  require  mention.  That  it  was  composed  long  after  the  destnic- 
tiou  of  Jerusalem,  and  after  the  decease  of  all  the  other  apostles,  is  next  to  certain, 
though  the  precise  time  cannot  be  determined.  Probably  it  was  before  his  banish- 
ment, however;  and  if  we  date  it  between  the  years  90  and  94,  we  shall  probably  be 
pretty  near  the  truth. 

i\s  to  the  readers  for  whom  it  was  more  immediately  designed,  that  they  were 
Gentdes  we  might  naturally  presume  from  the  lateness  of  the  date;  but  the  multitude  of 
explanations  of  things  familiar  to  every  Jew  puts  this  beyond  all  question.- 

No  doubt  was  ever  thrown  upon  the  genuineness  and  authenticity  of  this  Gospel  till 
about  the  close  of  the  last  century,  nor  were  these  embodied  in  any  formal  attack  upon 
it  till  Bretschneider,  in  1820,  issued  his  famous  treatise, J  the  conclusions  of  which  he 
afterwards  was  candid  enough  to  admit  had  been  satisfactorily  disproved.  To  advert  to 
these  would  be  as  painful  as  unnecessary;  consisting  as  they  mostly  do  of  assertions 
regarding  the  Discourses  of  our  Lord  recorded  in  this  Gospel  which  are  revolting  to  every 
spiritual  mind.  The  Tubingen  school  did  their  best,  on  their  peculiar  mode  of  reasoning, 
to  galvanize  into  fresh  life  this  theory  of  the  post-Joannean  date  of  the  Fourth  G>ospel ; 
and  some  Unitarian  critics  in  this  country  still  cling  to  it.  But  to  use  the  striking  lan- 
guage oiva?i  0*-?;grz^e regarding  similar  speculations  on  the  Third  Gospel,  'Behold,  the  feet 
of  them  that  shall  carry  it  out  dead  are  already  at  the  door'  (Acts  v.  9).  Is  there  one 
mind  of  the  least  elevation  of  spiritual  discernment  that  does  not  see  in  this  Gospel 
marks  of  historical  truth  and  a  surpassing  glory  such  as  none  of  the  other  Gospels 
possess,  brightly  as  they  too  attest  their  own  verity;  and  who  will  not  be  ready  to  say  that 
if  not  historically  true,  and  true  just  as  it  stands,  it  never  could  have  been  by  mortal 
man  composed  or  conceived? 

Of  the  peculiarities  of  this  Gospel  we  note  here  only  two.     The  one  is  its  reflective 

•  Ens.  E.  H.  iii.  la  t  Ens.  E.  H.  iii.  23. 

X  Probabilia  de  Evangelii  et  Eiiistolarum  Joannis  Apostoli  Indole  et  Oiigine. 


THE    GOSPEL    ACCORDING    TO   JOHN. 


character.  While  the  others  are  purely  narrative,  the  Fourth  Evangelist  '  pauses,  as 
it  were,  at  every  turn,'  as  da  Costa  says,  '  at  one  time  to  give  a  reason,  at  another  to  fix 
tlie  attention,  to  deduce  consequences,  or  make  applications,  or  to  give  utterance  to  the 
language  of  praise.'*  See  ch.  ii.  20,  21;  ii.  23-25;  iv.  1,  2;  vii.  37-39;  xi.  12,  13; 
xi.  49-52;  xxi.  18,  19,  22,  23.  The  other  peculiarity  of  this  Gospel  is  its  supple- 
mentary character.  By  this,  in  the  present  instance,  we  mean  something  more  than 
the  studiousness  v.ith  which  he  omits  many  most  important  particulars  in  our 
Lord's  history,  for  no  conceivable  reason  but  that  they  were  already  familiar  as  house- 
hold words  to  all  his  readers,  through  the  three  preecdnig  Gospels,  and  his  substituting 
in  place  of  these  an  immense  quantity  of  the  richest  matter  not  foimd  in  the  other 
Gospels.  We  refer  here  more  particularly  to  the  nature  of  the  additions  which  dis- 
tinguish this  Gospel ;  particularly  the  notices  of  the  different  passovers  which  occuiTed 
during  our  Lord's  public  ministry,  and  the  record  of  His  teaching  at  Jerusalem,  without 
which  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  we  could  have  had  but  a  most  imperfect  conception 
either  of  the  duration  of  His  ministry  or  of  the  plan  of  it.  But  another  feature  of 
these  additions  is  quite  as  noticeable  and  not  less  important.  '  We  find,'  to  use  again 
the  words  of  da  Costa,  slightly  abridged,  'only  six  of  our  Lord's  miracles  recorded  in  this 
Gospel,  but  these  are  all  of  the  most  remarkable  kind,  and  surpass  the  rest  in  deptli, 
specialty  of  application,  and  fulness  of  meaning.  Of  these  six  we  find  only  one  in  the 
other  three  Gospels — the  multiplication  of  the  loaves.  That  miracle  chiefly,  it  would 
seem,  Bn  account  of  the  important  instructions  of  which  it  furnished  the  occasion  (ch. 
vi.),  is  here  recorded  anew.  The  five  other  tokens  of  Divine  power  are  distinguished  from 
among  the  many  recorded  in  the  three  other  Gospels,  by  their  furnishing  a  still  higher 
display  of  power  and  command  over  the  ordinary  laws  and  course  of  nature.  Thus  we  find 
recorded  here  the  first  of  all  the  miracles  that  Jesus  wrought — the  changing  of  water  into 
wine  (ch.  ii.),  the  cure  of  the  nobleman's  son  at  a  distance  (ch.  iv.);  of  the  numerous  cures 
of  the  lame  and  the  paralytic  by  the  word  of  Jesus,  only  one — of  the  man  impotent  for 
thirty  and  eight  years  (ch.  v.) ;  of  the  many  cures  of  the  blind,  one  only — of  the  man 
born  blind  (ch.  ix.) ;  the  restoration  of  Lazarus,  not  from  a  death-bed,  like  Jairus' 
daughter,  nor  from  a  bier,  like  the  widow  of  Nain's  son,  but  Jrora  the  grave,  and  after 
lying  there  four  days,  and  there  sinking  into  corruption  (ch.  xi.) ;  and  lastly,  after  His 
resurrection,  the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes  on  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  (ch.  xxi.)  But 
these  are  all  recorded  cliiefly  to  give  occasion  for  the  record  of  those  astonishing 
Discourses  and  Conversations,  alike  with  friends  and  with  foes,  with  His  disciples  and 
with  the  multitude,  which  they  drew  forth.' t 

Other  illustrations  of  the  pecuharities  of  tliis  Gospel  will  occur,  and  other  points 
connected  with  it  be  adverted  to,  in  the  course  of  the  Commentary. 

*  'Fwir  Witnesses,' iiage  2C-1.  t  'Foi-U'  Witnesses,'  pages  23S,  230. 


SOURCES  OF  AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  TEXT  OF  THE  GOSPELS. 

These  are  ancient  Manuscripts  of  the  text;  ancient  Versions  of  tlie  text;  and 
Citations  from  the  text,  or  the  Versions  of  it,  in  the  works  of  the  ancient  ecclesiastical 
writers.  Of  these  three  sources,  the  Manuscripts  of  the  text  itself  are,  of  course,  of 
primary  authority;  the  Versions  come  next,  but  onlj^  in  so  far  as  we  may  gather  from 
them  what  they  included  or  excluded  from  the  text,  and  what  readings  of  the  text  they 
recognized;  and  the  Citations,  so  far  as  they  discover  to  us  the  text  wl  ich  the  writers 
acknowledged. 

The  Maniiscripts  of  the  Gospels  now  known  to  exist,  in  whole  or  in  part,  amount 
to  nearly  a  Thousand — which  can  be  said  of  no  other  ancient  work  whatevei'.  These  are 
divided  into  two  classes:  Uncial  Manuscripts,  or  those  written  in  what  we  call  capital 
letters;  and  Cursive  Manuscripts,  or  those  written  in  what  are  called  small  or  rimning 
hand.  The  former  are,  of  course,  of  older  date  than  the  latter.  Uncial  characters  con- 
tinued to  be  employed  in  the  manuscripts  of  the  New  Testament  from  the  fourth  down 
to  about  the  tenth  century;  cursive  letters  came  into  use  in  the  tenth  century,  or  per- 
haps a  little  earlier,  and  continued  till  the  invention  of  printing.  In  the  present  Com- 
mentaiy,  Uncial  JManuscripts  are  denoted  by  the  large  capitals — MSS.;  Cursive,  by  the 
small  capitals — MSS. 

On  the  paleeographic  principles  on  which  the  age  and  general  value  of  New  Testa- 
ment manuscripts  are  approximately  determined  there  is  now  a  pretty  general  agreement 
among  those  who  have  devoted  special  attention  to  this  interesting  subject;  the  best  proof 
of  wdaich  is,  that  in  the  results  arrived  at  there  is  scarcely  any  difference,  and  in  the 
few  cases  where  a  difference  exists  it  hardly  exceeds  half  a  century.  Of  course,  high 
probability  is  all  that  can  be  attained,  except  whei-e  the  date  is  expressly  given,  which  it 
hardly  ever  is,  and  in  none  of  the  older  manuscripts. 

No  known  manuscript  contains  the  New  Testament  entire,  excejjt  the  recently 
discovered,  and  now  published,  Codex  Sinaitictcs;  and  it  is  important  to  know  Avhat 
portions  are  wanting  in  any  manuscript,  lest  the  want  of  reference  to  it  in  a  statement 
of  evidence  for  or  against  a  particular  reading  should  be  thought  to  decide,  when  it 
dues  not,  how  that  maniiseript  read  in  such  a  case. 

The  Uncial  MSS.  are  denoted  by  the  capital  letters  of  the  Roman  Alphabet,  with 
a  few  additions  from  the  Greek  and  Hebrew  alphabets ;  the  Cursive  MSS.,  by  numbers, 
and,  in  the  case  of  some  recently  collated,  by  small  letters. 

For  a  full  description  of  these  and  the  ancient  Versions,  we  must  refer  the  reader  to 
Tregelles's  Volume  of  Home's  'Introduction  to  the  Scriptures,'  and  Scriveners  'Introduc- 
tion to  the  Criticism  of  the  New  Testament.'  A  shorter  account  of  them  will  be  found 
in  Tischendor/'s  '  Synopsis  Evangelica.' 

The  oldest  MSS.  which  are  comparatively  entire  are  the  five  following  : — 

Name,  ProhaUe  Date.  Where  Deposited. 

i  ti — Codex  Sinaiticus,  4tli  century,  ...Imperial  Libraiy  of  St.  Petersburg.* 

(  B — Codex  Vaticanus, 4t]i  century,  ...Vatican  Library,  Piouicf 

*  The  romantic  history  of  the  discovery  of  this  precioiTS  treasiire  is  given  by  the  discoverer  himself, 
and  all  its  peculiarities  are  carefully  descrilied  in  the  Pi'olegomena  to  the  New  Testament  part  of  it, 
newly  published  under  his  editorial  care,  in  splendid  royal  quarto,  entitled  Novum  '  Testamentum 
SixAiTicuM '  ...  Ex  Codice  Sinaitico  .  .  .  AEJf.  Frid.  Coxst.  Tischexdorf.  Lips.,  1863.  The  most 
remarkable  fact  regarding  this  M8  ,  in  connection  with  its  great  antiquity,  is  its  being  entire- 

f  This  MSt,  in  the  original  hand,  gotd  no  further  than  Heb.  ix.  1-i  [Kada]  :  all  the  rest  is  in  a 


SOURCES   OF   AUTHORITY   FOR   THE   TEXT    OF   THE   GOSPELS.  xU 

I  A— Codex  Alexandrinus, 5th  century,... British  Museum,  Loudon.  * 

(  C^CoDEX  Efukaemi  {rescriptus), 5th  centuiy,... Imperial  Librarj'-,  Paris.  + 

D — Codex Bez.e  (or  Cantabrigiensis),  6th  century,  ...Cambridge  Library. :;: 

The  following  are  a  few  Fragments  of  MSS.  wlucli,  from  their  antiquity — heing  all  of 
date  prtor  to  the  seventh  century — are  of  greater  value  than  tliose  of  later  date  : — 

N — Codex  Purpureu.?;   end  of  6th   or  beginning   of   7th  century:   Twelve   Leaves  of  tlie 

Gospels — of  which  four  are  in  the   British   ISIuseiim  (.J  of  Tlschendorf);  six  in 

the  Vatican  Library  (T  of  Tlschendorf);  and  two  in  the  Imperial  Library  of  Vienna 

(N  of  TiscUendorf). 

Z — Codex  Dublinensis  (rescriptus) ;  6th  century :  DubUn  University  Librarj',  containing  the 

greater  pai't  of  the  First  Gospel. 
-,,.^ — Codex  BoRGiANUS  ;  5th  century:   Propaganda   Library,   Pvome.      A   few  leaves   of  the 
^  Third  and  Fourth  Gospels  in  Greek  and  Thebaic  (or  Sahidic).     T*  [F rarjmentum 

Woideanum)  appears  to  be  part  of  the  same  MS. 
^P — Codex  Guelpherbytanus  A)  6th  century.     These  are  two  palimpsests  or  rescripts  (over 

(Q^- B)       whicli  other  works  have  been  written),   in  the  Ducal 

Library  of  Wolfenbiittel. 
JX — Codex  Kitrianus  ;  6th  century :  British  J.Iuseum.  A  considerable  part  of  the  Third  Gosi"icl. 
Fragmenta  Tischendorfiana  ;  mostly  of  5th  century :  a  number  of  very  short  fragments. 

Of  the  later  Uncials  the  following  three  are  regarded  by  Trejelles  as  of  not  niuc-h 
inferior  value  to  the  five  oldest  §: — 

L — Codex  Eegius;  about  8th  century :  Imperial  Libraiy,  Pari.?. 

X — Codex  Monacensis;  end  of  9th  or  beginning  of  10th  century:  University  Library,  Munich. 

A — Codex  Sangallensis  ;  9th  century :  Monastic  Library,  St.  Gall. 

The  following,  though  of  somewhat  less  value,  are,  along  with  any  of  the  oldest  class, 
important  links  in  a  chain  of  evidence  : — 

E— Codex  Basileensis;  8th  century:  Basle  Library. 

F — Codex  Boreeli;  9th  or  10th  century:  Utrecht  Library. 
(  G-Codex  Seidelii  K)^  gti^orlOth  century:  |  ^  is  in  the  British  JIuseum  ; 
(  H Bi  (  B  in  the  Hamburg  Library. 

K — Codex  Cyprius  ;  9th  century :  Imperial  Library,  Paris. 

M — Codex  Campianus;  end  of  9th,  or  begdnning  of  lOthcentur}':  Imperial  Library',  Paris. 
S — Codex  Vaticanus  (No.  354  |1);  a.  d.  94911:  Vatican  Library,  Pvome. 

very  late  hand,  and  useless,  therefore,  for  critical  purposes.  It  has  at  length  been  publislied, 
v.'ith  permission  of  the  Papal  authorities,  but  so  ixncritically  that,  even  as  re-edited,  we  cannot  always 
be  sure  what  belongs  exclusively  to  the  lirst  hand,  and  what  is  by  a  second  hand,  which  about  the 
Sth  century  retouched  it. 

*  This  MS.  commences  in  the  middle  of  Matt-  xxv.  6;  and  wants  part  of  three  chapters  in  John, 
ch.  \i.  50 — viii.  52.     It  was  published,  in  letters  resembling  the  original  characters,  in  1786. 

f  So  called  from  a  Greek  version  of  some  of  the  works  of  R]ihraem  the  Sytian  hashing  been 
(according  to  the  barbarous  practice  of  the  middle  ages)  written  over  it.  Though  the  original  writing 
lias  been  by  chemical  processes  recovered,  it  is  a  pity  that  so  valuable  a  MS.  has  so  many  gaps — so  many 
indeed,  and  in  so  many  places,  that  it  is  impossible  to  enumerate  them  here.  They  wiU  be  found 
enumerated  in  Tischendorf,  Tregelles,  and  Scrivener. 

X  This  MS-  receives  its  name  from  its  having  been  presented  by  Beza  to  the  Cambridge  University. 
It  contains  only  the  Gospels  and  Acts,  though  the  Catholic  Epistles  at  least  were  once  in  it.  It  is  a 
(Jrteco-Latin  MS.,  the  Gi-eek  being  on  the  left  page,  the  Latin  on  the  I'ight.  Its  very  singular  char- 
acter has  occasioned  much  discussion  and  diversity  of  opinion. 

§  In  consequence,  chiefly,  of  their  agreeing  so  frequently  Avith  B,  where  B  differs  from  A.  But  as 
A  in  such  cases  has  generally  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  other  MSS.  on  its  side,  this  is  eijuivaleut  to  such 
a  preference  for  B,  with  its  few  supporters,  over  A,  -with  its  many,  as  only  a  fuller  coUation  than  has 
yet  been  made  will  wai'rant. 

II  The  No,  of  this  MS.  in  the  Vatican  Library  is  given,  to  distinguish  it  from  B,  wliich  is  called 
C^od.  Vat.,  No.  1209. 

if  This  date  is  given  in  the  MS.  itself. 


xlii  INTRODUCTION    TO    THE    GOSPELS. 

U — Codex  Naniaxus  ;  9th  or  10th  century :  Library  of  St.  Mark's,  Venice. 
V — Codex  Mosquensis  ;  9th  century :  Library  of  Holy  Synod,  AIoscow. 

A  few  Fragments  of  this  later  class  will  complete  these  lists  of  Uncials: — 

H— Codex  Zacynthius;  8th  or  9th  century:    Library  of  British  aud  Foreign  Bible  Society — • 
Edited  by  Tregelles- 

0 — Fragmentum  Mosquense:  Librarj;^  of  Holy  Synod,  Moscow. 
/  \\iA — Two  Leaves  of  Luke ;  8th  century :  Imperial  Library,  Paris. 

-■  WiJ John ;  do.  Tubingen. 

i  ^Ve — Three  Leaves  of  ^lark  and  Luke ;  do.  St.  Gall. 

Y — Codex  Barberini  ;  8th  century :  Barberini  Library,  Borne. 

Of  the  many  hundreds  of  extant  Cursive  Manuscripts  only  a  very  few  are  as  yet  hnoivu 
to  ])ossess  much  critical  value.  Of  these  we  name  only  the  following,  with  the  numbers 
by  which  they  are  distinguished : — 

L  Codex  BasUeensis;  10th  century:  Basle  Library.     It  closely  resembles  B,  L,  and  others  of  that 

class. 
2.  Codex  ColberUnus;  11th  century:  Imperial  Librarj',  Paris.     It  resembles  B,  D,  L,  more  than 

any  other  of  the  Cursives. 
3-  Codex  Leicestrensis ;  14th  century:   Town  Council   Library   of  Leicester.      Its  text  is  very 

remarkable. 

Of  the  ancient  Versions  of  the  New  Testament  the  following  are  the  most  important 
for  critical  purposes : — - 

1.  The  Syriac  Versions.     Of  these  the  three  principal  are, — 

(!).  The  Peshito  Syriac  (as  it  is  called) ;  probably  the  oldest  Version  of  the  Xew  Testament 
It  may  be  regarded  as  belonging  to  the  second  century,  (see  p.  vi ) 

(2)  The  Curetonlati  Syriac;  discovered  by  Dr.  Cureton  amongst  the  SjTiac  treasures  of  llio 
British  INIuseum,  and  edited  by  him  in  1858 :  a  version  of  gi'eat  antiquity, 
though  later,  in  all  probability,  than  the  Peshito. 

(3.)  The  P/iHoxeiiiaii  or  JIarclean  Syrisic:  a  vei-sion  originally  made  for  Philoxemis,  Bishop  of 
Mabug  (or  Hierapolis),  near  the  beginning  of  the  6th  century,  and  about  a  century 
afterwards  critically  revised  by  Thomas  of  Harkel,  who  rendered  the  original  with 
excessive  literality,  which,  however,  gives  it,  in  the  opinion  of  Tregelles,  greater 
critical  value  than  either  of  the  other  Syriac  versions. 

(-1).  The  Jerusalem  Syiiac;  of  which  but  one  MS.  is  known  to  exist :  it  is  in  a  very  peculiar 
dialect,  more  Chaldee  than  Syriac;  and  from  its  resemblance  to  the  dialect  of  the 
Jerusalem  Targum,  has  its  distinctive  name.  Whether  it  belongs  to  the  5th  or  6th 
century  is  not  agreed.  But  many  of  its  readings  resemT)le  those  of  B  and  D.  It  is 
the  onhj  Sijriac  hook  which  contains  John  v'n  53 — viii.  11  (The  "Woman  taken  in 
Adultery). 

It  is  needless  to  refer  to  what  is  called  1-he  Karhaphensian,  of  which  very  little  is  known, 
save  that  it  closely  resembles  the  Peshito;  and  a  fragment  nearly  resembling  the  Jerusalem 
Syi'iac,  which  Tischendorf,  who  assigns  it  to  the  5th  century,  brought  Irom  the  East  to  St. 
Petersburg. 

":  The  Latin  Veesions.     Of  these  there  are  two,  or  rather  but  one  and  a  revision  of  it. 

(1.)  The  O'd  Latin.  Critics  are  now  generally  agreed  that  instead  of  there  being  many,  there 
was  but  one  such  Version,  and  that  this  venerable  Version  was  made  in  North 
Africa  for  the  use  of  the  Latin-speaking  Christians  ;  and  though  opinions  differ 
as  to  the  exact  date,  the  probability  is  that  it  belongs  to  the  second  century,  and  if 
not  older,  or  as  old,  cannot  be  of  much  later  date  than  the  Peshito. 

Of  this  Version  upwards  of  twenty  Manuscripts  are  extant,  denoted  by  the  small 
Italic  letters  a,  b,  c,  (Sjc- 


SOURCES   OF   AUTHORITY   FOR   THE   TEXT   OF   THE   GOSPELS.  xliii 

(2  )  Jerome^ s  Revision  of  the  same,  or  the  Vulgate;  executed  at  the  request  of  Damasus,  Bishop 
of  Rome,  on  account  of  the  confounding  variety  of  readings,  many  of  them  manifest 
corruptions,  which  had  crept  into  the  current  copies  of  the  Old  Latin.  The  Gospels 
were  published  A.  D.  384,  and  the  rest  afterwards.  This  work  took  some  three 
centuries  entirely  to  supersede  the  Old,  when  it  got  the  name  of  Vulgnta.  The 
Clementine  Vulgate,  alone  recognized  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  differs  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  from  the  same  Version  as  left  by  Jerome,  of  which,  happily,  we 
have  some  valuable  Manuscripts — the  best  of  which  is  the  Codex  Amiatinus,  in  the 
Laurentian  Library  at  Florence,  executed,  there  is  reason  to  believe,  in  the  sixth 
century.  The  high  value  of  the  true  Vulgate  for  critical  purposes,  not  only  above 
the  Old  Latin,  but  intrinsically,  is  now  generally  recognized. 

3.  The  Egyptian  Versions.     Of  these  there  are  two ;  the  one  designed  for  the  Christians  of  Upper, 

the  other  for  those  of  Loioer  Egypt. 

(I.)  The  Memphitic  Version,  or  that  used  by  the  Christians  of  Lower  Egypt,  whose  capital  was 
Memphis.  It  used  to  be  called  the  Coptic,  when  no  other  was  known  to  exist; 
but  as  that  did  not  designate  the  region  to  which  it  belonged,  but  rather  the  Upper 
region,  it  is  now  better  named  as  above.  It  belongs,  at  least  portions  of  it,  prob- 
ably to  the^fi/th  century. 

(■2.)  The  Thebaic  Version,  or  that  used  by  the  Christians  of  Upper  Egypt,  of  which  Thehes  was 
the  capital.  Fragments  only  of  this  Version  now  exist ;  but  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  it  is  more  ancient  than  the  Memphitic,  as  the  Christians  of  Upper 
Egypt,  early  in  the  fourth  century  appear  to  have  been  acquainted  with  the  New 
Testament,  thougli  even  the  clergy  were  ignorant  of  Greek  and  knew  only  their 
own  tongue. 

4.  The  Gothic  Version,  made  about  the  middle  of  the  fourth  century.     The  Goilex  Argenteus, 

containing  Fragments  of  the  Gospels,  discovered  in  the  17th  century,  and  now  in 
the  University  Library  at  Upsala  in  Sweden,  is  a  precious  treasure,  whose  date  is 
t\iejifth,  or  early  in  the  sixth  century.  This  and  other  Fragments,  since  discovered, 
have  been  published  more  than  once. 

5.  The  Armenian  Version  of  thaffth  century. 

It  is  needless  to  come  further  down  for  critical  purposes. 

To  give  a  list  of  tlie  ancient  ecclesiastical  wi-iters  whose  citations  from  the  New  Testa- 
ment are  of  chief  importance  for  critical  purposes  would  hardly  be  desirable  here.  Those 
who  have  opportunity  may  consult  the  works  to  which  we  have  referred  for  an  account 
of  the  MSS.  and  Versions ;  and  a  little  familiarity  with  the  references  in  critical  editions 
of  the  New  Testament  will  soon  give  all  the  information  that  is  needed  by  the  general 
student. 

The  three  critical  editions  of  the  Greek  Testament  to  which  continual  reference  is 
made  in  the  Commentary,  for  the  settlement  of  the  Text,  are  the  following : — ■ 

1.  Novum  Testamentum  Gr.«ce  et  Latine  :  Carolus  Lachmannus  Recensuit,  Philip.  But- 

mannus  Ph.  T.  Grsecse  Lectionis  Auctoritates  apposuit,  1842-1850. 

2.  Novum  Testamentum  Gr^ce  :  Ad  Antiquos  Testes  denuo  Recensuit,  Apparatum  Criticum 

omnl  studio  perfectum  Apposuit,  Commentationem  Isagogicam  Protexuit  ^noth. 
Frid.  Const.  Tischendorf.    Editio  Septima,  1859. 

3.  The  Greek  New  Testament:  Sam.  Prid.  Tregelle.s,  LL.D.     Part  I ,  Matthew  and  Mark, 

1857.     Part  IL,  Luke  and  John,  1860. 


WORKS  QUOTED  OR  REFERRED  TO  IN  THIS  VOLUME. 

-Alexander  (Joseph  Addison,  D.D.) — The  Gospel  according  to  Matthew  Explained,  1861. 

The  Gospel  according  to  St.  Mark  Explained,  1859. 

AlfoPvD  (Henry,  D.D.) — The  Greek  Testament,  with  a  Critically  Revised  Text,  &c.,  and  a  Critical 
and  Exegetical  Commentary.     Third  Edition.     Vol.  i.,  1856. 

Baur  (Dr.  F.  Chr.) — Kritische  Untersuchiingen  ii  die  Kanononischen  Evangelien,  1847. 

Bengelii  (Joh.  Adb.)—  Gnomon  Novi  Testamenti.     Tom.  i.     Ed.  Tertia,  1835. 

Beza  (Theod.) — Novum  Testamentnm.     Interpretatio  at  Annotationes,  1698. 

BiRKS  (Rev.  T.  R.)— Horte  Evangelica?,  &c.,  1852. 

Bloomfield  (S.  T.,  T).D.) — The  Greek  Testament,  with  English  Notes,  Critical,  Philological,  and 
Exi^lanatory.     Eighth  Edition.     Vol.  i.,  1850. 

Blunt  (J.  J.,  B  D.) — Undesigned  Coincidences  in  the  Writings  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  an 
Ai'gumeut  for  their  Veracity.     Fourth  Edition,  1853. 

Calvini  (Joan.)  in  Nov.  Test.  Commentarii,  Vol.  i.  ii.  In  Harmouiam  ex  Matth.,  Marc,  et  Luca,  Com- 
positam.     Ed.  Tholuck,  1833. 

Vol.  iii.     In  Evangelium  Joamiis,  1833. 

Campbell  (George,  D.D.)— The  Four  Gospels,  Translated  from  the  Greek,  with  Preliminary  Disserta- 
tions and  Notes.     3  Vols  ,  1821. 

Da  Costa  (Dr.  Isaac) — The  Four  Witnesses.  Being  a  Harmony  of  the  Gospels  on  a  New  Princijile. 
Translated  by  D.  D.  Scott,  Esq.,  1851. 

Davidson  (Dr.  Sam.) — Introduction  to  the  New  Testament.     Vol  i..  The  Four  Gospels.     1848. 

Ebrard  (Dr.  J.  H.  A.) — ^Wissenchaftliche  Kritik  der  Evangelischeu  Geschichte,  2te  Auflage,  1850. 

Ellicott  (Bp.  C.  J.) — Historical  Lectures  on  the  Life  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     First  Edition,  1860. 

EusEBius  (Pamph.) — Historite  Ecclesiastic*,  Gr.     3  Vols.,  8vo,  1827—1840. 

Fairbairn  (Patrick,  D.D.) — Hernieneutical  Manual,  &c.     1858. 

Fritzsche  (C.  F.  a.) — Evangelium  Matthad  recens.  et  cum  Commentariis  Perpetuis  ed.  1826. 

Evangelium  Marci,  &c.,  1830. 

Grotii  (Hiig.) — Annotationes  in  Libros  Evangeliorum,  1641. 

Greswell  (Edw.,  B.D.) — Dissertations  upon 'the  Principles  and  Ai-rangement  of  an  Harmony  of  the 
Gospels.     Second  Edition.     4  Vols.,  1837. 

Hall  (Bp.  Joseph) — Contemplations  on  the  Historical  Passages  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  3 
Vols.,  1749.     The  Gospels.    Vol.  iii. 

Hug. — Introduction  to  the  New  Testament.     Translated  by  Fosdick,  &c.,  1836. 

LANGE(Dr.  J.  P.)— Theolog.  Honul.  Bibelwerk:  Matt.— Johannes,  1857-1859.  3  Vols.  The  Same, 
Translated  as  far  as  Luke.  {Clark.)  The  Gospels  of  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Mark, 
from  the  German  of  Dr.  J.  P.  Lange.  3  Vols.  The  Gospel  of  St.  Lidte,  from  the 
German  of  Dr.  J.  J.  Van  Osterzee.  2  Vols.  Das  Evang.  nach  Joannes,  von  Dr. 
J.  P.  Lange,  1860. 

Lampe  (F.  A.)  Commentarius  .  .  .  Evangelii  sec.  Joannem,  3  Vol.  4to,  1727. 

Lardner  (Nath.,  D.  D.)— Works,  10  Vols.,  1838:  especially  The  CredibOity  of  the  Gospel  History. 

LiGHTFOOT  (John,  D.D.)— Works,  Vol.  xi.,  Hebrew  and  Talmudical  Exercitations  upon  the  Gospels 
of  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Mark;  and  Vol.  xii.,  Hebrew  and  Talmudical  Exercita- 
tions upon  the  Gospels  of  St.  Luke  and  St.  John.    1823. 

LiJCKE  (Dr.  Fr. )— Commentar  iiber  das  Evangehum  des  Johannes.     Dritte  Auflage,  1840—1843. 

LuTHARDT  (Clir.  E.)— Das  Joanneische  Evangehum,  u.  s.  w.,  1852,  1853. 

Maldonati  (Joan.)— Commentarii  in  Quatuor  Evangehstas.     2  Tom,  1853,  1854. 

Meyer  (Dr.  H.  A.  W.)— Kritisch  Exegetischer  Kommentar  iiber  das  Neue  Testament.  Matth.,  1853; 
Marcus  u.  Lukas,  1855 ;  Johann.  1852. 

Michaelis  (J.  D.)— Introduction  to  the  New  Testament,  Translated  by  Bishop  Herbert  Marsh.  Fourth 
Edition.     6  Vols.,  1823. 

MiDDLETON  (Bishop  T.  F.)— The  Doctrine  of  the  Greek  Article  applied  to  the  Criticism  and  Illustra- 
tion of  the  New  Testament.     Edited  by  Rose,  1841. 


WORKS   QUOTED   OR  REFERRED  TO   IN   THIS   VOLUME.  xlv 

KK42SDEK  (Dr.  Aug.) — The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  &c.     Translated  by  M'Lintock  and  Blumeiithal,  185L 
Norton   (Prof.  Andrew) — The  Evidences  of  the  Genuineness    of   the  Gospels.     2  Vols.     Second 

Edition,  1847. 
.  Olsiiausen  (Dr.  Herm.) — Biblical  Commentary  on  the  Gospels,  from  the  Geraian.     (Clark.)     4  Vols. 
RiTSCHL  (Dr.  A.) — Evangelium  Marcions  u.  das  Kanonische  Evangelium  des  Lukas,  1846. 
PvOBERTS  (Rev.  A.) — Discussions  on  the  Gospels,  1862. 

RoBiKSON  (Dr.  Edw.) — Biblical  Researches  in  Palestine,  &c.     Second  Edition.     3  Vols.,  1S51. 
Harmony  of  the  Four  Gospels  in  Greek,  with  Explanatory  Notes,  1845.     The 

same  in  English,  edited  for  the  Tract  Society  (by  Rev.  Dr.  Davies). 
RouTH  (Dr.  M.  J.) — ReliquiEe  Sacrse,  &c.     Ed.  Altera.     4  Vols.,  1846. 
ScHLEiEKMACHER  (Dr.  Fr.) — Critical  Essay  on  the  Gospel  of  St.  Luke,  with  Critical  Introduction  by 

the  Translator,  1825. 
Scrivener  (Rev.  F.  H.) — Plain  Introduction  to  the  Criticism  of  the  New  Testament,  1861. 
Supplement  to  the  Authorized  English  Version  of  the  New  Testament,  &c., 

1845. 
Stanley  (A.  P.) — Sinai  and  Palestine,  &c.     First  Edition,  1856. 
Stier  (Dr.  Rud.)— The  Words  of  the  Lord  Jesus.     8  Vols.     Translated.     (Clar-t) 
Tholuck.  (Dr.  Aug.) — Commentary  on  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.    Translated  from  the  Fourtli  Gemian 

Edition.     (Clark.)     1860. 
Commentary  on  the   Gospel  of  St.  John.     Translated  from  the   last   German 

Edition.     (Clark.)     I860. 
TiscHENDORF  (Dr.  Fr.  Const ) — Synopsis  Evangehca,  &c.,  1854. 
Trench  (Rich.  Chen.) — Notes  on  the  Parables  of  our  Lord.     Sixth  Edition,  1855. 

Notes  on  the  Miracles  of  our  Lord.     Fifth  Edition,  1856. 

Synonyms  of  the  New  Testament,  &c.     First  Edition,  1854. 

Webster  (W.  F.)  and  Wilkinson  (W.  F.) — The  Greek  Testament,  with  Notes,  Grammatical  and 

Exegetical.    Vol.  i.,  1855. 
Westcott  (Brooke  Foss) — General  Survey  of  the  History  of  the  Canon  of  the  New  Testament  during 

the  First  Four  Centuries,  1855. 
De  Wette  (Dr.  N.  M.  L.) — Kurtzgefasstes  Exegetisches  Handbuch  zum  Neuen  Testament,  Matth,, 

1845;  Lukas  und  Markus,  1846;  Johann.,  1852. 
Wieseler  (K.) — Chronologische  Synopseder  vierEvangehen,  1843 
Winer  (Dz-.  G.  B.)  Grammar  of  the  New  Testament  Diction.     Translated  from  the   Sixth   Gennan 

Edition.     (Clark.)    2  Vols.,  1859. 
The  Works  of  the  principal  Greek  and  Latiii  Fathers. 


N.  B.— In  references  to  the  Psalms,  the  verses  are  given,  for  tho  convenitace  yf  ordmary  readers, 
as  in  our  EngUsh  version,  where  it  diifers  from  the  Hebrew. 


THE    GOSPEL    ACCORDING   TO 

ST.   MATTHEW. 


1  rilllE  book  of  tlie  "generation  of  Jesus  Clirist,  ''tlie  sou  of  DaviJ,  ""tlie 
X    sou  of  Abraham . 

2  Abraham  begat  Isaac ;  and  Isaac  begat  Jacob ;  aud  Jacob  begat  Judas 
o  aud  his  brethren;  and  Judas  begat  Phares  aud  Zara  of  Thamar;  aud 

4  ''Phares  begat  Esrom ;  aud  Esrom  begat  Aram;   and  Aram  begat  Amina- 

5  dab;  and  Aminadab  begat  ^Naasson;   and  Naasson  begat  Sahuou ;  and 
Salmon  begat  Booz  oT^Pi.achab;  and  Booz  begat  Obed  of  liuth;  aud 

G  Obed  begat  Jesse;  and  ^ Jesse  begat  David  the  king; 

Aud  David  ''tlie  king  begat  Solomon  of  her  that  had  been  the  xi'lfe  of 

7  Urias;  and  *  Solomon  begat  Roboam;  aud  Eoboam  begat  Abia;  aud  Abia 

8  begat  Asa;  aud  Asa  begat  Josaphat;  and  Josaphat  begat  Joram;  and 


A.  M.  40no. 


CHAP.  1. 
"  Luke  3.  2^ 
!>  I's    132.  11. 

Isa  11.1. 

Acts  2.  r.o. 
"  Gal.  3.  16. 
d  Kuth  4.  18. 
'  Kuin.  1  7. 
/Jos.  G.  22. 

Heb.  11.  31. 
"  1  Sam  le.  1. 
h  2  i-am  12.'J4. 
i  1  Chr.  3.  lu. 


CHAP.  I.  Verses  1-17.— Genealogy  of  Christ. 
(=Luke  iii.  23-38.) 

1.  The  book  of  the  generation — an  expression 
purely  Jewish;  meaning,  '  Table  of  the  genealogy.' 
in  Gen.  v.  1  the  same  expression  occurs  in  this 
sense  rnibin  td^  Mdiich  the  LXX.  translate  by  our 
]  ilirasehere — /^i'/j'Xos  yeyeo-ews].  We  have  liere,  then, 
the  title,  not  of  this  whole  Gospel  of  Matthew,  but 
only  of  the  iirst  seventeen  verses,  of  Jesus  Christ. 
For  the  meaning  of  these  glorious  words,  see  on  v. 
21  and  on  v.  16.  "Jesus,"  tlie  name  given  to  our 
Lord  at  His  circumcision  (lAikeii.  21),  was  that  by 
which  He  was  familiarly  known  while  on  earth. 
The  word  "Christ" — though  applied  to  Him  as  a 
jiroper  name  by  the  angel  who  announced  His 
i)irtn  to  the  shepherds  (Luke  ii.  II),  and  once  or 
twice  used  in  this  sense  by  our  Lord  Himself  (ch. 
xxiii.  8,  10;  Mark  ix.  41) — only  began  to  be  so  used 
by  others  about  the  very  close  of  His  earthly  career 
(ch.  xx-vi  CS;  xxvii.  17).  The  full  form,  "Jesus 
Christ,"  though  once  used  by  Himself  in  His  Inter- 
cessory Prayer  (John  x^ai.  3),  was  never  used  by 
others  till  after  His  ascension  aud  the  formation 
of  churches  in  His  name.  Its  use,  then,  in  the 
opening  words  of  this  Gos]^el  (and  in  v.  17,  IS) 
is  in  the  style  of  the  late  period  when  our  Evan- 
gelist wrote,  rather  than  of  tlie  events  he  was 
going  to  record,  the  son  of  David,  the  son  of 
Abraham.  As  Abraham  was  the.^r.s-i  from  whose 
family  it  was  predicted  that  Messiah  should  si)ring 
(Gen.  xxii.  IS),  so  David  was  the  last.  To  a  Jew- 
ish reader,  accordingly,  these  behoved  to  be  the 
two  great  starting-points  of  any  true  genealogy 
of  the  promised  Messiah;  and  thus  this  opening 
verse,  as  it  stamps  tlie  first  Gospel  as  one  peculi- 
arly Jewish,  woidd  at  once  tenet  to  conciliate  the 
writer's  people.  From  the  nearest  of  those  two 
fathers  came  that  familiar  name  of  the  promised 
Messiah,  "the  son  of  David"  (Luke  xx.  41),  which 
was  applied  to  Jesus,  either  in  devout  acknow- 
ledgment of  His  rightful  claim  to  it  (ch.  ix.  27;  xx. 
31),  or  in  the  way  of  insinuating  inqnii-y  whether 
such  were  the  case  (see  on  .John  iv.  29 ;  en.  xii.  23). 

2.  Abraham  begat  Isaac ;  and  Isaac  begat  Jacob ; 
and  Jacob  begat  Judas  and  his  brethren.  Only  the 
fourth  son  of  .Jacob  is  here  named,  as  it  was  from 
his  loins  that  Messiah  was  to  spring  (Gen.  xlix. 
10).  3.  And  Judas  begat  Phares  aud  Zara  of  Tha- 
mar; and  Phares  begat  Esrom;  and  Esrom  begat 
Aram;  4.  And  Aram  begat  Aminadab;  and  Amin- 
adab  begat  Naasson;  and  Naasson  begat  Salmon; 
5.  And  Salmon  begat  Booz  of  Rachab ;  and  Booz 

Vol.   V.  1 


begat  Obed  of  Ruth;  and  Obed  begat  Jesse;  6. 
And  Jesse  begat  David  the  king ;  and  David  the 
king  begat  Solomon  of  her  of  Urias.  [The  words, 
"  that  had  been  tlie  wife,"  introduced  by  our  trans- 
lators, only  weaken  the  delicate  brevity  of  our 
Evangelist — hK  tt}?  tow  Ovfuov\.  Four  women  are 
here  introduced  :  two  of  them  Gentiles  by  birth — 
Rahab  and  Euth;  and  tliree  of  them  with  a  blot  at 
their  names  in  the  Old  Testament — Thamar,  Ra- 
liab,  and  Bath-f^heha.  This  feature  in  the  present 
genealogy — herein  difTcring  from  that  given  by 
Luke — comes  well  from  him  who  styles  himself  in 
his  list  of  the  Twelve,  what  none  of  the  other  lists 
do,  "Matthew  the  publiran ;"  as  if  thereby  to 
hold  forth,  at  the  very  outset,  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  that  .grace  which  could  not  only  fetch  in 
"  them  that  are  afar  off,"  but  reach  down  even  to 
"publicans  and  harlots,"  and  raise  them  to  "sit 
with  the  princes  of  his  iieople."  David  is  here 
twice  emphaticallj'  styled  "David  the  king"  (for 
the  MS.  authority  against  the  repetition  is  insuf-. 
ficient),  as  not  only  the  lirst  of  that  royal  line  from 
which  Messiah  was  to  descend,  but  the  one  king  of 
all  that  line  from  which  the  throne  that  Messiah 
was  to  occupy  took  its  name — "the  throne  of 
David."  The  angel  Gabriel,  in  announcing  Him  to 
His  virgin-mother,  calls  it  "  the  throne  of  David 
His  father,"  sinking  all  the  intermediate  kings  of 
that  line,  as  having  no  importance  sav'e  as  links  to 
connect  the  lirst  and  the  last  king  of  Israel  as 
father  and  son.  It  will  be  observed  that  Eahab  is 
here  represented  as  the  great-great-graudmother  of 
David  (see  Ruth  iv.  20-22;  and  1  Chr.  ii.  11-15)— a 
thing  not  beyond  possibility  indeed,  but  extremely 
improbable,  there  being  about  four  centuries  be- 
tween them.  There  can  hardly  be  a  doubt  that 
one  or  two  intermediate  links  are  omitted.  (See 
on  V.  17,  and  Remarks  1.  and  2.  at  the  end  of  this 
section.) 

7.  And  Solomon  begat  Roboam;  and  Roboam 
begat  Abia;  and  Abia  begat  Asa;  8.  And  Asa 
begat  Josaphat;  and  Josaphat  begat  Joram; 
and  Joram  begat  Ozias  (or  LTzziah).  Three  kings 
are  here  omitted — Ahaiiah,  Joa.th,  and  Ama--iah 
(1  Clu\  iii.  11,  12).  Some  omissions  behoved  to 
be  made,  to  compress  the  whole  into  three  four- 
teens  (v.  17).  The  reason  why  these,  rather  than 
other  names,  are  omitted  must  be  sought  in  re- 
ligious considerations — either  in  the  connection 
of  those  kings  with  the  house  of  Ahab  {as  Light- 
foot,  Ebrard,  and  Alford  view  it);  in  their  slen- 
der right  to  be  regarded   as   true  links  in  the 


The  Genealogy  of 


^IaTTIIEW  I. 


Jtsus  Clirld. 


9  Joram  begat  Ozias ;  and  Ozias  begat  Joatham ;  and  Joatham  begat  Acliaz ; 

10  and  Achaz  begat  Ezekias;  and  •^Ezeldas  begat  Manasses;  and  Manasses 

11  begat  Amon;  and  Amon  begat  Josias;  and  ^Josias  begat  Jechonias  and 
bis  brethren,  about  the  time  they  were  ^"carried  away  to  Babylon : 

1 2  And  after  they  were  brought  to  Babylon,  Jechonias  begat  Salathiel ; 

13  and  Salathiel  begat  ^Zorobabel;  and  Zorobabel  begat  Abiud;  and  Abiud 

14  begat  Eliakim;  and  Eliakim  begat  Azor;  and  Azor  begat  Sadoc;  and 

15  Sadoc  begat  Achim;  and  Achim  begat  Eliud;  and  Eliud  begat  Eleazar ; 

16  and  Eleazar  begat  Matthan;  and  Matthan  begat  Jacob;  and  Jacob  begat 
Joseph  the  husband  of  Mary,  of  whom  was  born  '"Jesus  who  is  called  Christ. 

17  So  all  the  generations  from  Abraham  to  David  are  fourteen  generations; 


A.  M.  4niio. 

}   2  Ki.  20  27. 

1  Pome  reafl, 
Josias  be- 
gat .'akim, 
and  .Takim 
begat Jech- 
onias 

*  2  Ki.  25  11. 
Jer  27.20. 

I  Ezra  .•!.  2. 
Hag.  1.  1. 

"»Gen.  3.  1.5. 
Isa  9.  G. 


theocratic  chain  (as  Laiuie  takes  it) ;  or  in  some 
similar  disqualification.  9.  And  Ozias  begat  Joa- 
tham; and  Joatham  begat  Achaz;  and  Achaz 
begat  Ezekias ;  10.  And  Ezekias  begat  Manasses; 
and  Manassas  begat  Amon;  and  Amon  begat  Jo- 
sias; 11.  And  Josias  begat  Jechonias  and  his 
brethren.  Jechoiiiah  was  Josiah's  grandson,  being 
the  son  of  Jelioiakim,  Josiah's  second  son  (1 
C'hr.  iii.  15) ;  but  Jehoiakim  might  well  be  sunk 
in  such  a  catalogue,  being  a  mere  puppet  in  the 
hands  of  the  king  of  Egyjit  (2  Chr.  xxxvi.  4). 
The  "bretliren"  of  Jechonias  here  e\'idently  mean 
his  uncles — the  chief  of  whom,  Mattaniah  or 
Zedekiah,  Avho  came  to  the  throne  (2  Kin.  n-xix. 
17),  is,  in  2  Chr.  xxxvi.  10,  called  "his brother,"  as 
Aveil  as  here,  about  the  time  they  were  carried 
away  to  Babylon  [eirl  tt}?  ^e-roiKeo-in?] — literally, 
'of  their  migration,'  for  the  Jews  avoided  the  word 
'captivity'  [alx}^a\w(rLa\  as  too  bitter  a  recollec- 
tion, ancl  our  Evangelist  studiously  respects  the 
national  feeling. 

12.  And  after  they  were  brought  to  ('after  the 
migration  of ')  Babylon,  Jechonias  begat  Salathiel. 
8o°l  Chr.  iii.  17.  Nor  does  this  contradict  Jer. 
xxii.  .'iO,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Write  ye  this  man 
(Conixh,  or  Jeclioniah)  childless;"  for  what  follows 
explains  in  what  sense  this  was  meant — "for  no  man 
of  nis  seed  shall  prosper,  sitting  upon  the  throne 
of  I)a\"id."  He  was  to  have  seed,  but  no  reirinlng 
child,  and  Salathiel  (or  Shealtiel)  begat  Zoroba- 
bel. So  Ezra  iii.  2 ;  jS^eh.  xii.  1 ;  Hag.  i.  1.  But 
it  Avould  ajjpear  from  1  Chr.  iii.  19  that  Zerub- 
babel  was  Salathiel's  grandson,  being  the  son  of 
Pedaiah,  whose  name,  for  some  reason  unknown, 
is  omitted.  13-15.  And  Zorobabel  begat  Abiud, 
&c.  None  of  these  names  are  found  in  the  Old 
Testament ;  but  they  were  doubtless  taken  from 
the  pubUc  or  family  registers,  which  the  Jews 
carefully  kept,  and  their  accuracy  was  never  chal- 
lenged. 16.  And  Jacob  begat  Joseph,  the  husband 
of  Mary,  of  whom  was  born  Jesus.  From  this  it 
is  clear  that  the  genealogy  here  given  is  not  that 
of  ISIary,  but  of  Joseph ;  nor  has  this  ever  been 
questionecL  And  yet  it  is  here  studiously  pro- 
claimed that  Joseph  was  not  the  natural,  but 
only  the  legal  father  of  our  Lord.  His  birth 
of  a  virgin  was  kno^^^l  only  to  a  few;  but  the 
acknowledged  descent  of  his  legal  father  from 
David  secm-ed  that  the  descent  of  Jesus  Him- 
self from  David  should  never  be  questioned. 
See  on  v.  20.  who  is  called  Christ  [Xpio-To's]— 
from  the  Hebrew  [n^-rc],  both  signif  jang '  anointed.' 
It  is  apphed  in  the  Old  Testament  to  the  Jcinris 
(1  Sam.  xxiv.  6,  10);  to  the  priests  (Lev.  iv.  5, 
16,  &c.);  and  to  the  prophets  (1  Kin.  xix.  16) — 
these  all  being  anointed  with  oil,  the  symbol 
of  the  needful  "spiritual  gifts,  to  consecrate  them 
to  theii-  respective  offices ;  and  it  was  applied,  in 
its  most  siil;)liine  and  comprehensive  sense,  to  the 
promised  Deliverer,   inasmuch  as  He  was  to  be 


consecrated  to  an  office  embracing  all  three  by  the 
immeasurable  anointing  of  the  Holy  Ghost  <l?a. 
Ixi.  1 ;  compare  Job.  iii.  34).  17.  So  all  the  genera- 
tions from  Abraham  to  David  are  fourteen  gener- 
ations ;  and  from  David  until  the  carrying  away 
(or  migration)  into  Babylon  are  fourteen  genera- 
tions; and  from  the  carrying  away  into  ('tl  e 
migration  of)  Babylon  unto  Christ  are  fourteen 
generations.  That  is,  the  whole  may  be  conveni- 
ently divided  into  three  fourteens,  each  embrac- 
ing one  marked  era,  and  each  ending  with  a  not- 
able event,  in  the  Israelitish  annals.  Such  artifi- 
cial aids  to  memory  were  familiar  to  the  Jews,  and 
much  lai'^er  gaps  than  those  here  are  found  in  some 
of  the  Old  Testament  genealogies.  In  Ezra  vii.  1  -r> 
no  fewer  than  six  generations  of  the  priesthood 
are  omitted,  as  will  appear  by  comparing  it  with 
1  Chr.  vi.  3-lr).  It  will  be  obsei-ved  that  the  last 
of  the  three  divisions  of  fom'teen  appears  to  con- 
tain only  thirteen  distinct  names,  including  Jesus 
as  the  last.  Lange  thinks  that  this  was  meant  as 
a  tacit  hint  that  Mary  was  to  be  supplied,  as  the 
thirteenth  link  of  this  last  chain,  as  it  is  impos- 
sible to  conceive  that  the  Evangelist  could  have 
made  any  mistake  in  the  matter.  But  there  is  a 
simpler  way  of  accounting  for  it.  As  the  Evan- 
gelist himself  (r.  17)  reckons  Da^'id  twice — as  the 
last  of  the  fii-st  fourteen  and  the  first  of  the  second 
— so,  if  we  reckon  the  second  fourteen  to  end  with 
Josiah,  who  was  coeval  \vith  the  "  carrying  away 
into  captivity "  (r.  11),  and  the  third  to  begin  "vriih. 
Jechoniah,  it  will  be  found  that  this  last  divi- 
sion, as  well  as  the  other  two,  embraces  fourteen 
names,  including  that  of  our  Lord. 

Remarls.  —  1.  "Wlicn  superficial  readers  ask 
what  can  be  the  use  of  those  long,  dry  catalogues 
of  names  which  fill  Avhole  chapters  of  the  Old 
Testament,  they  may  be  referred  to  this  and  the 
corresponding  genealogy  in  Luke  for  one  very  suf- 
ficient answer.  They  enalile  us,  in  some  measure, 
to  trace  the  golden  thread  which  connects  our 
Lord  with  David,  Abraham,  and  Adam,  accord- 
ing to  the  flesh,  and  so  make  good  one  of  His 
claims  to  the  jNIessiahship.  The  links  in  the  chain 
of  those  two  genealogies  which  we  eon  test  by  the 
corresponding  tables  of  the  Old  Testament  serve 
to  verify  those  which  must  be  received  on  their 
o^vn  sole  authority.  And  that  this  is  thoroughly 
reliable  is  manifest,  both  because  these  catalogues 
would  not  have  been  ^lublished  at  a  time  when,  if 
inaccurate,  they  could  easily  have  been  refuted 
by  reference  to  the  Avell-known  family  and  public 
registers ;  and  because  there  is  not  a  i^article  of 
CA-idence  that  they  were  ever  questioned,  much 
less  invalidated.  2.  That  there  should  be  diffi- 
culty in  these  genealogies  is  not  suiiirising,  con- 
sidering, first,  the  want  of  sufficient  materials  of 
comparison;  second,  the  double  or  tri]ile  names 
given  to  the  same  persons  ;  third,  the  intermediate 
names  omitted ;  foiu-th,  the  name  of  sons  given  to 


Mary's  miraculous  conception. 


MATTHEW  I. 


Birth  of  Jesus  foretold. 


18 


and  from  Da'sdd  until  the  carrying  away  into  Babylon  are  fourteen 
generations ;  and  from  the  carrying  away  into  Babylon  unto  Christ  are 
fourteen  generations. 

Now  the  "birth    of  Jesus   Christ  was   on   this  wise:   When   as  his 
mother  Mary  was  espoused  to  Joseph,  before  they  came  together,  she  was 

19  found  with  child  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Then  Joseph  her  husband,  being  a 
just  man,  and  not  willing  °to  make  her  a  public  example,  was  minded  to 

20  put  her  away  privily.  But  while  he  thought  on  these  things,  behold,  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him  in  a  dream,  sa}ang,  Joseph,  thou  son 
of  David,  fear  not  to  take  unto  thee  Mary  thy  wife;  '^for  that  which  is 
^  conceived  in  her  is  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  she  shall  bring  forth  a  son, 
and  thou  shalt  call  his  name  ^ Jesus;  for  *he  shall  save  his  people  from 
their  sins.     (Now  all  this  was  done,  that  '"it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was 


21 


22 


23  spoken  of  the  Lord  by  the  prophet,  saying.  Behold,  *a  virgin  shall  be 


A.  M.  400(1. 

"  Luke  I.  27. 

Gal.  4.  4. 

Heb.  10.  5. 
"  Deut.  24.  1. 
P  Luke  1.  3.-,. 

2  begotten. 

3  That  is. 
Saviour. 

1  Gen.  49. 10. 

Jer.  33.  10. 

Dan.  D.  24. 

Acts  5.  31. 

Heb.  7.  25. 

1  John  3.  .1. 

Eev.  1.  5. 
>■  Heb.  6.  18. 
"  Isa.  7.  14. 


those  who  were  only  in  the  direct  line  of  descent, 
find  of  brothers  to  those  who  were  only  collaterally 
related;  and,  finally,  the  Levirate  law,  by  which 
one  is  called  the  son,  not  of  his  actual,  but  of  his 
Le\'irate  father  (see  Dent.  xxv.  5,  6 ;  Lnlve  xx.  28). 
From  these  causes  great  peiiilexity  and  mnch  dis- 
cussion have  arisen,  nor  is  it  possible  to  solve  every 
tlitticulty.  So  much,  however,  is  clear  as  to  make 
it  "e\'i<lent  that  our  Lord  sprang  out  of  Juda" 
(Heb.  \'ii.  14),  and  was  "the  Seed  of  the  woman" 
"who  should  bruise  the  Serpent's  head."  (For  a 
beautiful  remark  of  Olshausen's  on  this  whole  sub- 
ject, see  on  Liike's  genealogy,  ch.  iii.,  at  the  close.) 
To  a  Jewish  Christian  how  delightful  it  must  have 
lieen,  and  to  any  unprejudiced  Jew  how  concili- 
atoiy,  to  find  themselves,  in  the  very  fh-st  section 
of  this  Gospel,  so  entirely  at  home,  and  to  see  even 
the  more  external  lines  of  their  ancient  economy 
converging  upon  Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  its  proper 
goal ;  but  this  only  to  pave  the  way  for  the  exhi- 
Ijition  of  that  same  Jesus,  in  the  sequel  of  this 
Clospel,  in  a  still  deejjer  relation  to  the  old  eco- 
nomy— as  the  very  "Travail  of  its  soul,  its  Satis- 
faction ! " 

18-25. — Birth  of  Christ. 

18.  Now  tlie  tirtli  of  Jesus  Christ  [ThrJiendorf 
and  Tregelles  read  '  the  bh-th  of  Christ ; '  a  very 
ancient  reading,  but  otherwise  most  insufficiently 
attested.]  was  on  this  wise,  or  'thus:'  When  as 
his  mother  Mary  was  espoused  [/^i/ijo-rei/Hero-ijy] 
—  rather,  'betrothed'  —  to  Joseph,  before  they 
came  together,  she  was  found  (or  discovered  to 
lie)  with  child  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  was,  of 
course,  the  fact  only  that  was  discovered :  the 
e.xplanation  of  the  fact  here  given  is  the  Evan- 
gelist's owiL  That  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  living, 
conscious  Person  is  jilainly  implied  here,  and  is 
elsewhere  clearly  taught  (Acts  v.  3,  4,  &c.);  and 
that,  in  the  unity  of  the  Godhead,  He  is  distinct 
both  from  the  Father  and  the  Son,  is  taught  ^^^th 
equal  distinctness  (]NLatt.  xx\'iiL  19;  2  Cor.  xiii.  14). 
On  the  Miracidous  Conception  of  our  Lord,  see 
on  Luke  i.  35.  19.  Then  Joseph  her  husband: 
compare  ver.  20,  "Mary,  thy  Avife."  Betrothal 
was,  in  Jewash  lnw  valid  marriage.  In  giving 
Mary  up,  therefore,  J  oseph  had  to  take  legal  steps 
to  effect  the  separation,  being  a  just  man,  and 
not  willing  to  make  her  a  public  example— or  '  to 
expose  her'  (see  Deut.  xxii.  23, 24)— was  minded  to 
put  her  away  privily  ('privately')— by  giving  her 
the  required  wi-iting  of  divorcement  (Deut.  xxiv. 
1),  in  iiresence  only  of  two  or  three  witnesses,  and 
\Wthout  cause  assignetl,  instead  of  ha^dng  her  be- 
fore a  magistrate.  That  some  communication  had 
passed  between  him  and  his  betrothed,  directly  or 
indirectly,  on  the  subject,  after  she  returned  from 
3 


her  three  months'  visit  to  Elizabeth,  can  hardly 
be  doubtecL  _  Nor  does  the  purpose  to  divorce  hei; 
necessarily  imply  disbelief,  on  Joseph's  part,  of 
the  explanation  given  him.  Even  supposing  him 
to  have  yielded  to  it  some  reverential  assent — and 
the  Evangelist  seems  to  convey  as  much,  by  as- 
cribing the  proposal  to  screen  her  to  the  justice  of 
his  character — he  might  think  it  altogether  unsuit- 
able and  incongi'uous  in  such  circumstances  to  fol- 
low out  the  marriage.  20.  But  while  he  thought 
on  these  things.  W  ho  would  not  feel  for  him  after 
receiving  such  intelligence,  and  before  receiving 
any  light  from  above?  As  he  brooded  over  the 
matter  alone,  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  his 
domestic  i^rospects  darkened  and  his  happiness 
blasted  for  life,  his  mind  slowly  making  itself  ujj 
to  the  painful  step,  yet  planning  how  to  do  it  in 
the  way  least  offensive — at  the  last  extremity  the 
Lord  Himself  interposes,  behold,  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  appeared  to  him  in  a  dream,  saying,  Joseph, 
son  of  David.  This  style  of  addi-ess  was  doubt- 
less ad"\asedly  chosen  to  remind  him  of  what  all 
the  families  of  David's  line  so  eagerly  coveted, 
and  thus  it  would  prepare  him  for  the  mar- 
vellous announcement  which  was  to  follow. 
fear  not  to  take  unto  thee  Mary  thy  wife : 
g.  d.,  'Though  a  dark  cloud  now  overhangs  this 
relationshiii,  it  is  unsullied  still.'  for  that  which 
is  conceived  ['begotten,'  ^ei/j/ijecw]  in  her  is  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  21.  And  she  shall  bring  forth  a 
son.  Observe,  it  is  not  said,  '  she  shall  bear  thee 
a  son,'  as  was  said  to  Zacharias  of  his  wife 
Elizabeth  (Luke  i.  13).  and  thou  (as  his  legal 
father)  shalt  call  his  name  JESUS  [Iijo-oOp] — from 
the  Hebrew  piu.'in;  Jehovhua,  Num.  xiii.  16;  or, 
as  after  the  captivitj''  it  was  contracted,  ^''''^7, 
Jeshua,  Neli.  vii.  7];  meaning  'Jehovah  the  Savi- 
our;' in  Greek  Jesu.s — to  the  awakened  and 
anxious  sinner  sweetest  and  most  fragrant  of  all 
names,  expressing  so  melodiously  and  briefly  His 
whole  saA'ing  office  and  work  !  for  he  shall  save 
[aiiT-os  yap  a-uxrei].  The  "He"  is  here  emphatic^ 
He  it  is  that  shall  save :'  He  personally,  and  by 
personal  acts  (as  Webster  and  Wilkinson  exijress 
it),  his  people — the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel,  in  the  first  instance ;  for  they  were  the 
only  people  He  then  hacL  But,  on  the  breaking 
down  of  the  middle  wall  of  partition,  the  saved 
people  embraced  the  "redeemed  unto  God  by 
His  blood  out  of  every  kindred  and  people  and 
tongue  and  nation."  from  their  sins — in  the  most 
comprehensive  sense  of  salvation  from  sin  (Rev, 
i.  5;  Eph,  v.  25-27.)  22.  Now  all  this  was  done, 
that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  of 
the  Lord  by  the  prophet  (Isa.  viL  14),  saying,  23, 
Behold,  a  virgin— it  should  be  'the  virgin'  [>) 


Birth  of  Jesus. 


MATTHEW  I.  II. 


Wise  men  from  the  East. 


with  child,  and.  shall  bring  forth  a  son,  and  ^  they  shall  call  his  name 

24  Emmanuel,  which,  being  interpreted,  is,  'God  with  us.)     Then  Joseph, 
being  raised  from  sleep,  did  as  the  angel  of  the  Lord  had  bidden  him, 

25  and  took  unto  him  his  wife ;  and  knew  her  not  till  she  had  brought  forth 
'^her  first-born  son :  and  he  called  his  name  JESUS. 

2       NOW  when  "Jesus  was  born  in  Bethlehem  of  Judea,  in  the  daj's  of 
Herod  the  king,  behold,  there  came  wise  men  ^from  the  east  to  Jerusalem, 

2  saying,  "^ Where  is  he  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews?  for  we  have  seen  '4iis 

3  star  in  the  east,  and  are  come  to  worship  him.     When  Herod  the  king  had 


A.  M.  4000. 

*  Or  liis 
name  shall 
be  called. 

<  Isa.  9.  0. 

"  Ex.  13.  2. 

CHAP.  2. 

»  Dan  9.  24. 
>>  1  Ki.  4.  30. 
'  I  like  2.  11. 
rf  Jsura.24  17. 


irapdevos,  exactly  as  in  the  Hebrew,  no';yn] ;  mean- 
ing that  particular  virgin  destined  to  this  unparal- 
leled distinction,  shall  be  with  child,  and  shall 
bring  forth  a  son,  and  they  shall  call  his  name 
Emmanuel  ['?«  ijoi-,  nohiscum-Deus],  which,  being 
interpreted,  is,  God  with  us.  Not  that  He  Avas  to 
have  this  for  a  proper  name  (like  "Jesus  "),  but  that 
He  should  come  to  be  known  in  this  character,  as 
God  manifested  in  the  tlesh,  and  the  living  bond 
of  holy  and  most  intimate  fellowship  between  God 
and  men  from  henceforth  and  for  ever.  24.  Then 
Joseph,  being  raised  from  sleep  (and  all  his  diffi- 
culties now  removed),  did  as  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  had  bidden  him,  and  took  unto  him  his  wife. 
With  what  dee}")  and  reverential  joy  would  this 
now  be  done  on  his  part ;  and  what  balm  would 
this  minister  to  his  betrothed  one,  who  had  till 
now  lain  under  suspicions  of  all  others  the  most 
trying  to  a  chaste  and  holy  woman — suspicions,  too, 
arising  from  what,  though  to  her  an  honoiu"  un- 
paralleled, was  to  all  around  her  wholly  imknown ! 
25.  And  knew  her  not  till  she  had  brought  forth 
her  first-born  son.  [t6i>  irpwroroKov.  Lachmann, 
Tischendorf,  and  Trefielles,  on  certainly  ancient, 
but,  as  we  think,  insufficient  authority,  exclude 
jov  TrpwTOTOKov  from  tlic  text  here,  though  insert- 
ing it  in  Luke  ii.  7,  where  it  is  undisputed.  Here 
they  read  simply  vlov — 'till  she  had  lu'ousht  forth 
a  son.']  and  he  called  his  name  JESUS.  The 
word  "  till "  does  not  necessarily  im]ily  that  they 
lived  on  a  different  footing  afterwards  (as  Avill  be 
evident  from  the  use  of  the  same  word  in  1  Sam. 
XV.  35 ;  2  Sam.  vi.  23 ;  Matt.  xii.  20) ;  nor  does  the 
word  "  first-born"  decide  the  much  disputed  ques- 
tion, whether  Mary  had  any  children  to  Joseph 
after  the  birth  of  Christ ;  for,  as  Lightfoot  says, 
'  The  law,  in  speaking  of  the  first-born,  regarded 
not  whether  any  were  born  after  or  no,  but  only 
that  none  were  born  before.'  (See  on  ch.  xiii. 
5.3,  56.) 

Remarks. — 1.  Was  ever  faith  more  tried  than- 
the  Vii-gin's,  when  for  no  fault  of  hers,  but  in 
consequence  of  an  act  of  God  Himself,  her  con- 
jugal relation  to  Joseph  was  allowed  to  be  all  but 
snapped  asunder  by  a  legal  divorce?  Yet  how 
glorious  was  the  reward  with  which  her  constancy 
and  patience  were  at  length  crowned !  And  is 
not  this  one  of  the  great  laws  of  God's  proce- 
dm-e  towards  his  belieAdng  people?  Abraham  was 
allow-ed  to  do  all  but  sacrifice  Isaac  (Gen.  xxii.); 
the  last  year  of  the  predicted  Babylonish  captivity 
liad  aa-rived  ere  any  signs  of  deliverance  appeared 
(Dan.  ix.  1,  2) ;  the  massacre  of  all  the  Jews  in 
Persia  had  all  but  taken  place  (Esth.  vii.  viii.); 
Peter,  under  Herod  Agi'ippa,  was  all  but  brought 
forth  for  execution  (Acts  xii. ) ;  Paul  was  all  but 
assassinated  by  a  band  of  Jewish  enemies  (Acts 
xxiii. ) ;  Lvither  all  but  fell  a  sacrifice  to  the  machi- 
nations of  his  enemies  (1521) ;  and  so  in  cases 
innumerable  since,— of  all  which  it  may  be  said, 
as  in  the  song  of  Moses,  "The  Lord  shall  judge 
His  people,  and  repent  Himself  for  His  servants, 
.when  He  seeth  that  their  power  is  fjone"  (Deut.  xxxii 
4 


36).  2.  What  divine  wisdom  was  there  in  the 
ai-rangement  by  which  oiu'  Lord  was  born  of  a 
betrothed  virgin,  thus  effectually  providing  against 
the  reproach  of  illegitimacy,  and  securing  for  His 
Infancy  an  honourable  protection !  "  This  also 
cometh  forth  from  the  Lord  of  hosts,  who  is  won- 
derful in  counsel  and  excellent  in  working"  (Lsa. 
xxviii.  29). 

CHAP.  II.  1-12. — Visit  of  the.  Magi  to  JEr.u- 

SALEM  AND  BeTHLEHEM. 

The  Wise   Men  reach  Jerusalem — The  Sanhe- 
drim, on  Herod's  demand,  pronounce  Bethlehem 
to  he  Messiah's  predicted  Birth-place  (1-6).     1.  Now 
when  Jesus  was  born  in  Bethlehem  of  Judea— so 
called  to  distinguish  it  from  another  Bethlehem 
in  the  tribe  of  Zel)ulun,  near  the  sea  of  Galilee 
(Jos.   xix.    15) :    called  also  Beth-lchem-judah,  as 
being  in  that  tribe  (Jud.  xvii.  7) ;  and  EphratU 
(Gen.  XXXV.  16) ;  and  combining  both,  Beth-leliem 
Ephratah   (Mic.   v.   2).     It  lay  about    six  miles 
south-west  of  Jerusalem.     But  how  came  Joseph 
and  Mary  to  remove  thither  from  Nazareth,  the 
place  of  their  residence?    ISiot  of  their  own  accord, 
and  certainly  not  with  the  view  of  fulfilling  the 
prophecy  regarding    Messiah's   birth-place;    nay, 
they  stayed  at  Nazareth  till  it  was  almost  too  late 
for  Mary  to  travel  with  safety;   nor  would  they 
have  stirred    from  it  at  all,   had   not  an   oi'der 
which  left  them  no  choice  forced  them  to  the 
appointed  place.     A  high  hand  was  in  all  these 
movements.     (See  on  \Axke  ii.  1-6.)    in  the  days 
of  Herod  the  king— styled  the  Great ;  son  of  Anti- 
]iater,  an  Edomite,  made  king  by  the  Pomans. 
Thus  was   "the  sceptre  departing  from  Judah" 
(Gen.  xlix.  10),  a  sign  that  Messiah  was  now  at 
hand.     As  Herod  is  known  to  have  died  in  the 
year  of  Pome  750,  in  the  fourth  year  before  the 
commencement  of  owt  Christian  era,  the  birth  of 
Christ  must  be  dated  four  years  before  the  date 
usually  assigned  to  it,  even  if  He  was  born  within 
the  year  of  Herod's  death,  as  it  is  next  to  certain 
that  he  was.    there  came  wise  men  [ixayoi]  lit., 
'Magi'  or  'Magians;'  i^robably  of  the  learned  class 
who  cultivated   astrology  and  kindred  sciences. 
Balaam's  proiihecy  (Num.  xxiv.  17),  and  perhais 
Daniel's  (ch,  ix,  24,  &c,),  might  have  come  down 
to  them    by  tradition ;    but    nothing    definite  is 
known  of  them,     from  the  east  —  but  wlietlier 
from  Arabia,   Persia,   or   Mesopotamia  is  uncer- 
tain,    to  Jerusalem  — as  the  Jewish  metropolis. 
2.    Saying,  Where  is  he   that  is  born  King  of 
the  Jews?    From  this  it  would  seem  they  were 
not  themselves    Jews.      (Compare    the    language 
of  the  I'loman  governor,  John  xviii.  33,  and  of 
the    Iloman    soldiers,    ch.    xxvii.    29,    with    the 
very  different  langua.se  of  the  Jews  themselves, 
ch._  xxvii.  42,  &c.)    The  Poman  historians,  Sue- 
tonius and  Tacitus,  bear  witness  to  an  expectaticn, 
prevalent  in  the  East,  that  out  of  Judea  should 
arise  a  sovereign  of  the  world,     for  we  have  seen 
his  star  in  the  east.    Much  has  been  written  on 
the  subject  of  this  star;  but  from  all  that  is  heie 
said  it  IS  perhaps  safest  to  regard  it  as  simply  a 


ITcrod  enqniretJi  concern hifj 


MATTHEW  IT. 


t/w  birth  of  Christ 


4  heard  these  things,  he  was  troubled,  and  all  Jerusalem  with  hini.     And 
when  he  had  gathered  all  Hhe  chief  priests  and  •'scribes  of  the  people 

5  together,  ^lie  demanded  of  them  where  Christ  should  be  born.     And 
they  said  unto  him,  In  Bethlehem  of  Judea:  for  thus  it  is  written  by  the 

G  prophet,  And  'Hhou,  Bethlehem,  in  the  land  of  Juda,  art  not  the  least 
among  the  princes  of  Juda:  for  out  of  thee  shall  come  a  Governor,  Hhat 

7  shall  h'ule  niy  people  Israel.     Then  Herod,  when  he  had  i)rivily  called 
the  wise  men,  enquired  of  them  diligently  what  time  the  star  appeared. 

8  And  he  sent  them  to  Bethlehem,  and  said.  Go  and  search  diligently  for 
the  young  child;  and  when  ye  have  found  hini,  bring  me  word  again, 

1)  that  I  may  come  and  worship  him  also.     When  they  had  heard  the  king, 


A,  M.  400n, 


«  Ps.  2.  1. 

/  2  Chr.34.13. 

Ezra   7.    ti, 
n,  12. 
»  Mai.  2.  7. 

John  3.  )0. 
ft  Mic.  6.  2. 

John  7.  42. 
•■  PrtiV.  2.  27. 

Cen.  49. 10. 

Ku.  24.  19. 
1  Or,  feed. 

Isa.  40.  II. 


luminous  meteoi",  wliicli  appeared  luider  special 
laws  and  for  a  syiecial  purpose,  and  are  come  to 
worship  him — 'to  do  Him  liomaife,'  as  the  word 
[7rpo(n:viiTi(TUL]  signities  ;  the  nature  of  tliat  homage 
depending  ou  the  circumstances  of  the  case.  That 
not  civil  but  religious  homage  is  meant  here  is 
j»lain  from  the  M^hole  strain  of  the  narrative,  and 
particularly  r.  11.  Doubtless  these  simiile  stran- 
gers expected  all  Jerusalem  to  be  fvdl  of  its  new- 
born King,  and  the  time,  place,  and  circumstances 
of  His  birth  to  be  familiar  to  every  one.  Little 
would  they  think  that  the  lirst  announcement  of 
His  birth  would  come  from  themselves,  and  still 
less  could  they  anticipate  the  startling,  instead  of 
transjiorting,  effect  which  it  would  produce — else 
they  would  probably  have  sought  their  information 
regarding  His  birth-place  in  some  other  quarter. 
But  God  overruled  it  to  draw  foi'th  a  noble  testi- 
mony to  the  piedictcd  birth-] ilace  of  Messiah  from 
the  highest  ecclesiastical  authority  in  the  nation. 
3.  When  Herod  the  king  heard  these  things,  he 
was  troubled — viewing  this  as  a  danger  to  his  own 
throne:  perhaps  his  guilty  conscience  also  suggested 
other  grounds  of  fear,  and  all  Jerusalem  with 
him— from  a  dreatl  of  revolutionary  commotions, 
and  perhai>s  also  of  Herod's  rage.  4.  And  when 
he  had  gathered  all  the  chief  priests  and  scribes 
of  the  people  together.  The  class  of  the  ^' chief 
priests''^  included  tlie  high  priest  for  tlie  time  being, 
together  with  all  who  had  ])ieviously  filled  this 
ofnce ;  for  though  the  then  head  of  the  Aaronic 
family  was  the  only  rightful  high  priest,  the  Ro- 
mans removed  them  at  pleasiure,  to  make  way  for 
creatures  of  their  omti.  In  this  class  probably 
were  included  also  the  heads  of  the  four-and- 
twenty  coiu'ses  of  the  priests.  The  "  scnbes"  were 
at  fu'st  merely  transcribers  of  the  law  and  syna- 
gogue-readers ;  afterwards  inter]  ireters  of  the  law, 
1)oth  civil  and  religious,  and  so  both  lawyers  and 
di\anes.  The  first  of  thes«  classes,  a  projiortion 
of  the  second,  and  "  (he  elder.'t^' — that  is,  as  Light- 
foot  thinks,  '  those  elders  of  the  laity  that  were  not 
of  the  Levitical  tribe,'  constituted  the  supreme 
council  of  the  nation,  called  the  Sanhedrim,  the 
membei's  of  which,  at  their  full  comjilement,  were 
seveuty-t\v-o.  That  this  ■was  the  council  which 
Herod  now  convened  is  most  i>voba}ile,  from  the 
solemnity  of  tlie  occasion ;  for  though  the  elders  are 
not  mentioned  we  find  a  similar  omission  where  all 
three  were  certainly  meant  (cf,  ch.  xxvi.  51) ;  xxviL 
1).  As  Meijer  says,  it  was  all  the  theologians  of 
the  nation  whom  Herod  convened,  because  it  was 
a  theological  resjionse  that  he  wanted,  he  de- 
manded of  them — as  the  authorized  interpretei-s 
of  Scriiitm-e— where  Christ  [b  XptoTos]— '  the  Mes- 
siah'— should  be  born — according  to  i)rophecy.  5. 
And  they  said  unto  him,  In  Bethlehem  of  Judea 
— ;a  promjit  and  involuntary  testimony  from  th« 
liigheat  tribunal ;  which  yet  at  length  condemned 
Him  to  die.  for  thus  it  is  written'by  the  prophet 
(Mic.v.  2),  6.  And  thou,  Bethlehem,  [in]  the  land 

0 


of  Juda — the  "in"  being  familiarly  left  out,  as  v,e 
say,  '  London,  Middlesex ' — art  not  the  least  among 
the  princes  of  Juda :  for  out  of  thee  shall  come 
a  Governor,  &c.  This  quotation,  though  diftcr- 
ing  verbally,  agrees  substantially  with  the  He- 
brew and  LXX,  For  says  the  projihet,  "Though 
thou  be  little,  yet  out  of  thee  shall  come  the 
Ruler" — this  honour  more  than  compensating  for 
its  natural  insignificance;  while  our  Evangelist, 
by  a  lively  turn,  makes  him  say,  "Thou  art 
not  the  leavt:  for  out  of  thee  shall  come  a 
Governor"— this  distinction  lifting  it  from  the 
lowest  to  the  highest  rank.  The  "  thousands  of 
Juda,"  in  the  ]iro]ihet,  mean  tlie  subordinate  di^^- 
sions  of  the  trilje :  our  Evangelist,  instead  of  these, 
merely  names  the  "princes"  pr  heads  of  these 
families,  including  the  distiicts  which  they  occu- 
pied, that  shall  rule  [Trot^uavel] — or  'feed,'  as  in  the 
margin— my  people  Israel.  In  the  Old  Testament, 
kings  are,  by  a  beautiful  figure,  styled  "  shepherds  " 
(Ezek.  xxxiv.  &c.)  The  classical  writers  use  the 
same  figure.  The  pastoral  rule  of  Jehovah  and 
JNlessiah  over  His  iieojile  is  a  rejjresentation  jier- 
vading  all  Scripture,  and  rich  in  import.  (See  Ps. 
xxiii, ;  Isa.  xl,  II;  Ezelc  xxxvii.  24;  John  x.  11; 
Eev.  vii.  17).  That  this  ]iro])hecv  of  Micah  re- 
ferred to  the  Messiah,  was  admitted  by  the  ancient 
Rabbins. 

The  Wise  Men,  despatched  to  Bethlehem  by  Herod 
to  see  the  Bahe,  and  brbuj  him  word,  rruike  a 
Beligious  Offerin;/  to  the  Inifant  King,  hut,  divinelt/ 
wartied,  return  home  ly  another  way  (7-12).  7, 
Then  Herod,  when  he  had  privily  called  the  wise 
men.  Herod  has  so  far  succeeded  in  his  mur^ 
derous  design:  he  has  tracked  the  sjiot  where 
lies  his  victim,  an  unconscious  babe,  But  he  has 
another  point  to  fix — the  date  of  His  bii-th — with- 
out which  he  might  still  miss  his  mark.  The  one 
he  had  got  from  the  Sanhedrim :  the  other  he  will 
have  from  the  sages ;  but  secretly,  lest  his  object 
should  be  susjiected  and  defeated.  So  he  enquired 
of  them  diligently  [I'lKpijitDae] — rather,  'precisely' 
— what  time  the  star  appeared— presuming  that 
this  would  be  the  best  clue  to  the  age  of  the  child, 
The  unsuspecting  strangers  tell  him  alh  And  now 
he  thinks  he  is  succewling  to  a  wash,  and  shall 
speedily  clutch  his  victim  ;  for  at  so  early  an  ago 
as  they  iaclicate,  He  would  not  likely  have  heen 
removed  from  the  pilace  of  his  birth.  Yet  he  is 
wary.  He  sends  them  as  messengers  from  himself, 
and  bids  them  come  to  him,  that  he  may  follow 
their  pious  examjile.  8.  And  he  sent  them  to 
Bethlehem,  and  said,  Go  and  search  diligently 
[aKptfiu)^  e^cTfto-axe] — 'search  out  carefully' — for 
the  young" child;  and  when  ye  have  found  him, 
bring  me  word  again,  that  I  may  come  and  wor- 
ship him  also.  The  cunning  and  bloody  hypocrite ! 
Yet  this  royal  mandate  woidd  meantime  serve  as 
a  safe-conduct  to  the  strangers.  9.  When  they  had 
heard  the  king,  they  departed.  But  where  were 
ye,  0  Jewish  ccclcti;i:jtici^,   ye  cljicf  priests  an4 


The  wise  men  worsJiip  Jestts, 


MATTHEW  Ii. 


and  offer  Idm  presents. 


tliey  departed ;  aud,  lo,  the  star,  which  they  saw  in  the  east,  went  before 
10  them,  till  it  came  aud  stood  over  where  the  young  child  was.  When 
1  i  they  saw  the  star,  they  rejoiced  with  exceeding  great  joy.     And  when 

they  were  come  into  the  house,  they  saw  the  young  child  with  Maiy  his 
•  mother,  and  fell  down  aud  •'worshipped  him :  and  when  they  had  opened 

their  treasures,  they  ^presented  unto  him  gifts;  gold,  and  frankincense, 
12  and  mjTrh.     And  being  warned  of  God  ^in  a  dream  that  they  should 

not  return  to  Herod,  they  departed  into  their  own  countiy  another  Avay. 


A.  JL  4000. 

i  Ps.  2.  12. 

Ps.  95.  6. 

John  5.  2X 

Acts  10.  26. 

Eev.  19.  10. 
2  Or,  offered. 

Ps.  22.  29. 

Ps.  72.  10, 
I  ch.  1.  20. 


scribes  of  the  people?  Ye  could  tell  Herod  where 
Christ  should  be  born,  and  conld  hear  of  these 
strangers  from  the  far  East  that  the  Desire  of 
all  nations  had  actually  come:  but  I  do  not  see 
you  trooping  to  Bethlehem — I  liud  these  devout 
strangers  journeying  thither  all  alone.  Yet  God 
ordered  this  too,  lest  the  news  should  be  blabbed, 
aud  reach  the  tyrant's  ears,  ere  the  Babe  could  be 
placed  beyond  his  reach.  Thus  are  the  very  errors 
and  crimes  and  cold  indifference  of  men  all  over- 
ruled, and,  lo,  the  star,  wMch  they  saw  in  the  east 
— implying  apparently  that  it  had  disappeared  in 
the  interval— went  before  them,  and  stood  over 
where  the  young  child  was.  Surely  this  could 
hardly  be  but  by  a  luminous  meteor,  and  not  very 
high.  10.  When  they  saw  the  star,  they  rejoiced 
with  exceeding  great  joy  [ex"/"''^"''  x"/^"^  /leyaXijv 
iy(l>6Spu].  The  language  is  very  strong,  expressing 
exuberant  transport.  11.  And  when  they  were 
come  into  the  house — not  the  stable ;  for  as  soon  as 
Bethlehem  was  emptied  of  its  strangers,  they  would 
have  no  dithculty  in  finding  a  dwelling-house,  they 
saw.  The  received  text  has  "found"  [eupov] ;  but 
liere  our  translators  I'ightly  depart  from  it,  for  it 
has  no  authority,  the  young  child  with  Mary 
his  mother.  The  blessed  Babe  is  iiatm-ally  men- 
tioned hrst,  then  the  mother ;  but  Joseph,  though 
doubtless  i)resent,  is  not  noticed,  as  being  but  the 
head  of  tlie  house,  and  fell  down  and  worshipped 
him.  Clearly  this  was  no  civil  homa^^e  to  a  petty 
Jewish  king,  whom  these  star-guided  strangers 
came  so  far,  and  enquired  so  eagerly,  aud  rejoiced 
with  such  exceediug  joy  to  payj  but  a  lofty  spiritual 
homage.  The  next  clause  conhi-ms  this,  and  when 
they  had  opened  their  treasures,  they  presented 
— rather,  '  offered ' — unto  him  gifts  [-Trpoavi/eyKav 
ain-iZ  OMpa].  This  expression,  used  frequently  in  the 
Old  Testament  of  the  oblations  presented  to  God, 
is  in  the  New  Testament  employed  seven  times, 
and  always  in  a  rcU'j/ous  sense  of  offerings  to  God. 
Beyond  doubt,  therefore,  we  arc  to  understand  the 
l)resentatiou  of  these  gifts  by  the  Magi  as  a  relif/loiis 
offering,  gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh.  Visits 
were  seldom  paid  to  sovereigns  without  a  present 
(1  Ki.  X.  2,  &c.) :  compare  Ps.  Ixxii.  10, 11,  15;  Isa. 
Ix.  3, 6.  "  Frankincense"  was  an  aromatic  used  iu 
sacrificial  offerings ; ' '  myrrh"  was  used  in  i^erf  uming 
ointments.  These,  with  the  gold  which  they  pre- 
sented, seem  to  show  that  the  offerers  were  iiersons 
in  atiiuent  circumstances.  That  the  gold  was  pre- 
sented to  the  infant  King  in  token  of  His  royalty ; 
the  frankincense  in  token  of  His  di^^nity,  and 
the  myi-rh,  of  his  suffermgs ;  or  that  they  were  de- 
signed to  express  His  divine  and  himian  natm-es ;  or 
that  the  prophetical,  priestly,  and  kingly  offices  of 
Christ  are  to  be  seen  in  these  gifts ;  or  that  they 
were  the  offerings  of  thi-ee  individuals  respectively, 
each  of  them  kings,  the  very  names  of  whom  tra- 
dition has  handed  down ; — all  these  are,  at  the  best, 
precarious  suppositions.  But  that  the  feelings  of 
these  devout  givers  are  to  be  seen  in  the  richness 
of  their  gifts,  and  that  the  gold,  at  least,  would  be 
highly  serviceable  to  the  jiarents  of  the  blessed 
Babe  in  their  unexpected  joui-ney  to  Eg^Ttt  and 
stay  there — thus  much  at  least  admits  of  no  dis- 
6 


pute.  12.  And  being  warned  of  God  in  a  dream 
that  they  should  not  return  to  Herod,  they  de- 
parted [avex(upn<^uv] — or  'withdi'ew' — to  their  own 
country  another  way.  What  a  surprise  would 
this  vision  be  to  the  sages,  just  as  they  were  pre- 
paring to  carry  the  glad  news  of  what  they  had 
seen  to  the  pious  king!  But  the  Lord  knew  the 
bloody  old  tyrant  better  than  to  let  him  see  their 
face  again. 

Eemarks. — 1.  As  in  the  fu-st  chaiiter  of  this 
Gospel  Christ's  genealogy  and  His  birth  of  the 
Virgin  show  that  salvation  is  of  the  Jews,  so  the 
visit  of  these  eastern  Magi,  in  the  second  chapter, 
exhibits  the  interest  of  the  Gentile  world  in  Christ. 
And  as  the  genealogical  tree  of  the  first  chapter  is 
bright  on  the  Jewish  side,  while  the  Gentile  side 
is  pitch-dark,  so  in  the  second  chapter  the  picture 
is  reversed  —  the  Gentile  world  presenting  the 
bright,  M'hile  unbelieving  Israel  presents  the  dark 
side,  as  Lamje  well  observes.  2.  How  differently 
was  the  bu-th  of  Christ  regarded  by  different  par- 
ties !  While  the  sheijherds,  Simeon  and  Anna, 
with  as  many  as  waited  for  the  consolation  of  Is- 
rael, hailed  it  mth  joy,  and  these  eastern  sages, 
attracted  from  afar,  hied  them  to  Jerusalem  to  do 
homage  to  the  new-born  King,  the  cruel  tj'rant 
that  sat  upon  the  throne  of  Israel,  the  temporizing 
and  turbulent  priesthood,  aud  the  fickle,  frivolous 
multitude,  were  only  startled  and  troubled  at  the 
announcement.  Thus  is  it  iu  every  age,  as  old 
Simeon  said,  that  "the  thoughts  of  many  hearts 
might  be  re\ealed"  (Luke  ii.  35).  3.  We  have  here 
a  striking  illustration  of  the  important  distinc- 
tion between  the  civil  and  the  ecclesiastical  func- 
tions, and  of  the  signal  services  which  each  may 
render  to  the  other.  While  the  religious  liber- 
ties of  the  Church  are  under  the  protection  of  the 
ci\dl  ijower,  it  will  be  the  wisdom  of  the  State, 
instead  of  intermeddling  with  ecclesiastical  func- 
tions, to  refer  questions  affecting  religion  to  those 
who  are  its  proper  representatives,  as  Herod  did  iu 
this  case.  4.  \Vliat  a  commentary  is  fm-iiished  by 
this  narrative  on  such  sayings  as  these :  "  Many 
shall  come  from  the  east  and  west,  and  shall  sit 
do\vu  mth  Abraham,  aud  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven ;  but  the  childi-en  of  the  king- 
dom shall  be  cast  out;"  "The  last  shall  be  first, 
and  the  first  last;"  "I  am  found  of  them  that 
sought  me  not;"  but  "I  have  stretched  out  my 
hands  all  day  long  to  a  disobedient  and  gainsay- 
ing people"  (Matt.  \\\\.  11,  12;  xx.  16;  Eom.  xL 
20,  21).  Here,  in  the  city  of  divine  solemnities, 
the  seat  of  a  di^anely  instituted  worship,  we  see 
mibelief  and  religious  indifference  reigning  not 
only  among  the  chosen  peoiile,  but  among  the  con- 
secrated ecclesiastics ;  while  from  distant  heathen- 
ism come  devout  and  eager  enquirers  after  the 
new-born  King  of  Israel.  Yea,  here  we  see  per- 
sons directing  others  to  Christ  who  show  no  readi- 
ness to  enquire  after  Him  themselves.  5.  How 
gloriously  does  God  serve  Himself,  not  only  of 
those  who  themselves  have  no  such  intention,  but 
of  those  whose  only  intention  is  to  thwart  His 
purposes !  The  Woi-d  had  been  made  flesli.  Init  in 
poverty   rather  than    riches — meanness  than  ma- 


J os.eph  jieeth  into  Egtjpt 


MATTHEW  II. 


li'lth  Jesus  aiii  Mary. 


13 


14 


15 


And  when  they  were  departed,  behold,  the  augel  of  the  Lord  appear- 
eth  to  Joseph  in  a  dream,  saying,  Arise,  and  take  the  young  child  and  his 
mother,  and  flee  into  Egypt,  and  be  thou  there  until  I  bring  thee  word ; 
for  Herod  will  seek  the  young  child  to  destroy  him.  When  he  arose,  he 
took  the  3'oung  child  and  his  mother  by  night,  and  departed  into  Egy})t ; 
and  was  there  until  the  death  of  Herod :  that  it  might  be  fuliilled  which 
was  spoken  of  the  Lord  b}'  the  prophet,  saying,  Out  'of  Egypt  have  I 
called  my  son. 


A.  M.  4000. 


Gen.  20.  G,7. 
Gen.  27.  10. 
Gen.  31.  24. 
Job  33.  13. 
Dan.  2.  ]'J. 
Ex.  4.  22. 
Num.  24.  s. 
Hos.  2.  15. 
IIos.  11.  1. 


iesty.  It  was  fitting,  then,  that  some  public  seal 
should  be  set  upon  Hiiru  Accordiugly,  as  His 
bu-th-place  had  beeu  explicitly  foretold  by  the 
ancieut  prophets,  He  will  have  this  proclaimed  by 
lips  all  iiuconscious  of  what  they  were  attesting, 
lips  beyond  all  suspicion — by  tlie  greatest  and 
most  august  assembly  of  the  Church's  rulers — that 
His  Son,  in  being  born  at  Bethlehem,  had  come 
into  the  world  at  the  right  place.  And  whereas 
Herod's  imrpose  in  convening  this  gi-ave  synod 
and  despatching  the  sages  to  Bethlehem,  was  dark 
and  murderous — only  to  scent  out  his  victim — he 
was  herein  but  God's  puny  instrument  for  ob- 
taining a  glorious  testimony  in  behalf  of  His 
Son,  and  prociu-ing  Him  the  homage  of  these 
honour-able  representatives  of  the  heathen  world. 
().  See  here  the  importance  of  the  written  Word, 
and  of  an  intelligent  acquaintance  and  famili- 
arity with  it ;  but  yet  how  compatible  this  is  with 
a  total  absence  of  the  spirit  and  life  of  it ;  or, 
as  LaiKje  quaintly  expresses  it,  '  the  value  of  life- 
less Bible  learning,  and  the  worthlessness  of  the 
lifeless  Bible-learned,'  7.  How  glorious  is  that 
faith  which  triumphs  over  all  visible  ai)pearances ! 
To  the  expectations  of  these  eastern  visitors  ' '  the 
house"  at  Bethlehem  would  be  not  a  little  disap- 
pointing. Yet  "  when  they  saw  the  child  " — dif- 
fering in  nothing  to  the  outward  eye  from  any 
other  babe — ''they  fell  down  and  worshipped 
Him."  That  Babe  was  reverend  and  majestic  in 
their  eyes.  '  This  baseness  (as  Bishop  Hall  says) 
hath  bred  wonder,  not  contempt :  they  well  knew 
the  star  could  not  lie.'  Even  so  in  every  age,  the 
more  unaided  by  A-isible  jirobabihties,  and  the 
more  it  triumphs  over  all  that  to  sense  woidd  seem 
irrational,  the  nobler  faith  is.  8.  How  beautiful  is 
natural  kiiowledge  when  it  leads,  as  in  these  sages, 
to  Christ !  But  what  sadder  spectacle  is  there  than 
towei-ing  attainments  in  science  and  philosophy, 
accumulating,  as  we  have  seen  in  oiu'  own  day,  to 
extreme  old  age,  and  attracting  the  homage  of  the 
world,  yet  conjoined  with  blank  irreligion,  and 
going  out  at  length  in  atheistic  silence  as  to  all 
that  is  supernatiu-al !  9.  How  grand  is  the 
l)rovidence  which  concealed  both  fi-om  the  sages 
and  from  the  ijarents  of  our  Lord  all  suspicion  of 
Herod's  designs,  until  the  divine  purposes  in  this 
visit  were  all  attained!  The  Magi,  on  reaching 
the  capital,  are  allowed  to  visit  the  kin^  in  his 
palace ;  and  on  a  relif/mis  mission  from  the  king 
himself  they  hie  them  to  Bethlehem.  Haunted  by 
no  suspicions  of  foid  play,  they  have  free  scope  for 
their  joy  at  the  star,  and  for  their  raptm-e  at  the 
sight  of  the  child.  And  they  are  about  to  retm-u 
to  Herod  ere  they  get  the  warning  to  return  by 
another  way.  Thus  on  their  part,  and  to  the  very 
last,  all  is  unalloyed  satisfaction.  Joseph  and 
Mary,  too,  left  in  the  same  blessed  ignorance,  are 
free  to  wonder  and  exult  at  the  visit  of  the  Magi — 
possibly  also  to  anticipate  an  introduction  to 
Herod,  and  honour  at  his  court.  But  this  stage 
reached,  the  veil  is  lifted,  and  the  king  is  revealed 
to  both  parties  as  a  murderer  in  disguise.  Both 
are  warned  off  without  elelay,  and  not  a  moment 
is  lost.     While  the  wise  men  withdraw  to  their 


owu  country  by  another  way,  the  same  "night" 
Joseph  and  Mary,  with  the  blessed  Babe,  are  off  to 
Egyiit.  "O  the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the 
wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God!  how  imsearch- 
able  are  His  judgments  and  His  ways  past  finding 
out !  For  of  Him  and  through  Him,  and  to  Him, 
are  all  things  :  to  Whom  be  glory  for  ever.  Amen. " 
(Eom.  xi.  33,  3().) 

13-25. — The  Flight  into  Egypt— The  Ma.s- 
SACRE  AT  Bethlehem— The  Return  of  Joseph 
AND  Mary  with  the  Babe,  after  Herod'.s 
Death,  and  their  Settlement  at  Nazareth. 
(=Lidieii.  39.) 

The  Flight  hdo  Efiyvt.  (13-l.^.)  13.  And  when 
they  were  departed,  toeliold,  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  appeareth  to  Joseph  in  a  dream,  saying, 
Arise,  and  take  the  young  child  and  his  mother. 
Observe  this  form  of  exiiression,  reiieated  in  the 
next  verse — another  indu'ect  hint  that  Jose^ih 
was  no  more  than  the  Child's  auardian.  Indeed, 
[lersonaUy  considered,  Joseph  has  no  spii-itual  sig- 
nificance, and  very  little  place  at  all,  in  the  Gospel 
history,  and  flee  into  Egypt — which,  beuig  near, 
as  Alford  says,  and  a  Eoiiian  i[)rovince  indepen- 
dent of  Herod,  and  much  inhabited  by  Jews,  was 
an  easy  and  convenient  refuge.  Ah !  blessed  Sav- 
iom-,  on  what  a  chequered  career  hast  Thou  entered 
here  below  !  At  Thy  birth  there  was  no  room  for 
Thee  in  the  inn  ;  and  now  all  Judea  is  too  hot  for 
Thee.  How  soon  has  the  sword  begun  to  jiierce 
through  the  Virgin's  soul!  (Luke  ii.  35.)  How  early 
does  she  taste  the  receiition  which  this  mysterious 
Child  of  her's  is  to  meet  with  in  the  world  !  And 
whither  is  He  sent ?  To  "the  house  of  bondage" ? 
Well,  it  once  was  that.  But  Egjqit  was  a  house 
of  refuge  before  it  was  a  house  of  bondage,  and 
now  it  has  but  returned  to  its  first  use.  and  toe 
thou  there  until  I  toring  thee  word :  for  Herod  will 
seek  the  young  child  to  destroy  him.  The  word 
[/icXXei]  implies  that  the  action  was  already  in 
progress,  though  incomplete.  Herod's  murderous 
purpose  was  formed  ere  the  Magi  set  out  for  Beth- 
lehem. 14.  When  he  arose,  he  took  the  young 
chUd  and  his  mother  by  night— doubtless  the  same 
night— and  departed  into  Egypt;  15.  And  was 
there  until  the  death  of  Herod — which  took  place 
not  very  long  after  this  of  a  horrible  disease ;  the 
details  of  which  will  be  found  in  Josephus  (Antt. 
xvii.  6.  1,5,  7,  8),  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which 
was  spoken  of  the  Lord  by  the  prophet,  saying 
(Hos.  xi.  1),  Out  of  Egjrpt  have  I  called  my  son. 
Our  Evangelist  here  quotes  directly  from  the  He- 
brew, warily  departing  from  the  LXX. ,  which  ren- 
ders the  words,  '  From  Egjqit  have  I  recalled  his 
children'  [-ra  T£Kua  uutou],  meaning  Israel's  chil- 
dren. The  pro])het  is  reminding  his  iieoide  how 
dear  Israel  was  to  God  in  the  days  of  his  youth; 
how  Moses  was  bidden  say  to  Pharaoh,  "Thus 
saith  the  Lord,  Israel  ia  my  ti07i,  my  fu'st-born: 
and  I  say  unto  thee.  Let  mi/  son  go,  that  he  may 
serve  me :  and  if  thou  refuse  to  let  him  go,  behold, 
I  will  slay  thy  son,  even  thy  fii-st-born"  (Ex. 
iv.  22,  23);  how,  when  Pharaoh  refused,  God, 
having  slain  all  his  first-born,  "called  his  own  son 
out  of  Eg}i)t,"  by  a  stroke  of  high-handed  power 


Herod  slayelli  the 


MATTHEW  IT. 


cJiildren  at  Bethlehem, 


16  Then  Herod,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  mocked  of  the  wise  men,  was 
exceeding  wroth,  and  sent  forth,  and  slew  all  the  cliildren  that  were  in 
Bethlehem,  and  in  all  the  coasts  thereof,  from  two  years  old  and  under, 
according  to  tlie  time  which  he  had  diligently  enqiiired  of  the  wise  men. 

17  Then  was  fulfilled  that  which  was  spoken  by  '"Jeremy  the  prophet,  saying, 

18  In  Eama  was  there  a  voice  heard,  lamentation,  and  weeping,  and  great 
mourning,  Rachel  weeping/or  her  children,  and  Vv'ould  not  be  comforted, 
because  they  are  not. 

19  But  v/hen  "Herod  was  dead,  behold,  an  "angel  of  the  Lord  appeareth  in 

20  a  dream  to  Josei)h  in  Egyi)t,  saying,  ^  Arise,  and  take  the  young  child  and 


A.  M.  4000. 


'"Jer 

31. 

15. 

»  Ps. 

70. 

10. 

Isa. 

51. 

12. 

Dan.  8. 

25; 

U 

.  45 

"  ch. 

5.  13; 

1. 

20. 

Ps. 

139 

7. 

Jer 

30. 

10. 

Ez. 

11. 

16. 

P  Pro 

3. 

i,  6. 

aiid  love.  Viewiii;:,'  tlie  words  in  this  liglit,  eveu 
if  oiu-  Evau.c^elist  had  not  applied  them  to  the 
recall  from  Egyiit  of  God's  own  beloved,  Ouly- 
be^otteu  Son,  the  application  would  have  been 
irresistibly  made  by  all  who  have  learnt  to  pierce 
beneath  the  surface  to  the  deejier  relations  which 
Christ  bears  to  liis  people,  and  both  to  God;  and 
Avho  are  accustomed  to  trace  the  analogy  of  God's 
treatment  of  eaeli  respectively. 

16.  Then  Horod,  &c.     As   iJeborah   sang  of  the 
mother  of  Sisera,  "She  looked  out  at  a  window, 
and  cried  through  the  lattice.  Why  is  his  chariot 
so    long  in  coming?  why  tariy  the  wheels  of  his 
chariots?    Have  they  not  sped?"  so  Herod  won- 
ders that  his  messengers,    with    pious   zeal,   are 
not  hastening  with  tbe  news  that  all  is  ready  to 
receive  him  as  a  worsliipper.     What  can  be  keep- 
ing them  ?     Have  they  missed  their  way  ?     Has 
any  disaster  befallen  them  ?    At  length  his  patience 
is  exhausted.     He  makes  his  entjuiries,  and  finds 
they  are  already  far  beyond  his   reach   on   theii- 
way  home,     when  he  saw  that  he  was  mocked 
ievt-Trre/x^''!— '  ^as  trilled  \vith'— of  the  wise  men. 
Ko,  Herod,  thou  art  not  mocked  of  the  wise  men, 
but  of  a  Higher  than  they.     He  that  sitteth  in  the 
heavens  doth  laugh  at  thee ;  the  Lord  hath  thee 
in  derision.     He  disappointeth  the  devices  of  the 
crafty,  so  that  their  hands  cannot  perfoiin  their 
enterprise.     He  taketli    the  wise    in    their    own 
craftiness,    and    the    counsel    of    the   froward    is 
carried  headlong.    (Ps.  ii.  4;  Job  v.  12,  13.)    That 
blessed  Babe  shall  die  indeed,  but  not  by  thy 
hand.     As  He  afterwards  told  tliat  son  of  thine 
— as    cunning  and  as  unscrupulous  as  thyself  — 
when    the    Pharisees    warned    Him    to    depart, 
for  Herod  wuidd  seek  lo  kill  Him — "Go  ye,  and 
tell  that  foj:,  Boliold,  I  cast  out  devils,  and  I  do 
cures  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  the  third  day  I 
sliall  be  perfected.     Kevertheless  I  must  walk  to- 
day, and  to-morrow,  and  the  day  following  :  for  it 
cannot  be  that  a  prophet  jterish  out  of  Jerusalem  " 
(Luke  xiiL  32,  33).     Bitter  satire!     was  exceed- 
ing wroth.     To  be  made  a  fool  of  is  Avhat  none 
like,  and  pi'oud  kings  cannot  stand.     Heiod  burns 
with  rage,  and  is  like  a  wild  bull  in  a  net.     So  he 
sent  forth  a  band  of  hired  mm-derers,  and  slew  all 
the  [male]  children  [trav-ra^  tuvi  -Trtuoas]  that  were 
in  Bethlehem,  and  in  all  the  coasts,  or  'environs,' 
thereof,  from  two  years  old  and  under,  according 
to  the  time  which  he  had  diligently^' carefully' 
— enquired  of  the  wise  men.     In  this  ferocious 
step  Herod  was  like  himself— as  crafty  as  cruel. 
He  takes  a  large  sweep,  not  to  miss  his  mark.    He 
thinks  this  will  .surely  embrace  his  \'ictim.     And 
so  it  had,  if  He  had  been  there.     But  He  is  gone. 
Heaven  and  earth  shall  sooner  pass  away  than  thou 
shalt  have  that  Balie  into  thy  hands.     Therefore 
Herod,  thou  must  be  content  to  want  Him  ;  to  till 
up  the  cup  of  thy  bitter  mortifications,  already  full 
enough— until  thou  die  not  less  of  a  broken  heart 
than    of  a  loathsome  and    excruciating   disease. 
\Vhy,  ask  scejitics  and  sceptical  critics,  is  not  this 
massacre,  if  it  really  occirrcd,  recoidcd  by  Joae- 


p/u(«,  who  is  minute  enough  in  detailing  the  cruel- 
ties of  Herod  ?  To  this  the  answer  is  not  difficult. 
If  we  consider  how  small  a  town  Bethlehein  was, 
it  is  not  likely  there  would  be  many  male  children 
in  it  from  two  years  old  and  under ;  and  when  we 
think  of  the  number  of  fouler  atrocities  which 
Josephus  has  recorded  of  him,  it  is  umeasouable  to 
make  anything  of  his  silence  on  this.  17.  Thsn 
was  fulfilled  that  which  was  spoken  toy  Jeremy 
the  prophet,  saying  (Jer.  xxxi.  15 — from  which  the 
quotation  ditlers  but  verbally),  18.  In  Rama  was 
there  a  voice  heard,  lamentation,  and  weepiEg, 
and  great  mourning,  Rachel  weeping  for  her  chil- 
dren, and  would  not  be  comforted,  because  thty 
are  not.  These  wonls,  as  they  stand  in  Jeremiah, 
undoubtedly  relate  to  the  Babylonish  captivity. 
Rachel,  the  mother  of  Joseph  and  Benjamin,  was 
biaied  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bethlehem  (Gen. 
XXXV.  19),  where  her  seimlchre  is  still  shown.  Slie 
is  figuratively  rejiresented  as  rising  from  the  tomb 
and  uttering  a  double  lament  for  the  loss  of  her 
children— first,  by  a  bitter  captivity,  and  now  by 
a  bloody  death.  And  a  foul  deed  it  was.  0  ye 
mothers  of  Bethlehem,  methinks  I  hear  you  asking 
why  your  innocent  babes  should  be  the  ram  caught 
in  the  thicket,  whilst  Isaac  escapes.  I  cannot  tell 
you;  but  one  thing  I  know,  that  ye  shall,  some  of 
you,  live  to  see  a  day  when  that  Babe  of  Bethlehem 
shall  be  Himself  the  Ham,  caught  in  another  sort 
of  thicket,  in  older  that  your  babes  may  escape  a 
worse  doom  than  they  now  endure.  And  if  these 
babes  of  yours  be  now  in  glory,  through  the  dear 
might  of  that  blessed  Babe,  will  they  not  deem  it 
their  houoiu'  that  the  tyrant's  rage  was  exhausted 
upon  themselves  instead  of  their  Infant  Lord? 
(See  Kehlen  exquisite  Hymn,  entitled,  "  The  Holy 
Innocents,"  on  the  ajipropriate  words,  "These 
were  redeemed  from  among  men,  being  the  ^nr.tt- 
frii'ds  unto  God  and  to  the  Lamb,"  Piev.  xiv.  4.) 

19.  But  when  Ecrod  was  dead  —  Miserable 
Herod !  Thou  thoughtest  thyself  safe  from  a 
cb'eaded  Rival;  but  it  was  He  only  that  was 
safe  from  thee;  and  thou  hast  not  long  enjoyed 
even  this  fancied  security.  See  on  v.  15.  be- 
hold, an  angel  of  the  Lord.  Our  translators, 
somewhat  cai)riciously,  render  the  same  exines- 
siou  [ay-yeXcis  Kvpiov]  "  the  angel  of  the  Lord," 
ch.  i.  20;  ii.  13;  and  "a/*  angel  of  the  Lord," 
as  here.  As  the  same  angel  appears  to  have 
been  employed  on  all  these  high  occasions- and 
most  likely  he  to  whom  in  Luke  is  given  the 
name  of  "  Gabriel,"  ch.  i.  19,  26 — |ierhaps  it  should, 
in  every  instance  except  the  tu-st,  be  rendered 
''the  angeh"  appeareth  in  a  dream  to  Joseph 
in  EgjTpt,  20.  Saying,  Arise,  and  take  the  young 
child  and  his  mother,  and  go  into  the  land 
of  Israel— not  to  the  land  of  Judea,  for  he  was 
afterward  expressly  warned  not  to  settle  there, 
nor  to  Galilee,  for  he  only  went  thither  when 
he  found  it  unsafe  to  settle  in  Judea,  but 
to  "  the  land  of  Israel "  in  its  most  general 
sense;  meaning  the  Holy  Land  at  large — the 
particular  province  being  not  as  j'et  indicatetl. 


Jems  hrougJd  MATTHEW  IT. out  of  Egypt . 

his  mother,  and  go  into  the  land  of  Israel :  for  they  are  dead  which 

21  sought  the  young  child's  life.     And  he  arose,  and  took  the  young  child 

22  and  his  mother,  and  came  into  the  land  of  Israel.  But  when  he  heard 
that  Archelaus  did  reign  in  Judea  in  the  room  of  his  father  Herod,  he 
■was  afraid  to  go  thitlier :  notwithstanding,  being  warned  of  God  in  a 

23  dream,  he  turned  aside  *  into  the  parts  of  Galilee:  and  he  came  and 
dwelt  in  a  city 'called  Nazareth:  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  *  which  was 
spoken  by  the  prophets,  He  shall  be  called  a  ^  Nazarene. 


A    M.  4(00. 

c  Ch.  3.  i:i. 

L\ike  2,  3;). 
''  John  1.  4.-,, 
'  Jud.  13. :.. 
3  That  is, 

Branch,  or, 

Separated 

one. 

Kum.  C.  2. 


So  Jose})li  and  the  Virgin  had,  like  Abraliam,  to 
"go  out,  not  knowing  whither  they  went,"  till 
they  shoidd  receive  further  direction,  for  tliey 
are  dead  whicli  sought  the  young  child's  life— a 
common  expression  in  most  languages  where  only 
one  is  meant,  who  here  is  HerotL  But  the  words 
are  taken  from  the  strikingly  analogous  case  in 
Ex.  iv.  19,  which  probably  suggested  the  plural 
here ;  and  where  the  command  is  given  to  Moses 
to  retiu-n  to  Egypt  for  the  same  reason  that  the 
(ireater  than  Moses  was  now  ordered  to  be  brou"ht 
back  from  it— the  death  of  him  who  sought  liis 
life.  Herod  died  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age, 
and  thirty-seventh  of  his  reign.  21.  And  he  arose, 
and  took  the  young  child  and  his  mother,  and 
came  into  the  land  of  Israel— intending,  as  is 
plain  from  what  follows,  to  return  to  Bethlehem 
of  Judea,  there,  no  daul)t,  to  rear  tlie  Infant  King, 
as  at  His  own  royal  city,  until  the  time  should 
come  when  they  would  expect  Him  to  occupy  Je- 
rusalem, "the  city  of  the  Great  King."  22.  But 
when  he  heard  that  Archelaus  did  reign  in 
Judea  in  the  room  of  his  father  Herod.  Archelaus 
succeeded  to  Judea,  Samaria,  and  Idumea;  but 
Augustus  refused  him  the  title  of  Icimj  till  it 
should  be  seen  how  he  conducted  himself ;  giv- 
ing him  only  the  title  of  Ethnairk  [Joseph.  Antt. 
xvii.,  11,  4).  Above  this,  however,  he  never  rose. 
The  people,  indeed,  recognized  him  as  his  father's 
successor;  and  so  it  is  here  said  that  he  ^^ rclf/iied 
in  the  room  of  his  father  Herod."  But,  after  ten 
years'  defiance  of  the  Jewish  law  and  cruel  tyranny, 
the  jieople  lodged  heavy  complaints  against  him, 
and  the  emperor  banished  him  to  Vienne  in  Gaul, 
reducing  Judea  again  to  a  rioman  province.  Then 
"the  scexitre"  clean  "departed  from  Judah."  he 
was  afraid  to  go  thither — and  no  wonder,  for  the 
reason  just  mentioned,  notwithstanding — or 
more  simply,  'but' — being  warned  of  God  in  a 
dream,  he  turned  aside  [avexwpiiaev] — 'withdrew' 
— into  the  parts  of  Galilee,  ur  the  Galilean  parts. 
The  whole  country  west  of  the  Jordan  was  at  this 
time,  as  is  well  knuwn,  divided  into  three  pro- 
vinces— Galilee  being  the  northern,  Judea  the 
southern,  and  Samaeia  the  central  province.  The 
province  of  Galilee  was  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  Herod  Antipas,  the  bi'other  of  Archelaus,  his 
father  having  left  him  that  and  Perea,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Jordan,  as  his  share  of  the  kingdom, 
with  the  title  of  tetrarch,  which  Augustus  con- 
firmed. Though  crafty  and  licentious,  according 
to  Jonephus — precisely  what  the  Gospel  History 
shows  him  to  be  (see  on  Mark  vi.  14-80,  and  on 
Luke  xiii.  31-35) — he  was  of  a  less  cruel  disi)osition 
than  Archelaus ;  and  Nazareth  being  a  good  way 
oft'  from  the  seat  of  government,  and  considerably 
secluded,  it  was  safer  to  settle  there.  23.  And  he 
came  and  dwelt  in  a  city  called  Nazareth— a 
small  town  in  Lower  Galilee,  lying  in  the  territory 
of  the  tribe  of  Zebulon,  and  about  equally  distant 
from  the  Mediterranean  sea  on  the  west  and  the 
sea  of  GaKlee  on  the  east.  '  The  town  of  Nazareth 
(says  Dr.  Rohinson)  lies  upon  the  western  side  of 
a  narrow  oblong  basin,  extending,  fi'om  S.S.W.  to 
N.N.E.,  perhaps  about  twenty  minutes  in  length 


by  eight  or  ten  in  breadth.  The  houses  stand  on 
the  lower  xiart  of  the  slope  of  the  western  hill, 
which  rises  steep  and  high  above  them,  and  is 
crowned  by  a  Wely,  or  saint's  tomb,  called 
Neby  Isma'51.  After  breakfast  I  v\'alked  out 
alone  to  the  top  of  this  western  hill  above  Naza- 
reth. Here,  quite  unexpectedly,  a  glorious  pros- 
pect opened  on  the  view.  The  air  was  perfectly 
clear  and  serene  ;  and  1  shall  never  forget  the  im- 
pression I  received  as  the  enchanting  ]ianorama 
bm-st  suddenly  upon  me.  There  lay  the  magnifi- 
cent i)lain  of  Esdiaelon,  or  at  least  all  its  western 
part;  on  the  left  was  seen  the  round  top  of  Tabor 
over  the  intervening  hills,  with  iiortions  of  the 
little  Hcrmon  and  Gilboa,  and  the  ojiposite  moun- 
tains of  Samaria,  from  Jcnin  westwards  to  the 
lower  hills  extendhig  towards  Carmol.  Then  came 
the  long  line  of  Carmel  itself.  In  the  west  lay 
the  Mediterranean  gleaming  in  the  morning  sun. 
Below,  on  the  north,  was  spread  out  another  of 
the  beautiful  jilains  of  northern  Palestine,  called 
el-Buttauf.  Farther  towards  the  right  is  a  sea 
of  hills  and  mountains;  backward  lay  the  higher 
ones  beyond  the  lake  of  Tiberias;  and  in  the  north- 
east lay  the  majestic  Hcrmon  with  its  icy  crown. 
I  remained  for  some  hours  upon  this  spot,  lo.st 
in  the  contemplation  of  the  wide  prosi)ect,  and 
of  the  events  connected  with  the  scenes  around. 
In  the  village  below  the  Saviour  of  the  world 
had  i>assed  His  childhood.  He  must  often  ha\e 
visited  the  fountain  near  which  we  had  xiitchod 
our  tent;  His  feet  nnist  frequently  have  wandered 
over  the  adjacent  hills ;  and  His  eyes,  doubtles.s, 
have  gazed  upon  the  splendid  prospect  from  thi.s 
very  spot.  Here  the  Prince  of  peace  lookeil 
down  upon  the  plain  where  the  din  of  battles  so 
often  had  rolled,  and  the  garments  of  the  wairior 
been  dyed  in  blood;  ami  He  looked  out,  too,  upon 
that  sea  over  which  the  swift  ships  were  to  bear 
the  tidings  of  His  salvation  to  nations  and  to 
continents  then  unknown.  How  has  the  moral 
aspect  of  things  been  changed !  Battles  and 
bloodshed  have  indeed  not  ceased  to  desolate 
this  unhappy  comitry,  and  gross  darkness  now 
covers  the  people;  but  from  this  region  a  light 
went  forth  which  has  enlightened  the  world  and 
unveiled  new  climes ;  and  now  the  rays  of  that 
light  begin  to  be  lellected  back  from  distant  isles 
and  continents,  to  illuminate  anew  the  darkened 
land  where  it  first  sprung  up.'  N.B.  If,  from 
Luke  ii.  39,  one  would  conclude  that  the  parents 
of  Jesus  brought  Him  straight  back  to  Nazareth 
after  His  presentation  in  the  temple— as  if  there 
had  been  no  visit  of  the  Magi,  no  flight  to  Egypt, 
no  stay  there,  and  no  purpose  on  retm-ning 
to  settle  again  at  Bethlehem— one  might,  froni 
our  Evangelist's  way  of  speaking  here,  equally 
conclude  that  the  parents  of  our  Lord  had  never 
been  at  Nazareth  until  now.  Did  we  know  ex- 
actly the  soiu'ces  from  which  the  matter  of  each 
of  the  Gospels  was  drawn  up,  or  the  mode  in  whicli 
these  were  used,  this  apparent  discrepancy  would 
probably  disappear  at  once.  In  neither  case  is 
there  any  inaccuracy.  At  th.e  same  time  it  is  diffi- 
cult, with  these  facts  before  us,  to  conceive  that 


John  the  Baptist 


MATTHEW  III. 


preacheth  repentance. 


3       IN  those  da3'S  came  "John   the  Baptist,  preaching  ''in  the  wilder- 

2  ness  of  Judea,  and  saying,  Repent  ye:  for  ''the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at 

3  hand.     For  this  is  he  that  was  spoken  of  by  the  prophet  Esaias,  saying. 


A.  D.  26. 


"  Mai.  3.  1. 
b  Jos.  14.  ]0. 
«  Dan.  'A.  44. 


eitlier  of  these  two  Evangelist.?  wrote  his  Gosjiel 
with  the  other's  before  him — though  many  think 
this  a  precarious  inference,  that  it  might  be 
fulfilled  whicli  was  spoken  by  the  prophets,  He 
shall  be  called  a  Nazarene  [Na^uj^xuos] — better, 
perhaps,  '  Naza,rene.'  The  best  explanation  of  the 
origin  oi  this  name  appears  to  be  that  which  traces 
it  to  the  word  nether  [-ii>il,  in  Isa.  xi.  1 — the  small 
'  tiviij,'' '  sprout,'' ov '  sucker,'  which  the  prophet  there 
says  "shall come  forth  from  the  stem  (or  rather 
'  stump')  of  Jesse,  the  branch  which  should  fructify 
[nnp;]  from  his  roots."  The  little  town  of  Nazareth 
— mentioned  neither  in  the  Old  Testament  nor  in 
Josejjftus — was  proljably  so  called  from  its  insigni- 
ticance — a  weak  twig  in  contrast  to  a  stately  tree ; 
and  a  special  contempt  seemed  to  rest  upon  it — 
"Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth?" 
(John  i.  40) — over  and  above  the  general  contempt 
in  which  all  Galilee  was  held,  fi-om  the  number  of 
Gentiles  that. settled  in  the  upper  territories  of 
it,  and,  m  the  estimation  of  the  Jews,  debased  it. 
Thus,  in  the  providential  arrangement  by  which 
our  Lord  was  brought  up  at  the  insignificant 
and  opprobrious  town  called  Naxareth,  there  was 
involvecL  first,  a  local  humiliation ;  next,  an  allu- 
sion to  Isaiah's  prediction  of  His  lowly,  twig-like 
upspringing  from  the  branchless,  dried-up  stump 
of  Jesse;  and  .yet  further,  a  standing  memorial 
of  that  humiliation  which  "the  pro]^)hets,"  in  a 
nimiber  of  the  most  striking  i)rethctious,  had 
attached  to  the  Messiah. 

Remarks. — 1.  In  tlie  sleeijless  w^atch  which  the 
providence  of  God  kejit  over  His  Son  when  a  help- 
less Babe,  and  the  ministry  of  angels  so  busily 
employed  in  directing  all  His  movements,  we  see 
a  lively  picture  of  what  over-canopies  and  secures 
and  directs  that  Cluu-ch  which  is  His  body.  "  No 
man  ever  yet  hated  his  own  flesh;  but  uourisheth 
and  cherisheth  it,  even  as  the  Lord  the  Church : 
for  we  are  members  of  His  body,  of  His  flesh,  and 
of  His  bones"  (E]jh.  v.  29,  30).  2.  Didst  Thou 
spend  all  but  thirty  years,  blessed  Jesus,  in  the 
obsciuity  of  a  xjlace  whose  very  name  afterwards 
brought  opprobrium  uiion  Thee  ?  And  should  not 
this  reconcile  us  to  like  humiliation  for  Thy 
sake;  and  all  the  more,  as  we  are  sure  that  like 
as  Thou  didst  thereafter  emerge  into  glorious 
manifestation,  so  do  Thy  servants  shine  out  of 
qbsciu'ity,  and  make  even  the  world  to  see  that 
God  is  with  them  of  a  truth,  and  that  at  length, 
"if  wesufier  with  Him,  we  shall  also  reign  with 
Him." 

CHAP.  III.  1-12.— Preaching  and  Ministry 
OF  John.  (  =  Mark  i.  1-8;  Luke  iii  1-18.)  For 
the  proper  introduction  to  this  section,  we  must 
go  to — 

Luke  iii.  1,  2.  Here,  as  Bemjel  well  observes, 
the  curtain  of  the  New  Testament  is,  as  it  were, 
drawn  up,  and  the  greatest  of  all  epochs  of  the 
Chiu'ch  commences.  Even  our  Lord's  own  age  is 
determiaed  by  it  (v.  23).  No  such  elaborate  chron- 
ological precision  is  to  be  found^  elsewhere  in  tlie 
New  Testament,  and  it  comes  fitly  from  him  who 
claims  it  as  the  peculiar  recommendation  of  his 
Gospel,  that  '  he  had  traced  down  all  things  with 
precision  from  the  very  first'  (ch.  i.  3).  Here 
evidently  commences  his  proper  ualTati^"e.  V.  1. 
"Now  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Tibe- 
rius Caesar" — not  the  fifteenth  from  his  full  acces- 
sion on  the  death  of  Augustus,  but  from  the  period 
when  he  was  associated  with  him  in  the  goverii- 
10 


ment  of  the  emidre,  three  years  earlier,  about  the 
end  of  the  year  of  Rome  779,  or  about  fom-  years 
before  the  usual  leckoning.  "  Pontius  Pilate  being 
governor  of  Judea."  His  proper  title  was  Procw- 
rator,  but  with  more  than  the  usual  powers  of  that 
office.  After  holding  it  for  about  ten  years,  he 
was  summoned  to  Rome  to  answer  to  charges 
brought  against  him;  but  ere  he  arrived  Tiberius 
died  (a.d.  35),  and  soon  after  miserable  Pilate 
committed  suicide,  "and  Herod  being  tetrarch 
of  Galilee  (see  on  INIark  vL  14),  and  his  brother 
Philip"— a  very  dift'eieut  and  very  superior  Philip 
to  the  one  whose  name  was  Herod  PIi  Hip,  and  whose 
wife,  Herodias,  went  to  live  Mdth  Herod  Antipas 
(see  on  Mark  vL  17) — "tetrarch  of  Iturea" — lying  to 
the  north-east  of  Palestine,  and  so  callecl  from 
Itur  or  Jetur,  Ishmael's  son  (1  Chr.  i.  31),  and 
anciently  belonging  to  the  half -tribe  of  Manasseh. 
"and  of  the  region  of  Trachouitis" — lying  farther 
to  the  north-east,  between  Iturea  and  Damascus;  a 
rocky  district  infested  by  roV*bers,  and  committed 
by  Augustus  to  Herod  the  Gi'cat  to  keep  in  order, 
"and  Lysanias  the  tetrarch  of  Abilene" — still 
more  to  the  north-east;  so  called,  says  Bol'msuii, 
from  Ahiki,  eighteen  miles  from  Damascus.  V.2. 
"Annas  and  Caiai^has  being  the  high  priests." 
The  former,  though  deposed,  retained  mucli  of  his 
influence,  and,  pioliably,  as  Sa<ian  or  deputy,  exer- 
cised much  of  the  power  of  the  high  priesthood 
along  with  Caiaphas  his  son-in-law  (John  xviii  13 ; 
Acts  iv.  G).  Ill  David's  time  both  Zadok  and 
Abiathar  acted  as  high  priests  (2  Sanx  xv.  35), 
and  it  seems  to  have  been  the  fixed  jiractice  to 
have  two  (2  KL  xxv.  IS),  "the  word  of  God 
came  unto  John  the  son  of  Zacharias  in  the  wil- 
derness." Such  a  way  of  speaking  is  never  once 
used  when  spealdng  of  Jesus,  because  He  was 
himself  Tlie  Lidny  Word;  whereas  to  all  merely 
creature-messengers  of  God,  the  word  they  sjiake 
was  a  foreign  element.  See  on  John  iii.  31,  and 
Remark  5  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  We  are 
now  prepared  for  the  opening  words  of  Matthew. 

1.  In  those  days— of  Christ's  secluded  life  at 
Nazareth,  where  the  last  chapter  left  Him. 
came  John  the  Baptist,  preaching — about  six 
months  before  his  Master,  in  the  wilderness  of 
Judea — the  deseit  valley  of  the  Jordan,  thinly 
jieopled  and  bare  in  pasture,  a  little  north  of 
Jerusalem.  2.  And  saying,  Repent  ye.  Thougu 
the  word  [ii.eTavue~LTe\  stiictly  denotes  a  change  of 
mind,  it  has  respect  Jieie,  and  wherever  it  is  used 
in  connection  Mith  salvation,  primarily  to  that 
sense  of  sin  which  leads  the  sinner  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come,  to  look  for  relief  only  from 
above,  and  eagerly  to  fall  in  with  the  provided 
remedy.  (See  on  Acts  xx.  21.)  for  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  is  at  hand.     This  sublime  phrase  [71 

fiaaiXeia  twv  oiJ(jaya)i/=  C'DTi'n  DO'^D]^  used  in  none 
of  the  other  Gospels,  occurs  in  this  rieculiarly 
Jewish  Gospel  nearly  thirty  times ;  and  being  sug- 
gested by  Daniel's  grand  vision  of  the  Son  of  Man 
coming  in  the  cloutls  of  heaven  to  the  Ancient  of 
days,  to  receive  His  Investiture  in  a  world-wide 
kingdom  (Dan.  vii.  13,  14),  it  was  fitted  at  once 
both  to  meet  the  national  expectations  and  to  turn 
them  into  the  ri^dit  channel.  A  kingdom  for  which 
repentance  was  the  ijroper  i)reiiaration  behoved  to 
be  essentially  spiiitual.  Deliverance  from  sin,  the 
great  blessing  of  Chi-ist's  kingdom  (cL  i.  21),  can 
be  valued  by  those  only  to  whom  sin  is  a  burden 
(ch.  ix.  12).     John's  gi'eat  work,  accordingly,  was 


Johi's  office,  <S:c. 


MATTHEW  III. 


Tie  rehiikeili  the  Pharisees. 


'^  The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  *  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the 

4  Lord,  make  his  paths  straight.  And  •'the  same  John  "had  his  raiment 
of  camel's  hair,  and  a  leathern  girdle  about  his  loins ;  and  his  meat 
was  ''■  locusts  and  wild  '  honey. 

5  Then  went  out  to  him  Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea,  and  all  the  region  round 

6  about  Jordan,  and  ^were  baptized  of  him  in  Jordan,  confe&sing  their  sins. 

7  But  when  he  saw  many  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  come  to  his  bap- 
tism, he  said  unto  them,  0  generation  of  vipers,  who  hath  warned  )'ou  to 

8  flee  from  ^"the  wrath  to  come?     Bring  forth  therefore  fruits  meet  for 


A.  D.  26. 

Isa.  40.  3. 
Luke  3.  4. 
Luke  I.  7G. 
Mark  1.  6. 
2  Ki.  1.  8. 
Zech.  13.  4. 
Lev.  11.  22. 
1  Sam.  14.25. 
Acts  19.  4. 
■  Kom.  5.  9. 
lThes.1.10. 


to  awaken  this  feeling,  and  bold  out  the  hope  of  a 
speedy  and  iirecious  leinedy.  3.  For  this  Is  lie 
that  was  spoken  of  by  the  prophet  Esaias,  saying 
(ch.  xi.  3),  The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilder- 
ness (see  on  John  L  23,  and  on  Luke  iii.  2) — the 
scene  of  his  ministry  corresponding  to  its  rough 
nature.  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make 
his  paths  straight.  This  prediction  is  quoted  in 
all  the  foiu-  Gospels,  showing  that  it  was  regarded 
as  a  great  outstanding  one,  and  the  predicted  fore- 
runner as  the  connecting  link  between  the  old  and 
the  new  economies.  Like  the  great  ones  of  the 
earth,  the  Prince  of  peace  was  to  have  His  imme- 
diate approach  proclaimed  and  His  way  prepared; 
and  the  call  here— taking  it  generally— is  a  call  to 
l>ut  out  of  the  way  whatever  would  obstruct  His 
]  irogress  and  hinder  His  complete  triumph,  whether 
those  hindi-ances  were  public  or  personal,  outward 
or  inward.  In  Luke  (iii.  5,  G)  the  quotation  is  thus 
continued  :  "  Every  valley  shall  be  hlled,  and  every 
mountain  and  hill  shall  be  brought  low ;  and  the 
crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the  rough 
ways  shall  be  made  smooth ;  and  all  flesh 
shall  see  the  salvation  of  God."  Levelling  and 
smoothing  are  here  the  ob\aous  figures  whose 
sense  is  conveyed  in  the  first  words  of  the  procla- 
mation— "Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord.'"  The 
idea  is,  that  every  obstruction  shall  be  so  removed 
as  to  reveal  to  the  whole  world  the  Salvation  of 
God  in  Him  whose  name  is  the  "  Saviour."  (Com- 
pare Ps.  xcviii.  3 ;  Isa.  xi.  10 ;  xlix.  6 ;  Iii  10 ;  Luke 
ii.  31,  32;  Acts  xiii.  47.)  4.  And  the  same  John 
had  his  raiment  of  camel's  hair — that  is,  woven 
of  it— and  a  leathern  girdle  about  his  loins — the 
prophetic  dress  of  Elijah  (2  Ki.  i.  8;  and  see 
Zech.  xiii.  4).  and  his  meat  was  locusts— the 
great  well-known  eastern  locust,  a  food  of  the 
poor  (Lev.  xi.  22).  and  wild  honey— made  by 
wild  Ijees  (1  Sam.  xiv.  2.3, 26).  This  ch-ess  and  diet, 
with  the  shrill  cry  in  the  wilderness,  would  recall 
tlie  stern  days  of  Elijah. 

5.  Then  went  out  to  him  Jerusalem,  and  all 
Judea,  and  all  the  region  round  about  Jordan. 
From  the  metropolitan  centre  to  the  extremities 
of  the  Judean  ijrovince  the  cry  of  this  great 
jiieacher  of  repentance  and  herald  of  the  approach- 
ing Messiah  brought  troo^iing  iienitents  and  eager 
expectants.  6.  And  were  baptized  of  him  in  Jor- 
dan, confessing — probably  confessing  aloud  [e^o/xo- 
\oyo\)p.evoi\ — their  sins.  This  baptism  was  at  once 
a  i)ublic  seal  of  then-  felt  need  of  deliverance  from 
sill,  of  their  expectation  of  the  coming  Deliverer, 
and  of  their  readiness  to  welcome  Him  when  He 
appeai'ecL  The  bai  itism  itself  startled,  and  was  in- 
tended to  startle  theiru  They  were  familiar  enough 
with  the  baptism  of  proselytes  from  heathenism ;  but 
this  baptism  of  Jews  themselves  was  quite  new  and 
strange  to  them.  7.  But  when  he  saw  many  of 
the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  come  to  his  baptism 
(on  these  sects,  and  what  they  reiiresented,  see 
Eemark  2.  at  the  close  of  this  Section),  he  said 
unto  them — astonished  at  such  a  spectacle — 0 
generation  of  vipers  [Vevjy'iixaTa  kxi-^vwv] — '  Viper- 
brood  j'  expressing  the  deadly  influence  of  both 


sects  alike  upon  the  community.  Mutually  and 
entirely  antagonistic  as  were  their  religious  prin- 
ciples ?nd  si)irit,  the  stern  prophet  charges  both 
alike  with  being  the  poisoners  of  the  nation's  re- 
ligious principles.  In  ch.  xii.  34,  and  xxiii.  33,  this 
strong  language  of  the  Baptist  is  anew  applied 
by  the  faitliful  and  true  Witness  to  the  Pharisees 
specifically- the  only  party  that  had  zeal  enough 
actively  to  difi'use  this  poison,  who  hath  warned 
you  [t'TreoeigeK] — 'given  you  the  hint,'  as  the  idea  is 
— to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  ? — '  What  can 
have  brought  you  hither?'  John  more  than  sus- 
pected it  was  not  so  much  their  own  spiritual  anxi- 
eties as  the  poi)ularity  of  his  movement  that  had 
di'awn  them  thither.  What  an  expression  is  this, 
"  The  wrath  to  come ! "  [»')  /xeXXouo-a  opy??.]  God's 
"wrath,"  in  Scriptiu'e,  is  His  righteous  displeasure 
against  sin,  and  conse(iueiitly  against  all  in  whose 
skirts  sin  is  found,  arising  out  of  the  essential  and 
eternal  opposition  of  His  natiu-e  to  all  moral  evil. 
This  is  called  "the  coming  wrath,"  not  as  being 
wholly  future— see  remark  on  the  veib  j/ie'/VXto],  on 
ch.  ii.  13 — for  as  a  merited  sentence  it  lies  on  the 
sinner  ah-eady,  and  its  effects,  both  inward  and  out- 
ward, are  to  some  extent  experienced  even  now— 
but  because  the  ini]  )enitent  sinner  will  not,  until 
"the  judgment  of  the  great  day,"  be  concluded 
under  it,  will  not  have  sentence  publicly  and  irre- 
vocably passed  upon  him,  Mill  not  have  it  discharged 
upon  him  and  experience  its  effects  without  mix- 
tiu-e  and  without  hope.  In  this  view  of  it,  it  is  a 
wrath  loholly  to  come— as  is  implied  in  the  notice- 
ably different  form  of  the  exiiression  employed 
by  the  apostle  in  1  Thes.  i.  10  ['';  oi>yii  i)  enxo/xevi]]. 
Not  that  even  true  penitents  came  to  John's  bap- 
tism with  all  these  views  of  "the  WTath  to  come." 
But  what  he  says  is,  that  this  was  the  real  hnport 
of  the  step  itself,  and  so  much  is  implied  in  the  use 
of  the  aorist  {<i>vye'iv].  In  this  view  of  it,  how  strik- 
ing is  the  word  he  employs  to  express  that  step — 
fleeing  from  it — as  of  one  who,  beholding  a  tide  of 
fiery  ^\Tath  rolling  rapidly  towards  him,  sees  in 
instant  flight  his  only  escape!  8.  Bring  forth 
therefore  fruits  [/vafJTrous] — but  the  true  reading 
clearly  is  '  fruit '  {Kap-wov] — meet  for  repentance— 
that  is,  such  fruit  as  befits  a  true  penitent.  John, 
not  beiii"  gifted  with  a  knowledge  of  the  human 
heart,  like  a  true  minister  of  righteousness  and 
lover  of  souls,  here  directs  them  how  to  evidence 
and  carry  out  their  repentance,  supposing  it  genu- 
ine; and  ill  the  following  verses  warns  them  of 
their  danger  in  case  it  were  not.  9.  And  think  not 
to  say  within  yourselves,  We  have  Abraham  to 
our  father — that  pillow  on  which  the  nation  so 
fatally  reposed,  that  rock  on  which  at  length  it  split. 
(John  %'iii.  33,  39,  53,  &c.)  for  I  say  unto  you,  that 
God  is  able  of  these  stones  to  raise  up  children 
unto  Abraham — q.  d. ,  '  Flatter  not  yourselves  with 
the  fond  delusion  that  God  stands  m  need  of  you, 
to  make  good  his  promise  of  a  seed  to  Abraham ; 
for  I  tell  you  that,  though  you  were  all  to  perish, 
God  is  as  able  to  raise  up  a  seed  to  Abraham  out 
of  those  stones  as  He  was  to  take  Abraham  him- 
self out  of  the  rock  whence  he  was  hewn,  out  of  the 


The  hapthm.  ofimtcr 


^rATTIIEW  TIL 


nnrlofthe  TToly  Gl/ost 


A.  D.  26. 


9  repentance:  and  tliink  not  to  say  within  yourselves.  We  'have  Abraham 

to  our  father :  for  I  say  unto  you,  that  God  is  able  of  these  stones  to    '  John 

10  raise  up  children  unto  Abraham.  And  now  also  the  ax  is  laid  unto  the 
root  of  the  trees:  '"therefore  every  tree  which  bringeth  not  forth  good 

11  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire.  I  "indeed  baptize  you  with 
water  unto  repentance :  but  he  that  cometh  after  me  is  mightier  than  I, 
whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  bear:  "he  shall  baptize  you  with  the  I 


33. 

Acts  13.  -AJ. 
"'ch.  7.  19. 

John  16.  & 
"  Mark  1.  8. 

Luke  3.  1(1. 
"  Isa.  4.  4. 

Mai.  3.  2. 


hole  of  the  pit  whence  he  was  digged'  (Isa  li.  1.) 
Though  the  stern  speaker  may  have  pointed  as 
he  spake  to  the  pebl^les  of  the  bare  clay  hills  that 
lay  around  (so  Stanlei/s  "Sinai  and  Palestine"),  it 
was  clearly  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles — at  that  time 
stone-dead  in  their  sins,  and  quite  as  unconscious 
of  it — into  the  room  of  unbelieving  and  dismherited 
Israel  that  he  meant  thus  to  intlicate.  (See  ch. 
xxi.  43;  Kom.  xi.  20,  30.)  10.  And  now  also  ["H^ij 
oh  (caij— '  And  even  already  '—the  ax  is  laid  unto 
[KelTui] — 'lieth  at'— tlie  root  of  the  trees— as  it  were 
ready  to  strike;  an  exiiressive  figure  of  imiicnding 
judgment,  only  to  be  averted  in  the  way  next  de- 
scribed, therefore  every  tree  which  bringeth  not 
forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the 
fire.  Language  so  jiersonal  and  individual  as  this 
can  scarcely  be  understood  of  any  national  judg- 
ment like  the  approaching  destniction  of  Jeru- 
salem, with  the  breaking  up  of  the  Jewish  iiolity 
and  the  extrusion  of  tlie  chosen  people  from  their 
peculiar  privileges  which  followed  it;  though  this 
would  serve  as  the  dark  shadow,  cast  befoi'e,  of  a 
more  terrible  retribution  to  come.  The  "fire," 
Avhich  in  another  verse  is  called  "unquenchable," 
can  be  no  other  than  that  future  "  torment "  of  the 
impenitent,  whose  "  smoke  ascendeth  up  for  ever 
and  ever,"  and  which  by  the  Judge  Himself  is 
styled  "everlasting  punishment"  (Matt.  xxv.  46). 
Vv  hat  a  strength,  too,  of  just  indignation  is  in  that 
word  "cast"  or  "flung  into  the  fire!"  [fiaXkeTail. 

The  Third  Gospel  here  adds  the  foUowiii;^  im- 
portant particulars,  Luke  iii.  10-16:  V.  10.  '  And 
the  people" — rather,  ' the  nndtitudes '  [oi  6)(koL\ — 
"asked  him,  saying,  What  shall  we  do  then?"— 
that  is,  to  show  the  sincerity  of  our  repentance. 
V.  11.  "He  answereth  and  saith  unto  them,  He 
that  hath  two  coats,  let  him  impart  to  him  that 
hath  none;  and  he  that  hath  meat"— '  provi- 
sions,' 'victuals'  \ppwficiTa\ — "let  him  dp  like- 
wise." This  is  directed  against  the  reigning 
avaiice  and  selfishness.  (Compare  the  correspond- 
ing precepts  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  cli. 
v.  4i)-42.)  V.  12.  "Then  came  also  the  iniblicans 
to  bo  baptized,  and  said  unto  him.  Master,"  or 
'Teacher  [Aioao-zcaXe],  "what  shall  we  do?" — 
in  what  special  way  is  the  genuineness  of  our  re- 
Ijentancetobe  manifested?  V.  13.  "And  he  said 
unto  them.  Exact  no  more  than  that  which  is  ap- 
pointed you."  This  is  directed  against  that  extor- 
tion which  made  the  publicans  a  V>y-word.  (See 
on  ch.  V.  46 ;  and  on  Luke  xv.  1. )  V.  14  "  And 
the  soldiers" — rather,  'And  soldiei-s'  [o-TpaTen- 
6ixevoi\ — thewordmeans  'soldiers  on  activeduty' — 
"  likewise  demanded  (or  asked)  of  him,  saying. 
And  what  shall  v>'e  do?  And  he  said  unto  them, 
Do  violence  to,"  or  'Intimidate'  [otacrct'o-iixe],  "no 
man."  The  word  signifies  to  'shake  thoroughly,' 
and  refers  probably  to  the  extorting  of  money  or 
other  proiierty.  " neitlier  accuse  any  falsely  " — .by 
acting  as  informers  vexatiously  on  frivolous  or  false 
pretexts — "  and  be  content  with  your  wages,"  or 
'rations'  [tois  ovj/oji'tois  vixwv].  We  may  take  this, 
say  Webster  and  Wilkinson,  as  a  warning  against 
miitiny,  which  the  officers  attemjited  to  suy)]iress 
by  largesses  and  donations.  And  thus  the  "  fruits  " 
which  would  evidence  their  repentance  were  just 
resistance  to  the  reigning  sins — particidarly  of  the 
12 


class  to  which  the  penitent  belonged — and  the 
manifestation  of  an  oppo.site  spirit.  V.  15.  "And 
as  the  peoijle  were  in  expectation" — in  a  state  of 
excitement,  looking  for  something  new — "  and  all 
men  mused  in  their  hearts  of  John,  whether  he 
were  the  Christ,  or  not  "  [ixviroTe  ai/xds  eh)  6  Xficr- 
Tf>s] — rather,  'whether  he  himself  might  be  the 
Clirist.'  The  structure  of  this  clause  implies  that 
they  could  hardly  think  it,  but  yet  could  not  help 
asking  themselves  whether  it  might  not  be ;  shq\\'- 
ing  both  how  successful  he  had  been  in  awakeiiin/ 
the  expectation  of  Messiah's  immediate  appearing, 
and  the  high  estimation,  and  even  reverence,  which 
his  own  character  commanded.  ]'.  16.  "  John  an- 
swered"— either  to  that  deputation  from  Jerusa- 
lem, of  which  we  read  in  John  i.  19,  &c.,  or  on  some 
other  occasion,  to  remove  impressions  derogatoiy 
to  his  blessed  Master,  which  he  knew  to  be  takiii'; 
hold  of  the  poi>ular  mind — "  saying  unto  them  all  ' 
— in  solemn  luotestation :  (We  now  return  to  the 
First  Gospel.) 

11.  I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water  unto  re- 
pentance (see  on  v.  G) :  but  he  that  cometh 
after  me  is  mightier  than  I.  In  Mark  and  Luke 
this  is  more  emphatic — "But  there  cometh  the 
Mightier  than  I"  [epy^Tai  oe  6  iaxvi^u-repo^  fion], 
whose  EhO'.s,  or  'sandals'  [inrocv/jiaTu],  I  am  not 
worthy  to  bear.  The  sandals  were  tied  and  un- 
tied, and  borne  about  by  the  meanest  sei-vauts. 
he  shall  baptise  you  [Auto?]— the  cnijjhatic  "  He ; " 
'  He  it  is,'  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others  '  that  shall 
bajitize  you.'  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  '  So  far  from 
entertaining  such  a  thought  as  laying  claim  to  the 
honours  of  ilessiahship,  the  meanest  services  I  can 
render  to  that  "Mightier  than  I  that  is  coming 
after  me"  are  too  high  an  honoiu-  for  me ;  I  am  but 
the  servant,  but  the  Master  is  coming ;  I  adminis- 
ter but  the  outward  symbol  of  purification;  His  it 
is,  as  His  sole  prerogative,  to  dispense  the  inward 
reality.'  Beautiful  spu-it,  distinguishing  this  ser- 
A-ant  of  Christ  throughout!  and  with  fire.  To 
take  this  as  a  distinct  baptism  from  that  of  the 
Siiirit — a  baptism  of  the  impenitent  with  hell-fire 
—is  exceedingly  unnatural.  Yet  this  was  the  view 
of  Oritjen  among  the  Fathers ;  and  among  moderns, 
of  Neander,  Meyer,  de  Wetfe,  and  Laiuje.  Nor  is  it 
much  better  to  refer  it  to  the  fire  of  the  great  day, 
by  which  the  eaitli  and  the  works  that  are  therein 
shall  be  burned  iqi.  Clearly,  aa  we  think,  it  is  but 
the  fiery  cliaracter  of  the  S]iirit's  operations  upon 
the  soul  — seai'ching,  consuming,  refining,  sublimat- 
ing— as  nearly  all  good  interpreters  understand 
the  words.  And  thus,  in  two  successive  clauses, 
the  two  most  familiar  emblems — water  and  fire — are 
emxiloyed  to  set  forth  the  same  purifjdng  operations 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  soul.  12.  Whose  K\  in- 
nowing]  fan  is  in  his  hand — ready  for  use.  This  is 
no  other  than  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  even 
now  beginning,  the  effect  of  which  would  be  to 
seiiarate  the  solid  from  the  s])iritually  worthless, 
as  wheat,  by  the  winnciwing  fan,  from  the  chaff. 
(Compare  the  similar  representation  in  Mai.  iii.  1- 
3.)  and  he  will  throughly  p\irge  \eiaKaVapieX]  his 
[threshing]  floor— that  is,  the  visible  Church,  and 
gather  his  wheat — His  true-hearted  saints  ;  so 
called  for  their  solid  worth  (cf.  Amos  ix.  9 ;  Luke 
xxii.  31).     into  the  garner — "the  kingdom  of  tlieir 


The  worJc  oj 


MATTHEW  III. 


tJte  Messiah. 


12  Holy  Ghost,  and  ivith  fire:  ^vhose  ''fau  is  in  his  hand,  and  he  will 
throughly  purge  his  floor,  and  gather  his  wheat  into  the  garner ;  but  he 
will  *  burn  up  the  chaff  with  unquenchable  fire. 


A.  D.  20. 

P  Mai.  3.  3. 

1  Mai.  4.  I. 

ch.  13.  30. 


Father,"  as  this  "gariier"  or  "barn"  [airodvia]]  is 
beautifully  explaine<l  by  om-  Lord  ia  the  parable 
of  tlie  Wheat  aisd  the  Tares  (ch.  xiii.  30,  43).  but 
h2  will  burn  up  tlie  chaff— empty,  wortliless  pro- 
fessors of  religion,  void  of  all  solid  religious  prin- 
ciple and  character  (see  Ps.  i.  4).  witli  unquencli- 
able  fire.  Singular  is  the  strength  of  this  apiiarent 
contradiction  of  figures : — to  be  burnt  up,  but  with 
a  hre  that  is  unquenchable ;  the  one  expressing  the 
mfter  destruction  of  all  that  constitutes  one's  true 
life,  the  other  the  continued  consciousness  of  exist- 
ence in  that  awful  condition- 
Luke  adds  the  following  important  particulars, 
iii.  18-20:  V.  IS.  "And  many  other  things  in  his 
exhortation  preached  he  unto  the  people,"  showing 
that  we  have  here  but  an  abstract  of  his  teaching. 
Besides  what  we  read  in  John  i.  29,  33,  34 ;  iii.  27- 
3!);  the  incidental  allusion  to  His  having  taught 
His  disciijles  to  pray  (Luke  xi.  1) — of  which  not  a 
word  is  said  elsewhere— shows  how  varied  His 
teaching  was.  V.  19.  "  But  Herod  the  tetrarcli, 
being  reiiroved  by  him  for  Herodias  his  brother 
Philip's  wife,  and  for  all  the  evils  which  Herod 
liad  done."  In  this  last  clause  we  have  an  impor- 
tant fact,  here  only  mentioned,  showing  how  thor- 
ougli-ffoiny  was  the  fidelity  of  the  Ba]jtist  to  his 
I'oyal  hearer,  and  how  strong  must  have  been  the 
Workings  of  conscience  in  that  slave  of  passion 
when,  notwithstanding  such  plainness,  he  "  did 
many  things,  and  heard  John  gladly"  (Mark  vi. 
20).  V.  2i).  "  Added  yet  this  above  all,  that  he 
shut  up  John  in  prison."  This  imprisonment  of 
J'ohn,  however,  did  not  take  place  for  some  time 
after  this  ;  a,nd  it  is  here  recorded  merely  because 
the  Evangelist  did  not  intend  to  recur  to  his  history 
till  he  had  occasion  to  relate  the  message  which  he 
sent  to  Christ  from  his  prison  at  Machierus  (Luke 
vii.  18,  &c.). 

Remarks.  —  1.  If  the  view  we  have  given  of 
the  import  of  John's  ministry  be  correct,  it  has 
its  counter]iait  iu  the  divine  procedure  towards 
each  individual  believer.  In  the  transition  of  the 
Church  from  Woses  to  Christ — from  tlie  Law  to 
the  Gosjiel — the  ministry  of  the  forerunner  was 
expressly  provided,  in  order  to  Ijear  in  upon  the 
national  conscience  the  sense  of  sin,  and  shut  it  up 
to  the  coming  Deliverer.  The  dispensation  even 
of  the  Law  itself  was  introduced,  we  are  told,  for 
the  same  purpose — merely  as  a  transition-stage 
from  Adam  to  Christ.  "  The  Law  entered,"'  says  tlie 
apostle — 'entered  incidentally'  or  'parenthetically' 
[Tra^ei<TT]\dev\ — "that  the  otTence  might  abound" 
(see  on  Horn.  v.  20).  The  iiromulgation  of  the 
Law  was  no  x'l'imary  or  essential  feature  of  tlie 
divine  plan.  It  "was  added"  [Trpoo-ereO)/]  ((ial. 
iii.  19)  for  a  subordinate  iiurpose— the  more  t'uliy 
to  reveal  the  evil  that  had  been  done  by  Adam, 
and  tlie  need  and  glory  of  the  remedy  by  Christ. 
Thus,  as  in  every  age  God  has  provided  s]iecial 
means  for  making  the  need  of  salvation,  and  the 
value  of  His  Son  as  a  Savioiu-,  felt  on  a  wide  scale 
l>y  the  obtuse  conscience,  so  in  the  history  of  every 
believer  it  will  be  found  that  the  cordial  reception 
of  Christ,  as  all  his  salvation  and  all  his  desire, 
has  been  i)receded  by  some  forerunning  dispensa- 
ti(m  of  mercy;  in  some  cases  lengthened  and  slow, 
iu  others  brief  and  rapid— in  some  operating  per- 
ceptibly enough,  in  others  all  unconsciously— but 
iu  every  case  real  and  necessary,  as  "a  school- 
master, to  bring  us  unto  Christ."  2.  The  Phari- 
sees and  Sadducees  were  not  sects,  in  the  modern 
sense  of  that  term— holding  no  ecclesiastical  fcl- 
U 


lowship  with  each  other — but  rather  schools  or 
parties,  antagonistic  both  in  principle  and  feelingr- 
The  Pharisees  were  the  zealots  of  outward,  literal, 
legal  Judaism— not,  however,  as  represented  in 
Scripture,  but  as  interpreted,  or  rather  perverted, 
by  the  traditions  which  had  fi-om  age  to  age  grown 
up  around  it,  penetrated  to  its  core,  and  eaten 
into  its  life.  Tiie  Sadducees,  occupying  sceyitical 
or  rationalistic  ground,  were,  of  course,  anti-tradi- 
tional; but  they  went  much  further,  limiting  their 
canon  of  Scripture — in  effect  if  not  professedly — to 
the  Pentateuch,  and  explaining  away  almost  every- 
thing supernatural  even  in  it.  The  Essenes  wei'e 
a  sect,  it  would  appear,  iu  the  modern  sense  of  tire 
term ;  and  so,  not  coming  across  the  Evangelical' 
territory,  the  Gospels  are  silent  regarding  them. 
Their  religious  system  appears  to  have  been  a 
compound  of  Oriental,  Alexandrian,  and  Jewish 
elements,  while  a  peculiar  ritualism  in  practice 
and  asceticism  in  spirit  kept  them  very  much  by 
themselves.  In  these  religious  divisions  of  the 
Jews  at  this  time,  we  have  but  the  rejiresenta- 
tives  for  the  time  being  of  abiding  and  outstanding 
forms  of  religious  thought — of  that  traditionary 
forvudism,  that  sceptic:-.!  rcdioncdisnij  and  that 
separative  mysticism,  wliich,  with  various  modiii- 
cations  in  kind  and  degree,  divide  among  them- 
selves the  unwholesome  thinking  and  feeling  of 
Christendom  at  this  day.  And  just  as  then,  so 
still,  the  medicine  which  will  alone  heal  the 
Church  visible,  and  make  it  "white  and  ruddy" 
with  spiritual  health  and  vigour,  lies  in  those 
three  notes  of  the  Baptist's  teaching— "  Flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come;"  "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God 
which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world;"  "He 
shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with 
fire ! "  3.  In  times  of  religious  awakening,  the 
most  unpromising  classes  are  sometimes  found 
making  a  religious  profession.  But,  whatever  just 
suspicions  this  may  awaken,  where  the  change  is 
not  very  marked,  let  not  the  preacher  repel  any 
who  even  seem  to  be  turning  to  the  Lord,  but,  like 
the  Baiitist,  temper  his  faithful  warnings  with  en- 
couragements and  directions.  4.  How  sharp  is 
the  contrast  here  drawn  between  all  mere  human 
agency  in  the  salvation  of  men  and  that  of  the 
Master  of  whom  .John  here  speaks.  When  John, 
the  greatest  of  all  the  iirophets,  says  of  his  own 
agency,  "I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water  unto 
repentance,"  he  manifestly  means  not  only  that 
this  was  all  he  could  do  towards  their  salvation, 
but  that  it  was  all  outside  work ;  he  could  not 
work  repentance  in  them,  nor  deposit  in  their 
hearts  one  grain  of  true  grace.  When,  therefore, 
lie  adds,  "He  that  cometli  after  me  is  mightier 
than  I ;  He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  with  fjj'e,"  beyond  doubt  he  means  to  teach 
not  only  that  Ckrist  could  do  wliat  he  could  not, 
Init  that  it  was  His  sole  prerogative  to  do  it — as 
"the  Mightier  than  he"  (Mark  L  7;  Luke  iii. 
16) — imparting  the  inner  element,  of  which  water- 
baptism  was  but  the  outward  sign,  and  giving 
it  a  glorious,  fiery  ellicacy  in  the  heart.  No  v.'on- 
der  that  at  the  thouglst  of  this  difference  John 
should  say,  "Whose  shoes'  latch et  I  am  not 
worthy  to  bear" — language  very  offensive  if  we 
could  suppose  it  meant  of  any  mere  creature^  how- 
ever gifted  and  honoured  of  God,  but  most  ht  and 
proper  regarding  Emmanuel,  "God  with  us."  5. 
As  the  saving  operations  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are 
here  first  mentioned  in  tlie  New  Testament,  so 
His  precise  relation  to  Christ  in  the  economy  of 


Jesus  baptized  hy 


^lATTPIEW  TIT. 


Johi  in  Jordan. 


13  Then  cometh  Jesus  'from  Galilee  to  Jordan  unto  John,  to  be  baptized  of 

14  him.     But  John  forbade  him,  saying,  I  have  need  to  be  baptized  of  thee, 

15  and  comest  thou  to  me?    And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him.  Suffer  it  to 
he  ?o  now:  for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  *  fulfil  all  righteousness.     Then  he 

16  suffered  him.     And  'Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized,  went  up  straightway 


A.  D. 


>■  ch.  2.  22. 
«  Dan.  9.  "A. 
t  Mark  1.  :0. 
Luke  3.  21. 


salvation  is  here  distinctly  tanglit— that  He  is 
(.'hrififs  Agent,  carrying  into  effect  in  men  all  that 
He  did  for  men.  G.  The  vengeance  here  de- 
nounced against  impenitence  under  all  this  spirit- 
nal  culture  best  exhilnts  the  guilt  of  it— "Every 
tree,  therefore,  which  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit 
is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  hre."  "Be  in- 
stracted,  then,  0  Jerusalem,  lest  my  soul  depart 
from  thee." 

13-17.— Baptism  of  Christ,  and  Descent  of 
THE  Spirit  upon  Him  immediately  there- 
after. (=  Mark  i.  9-11;  Luke  iii.  21,  22;  John 
i.  ;U-34.) 

Baptism  of  Christ  (13-15).  13.  Then  cometh 
Jesus  from  Galilee  to  Jordan  unto  John,  to  be 
baptized  of  Mm.  Moses  rashly  anticipated  the 
Divine  call  to  deliver  his  i^eople,  and  for  this  was 
fain  to  flee  the  house  of  bondage,  and  wait  in  ob- 
scurity for  forty  years  more  (Ex.  ii.  11,  &c.).  Not 
so  this  Greater  than  Moses.  All  but  thirty  years 
had  He  now  spent  in  i)rivacy  at  Nazareth,  gradually 
ripening  for  His  iiublic  work,  and  calmly  awaiting 
the  time  appointeil  of  the  Father.  Now  it  had 
an'ived ;  and  this  movement  from  Galilee  to  Jor- 
dan is  the  step,  doubtless,  of  deepest  interest  to 
all  heaven  since  that  first  one  which  brought  Him 
into  the  world.  Luke  (iii.  21)  has  this  important 
addition — "Now  luhen  all  the  people  tvere  1/aptir.ed, 
it  came  to  pass,  that  Jesus  being  baptized,"  &c. — 
implying  that  Jesus  waited  till  all  other  ajiplicants 
for  baptism  that  day  had  been  disposed  of,  ere  He 
stepped  forward,  that  He  might  not  seem  to  be 
merely  one  of  the  crowd.  Thus,  as  He  rode  into 
Jerusalem  upon  an  ass  "  whereon  yet  never 
man  sat"  (Lidce  xix.  30),  and  lay  in  a  sepulchre 
"wherein  was  never  man  yet  laid"  (John  xix.  41), 
so  in  His  baptism  too  He  would  be  "  separate  from 
sinners."  14.  But  John  forbade  him  [ctc/ca)Xi'ei;] 
^rather,  'was  [in  the  act  of]  hindering  him,'  or 
'attempting  to  hinder  him'— saying,  I  have  need 
to  be  baptized  of  thee,  and  comest  thou  to  me  ? 
(How  John  came  to  recognize  Him,  when  he  says 
he  knew  Him  not,  see  on  John  i.  31-34.)  The  em- 
phasis of  this  most  remarkable  speech  lies  all  in 
the  pronouns  ['Eyto  inro  crov  .  .  .  Kcd  crv  .  .  .  -Trpo's  /xe]  : 
'  What !  Shall  the  ^Master  come  for  baptism  to  the 
servant— the  sinless  Saviour  to  a  sinner?'  That 
thus  miich  is  in  the  Baptist's  words  mil  be 
clearly  seen  if  it  be  observed  that  he  evidently 
regarded  Jesus  as  Himself  needing  no  imrification, 
but  rather  quaUfied  to  impart  it  to  those  who  did. 
And  do  not  all  his  other  testimonies  to  Christ 
fully  bear  out  this  sense  of  the  words?  But  it 
were  a  pity  if,  in  the  glory  of  this  testimony  to 
Christ,  we  should  miss  the  beautiful  spirit  in 
which  it  was  borne — '  Lord,  must  /  baptize  Thee  ? 
Can  I  bring  myself  to  do  such  a  thing  ?'— remind- 
ing us  of  Peter's  exclamation  at  the  supper-table, 
"Lord,  dost  Thou  wash  my  feet?"  while  it  has 
nothing  of  the  false  himiility  and  presumption 
which  dictated  Peters  next  speechj  "Thou  shalt 
never  wash  my  feet"  (John  xiii.  6,  8).  15.  And 
Jesus  answering  said  unto  him,  Suffer  it  to  be 
so  now  ["A(pei  "P'T'l — 'Let  it  pass  for  the  present' 
{Webster  and  Wiltinson);  q.d.,  'Thou  recoilest, 
and  no  wonder,  for  the  seeming  incongruity  is 
etairtling ;  but  in  the  present  case  do  as  thou  art 
bidden.'  for  thus  it  becometh  us— "?^<,"not  in 
the  sense  of  'me  and  thee,'  or  'men  in  general,' 
14 


but  as  in  John  iii.  11.  to  fulfil  all  righteour- 
ness  [iraaav  oiKcuocruviiv],  If  this  be  renderei\ 
with  Scrivener,  '  every  ordinance,'  or,  with  Camij. 
hell,  'every  institution,'  the  meaning  is  obviors 
enough ;  and  the  same  sense  is  brought  out  1  y 
"all  righteousness,"  or  compliance  Mith  every- 
thing enjoined,  baptism  included.  Indeed,  if  this 
be  the  meaning,  our  version  perhaps  best  brin^ts 
out  the  force  of  the  opening  word  "Thus" 
[oiiTws].  But  we  incline  to  think  that  oxir  Lord 
meant  more  than  this.  The  import  of  Circum- 
cision and  of  Baptism  seems  to  be  radically  the 
same.  And  if  our  remarks  on  the  circumcision 
of  our  Lord  (on  Luke  ii.  21-24)  are  well  founded, 
He  M'ould  seem  to  have  said,  '  Thus  do  I  impledge 
myself  to  the  whole  righteousness  of  the  Law — 
thus  symbolically  do  enter  on  and  engage  to  fulfil 
it  all.  Let  the  thoughtful  reader  weigh  this. 
Then  he  suffered  him— with  true  humility,  yield- 
ing to  higher  authority  than  his  o^vn  impressions 
of  propriety. 

Descent  of  the  Spirit  upon  the  Baptized  Bedeemer 
(16,  17).  16.  And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized,  went 
up  straightway  out  of  [d-n-o] — rather,  'from' — the 
water.  Mark  has  "out  of  the  water"  [ea.].  and 
— adds  Luke  (iii.  21),  "while  He  was  praying;"  a 
grand  piece  of  information.  Can  there  be  a  doubt 
about  the  burden  of  that  prayer ;  a  prayer  sent  up, 
probably,  while  yet  in  the  water — His  blessed  head 
suffused  with  the  baptismal  element ;  a  prayer 
continued  likely  as  He  stepped  out  of  the  stream, 
and  again  stood  upon  the  dry  ground?  The  work 
before  Him,  the  needed  and  expected  Spirit  to 
rest  upon  Him  for  it,  and  the  glory  He  would 
then  put  upon  the  Father  that  sent  Him — would 
not  these  fill  His  breast,  and  find  silent  vent 
in  such  form  as  this? — 'Lo,  I  come;  I  delight 
to  do  thy  will,  0  God.  Father,  glorify  thy  narne.^ 
Show  me  a  token  for  good.  Let  the  Spii-it  of 
the  Lord  God  come  upon  me,  and  I  will  preach 
the  Gospel  to  the  poor,  and  heal  the  broken- 
hearted, and  send  forth  judgment  unto  victory.' 
Whilst  He  was  yet  siie'aking— lo,  the  heavens 
were  opened.  Marie  says,  sublimely,  "  He  saw 
the  heavens  cleaving"  [o-xijo/^ci/ous].  and  he  saw 
the  Spirit  of  God  descending— that  is,  He  only, 
with  the  exception  of  His  honoiu-ed  servant,  as 
He  tells  us  Himself,  John  1.  32-34 ;  the  by-stand- 
ers  ai)parently  seeing  nothing,  like  a  dove,  and 
lighting  upon  him.  Luke  says,  "in  a  bodily 
shape"  (iii.  22) ;  that  is,  the  blessed  Spirit,  assum- 
ing the  corporeal  form  of  a  dove,  descended  thus 
upon  His  sacred  head.  But  why  in  this  form? 
The  Scripture  use  of  this  emblem  will  be  our  best 
guide  here,  "  My  dove,  m>j  vndefiled  is  one,"  says 
the  Song  (vi.  9).  This  is  chaste  purity.  Again, 
"  Be  ye  harmless  as  doves,"  says  Christ  Himself 
(Matt.  X.  16).  This  is  the  same  thing,  in  the  foim 
of  inofTensiveness  towards  men.  "A  conscience  void 
of  offence  toward  God  and  toward  men  "  (Acts  xxiv. 
16)  expresses  both.  Further,  when  we  read  in  the 
Song  (ii.  14),  "  0  my  dove,  that  art  in  the  clefts  of 
the  rock,  in  the  secret  places  of  the  stairs  (see  Isa. 
Ix.  8),  let  me  see  thy  countenance,  let  me  hear  thy 
voice ;  for  sweet  is  thy  voice,  and  thy  countenance 
is  comely" — it  is  shrinking  modesty,  meekness, 
gentleness,  that  is  thus  charmingly  depicted.  In 
a  word — not  to  allude  to  the  historical  emblem  of 
the  dove  that  Hew  back  to  the  ark,  bearing  ia  its 


Tlce  Descent  of 


MATTHEW  III.  IV. 


tlie  Holy  Spirit. 


out  of  the  water :  and,  lo,  the  heavens  were  opened  unto  him,  and  he  saw 
17  "the  Spirit  of  God  descending  hke  a  dove,  and  hghting  upon  him:  and 

^lo  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  This  ^is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am 

well  pleased. 
4      THEN  was  ""  Jesus  led  up  of  Hhe  Spirit  into  the  wilderness  to  be 


A.  D.  26. 

"  Isa.  11.  2. 
"  John  12.  -J 

'"  Vs.  2.  7. 


"  ItUark  1.  12. 
b  lia.  18. 12. 


mouth  the  olive  leaf  of  pence  (Gen.  V\n.  11) — when 
-we  read  (Ps.  Ixviii.  13),  "  Ye  shall  he  as  the  wings 
of  a  clove  coveretl  with  silver,  and  her  feathers 
with  yellow  gold,"  it  is  deauteousness  that  is  thus 
held  forth.  And  was  not  snch  that  "  Holy,  harm- 
less, imdefiled  One,"  the  "  Separate  from  sinners  ? " 
"  Thou  art  fairer  than  the  childi-en  of  men ;  grace 
is  poured  into  Thy  lips ;  therefore  God  hath  l)lessed 
Thee  for  ever  ! "  But  the  fourth  Gospel  gives  us 
one  more  piece  of  information  here,  on  the  autho- 
rity of  one  who  saw  and  te.stitied  of  it :  "  John  hare 
record,  saying,  I  saw  the  Spirit  descending  from 
heaven  like  a  dove,  and  it  abode  upon  Him"  U«t 
efiewev  ett'  avrov].  And  lest  we  should  tliink  that 
this  was  an  accidental  thing,  he  adds  that  this 
last  particular  was  expressly  given  him  as  part  of 
the  sign  hy  which  he  was  to  reco^^nize  and  identify 
Him  as  the  Son  of  God:  "And  I  knew  Him  not: 
but  He  that  sent  me  to  baptize  with  Avater,  the 
same  said  unto  me,  Upon  whom  tliou  shalt  see  the 
Spii-it  descending  AND  remaining  on  Him  [Kal 
fievov  ett'  avTov],  the  same  is  He  which  baptizeth 
with  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  I  saw,  and  bare  record 
that  this  is  the  Son  of  God  "  (John  i.  32-34).  And 
M'hen  with  this  we  comiiare  the  predicted  descent 
of  the  Spirit  upon  Messiah  (Isa.  xi.  2),  "And  tlic 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  re-<<t  upon  him  "  P???,  ava- 
"Trai'/o-eTfu],  we  cannot  doubt  that  it  was  this  perma- 
nent and  perfect  resting  of  the  Holy  Ghost  iiiion  the 
Son  of  God — now  and  henceforward  in  His  official 
capacity — that  was  here  visibly  manifested.  17. 
And  lo  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  This  is— Mark 
and  Luke  give  it  in  the  direct  form,  "  Tliou  art" — 
my  heloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased 
[eudoKiia-a],  The  verb  is  put  in  the  aorist  to  express 
absolute  complacency,  once  and  forever  felt  towards 
Him.  The  English  here,  at  least  to  modern  ears,  is 
scarcely  strong  enough.  '  I  delight'  comes  the  near- 
est, perhaps,  to  that  ineffable  comjjlareiici/  which 
is  manifestly  intended ;  and  this  is  the  rather  to  be 
preferred,  as  it  would  immediately  carry  the 
thoughts  back  to  that  august  Messianic  prophecy 
to  which  the  voice  from  heaven  jilainly  alluded 
(Isa.  xlii.  1),  "Beholdmy  Servant,  whom  I  a]  ihold; 
mine  Elect,  in  whom  my  soul  delighteth" 
P''??^-  Nor  are  the  words  which  follow  to  be 
overlooked,  "  I  have  put  my  Spirit  upon  Him ;  He 
shall  bring  forth  judgment  to  the  Gentiles."  (The 
LXX.  pervert  this,  as  they  do  most  of  the  ]\Iessia- 
nic  predictions,  interpolating  the  word  "  Jacob," 
and  aiiplying  it  to  the  Jews.)  Was  this  voice 
heard  by  "the  by-standers  ?  From  Matthew's  form 
of  it,  one  might  suppose  it  so  designed ;  but  it 
would  appe;u-  that  it  was  not,  and  probably 
John  only  heard  and  saw  anything  peculiar  about 
that  great  ba|itism.  Accordingly,  the  words 
"Hear  ye  Him"  are  not  added,  as  at  the  Trans- 
figuration. 

Eemnrks. — 1.  Here  we  have  three  of  the  most 
astonishing  things  which  eye  could  behold  and  ear 
hear.  Flr-^t,  We  have  Jesus  formally  entered  and 
articled  to  His  Father,  contracted  and  engaged, 
going  voluntarily  under  the  yoke,  and  by  a  public 
deed  sealed  over  to  obedience.  .Ne.ct,  We  have 
Him  consecrated  and  anointed  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  above  measure  (John  iii.  34) ;  and  thus 
thoroughly  furnished,  divinely  equipi>ed  for  the 
work  given  Him  to  do.  Thirdli/,  We  have  Him 
divinely  attested  by  Him  who  knew  Him  best  and 
15 


cannot  lie ;  and  thus  publicly  inaugurated,  fomi- 
ally  installed  in  all  the  autliority  of  His  mediato- 
rial office,  as  the  Son  of  God  in  the  flesh,  and  tLe 
Object  of  His  Father's  absolute  complacency. 
2.  That  the  Holy  Ghost,  whose  supernatural 
agency  formed  the  human  nature  of  Christ,  an<l 
sanctified  it  from  the  \s-omb,  was  a  stranger  to  the 
breast  of  Jesus  until  now  that  He  descended 
upon  Him  at  His  baptism,  is  not  for  a  moment  to 
be  conceived.  The  whole  analogy  of  Scripiture,  on 
the  work  of  the  Spirit  and  of  sanctification,  leads 
to  the  conclusion  that  as  He  "grew  in  favour  with 
God  and  man,"  from  infancy  to  youthj  and  from 
youth  to  manhood.  His  moral  beauty.  His  spiritual 
loveliness.  His  faultless  excellence,  was  enstamped 
and  develoi^ed  from  stage  to  stage  by.  the  gentle 
yet  efficacious  energy  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  though 
only  at  His  full  maturity  was  He  capable  of  all 
that  fulness  which  He  then  received.  To  use  the 
words  of  Olslumacn,  '  Even  the  pure  offspring  of 
the  Spirit  needed  the  anointing  of  the  Spuit ;  and 
it  was  only  when  His  human  nature  had  grown 
strong  enough  for  the  sniqiort  of  the  fulness  of  the 
Spirit  that  it  remained  stationary,  and  fully  en- 
dowed with  power  from  above.'  Knowing,  tlierc- 
fore,  as  we  do,  that  at  His  baptism  He  passed  out 
of  private  into  public  life,  we  can  have  no  doul)t 
that  the  descent  of  tlie  Spirit  upon  Christ  at  His 
baptism  was  for  official  purposes.  But  in  this  \<g 
include  His  whole  luiljlic  work — life,  character, 
spirit,  carriage,  actings,  endurances,  everything  tluit 
constituted  and  manifested  Him  to  be  the  pure, 
inoffensive,  gentle,  beauteous  "Dove" — all  this 
was  of  the  Siiirit  or  the  Lord  that  "  rented" — that 
''''abocle" — upon  Him.  How  well  may  the  Chiu;ch 
now  sing,  "  God,  thy  God,  hath  anointed  Thee  with 
the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows.  AH  thy  gar- 
ments smell  of  myrrh,  and  aloes,  and  cassia,  out  of 
the  ivory  jialaces,  whereby  they  have  made  Tlice 
glad!"  (Ps.  xlv.  7,  8.)  3.  Here,  in  tlie  baptism  of 
our  blessed  Head,  we  find  ourselves  in  the  presence 
at  once  of  the  Fatiiek,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  into  whose  adorable  name  we  are  baptized 
(ch.  xxviii.  19).  The  early  Fathers  of  the  Church 
were  struck  with  this,  and  often  advert  to  it. 
'Go  to  Jordan,'  said  Jngvstin  to  the  heretic 
Marcion,  'and  thou  slialt  see  the  Trinity'  [/  ad 
Jordanem  et  vide'As  Triiiitatctn\.  Nor  is  it  to  bo 
overlooked,  as  Lunge  remarks  that  as  it  is  at 
Christ's  own  bajitism  that  we  have  the  first  dis- 
tinct revelation  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  so 
it  is  at  the  institution  of  ba]  itism  for  His  Church 
that  this  doctrine  brightens  into  full  glory. 

CHAP.  IV.  1-11.— Temptation  of  Christ. 
(=Marki.  12,  13;  Luke  i v.  1-13.) 

1.  Then  [ToVe]— an  indefinite  note  of  sequence. 
But  Mark's  word  (i.  12)  fixes  what  we  should  have 
presumed  was  meant,  that  it  was  "  immediately  " 
[ei/Oiis]  after  His  baptism ;  and  with  tliis  agrees  the 
statement  of  Luke  (iv.  1).  was  Jesus  led  up  [«M;x^'d 
— i.  €. ,  from  the  low  Jordan  valley  to  some  more 
elevated  spot,  of  the  Spirit— that  blessed  Spiiit 
immediately  before  spoken  of  as  descending  upon 
Him  at  His  liaptism,  and  abiding  upon  Him.  Luke, 
connecting  these  two  scenes,  as  if  the  one  were  but 
the  secpiei  of  the  other,  says,  "Jesus,  being  full  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  returned  from  Jordan,  and  was 
led,"  &c.  Mark's  expression  has  a  startling  sharji- 
ness  about  it— "  Immediately  the  Spirit  diiveth 


Jf'sus  IS  tempted 


MATTHEW  IV. 


in  t/ie  wilderness. 


2  '^tempted   of  the  devil.     And  when  he  had  ''fosted  forty  daj'S  and  forty 
nights,  he  was  afterward  an  hungered. 

3  And  when  the  tempter  came  to  him,  he  said,  If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God, 

4  command  that  tliese  stones  be  made  bread.    But  he  answered  and  said,  ""It 


A.  D.  27. 

'  l!eb.  4.  15. 
d  Kl.  31.  28. 

'  Eph.  6.  \~. 


Him"  [eh:/^aXX6i],  'puttetli,'  or  'biu-rietli,  Him 
forth,'  or  '  impelleth  Him.'  (See  the  same  word  in 
Mark  i.  43;  v.  40;  Matt.  ix.  25;  xiiL  52;  John  x. 
4.)  The  thought  thus  strongly  expressed  is  the 
mighty  constraining  impulse  of  the  Spirit  under 
wliich  He  went;  while  Matthew's  more  gentle 
expression,  "was  led  uj),"  intimates  how  purely 
voluntary  on  His  own  part  this  action  was. 
into  the'  wilderness — probably  the  wild  Judean 
desert.  The  particular  spot  which  tradition 
luis  fi.xed  upon  has  hence  got  the  name  of 
Qiiarantana  or  Quarantaria,  from  the  forty 
days, — 'an  almost  perpendicular  wall  of  rock 
twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  plain.' 
— Rohinson^s  Palestine.  The  supposition  of  those 
who  incline  to  ]ilace  the  Temptation  amongst  the 
mountains  of  ]\Ioab  is,  we  think,  very  improbable. 
to  be  tempted  [rreipaaldTjvai].  The  Greek  word 
[TreipaX,eiv\  means  simply  to  try  or  make  proof  of ; 
and  when  ascribed  to  God  in  His  dealings  with 
men,  it  means,  and  can  mean  no  more  than  this. 
Thus,  Gen.  xxii.  1,  "It  came  to  pass  that  God  did 
tempt  Abraham,"  or  put  his  faith  to  a  severe 
proof.  (See  Deut  viii.  2.)  But  for  the  most  pai-t 
in  Scripture  the  word  is  iised  in  a  ba<l  sense,  and 
means  to  entice,  solicit,  or  provoke  to  sin.  Hence 
the  name  here  given  to  the  wicked  one — "the 
tempter"  (r.  3).  Accordingly,  "to  be  tempted" 
here  is  to  be  understood  both  ways.  The  Spirit 
conducted  Him  into  the  wildeiness  simply  to 
have  His  faith  tried;  but  as  the  agent  in  this 
trial  was  to  be  the  wicked  one,  wliose  wliole 
object  would  be  to  seduce  Him  froni  His  alle- 
giance to  God,  it  was  a  temptation  in  the  bad 
sense  of  the  term.  The  Tinworthy  inference  which 
some  would  draw  from  this  is  energetically  reiielled 
by  an  apostle  (Jas.  i.  13-17).  of  the  devU.  The 
word  [6ta/io\os]  signifies  a  slanderer  —  one  who 
casts  imputations  upon  another.  Hence  that 
other  name  given  him  (Rev.  xii.  10),  "The  accuser 
of  the  brethren,  who  accuseth  them  before  our  (iod 
day  and  night."  Mark  (i.  13)  says,  "  He  was  forty 
days  tempted  of  Satan"  H^^'],  a  word  signifying  an 
adrersarji,  one  who  lies  in  wait  for,  or  sets  himself 
ill  opposition  to  another.  These  and  other  names 
of  the  same  fallen  spirit  point  to  difl'erent  features 
in  his  character  or  operations.  What  was  the  high 
design  of  this?  First,  as  we  judge,  to  give  our 
Lord  a  taste  of  what  lay  lief  ore  Him  in  the  work 
He  had  undertaken  ;  next,  to  make  trial  of  the  glo- 
rious furniture  for  it  whicli  He  had  just  received ; 
further,  to  give  Him  encouragement,  by  the  victory 
now  to  be  won,  to  go  forward  spoiling  iirincipalities 
and  powers,  until  at  length  He  should  make  a  show 
of  them  ojienly,  triumphing  over  them  in  His  Cross  ; 
that  the  temiiter,  too,  might  get  a  ta,ste,  at  the 
very  outset,  of  the  new  kind  ot  material  in  Man 
which  he  woukl  find  he  had  here  to  <U'al  w-ith; 
finally,  that  He  might  acquire  exiierimental  ability 
"to  succoxu-  them  that  are  tempted  "  (Heb.  ii.  IS). 
Tl'.e  temptation  evidently  embraced  two  stages : 
tite  one  continuing  througliout  the  forty  days'  fast ; 
the  other,  at  the  conclusion  of  that  perio<L  FiR^iT 
St.'Vge:  2.  And  when  he  had  fasted  forty  days 
and  forty  nights.  Luke  says,  "  When  they  were 
quite  ended  [o-ui/TeXco-fieio-tt.i'l.  he  was  afterward 
YiiTT-epov]  an  hungered -e\adeutly  implying  that 
the  sensation  of  hunger  was  unfel't  dm-ing  all  the 
forty  days ;  coming  on  only  at  their  close.  So  it 
was  apparently  with  Moses  (Ex.   xxxir.  23)  and 


Elijah  (I  KL  xix.  8)  for  the  same  period.  -(The 
ua-repov  in  Luke  iv.  2  has  scarcely  sulticient  autho- 
rity, and  was  probably  introduced  from  Matthew.) 
A  sujiernatural  power  of  endurance  was  of  course 
imparted  to  the  body;  but  this  probably  operated 
through  a  natural  law — the  absorption  of  the  Re- 
deemer's sjarit  in  the  dread  contlict  with  the 
tempter.  (See  on  Acts  ix.  D.)  Had  we  only  this 
Gos^iel,  we  should  sujn^ose  the  temptation  did  not 
begin  till  after  this.  But  it  is  clear,  from  Mark's 
statement  that  "  He  was  in  the  wilderness  forty 
days  tempted  of  Satan,"  and  Luke's  "  being  forty 
days  tempted  of  the  devil,"  that  there  was  a  forty 
days'  temptation  before  the  three  specific  tempta- 
tions afterwards  recorded.  And  this  is  what  we 
have  called  the  First  Stage.  What  the  precise  na- 
ture and  oliject  of  the  forty  days'  temptation  was 
is  not  recorded.  But  two  things  seem  plain  enough. 
First,  the  tempter  had  utterly  failed  of  his  object, 
else  it  had  not  been  renewed ;  and  the  terms  in 
which  he  opens  his  second  attack  imply  as  much. 
But  further,  the  tempter's  whole  object  during  the 
forty  days  evidently  was  to  get  Him  to  distrust  the 
heavenly  testimony  borne  to  Him  at  His  baptism 
as  THE  Son  of  God — to  persuade  Him  to  regard  it 
as  but  a  splendid  illusion — antl,  generally,  to  dis- 
lodge from  His  breast  the  consciousness  of  His 
Sonship.  With  what  plausibility  the  events  of 
His  iirevious  history  from  the  beginning  would 
be  urged  upon  Him  in  su])port  of  this  temptation 
it  is  easy  to  imagine.  And  it  makes  much  in 
support  of  this  view  of  the  forty  days'  temjita- 
tion,  that  the  larticulars  of  it  are  not  recorded ; 
for  how  the  details  of  such  a  purely  internal 
struggle  could  be  recorded  it  is  hard  to  see.  \i 
tliis  be  correct,  how  naturally  does  the  vSEroND 
Stage  of  the  temptation  oj  en !  In  Mark's  brief 
notice  of  the  temptation  there  is  one  expres- 
sive particular  not  given  either  by  Matthew  or 
by  Luke— that  "  He  was  with  the  wild  beasts," 
no  doubt  to  add  terror  to  solitude,  and  aggravate 
the  horrors  of  the  whole  scene. 

3.  And  when  the  tempter  came  to  him.  Evi- 
dently we  have  here  a  new  scene,  he  said,  If 
thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  command  that  these 
stones  be  made  bread  [«,3-roi]— rather,  '  loaves,' 
answering  to  "stones"  in  the  plural;  whereas 
Luke,  having  said,  "Command  this  stone,"  in  the 
singular,  adds,  "  that  it  be  made  bread  "  [u/jtos], 
in  the  singular.  The  sensation  of  hunger,  unfelt 
during  all  the  forty  days,  seems  now  to  have 
come  on  in  all  its  keenness  —  no  doubt  to  open 
a  door  to  the  temiiter.  of  which  he  is  not  slow 
to  avail  himself:  </.  </.,  'Thou  still  clingest  to  that 
vainglorious  confidence,  that  thou  art  the  Son  of 
God,  carried  away  by  those  illusory  scenes  at  th.e 
Jordan,  Thou  wast  born  in  a  stable — but  thou  art 
the  Son  of  God!  hurried  off  to  Egyjit  for  fear  of 
Herod's  wrath— but  thou  art  the  Son  of  God  !  a 
carpenter's  roof  suiijilied  thee  with  a  home,  and 
in  the  obscurity  of  a  desjiicable  town  of  Galilee 
thou  hast  spent  thirty  years — yet  still  thou  art  the 
Son  of  God ;  and  a  voice  from  heaven,  it  seems, 
proclaimed  it  in  thine  ears  at  the  Jordan  !  Ee  it  so  ; 
but  after  that,  surely  thy  days  of  obscurity  and  trial 
should  have  an  end.  Why  linger  for  weeks  in  this 
desert,  wandering  among  the  wild  beasts  and  craggy 
rocks,  unhonoiu-ed,  unattended,  un])itied,  ready  to 
starve  for  want  of  the  necessaries  of  life?  Is  this 
belitting  "the  Son  of  God?"     At  the  bidding  of 


Jesus  is  tempted 


I\rATTHEW  IV. 


oft/ie  devil. 


is  written,  Man  -/"shall  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that 

proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God. 
5       Then  the  devil  taketh  him  up  "into  the  holy  city,  and  settetli  him 
G  on  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  and  saith  unto  him,  If  thou  be  the  Son  of 

God,  cast  thyself  down :  for  it  is  written,  He  ''shall  give  his  angels  charge 

concerning  thee;  and  in  their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up,  lest  at  any 

7  time  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone.     Jesus  said  unto  him,  It  is 
written  again.  Thou  *shalt  not  tem])t  the  Lord  thy  God. 

8  Again,  the  devil  taketh  him  uj)  into  an  exceeding  high  moTintain,  and 


A.  D.  27. 

/  Deut.  8.  3. 

"  Neh.  11.  1. 

Isa.  48.  2 ; 

52.  1. 

1^  Ps.  91.  11. 

Heb.  1.  14. 
•  Ex.  17.  2,  7. 
Num.  14. 22. 
Deut.  6. 16. 
Mai.  3.  15. 


"the  Son  of  God"  sure  those  stones  shall  all  be 
turned  into  loaves,  and  in  a  moment  present  an 
abundant  repast  ?'  4.  But  he  answered  and  said, 
It  is  written  (Deut.  viii.  3),  Man  shall  not  live  by 
bread  alone^more  emphatically,  as  in  the  Greek, 
'Not  by  bread  alone  sliall  man  live' — but  by 
every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of 
God.  Of  all  passages  in  Old  Testament  scripture, 
none  could  have  been  pitched  upon  more  apposite, 
iierhax)s  not  one  so  apijosite,  to  our  Lord's  purpose. 
'The  Lord  led  thee  (said  Moses  to  Israel,  at  the 
close  of  their  journeyings)  these  forty  years  in  the 
wilderness,  to  hmnble  thee,  and  to  i^rove  thee,  to 
know  M"hat  was  in  thine  heart,  whether  thou 
wouldest  keep  his  commandments,  or  no.  And  he 
humbled  thee,  and  suffered  thee  to  hunger,  and  fed 
thee  with  manna,  which  thou  knewest  not,  neither 
did  thy  fathers  know ;  that  he  might  make  thee 
know  that  man  doth  not  live  by  bread  only,"  &c. 
'  Now,  if  Israel  spent,  not  forty  days,  but  forty  years 
in  a  waste,  howling  wilderness,  where  there  were 
no  means  of  human  subsistence,  not  starving,  but 
divinely  provided  for,  on  purpose  to  prove  to  every 
age  that  human  sui^iiort  depends  not  u]ion  bread, 
but  upon  God's  uiifailing  word  of  promise  and 
pledge  of  all  needful  providential  care,  am  I,  dis- 
trusting this  word  of  God,  and  despairing  of  relief, 
to  take  the  law  into  my  own  hand  ?  True,  the  Son 
of  God  is  able  enough  to  turn  stones  into  bread :  but 
what  the  Son  of  God  is  able  to  do  is  not  the  present 
question,  but  what  is  Mail's  duty  under  want  of 
the  necessaries  of  life.  And  as  Israel's  condition 
m  the  ■wilderness  did  not  justify  their  unbelieving 
mnrmurings  and  frequent  desperation,  so  neither 
would  mine  warrant  the  exercise  of  the  power  of 
the  Son  of  God  in  snatching  despairingly  at  un- 
warranted relief.  As  man,  therefore,  I  will  await 
divine  supply,  nothing  doubting  that  at  the  fitting 
time  it  will  arrive.'  The  second  temptation  in  this 
Gospel  is  in  Luke's  the  third.  That  Matthew's 
order  is  the  right  one  will  appear,  we  think,  pretty 
clearly  in  the  sequel. 

5.  Then  the  devil  taketh  him  up  [TracnXanpauei] 
— rather,  'conducteth  him' — into  the  holy  city — 
so  called  (as  in  Isa.  xlviii.  2 ;  Neh.  xi.  I)  from  its 
being  "the  city  of  the  Great  King,"  the  seat  of  the 
temple,  the  metropolis  of  all  Jewish  worship. 
and  setteth  him  on  a  pinnacle  [to  -n-Tepuyiov]— 
rather,  'the  pinnacle' — of  the  temple — a  certain 
well-luiown  projection.  Whether  this  refer  to  the 
highest  summit  of  the  temple  [the  Kopu(pt]],  which 
bristled  with  golden  spikes  {.Joseph.  Antt.  v.  5,  6) ; 
or  whether  it  refer  to  anotlier  peak,  on  Herod's 
royal  portico,  overhanging  the  ravine  of  Kedron, 
at  the  valley  of  Hinnom — an  immense  tower  built 
on  the  very  edge  of  this  precipice,  from  the  top  of 
which  dizzy  height  Josephus  says  one  coul  d  not  look 
to  the  bottom  {Antt.  xv.  11,  5) — is  not  certain;  but 
the  latter  is  probably  meant.  6.  And  saith  unto 
him,  If  thoa  be  the  Son  of  God.  As  this  tempta- 
tion starts  with  the  same  point  as  th^  first— our 
Lord's  determination  not  to  be  disputed  out  of  His 
Sonshij) — it  seems  to  us  clear  that  the  one  came 
directly  after  the  other ;  and  as  the  remaining 
voi,.  V.  17 


temptation  shows  tiiat  the  hope  of  carrying  that 
point  was  abandoned,  and  all  was  staked  upon  a 
desperate  venture,  we  think  that  remaining  temp- 
tation is  thus  shown  to  be  the  last ;  as  will  appear 
still  more  when  we  come  to  it.  'cast  thyself  down 
("  from  hence,"  Luke  iv.  9) :  foi\  it  is  written  (Ps. 
xci.  11,  12).  'But  wliat  is  thisi  1  see?'  exclaims 
stately  Bishop  Hall,  '  Satan  hiihself  with  a  Bible 
under  his  arm  and  a  text  in  his  mouth  ! '  Doubtless 
the  tempter,  having  felt  the  power  of  God's  word 
in  the  former  temptation,  was  eager  to  try  the 
effect  of  it  from  his  own  mouth  (2  Cor.  >d.  14).  He 
shall  give  his  angels  charge  concerning  thee; 
and  in — rather,  'on'  [cttJ] — their  hands  they  shall 
bear  thee  up,  lest  at  any  time  thou  dash  thy  foot 
against  a  stone.  The  quotation  is  preciselj'^  as  it 
stands  in  the  Hebrew  and  LXX.,  save  that  after 
the  first  clause  the  words,  "to  keep  thee  in  all 
thy  ways,"  is  here  omitted.  Not  a  few  good  expo- 
sitors have  thought  that  this  omission  was  inten- 
tional, to  conceal  the  fact  that  this  would  not  have 
been  one  of  "His  ways,"  that  is,  of  duty.  But  as 
our  Lord's  reply  makes  no  allusion  to  this,  but 
seizes  on  the  great  principle  involved  in  the  pro- 
mise quoted ;  so  when  we  look  at  the  promise 
itself,  it  is  plain  that  the  sense  of  it  is  precisely  the 
same  whether  the  clause  in  question  be  inserted  or 
not.  7.  Jesus  said  unto  him,  It  is  written  again 
(Deut.  vi.  IG) — q.d.,  'True,  it  is  sowiitten,  and  on 
that  promise  I  imi)licitly  rely ;  but  in  using  it 
there  is  another  scripture  which  must  not  be  for- 
gotten. Thou  Shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy 
God.  Preservation  in  danger  is  divinely  pledged  : 
shall  I  then  create  danger,  either  to  put  the  pro- 
mised security  sceptically  to  the  proof,  or  wantonly 
to  demand  a  display  of  it?  That  were  to  "  tempt 
the  Lord  my  God,"  which,  being  expressly  for- 
bidden, would  forfeit  the  right  to  expect  jireser- 
vation. ' 

8.  Again,  the  devil  taketh  him  up—'  conducteth 
him,'  as  before — into,  or  'unto,'  an  exceeding  high 
mountain,  and  showeth  him  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  world,  and  the  glory  of  them.  Luke  (iv.  5) 
adds  the  important  clause,  "  in  a  moment  of  time ; " 
a  clause  which  seems  to  furnish  a  key  to  the  true 
meaning.  That  a  scene  was  presented  to  our 
Lord's  natural  eye  seems  plainly  expressed.  But 
to  kmit  this  to  tne  most  extensive  scene  which  the 
natural  eye  could  take  in,  is  to  give  a  sense  to  the 
expression,  "  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,"  qiute 
violent.  It  remains,  then,  to  gather  from  the  ex- 
pression, "in  a  moment  of  time" — which  mani- 
festly is  intended  to  intimate  some  supernatural 
operation — that  it  was  permitted  to  the  tempter 
to  extend  preternaturally  for  a  moment  our  Lord's 
range  of  vision,  and  throw  a  "glory"  or  glitter 
over  the  scene  of  vision ;  a  thing  not  inconsistent 
with  the  analogy  of  other  scriptural  statements 
regarding  the  permitted  operations  of  the  wicked 
one.  In  this  case,  the  "  exceeding  height "  of  the 
"mountain"  from  which  this  sight  was  beheld 
would  favour  the  effect  intended  to  be  produced. 
9.  And  saith  unto  him,  All  these  things  will  I  giva 
thee — "and  the  glory  of  them,"  adds  Luke.    But 


Jems  overcometli 


MATTHEW  IV. 


in  temptation. 


9  showeth  him  all  tlie  kingdoms  of  the  world,  and  the  glory  of  them ;  and 

saith  unto  him,  All  these  things  will  I  give  thee,  if  thou  wilt  fall  down 

10  and  worship  me.     Then  saith  Jesus  unto  him,  Get  thee  hence,  Satan:  for 

it  is  written,  •'Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt 


A.  D.  27. 


Deut.  6.  is; 
10.  :o. 
Jos.  24.  IJ. 
1  Sam.  r.  ?. 


Matthevvhavingalreadysaid  tliatthis  was  "showed 
Him,"  did  not  need  to  repeat  it  here.  Luke  (iv.  6) 
adds  these  other  very  important  clauses,  here  omit- 
ted—"for  that  is,"  or  'has  been,'  "delivered  unto 
nie,  and  to  whomsoever  I  will  I  give  it."  Was  this 
•wholly  false?  _  That  were  not  Tike  Satan's  usual 
policy,  which  is  to  insinuate  his  lies  under  cover  of 
some  truth.  What  truth,  then,  is  there  here? 
We  answer,  Is  not  Satan  thrice  called  by  our  Lord 
Himself,  "  the  prince  of  this  world?"  (John  xii.  31 ; 
xiv.  30;  xvi.  11;)  does  not  the  apostle  call  him 
"the  God  of  this  world?"  (2  Cor.  iv.  4;)  and  still 
further,  is  it  not  said  that  Christ  came  to  destroy 
by  his  death,  "him  that  hath  the  power  of  death, 
that  is,  the  devil?"  (Heb.  ii.  14.)  No  doubt  these 
passages  only  express  men's  voluntary  subjection 
to  the  rule  of  tiie  wicked  one  while  they  live,  and 
his  power  to  surround  death  to  them,  when  it 
comes,  with  all  the  terrors  of  the  wages  of  sin. 
But  as  this  is  a  real  and  terrible  sway,  so  all  Scrip- 
ture represents  men  as  righteously  sold  under  it.  In 
this  sense  he  speaks  what  is  not  devoid  of  truth, 
when  he  says,  "All  this  is  delivered  unto  me." 
But  how  does  he  deliver  this  "to  whomsoever  he 
will  ?"  As  employing  whomsoever  he  i)leases  of  his 
willing  subjects  in  keeping  men  under  his  power. 
In  this  case  his  offer  to  our  Lord  was  that  of  a 
deputed  su]iremacy  commensurate  with  his  own, 
though  as  las  gift  and  for  his  ends.  If  thou  Wilt 
fall  down  and  worship  me.  This  was  the  sole, 
but  monstrous  condition.  No  Scripture,  it  will  be 
observed,  is  quoted  now,  because  none  could  be 
found  to  support  so  blasphemous  a  claim.  In  fact, 
he  has  ceased  now  to  present  his  temptations  under 
the  mask  of  piety,  and  stands  out  uublushiugly  as 
the  rival  of  God  Himself  in  his  claims  on  the 
homage  of  men.  Despairing  of  success  as  an  angel 
of  liglit,  he  throws  off  all  disguise,  and  with  a 
splendid  bribe  solicits  divine  honour.  This  again 
shows  that  we  are  now  at  the  last  of  the  tempta- 
tions, and  that  Matthew's  order  is  the  true  one. 
10.  Then  saith  Jesus  unto  him,  Get  thee  hence, 
Satan.  (The  evidence  for  the  insertion  here  of  the 
words  oTTiaui  fxov — 'behind  me,' — and  the  omission 
of  thera  in  Luke  iv.  8,  is  nearly  equal ;  but  per- 
haps the  received  text  in  both  places  has  slightly 
the  better  support.)  Since  the  tempter  has  now 
thrown  off  the  mask,  aud  stands  forth  in  his  true 
character,  our  Lord  no  longer  deals  with  him  as  a 

Eretended  friend  and  ijious  counsellor,  but  calls 
im  by  his  right  name — His  knowledge  of  which 
from  the  outset  He  had  carefully  concealed  till 
now — and  orders  him  off.  This  is  the  final  and 
conclusive  evidence,  as  we  think,  that  Matthew's 
must  be  the  right  order  of  the  temptations.  For 
who  can  well  conceive  of  the  tempter's  returning 
to  the  assault  after  this,  in  the  pious  character 
again,  aud  hoping  still  to  dislodge  the  conscious- 
ness of  His  Souship;  while  our  Lord  must  in  that 
case  be  sup])Osed  to  quote  Scripture  to  one  He  had 
called  the  Devil  to  his  face — thus  throwing  His 
pearls  before  worse  than  swine?  for  it  is  written 
(Deut.  vi.  13):  Thus  does  otir  Lord  part  with 
Satan  on  the  rock  of  Scripture,  Thou  Ehalt  wor- 
ship. In  the  Hebrew  aud  LXX.  it  is,  "  Thou 
shalt  fear  •"  but  as  the  sense  is  the  same,  so 
"  worship '  is  here  used  to  show  emphatically 
that  what  the  tempter  claimed  was  precisely 
what  God  had  forbidden.  The  Lord  thy  God,  and 
him  only  Shalt  thou  serve.  The  word  "serve" 
[XaTpevcrei'i],  iu  the  second  clause,  is  one  never 
IS 


used  by  the  LXX.  of  any  but  religious  service; 
and  in  this  sense  exclusively  is  it  used  in  the 
New  Testament,  as  we  find  it  here.  Once  more 
the  word  "  only,"  in  the  second  clause  —  not 
expressed  in  the  Hebrew  and  LXX.  —  is  here 
added  to  bring  out  emiihatically  the  negotive  and 
prohibitory  feature  of  the  command.  (See  Gal.  iii. 
10  for  a  similar  supplement  of  the  word  "all,"  in 
a  quotation  from  Deut.  xxvii.  20.)  11.  Then  the 
devil  leaveth  him.  Luke  says,  "And  when  the 
devil  had  exhausted" — or,  'quite  ended'  [o-ui'tc- 
Xeaai],  as  in  Luke  iv.  2—"  every  [mode  of]  tempta- 
tion [7rdi/-ra  ireipaaixov],  he  departed  from  him  till  a 
season  "  fax/"  KaipoZ],  The  definite  "  season  "  here 
indicated  is  expressly  referred  to  by  our  Loi-d  in 
John  xiv.  30,  and  Luke  xxii.  52,  5.3.  and,  behold, 
angels  came  and  ministered  unto  him— or  sup- 
plied Him  with  food,  as  the  same  expression  mean? 
in  Mark  i.  31,  and  Luke  viii.  3.  Thus  did  angels 
to  Elijah  (1  Ki.  xix.  5-8).  Excellent  critics 
think  that  they  ministered,  not  food  only,  but 
supernatural  support  and  cheer  also.  But  this 
would  be  the  natural  effect  rather  than  the  direct 
oJiject  of  the  visit,  which  was  plainly  what  we 
have  expressed.  And  after  having  refused  to  claim 
the  illegitimate  ministration  of  angels  in  His  be- 
half, d  with  what  deep  joy  would  He  accejit 
tlieir  services  when  sent,  unasked,  at  the  close  of 
all  this  Temptation,  direct  from  Him  whom  He 
had  so  gloriously  honoured  !  What  "angels'  food  " 
would  this  repast  be  to  Him  ;  and  as  He  partook 
of  it,  might  not  a  Voice  from  heaven  be  heard 
again,  by  any  who  could  read  the  Father's  mind, 
'  Said  I  not  well.  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom 
I  am  well  pleased  ! ' 

Remarks. — 1.  After  such  an  exalted  scene  as 
that  of  the  Baptism,  the  Descent  of  the  Spirit,  and 
the  Voice  from  heaven,  and  before  entering  on  His 
public  ministry,  this  long  period  of  solitude  would 
doubtless  be  to  Jesus  a  precious  interval  for 
calmly  pondering  His  whole  past  history,  and  de- 
liberately weighing  the  momentous  future  that  lay 
before  Him.  So  would  Moses  feel  his  forty  years' 
seclusion  in  Midian,  far  from  the  glitter  and  pomp 
of  an  Egyptian  court,  and  before  entering  on  the 
eventful  career  which  awaited  him  on  his  return. 
So  would  Elijah,  after  the  grandeur  of  the  Carmel 
scene,  feel  his  forty  days'  solitary  journey  to  Horeb, 
the  mount  of  God.  So  would  the  beloved  disciple 
feel  his  Patmos  exile,  after  a  long  apostolic  life, 
short  and  uneventful  though  his  after  career 
was.  So,  doubtless,  Luther  felt  his  teu  months' 
retreat  in  the  castle  of  Wartburg  to  be,  after  four 
years  of  exciting  and  incessant  warfare  with  the 
Romish  perverters  of  the  Gospel,  and  before  enter- 
ing afresh  on  a  career  which  has  changed  the  whole 
face  of  European  Christendom.  And  so  will  such 
periods,  whether  longer  or  shorter,  ever  be  felt  by 
God's  faithful  people,  when  in  His  providence 
they  are  called  to  pass  through  them.  2.  Sharp 
temptations,  as  they  often  follow  seasons  of  high 
communion,  so  are  they  often  preparatives  for  the 
highest  work.  3.  What  a  contrast  does  Christ 
here  present  to  Adam!  Adam  was  tempted  in  a 
paradise,  and  yet  fell :  Christ  was  tempted  in  a 
wilderness,  and  yet  stood.  Adam,  in  a  state  of 
innocence,  was  surrounded  by  the  beasts  of  the 
field,  all  tame  and  submissive  to  their  lord :  Christ. 
in  a  fallen  world,  had  the  wild  beasts  raging  around 
Him,  and  only  supernaturally  restrained.  In  Adam 
we  see  man  easily  and  quickly  falling,  without  a 


Angels  minister                                MATTHEW  IV.                                       unto  Jesus 

11  thou  serve.     Then  the  devil  ^leaveth  him;  and,  behold,  'angels  came  and 
ministered  unto  him. 

A,  D.  27. 

fc  Jas.  4.  7. 
'  Heb.  1.  14. 

single  incentive  to  evil  save  the  tempter's  insinu- 
ations :  in  Christ  we  see  man  standing  encircled 
by  all  that  is  terrific,  and  harassed  by  long-con- 
timied,  varied,  and  most  subtle  attacks  from  the 
tempter.  4  Deep  is  the  disquietude  which  many 
Christians  sufier  from  finding  themselves  subject 
to  internal  temptations  to  sin,  both  continuous 
and  vehement.  It  staggers  them  to  find  that, 
without  any  external  solicitations,  they  are  tempt- 
ed so  frequently,  and  at  times  so  violently,  that  as 
by  a  tempest  they  are  ready  to  be  carried  away, 
and  in  a  moment  make  shipwi-eck  of  faith  and  of  a 

food  conscience.  Surely,  they  think,  this  can  only 
e  accounted  for  but  l^y  some  depth  and  virulence 
of  corruption  never  reached  by  the  grace  of  God, 
and  inconsistent  with  that  delight  in  the  law  of 
God  after  the  inward  man  which  is  characteristic 
of  His  children.  But  here  we  see,  in  the  holy  One 
of  God,  an  example  of  solicitations  to  sin  purely 
internal,  for  aught  that  we  can  perceive,  continued 
throughout  the  long  i^eriod  of  forty  days.  The 
source  of  them,  it  is  true,  was  all  external  to  the 
Redeemer's  soul — they  were  from  the  devil  solely 
—but  the  sphere  of  them  was  wholly  internal ;  and 
it  is  impossible  to  doulst  that,  in  order  to  their 
being  temxitations  at  all,  there  must  have  been 
permitted  a  vivid  presentation  by  the  tempter,  to 
the  mind  of  Jesus^  of  all  that  was  adverse  to  His 
claims^so  vivid,  indeed,  as  to  make  entire  and 
continued  resistance  a  fruit  of  pure  faith.  And 
though  probably  no  temptation  of  any  strength 
and  duration  passes  over  the  spirit  of  a  Christian 
without  finding  some  echo,  however  faint,  and 
leaving  some  stain,  however  slight,  the  Example 
here  presented  should  satisfy  us  that  it  is  neither 
the  duration  nor  the  violence  of  our  temptations — 
though  they  come  as  "fiery  darts"  (Eph.  vi.  16) 
thick  as  hail — that  tells  the  state  of  the  heart  be- 
fore God,  but  how  they  are  met.  5.  It  has  long 
been  a  prevalent  opinion  that  the  three  tempta- 
tions here  recorded  were  addressed  to  what  the 
beloved  disciple  calls  (1  John  ii.  IG)  "the  lust 
of  the  flesh  (the  first  one),  the  lust  of  the  eyes 
(Luke's  second  one),  and  the  pride  of  life"  (Luke's 
third  one).  Others  also,  as  Ellkott,  think  they 
were  addressed  respectively  to  that  three-fold  di- 
vision of  our  nature  (1  Thes.  v.  23) — the  "body, 
soul,  and  spirit,"  in  the  same  order.  Wliether 
this  does  not  presuppose  Luke's  order  of  the  temp- 
tations to  be  the  right  one,  contrary  to  what  we 
have  endeavoured  to  show,  we  need  not  enquire. 
But  too  much  should  not  be  made  of  such  things. 
One  thing  is  cei-tain,  that  after  so  long  trying  our 
Lord  internally  without  success,  and  then  proceed- 
ing to  solicit  Him  from  ivithout,  the  tempter  would 
leave  no  avenue  to  desire,  either  bodily  or  mental, 
unassailed ;  and  so  we  may  rest  assured  that  He 
"was  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are."  The 
fii'st  temptation  was  to  distrust  the  providential  care 
of  God — on  the  double  plea  that  '  it  had  not  come 
to  the  rescue  in  time  of  need,'  and  that  '  He  had 
the  remedy  in  His  own  hands^  and  so  need  not 
be  at  a  moment's  loss.'  This  is  repelled,  not  by 
denying  His  power  to  relieve  Himself,  but  by  hold- 
ing up  the  sinfulness  of  distrusting  God,  which 
that  would  imply,  and  the  duty,  even  in  the  most 
straitened  circumstances,  of  unshaken  confidence 
in  God's  word  of  promise,  which  is  man's  true  life. 
0  what  a  word  is  this  for  the  midtitudes  of  God's 
children  who  at  times  are  at  their  wit's  end  for 
the  things  that  are  needful  for  the  body — things 
easily  to  be  had,  could  they  but  dare  to  snatch  at 
them  unla%vfully,  but  which  seem  divinely  with- 
19 


held  from  them  at  the  very  time  when  they  appear 
most  indispensable !  The  second  temptation  was 
to  just  the  opposite  of  distrust  (and  this  may  fur- 
ther show  that  it  ivas  the  second) — to  2>resumption 
or  a  ivanton  appeal  to  promised  safety,  by  creating 
the  danger  against  which  that  safety  is  divinely 
pledged.  And  0  bow  many  err  here !  adventuring 
themselves  where  they  have  no  warrant  to  expect 
protection,  and  there,  exercising  a  misplaced  confi- 
dence, are  left  to  suffer  the  consequences  of  their 
presumption.  The  last  temptation  is  addressed  to 
the  princiiile  of  ambition,  which  makes  us  acces- 
sible to  the  lust  of  possessions,  grandeur,  and 
power.  These,  to  a  boundless  extent,  and  in  all 
their  glitter,  are  held  forth  to  Jesus  as  His  own, 
on  one  single  condition — that  He  will  do  homage 
for  them  to  another  than  God;  which  was  but 
another  way  of  saying,  '  if  thou  wilt  transfer  thine 
allegiance  from  God  to  the  devil.'  It  is  just  the 
case,  then,  which  our  Lord  Himself  afterwards  put 
to  His  disciples,  "What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if 
he  should  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own 
soul  ?  Or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for 
his  soul?"  And  how  many  are  there,  naming 
the  name  of  Christ,  who,  ■when,  not  the  whole 
world,  but  a  very  fractional  part  of  it,  lies  open 
before  them  as  even  likely  to  become  theirs,  on 
the  single  condition  of  selling  their  conscience 
to  what  they  know  to  be  sinful,  give  way,  and 
incur  the  dreadful  penalty;  instead  of  resolutely 
saying,  with  Joseph,  "How  can  1  do  this  great 
wickedness,  and  sin  against  God,"  or,  with  a  Greater 
than  Joseph  here,  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan,  for 
it  is  written,  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  Him  only  shalt  thou  serve."  We  thus  see, 
however,  that  within  the  limits  of  this  tempta- 
tion-scene— however  it  be  arranged  and  viewed 
— all  the  forms  of  human  temiitation  were,  in 
principle,  experienced  by  "the  Man  Christ  Jesus," 
and  accordingly  that  "He  was  tempted  in  all 
points  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin."  6.  That 
the  second  stage  of  the  Temptation  was  purely 
internal  as  well  as  the  first — which  is  the  theory 
of  some  otherwise  sound  critics,  especially  of 
Germany — is  at  variance  with  the  obvious  meaning 
of  the  text ;  creates  greater  difficulties  than  those 
it  is  intended  to  remove ;  is  suggested  by  a  spirit 
of  subjective  criticism  which  would  explain  away 
other  external  facts  of  the  Evangelical  History 
as  well  as  this ;  and  is  rejected  by  nearly  all  ortho- 
dox interpreters,  as  well  as  repudiated  by  the 
simple-minded  reader  of  the  narrative.  7.  What 
a  testimony  to  the  divine  aidhority  of  the  Old 
Testament  have  we  here!  Three  quotations  are 
made  from  it  by  our  Lord — two  of  them  from 
"the  law,"  and  one  from  "the  Psalms" — all  intro- 
duced by  the  simple  formula,  "/i  is  written,"  as 
divinely  settling  the  question  of  human  duty  in 
the  cases  referred  to ;  while  elsewhere,  in  quoting 
from  the  remaining  division  of  the  Old  Testament — 
"  the  Prophets" — the  same  formula  is  emxjloyedby 
our  Lord,  "/<  is  ivritten,"  (Matt.  xxi.  13,  &c.)  Nor 
will  the  theory  of  '  accommodation  to  the  current 
views  of  the  time' — as  if  that  would  justify  an 
erroneous  interpretation  of  the  Old  Testament  to 
serve  a  present  purpose — be  of  any  service  here. 
For  here  our  Lord  is  not  contending  with  the  Jews, 
nor  even  in  their  presence,  but  with  the  foul 
temjjter  alone.  Let  any  one  take  the  trouble  to 
collect  and  arrange  our  Lord's  quotations  from  the 
Old  Testament,  and  indirect  references  to  it,  and 
he  will  be  constrained  to  admit  either  that  the  Old 
Testament  is  of  diAone  authority,  as  a  record  of 


Jesus  dwelleth 


1\IATTnEW  IV. 


in  Capernmim. 


12  Now  '"^wlien  Jesus  had  heard  that  Johu  was  ^cast  into   prison,  he 

13  departed  into  Gahlee;   and  leaving   Nazareth,  he  came  and  dwelt  in 
Capernaum,  which  is  upon  the  sea  coast,  in  the  borders  of  Zabulon  and 


A.  D.  31. 


"'Luke  3.  20. 
1  Or,  deliver- 
ed up. 


truth  and  directory  of  duty,  because  the  Faithful 
and  True  Witness  so  regarded  it,  or  if  it  be  not, 
that  Christ  Himself  was  not  above  the  erroneous 
views  of  the  time  and  the  people  to  which  He  be- 
longed, and  in  regard  to  the  true  character  of  the 
Old  Testament  was  simply  mistaken:  a  conclu- 
sion which  some  in  our  day  who  call  themselves 
Christians  have  not  shrunk  from  insinuating.  8. 
See  how  one  may  most  elFectually  resist  the 
devil.  "  The  whole  armour  of  God"  is  indeed  to  be 
used ;  but  particularly  "  the  sword  of  the  Spirit, 
which  is  the  Word  of  God" — so  called  because  it 
is  the  Spirit  that  gives  that  Word  li^^ng  power,  as 
God's  own  testimony,  in  the  heart.  As  His  divine 
and  authoritativ^e  directory  in  duty  against  all 
the  assaults  of  the  tempter,  Jesus  wielded  that 
sword  of  the  Spirit  with  resistless  power.  To  this 
secret  of  successful  resistance  the  beloved  disciple 
alludes  when  he  says,  "I  have  written  unto  you, 
young  men,  because  ye  are  strong,  and  the  Word 
of  God  abideth  in  you,  and  ye  have  overcome  the 
wicked  one"  (1  John  ii.  14).  But  9.  This  presup- 
l)Oses,  not  only  that  the  Scriptures  are  not  im]iiously 
and  cruelly  withheld  from  tlie  tempted  children  of 
God,  but  that  they  "  seai'ch"  them,  and  "  meditate 
in  them  day  and  night."  We  have  seen  how  re- 
markably apposite  as  well  as  ready  was  our  Lord's 
use  of  Scripture  ;  but  this  must  have  arisen  from 
His  constant  study  of  it  and  experimental  applica- 
tion of  it  to  His  own  uses,  both  in  the  daily  occu- 
jiations  of  His  previous  life,  and  in  the  view  of  all 
that  lay  before  ilim.  Nor  will  the  temi)ted  childi-en 
of  God  find  the  Scriptures  to  be  the  ready  sword 
of  the  Spirit  in  the  hour  of  assault  otherwise  than 
their  Lord  did;  but  thus  "resist  the  devil,  and  he 
will  flee  from  you"  (Jas.  iv.  7):  "Whom  resist 
sfedfa-st  in  the  faith,  knowing  that  the  same  afflic- 
tions are  accomplished  in  yoiu'  brethren  that  are 
in  the  world"  (1  Pet.  v.  9).  10.  Let  not  God's  dear 
childi'en  suffer  themselves  to  be  despoiled,  by  the 
tempter,  of  the  sense  of  that  high  relationship.  It 
is  their  strength  as  well  as  joy,  not  less  really, 
though  on  a  vastly  lower  scale,  than  it  was  their 
Lord's.  11.  What  can  be  more  glorious,  to  those 
who  see  in  Christ  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father, 
than  the  sense  which  Christ  had,  during  all  this 
temptation,  of  His  standing,  as  Man,  under  the 
very  same  law  of  duty  as  His  "  brethren ! "  When 
tempted  to  supply  His  wants  as  man,  by  ijuttiug 
forth  His  power  as  the  Son  of  God,  He  refused,  be- 
cause it  was  written  that  "  Man  doth  not  live  by 
bread  only,  but  by  every  word  of  God,"  Again, 
when  tempted  to  cast  Himself  down  from  the  pin- 
nacle of  the  temjile,  because  the  saints — even  as 
many  as  "made  the  most  High  their  habitation"^ 
were  luider  the  charge  of  God's  angels.  He  de- 
clined, because  it  was  written,  "Thou  (meaning 
God's  iieople,  whether  collectively  or  indi^ddually) 
shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God."  'I  there- 
fore refuse  to  tempt  the  Lord  my  God.'  Finally, 
when  solicited,  by  a  sjilendid  bribe,  to  fall  down 
and  worship  the  tempter,  He  indignantly  ordered 
him  off  with  that  scripture,  "  Thou  shalt  wor- 
ship the  Lord  thy  God,  and  Him  only  shalt 
thou  serve."  Evidently,  Christ  read  that  com- 
mand as  addressed  to  Himself  as  man;  and  on 
the  rock  of  adoring  subjection  to  the  Lord  as  His 
God  He  is  found  standing  at  the  close  of  this 
whole  Temptation-scene.  How  identical  with  our 
entire  tempted  life  does  oiu*  Lord  thus  show 
His  own  to  be!  And  what  vividness  and  force 
does  this  give  to  the  assurance  that  "iii  that  He 
2() 


Himself  hath  suffered,  being  tempted.  He  is  able 
also  to  succour  them  that  are  tempted ! "  (Heb.  ii. 
18. )  This  way  of  viewing  our  Lord's  victory  over 
the  tempter  is  far  more  natural  and  satisfactory  than 
the  quaint  conceit  of  tlie  Fathers,  that  our  Lord, 
'  by  His  divinity,  caught  the  tempter  on  the  hook 
of  His  humanity.'  Not  but  that  there  is  a  truth 
couched  under  it.  But  it  is  too  much  in  the  line 
of  a  vicious  separation,  in  His  actions,  of  the  one 
nature  fi-om  the  other,  in  which  they  indulged,  and 
is  apt  to  make  His  human  life  and  obetlience  ap- 
l)ear  fantastic  and  unreal.  His  personal  divinity 
secured  to  Him  that  operation  of  the  Spirit  in  virtue 
of  which  He  was  born  the  Holy  Thing,  and  that 
continued  action  of  the  Spirit  in  vii-tue  of  which 
His  holy  humanity  was  gradually  develoiied  into 
the  maturity  and  beauty  of  holy  manhood;  but 
when  the  Spirit  descended  upon  Him  at  His  bap- 
tism, it  was  for  His  whole  official  work;  and  in 
this,  the  very  first  scene  of  it,  and  one  so  precious. 
He  overcame  throughout  as  mam  through  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Gliost— His  Godhead  being 
the  security  that  He  should  not  and  could  not  fail. 
12.  Henceforth  there  is  no  mention  of  Satan 
making  any  formal  assault  upon  our  Lord  until 
the  night  before  He  suffered.  Nor  did  he  come 
then,  as  he  did  now,  to  try  directly  to  seduce  Him 
from  His  fidelity  to  God ;  but  in  the  way  of  com- 
passing His  death,  and  by  the  hands  of  tliose  whose 
part  it  was,  if  He  were  the  Son  of  God,  to  acknow- 
ledge His  claims.  Once  before,  indeed,  He  said 
to  Beter,  "Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan"  (Matt. 
xvi.  22,  2.3)— as  if  He  had  descried  the  tempter 
a^ain  stealthily  approaching  Him  in  the  peison 
of  Peter,  to  make  Him  shrink  from  dying.  And 
again,  when  the  Greeks  expressed  their  wish  to 
see  Him,  He  spoke  mysteriously  of  His  hour 
having  come,  and  had  a  kind  of  agony  by  antici- 
pation ;  but  after  it  was  over,  He  exclaimed, 
"  Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world;  now  shall 
the  jirince  of  this  world  be  cast  out"  (John  xii. 
20-31) — as  if,  in  the  momentaiy  struggle  with  the 
horrors  of  His  final  "hour,"  He  had  descried  the 
tempter  holding  up  this  as  his  master-stroke  for 
at  length  accomplishing  His  overthi'ow,  but  at 
the  same  time  got  a  glimpse  of  the  glorious 
victory  over  Satan  which  this  final  stroke  of 
his  policy  was  to  prove.  These,  liowever,  were 
but  tentative  apijroaches  of  the  adversary.  After 
the  last  supper,  and  ere  they  had  lisen  from  the 
table,  our  Lord  said,  "Henceforth  [en]  I  will  not 
talk  much  with  you:  for  the  prince  of  this  world 
coinefh,  and  hath  nothing  in  me"  (John  xiv.  30); 
as  if  the  moment  of  his  "coming"  were  just  at 
hand.  At  len<d;h,  when  in  the  garden  they 
drew  near  to  t:ike  Him,  He  said,  "^Vhen  I  was 
daily  with  you  in  the  temple,  ye  stretched  forth 
no  hands  against  me:  h^tt  this  is  your  hour,  and 
the  poiver  of  darkness"  (Luke  xxii.  52,  53).  The 
tempter  had  "  departed  from  Him  till  a  season," 
and  this  at  length  is  it.  Not  but  that  he  was 
in  everything  that  tried  our  Lord's  stedfastness 
from  first  to  last.  But  his  formal  and  outstand- 
ing eftbrts  against  our  Lord  were  at  the  outset  and 
at  the  dose  of  His  career,  and,  as  we  have  seen, 
of  a  very  different  nature  the  one  from  the  other. 
Blessed  Saviour,  look  ujion  our  tempted  condition 
here  below;  and  what  time  the  enemy  cometh  in 
upon  us  like  a  fiood,  by  Thy  good  Spirit  help  us  to 
tread  in  Thy  footsteps :  so  shall  we  be  more  than 
conquerors  through  Him  that  loved  us  ! 
12-25.— Christ  begins  His  Galile.vn  Ministry 


Fulfilment  of  prophecy  in 


MATTHEW  IV. 


Christ's  entry  into  Galilee. 


14  Neplitlialim :  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  wliicli  was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  I    ^-  ^  ^^- 

15  prophet,  saying,  The  "land  of  Zabulon,  and  the  land  of  Nephthalim,  by  the  |  "  ^^^-  ^-  ^'  ^- 


— Calling  of  Peter  and  Andrew,  James  and 
John— His  First  Galilean  Circuit.  (=  Mark 
L  14-20,  35-39 ;  Luke  iv.  14,  15. ) 

There  is  here  a  notable  r/ap  in  the  Histori/,  whick 
but  for  tke  fourth  Gospel  we  shoukl  never  have  dis- 
covered. From  tlie  former  Gospels  we  shoukl  have 
been  apt  to  draw  three  inferences,  which  from 
the  fourth  one  we  loiow  to  be  erroneous:  First, 
that  our  Lord  awaited  the  close  of  John's  ministry, 
by  his  arrest  and  im^trisonment,  before  beginning 
His  own ;  next,  that  there  was  but  a  brief  interval 
between  the  baiitism  of  our  Lord  and  the  imprison- 
ment of  John  ;  and  further,  that  our  Lord  not  only 
ojiened  His  work  in  Galilee,  but  never  ministered 
out  of  it,  and  never  visited  Jerusalem  at  all  nor 
kept  a  Passover  till  He  went  thither  to  become 
"our  Passover,  sacrihced  for  us."  The  fourth 
Gospel  alone  gives  the  true  succession  of  events ; 
not  only  recording  those  important  openings  of  our 
Lord's  public  work  which  preceded  the  Baptist's 
imprisonment — extending  to  the  end  of  the  third 
chapter — but  so  specifying  the  Passovers  which 
occuiTed  during  our  Lonl's  ministry  as  to  enable 
us  to  line  off,  with  a  large  measure  of  certainty, 
the  events  of  the  first  three  Gospels  according  to 
the  successive  Passovers  which  they  embraced. 
Eusehius,  the  ecclesiastical  historian,  who,  early  in 
the  fourth  century,  gave  much  attention  to  this 
subject,  in  noticing  these  features  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Records,  says  (iii  24)  that  John  wrote  his 
Gospel  at  the  entreaty  of  those  who  knew  the  im- 
portant materials  he  possessed,  and  filled  up  what 
is  wanting  in  the  first  three  Gospels.  Why  it  was 
reserved  for  the  fom-th  Gospel,  published  at  so 
late  a  period,  to  snppdy  such  important  particulars 
in  the  Life  of  Christ,  it  is  not  easy  to  conjecture 
with  any  probability.  It  may  be,  that  though  not 
unacquainted  with  the  general  facts,  they  were 
not  furnished  with  reliable  details.  But  one  thing 
may  be  affirmed  with  tolerable  certainty,  that  as 
our  Lord's  teaching  at  Jerusalem  was  of  a  depth 
and  grandeur  scarcely  so  well  adapted  to  the  pre- 
vailing character  of  the  first  three  Gospels,,  out 
altogether  congenial  to  the  fourth ;  and  as  the 
bare  mention  of  the  successive  Passovers,  mthout 
any  account  of  the  transactions  and  discourses 
they  gave  rise  to,  woiUd  have  served  little  piu-- 
rose  in  the  first  three  Gospels,  there  may  have 
been  no  way  of  preserving  the  unity  and  consis- 
tency of  each  Gospel,  so  as  to  furnish  by  means  of 
them  all  the  precious  information  we  get  fi-om 
til  em,  save  by  the  plan  on  which  they  are  actually 
constructed. 

Entry  into  Galilee  (12-17).  12.  Now  when  Jesus 
had  heard  that  John  was  cast  into  prison 
[TrapeooO))] — more  simply,  'was  delivered  up;'  as 
recorded  in  cli.  xiv.  3-5;  Mark  vi.  17-20;  Luke 
iii.  19,  20— he  departed— rather,  Svithdrew'  [five- 
XtupiiCTei/j — into  Galilee — as  recorded,  in  its  proper 
yilace,  in  John  iv.  1-3.  13.  And  leaving  [KaToXnrwv] 
Nazareth.  The  prevalent  opinion  is,  that  this 
refers  to  a  firnt  visit  to  Nazareth  after  His  bap- 
tism, whose  details  are  given  by  Luke  (iv.  16,  &c. ) ; 
a  second  visit  being  that  detailed  by  our  Evan- 
gelist (ch.  xiiL  64-58),  and  by  Mark  (ch.  vi.  1-6). 
But  to  us  there  seem  all  but  insujierable  difficul- 
ties in  the  supposition  of  two  visits  to  Nazareth 
after  His  baptism;  and  on  the  grounds  stated 
on  Luke  iv.  16,  &c.,  we  think  that  the  one  only 
visit  to  Nazareth  is  that  recorded  by  Matthew 
(xiiL),  Mark  (vi.),  and  Luke  (iv.)  But  how, 
in  that  case,  are  we  to  take  the  word  'Heav- 
ing Nazareth"  here?  We  answer,  just  as  the 
21 


same  word  is  iised  in  Acts  xxi.  3,  "Now  when 
we  had  sighted  [Ava<pdvuvT€£]  Cyprus,  and  I'j't 
it  [KaraXnr6vT69]  on  the  left,  we  sailed  unto 
Syi-ia,"  &c. — that  is,  without  entering  Cyprus  at 
all,  but  merely  'sighting'  it,  as  the  nautical 
phrase  is,  they  steered  south-east  of  it,  leaving 
it  on  the  north-west.  So  here,  what  we  un- 
derstand the  Evangelist  to  say  is,  that  Jesus, 
on  His  retm-u  to  Galilee,  did  not,  as  might 
have  been  expected,  make  Nazareth  the  place  of 
His  stated  residence,  but  "  leaving  (or  passing  by) 
Nazareth,"  he  came  and  dwelt  in  Capernaum, 
which  is  upon  the  sea  coast  [K.  t?;i/  TrapadaXaa- 
a-iav] — '  maritime  Caiieniaum,'  on  the  uorth-we.st 
shore  of  the  sea  of  Galilee ;  but  the  precise  spot  is 
unknown.  (See  on  ch.  xi.  23.)  Our  Lord  seem? 
to  have  chosen  it  for  several  reasons.  Four  ov 
five  of  the  Twelve  lived  there;  it  had  a  con- 
siderable and  mixed  population,  securing  some 
freedom  from  that  intense  bigotry  which  even 
to  this  day  characterizes  all  places  where  Jews 
in  large  numbers  dwell  nearly  alone ;  it  was 
centrical,  so  that  not  only  on  the  approach  of  the 
annual  festivals  did  large  numbers  pass  through 
it  or  near  it,  but  on  any  occasion  multitudes  could 
easily  be  collected  about  it ;  and  for  crossing  and 
recrossing  the  lake,  which  om*  Lord  had  so  often 
occasion  to  do,  no  place  could  be  more  conve- 
nient. But  one  other  high  reason  for  the  choice 
of  Capernanm  remains  to  be  mentioned,  the  on'y 
one  specified  by  our  Evangelist,  in  the  borders 
ofc Zabulon  and  Nephthalim— the  one  lying  to  tie 
west  of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  the  other  to  the  north 
of  it ;  but  the  precise  boundaries  cannot  now  1  le 
traced  out.  14.  That  it  might  be  fulfilled  which 
was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  prophet  (ch.  ix.  1,  2,  or, 
as  in  He!).,  ch.  \dii.  23,  and  ix.  1),  saying,  15.  Tha 
land  of  Zabulon,  and  the  land  of  Nephthalim,  [by] 
the  way  of  the  sea — the  coast  skirting  the  sea 
of  Galilee  westward — beyond  Jordan — a  phrase 
commonly  meaning  eastward  of  Jordan ;  but  here 
and  in  several  places  it  means  westward  of  the 
Jordan.  The  word  [vepav]  seems  to  have  got  the 
general  meaning  of  '  the  other  side ; '  the  nature  of 
the  case  determining  which  side  that  was.  Galilee 
of  the  Gentiles — so  called  from  its  position,  which 
made  it  'the  frontier'  between  the  Holy  Land 
and  the  external  world.  While  E]jhraim  and 
Judah,  as  Stanley  says,  were  separated  from  the 
world  by_  the  Jordan-valley  on  one  side  and 
the  hostile  Philistines  on  another,  the  northern 
tribes  were  in  the  direct  highway  of  all  the  in- 
vaders from  the  north,  in  unbroken  communica- 
tion with  the  promiscuous  races  who  have  always 
occupied  the  heights  of  Lebanon,  and  in  close 
and  peaceful  alliance  with  the  most  commer- 
cial nation  of  the  ancient  world — the  Phognicians. 
Twenty  of  tlie  cities  of  Galilee  were  actually 
annexed  by  Solomon  to  the  adjacent  kingdom  of 
Tyi-e,  and  formed,  with  their  territoiy,  the  "boun- 
dary "  or  "  off  scouring "  ("Gebul"  or  "Cabul")  of 
the  two  dominions — at  a  later  time  still  known  by 
the  general  name  of  "  the  boundaries  ("coasts  "  or 
"borders")  of  Tyi-e  and  Sidon."_  In  the  first 
great  transportation  of  the  Jewish  population, 
Naphthali  and  Galilee  suffered  the  same  fate  as 
the  trans-Jordanic  tribes  before  Ephraim  or  Judah 
had  been  molested  (2  KL  xv.  29).  In  the  time  of 
the  Christian  era  this  original  disadvantage  of 
their  position  was  still  felt ;  the  speech  of  the  Gali- 
leans bewrayed  them"  by  its  imcouth  pronuncia- 
tion (Matt.  xxvi.  73);  and  their  distance  from 
the  seats  of  government  and  civilization  at  Jeru- 


Jesus  heginneth  to  preach. 


MATTHEW  IV.        Calling  of  Peter  and  Andretc. 


16  way  of  the  sea,  beyond  Jordan,  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles :  the  "people  which 
sat  in  darkness  saw  great  light ;  and  to  them  which  sat  in  the  region  and 

17  shadow  of  death  light  is  sprung  up.     From  ^that  time  Jesus  began  to 
preach,  and  to  say,  *  Repent :  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand. 

18  And  'Jesus,  walking  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  saw  two  brethren,  Simon 
*  called  Peter,  and  Andrew  his  brother,  casting  a  net  into  the  sea :  for 

19  they  were  fishers.     And  he  saith  unto  them.  Follow  me,  and  *I  will  make 

20  you  fishers  of  men.     And  "they  straightway  left  their  nets,  and  followed 

21  him.     And  'going  on  from  thence,  he  saw  other  two  brethren,  James  the 
son  of  Zebedee,  and  John  his  brother,  in  a  ship  with  Zebedee  their  father, 

22  mending  their  nets;  and  he  called  them.     And  they  immediately  left 
the  ship  and  their  father,  and  followed  him. 


A.  D.  31. 

"  Isa.  42.  7. 

Luke  2.  32. 
^  Mark  1. 14. 
9  ch.  10.  7. 
»■  Mark  1.  16. 
•  Matt.  16.18. 

John  1.  42. 
«  Ezek.  47.10. 

Luke  5.  10. 
"  ch.  10.37,38. 

Mark  10.28. 

Luke  18. 28. 

Gal.  1.  16. 
"  Mark  1.  19. 

Luke  5.  10. 


salem  and  Csesareaf  gave  them  tlieir  character  for 
turbulence  or  independence,  according  as  it  was 
viewed  by  their  friends  or  their  enemies.  16.  The 
people  which  sat  in  darkness  saw  great  light; 
and  to  them  which  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow 
of  death  light  is  sprung  up.  [This  is  rendered 
])retty  closely  from  the  Hebrew — not  at  all  from  the 
LXX.,  as  usual,  which  here  goes  quite  aside  from 
the  original.]  The  prophetic  strain  to  which  these 
words  belong  commences  with  Isa.  vii.,  to  which 
ch.  vi.  is  introdiictoiy,  and  goes  down  to  the  end 
of  ch.  xii. ,  which  hymns  the  spirit  of  that  whole 
strain  of  j^rophecy.  It  belongs  to  the  reign  of 
Ahaz,  and  turns  upon  the  combined  efforts  of  the 
two  neighbouring  kingdoms  of  Syria  and  Israel 
to  crush  Judah.  In  these  critical  circumstances 
Judah  and  her  king  were,  by  theii'  ungodliness,  pro- 
voking the  Lord  to  sell  them  into  the  hands  of 
their  enemies.  What,  then,  is  the  burden  of  this 
prophetic  strain,  on  to  the  passage  here  quoted? 
First,  Judah  shall  not,  cannot  perish,  because 
Immanuel,  the  Virgin's  Son,  is  to  come  forth  from 
his  loins.  Next,  One  of  the  invaders  shall  soon 
perish,  and  the  kingdom  of  neither  be  enlarged. 
Further,  While  the  Lord  will  be  the  Sanctuary  of 
such  as  confide  in  these  promises  and  await  their 
fulfilment.  He  will  drive  to  confusion,  darkness, 
and  despair  the  vast  multitude  of  the  nation  who 
despised  His  oracles,  and,  in  their  anxiety  and 
distress,  betook  themselves  to  the  lying  oracles  of 
the  heathen.  This  carries  us  down  to  the  end  of 
the  eighth  chapter.  At  the  opeuing  of  the  ninth 
chapter  a  sudden  light  is  seen  breaking  in  upon 
one  particular  part  of  the  country,  the  part  which 
was  to  suffer  most  in  these  wars  and  devastations 
— "  the  land  of  Zebulun,  and  the  land  of  Naphtali, 
the  way  of  the  sea,  beyond  Jordan,  Galilee  of  the 
Gentiles."  The  rest  of  the  prophecy  stretches 
oyer  both  the  Assyrian  and  the  Chaldean  captivi- 
ties, and  terminates  in  the  glorious  Messianic 
prophecy  of  ch.  xi.,  and  the  choral  hymn  of  ch. 
xii.  Well,  this  is  the  point  seized  on  by  oui- 
Evangelist.  By  Messiah's  taking  up  His  abode  in 
those  very  regions  of  Galilee,  and  shedding  His 
glorious  light  upon  them,  this  prediction,  he  says, 
of  the  evangelical  prophet  was  now  fulfilled ;  and 
if  it  was  not  thus  fulfilled,  we  may  confidently 
affirm  it  was  not  fulfilled  in  any  age  of  the  Jewish 
economy,  and  has  received  no  fulfilment  at  all. 
Even  the  most  rationalistic  critics  have  difficulty 
in  explaining  it  in  any  other  way.  17.  From  that 
time  Jesus  began  to  preach,  and  to  say.  Repent : 
for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand.  Thus 
did  our  Lord  not  only  take  up  the  strain,  but  give 
forth  the  identical  summons  of  His  honoured  fore- 
runner. Our  Lord  sometimes  speaks  of  the  new 
kingdom  as  already  come — in  His  own  Person  and 
ministry ;  but  the  economij  of  it  was  only  "  at 
Liiud"  {hyyiK€v\  until  the  blood  of  the  cross  was 
22 


shed,  and  the  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  opened 
the  fountain  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness  to  the 
world  at  large. 

Calling  of  Pete)'  and  Andrew,  James  and  John 
(18-22).  18.  And  Jesus,  walking.  (The  word 
"Jesus"  here  appears  not  to  belong  to  the  text, 
but  to  have  been  introduced  from  those  por- 
tions of  it  which  were  transcribed  to  be  used 
as  Church  Lessons ;  where  it  was  natiu-ally 
introduced  as  a  connecting  word  at  the  com- 
mencement of  a  Lesson.)  toy  the  sea  of  Galilee, 
saw  two  brethren,  Simon  called  Peter— for  the 
reason  mentioned  in  ch.  xvi.  18 — and  Andrew 
his  brother,  casting  a  net  into  the  sea:  for 
they  were  fishers.  19.  And  he  saith  unto  them. 
Follow  me — rather,  as  the  same  expression  is 
rendered  in  Mark,  "Come  ye  after  me"  [AeDt-6 
oTTio-o)  juou]— and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men 
—raising  them  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  fishing, 
as  David  was  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  feeding 
(Ps.  Ixxviii.  70-72).  20.  And  they  straightway 
left  their  nets,  and  followed  him.  21.  And  going 
on  from  thence,  he  saw  other  two  brethren, 
James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  John  his  brother, 
in  a  ship  \hv  tw  'rr\o'Lio\ — rather,  '  in  the  ship,' 
their  fishing  boat— with  Zebedee  their  father, 
mending  their  nets;  and  he  called  them.  22. 
And  they  immediately  left  the  ship  and  their 
father.  Mark  adds  an  imiiortant  clause :  "  They 
left  their  father  Zebedee  in  the  ship  with  the 
lured  servants;"  showing  that  the  family  were  in 
easy  circumstances,  and  followed  him.  Two 
liarmonistic  questions  here  arise.  First,  W^as 
this  the  same  calling  with  that  recorded  in  John 
i.  35-42?  Clearly  not.  For,  1.  That  call  was  given 
while  Jesus  was  yet  in  Judea:  this,  after  His 
return  to  Galilee.  2.  Here,  Christ  calls  Andrew : 
there,  Andrew  solicits  an  interview  with  Christ. 
3.  Here,  Andrew  and  Peter  are  called  together: 
there,  Andrew  having  been  called,  with  an  un- 
named disciple,  who  was  clearly  the  beloved  dis- 
cixile  (see  on  John  i.  40),  goes  and  fetches  Peter 
his  brother  to  Christ,  who  then  calls  him.  4. 
Here,  John  is  called  along  with  James  his  brother  : 
there,  John  is  called  along  with  Andrew,  after 
having  at  their  own  request  had  an  interview 
with  Jesus ;  no  mention  being  made  of  James, 
whose  call,  if  it  then  took  place,  would  not 
likely  have  been  passed  over  by  his  own  brother. 
Thus  far  nearly  all  are  agreed.  But  on  the  nejit 
question  opinion  is  divided — Was  this  the  same 
calling  as  that  recorded  in  Luke  v.  1-11?  Many 
able  critics  thuik  so.  But  the  following  consider- 
ations are  to  us  decisive  against  it.  First,  Here, 
the  four  are  called  sejiarately,  in  \iairs :  in  Luke, 
all  together.  Next,  In  Luke,  alter  a  glorious 
mii-acle :  here,  the  one  pair  are  casting  their  net, 
the  other  are  mending  theirs.  Fm-ther,  Here,  our 
Lord  had  made  no  public  appearance  in  Galilee, 


Jesus  teacheth  in  the  synagogues,     MATTHEAY  IV. 


and  Jiealeth  the  diseased. 


23 


24 


And  Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  "^in  their  synagogues,  and 
preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of  sickness 
and  all  manner  of  disease  among  the  people.  And  his  ^fame  went 
throughout  all  Syria :  and  they  brought  unto  him  all  sick  people  that 
were  taken  with  divers  diseases  and  torments,  and  those  which  were 
possessed  with  devils,'  and  those  which  were  lunatic,  and  those  that  had 
25  the  palsy;  and  he  healed  them.  And  there  followed  him  ^ great  multi- 
tudes of  people  from  Galilee,  and  from  Decapolis,  and  from  Jerusalem, 
and/rowi  Judea,  and/row^  beyond  Jordan. 


A.  D.  31. 


"■  ch.  9.  3j. 

Mark  1.  21, 
39. 

Luke  4.  15. 
*  Isa.  52.  13. 

Mark  1.  28. 

Luke  4.  14. 
y  Gen.  49.  10. 

Isa.  55.  3. 

ch.  19.  2. 

Mark  3.  7. 


and  so  liad  gathered  none  around  Him;  He  is 
walking  solitarily  by  the  shores  of  the  lake  when 
He  accosts  the  two  paii'S  of  fishermen:  in  Luke, 
"the  multitude  {t6v  o\\ov\  are  lying  upon  Him 
[£7ri/c6io-6ai  auTw],  and  hearing  the  word  of  God, 
as  He  stands  by  the  lake  of  Gennesaret "  —  a 
state  of  things  implying  a  somewhat  advanced 
sta^e  of  His  early  ministry,  and  some  popular 
enthusiasm.  Eegarding  these  successive  callings, 
see  on  Luke  v.  i 

First  Galilean  Circuit  (23-25).  23.  And  Jesus 
went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  syna- 
gogues. These  were  houses  of  local  worship.  It 
cannot  be  proveil  that  they  existed  before  the 
Babylonish  captivity;  but  as  they_  began  to  be 
erected  soon  after  it,  probably  the  idea  was  sug- 
gested by  the  religious  inconveniences  to  whicli 
the  captives  had  been  subjected.  In  our  Lord's 
time,  the  rule  was  to  have  one  wherever  ten 
learned  men,  or  jjrof essed  students  of  the  law, 
resided ;  and  they  extended  to  Syria,  Asia  Minor, 
Greece,  and  most  places  of  the  dispersion.  The 
larger  towns  had  several,  and  in  Jerusalem  the 
number  api)roached  500.  In  point  of  officers  and 
mode  of  worshi]!,  the  Christian  congregations  were 
modelled  after  the  synagogue,  and  preaching 
the  gospel— 'proclaiming  the  glad  tidings'  of  the 
kingdom,  and  hea,ling  \ll  manner  of  sickness 
[naaav  voaov] — '  every  disease' — and  all  manner 
of  disease  [wacrav  fj.a\aidav\ — 'every  complaint.' 
The  word  means  any  incii»ient  malady  causing 
'softness.'  among  the  people.  24.  And  his  fame 
went  throughout  all  Syria— reaching  first  to  that 
part  of  it  adjacent  to  Galilee,  called  Syrophenicia 
(Mark  vii.  26),  and  thence  extending  far  and  wide. 
and  they  brought  unto  him  all  sick  people  [tous 
^•a^a)s  t')(oi'Tas] — '  all  that  were  ailing'  or  'unwell.' 
[those]  that  were  taken— for  this  is  a  distinct 
class,  not  an  explanation  of  the  "unwell"  class, 
as  our  translators  understood  it :  with  divers  dis- 
eases and  torments— that  is,  acute  disorders  ;  and 
those  which  were  possessed  with  devils  [Sai/xo- 
i/i^o/aeVous] — 'that  were  demonized'  or  'possessed 
with  demons.'  On  this  subject,  see  Remark  4 
below,  and  those  which  were  lunatic  [o-eXiji/ia- 
^o/.iei'ous] — 'moon-struck' — and  those  that  had 
the  palsy  f7r«/)a\uT-tK:oi;s]^' paralytics,'  a  word  not 
iiatm-alized  when  our  version  was  made — and  he 
healed  them.  These  healings  were  at  once  His 
credentials  and  illustrations  of  "the  glad  tidings" 
which  He  proclaimed.  After  reading  this  account 
of  our  Lord's  first  preaching  torn-,  can  we  wonder 
at  what  follows?  25.  And  there  followed  him 
great  multitudes  of  people  from  Galilee,  and 
from  Becapolis  —a  region  lying  to  the  east  of  the 
Jordan,  so  called  as  containing  ten  cities,  founded 
aud  chiefly  inhabited  by  Greek  settlers,  and 
from  Jerusalem,  and  from  beyond  Jordan— mean- 
ing from  Perea.  Thus  not  only  was  all  Palestine 
upheaved,  but  all  the  adjacent  regions.  But  the 
more  immediate  object  for  which  this  is  here  men- 
tioned is,  to  give  the  reader  some  idea  both  of  the 
vast  concourse  and  of  the  varied  complexion  of 
ea^er  attendants  upon  the  great  Preacher,  to  whom 
23 


the  astonishing  Discourse  of  the  next  three  chap- 
ters was  addressed.  On  the  importance  which  our 
Lord  Himself  attached  to  this  first  i^reaching 
circuit,  and  the  preparation  which  He  made  for 
it,  see  on  Mark  i.  35-39. 

Remarks.  —  1.  When,  in  the  prophetic  strain 
regarding  Emmanuel,  we  read  that  a  great  light 
was  to  irradiate  certain  specified  parts  of  Pales- 
tine— the  most  distm-bed  and  devastated  in  the 
early  wars  of  the  Jews,  and  in  after  times  the 
most  mixed  and  the  least  esteemed— and  when, 
in  the  Gospel  History,  we  find  our  Lord  taking  up 
His  stated  abode  in  those  very  regions,  as  every 
way  the  most  suited  to  His  purposes,  while  at  the 
same  time  it  furnished  the  bright  fulfilment  of 
Isaiah's  prophecy — can  we  refrain  from  exclaim- 
ing, "This  also  must  have  come  forth  from  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  who  is  wonderful^  in  counsel,  and 
excellent  in  working"  ?  2.  What  marvellous 
power  over  the  hearts  of  men  must  Jesus  have 
possessedj  when,  on  the  utterance  of  those  few 
now  familiar  words,  "Follow  Me" — "Come  ye 
after  Me,"  men  instantly  obeyed,  leaving  all  be- 
hind them  !  But  is  His  power  to  captivate  men's 
hearts,  with  a  word  or  two  from  the  lips  of  His 
servants,  less  now  that  He  "has  ascended  on 
high,  and  led  captivity  captive,  and  received  gifts 
for  men,  yea  for  the  rebellious  also,  that  the  Lord 
God  might  dwell  among  them"?  3.  Did  the 
Prince  of  preachers  not  only  "teach  in  the  syna- 
gogues," the  regular  places  of  public  worship,  but 
under  the  open  canopy  of  heaven  i^roclaim  the 
glad  tidings  to  the  crowds  that  gathered  around 
Ilim,  wlu)m  no  synagogue  would  have  held,  and 
not  a  few  of  whom  would  probably  never  have 
heard  Him  in  a  synagogue?  And  shall  those 
who  profess  to  be  the  followers  of  Christ  account 
all  open-air  i>reaching  disorderly  and  fanatical,  or 
at  least  regard  it  as  irregular,  unnecessary,  and 
inexpedient  in  a  Christian  country  and  a  settled 
state  of  the  Church?  When  the  apostle  says  to 
Timothy,  "Preach  the  word;  be  instant  in  season, 
out  of  season"  [euKaipw^,  uKaipioi,  2  Tiiu.  iv.  2],  does 
he  not  enjoin  it  at  what  are  called  canonical 
hours  and  at  uncanonical  too  ?  And  is  not  the 
same  jirinciple  api^iicable  to  what  may  be  called 
canonical  places?  These  are  good,  but  every 
other  i)lace  where  crowds  can  l^e  collected  to 
hear  the  glad  tidings  is  good  also ;  especially  if 
such  would  not  likely  be  reached  in  any  other 
way,  and  if  the  uncanonical,  abnormal  way  of  it 
should  be  fitted,  at  any  particular  period,  to 
arrest  the  attention  of  those  who,  in  the  regular 
places  of  worship,  have  become  listless  and  in- 
different to  eternal  things.  4.  It  is  remarkable, 
as  Campbell  observes  in  an  acute  Dissertation, 
vi.  1.,  that  in  the  New  Testament  men  are  never 
said  to  be  possessed  with  the  devil  or  with  devils 
[SidpoXo^],  but  always  with  a  demon  or  demons 
{da'ifxoov,  but  much  more  frequently  5ai/xoVtoi/],  or 
to  be  demonized  [5at;uoi/iJeo-6ai].  On  the  other 
hand,  the  ordinary  operations  of  the  wicked  one 
— even  in  their  most  extreme  and  malignant 
forms — are   invariably  ascribed    to    the    ''''devil" 


Christ's  Sermon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Mount. 


5       AND  seeing  the  multitudes,  "lie  went  up  into  a  mountain :  and  when 

2  he  was  set,  his  disciiiles  came  unto  him :  and  he  oi^ened  his  mouth,  and 

taught  them,  saying,  


"*  Mark  3.  13. 
Luke  6.  12: 


himself  or  to  ''Satan."  Thus  Satau  "tilled  the 
heart "  of  Ananias  (Acts  v.  3) ;  men  are  said  to  be 
"taken  captive  by  the  devil  [ot«/io/\oi/]  at  his  will" 
(2  Tim.  ii.  2(3) ;  uuregeuerate  men  are  the  children 
of  the  devil  (1  John  iii.  10) ;  Satan  entered  into 
Judas  (John  xiii.  27);  and  he  is  called  by  our  Lord 
Himself  (John  \\.  70)  "a  devil"  [cia/3o/\os].  It  is 
impossible  that  a  distinction  so  invariably  ob- 
served throughout  the  New  Testament  sh9uld 
be  without  a  meaning ;  but,  whatever  it  be,  it  is 
lost  to  the  English  reader,  as  our  translators 
have  in  both  cases  used  the  term  "devil."  It 
is  true  that  we  have  our  Lord's  own  authority 
for  viewing  this  whole  mysterious  agency  of 
demoJM  as  belonging  to  the  kingdom  of  Satan 
(ch.  xii.  24-2;)),  and  set  in  motion,  as  truly  as 
Ids  own  more  immediate  operations  on  the  souls 
of  men,  for  his  destructive  ends.  But  some  no- 
table features  in  his  general  policy  are  undoubt- 
edly intended  by  the  marked  distinction  of  terms 
observed  in  the  New  Testament.  One  thing 
comes  out  of  it  clearly  enough— that  these  pos- 
sessions were  something  totally  diiferent  from  the 
ordinary  operations  of  the  devil  on  the  souls  of 
men  ;  otherwise  the  distinction  would  be  unintel- 
ligible. And  that  they  are  not  to  be  confoimded 
wath  any  mere  bodily  disease— as  lunacy  or  epi- 
lepsy—is evident,  both  from  their  being  expressly 
distinguished  from  all  such  in  this  very  xiassage, 
and  from  the  personal  intelligence,  intentions,  and 
actions  ascribed  to  them  in  the  Nev/  Testament. 
Deeply  mysterious  is  such  agency;  and  one  can- 
not but  enquire  what  may  have  been  the  reason 
why  such  amazing  activity  and  virulence  were 
allowed  it  duxing  our  LoixVs  sojourn  upon  earth. 
The  answer  to  this,  at  least,  is  not  difricult.  For 
if  all  his  miracles  were  designed  to  illustrate  the 
chara-ter  of  His  mission;  and  if  "For  this  luir- 
pose  the  Son  of  God  was  manifested,  that  He 
might  destroy  the  Avorks  of  the  dcAdl"  (1  John 
iii.  8),  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was  to  make 
this  destruction  all  the  more  manifest  and  illus- 
trious that  the  enemy  was  allowed  such  terrific 
swing  at  that  period.  And  thus  might  we  ima- 
gine it  said  to  the  great  Enemy  from  above,  with 
respect  to  that  mighty  iiov/er  allowed  him  at  this 
time — "Even  for  this  same  purpose  have  I  raised 
tliee  up,  that  I  might  show  my  power  in  thee,  and 
that  my  name  might  be  declared  throughont  all 
the  earth"  (Rom.  ix.  17).  On  the  impurltfi  so  often 
ascribed  to  evil  spirits  in  the  Gospels,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  enter  here;  but  perhaps  it  may  be  in- 
tended to  express,  not  so  much  anything  in  hmnan 
sensuality  iiecnliarly  diabolical,  as  the  general 
vileness  or  loathsomeness  of  the  character  in 
which  these  evil  sph'its  revel.  But  the  whole  sub- 
ject is  one  of  difficulty.  5.  But  the  illustrative 
design  of  our  Lord's  miracles  takes  wider  range 
than  this.  His  miraculous  cures  were  all  of  a 
purely  beneficent  natiu-e,  rolling  away  one  or  other 
of  the  varied  e-\ils  brought  in  by  the  fall,  and 
in  no  instance  inflicting  any.  And  when  we  find 
Himself  saying,  "The  Son  of  Man  is  not  come 
to  destroy  "men's  lives,  but  to  save  them"  (Luke 
ix.  56),  does  He  not  teach  us  to  behold  in  all  His 
miraculous  cures  a  faint  manifestation  of  the 
Healing  Saviour,  in  the  highest  sense  of  that 
office?  [Compare  Exod.  xv.  26,  "Jehovah  that 
healeth  thee"— ^«3t  nirr.]  6.  Lawje  justly  no- 
tices here  an  important  difference  between  the 
ministry  of  John  and  that  of  our  Lord ;  the  one 
being  stationai-y,  the  other  movuig  from  place  to 
2A 


place — the  dlfusire  character  of  the  Gospel  thus 
peering  forth  at  the  very  outset  in  the  movements 
of  the  Great  Preacher.  And  we  may  add,  that 
the  glorious  ordinance  of  preaching  could  not  have 
been  more  illustriously  inaugurated. 

CHAP.  V — VII.    Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

AVhen  surrounded  by  midtitudes  of  eager  lis- 
teners, of  every  class  and  from  all  quarters,  and 
solemnly  seated  on  a  mountain  on  piuijose  to 
teach  them  for  the  first  time  the  great  leading 
principles  of  His  kingdom,  why,  it  may  be  asked, 
did  our  Lord  not  discourse  to  them  in  such  strains 
as  these: — "God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He 
gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life;"  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour 
and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest,"  &c.? 
While  the  absence  of  such  sayings  from  this  His 
first  great  Discourse  startles  some  to  whom  they 
are  all-precious,  it  emboldens  others  to  think 
that  evangelical  Christians  make  too  much  of 
them,  if  not  entirely  misconceive  them.  But 
since  the  Jewish  mind  had  been  long  systemati- 
cally perverted  on  the  subject  of  human  dnt;/, 
and  consequently  of  sin  by  the  breach  of  it,  and 
under  such  teaching  had  grown  obtuse,  un- 
spiritual,  and  self-satisfied,  it  was  the  dictate  of 
Avisdom  first  to  lay  broad  and  deep  the  founda- 
tions of  all  revealed  truth  and  duty,  and  hold 
forth  the  great  Y'l'inciples  of  true  and  acceijtalilo 
righteousness,  iu  sharp  contrast  with  the  false 
teaching  to  which  the  people  were  in  bondage. 
At  the  same  time  this  Discourse  is  by  no  means 
so  exclusively  ethical  as  many  supposa  On  the 
contrary,  though  avoiding  all  evangelical  details, 
at  so  early  a  stage  of  His  public  teaching,  our 
Lord  holds  forth,  from  beginning  to  end  of  this 
Discourse,  the  great  princtples  of  evangelical  and 
spu'itual  religion ;  and  it  will  be  found  to  breathe 
a  spii-it  entirely  in  harmony  with  the  subsequenb 
portions  of  the  New  Testament. 

That  this  is  the  same  Discourse  with  that  in 
Luke  vi.  17  to  49 — only  rei)orted  more  fully  by 
Matthew,  and  less  fully,  as  v.'ell  as  with  con- 
siderable variation,  by  Luke — is  the  opinion  of 
many  very  able  critics  (of  the  Greek  commenta- 
tors ;  of  Calvin,  Grotius,  Maldonatus — who  stands 
almost  alone  among  Romish  commentators ;  and 
of  most  moderns,  as  Tholucl;  Meyer,  £>e  Wetfe, 
Tischendorf,  Stler,  Wieseler,  Rohinson).  The  pre- 
vailing opinion  of  these  critics  is,  tha^t  Luke's  is 
the  original  form  of  the  Discourse,  to  which 
Matthew  has  added  a  number  of  sayings,  littered 
on  other  occasions,  in  order  to  give  at  one  view 
the  great  outlines  of  our  Lord's  ethical  teachuig. 
But  that  they  are  two  distinct  Discourses— the  one 
delivered  about  the  close  of  His  first  missionary 
tour,  and  the  other  after  a  second  such  tour  antl 
the  solemn  choice  of  the  Twelve — is  the  judg- 
ment of  othei-s  who  have  given  much  attention 
to  such  matters  (of  most  Romish  commentators, 
including  Erasmus:  and  among  the  moderns,  of 
Lange,  Grestoell,  £irks,  Webster  and  WilHnson. 
The  question  is  left  undecided  by  A  Iford),  Angus- 
tin's  opinion — that  they  were  both  delivered  ou 
one  occasion,  Matthew's  on  the  mountain,  and 
to  the  disciples ;  Luke's  in  the  plain,  and  to  the 

Eromiscuous  midtitude — is  so  clumsy  and  arti- 
cial  as  hardly  to  deserve  notice.  To  us  the 
weight  of  argument  appears  to  lie  with  those  who 
think  them  two  separate  Discourses.  It  seems 
hard  to  conceive  that  Matthew  shoidd  have  put 


Chrisfs  Sermon 


]\IATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Mount. 


3      Blessed  ^are  the  poor  in  spirit:  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  lieaven 
4  5  Blessed  '^  are  they  that  mourn  :   for  they  shall  be  comforted. 


A.  D.  .-Jl. 


Blessed  I  c  2Cor.'i.' 


this  Discourse  before  his  own  calling,  if  it  ^\'as  not 
uttered  till  long  after,  and  was  spoken  in  his  own 
liearing  as  one  of  the  newly-chosen  Twelve.  Add 
to  this,  that  INIatthew  introduces  his  Discourse 
amidst  very  definite  markings  of  time,  which  fix 
it  to  our  Lord's  fu-st  preaching  tour ;  while  that 
of  Liike,  which  is  expressly  said  to  have  been 
delivered  immediately  after  the  choice  of  the 
Twelve,  could  not  have  been  spoken  till  long 
after  the  time  noted  by  Matthew.  It  is  hard,  too, 
to  see  how  either  Discourse  can  well  be  regarded 
as  the  ex]")ansion  or  contraction  of  the  other.  And 
as  it  is  beyond  dispute  that  our  Lord  repeated 
some  of  His  weightier  sayings  in  diflferent  forms, 
and  with  varied  applications,  it  ought  not  to  sur- 
prise us  tliat,  after  the  lajise  of  perhaps  a  year-;— 
when,  having  speut  a  whole  night  on  the  hill  in 
prayer  to  God,  and  set  the  Twelve  apart.  He 
toimd  Himself  siu-rounded  by  crowds  of  people, 
few  of  whom  prol>al>ly  had  heard  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  and  fewer  still  remembered  much  of 
it — He  should  go  over  again  its  i>rinciiial  points, 
with  just  as  much  sameness  as  to  show  their 
endunng  gi-avity,  but  at  the  same  time  ^\^th  that 
dili'erence  which  shows  His  exhaustless  fertility 
as  the  great  Prophet  of  the  Church. 

CHAP.  V.  1-16.— The  Beatitudes,  and  their 
Bearing  upon  the  World. 

1.  And  seeing  the  multitudes — those  mentioned 
in  ch.  iv.  25—118  went  up  into  a  mountain  [eis 
TO  0(00?]— one  of  the  dozen  mountains  which  Ro- 
hinson  says  there  are  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea  of 
Galilee,  any  one  of  them  answering  about  equally 
well  to  the  occasion.  So  charming  is  the  whole 
landscape  that  the  descriptions  of  it,  from  Jo- 
sepkus  downwards  (J.  W.,  iv.  10,  8),  are  apt  to 
be  thought  a  little  coloured,  and  wlien  he  was 
set — 'had  sat'  or  'seated  Himself  [Kaditruin-o? 
(WTov]—his  disciples  came  unto  him — already  a 
large  circle,  more  or  less  attracted  and  subdued 
by  His  preaching  and  miracles,  in  addition  to  tlie 
smaller  band  of  devoted  adherents.  Though  the 
latter  only  ansv/ered  to  the  subjects  of  His  king- 
dom, described  in  this  Discourse,  there  were 
di-awn  from  time  to  time  into  tliis  inner  cii'cle 
souls  from  the  outer  one,  who,  by  the  power  of 
His  matchless  word,  were  constrained  to  forsake 
their  all  for  the  Lord  Jesus.  2.  And  he  opened  his 
mouth — a  solemn  way  of  arousing  the  reader's  at- 
tention, and  preparing  him  for  sometliing  weighty 
(Job  iii.  1 ;  Acts  \aiL  33 ;  x.  34)— and  taught  them, 
saying,  3.  Blessed,  &c.  Of  the  tv/o  words  which 
om*  translators  render  "blessed,"  the  one  here 
used  [fj-aKupioL]  points  more  to  what  is  imvard,  and 
so  might  be  rendered  "happy,"  in  a  lofty  sense; 
while  the  other  [euXoyij/ie'i/ot]  denotes  rather  what 
comes  to  us  from  icHhout  (as  Matt.  xxv.  34). 
But  the  distinction  is  not  always  nicely  carried 
out.     One  Hebrew  word  r';}Ti'^)]  exi  messes  both. 

On  these  precious  Beatitudes,  observe  that 
though  eight  in  numlier,  there  are  here  but  seven 
distinct  features  of  chai-acter.  The  eighth  one — 
tlie  " persecutei:!  for  righteousness'  sake" — denotes 
merely  the  jiossessors  of  the  seven  preceding  fea- 
tm-es,  on  account  of  which  it  is  that  they  are 
persecuted  (2  Tim.  iii.  12).  Accordingly,  instead 
of  any  distinct  promise  to  this  class,  we  have 
merely  a  repetition  of  the  iirst  promise.  This 
has  been  iioticed  by  several  critics,  who  by  the 
serenfold  character  thus  set  forth  have  rightly 
observed  that  a  complete  character  is  meant  to 
be  depicted,  and  by  the  serenfold  blessedness 
attached  to  it,  a  perfect  blessedness  is  intended. 


Observe,  again,  that  the  language  in  which 
these  beatitiides  are  couched  is  pui-posely  fetched 
from  the  Old  Testament,  to  show  that  the  new 
kingdom  is  but  the  old  in  a  new  form;  while 
the  characters  descriljed  are  but  the  varied  foims 
of  that  spiritunlil;/  which  was  the  essence  of  real 
religion  all  along,  but  had  well-nigh  disappeared 
under  corrupt  teaching.  Further,  the  things  here 
promised,  far  from  being  mere  arbitraiy  rewards, 
■will  be  found  in  each  case  to  grow  out  of  tlie 
chaj'acters  to  which  they  are  attached,  and  in 
their  completed  form  are  but  the  aiJ]iropriate 
coronation  of  them.  Once  more,  as  "the  king- 
dom of  heaven,"  which  is  the  first  and  the  last 
thing  here  j)romiscd,  has  two  stages — a  present 
and  a  fiiture,  an  initial  and  a  consummate  stage^ 
so  the  fulfilment  of  each  of  these  ])romises  has 
two  stages — a  present  and  a  futm-e,  a  partial  and 
a  perfect  stage. 

3.  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit.  All  familiar 
with  Old  Testament  phraseology  know  how  fre- 
quently God's  true  peojile  are  styled  "the  poor" 
[r:;'25.] — the  'oppressed,'  'alliicted,'  'miserable' — ■ 
"the  needy"  rc':i'2i<],  or  both  together  (as  in  Ps.  xl. 
17 ;  Isa.  xli.  17).  The  explanation  of  this  lies  in  the 
fact  that  it  is  generally  "the  x^oor  of  this  world" 
who  are  "rich  in  faith"  (Jas.  iL  5;  cf.  2  Cor.  vi. 
10,  and  Eev.  ii.  9);  while  it  is  often  "the  un- 
godly" who  "prosper  in  the  world"  (Ps.  Ixxiii. 
12).  Accordingdy,  in  Luke  (vi.  20,  21),  it  seems  to 
be  this  class— the  literally  '  jioor"  and  "hungry" 
— that  are  specially  addressed.  Biit  since  God's 
people  are  in  so  many  jilaces  styled  "the  poor" 
and  "tlie  needy,"  ^\^th  no  evident  reference  to 
their  temporal  circumstances  (as  in  Ps.  Ixviii.  10 ; 
Ixix.  29-33 ;  cxxxii.  15 ;  Isa.  Ixi.  1 ;  Ixvi.  2),  it  is 
plainly  a  frame  of  mind  which  those  teims  are 
meant  to  express.  Accordingly,  oiu"  translators 
sometimes  render  such  woi'ds  "the  humble"  (Ps. 
X.  12,  17),  "the  meek"  (Ps.  xxii.  2G),  "the  lowly" 
(Prov.  iii.  34),  as  ha^■ing  no  reference  to  outward 
circiunstances.  But  here  the  explanatory  words, 
"inspirit''  [T(a  Tri/cufiaTi],  fix  the  sense  to 'those 
who  in  their  deepest  consciousness  realize  their 
entire  need' (cf.  the  Gr.  of  Luke  x.  21;  John  xi. 
33;  xiii.  21;  Acts  xx.  22;  Pom.  xii.  11;  1  Cor. 
V.  3;  Phil.  iii).  This  self-emptying  conviction, 
that  '  before  God  we  are  void  of  everything,'  lies 
at  the  foundation  of  all  spiritual  excellence,  ac- 
cording to  the  teaching  of  Scri]  iture.  Without  it 
we  are  inaccessible  to  the  riches  of  Christ :  witli 
it  we  are  in  the  fitting  state  for  receiving  all 
spiritual  siipplies  (Rev.  iii.  17,  IS;  Matt.  ix.  12, 
13).  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  h'=av£u, 
[Our  translators  rightly  disregard  the  phu-al — r-a.f 
ovpavwv — here,  as  it  is  merely  a  literal  rendering 
of  D'O'i'n,  which  has  no  singular.  ]  See  on  eh.  iii.  2. 
The  poor  in  spirit  not  only  sliall  have — they 
already  have — the  kingdom.  The  very  sense  of 
their  poverty  is  begun  riches..  ^\  hile  others 
"walk  in  a  vain  show"  [pT^'^] — ^in  a  shadow,' 
'an  image' — in  an  um-eal  world,  taking  a  false 
\'iew  of  themselves  and  all  ai'ound  them — the 
jioor  in  sitirit  are  rich  in  the  knowledge  of  their 
real  case.  Having  courage  to  look  this  in  the 
face,  and  own  it  guilelessly,  they  feel  strong 
in  the  assurance  that  "unto  the  upright  there 
ariseth  light  in  the  darkness"  (Ps.  cxii.  4);  and 
soon  it  breaks  forth  as  the  morning.  (Jod  wants 
nothing  from  us  as  the  price  of  His  saving 
gifts;  we  have  but  to  feel  our  universal  destitu- 
tion,  and  cast    ourselves    upon   His   compassion 


Okrisfs  Sermoji 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Mount. 


G  ^are  the  meek:  for  'they   shall  inherit   the   earth.     Blessed  are  they      ^-^ 
which  do  hunger  and   thirst  after  righteousness:   -^for  they  shall  be 
filled. 


d  Ps    37.  U. 
^  Rom.  4.  13. 
/  Isa.  Co.  13. 


(Job  xxxiii.  27,  28 ;  1  John  i.  9).     So  the  poor  in 
spirit  are  eni'iched  with  the  fulness  of  Christ, 
which  is  the  kingdom  in  substance ;  and  when 
He  shall  say   to    them    from    His    great    white 
throne,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit 
the  kingdom  prepared  for  you,"   He  will  invite 
them  merely  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  an  already 
l)ossessed  inheritance.     4.  Blessed  are  they  that 
mourn:    for   they  shall   toe  comforted.     [Lach- 
wann,  Tischendorf,  and  Treiielles  iilace  this  verse 
after  v.  5,  but  on  evidence  decidedly  iuferior,  in 
oiu-  judgment,  to  that  for  the  received  order.    And 
certainly  the  order  of  the  ideas  is  in  favour  of  the 
common  arrangement;  while  in  Isa.  IxL    1,  and 
Luke  iv.  18,  the  "mourners"  come  immediately 
after  the  " poor."]    This  "mourning"  must  not  be 
taken  loosely  for  that  feeling  which  is  wrung  from 
men  under  pressure  of  the  ills  of  life,  nor  yet 
strictly  for  sorrow  on  account  of  conimitted  sins. 
Evidently  it  is  that  entire  feeling  which  the  sense 
of  om-  spiritual  poverty  begets ;  and  so  the  second 
beatitude  is  but  the  complement  of  the  first.     The 
one  is  the  intellectual,  the  other  the  emotional 
aspect  of  the  same  thing.     It  is  poverty  of  spii-it 
that  says,  "  I  am  undone ;"  and  it  is  the  moiiruing 
which  this  causes  that  makes  it  break  forth  in  the 
form  of  a  lamentation — "  Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  un- 
done."   Hence  this  class  are  termed  "mourners  in 
Zion,"  or,  as  we  might  express  it,  religious  mourn- 
ers, in  sharp  contrast  with  all  other  sorts  (Isa.  Ixi. 
1-3 ;  Ixvi.  2).      Religion,  according  to  the  Bible,  is 
neither  a  set  of    intellectual  convictions   nor  a 
bundle  of  emotional  feelings,  but  a  compound  of 
both,  the  former  giving  birth  to  the  latter.     Thus 
closely  do  the  first  two  beatitudes  cohere.     The 
mourners  shall  be  "comforted."     Even  now  they 
get  beauty  for  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning, 
the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spii'it  of  heaviness. 
Sowing    in    teais,   they    reap  even    here  in  joy. 
Still  all  i)resent  comfort,  even  the  best,  is  par- 
tial, interrupted,   short-lived.      But  the  days  of 
our   movu-ning   shall    soon   be    ended,   and    then 
God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from   our   eyes. 
Then,  in  the  fullest  sense,  shall  the  mourners  be 
"  comforted."    5.  Blessed  are  the  meek:  for  they 
shall  inherit  the  earth.     This   promise  to  the 
meek  is  but  a  repetition  of  Ps.  xxxvii.  11;  only 
the    word    which    our  Evangelist   renders    "the 
meek,"   [oi   Trpaels]  after  the  LXX.    is  the  same 
wliich  we  have  found  so  often  translated  "  the 
poor"  P^'^H],    showing    how  closely  allied  these 
two  features  of  character  are.     It  is  imix)ssible, 
indeed,    that    "the    poor    in    spirit"   and   "the 
mourners"  in  Zion  should  not  at  the  same  time 
be  "meek;"   that  is  to  say,   persons  of  a  lowly 
and  gentle  carriage.     How  fitting,  at  least,  it  is 
that  they  should  be  so,  may  be  seen  by  the  fol- 
lowing touching  apjieal:  "Put  them  in  mind  to 
be  suliject  to  principalities  and  i)owers,  to  obey 
magistrates,  to  be  ready  to  every  good  work,   to 
speak  e\'il  of   no  man,    to  be  no  brawlers,   lut 
gentle,  showing  all  meekness  unto  all  men:  for  we 
OURSELVES  WERE  ONCE   [-TOTe]  FOOLISH,   disobe- 
dient, deceived,  ser\dng  divers  lusts  and  pleasures. 
.  .  .  But  after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of  God 
our  Saviour  toward  man  appeared,  .  .  .  according 
to  His  mercy  He  saved  us,"  &c.  (Titus  iii.  1-7. )    But 
He  who  had  no  such  affecting  reasons  for  mani- 
festing this  beautiful  carriage,  said,  nevertheless, 
of  Himself,  "  Take  My  yoke  ui)on  you,  and  learn 
of  Me :  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart :  and  ye 
23 


shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls"  (Matt.   xL  29); 
and  the  apostle  besought  one  of  the  churches  by 
"the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ"  (2  Cor. 
X.  1).     In  what  esteem  this  is  held  by  Him  who 
seeth  not  as  man  seeth,  we  may  learn  from  1  Pet. 
iii.  4,  where  the  true  adorning  is  said  to  be  that 
of  "a  meek  and  quiet  spu'it,  which  in  the  sight 
of  God  is  of  great  price."    Towards  men  this  dis- 
position is  the  opposite  of  high-mindediiess,  and 
a  quarrelsome  and  revengeful  spirit;  ic  "rather 
takes  wrong,  and  suffers  itself  to  be  defrauded" 
(1  Cor.   vi.   7) ;  it  "avenges  not  itself,  but  rather 
gives  ijlace  unto  wrath"  (Rom.  xii.  19);  like  the 
meek  One,  "  when  reviled,  it  reviles  not  again ; 
when  it  suffers,  it  threatens  not ;   but   commits 
itself  to   Him  that  judgeth  righteously"  (1  Pet. 
ii.  19-22).     "The  earth"  [-riiv  yvv  =  VJ'jri  or  Vl*?] 
which  the  meek  aie  to  inherit  might  be  rendered 
"the  land" — bringing   out  the  more   immediate 
reference  to  Canaan  as  the  i^romised  land,   the 
secure  possession  of  which  was  to  the  Old  Testa- 
ment saints  the  evidence  and   manifestation   of 
God's  favour  resting  on  them,  and  the  ideal  of  all 
true  and  abiding  blessedness.     Even  in  the  Psalm 
from  which  these  words  are  taken  the  x>romise  to 
the  meek  is  not  held  forth  as  an  arbitrary  reward, 
but  as  having  a  kind  of  natural  fulfilment.     When 
they  delight  themselves  in  the  Lord,  He  gives 
them  the  desires  of  their  heart:  When  they  com- 
mit their  way  to  Him,   He    brings  it  to    pass ; 
bringing  forth  their  righteousness  as  the  light, 
and  their  judgment  as  the  noou-daj^ :    The  little 
that  they  have,    even  when   despoiled    of  their 
rights,  is  better  than  the  riches  of  many  wicked. 
&c.  (Ps.  xxxvii.)    All  things,  in  short,  are  theirs— 
in  the  possession  of  that  favour  which  is  life,  and 
of  those  rights  which  belong  to  them  as  the  chil- 
dren of  God — whether  the  world,  or  life,  or  death, 
or  things  present,  or  thing's  to  come ;  all  are  theii-s 
(1  Cor.  iii.   21,   22);   and  at  length,   overcoming, 
they   "inherit  all  things"   (Rev.   xxi.   7).     Thus 
are  the  meek  the  only  lightful  occupants  of  a  foot 
of  ground  or  a  crust  of  bread  here,  and  heirs  of 
all  coming  things.     6.  Blessed  are  they  which  do 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness  [tj;i/  ^iKaio- 
crvvnv  =  ^ivlr]:  ^^^  they  shall  be  filled  [xopTaadt'i- 
aovTcu] — 'shall  be  satiu'ated.'    'From  this  verse,' 
says  Tholuck,  '  the  reference  to  the  Old  Testament 
background   ceases.'     Surprising!      On  the  con- 
trary, none  of  these  beatitudes  is  more  manifestly 
dug  out  of  the  rich  mine  of  the  Old  Testament. 
Indeed,  how  could  any  one  who  found  in  the  Old 
Testament     "the    poor    in    sjiirit,"    and    "the 
moiu'ners  in  Zion,"  doubt  that  he  would  also  find 
those  same  characters  also  craving  that  righteous- 
ness which  they  feel  and  mourn  their  want  of? 
But  what  is  the  precise  meaning  of  "righteous- 
ness"  here?    Lutheran  expositors,    and  some  of 
our  own,  seem  to  have  a  hankering  after  that 
more  restricted  sense  of  the    term  in  which  it 
is  used  with   reference   to    the    sinner's   justifi- 
cation before  God.     (See  Jer.   xxiiu  6;  Isa.  xlv. 
24;    Rom.    iv.    6;    2    Cor.    v.    21.)     But,    in    so 
comprehensive  a  saying  as  this,  it  is  clearly  to  be 
taken^as  in  i\  10  also — in  a  much  wider  sense, 
as  denoting  that  si:)iritual  and  entire  conformity 
to  the  law  of  God,  under  the  want  of  which  the 
saints  groan,  and  the  jiossession  of  which  consti- 
tutes the  only  true  saintship.     The  Old  Testament 
dwells  much  on  this  righteousness,  as  that  which 
aloue  God  regards  with  approbation  (Ps.   xi    7 ; 


Chrisfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Mount. 


7  8      Blessed   are  the   merciful :    ^  for   they  shall  obtain  mercy.     Blessed 
9  ^are  the  i)ure  in  heart:    for  Hhey  shall   see  God.     Blessed   are  •'the 
peacemakers :  for  they  shall  be  called  the  children  of  God. 


"  Ps.  41.  1. 
'>■  Heb.  12.  14. 
i  iCor.  13.12. 
Heb.  12.  14. 


xxiiL  3;  cvi  3;  Pro.  xiL  28;  xvL  31 ;  Isa.  Ixiv.  5, 
&c. )  As  hunger  and  thirst  are  the  keenest  of  our 
appetites,  our  Lord,  by  employing  this  figure  here, 
plainly  means  '  those  whose  deepest  cravings  are 
after  spiritual  blessing.s.'  And  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment we  find  this  craving  variously  expressed : — 
"Hearken  unto  me,  ye  that  follow  after  righteous- 
ness, ye  that  seek  the  Lord"  (Isa.  li.  1);  "I  have 
waited  for  thy  salvation  0  Lord,"  exclaimed 
dying  Jacob  (Gen.  xlix.  18);  "My  soul,"  says  the 
sweet  Psalmist,  "breaketh  for  the  longin^  that 
it  hath  unto  tliy  judgments  at  all  times  (Ps. 
cxix.  20);  and  in  similar  l>reatlungs  does  he  give 
vent  to  his  deepest  longings  in  that  and  other 
Psalms.  Well,  our  Lord  just  takes  up  here  this 
blessed  frame  of  mind,  representing  it  as  the  surest 
pledge  of  the  coveted  supplies,  as  it  is  the  best 
preparative,  and  indeed  itself  the  beginning  of 
them.  "They  shall  be  saturated,"  He  says; 
they  shall  not  only  have  what  tliey  so  highly 
value  and  long  to  jjossess,  but  they  shall  have 
their  fill  of  it.  Not  here,  however.  Even  in  the 
Old  Testament  this  was  well  understood.  "De- 
liver me,"  says  the  Psalmist,  in  language  which, 
beyond  all  doubt,  stretches  beyond  the  present 
scene,  "from  men  of  the  world,  which  have  their 
portion  in  this  life :  As  for  me,  1  shall  behold  thy 
face  in  righteousness:  I  shall  be  satisfied,  when 
I  awake  with  thy  likeness  "  (Ps.  xvii.  13-15). 

The  foregoing  lieatitudes — the  first  four — re- 
present the  saints  rather  as  consrAous  of  their 
need  of  salvation,  and  acting  suitably  to  that 
character,  than  as  possessed  of  it.  The  next 
three  are  of  a  difTerent  kind  —  representing  the 
saints  as  havivff  now  found  salvation,  and  con- 
ducting themselves  accordingly. 

7.  Blessed  are  the  merciful  [6Xe/;/ioves=D'TDm. 
for  they  shall  obtain  mercy.  Beautiful  is  the 
connection  between  this  and  the  preceding  beati- 
tude. The  one  has  a  natural  tendency  to  beget 
the  other.  As  for  the  words,  they  seem  directly 
fetched  from  Ps.  xviiL  25,  "With  the  merciful 
thou  wilt  show  thyself  merciful"  Not  that  our 
mercifulness  comes  absolutely  first.  On  the  con- 
trary, our  Lord  Himself  expressly  teaches  us  that 
God's  method  is  to  awaken  in  us  compassion  to- 
wards our  fellow-men  by  His  own  exercise  of  it, 
in  so  stui^endous  a  way  and  measure,  towards  our- 
selves. In  the  parable  of  the  unmerciful  debtor, 
the  servant  to  whom  his  lord  forgave  ten  thou- 
sand talents  was  naturally  expected  to  exercise 
the  small  measure  of  the  same  compassion  re- 
quired for  forgiving  his  fellow-servant's  debt  of 
a  hundred  pence  ;  and  it  is  only  when,  instead  of 
this,  he  relentlessly  imprisoned  him  till  he  should 
pay  it  up,  that  his  lord's  indignation  was  roused, 
and  he  who  was  designed  for  a  vessel  of  mercy  is 
treated  as  a  vessel  of  wi-ath  (Matt,  x-vdii.  23-35; 
and  see  ch.  v.  23,  24;  vi.  15;  Jas.  il  13).  'Ac- 
cording to  the  view  given  in  Scripture,'  says  Trench 
most  justly,  'the  Christian  stands  in  a  middle 
point,  between  a  mercy  received  and  a  mercy  yet 
needed.  Sometimes  the  tii'st  is  urged  upon  him 
as  an  argument  for  showing  mercy — "forgiving 
one  another,  as  Christ  forgave  you  (Col.  iii.  13; 
Eph.  iv.  32);  sometimes  tlie  last — "Blessed  are 
the  merciful :  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy ; " 
"Forgive,  and  ye  shall  be  forgiven"  (Luke  vi. 
37 ;  Jas.  v.  9).  And  thus,  while  he  is  ever  to 
look  back  on  the  mercy  received  as  the  source 
and  motive  of  the  mercv  which  he  shows,  he  also 
27 


looks  forward  to  the  mercy  whicli  he  yet  needs, 
and  which  he  is  assiu-ed  that  the  merciful — ac- 
cording to  what  Bengel  beautifully  calls  the  be- 
niyna  talio  (the  gracious  requital)  of  the  kingdom 
of  God — shall  receive,  as  a  new  provocation  to  its 
aljundant  exercise.'  The  foretastes  and  beginnings 
of  this  judicial  recompense  are  richly  experienced 
here  below :  its  perfection  is  reserved  for  that  day 
when,  from  His  great  white  throne,  the  King  shall 
say,  "Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  i^repared  for  you  from  the  foundation 
of  the  workl ;  for  I  was  an  hungered,  and 
thirsty,  and  a  stranger,  and  naked,  and  sick, 
and  in  prison,  and  ye  ministered  unto  me. "  Ye.s, 
thus  He  acted  towards  us  while  on  eai-th,  even 
laying  down  His  life  for  us ;  and  He  will  not, 
He  cannot  disown,  in  the  merciful,  the  image  of 
Himself.  8.  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart  [o' 
Kudapol  TTJ  KapSLar=22)  Dnn,  Ps.  xxiv.  4;  Ixxiii.  1]: 
for  they  shall  see  God.  Here,  too,  we  are  on  Old 
Testament  ground.  Th^re  the  difl'erence  between 
outward  and  inward  purity,  and  the  accei:)table- 
ness  of  the  latter  only  in  the  sight  of  God,  is 
everywhere  taught.  Nor  is  the  'vision  of  God' 
strange  to  the  Old  Testament ;  and  though  it  was 
an  understood  thing  that  this  was  not  possible  in 
the  present  hfe  (Exod.  xxxiii.  20;  and  cf.  Job  xix. 
26,  27;  Isa.  vi.  5),  yet  sjiiritually  it  was  knowTi 
and  felt  to  be  the  privilege  of  the  saints  even  here, 
(Gen.  v.  24;  vi.  9;  xvii  1;  xlviii.  15;  Ps.  xxvii.  4; 
xxxvL  9;  IxiiL  2;  Isa.  xxxviii.  3,  11,  &c.)  But 
0,  with  what  grand  simplicity,  brevity,  and 
power  is  this  great  fundamental  truth  here  ex- 
l)ressed!  And  in  what  striking  contrast  would 
such  teaching  appear  to  that  which  was  then 
current,  in  which  exclusive  attention  was  paid 
to  ceremonial  purification  and  external  moralitj'  ? 
This  heart-purity  begins  in  a  "heart  si^rinkled 
from  an  evil  conscience,"  or  a  "conscience  purged 
from  dead  works"  (Heb.  x.  22;  ix.  14;  and  see 
Acts  XV.  9) ;  and  this  also  is  taught  in  the  Old 
Testament  (Ps.  xxxii.  1,  2;  cf.  Pom.  iv.  5-8;  and 
Isa.  vi.  5-8).  The  conscience  thus  jturged — the 
heart  thus  simnkled — there  is  light  within  where- 
with to  see  God.  "  If  we  say  that  we  have  fellow- 
ship with  Him,  and  walk  in  darkness,  we  lie,  and 
do  not  the  truth :  but  if  we  walk  in  the  light, 
as  He  is  in  the  light,  we  have  fellowsliip  one  with 
the  other"  f/ucT-'  dWvXuiv] — He  with  us  and  wo 
with  Him — "and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His 
Son  cleanseth  us " — us  who  have  this  fellowship, 
and  who,  without  such  continual  cleansing,  would 
soon  lose  it  again — "from  all  sin"  (1  John  i.  6,  7). 
"  Whosoever  sinneth  hath  not  seen  Him,  neither 
known  Him"  (1  John  iii.  6);  "He  that  doeth 
evil  hath  not  seen  God"  (3  John  11).  The  inward 
vision  thus  clarified,  and  the  whole  inner  man  in 
sympathy  with  God,  each  looks  upon  the  othei 
\\ith  complacency  and  joy,  and  we  are  "changed 
into  the  same  image  from  glory  to  glory."  But 
the  full  and  beatific  vision  of  God  is  reserved  for 
that  time  to  which  the  Psalmist  stretches  his 
views — "As  for  me,  I  shall  behold  Thy  face  in 
righteousness :  I  shall  be  satisfied,  when  I  awake, 
with  Thy  likeness"  (Ps.  xvii.  15).  Then  shall 
His  servants  serve  Him:  and  they  shall  see  His 
face;  and  His  name  shall  be  in  their  foreheads 
(Rev.  xxii.  3,  4).  They  shall  see  Him  as  He  is 
(1  John  iii.  2).  But,  says  the  apostle,  expressing 
the  converse  of  this  beatitude —  Follow  holiness, 
without  which  no  man  shall  seethe  Lord"  (Heb. 


Christ's  Sermon 


IMATTPreW  V. 


on  the  Moimt. 


10  Blessed  ^are  they  which  are  perseciited  for  righteousness'  sake:    for 

11  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall 
revile  you,  and  persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against 

12  you  1  falsely,  for  my  sake.  Rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad;  for  gTeat 
is  your  reward  in  heaven :  for  so  persecuted  they  the  prophets  which 
were  before  you. 


A.  D.  31. 

*  Mark  10. 30. 

Luke  6.  22, 
23. 

2  Cor.  4.  ir. 

2Tiin.  2. 12. 

1  Pet.  3.  14. 
1  lying. 


xii.  14).  9.  Blessed  are  the  peacemakers  [elpnvo- 
TTOLoi  =  DiTiT  ^i-vv,  Pro.  xii.  20]  — who  not  OTily 
study  peace,  but  diffuse  it— for  they  shall  be 
called  the  children—'  shall  he  called  sons'— of  God 
[viol  iteoC].  Of  all  these  beatitudes  this  is  the  only 
one  which  could  hardly  be  expected  to  find  its 
definite  ground  in  the  Old  Testament ;  for  that 
most  glorious  character  of  God,  the  likeness  of 
which  appears  in  the  peacemakers,  had  yet  to  be 
revealed.  His  glorious  name,  indeed  — as  "The 
Lord,  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long- 
suftering,  and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth, 
forgi\'ing  iniquity  and  transgression  and  sin"— 
had  been  i»roclaimed  in  a  very  imposing  manner 
(Exod.  xxxiv.  6),  and  manifested  in  action  with 
aft'ecting  frequency  and  variety  in  the  lon^  course 
of  the  ancient  economy.  And  we  have  undeniable 
evidence  that  the  saints  of  that  economy  felt  its 
transforming  and  ennobling  infiuence  on  their  owai 
character.  But  it  was  not  till  Christ  "  made  peace 
by  the  blood  of  the  cross "  that  God  could  mani- 
fest Himself  as  "the  God  of  ]ieace,  that  brought 
ajjain  from  the  dead  oiu-  Lord  Jesus,  that  great 
Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the 
everlasting  covenant"  (Heb.  xiii.  20)— could  reveal 
Himself  as  "in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto 
Himself,  not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto  them," 
and  hold  Himself  forth  in  the  astonishing  attitude 
of  beseeching  men  to  be  "reconciled  to  Himself" 
(2  Cor.  V.  19,  20).  When  this  reconciliation  ac- 
tually takes  place,  and  one  has  "peace  with  God 
through  om-  Lord  Jesns  Christ  "—even  "  the  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding "  — the 
jieace-receivers  oecome  transformed  into  peace- 
diffusers.  God  is  thus  seen  reflected  in  tliem ; 
and  by  the  family  likeness  these  peacemakers 
are  recognized  as  the  children  of  God. 

In  now  coming  to  the  eighth,  or  supplementary 
beatitude,  it  will  be  seen  that  all  that  the  saints 
are  In  themsdces  has  been  already  described,  in 
seven  featm-es  of  character;  that  number  indi- 
cating completeness  of  delineation.  The  last  fea- 
ture, accordingly,  is  a  passive  one,  representing 
the  treatment  tliat  the  characters  already  described 
may  expect  from  the  world.  He  who  shall  one 
day  fix  the  destiny  of  ail  men  here  ])ronounces 
certain  characters  "blessed;"  but  He  ends  by 
forewarning  them  that  the  world's  estimation 
and  treatment  of  them  will  be  the  reverse  of  His. 
10.  Blessed  are  they  which  are  persecuted  for 
righteousness'  sake,  &c.  How  entirely  this  final 
beatitude  has  its  ground  in  the  Old  Testament, 
is  evident  from  the  concluding  words,  where  tlie 
encouragement  held  out  to  endure  such  iiersecu- 
tions  consists  in  its  being  but  a  continuation  of 
what  was  exyierienced  by  the-  Old  Testament 
servants  of  God.  But  how,  it  may  be  asked, 
could  such  beautiful  features  of  character  pro- 
voke persecution  ?  To  this  the  following  answers 
should  suffice:  "Every  one  that  dfieth  evil  hateth 
the  light,  neither  cometh  to  the  light,  lest  his  deeds 
should  be  reproved."  "The  world  cannot  hate 
j'oii ;  but  me  it  hateth,  because  I  testify  of  it,  that 
the  works  thereof  are  eviL"  "If  ye  were  of  the 
world,  the  world  would  love  his  owai :  but  be- 
cause ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen 
you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the  world  hateth 
23 


you."  "There  is  yet  one  man  (said  wicked  Ahab 
to  good  Jehoshaphat),  bj^  whom  we  may  enciuire 
of  tlie  Lord :  but  I  hate  him ;  for  he  never  prophe- 
sied good  unto  me,  but  ahvays  evil"  (John  iii.  20; 
vii.  7 ;  XV.  19 ;  2  Chr.  xviii.  7).  But  more  parti- 
cularly, the  seven  characters  here  described  are 
all  in  the  teeth  of  the  spirit  of  the  world,  insomuch 
tliat  such  hearers  of  this  Discourse  as  breathed 
that  spirit  must  have  been  startled,  and  had 
their  whole  system  of  thought  and  action  rudely 
dashed.  Poverty  of  spirit  runs  counter  to  tlie 
pride  of  men's  heart ;  a  pensive  disposition,  in 
the  view  of  one's  universal  deficiences  before  God, 
is  ill  relished  by  the  callous,  indifierent,  laiigh- 
ing,  self-satisfied  world ;  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit, 
taking  wrong,  is  regarded  as  pusillanimous,  antl 
rasps  against  the  proud,  resentful  sjiirit  of  the 
world;  that  craving  after  spiritual  blessings  re- 
bukes but  too  iinpleasantly  the  lust  of  the  tiesh, 
the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life ;  so  does  a 
merciful  spirit  the  hardheartedness  of  the  world  ; 
purity  of  heart  contrasts  painfully  with  painted 
hyiiocrisy ;  and  the  peacemaker  cannot  easily  lo 
endiu-ed  by  the  contentious,  quanelsome  world. 
Thus  does  "righteousness"  come  to  be  "perse- 
cuted." But  blessed  are  they  who,  in  spite  oi 
this,  dare  to  be  righteous.  for  theirs  is  tha 
kingdom  of  heaven.  As  this  was  the  rewaid 
promised  to  tlie  yioor  in  s]iirit — the  leading  one  of 
these  seven  beatitudes — of  course  it  is  the  iiroj'cr 
portion  of  such  as  are  persecuted  for  exemplify- 
ing them.  11.  Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall 
revile  you — or  abuse  j^ou  to  your  face,  in  oi>po- 
sition  to  backbiting.  (See  Mark  xv.  32.)  and 
persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil 
against  you  falsely  [Tischeiulurf— on  quite  insuf- 
ficient evidence,  we  think — omits  this  last  word 
xlrevoofievoi  :  Tregelles,  however,  retains  it.  Even 
though  it  had  not  been  expressed,  it  would  of 
course  have  been  implied.]  for  my  sake.  Ob- 
sei^ve  this.  He  had  before  said,  "  for  righteous- 
ness' sake."  Here  He  identifies  Himself  and  His 
cause  with  that  of  righteousness,  binding  up  the 
cause  of  righteousness  in  the  world  with  tlie 
reception  of  Himself.  Would  Moses,  or  David, 
or  Isaiah,  or  Paul  have  so  expressed  themselves? 
Never.  Doubtless  they  suffered  for  righteousness' 
sake.  But  to  have  called  this  "their  sake," 
would,  as  every  one  feels,  have  been  very  imbe- 
coming.  Whereas  He  that  syieaks,  being  Eighteous- 
ness  incarnate  (see  Mark  i.  24;  Acts  iii.  14;  Rev. 
iii.  7),  when  He  so  speaks,  speaks  only  like  Him- 
self. 12.  Rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad— 'exult' 
[rtyaWiaaffe].  In  the  corresponding  passage  of 
Luke  (vi.  22,  23),  where  every  indignity  trying  to 
flesh  and  blood  is  held  forth  as  the  probable 
lot  of  such  as  were  faithful  to  Him,  the  word  is 
even  stronger  than  here,  "leap"  [crKi/3T7;cra-r6],  as 
if  He  would  have  their  inward  tians] lort  to  over- 
power and  absorb  the  sense  of  all  these  affionts 
and  suffeiings ;  nor  will  anything  else  do  it.  for 
great  is  your  reward  in  heaven:  for  so  perse- 
cuted they  the  prophets  which  v/ere  before  you : 
— q.  d.,  'You  do  but  serve  yourselves  heirs  to  their 
character  and  sufferings,  and  the  reward  will  be 
common.' 

13-16.     We  have  here  the  practical  application 


Chrisfs  Se7'mon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Mount. 


13  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth:    but  if  the  salt  have  lost  his  savour, 
wherewith  shall  it  be  salted  I  it  is  thenceforth  good  for  nothing,  but  to 

14  be  cast  out,  and  to  be  trodden  under  foot  of  men.     Ye  'are  the  light  of 

15  the  world.     A  city  that  is  set  on  an  hill  cannot  be  hid.     Neither  do  men 
light  a  candle,  and  put  it  under  a  ^  bushel,  but  on  a  candlestick ;  and  it 

1 6  giveth  light  unto  all  that  are  in  the  house.    Let  your  light  so  shine  before 


A.  D.  31. 
'  Pro.  4.  18. 
PllU.  2.  15. 

2  niodius. 
It  contain- 
ed nearly  a 
peck. 


of  the  foregoing  principles  to  those  disciples  who 
sat  listening  to  them,  and  to  their  successors  in  all 
time.  Om-  Lord,  though  he  began  by  pronouncing 
certain  characters  to  be  blessed — without  exi^ress 
reference  to  any  of  His  hearers — does  not  close  the 
beatitudes  without  intimating  that  such  charac- 
ters were  in  existence,  and  that  already  they 
wcr-e  before  Him.  Accordingly,  from  characters 
He  comes  to  persons  possessing  them,  saying, 
"Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  revile  you," 
&c.  And  now,  continuing  this  mode  of  direct 
personal  address,  He  startles  those  humble,  un- 
known men  by  pronouncing  them  the  exalted 
benefactors  of  their  whole  species.  13.  Ye  are 
tha  salt  of  the  earth — to  preserve  it  from  cor- 
ruption, to  season  its  insipidity,  to  freshen  and 
sweeten  it.  The  value  of  salt  for  these  i)urposes 
is  abundantly  referred  to  by  classical  writers  as 
well  as  in  Scriiiture ;  and  hence  its  symbolical  sig- 
nificance in  the  religious  offerings  as  well  of  those 
without  as  of  those  within  the  pale  of  revealed 
religion.  In  Scripture,  mankind,  under  the  unre- 
strained workings  of  their  own  evil  nature,  are 
represented  as  entirely  coiruiit.  Thus,  before  the 
flood  (Gen.  vi.  11,  12);  after  the  flood  (Gen.  viiL 
21);  in  the  days  of  David  (Ps.  xiv.  2,  3);  in  the 
days  of  Isaiah  (Isa.  i.  5,  6);  and  in  the  days  of 
Paul  (Eph.  ii.  1-3 ;  see  also  Job  xiv.  4 ;  xv.  15,  16 ; 
John  iii.  6 ;  comiiared  with  Rom.  viii.  8 ;  Titus  iii. 
2,  3).  The  remedy  for  this,  says  our  Lord  here,  is 
the  active  presence  of  His  discijiles  among  their 
fellows.  The  character  and  iirinciples  of  Chris- 
tians, brought  into  close  contact  with  it,  are  de- 
signed to  arrest  the  festering  corruption  of  hu- 
manity and  season  its  insipidity.  But  how,  it 
may  be  asked,  are  Christians  to  do  this  office  for 
their  fellow-men,  if  their  righteousness  only  exas- 
perate them,  and  recoil,  in  every  form  of  persecu- 
tion, upon  themselves?  The  answer  is.  That  is 
but  the  fu-st  and  partial  effect  of  their  Chris- 
tianity upon  the  world:  though  the  great  pro- 
portion would  dislike  and  reject  the  truth,  a 
small  but  noble  band  would  receive  and  hold  it 
fast;  and  in  the  striiggle  that  would  ensue,  one 
and  another  even  of  the  opiiosing  party  would 
come  over  to  His  ranks,  and  at  length  the  Gospel 
would  carry  all  before  it.  but  if  tlie  salt  have 
lost  his  savour  [/^ajpaj/t*;?] — 'become  unsavoury' 
or  'insipid;'  losing  its  saline  or  salting  property. 
The  meaning  is.  If  that  Christianity  on  which 
the  health  of  the  world  depends,  does  in  any  age, 
region,  or  individual,  exist  only  in  name,  or  if  it 
contain  not  those  saving  elements  for  want  of  which 
the  world  languishes,  wherewith  shall  it  be 
salted? — how  shall  the  salting  qualities  be  re- 
stored to  it?  (Cf.  Mark  ix.  .50.)  Whether  salt  ever 
does  lose  its  saline  property-;— about  which  there 
is  a  difference  of  opinion — is  a  question  of  no 
moment  here.  The  point  of  the  case  lies  in  the 
supposition — that  if  it  should  lose  it,  the  conse- 
quence would  be  as  here  described.  So  with 
Christians.  The  question  is  not.  Can,  or  do,  the 
saints  ever  totally  lose  that  gi-ace  which  makes 
them  a  blessing  to  their  fellow-men  ?  But,  What 
is  to  be  the  issue  of  that  Christianity  which  is 
found  wanting  in  those  elements  which  can  alone 
stay  the  corruption  and  season  the  tastelessuess  of 
au  all-pervading  carnality  ?  The  restoration  or  non- 
29 


restoration  of  grace,  or  true  living  Christianity,  to 
those  who  have  lost  it,  has,  in  our  judgment, 
nothing  at  all  to  do  here.  The  question  is  not, 
If  a  man  lose  his  grace,  how  shall  th.at  grace  be 
restored  to  him?  but.  Since  living  Cluistianity  is 
the  only  "salt  of  the  earth,"  if  men  lose  that, 
ivhat  else  can  supjily  its  place?  What  follows  is 
the  appalling  answer  to  this  question,  it  is  thence- 
forth good  for  nothing,  hut  to  he  cast  out — a 
figurative  expression  of  indignant  exclusion  from 
the  kingdom  of  God  (cf.  ch.  viii.  12;  xxii.  13 ;  John 
vi.  37;  ix.  34).  and  to  be  trodden  under  foot  of 
riien — expressive  of  contemi)t  and  scorn.  It  is  not 
the  mere  want  of  a  certain  character,  but  the 
want  of  it  in  tliose  whose  pro/ei.s/o«  and  appear- 
ance were  fitted  to  beget  exxiectation  of  finding 
it.  14.  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world  [xo  (/xJs  tou 
/cocT/uou].  This  being  the  distinctive  title  which  our 
Lord  appropriates  to  Himself  (John  viii.  12;  ix.  5; 
and  see  John  i.  4,  9 ;  iii.  19 ;  xii.  35,  36) — a  title 
expressly  said  to  be  unsuitable  even  to  the  highest 
of  all  the  X)rophets  (John  i.  8) — it  must  be  api>lied 
here  by  our  Lord  to  His  disciples  only  as  they 
shine  with  His  light  uyion  the  world,  in  vii'tvie  of 
His  Spirit  dwelling  in  them,  and  the  same  mind 
being  in  them  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesiis. 
Nor  are  Christians  anywhere  else  so  called.  Nay, 
as  if  to  avoid  the  august  title  which  the  Master 
has  a]ipropriated  to  Himself,  Christians  are  said 
to  "shine" — not  as  "liglits,"  as  our  translators 
render  it,  but — "as  luminaries  {(posaTTitie^]  in  the 
world"  (Phil.  ii.  15);  and  the  Baptist  is  said  to 
have  been  "the  burning  and  shining" — not  "light," 
as  in  our  translation,  but — "  lamp  "  [Xux'"'«]  of  his 
day  (John  v.  35).  Let  it  be  observed,  too,  that 
while  the  two  figures  of  salt  and  sunlight  both 
exin-ess  the  same  function  of  Christians — their 
blessed  infiueuce  on  their  fellow-men — they  each 
set  this  forth  under  a  diffei-ent  asjiect.  Salt  oper- 
ates internally,  in  the  mass  with  which  it  comes 
in  contact;  the  sunlight  operates  externally,  irra- 
diating all  that  it  reaches.  Hence  Christians  are 
warily  styled  "the  salt  of  the  earth''''  —  with  re- 
ference to  the  masses  of  mankind  wath  whom  they 
are  expected  to  mix;  but  "the  light  of  the  world" 
— with  reference  to  the  vast  and  variegated  sur- 
face which  feels  its  fructifying  and  gladdening 
radiance.  The  same  distinction  is  observable  in 
the  second  pair  of  those  seven  jiarables  which  our 
Lord  spoke  from  the  Galilean  lake — that  of  the 
"nmstard  seed,"  which  grew  to  be  a  great  over- 
shadowing tree,  answering  to  the  sunlight  which 
invests  the  world,  and  that  of  the  "leaven," 
which  a  woman  took  and,  like  the  salt,  hid  in  three 
measiu-es  of  meal,  till  the  whole  was  leavened  (ch. 
xiii.  31-33).  A  city  that  is  set  on  an  hill  cannot  be 
hid — nor  can  it  be  supposed  to  have  been  so  built 
except  to  be  seen  by  many  eyes.  15.  Neither  do 
men  light  a  candle — or  'lamp'  \\.vxvov\ — and  put 
it  under  a  toushel— a  dry  measure — hut  on  a 
candlestick— rather,  'under  the  bushel,  but  or, 
the  lamjj-stand'  \h-rro  tov  ixoolov,  aW  eiri  Ti)t/ 
Xuxviav].  The  article  is  inserted  in  both  cases 
to  express  the  familiarity  of  every  one  with  those 
household  utensils,  and  it  giveth  light  [Xdfnrei] 
— 'shineth'— unto  all  that  are  in  the  house.  16. 
Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they 
may  see  your    good    works,    and   glorify   your 


Christ^s  Sermon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Mount. 


men,  that  ™  they  may  see  your  good  worfe,  and  glorify  "your  Father  which 
is  in  heaven. 

17  Think  "not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  Law,  or  the  Prophets :  I  am 

18  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil.     For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  ^  Till  heaven 
and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law. 


A.  D.  31. 

'"■iPet.  2.  12. 
"  John  15.  8. 
iCor.  14.25. 
"  Dan.  9.  24. 
V  Luke  16.  17. 


Father  wliicli  is  in  heaven.  Afs  nobody  lights  a 
lamp  only  to  cover  it  iip,  but  places  it  so  con- 
spicuously as  to  give  light  to  all  who  need  light, 
so  Christians,  being  the  light  of  the  world,  instead 
of  hiding  their  light,  are  so  to  hold  it  forth  be- 
fore men  that  they  may  see  what  a  life  the  disci- 
ples of  Christ  lead,  and  seeing  this,  may  glorify 
their  Father  for  so  redeeming,  transforming,  and 
ennobling  earth's  sinful  children,  and  opening  to 
themselves  the  way  to  like  redemption  and  trans- 
formation. 

Remarks. — 1.  All-precious  though  the  doctrines 
of  the  Gospel  be,  since  the  proper  appreciation 
and  cordial  reception  of  them  depends  upon  a 
previous  preparation  of  the  heart — especially,  on 
the  soul's  being  thoroughly  emptied  of  its  owti 
fancied  excellences,  and  made  painfully  alive  to 
its  spiritual  necessities — it  will  be  the  wisdom  of 
all  Christian  preachers  to  imitate  the  Great 
Preacher  here,  in  laying  first  the  foundation  of 
this  frame.  2.  The  theology  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, when  stripped  of  its  accidents  and  redixced 
to  its  essence,  is  one  with  that  of  the  New :  it  is 
spiritual ;  it  is  evangelical.  3.  The  earthly  and 
the  heavenly  stages  of  the  kingdom  of  God  are 
essentially  one ;  the  former  preparing  the  way 
for  the  latter,  and  opening  naturally  into  it,  as 
the  commencing  and  consummating  stages  of  the 
same  condition.  Thus  the  connection  between 
them,  far  from  being  arbitrary,  is  inherent.  4. 
How  entirely  contrary  to  the  si^irit  and  design 
of  Christianity  is  that  monkish  seclusion  from 
society  and  ascetic  solitude  which,  attractive 
though  it  be  to  a  morbid  spirituality,  is  just  to 
do  the  veiy  thing  which  our  Lord  here  represents 
as  against  the  nature  of  the  Christian  calling, 
and  rendering  observance  of  His  injunctions  here 
impossible.  If  even  a  lamp  is  not  lighted  to  be 
put  under  a  bushel,  but  placed  conspicuously  for 
the  very  purpose  of  giving  light  to  all  within 
reach  of  its  rays,  how  much  less  is  the  sun  placed 
in  the  heavens  in  order  that  men  on  the  earth 
may  walk  in  darkness  ?  Even  so,  says  our  Lord, 
instead  of  hiding  the  light  of  your  Christianity 
from  the  dark  world  around  you,  bring  it  out 
into  the  view  of  men,  on  pui-pose  to  let  them  see 
it.  Much  more  plainly  does  this  come  out  in 
the  other  figure.  As  salt  must  come  into  actual 
contact  with  what  is  to  be  seasoned  by  it,  so 
must  Christians,  instead  of  standing  at  a  distance 
from  their  fellows,  come  into  contact  with  them, 
on  purpose  to  communicate  to  them  their  own 
qualities.  Nor  does  our  Lord  think  it  necessary 
to  guard  against  confoimding  this  with  the  spirit 
of  religious  ostentation,  of  which  He  treats  suf- 
ficiently in  the  following  chapter ;  for  what  follows 
is  quite  enough  to  prevent  any  such  perversion 
of  His  language:  "that  they  may  see  your  good 
works,  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  " 
— not  '  see  how  much  sujierior  you  are  to  them,' 
but  'see  what  an  astonishing  change  He  can 
work  by  the  Gospel  upon  men  of  every  class.' 
Thus,  God  is  deprived  of  the  testimony  He  ex- 
pects from  His  redeemed  and  transformed  people, 
when,  instead  of  manifesting  before  their  fellows 
what  He  hath  wrought  for  theii*  souls,  they  shut 
themselves  u]>-whether  systematically  or  other- 
wise—  or  habitually  retire  within  themselves. 
But,  5.  Not  by  the  ijreaching  or  publication  of 
30 


mere  ti-uths,  are  Christians  to  bear  down  the 
or)position  and  effect  the  conversion  of  their 
fellow-men.  Not  thus  is  their  light  to  "shine 
before  men."  But  it  is  so  to  shine  that  men 
"may  see  their  good  works,  and  (so)  glorify  their 
Father  which  is  in  heaven."  In  other  words, 
while  it  is  Christianity  which  is  to  carry  all  before 
it,  it  is  not  the  Christianity  of  books,  nor  even 
of  mere  preaching — much  less  of  an  empty  pro- 
fession— but  the  Cliristianity  of  life.  "  Ye  (whom 
I  have  been  i)ronouncing  blessed,  as  possessoi-s 
of  a  blessed  character)  are  the  light  of  the  world." 
Yes :  It  is  humility,  not  as  preached,  but  as 
practised;  it  is  contrition,  not  as  depicted,  not 
as  inculcated,  but  as  exemplified;  it  is  meekness 
manifested;  it  is  spiritual  aspiration,  not  as  en- 
joined, but  as  beheld  in  men  on  whose  whole  car- 
riage may  be  seen  written  Ejxelsior-  it  is  mercy 
embodied;  it  is  heart-purity  in  tiesh  and  blood ; 
it  is  peace  incarnate.  This  many-sided  mani- 
festation of  a  divine  life  in  men,  mixing  with 
their  fellows,  and  of  like  passions  with  their 
fellows,  is  the  divinely  ordained  specific  for 
arresting  the  progress  of  himian  corruption,  dif- 
fusing health  and  sweetness  through  it,  and 
irradiating  it  with  the  fructifying  and  gladdening 
beams  of  heavenly  light. 
17-48.— Identity  of  these  Principles  with 

THOSE    OF   the   AnCIENT  ECONOMY,    IN   CONTR.\ST 
WITH  THE  REIGNING  TRADITIONAL  TEACHING. 

Exposition  of  Principles  (17-20).  17.  Think  not 
that  I  am  come — 'that  I  came'  [ii\dov]  to  de- 
stroy the  Law,  or  the  Prophets— that  is,  'the 
authority  and  principles  of  the  Old  Testament.' 
(On  the  phrase,  see  ch.  vii.  12;  xxii.  40;  Luke 
xvi.  16;  Acts  xiii.  15.)  This  general  way  of 
taking  the  phrase  is  much  better  than  under- 
standing "the  Law"  and  "the  Proijhets"  separ- 
ately, and  enquiring,  as  many  good  critics  do,  in 
what  sense  our  Lord  could  be  supposed  to  medi- 
tate the  subversion  of  each.  To  the  various 
classes  of  His  hearers,  who  might  ^aew  such  sup- 
posed abrogation  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets 
with  very  different  feelings,  our  Lord's  announce- 
ment woidd,  in  effect,  be  such  as  this — '  Ye  who 
"  tremble  at  the  word  of  the  Lord,"  fear  not  that 
I  am  going  to  sweep  the  foundations  from  under 
your  feet:  Ye  restless  and  revolutionary  spirits, 
hope  not  that  I  am  going  to  head  any  revolutionary 
movement :  And  ye  who  lijTpocritically  affect  great 
reverence  for  the  Law  and  the  Prophets,  pretend 
not  to  find  anything  in  my  teaching  derogatory 
to  God's  lining  oracles.'  I  am  not  come  to  de- 
stroy, but  to  fulfil.  'Not  to  subvert,  abrogate, 
or  annul,  but  to  establish  the  Law  and  the  Pro- 
phets— to  mifold  them,  to  embody  them  in  living 
form,  and  to  enshrine  them  in  the  reverence, 
affection,  and  character  of  men,  am  I  come.' 
18.  For  verily  I  say  unto  you  ['A;u))i/  =  '|'QiJ — \eyto 
vfxTi/].  Here,  for  the  first  time,  does  that  august 
expression  occur  in  our  Lord's  recorded  teaching, 
with  which  we  have  grown  so  familiar  as  hardly 
to  reflect  on  its  full  import.  It  is  the  expression, 
manifestly,  of  supreme  lefiislatlve  authority;  and 
as  the  subject  in  connection  "\\'ith  which  it  is 
uttered  is  the  Moral  Law,  no  higher  claim  to  an 
authority  strictly  divine  could  be  advanced.  For 
when  we  observe  how  jealously  Jehovah  asserts 
it  as  His  exclusive  prerogative  to  give  law  to  men 


C/irlsfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  tlie  "Mount. 


19  till  all  be  fulfilled.  Whosoever  ^therefore  shall  break  one  of  these  least 
commandin^iits,  and  shall  teach  men  so,  he  shall  be  called  the  least  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven :  but  whosoever  shall  do  and  teach  them,  the  same 

20  shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  For  I  say  unto  you, 
That  except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed  "^tlie  righteousness  of  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 

21  Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  ^  by  them  of  old  time,  '  Thou  shalt  not 


A.  D.  31. 


8  Jas.  2.  10. 

Gal.  3.  10. 
>■  Eom.  10.  3. 

2  Cor.  5.  ir. 

Phil.  3.  9. 
3  Or, to  them. 
«  Ex.  20.  13. 

2Sam.20.i8. 

Job  8.  8. 


(Lev.  xviii.  1-5;  xix.  37;  xxvi.  1-4,  13-16,  &c.), 
such  language  as  this  of  our  Lord  will  appear 
totally  unsuitable,  and  indeed  abhorrent,  from 
any  creature-lips.  When  the  Baptist's  words — 
"  I  say  unto  you"  (ch.  iii.  9) — are  conii)ared  with 
those  of  his  Master  here,  the  difference  of  the  two 
cases  will  be  at  once  apparent.  Till  heaven  and 
earth  pass.  Though  even  the  Old  Testament 
announces  the  ultimate  "  perdition  of  the  heavens 
and  the  earth,"  in  contrast  with  the  immutability 
of  Jehovah  (Ps.  cii.  24-27),  the  prevalent  represen- 
tation of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  in  Scripture, 
when  employed  as  a  popular  figure,  is  that  of  their 
stability  (Ps.  cxix.  89-91;  Eccl.  i.  4;  Jer.  xxxiii. 
25,  2G).  It  is  the  enduring  stability,  then,  of  the 
great  truths  and  principles,  moral  and  spiritual, 
of  the  Old  Testament  Revelation  which  our  Lord 
thus  expresses,  one  jot  [i(«x«] — the  smallest  of 
the  Hebrew  letters — or  one  tittle  [K€paia\ — one 
of  those  little  strokes  by  which  alone  some  of  the 
Hebrew  letters  are  distinguished  from  others  like 
them— shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till 
all  be  fulfilled.  The  meaning  is,  that  'not  so 
much  as  the  smallest  loss  of  authority  or  vitality 
shall  ever  come  over  the  law.'  The  expression, 
"till  all  be  fulfilled,"  is  much  the  same  in  mean- 
ing as  '  it  shall  be  had  in  undiminished  and 
enduring  honour,  from  its  greatest  to  its  least 
requirements.'  Again,  this  general  way  of  view- 
ing our  Lord's  words  here  seems  far  preferable  to 
that  doctrinal  understanding  of  them  which  woidd 
require  us  to  determine  the  different  kinds  of 
"fulfilment"  which  the  moral  and  the  ceremonial 
parts  of  it  were  to  have.  19.  Whosoever  therefore 
shall  break  |\uarr;] — rather,  'dissolve,'  'annul,'  or 
'make  invalid' -^ one  of  these  least  command- 
ments^an  expression  equivalent  to  '  one  of  the 
least  of  these  commandments' — and  shall  teach 
men  so — referring  to  the  Pharisees  and  their 
teaching,  as  is  plain  from  the  next  verse,  but  of 
course  embracing  all  similar  schools  and  teaching 
in  the  Christian  Church — he  shall  be  called  the 
least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  As  the  thing 
spoken  of  is  not  the  practical  breaking,  or  dis- 
obeying, of  the  law,  but  annulling,  or  enervating 
its  obbgation  by  a  vicious  system  of  interpreta- 
tion, and  teaching  others  to  do  the  same ;  so  the 
thing  threatened  is  not  exclusion  from  heaven, 
and  still  less  the  lowest  place  in  it,  but  a  degraded 
and  contemptuous  position  in  the  present  stage 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  In  other  words,  'they 
shall  be  reduced,  by  the  retributive  providence 
that  overtakes  them,  to  the  same  condition  of 
dishonour  to  which,  by  their  system  and  their 
teaching,  they  have  brought  down  those  eternal 
principles  of  God's  law.'  but  whosoever  shall  do 
and  teach  them — whose  principles  and  teaching 
go  to  exalt  the  authority  and  honour  of  God's  law, 
in  its  lowest  as  weU  as  highest  requirements — ^the 
same  shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven — '  shall,  by  that  providence  which  watches 
over  the  honour  of  God's  moral  administration, 
be  raised  to  the  same  position  of  authority  and 
honour  to  which  they  exalt  the  law.'  20.  For  I 
say  unto  you,  That  except  your  righteousness 
31 


shall  exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees.  For  the  characteristics  of  the  Phari- 
saic school,  see  on  ch.  iii.  1-12,  liemark  2.  But 
the  superiority  to  the  Pharisaic  righteousness  here 
required  is  plainly  in  kind,  wot  degree;  for  all 
Scripture  teaches  that  entrance  into  God's  king- 
dom, whether  in  its  present  or  future  stage,  de- 
pends, not  on  the  degree  of  our  excellence  in  any- 
thing, but  solely  on  our  having  the  character  itself 
which  God  demands.  Our  righteousness,  then-  - 
if  it  is  to  contrast  with  the  outward  and  formal 
righteousness  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees — must 
be  ijiward,  vital,  spiritual.  Some,  indeed,  of  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees  themselves  might  have  the 
very  righteousness  here  demanded ;  but  our  Lord 
is  speaking,  not  of  persons,  but  of  the  system  they 
represented  and  taught,  ye  shall  in  no  case 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  If  this  refer, 
as  in  the  preceding  verse,  rather  to  the  earthly 
stage  of  this  kingdom,  the  meaning  is,  that  with- 
out a  righteousness  exceeding  that  of  the  Phari- 
sees, we  cannot  be  members  of  it  at  all^  save  in 
name.  This  was  no  new  doctrine  (Rom.  li.  28,  29 ; 
ix.  6 ;  Phil.  iii.  3).  But  our  Lord's  teaching  here 
stretches  beyond  the  present  scene,  to  that  ever- 
lasting stage  of  the  kingdom,  where  without 
"  purity  of  heart "  none  "  shall  see  God." 

The  spirituality  of  the  true  righteousness,  in  con- 
trast with  that  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  illus- 
trated from  the  Sixth  Commandment  (21-2G).  21.  Ye 
have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old  time 
[ippvdi) — a  better  authorized  foiin  than  eppidn — 
Tols  dpx«'o'«l — or,  as  in  the  margin,  '  to  them  of 
old  time.'  Which  of  these  translations  is  the  right 
one  has  been  much  controverted.  Either  of  them 
is  grammatically  defensible,  though  the  latter— 
"to  the  ancients" — is  more  consistent  "wdth  New 
Testament  usage  (see  the  Greek  of  Rom.  ix.  12, 
26 ;  Rev.  vi.  11 ;  ix.  4) ;  and  most  critics  decide  in 
favour  of  it.  But  it  is  not  a  question  of  Greek 
only.  Nearly  all  who  would  translate  "to  the 
ancients"  take  the  speaker  of  the  words  quoted 
to  be  Moses  in  the  laiv;  "the  ancients  "  to  be  the 
people  to  whom  Moses  gave  the  law ;  and  the  in- 
tention of  our  Lord  here  to  be  to  contrast  His 
own  teaching,  more  or  less,  with  that  of  Moses; 
either  as  opposed  to  it — as  some  go  the  length  of 
affirming — or  at  least  as  modifying,  enlarging, 
elevating  it.  But  who  can  reasonably  imagine 
sach  a  thing,  just  after  the  most  solemn  and 
emphatic  proclamation  of  the  perpetuity  of  the 
law,  and  tne  honour  and  glory  in  which  it  was  to 
be  held  under  the  new  economy?  To  us  it  seems 
as  plain  as  possible  that  our  Lord's  one  object  is 
to  contrast  the  traditional  perversions  of  the  law 
with  the  true  sense  of  it  as  expounded  by  Him- 
self. A  few  of  those  who  assent  to  this  still  think 
that  "to  the  ancients"  is  the  only  legitimate 
translation  of  the  words ;  understanding  that  our 
Lord  is  reporting  what  had  been  said  to  the 
ancients,  not  by  Moses,  but  by  the  perverters  of 
his  law.  We  do  not  object  to  this ;  but  we  incline 
to  think  (with  Beza,  and  after  him  with  Fritzsche, 
Olshausen,  Stier,  and  Bloomfield)  that  "by  the 
ancients"  must  have  been  what  oiu-  Lord  meant 


Christ's  Sermon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  tlie  Mount. 


22  kill;  and  whosoever  shall  kill  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment:  but 
I  say  unto  you,  That  'whosoever  is  angry  with  his  brother  without  a 
cause  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment :  and  whosoever  shaU  say  to  his 
brother,  ^Ptaca!  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  council:  but  whosoever  shall 

23  say,  Thou  ^fool!  shall  be  in  danger  of  hell  fire.  Therefore,  if  thou  bring 
thy  gift  to  the  altar,  and  there  rememberest  that  thy  brother  hath  ought 

24  against  thee;  leave  "there  thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and  go  thy  way; 
first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother,  and  then  come  and  offer  thy  gift. 


A.  D.  31. 

'  1  John  3. 15. 

4  That  is, 
vain  fellow. 

5  Or, 
graceless 
wretch. 
John  8.  44. 
Acts  13.  10. 

"  Job  42.  8. 


here,  referring  to  the  corrupt  teacher.s  rather  than 
the  perverted  people.  Tiiou  siialt  not  kill: — q.  cL, 
'  This  being  all  that  the  law  requires,  whosoever 
has  imbrued  his  hands  in  his  brother's  blood,  but 
he  only,  is  guilty  of  a  breach  of  this  commaud- 
ment ;'  and  whosoaver  sliall  Mil  shall  be  in 
danger  of— 'liable  to'  [eyoxos]  the  judgment — 
that  is,  of  the  sentence  of  those  inferior  coiu-ts  of 
judicature  which  were  established  in  all  the  prin- 
cipal towns,  in  compliance  with  Deut.  xvL  16. 
Thus  v.'as  this  commandment  reduced,  from  a 
holy  law  of  the  heart-searching  God,  to  a  mere 
criminal  statute,  taking  cognizance  only  of  out- 
ward actions,  such  as  that  which  we  read  in  Exod. 
xxi.  12 ;  Lev.  xxiv.  17.  22.  But  I  say  unto  you. 
Mark  the  authoritative  tone  in  which — as  Himself 
the  Lawgiver  and  Judge— Christ  now  gives  the 
true  sense,  and  explains  the  deep  reach,  of  the 
commandment.  That  whosoever  is  angry  with 
his  torother  without  a  cause  [eiK?).  Most  recent 
critical  editors  either  v.dioUy  exclude,  or  ijlace 
within  brackets,  as  of  doubtful  authority,  the 
word  eki/.  External  authority,  however,  prepon- 
derates in  its  favour.  On  the  internal  e^ddence 
opinions  differ ;  some  thinking  it  got  in  to  soften 
the  apparent  harshness  of  the  precept,  while 
others  think  it  was  left  out  of  some  MSS.  and 
early  versions  from  jealousy  at  anything  which 
looked  like  an  attempt  to  dilute  the  strength  of 
our  Lord's  teaching.  But  however  we  decide  as 
to  the  text,  we  must  restrict  our  interpretation  to 
'causeless  anger.']  shall  be  in  danger  of  the 
judgment :  and  whosoever  shall  say  to  his 
brother,  Raca !  [Vuku  =  N|rn ,  '  brainless ']  shall  be 
in  danger  of  the  council  \jiJo  aweopiw]  -.  but  who- 
soever shall  say,  Thou  fool !  [Mwpk  =  '723]  shall  be 
in  danger  of .  hell  fire  [eis  ti\v  yeewav — a  word 
formed  fromC:r[  -i^  or  'valley  of  Hinnom'].  It  is 
unreasonable  to  deny,  as  Alexander  does,  that 
three  degrees  of  punishment  are  here  meant  to  be 
expressed,  and  to  say  that  it  is  but  a  tlireefold 
expression  of  one  and  the  same  thing.  But 
liomish  expositors  greatly  err  in  taking  the  first 
two — "the  jud.^ment"  and  "the  council" — to  re- 
fer to  degrees  of  temporal  punishment  with  which 
lesser  sins  were  to  be  visited  vmder  the  Gospel, 
and  only  the  last — "hell  tire" — to  refer  to  the 
future  life.  All  three  clearly  refer  to  divine  r-etri- 
hntion,  and  that  aloncj  for  breaches  of  this  com- 
mandment; though  this  is  expressed  by  an  allu- 
sion to  Jewish  tribunals.  The  "judgment,"  as 
already  explained,  was  the  lowest  of  these;  the 
"council,"  or  'Sanhedrim' — which  sat  at  Jeru- 
salem— was  the  highest ;  while  the  word  used  for 
"hell  fu"e"  contains  an  allusion  to  the  "valley  of 
the  son  of  Hinnom"  (Josh,  xviii.  16).  In  this 
■valley  the  Jews,  when  steeped  in  idolatry,  went 
tlie  length  of  burning  their  children  to  Moloch 
"on  the  high  places  of  Tophet"  [ncn,  Jer.  viL  31] 
— in  consequence  of  which  good  Josiah  defiled  it, 
to  prevent  the  repetition  of  such  abominations 
(2  Ki.  xxiii.  10) ;  and  from  tliat  time^  forward,  if 
we  may  believe  the  Jewish  writere,  a  fire  was  kept 
burning  in  it  to  consume  the  carrion,  and  all  kinds 
32 


of  impvu-ities,  that  collected  about  the  capital. 
Certain  it  is,  that  while  the  final  punishment  of 
the  wicked  is  described  in  the  Old  Testament  by 
allusions  to  this  valley  of  Tophet  or  Hinnom  (Isa. 
XXX.  33 ;  Ixvi.  24),  our  Lord  Himself  describes  the 
same  by  merely  quoting  these  terrific  descriptions 
of  the  evangelical  iirophet  (Mark  ix.  43-48).  What 
precise  degi'ces  of  unholy  feeling  towards  our 
brother  are  indicated  by  the  words  "Baca"  and 
"fool"  it  would  be  as  useless  as  it  is  vain  to 
enquire.  Every  age  and  every  country  has  its 
modes  of  expressing  such  things;  and,  no  doubt, 
our  Lord  seized  on  the  then  current  phi-aseology 
of  unholy  disrespect  and  contempt,  merely  to 
express  and  condemn  the  d..iti'erent  degrees  of 
such  feeling  when  brought  out  in  words,  as 
He  had  immediately  before  condeimied  the  feel- 
ing itself.  In  fact,  so  little  are  we  to  make  of 
mere  ivords,  apart  from  the  feeling  which  they 
express,  that  as  anger  is  exjiressly  said  to  have 
been  borne  by  our  Lord  towards  His  enemies, 
though  mixed  wiijh  "grief  for  the  hardness  of 
their  hearts"  (Mark  iii.  5),  and  as  the  apostle 
teaches  us  that  there  is  an  anger  which  is  not 
sinful  (Eph.  iv.  26) ;  so  in  the  Epistle  of  James 
(ii.  20)  we  find  the  words,  "0  vain"  or  'empty' 
man  [to  audptoire  Keve\;  and  our  Lord  Himself 
applies  the  very  word  "fools"  [fuopol]  twice  in 
one  breath  to  the  bluid  guides  of  the  people  (ch. 
xxiii.  17,  19)— although,  in  both  cases,  it  is  to 
false  reasoners  rather  than  persons  that  such  words 
are  applied  The  spirit,  then,  of  the  whole  state- 
ment may  be  thus  given — '  For  ages  ye  have  been 
taught  that  the  sixth  commandment,  for  example, 
is  broken  only  by  the  murderer,  to  pass  sentence 
upon  whom  is  the  proper  business  of  the  recog- 
nized tribunals :  but  I  say  unto  you  that  it  is 
broken  even  by  causeless  anger,  which  is  but 
hatred  in  the  bud,  as  hatred  is  incipient  miu-der 
(1  John  iii.  15) ;  and  if  by  the  feelings,  much  more 
by  those  words  in  which  all  ill  feeling,  from  the 
slightest  to  the  most  envenomed,  are  wont  to  be 
cast  upon  a  brother :  and  just  as  there  are  grada- 
tions in  himian  courts  of  judicature,  and  m  the 
sentences  which  they  jjron ounce  according  to  the 
degrees  of  criminality,  so  will  the  judicial  treat- 
ment of  all  the  breakers  of  this  commandment  at 
the  divine  tribunal  be  according  to  theii"  real  crim- 
inality before  the  heart-searching  Jiidge.'  O  what 
holy  teaching  is  this!  23.  Therefore— to  apply 
the  foregoing,  and  show  its  i^aramount  impor- 
tance—if thou  bring  thy  gift  to  the  altar,  and 
there  rememberest  that  thy  brother  hath  aught 
—of  just  complaint  against  thee ;  24.  Leave 
there  thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and  go  thy  way ; 
first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother  [^luWdynidi  toI 
aSe\(^(iJ].  The  meaning  evidently  is— not,  'dismiss 
from  thine  own  breast  all  ill-feeling,'  but,  'get 
thy  brother  to  dismiss  from  his  mind  all  grudge 
against  thee.'  and  then  come  and  ofifer  thy 
gift.  '  The  picture,'  says  Tholuck,  '  is  drawn  from 
life.  It  transports  us  to  the  moment  when  the 
Israelite,  having  brought  his  sacrifice  to  the  court 
of  the  Israelites,  awaited  the  instant  when  the 
jiriest  would  approach  to  receive  it  at  his  hands. 


Clirisfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Mount. 


25  Agree  "with  thine  adversary  quickly,  whiles  ''thou  art  in -the  way  with 
him ;  lest  at  any  time  the  adversary  deliver  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the 

26  judge  deliver  thee  to  the  officer,  and  thou  be  cast  into  prison.  Verily  I 
say  unto  thee,  Thou  ^'shalt  by  no  means  come  out  thence,  till  thou  hast 
paid  the  uttermost  farthing. 

27  Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old  time.  Thou  shalt  not 

28  commit  adultery:  but  I  say  unto  you,  That  whosoever  looketh  ^on  a 
woman  to  lust  after  her  hath  committed  adultery  with  her  already  in  his 


A.  D.  31. 


Job  22.  21. 
Pro.  25.  8. 
Heb.  3.  r. 
'  Ts.  32.  6. 
Isa.  55.  6. 
SThes.  I.! 
Gen.  34.  2. 
Pro.  6.  25. 
tph.  5.  5. 


He  waits  vntli  his  gift  at  the  rails  which  separate 
the  place  where  he  stands  from  the  court  of  the 
priests,  into  wliich  his  offering  will  presently  be 
taken,  there  to  be  slain  by  the  priest,  and.  by 
him  iiresented  upon  the  altar  of  sacrifice.'  It 
is  at  tliis  solemn  moment,  when  about  to  cast 
himself  ui>on  divine  mercy,  and  seek  in  his  offer- 
ing a  seal  of  divine  forgiveness,  that  the  ofl'erer 
is  supposed,  all  at  once,  to  remember  tliat  some 
fcrother  has  a  jast  C3,use  of  complaint  against 
him  through  breach  of  this  commandment  in  one 
or  other  of  the  ways  just  indicateLh  What  then  ? 
Is  he  to  say.  As  soon  as  I  have  offered  this  gift 
I  will  go  straight  to  my  brother,  and  make  it 
wp  with  him?  Nay;  but  before  another  step  is 
tiiken — even  before  the  offering  is  presented — 
this  reconciliation  is  to  be  sought,  though  the  gift 
tave  to  be  left  uuoff'ered  l^efore  the  altar.  Tlie 
converse  of  the  truth  here  taught  is  very  strikingly 
expressed  in  Mark  xi.  25,  2d  "  And  vjhen  ye 
stand  2i>'^U'>i'J  (iJi  ^^^  very  act),  forgive,  if  ye 
have  aught  (of  just  complaint)  against  any ;  that 
your  Father  also  wliich  is  in  heaven  may  forgive 
you  your  tresi>asses.  But  if  ye  do  not  forgive, 
neither  will  vour  Father  which  is  in  heaven  for- 
give you."  Hence  the  beautiful  jiractice  of  the 
early  Churcli,  to  see  that  all  differences  amongst 
bretliren  and  sistei-s  in  Chiist  wei-e  made  ux',  in 
the  spirit  of  love,  before  going  to  the  Holy  Com- 
munion ;  and  the  Church  of  England  has  a  iiibrical 
•direction  to  this  effect  in  her  Communion  service. 
■Cei-taiiily,  if  this  be  the  highest  act  of  worsliip 
on  earth,  such  reconciliation — though  obligatoiy 
<on  all  other  occasions  of  worsliip — must  be  pecu- 
liarly so  then.  25.  Agree  witli  thine  a,dversary 
\ai/TiciKw] — thine  ojiponent  in  a  matter  cognizable 
by  law,  quickly,  whiles  thou  art  in  the  way 
■with  him — '*  to  tlie  magistrate,"  as  in  Luke  xii. 
58;  lest  at  any  time  [/xi'i-n-oTeJ—heve,  ratlier, 
"^lest  at  all'  or  simply  'lest'  the  adversary 
deliver  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the  judge— having 
pronounced  tliee  in  the  MTong,  deliver  thee  to 
the  officer — the  ofticial  whose  business  it  is  to  see 
the  sentence  caiTicd  into  eiiect,  and  thou  be  east 
into  prison.  26.  Verily  I  say  unto  thee.  Thou 
Shalt  toy  no  means  come  out  thence,  'till  thou 
liast  paid  the  uttermost  farthing  [Kot-pam-vs^  = 
quadrantem^  ;  a  fi-actional  Eonian  coin,  to  which 
our  "farthing"  answers  sufficiently  well  That 
our  Lord  meant  here  merely  to  give  a  piece  of 
prudential  a<lvice  to  his  hearers,  to  keep  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  law  and  its  oiiicials  by  settling 
all  disimtes  with  one  another  privately,  is  not 
for  a  moment  to  be  supposed,  though  there  are 
critics  of  a  school  low  enough  to  suggest  this. 
The  concluding  woixls — "  Verily  I  say  unto  thee. 
Thou  slialt  by  no  means  come  out,"  &c. — mani- 
festly show  that  though  the  lan'juage  is  di-awn 
from  human  disimtes  and  legal  procedure.  He  i.s 
dealing  witli  a  higher  tlian  any  human  quarrel, 
a  higher  than  any  human  tribunal,  a  higher  than 
any  human  and  temporal  sentence.  In  this  view 
of  the  words — in  which  nearly  all  critics  worthy 
of  the  name  agree  —  the  spirit  of  tLem  may  be 
tlius  expressed: — 'In  exiiouuding  the  sixth  com- 
voL.    V.  33 


mandment,  I  have  spoken  of  offences  between 
man  and  man ;  reminding  you  that  the  offender 
has  another  iiarty  to  deal  with  besides  him  whom 
he  has  wronged  on  earth,  and  assuring  you  that 
all  worslup  offered  to  the  (Searcher  of  hearts  by 
one  who  knows  that  a  brother  has  just  cause  of 
complaint  against  him,  and  yet  takes  no  steps 
to  remove  it,  is  vain:  But  I  cannot  pass  from 
this  subject  without  reminding  you  of  One  whose 
cause  of  complaint  against  you  is  far  more  deadly 
than  any  that  man  can  have  against  man ;  and 
since  with  that  Adversary  you  are  already  on 
the  way  to  judgment,  it  will  be  your  wisdom  to 
make  up  the  quairel  without  delay,  lest  sentence 
of  condemnation  be  pronounced  upon  you,  and 
then  Mall  execution  straightway  follow,  from  the 
efl'ects  of  Mdiich  you  shall  never  escape  as  long 
as  any  remnant  of  the  offence  remains  unexpiated. ' 
It  will  be  observed  that  as  the  jnindnle  on  which 
we  are  to  '"agree"  with  tliis  "Adversary"  is  not 
here  specified,  and  the  precise  nature  of  the  re- 
tribvition  that  is  to  light  upon  the  despisers  of 
this  warning  is  not  to  be  gatheretl  from  the  meie 
use  of  the  word  "prison;"  so,  the  remedilessnexs 
of  the  punishment  is  not  in  so  many  words 
expressed,  and  still  less  is  its  actual  crssatioti 
taught.  Tlie  language  on  all  these  j^oints  is 
designedly  general ;  but  it  may  safely  be  said 
that  the  uneuditu/  duration  of  future  lainishment 
■ — elsewhere  so  clearly  and  awfully  expressed  by 
our  Lord  Himself,  as  in  verses  29  and  30,  and 
IMark  ix.  43,  48 — is  the  only  doctrine  with  which 
His  language  here  quite  naturally  and  fully 
accords.     (Compare  cli.  xviii.  30,  34. ) 

The  same  subject  iUusfrafed  from  the  Seventh 
Commandment  (27-32).  27.  Ye  have  heard  that 
it  was  said.  The  words  [t-oI?  d/JX"'"*^]  "  by,"  or 
"  to  them  of  old  time,"  in  this  \'erse  are  insuffi- 
ciently sujiported,  and  proliably  were  not  in  the 
original  text.  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery. 
Interpreting  this  seventh,  as  they  did  the  sixth 
commandment,  the  traditional  perverters  of  the 
law  restricted  the  breach  of  it  to  acts  of  criminal 
intercoui-se  between,  or  with,  married  persons  ex- 
clusively. Our  Lord  now  dissipates  such  delusions. 
28.  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  whosoever  looketh 
en  a  woman  to  lust  after  her  [tt/jos  to] — with 
the  intent  to  do  so,  as  the  same  expression  is  used 
ill  cli.  vi.  1;  or,  with  the  full  consent  of  his  Mill, 
to  feed  thereby  his  unholy  desires,  hath  com- 
mitted adultery  with  her  already  in  his  heart. 
We  are  not  to  suppose,  from  the  word  here  used — 
"adultery" — that  ovu'  Lord  means  to  restrict  the 
breach  of  this  connnandment  to  married  persons, 
or  to  criminal  intercourse  Math  sucli.  The  expires- 
sions,  "  lohosoerer  looketh,"  and  "  looketh  uixm  a 
woman,''''  seem  cleaily  to  extend  the  fange  of  this 
commandment  to  all  forms  of  impurity,  and  the 
counsels  which  follow — as  they  most  certainly 
were  intended  for  all,  whether  married  or  im- 
married — seem  to  confirm  this.  As  in  dealing 
with  the  sixth  connnandment  our  Lord  first 
expounds  it,  and  then  in  the  four  following 
verses  applies  His  exposition,  so  here,  He  first 
ex])oiinds  the  seventh  coniniandnient,  and  then  iu 


Christ's  Sermon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Moiint. 


29  heart.  And  ^if  thy  right  eye  ''offend  thee,  phick  it  out,  and  cast  it  from 
thee :  for  it  is  protitable  for  thee  that  one  of  thy  members  should  perish, 

30  and  not  that  thy  whole  body  should  be  cast  into  hell.  And  if  thy  right 
hand  offend  thee,  cut  it  off,  and  cast  it  from  thee :  for  it  is  profitable  for 
thee  that  one  of  thy  members  should  perish,  and  not  that  thy  whole  body 
should  be  cast  into  hell. 

It  hath  been  said,  "Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  let  liim  give 
her  a  writing  of  divorcement:  but  I  say  unto  you,  That  ''whosoever 
shall  put  away  his  wife,  saving  for  the  cause  of  fornication,  causeth  her 
to  commit  adultery:  and  whosoever  shall  marry  her  that  is  divorced 
comraitteth  adultery. 

Again,  ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  '^by  them  of  old  time, 
'Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but  ''shalt  perform  unto  tlie  Lord  thine 
oaths:  but  I  say  unto  you,  *  Swear  not  at  all:  neither  by  heaven;  for  it 


31 
32 


33 


34 


A.  D.  31. 

'  Mark  9.  i:J. 

6  Or,  do 

cause  thea 
to  offend. 
I'S.  119.  37. 
°  Deut.  24.  1, 
Jer.  3.  I. 
Mark  10.  2. 
i>  Eom.  7.  3. 
]  Cor.  7.  10. 

7  to  the  an- 

cients. 
"  Ex.  20.  7. 

Lev.  19.  12. 

Kum.  "0.  2. 
d  Deut.  23.23. 
«  Jas.  5.  12. 


the  foiir  following  verses  applies  His  exposition. 
29.  And  if  tby  riglit  eye— the  readier  and  the 
dearer  of  the  two,  offend  thee  [a-KavoaXiX^ei  o-e] — 
be  [a  <TKav^aX-i]dpov]  a  'trap-spring,'  or,  as  in  the 
!N  ew  Testament,  be  '  an  occasion  of  stumbling '  to 
thee,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it  from  thee — 
imjjlying  a  certain  indignant  promptitude,  heed- 
less of  whatever  cost  to  feeling  the  act  may  in- 
volve. Of  course,  it  is  not  the  eije  siinply  of  which 
our  Lord  speaks — as  if  execution  were  to  be  done 
upon  the  bodily  organ — though  there  have  been 
fanatical  ascetics  who  have  both  advocated  and 
Ijractised  this,  showing  a  very  low  aiiprehension 
of  spiritual  things— but  tlie  offending  eye,  or  the 
eye  considered  as  the  occasion  of  sin ;  and  conse- 
quently, only  the  sinful  exereise  of  the  organ  which 
is  meant.  For  as  one  might  put  out  his  eyes  with- 
out in  the  least  quenching  the  lust  to  which  they 
ministered,  so,  '  if  thine  eye  be  single,  thy  whole 
body  shall  be  full  of  light,"  and,  when  directed  by 
a  holy  mind,  becomes  an  "instrument  of  righteous- 
ness unto  God."  At  the  same  time,  just  as  by  cut- 
ting off  a  hand,  or  plucking  out  an  eye,  the  power 
of  acting  and  of  seeing  would  be  destroyed,  our 
Lord  certainly  means  that  we  are  to  strike  at  the 
root  of  such  unholy  dispositions,  as  well  as  cut 
off  the  occasions  which  tend  to  stimulate  them. 
for  it  is  profitable  for  thee  that  one  of  thy 
members  should  perish,  and  not  that  thy  whole 
body  should  be  cast  into  hell.  He  who  despises 
the  warning  to  "cast  from  him,"  with  indignant 
promj)titude,  an  offending  member,  will  find  his 
whole  body  "cast,"  with  a  retributive  prompti- 
tude of  indignation,  "into  hell."  .Sliarp  language 
this,  from  the  lijis  of  Love  iucarnate !  30.  And  if 
thy  right  hand— the  organ  of  action,  to  Avhich  the 
eye  excites,  offend  thee,  cut  it  off,  and  cast  it 
from  thee:  for  it  is  profitable,  &c.  See  on  i\ 
20.  The  repetition,  in  identical  terms,  of  such 
stern  truths  and  awful  lessons  seems  characteristic 
of  our  Lord's  manner  of  teaching.  Compare  Mark 
ix.  43-48. 

31.  It  hath  been  said.  This  shorteneil  form 
was  perhaps  intentional,  to  mark  a  transition 
from  the  commandments  of  the  Decalogue  to  a 
civil  enactment  on  the  sulyect  of  Divorce,  quoted 
from  Deut.  xxiv.  1.  The  law  of  Divorce— accord- 
ing to  its  strictness  or  laxity — has  so  intimate  a 
bearing  upon  purity  in  the  married  life,  that 
nothing  could  be  more  natural  than  to  pass  from 
the  seventh  commandment  to  the  loose  views  on 
that  subject  then  current.  Whosoever  shall  put 
away  his  wife,  let  him  give  her  a  writing  of 
divorcement — a  legal  check  upon  reckless  and 
tjTannical  separation.  The  one  legitimate  ground 
of  divorce  allowed  by  the  enactment  just  quoted 


uncleanness  " 
34 


r?i 


^,      a<TXl]^^■ov 


irpayfxal — in  other  words,  conjugal  infidelity.  But 
while  one  school  of  interpreters  (that  of  Shammai) 
explained  this  quite  correctly,  as  prohibiting 
divorce  in  every  case  save  that  of  adultery, 
another  school  (that  of  Hillel)  stretched  the  ex- 
pression so  far  as  to  include  everything  in  the 
wife  offensive  or  disagreealjle  to  the  husband— a 
view  of  the  law  too  well  fitted  to  minister  to 
caprice  and  depraved  inclination  not  to  find  ex- 
tensive favour.  And,  indeed,  to  this  day  the 
Jews  allow  divorces  on  the  most  frivolous  pre- 
texts. It  was  to  meet  this  that  our  Lord  uttered 
what  follows :  32.  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  who- 
soever shall  put  away  his  wife,  saving  for  the 
cause  of  fornication,  causeth  her  to  commit  adul- 
tery— that  is,  drives  her  into  it,  in  case  she  mar- 
ries again ;  and  whosoever  shall  marry  her  that 
is  divorced — for  anj-thing  short  of  conjugal  infidel- 
ity, committeth  adultery— for  if  the  command- 
ment is  broken  by  the  one  party,  it  must  be 
by  the  other  also.  But  see  on  chap.  xix.  4-0. 
Whether  the  innocent  party,  after  a  just  divorce, 
may  lawfully  marry  again,  is  not  treated  of  here. 
The  Church  of  liome  says,  No ;  but  the  Greek 
and  Protestant  Churches  allow  it. 

Same  subject  illustrated  from  the  Third  Com- 
mandment  (,33.37).  33.  Again,  ye  have  heard 
that  it  hath  been  said  by  them  of  old  time, 
Thou  Shalt  not  forswear  thyself.  These  are 
not  the  precise  words  of  Exod.  xx.  7;  but  they 
express  all  that  it  was  currently  understood 
to  condemn,  namely,  false  swearing  (Lev.  xix. 
12,  &c.)  This  is  plain  from  what  follows.  But 
I  say  unto  you.  Swear  not  at  all.  That  this 
was  meant  to  condemn  swearing  of  every  kind 
and  on  every  occasion — as  the  Society  of  Friends 
and  some  other  ultra-moralists  allege — is  not  for 
a  moment  to  be  thought.  For  even  Jehovali 
is  said  once  and  again  to  have  sworn  by  Him- 
self ;  and  our  Lord  certainly  answered  upon  oath 
to  a  question  put  to  Him  by  the  high  priest ; 
and  the  apostle  several  times,  and  in  the  most 
solemn  language,  takes  God  to  witness  that  He 
spoke  and  wrote  the  truth ;  and  it  is  inconceiv- 
aole  that  our  Lord  should  here  have  quoted  the 
precept  about  not  forswearing  ourselves  but  per- 
forming to  the  Lord  our  oaths,  only  to  give  a 
precept  of  His  own  directly  in  the  teeth  of  it. 
Evidently,  it  is  '  swearing  in  common  intercourse 
and  on  frivolous  occasions'  that  is  here  meant. 
Frivolous  oaths  were  indeed  severely  condemned 
in  the  teaching;  of  the  times.  But  so  narrow  was 
the  circle  of  them  that  a  man  might  swear,  says 
Lightfoot,  a  huudi-ed  thousand  times  and  yet  not 
be  guilty  of  vain  swearing.  HarcUy  anj'thing  was 
regarded  as  an  oath  if  only  the  name  of  God  were 
not  in  it ;  just  as  among  ourselves,  as  Trench  well 


Christ'' s  Sermon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Mount. 


35  is  -^ God's  throne :  nor  by  the  earth ;  for  it  is  his  footstool :  neither  by 

36  Jerusalem ;  for  it  is  the  city  of  the  great  King.     Neither  shalt  thou  swear 

37  by  thy  head,  because  thou  canst  not  make  one  hair  white  or  black.  But 
^let  your  communication  be,  Yea,  yea;  Nay,  nay :  for  whatsoever  is  more 
than  these  cometh  of  evil-. 

38  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  An  ^  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth 

39  for  a  tooth :  but  I  say  unto  you,  *That  ye  resist  not  evil;  ■'but  whosoever 

40  shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  And  if 
any  man  will  sue  thee  at  the  law,  and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have 

41  tliy  cloak  also.     And  whosoever  '-■  shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile,  go  with 

42  him  twain.  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee,  and  from  'him  that  would 
borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away. 


A.  D.  31. 


/  Isa.  C6.  1. 
"  1  Cor.  1.  17- 
£0. 

Col.  4.  6. 

Jas.  5.  12. 
''  Lev.  24.  20. 
i   Pro.  20.  22. 

Rom.  12.17. 

1  Cor.  6.  7. 

iThes.S.i.'i. 

1  Pet.  3.  9. 
j  Isa.  50.  6. 
*  Mark  15.21. 
'  Deut.  15.  8. 


remarks,  a  certain  lingering  reverence  for  the 
name  of  God  leads  to  cutting  off  i^ortions  of  His 
name,  or  uttering  sounds  nearly  resembling  it,  or 
substituting  the  name  of  some  heathen  deity,  in 
profane  exclamations  or  asseverations.  Against 
all  this  our  Lord  now  speaks  decisively;  teaching 
His  audience  that  every  oath  carries  an  appeal  to 
God,  whether  named  or  not.  neither  by  heaven; 
for  it  is  God's  throne :  35.  Nor  by  the  earth ;  for 
it  is  his  footstool  (quoting  Isa.  Ixvi.  1) :  neither 
by  Jerusalem ;  for  it  is  the  city  of  the  great  King 
(quoting  Ps.  xlviii.  2).  36.  Neither  shalt  thou  swear 
by  thy  head,  because  thou  canst  not  make  one 
hair  white  or  black.  In  the  other  oaths  speci- 
fied, God's  name  was  jirofaned  quite  as  really  as  if 
His  name  had  been  uttered,  because  it  was  in- 
stantly sur/ffested  by  the  mention  of  His  "  throne," 
His  "footstool,"  His  "city."  But  in  swearing  by 
our  own  head  and  the  like,  the  objection  lies  in 
their  being  'beyond  our  control,'  and  therefore 
profanely  assumed  to  have  a  stability  which  tliey 
nave  not.  37.  But  let  your  communication — 
'  your  word'  [Xoyos],  in  ordinary  intercourse,  be, 
Yea,  yea;  Nay,  nay:—'  Let  a  simple  Yes  and  No 
suffice,  in  affirming  the  truth  or  tlie  untruth  of 
anything.  (See  Jas.  v.  12,  and  2  Cor.  L  17,  IS.) 
for  whatsoever  is  more  than  these  cometh  of  evil 
[£K  Tou  TToi/iipoD] — not  '  of  thc  e^dl  One ;'  though  an 
equally  correct  rendering  of  the  words,  and  one 
which  some  expositors  prefer.  It  is  true  that  all 
evil  in  our  world  is  originally  of  the  devil,  that  it 
forms  a  kingdom  at  the  head  of  which  he  sits,  and 
that,  in  every  manifestation  of  it  he  has  an  active 
part.  But  any  reference  to  this  here  seems  unna- 
tural [cf.  T<Z  TTOffipfo,  V.  39],  and  the  allusion  to 
this  passa,!re  in  the  Epistle  of  James  (v.  12)  seems 
to  show  that  this  is  not  the  sense  of  it — "  Let 
your  yea  be  yea ;  and  your  nay,  nay ;  lest  ye  fall 
into  condemnation^  Ihe  untruthfulness  of  our 
corrupt  nature  shows  itself  not  only  in  the  ten- 
dency to  deviate  from  the  strict  truth,  but  in  the 
disposition  to  suspect  others  of  doing  the  same; 
and  as  this  is  not  diminished,  but  rather  aggra- 
vated, by  the  habit  of  confirming  what  we  say  by 
an  oath,  we  thus  run  the  risk  of  having  all  reve- 
rence for  God's  holy  name,  and  even  for  strict 
tmth,  destroyed  in  our  hearts,  and  so  "fall  into 
condemnation."  The  practice  of  going  beyond 
Yes  and  No,  in  affirmations  and  denials — as  if  our 
word  for  it  were  not  enough,  and  we  expected 
others  to  question  it — sxn-ings  from  that  vicious 
root  of  untruthfulness  which  is  only  aggravated 
by  the  very  effort  to  clear  ourselves  of  the  suspi- 
cion of  it.  And  just  as  swearing  to  the  truth  of 
what  we  say  begets  the  disposition  it  is  designed 
to  remove,  so  the  love  and  reign  of  truth  in  the 
breasts  of  Christ's  disciples  reveals  itself  so  plainly 
even  to  those  who  themselves  cannot  be  trusted, 
that  their  simple  Yes  and  No  come  soon  to  be  more 
relied  ou  than  the  most  solemn  asseverations  of 
o5 


others.  Thus  does  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  like  a  tree  cast  into  the  bitter  waters  of 
human  corruption,  heal  and  sweeten  them. 

Same  Subject — Retaliation  (38-42).  We  have  here 
the  converse  of  the  preceding  lessons.  They  were 
negative:  these  are  joositire.  38.  Ye  have  heard 
that  it  hath  been  said  (ExocL  xxi.  23-25;  Lev.  xxiv. 
10,  20;  Deut.  xix.  21),  An  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a 
tooth  for  a  tooth — that  is,  whatever  penalty  was 
regarded  as  a  proper  equivalent  for  these.  This 
law  of  retribution — designed  to  take  vengeance  out 
of  the  hands  of  private  persons,  and  commit  it  to 
the  magistrate — was  abused  in  tlie  opposite  way  to 
the  commandments  of  the  Decalogiie.  While  they 
were  reduced  to  the  level  of  civil  enactments,  this 
judicial  regulation  was  held  to  be  a  warrant  for 
taking  redress  into  their  own  hands,  contrary  to 
the  injunctions  of  the  Old  Testament  itself  (Prov. 
XX.  22;  xxiv.  29).  39.  But  I  say  unto  you,  That 
ye  resist  not  evil;  but  whosoever  shall  smite 
thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other 
also.  Our  Lord's  own  meek,  yet  dignified  bearing, 
wlien  smitten  rudely  on  the  cheek  (John  xviiL  22, 
23),  and  not  literally  presenting  the  other,  is  the 
best  comment  on  these  words.  It  is  the  preparetl- 
ness,  after  one  indignity,  not  to  invate  but  to  sul>- 
mit  meekly  to  another,  without  retaliation,  which 
this  strong  language  is  meant  to  convey.  40.  And 
if  any  man  will  sue  thee  at  the  law,  and  taka 
away  thy  coat  [xtTwi/a]— the  inner  garment;  in 
pledge  for  a  debt  (Exod.  xxii.  26,  27) — let  hira 
have  thy  cloak  also  [i^a-rioi/] — the  outer  and  more 
costly  garment.  This  overcoat  was  not  allowed 
to  be  retained  over-night  as  a  pledge  from  the  pooi-, 
because  they  used  it  for  a  bed-cuveriug.  41.  And 
whosoever  shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile,  go 
with  him  twain — an  allusion,  probably,  to  the 
practice  of  the  Eomans  and  some  eastein  nations, 
who,  when  Government-despatches  had  to  be  for- 
warded, obliged  the  people  not  only  to  fiu-nish 
horses  and  carriages,  but  to  give  personal  attend- 
ance, often  at  great  inconvenience,  when  required. 
But  the  thing  here  demanded  is  a  readiness  to 
submit  to  unreasonable  demands  of  whatever 
kind,  rather  than  raise  quariels,  with  all  the 
evils  resulting  from  them.  What  follows  is  a 
beautiful  extension  of  this  precept.  42.  Give  to 
him  that  asketh  thee.  The  sense  of  unreasonaUe 
asking  is  here  implied  (cf.  Luke  vi.  30).  and  from 
him  that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou 
away.  Though  the  word  [^ai/etgo/uat  in  MecL]  sig- 
nifies classically  'to  have  money  lent  to  one  on 
security,'  or  'with  interest,'  yet  as  this  was  not 
the  original  sense  of  the  word,  and  as  usury  was 
forbidden  among  the  Jews  (Exod.  xxii.  25,  &c. ),  it  is 
doubtless  simple  borrowing  which  our  Lord  hero 
means,  as  indeed  the  whole  strain  of  the  exliorta- 
tion  implies.  This  shows  that  such  counsels  as 
"Owe  no  man  anything"  (Rom.  xiii.  8)  are  not  to 
be  taken  absolutely;  else  the  Scriptiu'e  commen- 


Chrisfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Mount. 


43  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  Thou  '"shalt  love  thy  neighbour, 

44  "and  hate  thine  enemy:  but  I  say  unto  you,  "Love  your  enemies,  bless 
them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  ^^for  them 

45  -which  despitefully  use  you,  and  persecute  you;  that  ye  may  be  the 
children  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven :  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to 
rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the 

46  unjust.     For  *if  ye  love  them  which  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye?  do 

47  not  even  the  publicans  the  same  ?    And  if  ye  salute  your  brethren  only. 


A.  D.  31. 

"'Lev.  19.  18. 
"  Deut.  23.  6. 
*  Pro.  25.  21. 

Rom.  12. 14. 
^  Luke  23.34. 

Acts  7.  60. 

1  Cor.  4.  12. 

1  Pet.  2.  23. 
9  Lnke  6.  32. 


dations  of  the  righteous  for  "lending"  to  his  ne- 
cessitous brother  (Ps.  xxxvii.  26;  cxii.  5;  Luke 
vi.  37)  would  have  no  ap]ilication.  turn  not  thou 
away — a  graphic  expression  of  unfeeling  refusal  to 
relieve  a  brother  in  extremity. 

Same  Subject— Love  to  Enemies  (43-48).  43.  Ye 
have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  (Lev.  xix.  IS), 
Thou  Shalt  love  thy  neighbour.  To  this  the  coi- 
rupt  teachers  added,  and  hate  thine  enemy— as  if 
the  one  were  a  legitimate  inference  from  the  other, 
instead  of  being  a  detestable  gloss,  as  Bengel  in- 
dignantly calls  it.  Lightfoot  quotes  some  of  the 
cursed  maxims  inculcated  by  those  traditionists 
regarding  the  proper  treatment  of  all  Gentiles.  No 
wonder  that  the  Romans  cliai'ged  the  Jews  mth 
hatred  of  the  human  race.  44.  But  I  say  unto 
you,  Love  your  enemies.  The  word  [aya-n-di/]  here 
used  denotes  moral  love,  as  distinguished  from 
the  other  word  \4»^e't^v\,  which  expresses  2^srsonal 
affection.  Usually,  the  former  denotes  'compla- 
cency in  the  character'  of  the  person  loved;  but 
here  it  denotes  the  benignant,  compassionate  out- 
going of  desire  for  another's  good,  [bless  them 
that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you], 
and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully  use  you, 
and  persecute  you.  [The  two  bi-acketed  clauses 
are  omitted  here  by  recent  editors,  who  think 
them  borrowed  from  Luke  vi.  27,  ^ ;  but  the  evi- 
dence on  both  sides  is  pretty  equally  balanced.] 
The  best  commentary  on  these  matchless  counsels 
is  the  bright  example  of  Him  who  gave  them. 
(See  1  Pec.  ii.  21-24;  and  cf.  Rom.  xii.  20,  21; 
1  Cor.  iv.  12 ;  1  Pet.  iii.  9. )  But  though  such  pre- 
cepts were  never  before  expressed — jierhaps  not 
even  conceived — with  such  breadth,  precision,  and 
sharpness  as  here,  our  Lord  is  here  only  the  in- 
com^iarable  Intei'preter  of  a  law  in  force  from  the 
beginning ;  and  this  is  the  only  satisfactory  view  of 
the  entire  strain  of  this  Discom-se.  45.  That  ye  may 
be  the  children — 'that  ye  may  be  sous'  [vlo'i] — of 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  The  meaning 
is,  'that  ye  may  show  yourselves  to  be  such  by 
resembUnff_  Him  (cf.  v.  9  and  Eph.  v.  1).  for  he 
maketh  his  sun — '  your  Father's  sun.'  Well  might 
Beivjel  exclaim,  'Maguiticeut  appellation ! '—to  rise 
on  the  evU  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on 
the  just  and  on  the  unjust — rather  [without  the 
article],  '  on  evil  and  good,  and  on  just  and  un- 
just.' When  we  find  God's  own  procedm-e  held 
lip  for  imitation  in  the  law,  and  much  more  in  the 
prophets  (Lev.  xix.  2;  xx.  26;  and  cf.  1  Pet.  i. 
15,  16),  we  may  see  that  the  principle  of  this  sur- 
prising verse  was  nothing  new:  but  the  form  of 
it  certainly  is  that  of  One  who  spake  as  never 
man  spaka  46.  For  if  ye  love  them  which  love 
you,  what  reward  have  ye?  do  not  even  the 
publicans  the  same?  [to  alTo.  The  reading- 
oi'TO)?  has  perhaps  slightly  the  better  support.] 
The  publicans,  ixs  collectors  of  taxes  due  to  the 
Roman  government,  wei-e  even  on  this  account 
obnoxious  to  the  Jews,  who  sat  uneasy  under  a 
foreign  yoke,  and  disliked  whatever  brought  this 
unpleasantly  before  them.  But  the  extortion 
l)ractised  by  this  class  made  them  hateful  to  the 
community,  who  in  their  cui'rent  s]jeech  ranked 
iiii 


them  with  "harlots."  Nor  does  our  Lord  scruple 
to  speak  of  them  as  others  did,  which  we  ma-y  be 
sure  He  never  would  if  it  had  been  calumnious. 
The  meaning,  then,  is,  'In  loving  those  who  love 
you,  there  is  no  evidence  of  superior  principle: 
the  worst  of  men  will  do  this :  even  a  publican 
will  go  that  leng-fcli.'  47.  And  if  ye  salute  your 
brethxen  only — of  the  same  nation  and  religion 
with  yourselves — what  do  ye  more  [than  others]  ? 
[ti  -KepiGCTov] — 'what  do  ye  uncommon'  or  'extr.a- 
ordinaiy?'  that  is,  wherein  do  ye  excel?  do  not 
even  the  publicans  so?  The  true  reading  here 
appears  to  be,  'Do  not  even  the  heathens  the 
same'?' [eOwKOi.]  Cf.  cli.  xviii.  17,  where  the  ex- 
communicated person  is  said  to  be  "as  an  heathen 
man  and  a  publican."  48.  Be  ye  therefore  ['Eo-eaOe 
oTjv]  —  rather,  'Ye  shall  therefore  be,'  or  'Ye  are 
therefore  to  lie,'  as  My  disci]iles  and  in  My  king- 
dom— perfect  [TeXeioi],  or  'complete.'  Manifestly, 
our  Lord  here  speaks,  not  of  degrees  of  excellence, 
but  of  the  kind  of  excellence  which  was  to  dis- 
tinguish His  disciples  and  characterize  His  king- 
dom. When  therefore  He  adds,  even  as  your 
Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect,  He  refers 
to  that  full-orbed  glorious  completeness  which  is 
in  the  gi-eat  Divine  Model,  "their  Father  which 
is  in  heaven."  ['Your  heavenly  Father' — ov^avio^ 
— is  here  the  preferable  reading.] 

Eemarl's. — 1.  Li  the  light  of  this  Section  what 
shall  we  think  of  those  low  vieAvs  of  tlie  Old  Testa- 
ment which  have  long  been  current  in  Germany, 
even  among  the  most  distinguished  theologians 
and  critics,  and  which  from  them  have  passed 
over  to  this  country  and  across  the  Atlantic; 
poisoning  some  otherwise  well  affected  to  evan- 
gelical truth,  and  introducing  a  principle  of  laxity 
into  their  whole  Biblical  system?  Not  to  speak 
of  our  Lord's  solemn  a.sseverations  of  the  enduring 
authority  of  "the  Law  and  the  Prophets,"  and  the 
houoiu"  in  which  they  were  to  be  held  in  His 
kingdom:  who  can  read  with  intelligence,  in^- 
partiality,  and  reverential  docility,  the  illustra- 
tions which  our  Lord  here  gives  of  tne  spii'ituality 
and  breadth  of  the  ancient  law,  in  oiiposition  to 
the  detestable  j^erversions  of  it  under  which  His 
hearers  had  grown  up,  without  }ierceiviug  that 
instead  of  suiiiilantiug  or  even  modifying  it — 
which  some  excellent  critics  have  too  hastilj' 
conceded — the  highest  position  towards  the  an- 
cient law  Avhich  our  Lord  here  assumes,  is  that 
of  its  supreme  and  authoritative  Interpreter?  It 
is  only  the  glorious  comprehensiveness,  the  pure 
spirituality,  the  self-evidencing  truth,  and  the 
heavenly  radiance  of  His  inter]  iretations  of  the  law 
— ti'anscending,  it  is  true,  everji;liiiig  whidi  v,"e  read 
in  the  Old  Testament — that  ha.s  deceived  many 
into  the  notion  that  we  have  here  a  moa-e  or  less 
new  code  of  morals  ;  a  thing  as  contrary  to  a  sound 
exi^osition  of  this  Section  as  derogatory  to  the 
honour  of  God's  ancient  law.  And  if  this  is  not 
to  be  endured,  much  less  the  Romish  notion  that 
all  our  Lord's  teachings  here  ai'e  but  '  evangelical 
counsels'  (consiUa  erangelka),  or  counsels  of 
perfection — not  obligatoiy  upon  any,  but  the 
more  meritorious  in  those  who  can  woi'k  them- 


Chrlsfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  V. 


on  the  Mount 


48  what  do  ye  more  than  others'^  do  not  even  the  publicans  so?    Be  '"ye 
therefore  perfect,  even  "as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect. 

selves  lip  to  them.  2.  After  reading  siich 
sjiiritual  and  searching  expositions  of  the  law, 
"vvith  what  force  is  the  apostolic  inference  borne 
in  npou  the  awakened  conscience,  "Therefore 
hy  the  deeds  of  the  law  there  shall  no  flesh  be 
justified  in  His  sight :  for  Iw  the  law  is  the  know- 
ledge of  sin"  !  (Horn.  iii.  20.)  The  whole  docti'inal 
system,  indeed,  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans 
is  seminally  contained  in  the  Gospels ;  but  this 
truth  in  pai'ticular  is  written  here  as  with  a  sun- 
beam. And  yet,  there  are  those  who  take  refuge, 
from  the  iireteuded  severity  of  the  Pauline  doc- 
trine, in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount — as  if  it  were  of 
a  milder  type.  We  have  ourselves  heard  the  Jews 
chanting  in  the  synagogue  the  praises  of  the  law, 
while  rejecting  liim  who  alone  can  deliver  them 
from  the  curse  of  it;  ]>ut  what  better  are  those 
calle^l  Christians  who  turn  away  froju  the  Pauline 
doctrine  of  Justification  to  that  teaching  from 
the  Mount  which,  but  for  this  Paiiline  doctrine 
the  awakened  conscience  cannot  abide — a  teach- 
ing Avhich,  but  for  salvation  by  free  grace,  makes 
ns  feel  ourseh'es  standing  under  a  very  difierent 
INIount  from  that  of  the  Beatitudes,  beneath  whose 
thunderings,  and  lightnings,  and  earthquakes 
and  voices  the  people  exclaimed,  "  Let  not  God 
speak  with  us,  lest  we  die"  (Exod.  xx.  19).  Now 
this,  without  doubt,  was  what  our  Lord  in  the 
first  instance  sought  to  produce  by  so  construct- 
ing  His   Sermon  on  the  Mount.      Accordingly, 

3.  Who  that  weighs  the  faint  exposition  we  have 
jjiyen  of  the  holy  teaching  of  this  Section,  can 
fail  to  see  the  wisdom  with  which  our  Lord 
selected  this  line  of  thought  for  the  first  formal 
proclamation  of  the  principles  of  His  kingdom, 
luther  than  anything  more  definite  regarding 
the  "Lamb  of  God"  which  was  to  "take  away 
the  sin  of  the  world"?  While  this  would  have 
been  of  little  avail  to  such  a  motley  assemblage, 
"alive  without  the  law"  and  "at  ease  in  Zion," 
nothing  could  be  better  fitted  to  dash  vain  ex- 
jiectations  from  Him  of  supiiort  to  the  reigning 
ideas ;  to  rouse  to  anxious  thought  as  many  as 
were  prepared  to  give  Him  even  a  respectful 
hearing ;  and  to  humble  to  the  dust  the  thoroughly 
awakened,  and  create  in  them  longiiigs  after 
further  light  and  solid  rest  to  their  troubled  souls. 

4.  When  will  Christians  strive  in  earnest,  as  one 
man,  to  carry  out  the  law  of  love,  in  respect  of 
'causeless  anger,'  here  laid  down?  That  little  of  it  is 
to  be  seen  at  present  is  b\it  too  manifest;  but  that, 
if  resolutely  and  habitually  exemplified,  it  would 
astonish  and  im])ress  the  world  around  them  more 
than  all  other  arguments  in  favour  of  Cluistianity, 
who  can  doubt?  0  brother — sister — in  Christ, 
blush,  first  of  all,  that  thy  Lord  hath  spoken  to  thee 
from  the  Mount  so  much  in  vain,  and  hath  hitherto 
gotten  so  little  testimony  from  thee.  Then,  on  thy 
knees,  pledge  thyself  to  Him  anew,  and  in  strength 
divine  make  it  thy  daily  business,  whether  in  the 
quiet  wallvs  of  domestic  intercourse,  or  in  the  busy 
haunts  of  a  more  piiblic  calling,  to  exemplify  the 
law  of  love  here  expounded.  Nor,  if  thou  hast 
broken  it,  despair  or  rest  contented ;  but  quickly 
repair,  at  any  cost  to  feeling,  the  wrong  thou  hast 
liastily  done  to  a  brother,  whether  by  unwarrant- 
able anger  in  thy  heart,  or  by  unmerited  and  un- 
becoming rudeness  of  speech.  Failing  this,  every 
act  of  worship  offered  to  the  Searcher  of  hearts  will 
be  vain  (Ps.  Ixvi.  IS),  and  should  rather  be  inter- 
rupted till  thou  hast  come  to  one  with  thy  brother, 
than  performed  with  a  gxiilty  conscience.  (See 
Job  xlii.  8. )    5.  In  vain  do  Romanists  plead  for  the 

37 


A.  D.  31. 

'■  Gen.  17.  1. 
'  Eph.  5.  1. 


sacrifice  of  the  mass,  and  some  Protestants  for 
"altars"  in  the  Christian  Church,  from  the  "gifts 
brought  to  the  altar,"  to  which  our  Lord  alludes  in 
this  _  Section.     Spoken  to  Jews  while  the  temple 
service  was  in  full  force,  such  language  was  alto- 
gether natural ;   it  was  most  intelligible  ;  it  was 
life-like.     But  how  far  such  things  would  or  would 
not  remain  under  an  economy  which  was  to  siipei-- 
sede  the  Jewish,  must  be  decided,  not  by  such 
l)hraseology  occurring  here,  but  by  other  consid- 
erations altogether.      G.  When  we  see  how  natu- 
rally our  Lord  rose,  in  His  teaching,  from  dispiites 
between  man  and  man  to  the  great  controversy    ! 
between  man  and  God  (?'.  25,  26),  it  should  be  our    ' 
study  to  imitate  such  spirituality — even  in  ordin- 
ary intercourse,  but  much  more  in  teaching — and 
to  make  the  immediate  settlement  of  the  great 
question  of  peace  with  God  the  paramount  subject 
of  all  we  say  and  teach  on  eternal  things.     7.  The 
sense  in  which  oiir  Lord  here  uses  the  phrase  "/-e 
reconciled''''  [otaWayijOt,  i\  24],  is  to  be  carefully 
noted,  as  the  expression  lias  been  laid  hold  of  to 
subvert  the  jiroper  doctrine  of  the  Atonement.     It 
has  been  confidently  affii-med  that  God  is  nowhere 
said  to  be  reconciled  to  us — as  if  any  change  were 
needed,  or  possible,  in  the  Unchangeable  One  to- 
wards men — but  always  we  are  said  to  be  reconciled 
to  God.     In  proof  of  this  we  are  referred  to  2  Cor. 
V.  18-20— "All  things  are  of  God,  who  hath  re- 
conciled us  to  Himself  by  Jesus  Christ.    God  was  in 
Christ,  reconciling  the  ivorld  ^mto  Hiinself.  .  .  Now 
then  ...  we  pray  you,  in  Christ's  stead,  he  ye  recon- 
ciled to  God."    But  since  our  Lord,  in  this  Sermon 
on  the  Mount,  when  He  requires  the  offending  party 
to   ^he  reconciled  to  his  offended  brother,'  plainly 
means — not  that  the  offender  is  to  get  rid  of  the 
cause  of  offence  in  his  ow^l  breast,  or  to  banish  all 
doubts  of  his  brother's  willingness  to  forgive  him — 
but  that  he  is  to  take  steps  towards  obtaining  his 
lirother's  forgiveness,  or  getting  his  brother's  just 
displeasm-e  against  himself   removed;  so  in  the 
words  quoted  from  the  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 
the  world's  reconciliation  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ, 
as  a  thing  already  accomplished— which  is  the  great 
fact  that  the  Gospel  ministry  is  appointed  to  piib- 
lish— cannot  possibly  mean  any  change  which  has 
come  over  the  world's  views  of  God :   it    can  only 
mean  the  altered  view  of  the  world  which  Goil 
takes  inconsequence  of  Christ's  death;  or,  to  speak 
more  properly,  a  new  relation  in  which  He  stands 
to  it  as  reconciled  through  that  death;   and  it  is 
when  we  "set  to  our  seal  that  this  is  true,"  that 
we  "are  reconciled  to  God,"  for  it  must  take  effect 
on  both  sides.     8.  If  we  would  avoid  sin  we  must 
cut  off  the  occasions  of  it.     This  obvious  rule 
solves  a  great  many  casuistical  questions,  as  to 
how  far  Christians  may  warrantably  go  to  this 
place  and  that,  or  join  in  this  amusement  and  tliat. 
It  is  not  enough  to  show  that  there  is  no  express 
divine  prohibition  of  them.     If  what  the  eyes  see, 
and  the  hands  handle,  is  found  to  suck  one  into 
the  vortex  of  sin,  it  is  no  more  to  be  indulged  at 
such  expense  than  if  we  should  pluck  them  out, 
and  cut  them  off,  and  cast  them  from  us.     A  hard 
saying  this,  some  will  say.     But  a  harder  stiU,  our 
Lord  would  answer,  if  I  tell  you  those  eyes  and 
hands  will  otherwise  drag  you  down  to  hell.     No 
soft,   silken  teaching  is  this ;   and  yet  it  is  the 
teaching  of  Him  to  Avhom  some  affect  to  retreat  as 
that  of   the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus,'  from  what  they 
deem  the  harsh  notes  of  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles. 
To  such  one  would  be  disposed  to  say,  "Jesus  I 
know,  and  Paul  1  know,  but  who  are  ye?"  (Acts 


Christ's  SermoJi 


MATTHEW  VI. 


on  the  Mount. 


6  TAKE  heed  tliat  ye  do  not  3^our  ^  alms  before  men,  to  be  seen  of  them ; 
otherwise  ye  have  no  reward  ^of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 

2  Therefore,  "  when  thou  doest  thhie  ahns,  ^  do  not  sound  a  trumpet 
before  thee,  as  the  hypocrites  do  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  streets, 
that  they  may  have  glory  of  men.     Verily  I  say  unto  you.  They  have 

3  their  reward.     But  when  thou  doest  alms,  let  not  thy  left  hand  know 

4  what  thy  right  hand  doeth ;  that  thine  alms  may  be  in  secret :  and  thy 
Father  which  seeth  in  secret  himself  shall  reward  thee  openly. 


A.  D.  31. 

1  Or,  right- 
eousness. 

2  Or,  with. 

"  Eom.  12.  8. 
s  Or,  cause 

not  a 

trumpet 

to  be 

sounded. 


xix.  15).  9.  What  sanctity  is  stamped  upon  the 
married  life  by  our  Lord's  teaching  here,  espe- 
cially when  taken  in  connection  with  His  teach- 
ing on  the  subject  of  purity  in  general !  {vv.  28-32). 
10.  By  cutting  off  all  swearing  in  ordinary  inter- 
course, with  wiiat  sacredness  is  lawful  swearing 
invested  ;  especially  when  the  presence  of  God,  as 
the  Avenger  of  falsehood,  is  seen  to  be  invoked 
even  when  not  exjiressly  named!  11.  Were  simple 
ti-uth  to  be  so  reverend  in  the  eyes,  and  dear  to 
the  heart  of  every  genuine  disciple  of  Christ,  that 
all  around  them  were  constrained  to  regard  their 
"Yes"  and  "No"  as  far  more  to  be  trusted  than 
the  most  solemn  asseverations  of  others,  what  a 
testimony  would  thus  be  borne  to  Hmi  to  whom 
they  owe  their  all!  And  why  should  it  not  be 
universally  so?  But,  12.  What  shall  we  say  to 
the  concluding  expositions  of  this  Section?  To 
what  a  God-like  height— not  only  of  forbearance 
with  those  who  wrong  us,  and  submission  to  un- 
reasonable demands,  but  of  well-doing  to  the 
uttermost  in  return  for  ill-doing  of  the  worst — 
(Ices  Jesus  teach  His  disciples  to  rise  !  They  are 
not  to  deem  it  enough  to  l)e  as  good  as  others,  or 
up  to  the  current  standard,  or  ' neigh boiu-like.' 
As  "the  light  of  the  world"  and  "the  salt  of  the 
earth,"  their  walk  is  to  be  a  model  for  others,  as 
their  Heavenly  Father  HimseK  is  to  be  their 
Model.  (See  Col.  iii.  14;  1  John  iv.  16.)  Does 
any  ingenuous  disciple  ask.  But  how  is  this  to  be 
attained  and  carried  out?  Let  him  hear  the 
answer  from  the  same  blessed  lips,  "  I  say  unto 
you,  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  seek,  and  ye 
shall  find;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto 
yoti :  for  if  ye,  being  e^'il,  know  how  to  give  good 
gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall 
your  heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask  Him?"  (Luke  xi.  9,  13).  And  if  we 
do  but  think  that  it  was  when  we  were  eneniieii 
that  we  ourselves  were  reconciled  to  God  by  the 
death  of  His  Son  (Rom,  v.  10),  can  we  choose  but 
extend  that  love  to  any  enemies,  even  the  greatest, 
that  we  may  have  among  our  fellow -men? 

CHAP.  VI.  Sermon  on  the  Movst- -con- 
tinued. 

1-18. — Further  Illustration  of  the  Right- 
eousness OF  the  Kingdom  — its  Unostenta- 
tiousness. 

General  Caution  ar/ainH  Ostentation  in  Beligious 
Duties  {I).  1.  Take  heed  that  ye  do  not  your 
alms  [eXemxo(Tvui]v].  But  the  true  reading  seems 
clearly  to  be  'your  righteousness'  [^iKaio<Tvi>t]v]. 
The  external  authority  for  lx)th  readings  is  pretty 
nearly  equal;  but  internal  evidence  is  decidedly 
in  favour  of  'righteousness.'  The  subject  of  the 
second  verse  being  'almsgiving,'  that  word— so 
like  the  other  in  Greek— might  easily  be  substi- 
tuted for  it  by  the  copyist :  whereas  the  opposite 
would  not  be  so  likely.  But  it  is  still  more  in 
favour  of  "  righteousness,"  that  if  we  so  read  the 
first  verse,  it  then  becomes  a  general  heading  for 
this  whole  Section  of  the  Discourse,  inculcating 
unostentatiousness  in  all  deeds  of  righteousness 
—Almsgiving,  Prayer,  and  Fasting  being,  in  that 
case,  but  selected  examples  of  this  rigliteous- 
38 


ness  ;  whereas,  if  we  read  "  Do  not  your  alms," 
&c.,  this  first  verse  vdl\  have  no  reference  but 
to  that  one  point.  By  "righteousness,"  in  this 
case,  we  are  to  understand  that  same  right- 
eousness of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  whose  lead- 
ing features — in  opjiosition  to  traditional  perver- 
sions of  it — it  is  the  great  object  of  this  Discourse 
to  open  uij;  that  righteousness  of  which  the  Lord 
says,  "Except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed 
the  righteousness  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees, 
ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven" (ch.  V.  20).  To  "do"  this  righteousness,  was 
an  old  and  well  understood  expression.  Thus, 
"  Blessed  is  he  that  doeth  righteousness  [rhrr 
'^'TI?!  T'oiouuTe^  ciKaiocTumiv]  at  all  times"  (Ps.  cvL 
3).  It  refers  to  the  actings  of  righteousness  in  the 
life — the  outgoings  of  the  gracious  nature — of 
Avhich  our  Lord  afterwards  said  to  His  disciples," 
"  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much 
fruit:  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples"  (John  xv.  8). 
before  men,  to  be  seen  of  them  [Tr^ioi-  to  ^QadPivuL 
ai/ToTs]— ' with  the  view'  or  'intention  of  being 
beheld  of  them.'  See  the  same  expression  in  ch. 
V.  28.  True,  He  had  required  them  to  let  their 
light  so  shine  before  men  that  they  might  see 
their  good  works,  and  glorify  their  Father  which  is 
in  heaven  (ch.  v.  10).  But  this  is  quite  consistent 
with  not  making  a  display  of  our  righteousness 
for  self-glorification.  In  fact,  the  doing  of  the 
former  necessarily  implies  our  not  doing  the  latter, 
otherwise  ye  have  no  reward  of  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven.  When  all  duty  is  done  to 
(iod— as  primarily  enjoining  and  finally  judging 
of  it — He  will  take  care  that  it  be  duly  recognized; 
but  when  done  purely  for  ostentation,  God  cannot 
own  it,  nor  is  His  judgment  of  it  even  thought  of 
— God  accepts  only  what  is  done  to  Himself.  So 
much  for  the  general  i)riiiciple.  Now  follow  three 
illustrations  of  it. 

A  hnsi/iving  (2-4).  2.  Therefore,  when  thou  doest 
thine  aims,  do  not  sound  a  trumpet  before  thee. 
The  exx>ression  is  to  be  taken  figuratively  for  llazon- 
ing  it.  Hence  our  exi>ression  to  'trumpet.'  as  the 
hypocrites  do.  This  word  {inroKpiTij's'] — of  such  fre- 
quent occurrence  in  Scripture,  signifying  jirima- 
rily '  one  who  acts  a  part' — denotes  one  who  either 
pretends  io  be  what  he  is  not  (as  here),  or  dissemhles 
what  he  really  is  (as  in  Luke  xii.  1,  2).  in  the  syn- 
agogues  and  in  the  streets— the  iilaees  of  religious 
and  of  secular  resort— that  they  may  have  glory 
of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  In  such  august 
expressions,  it  is  the  Lawgiver  and  .Judge  Himself 
that  we  hear  speaking  to  us.  They  have  thelx 
reward.  All  they  wanted  was  human  applause, 
and  they  have  it — and  with  it,  all  they  will  ever 
get.  3.  But  when  thou  doest  alms,  let  not  thy 
left  hand  know  what  thy  right  hand  doeth.  '  So 
far  from  making  a  display  of  it,  dwell  not  on  it 
even  in  thine  own  thoughts,  lest  it  minister  to 
sjiiritual  pride.'  4.  That  thine  alms  may  be  in 
secret,  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in  secret 
[Himself]  shall  reward  thee  openly.  The  word 
"Himself"  [auros]  api>ears  to  be  an  unauthorized 
addition  to  the  text,  which  the  sense  no  doubt  sug- 
gested.    Sec  1  Tim.  v.  2,') ;  Rom.  ii.  IG ;  1  Cor.  iv.  5l 


Chrisfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VI. 


on  the  Mount 


And  wlien  thou  ''pray est,  tliou  slialt  not  be  as  the  hyjjocrites  are:  for 
they  love  to  pray  standing  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  corners  of  the 
streets,  that  they  may  be  seen  of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They 
have  their  reward.  But  thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet, 
and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret ; 
and  thy  Father  ''which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly.  But 
when  ye  pray,  '^use  not  vain  repetitions,  as  the  heathen  do:  "for  they 
think  that  they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking.  Be  not  ye 
therefore  like  unto  them:  for  your  -^Father   knoweth   what   things  ye 


A.  D.  31. 

0  Jer.  29.  12. 

Luke  18.  X. 

John  16.  2t. 
"  .Jer.  17.  10. 
d  Eccl.  6.  2. 

Dan.  9.  18. 
19. 

Ch   26.39,42, 
44. 
'   1  KL  18.  26. 
/   Ps.  139.  2. 


Prayer  (5, 6).  5.  And  wben  thou  prayest  [irpod. 
ei>xv\  tliou  sialt — or,  according  to  the  preferable 
reading,  'when  ye  pray  yiriJorreiixvaQe]  ye  shall' 
not  be  as  the  hypocrites  are:  for  they  love  to 
pray  standing  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the 
corners  of  the  streets  (see  on  v.  2),  that  they 
may  be  seen  of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
They  have,  &c.  The  standing  jwsture  in  prayei- 
was  the  ancient  practice,  alike  in  the  Jewish  and 
in  the  early  Christian  Church,  as  is  well  known  to 
the  learned.  But  of  course  this  conspicuous  i)os- 
tiire  opened  the  way  for  the  osteutatiou.s.  6.  But 
thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet 
[Ta/ieloj',  a  'store-house' — here,  a  'iilace  of  retire- 
ment '],  and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray 
to  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret;  and  thy  Father 
which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly. 
Of  course  it  is  not  the  simple  jiublicity  of  i)rayer 
which  is  here  condemned.  It  may  be  offered  in 
any  circumstances,  however  open,  if  not  prompted 
by  the  spirit  of  ostentation,  but  dictated  by  the 
great  ends  of  firayer  itseK.  It  is  the  retiring 
character  of  true  prayer  which  is  here  taught. 

Supplementary  Directions,  and  Model— Prayei- 
(7-15).  7.  But  when  ye  pray,  use  not  vain 
repetitions  [/ujj  jSaxToXoyrio-jjTe].  '  Babble  not ' 
would  be  a  better  rendering,  both  for  the  form  of 
the  word— which  in  both  languages  is  intended  to 
imitate  the  sound — and  for  the  sense,  which  ex- 
presses not  so  much  the  repetition  of  the  same 
words  as  a  senseless  multiplication  of  them; 
as  appears  from  what  follows,  as  the  heathen  do : 
for  they  think  that  they  shall  be  heard  for 
their  much  speaking.  This  method  of  heathen 
devotion  is  still  observed  by  Hindu  and  Moham- 
medan devotees.  With  the  Jews,  says  Lightfoot, 
it  was  a  maxim,  that  '  Every  one  who  multiplies 
lirayer  is  heard,'  In  the  Church  of  Rome,  not 
only  is  it  carried  to  a  shameless  extent,  but,  as 
Tholuck  .justly  observes,  the  veiy  Prayer  which 
our  Lord  gave  as  an  antidote  to  vain  repetitions 
is  the  most  abused  to  this  superstitious  end ;  the 
number  of  times  it  is  repeated  counting  for  so 
much  more  merit.  Is  not  this  Just  that  character- 
istic feature  of  heathen  devotion  which  our  Lord 
here  condemns?  But  praying  much,  and  using 
at  times  the  same  words,  is  not  here  condemned, 
and  has  the  example  of  our  Lord  Himself  in  its 
favour.  8.  Be  not  ye  therefore  like  unto  them : 
for  your  Father  knoweth  what  things  ye  have 
need  of  before  ye  ask  him — and  so  needs  not  to 
be  informed  of  our  wants,  any  more  than  to  be 
roused  to  attend  to  them  by  our  incessant  speak- 
ing. What  a  view  of  God  is  here  given,  in  sharp 
contrast  with  the  gods  of  the  heathen!  But  let 
it  be  carefully  noted  that  it  is  not  as  the  (jeneral 
Father  of  Manlhid  that  our  Lord  says,  "Your 
Father "  knoweth  what  ye  need  before  ye  ask  it ; 
for  it  is  not  men,  as  such,  that  He  is  addressing 
in  this  Discourse,  but  His  own  disciples — the 
j>oor  in  spirit,  the  mourners,  the  meek,  hungry 
and  thirsty  souls,  the  merciful,  the  pure  in  heart, 
the  peacemakers,  who  allow  themselves  to  have 
iiU  manner  of  evil  said  against  them  for  the  Son 
39 


of  Man's  sake — in  short,  the  new-born  children 
of  God,  who,  making  their  Father's  interests  their 
own,  are  here  assured  that  their  Father,  in  return, 
makes  their  interests  His,  and  needs  neither  to 
be  told  nor  to  be  reminded  of  their  wants.  Yet 
He  will  have  His  children  pray  to  Him,  and  links 
all  His  promised  supplies  to  their  iietitions  for 
them;  thus  encouraging  us  to  draw  near  and 
keep  near  to  Him,  to  talk  and  walk  Avith  Him, 
to  open  our  every  case  to  Him,  and  assure  our- 
selves that  thus  asking  we  shall  receive  —  thus 
seeldng  we  shall  find — thus  laiocking  it  shall  be 
Oldened  to  us.  9.  After  this  manner  [Oi/tojs}— 
more  simply,  'Thus,'  therefore  pray  ye.  The 
"ye"  [r'/xf'sj  is  emphatic  here,  in  contrast  with 
the  heathen  jirayers.  That  this  matchless  prayer 
was  given  not  only  as  a  model,  but  as  a  form, 
might  be  concluded  from  its  very  nature.  Did 
it  consist  only  of  hints  or  directions  for  i^rayer, 
it  could  only  be  used  as  a  directory;  but  seeing 
it  is  an  actual  prayer — designed,  indeed,  to  show 
how  much  real  iirayer  could  be  conii)ressed  into 
the  fewest  words,  but  still,  as  a  pi-ayer,  only  the 
more  incomparable  for  that — it  is  strange  that 
there  should  be  a  doubt  whether  we  ought  to 
liray  that  very  prayer.  Surely  the  words  with 
which  it  is  introduced,  in  the  second  utterance 
and  varied  form  of  it  which  we  have  in  Luke  xL 
2,  ought  to  set  this  at  rest :  "  When  ye  pray,  say 
[\eyeTe],  Our  Father."  Nevertheless,  since  the  se- 
cond form  of  it  varies  considerably  from  the  first, 
aud  since  no  example  of  its  actual  use,  or  express 
q  lotation  of  its  phraseology,  occurs  in  the  secjuel 
of  the  New  Testament,  we  are  to  guard  against 
a  superstitious  use  of  it.  How  eany  this  began 
to  appear  in  the  Church-services,  and  to  what 
an  extent  it  was  afterwards  carried,  is  known  to 
every  one  versed  in  Church  History.  Nor  has 
the  spii-it  which  bred  this  abuse  quite  departetl 
from  some  bianches  of  the  Protestant  Church, 
though  the  opiX)site  and  equally  condemnable 
extreme  is  to  be  found  in  other  branches  of  it. 

Model-Prayer  (9-13).  According  to  the  Latin 
fathers  and  the  Lutheran  Church,  the  yietitions  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer  are  seven  in  number ;  according 
to  the  Greek  fathers,  the  Reformed  Church,  ana 
the  Westminster  divines,  they  are  only  six;  the 
two  last  being  regarded — we  think,  less  correctly 
—as  one.  The  first  three  petitions  have  to  do  ex- 
clusively with  God:  "  Thy  name  be  hallowed" — 
"  Tliy  kingdom  come" — "Thy  will  be  done."  And 
they  occur  in  a  descending  scale — from  Himself 
down  to  the  manifestation  of  Himself  in  His  king- 
dom ;  and  from  His  kingdom  to  the  entire  subjec- 
tion of  its  subjects,  or  the  complete  doing  of  His 
will  The  remaining  four  petitions  have  to  do 
with  OURSELVES:  "Give  us  our  bread" — "For- 
give us  our  debts" — "Lead  us  not  into  tempta- 
tion"— "Deliver  us  from  evil"  But  these  latter 
petitions  occur  in  an  ascending  scale — from  the 
ijodily  wants  of  every  day  up  to  our  final  deliver- 
ance from  all  evil 

Invocation:  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven. 
In  the  former  clause  we  express  His  nearness  to 


Chi'isfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VT. 


on  tJie  3Iount. 


9  have  need  of  before  ye  ask  him.     After  this  manner  therefore  pray  ye : 

10  ^Our   Father  which   art   in   heaven,   ''Hallowed    be    thy  name.      Thy 

11  kingdom  come.     Thy  will  be  done  in  earth,  *as  it  is  in  heaven.     Give 


A.  D.  n. 

9  Luke  11.  a 
'i  Isa.  6.  3. 
*  Ps.  103.  20. 


u.s ;  in  the  latter,  His  distance  from  us.  (See  EccL 
V.  2;  Isa.  Ixvi.  1.)  Holy,  loving  familiarity  sug- 
gests the  one;  awful  reverence  the  other.  In 
calling  Him  "Father,"  we  express  a  relationship 
"\ve  have  all  known  and  felt  surrounding  us  even 
from  our  infancy;  but  in  calling  Him  our  Father 
"who  art  in  heaven  "  we  contrast  Him  with  the 
fathers  we  all  have  here  below,  and  so  i"aise  our 
souls  to  that  "  heaven"  where  He  dwells,  and  that 
JNIajcsty  and  Glory  which  aje  there  as  in  their 
proper  home.  These  first  words  of  the  Lords 
Frayer — this  Invocation  with  which  it  opens — 
what  a  brightness  and  warmth  does  it  throw 
over  the  whole  prayer,  and  into  what  a  serene 
region  does  it  introduce  the  jjraying  believer,  the 
child  of  God,  as  he  thus  ap]iroache3  Him !  It  is 
true  that  the  paternal  relationship  of  God  to  His 
X^eople  is  by  no  means  strange  to  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. (See  Deut.  xxxii.  6;  Ps.  ciii.  13;  Isa  Ixiii. 
16 ;  Jer.  iii.  4,  19;  Mai.  i.  G;  ii.  10.)  But  these  are 
only  glimpses — the  "  back  parts"  (Exod.  xxxiii.  23), 
if  we  may  so  say,  in  comjjarison  with  the  "open 
face"  of  our  Father  revealed  in  Jesus.  (See  on 
2  Cor.  iii.  18.)  Nor  is  it  too  much  to  say,  that  the 
view  which  our  Lord  gives,  throughout  this  His 
very  first  leng-thened  discourse,  of  "oiir  Father  in 
heaven,"  beggars  all  that  was  ever  taught,  even 
in  God's  owni  Word,  or  conceivetl  before  by  His 
saints,  on  this  subject. 

First  Petition:  Hallowed  be  [aytaa-W-rro] — that 
is,  'Be  held  in  reverence' — regarded  and  treated 
as  holy,  thy  name.  God's  name  means  'Him- 
self as  revealed  and  nuinifested.'  Everywhere  in 
Scripture  God  defines  and  marks  off  the  faith  and 
love  and  reverence  and  obedience  He  will  have 
from  men  by  the  disclosures  which  He  makes  to 
them  of  what  He  is  ;  both  to  shiit  out  false  concep- 
tions of  Him,  and  to  make  all  their  devotion  take 
the  shape  and  hue  of  His  owia  teaching.  Too 
much  attention  cannot  be  paid  to  this. 

tSecond  Petition:  10.  Thy  kingdom  come.  The 
kingdom  of  God  is  that  moral  and  spiritual 
kingdom  which  the  God  of  gi-ace  is  setting  up  in 
this  fallen  world,  whose  subjects  consist  of  as 
many  as  have  been  brought  into  hearty  subjec- 
tion to  His  gracious  sceptre,  and  of  which  His  Son 
Jesus  is  the  glorious  Head.  In  the  inward  reality 
of  it,  this  kingdom  existed  ever  since  there  were 
men  who  "walked  with  God"  (Gen.  v.  24),  and 
"waited  for  His  salvation"  (Gen.  xlix.  IS);  who 
were  "  continually  with  Him,  holden  by  His  right 
hand"  (Ps.  Ixxiii.  23),  and  who,  even  in  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death,  feared  no  evil,  when  He  was 
with  them  (Ps.  xxiii.  4).  When  Messiah  Himself 
appeared,  it  was,  as  a  visible  kingdom,  "  at  hand." 
His  death  laid  the  deep  foundations  of  it — His 
ascension  on  high,  "  leading  captivity  captive  and 
receiving  gifts  for  men,  yea,  tor  the  rebellious, 
that  the  Lord  God  might  dwell  among  them," 
and  the  Pentecostal  ett'usion  of  the  Spirit,  by 
which  those  gifts  for  men  descended  upon  the 
rebellious,  and  the  Lord  God  was  beheld,  in  the 
persons  of  thousands  upon  thousands  "  dwelling" 
among  men — was  a  glorious  "  coming"  of  this 
kingdom.  But  it  is  still  to  come,  and  this  peti- 
tion, "  Thy  kingdom  come,"  must  not  cease  to 
ascend  so  long  as  one  subject  of  it  remains  to 
be  brought  in.  But  does  not  this  prayer  stretch 
further  forward — to  "the  glory  to  be  revealed," 
or  that  stage  of  the  kingdom  called  "the  ever- 
lasting kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ"?  (2  Pet.  i.  11).  Not  directly,  perhans, 
40 


since  the  petition  that  follows  this — "Thy  will 
be  done  in  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven " — would  then 
bring  us  back  to  this  present  state  of  imperfection. 
Still,  the  mind  refuses  to  be  so  bounded  by  stages 
and  degrees,  and  in  the  act  of  praying  "  Thy  king- 
dom come,'  it  irresistibly  stretches  the  wings  of 
its  faith,  and  longing,  and  joyous  expectation  out 
to  the  final  and  glorious  consummation  of  the 
kingdom  of  God, 

Tldrd  Petition:  Thy  will  fee  done  in  earth,  as 
it  is  in  heaven — or,  as  the  same  words  are  ren- 
dered in  Luke,  'as  in  heaven,  so  upon  earth' — as 
cheerfully,  as  constantly,  as  perrfectly.  But  some 
will  ask.  Will  this  ever  be?  We  answer.  If  the 
"  new  heavens  and  nev/  earth"  are  to  be  just  our 
present  material  system  pmified  by  tire  and 
transfigured,  of  course  it  Aval.  But  we  incline  to 
think  that  the  aspiration  which  we  are  taught  in 
this  beautifid  petition  to  breathe  forth  has  no 
direct  reference  to  any  siich  organic  fulfilment, 
and  is  only  the  spontaneous  and  resistless  longing 
of  the  renewed  soul — put  into  words — to  see  the 
whole  inhabited  earth  in  entire  conformity  to  the 
will  of  GocL  It  asks  not  if  ever  it  shall  be — or  if 
ever  it  can  be — in  order  to  pray  this  prayer.  It 
must  have  its  holy  yeai'nings  breathed  forth,  and 
this  is  just  the  bold  yet  simple  expression  of  them. 
Nor  is  the  Old  Testament  without  prayers  which 
come  very  near  to  this,  (Ps.  vii.  9 ;  IxviL ;  Ixxii. 
19;  &c.) 

Fourth  Petition :  11.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread-  The  compound  word  here  rendered  ' '  daily  " 
[eTTioucrio?]  occurs  nowhere  else,  either  in  classical 
or  sacred  Greek,  and  so  must  be  interpreted  by  the 
analogy  of  its  component  i^arts.  But  on  this  critics 
are  divideti  To  those  who  would  imderstand  it  to 
mean,  "  Give  us  this  day  the  bread  of  to-morrow" 
— as  if  the  sense  thiis  slid  into  that  of  Luke,  "  Give 
us  day  by  day"  (as  Bengel,  Meyer,  &c,) — it  may  be 
answered  that  the  sense  thus  brought  out  is  scarce- 
ly intelligible,  if  not  something  less ;  that  the  ex- 
pression "bread  of  to-morrow"  is  not  at  all  the 
same  as  bread  "from  day  to  day,"  and  that,  so  under- 
stood, it  would  seem  to  contradict  v.  34.  The  great 
majority  of  the  best  critics  [taking  the  word  to  be 
compounded  of  ovaia,  ^  suhstance'  or  'being']  imder- 
stand by  it  the  'staff  of  life,''  'the  bread  of  subsis- 
tence f  and  so  the  sense  will  be,  'Give  us  this  day 
the  bread  which  this  day's  necessities  require.'  In 
this  case,  the  rendering  of  our  authorised  version 
(after  the  Vulgate,  Luther,  and  some  of  the  best 
modern  critics) — "our  daily  bread" — is,  in  sense, 
accurate  enough.  (SeeProv.  xxx.  8.)  Among  com- 
mentators, there  was  early  sho^^^l  an  inclination 
to  understand  this  as  a  prayer  for  the  heavenly 
bread,  or  si)iritual  nourishment ;  and  in  this  they 
have  been  followed  by  many  superior  expositors, 
even  down  to  our  own  times.  But  as  this  is  quite 
unnatural,  so  it  deprives  the  Christian  of  one  of  the 
sweetest  of  his  jmvileges — to  cast  his  bodily  wants, 
in  tliis  short  prayer,  by  one  simple  petition,  upon 
his  heavenly  Father.  No  doubt  the  spiritual  mind 
will,  from  "the meat  that  perisheth,"  natm-ally  rise 
in  thought  to  "  that  meat  which  endureth  to  ever- 
lasting life."  But  let  it  be  enough  that  the  petition 
about  bodily  wants  irresistibly  suggests  a  higher 
petition;  and  let  us  not  rob  ourselves — out  of  a 
morbid  si)irituality — of  our  one  petition  in  this 
prayer  for  that  bodily  provision  which  the  iui- 
mediate  sequel  of  this  discourse  shows  that  our 
heavenly  Father  has  so  much  at  heart.  In  limit- 
ing our  petitions,  however,  to  provision  for  the 


Clirisfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VT. 


on  tJie  Mount, 


12  us  this   day   our   -^  daily   bread.      And  forgive   us    our    debts,  as    we 

13  forgive  our  debtors.      And    ^"lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver 


3  Job  23.  \1 
*  1  Cor.  10.1 


day,  what  a  spirit  of  childlike  deiiendence  does 
the  Lord  both  demand  and  beget ! 

Fifth  Petition:  12.  And  forgive  us  our  debts. 
A  vntally  imjiortant  view  of  sin  this— as  an  offence 
against  God  demanding  repai-ation  to  His  dis- 
honoured claims  upon  o»ir  absolute  snbjection.  As 
the  debtor  in  the  creditor  s  hands,  so  is  the  sinner 
in  the  hands  of  God.  This  idea  of  sin  had  indeed 
come  up  before  in  this  Discourse— in  tlie  warning 
to  agree  with  onr  advei'sary  quickly,  in  case  of  sen- 
teuce  being  passed  upon  us,  adjudging  us  to  pay- 
ment of  the  last  farthing,  and  to  imprisonment  till 
then  (ch.  v.  25,  2o).  Aud  it  comes  iip  once  and 
a;i,ain  in  our  Lord's  subsequent  teaching — as  in  the 
paraV)le  of  the  Creditor  and  his  two  delators  (Liike 
vii.  41,  &c.),  and  in  the  parable  of  the  Unmerciful 
debtor,  (ch.  xviii.  2.3,  &c.)  But  by  embodying  it 
in  this  brief  Model  of  acceptable  prayer,  and  as  the 
first  of  three  petitions  more  or  less  bearing  ui^on 
sin,  oiu"  Lord  teaches  us,  in  the  most  emphatic 
manner  conceivable,  to  regard  this  view  of  sin  as 
the  primary  and  fundamental  one.  Answering  to 
this  is  the  "forgiveness"  which  it  directs  us  to 
seek — not  the  removal  from  our  own  hearts  of  the 
stain  of  sin,  nor  yet  the  removal  of  our  just  dread  of 
God's  anger,  or  of  unworthy  suspicious  of  His  love, 
which  is  all  that  some  tell  us  we  have  to  care  about 
^but  the  removal  from  God's  own  mind  of  His 
displeasure  against  us  on  account  of  sin,  or,  to  re- 
tain the  figure,  the  willing  or  crossing  out  from  His 
"book  of  remembrance"  of  all  entries  against  us 
on  this  account,  as  we  forgive  our  debtors — the 
same  view  of  sin  as  before ;  only  now  transferred 
to  the  region  of  offences  given  and  received  between 
man  and  man.  After  what  has  been  said  on  ch.  v.  7, 
it  will  not  be  thought  that  our  Lord  here  teaches 
that  our  exercise  of  forgiveness  towards  our  offend- 
ing fellow-men  absolutely  precedes  aud  is  the  pro- 
per ground  of  God's  forgiveness  of  us.  His  whole 
teaching,  indeed — as  of  all  vScriptiure — is  the  reverse 
of  this.  But  as  no  one  can  reasonably  imagine  him- 
self to  be  the  object  of  Divine  forgiveness  who  is 
deliberately  and  habitually  unforgiving  towards 
his  fellow-men,  so  it  is  a  beautiful  provision  to 
make  our  right  to  ask  and  cx]icct  daily  forgiveness 
of  om-  daily  shortcomings,  and  our  final  absolution 
and  acquittal  at  the  great  day  of  admission  into 
the  kingdom,  dependent  tipon  our  consciousness 
of  a  forgiving  disposition  towards  oiu*  fellows,  and 
our  preparedness  to  protest  before  the  Searcher  of 
hearts  that  we  do  actually  forgive  them.  (See 
Mark  xi.  2:5,  2G. )  God  sees  His  own  image  reflected 
in  His  forgiving  children;  but  to  ask  God  for  what 
we  oiirselves  refuse  to  men,  is  to  insult  Him.  So 
much  sti-ess  does  our  Lord  put  upon  this,  that  im- 
mediately after  the  close  of  this  Prayer,  it  is  the 
one  point  in  it  which  He  comes  back  upon  {vi\  14, 
15),  for  the  purpose  of  solemnly  assuring  us  that 
the  Divine  procedure  in  this  matter  of  forgiveness 
will  be  exacbly  what  our  own  is. 

SLcth  Petition :  13.  And  lead  us  not  Into  tempta- 
tion. He  who  honestly  seeks,  and  has  the  assur- 
ance of,  forgiveness  for  past  sin,  will  strive  to 
avoid  committing  it  for  the  future.  But  conscious 
that  "  when  we  would  do  good  evil  is  present 
with  us,"  we  are  taught  to  offer  this  sixth  jietition, 
which  comes  naturally  close  upon  the  i^receding, 
and  flows,  indeed,  instinctively  from  it  in  the 
hearts  of  all  earnest  Christians.  There  is  some 
difficulty  in  the  form  of  the  petition,  as  it  is  cer- 
tain that  God  does  bring  His  people — as  He  did 
Abraham,  and  Christ  Himself — mto  circumstances 
both  fitted  and  designed  to  try  them,  or  test  the 
41 


strength  of  their  faith.  Some  meet  this  by  regard- 
ing the  petition  as  simply  an  humble  expression  of 
self -distrust  and  instinctive  shriuking  from  dan- 
ger ;  but  this  seems  too  weak.  Others  take  it  as 
a  prayer  against  yielding  to  temptation,  and  so 
equivalent  to  a  prayer  for  '  support  and  deliver- 
ance when  we  are  temiited;'_  uut  this  seems  to 
go  beyond  the  precise  thing  intended.  We  in- 
cline to  take  it  as  a  pi'ayer  against  \>emg  drawn 
or  sucked,  of  our  own  Willi  into  temjitation,  to 
which  the  word  here  used  [eio-eyey^!/?]  seems  to 
lend  some  countenance — '  Introduce  us  not.'  This 
view,  while  it  does  not  put  into  our  moutlis  a 
prayer  against  being  tempted — which  is  more  than 
tlie  Divine  procedure  would  seem  to  wan-ant — 
does  not,  on  the  other  hand,  change  the  sense  of 
the  petition  into  one  for  support  under  temi:)tation, 
which  the  words  will  hardly  bear ;  but  it  gives  us 
a  subject  for  prayer,  in  regard  to  temptation,  most 
definite,  and  of  all  others  most  needfid.  It  was 
precisely  this  which  Peter  needed  to  ask,  but  did 
not  ask,  when — of  his  own  accord,  and  in  spite  of 
difficxilties — he  pressed  for  entrance  into  the  palace- 
hall  of  the  high  priest,  and  where,  once  sucked 
into  the  scene  and  atmosphere  of  tempitation,  he 
fell  so  foully.  And  if  so,  does  it  not  seem  pretty 
clear  that  this  was  exactly  what  our  Lord  meant 
His  disciples  to  pray  against  when  he  said  in  the 
garden — "Watch  and  jiray,  that  ye  enter  not  into 
temptation"  [iva  fxi)  eio-eXyijTe  els  Treipao-juov]?  (ch. 
xxvi.  41). 

Seventh  Petition:  But  deliver  us  from  evil.  We 
can  see  no  good  reason  for  regarding  this  as  but 
the  second  half  of  the  sixth  petition.  With_  far 
better  ground  might  the  second  and  third  petitions 
be  regarded  as  one.  The  "  but"  [«\\a]  coimecting 
the  two  petitions  is  an  insufficient  reason  for  re- 
garding tiiem  as  one,  though  enough  to  show  that 
the  one  thought  naturally  follows  close  upon  the 
other.  As  the  expression  "from  eAdl"  [ctTro  toD 
iropiipoi)]  may  be  ecpially  well  rendered  'from  the 
evil  one,'  a  number  of  superior  critics  think  the 
devil  is  intended,  esjiecially  from  its  following 
close  upon  the  subject  of  "temptation."  But  the 
comiireliensive  charac'ter  of  these  brief  petitions, 
and  the  x^lace  which  this  one  occupies,  as  that  on 
which  all  our  desires  die  away,  seems  to  us  against 
so  contracted  a  view  of  it.  Nor  can*  there  be  a 
reasonable  doubt  that  the  apostle,  in  some  of  the 
last  sentences  which  he  i)euned  before  he  Avas 
brought  forth  to  suffer  for  his  Lord,  alludes  to 
this  very  xietition  in  the  language  of  calm  assiu'- 
ance — "And  the  Lord  shall  deliver  me  from 
every  evil  v/ork  (compare  the  Greek  of  the  two 
passages),  and  ■will  preserve  me  unto  his  heavenly 
kingdom"  (2  Tim.  iv.  IS).  This  final  petition, 
then,  is  only  rightly  grasped  when  regarded  as  a 
prayer  for  deliverance  from  all  evil  of  whatever 
kind — not  only  from  sin,  but  from  all  its  conse- 
quences— fully  and  finally.  Fitly,  then,  are  our 
prayers  ended  with  this.  For  what  can  we  desire 
which  this  does  not  carry  with  it  ?  [For  thine  is 
the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  for 
ever.  Amen. — If  any  reliance  is  to  be  placed  on 
external  evidence,  this  doxology,  we  thiuk,  can 
hardly  be  considered  part  of  the  original  text.  It 
is  wanting  in  all  the  most  ancient  MSS. ;  it  is 
wanting  in  the  Old  Latin  version  and  in  the  Vid- 
gate:  the  former  mounting  up  to  about  the  middle 
of  the  second  century,  and  the  latter  being  a  revi- 
sion of  it  in  the  fourth  centm-y  by  Jerome,  a  most 
reverential  and  consen-ntive  as  well  as  able  and 
impartial  critic.     As  might  be  expected  from  this, 


Christ's  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VI. 


on  the  Mount. 


'us  from  evil:  For  thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory, 

14  for  ever.     Amen.     For  "4f  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your  hea- 

15  venly  Father  will  also  forgive  you:  but  "if  ye  forgive  not  men  their 
trespasses,  neither  will  your  Father  forgive  your  trespasses. 

16  Moreover,  "when  ye  fast,  be  not,  as  the  hypocrites,  of  a  sad  counten- 
ance :  for  they  disfigure  their  faces,  that  they  may  appear  unto  men  to 

17  fast.     Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have  their  reward.     But  thou,  when 

18  thou  fastest,  anoint  thine  head,  and  wash  thy  face;  that  thou  appear 
not  unto  men  to  fast,  but  unto  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret :  and  thy 
Father,  which  seeth  in  secret,  shall  reward  thee  openly. 


A.  D.  31. 

John  17. 15. 
"Mark  11.25. 

Eph.  4.  32. 

Col.  3.  13. 
'  ch.  18.  35. 

Jas.  2.  13. 
'  2  Sam.  12. 16. 

Neh.  1.  4. 

Esth.  4.  16. 

Ps.  35.  13. 

P.S.  69.  10. 

Isa.  58.  5. 


it  is  passed  by  in  silence  by  the  earliest  Latin 
fathers ;  but  even  the  Greek  commentators,  when 
expounding  this  Prayer,  pass  by  the  doxology. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  found  in  a  majority  of 
MSS.,  though  not  the  oldest ;  it  is  found  in  all 
the  Syriac  versions,  even  the  Peshito— dating 
])robably  as  early  as  the  second  century—al- 
though this  version  wants  the  "Amen,"  which 
the  doxology,  if  genuine,  could  hardly  have  want- 
ed ;  it  is  found  in  the  Sahidic  or  Thehaic  version 
made  for  the  Christians  of  Upper  Egyi)t,  possibly 
as  early  as  the  Old  Latin ;  and  it  is  found  in  per- 
hajis  most  of  the  later  versions.  On  a  review  of 
the  evidence,  the  strong  probability,  we  think, 
is  that  it  was  no  jiart  of  the  ori^nal  text.  Not 
that  our  Lord  could  be  supposed  to  direct  that 
this  or  any  jirayer  should  close  tlius  abmiitly. 
But  as,  ever  since  Da^^d's  exuberant  doxologj'  in 
1  Chr.  xxix.  11,  the  Jewish  prayers  had  become 
rich  in  such  doxologies  (as  may  be  seen  in  all  their 
Litur^es),  perhaps  our  Lord  designedly  left  this 
model  of  prayer  to  be  concluded  more  or  less  fully 
as  circumstances  might  direct.  This  would  ac- 
count for  the  fact,  that  this  doxology  is  variously 
given  even  in  those  MSS.  and  vei-sions  that  have 
it,  while  some  which  omit  it  have  the  "Amen." 
On  the  whole,  while  we  may  in  this  way  account 
for  its  finding  its  way  into  the  venerable  Peshito- 
Syriac  and  Old  Latin  versions,  perhaps  from  the 
margins  of  some  MSS.,  though  not  in  the  original 
text,  it  is  very  hard  to  conceive  how  it  should  have 
l)een  allowed  to  drop  out  of  all  the  most  ancient 
MSS.  if  it  was  originally  in  the  sacred  text.] 

14.  For  if  ye  forgive  men,  &c. :   15.  But  if  ye 
forgive  not,  &c.    See  on  v.  12. 

Fasting  (16-18).  Having  concluded  His  supple- 
mentary directions  on  the  subject  of  Prayer  with 
this  divine  Pattern,  our  Lord  now  returns  to  the 
subject  of  Unostentatkmsness  in  our  deeds  of  right- 
eousness, in  order  to  give  one  more  illustration  of 
it,  in  the  matter  of  Fasting.  16.  Moreover,  wlien 
ya  fast — referring,  probably,  to  private  and  volun- 
tary fasting,  which  was  to  be  regulated  by  each 
individual  for  himself ;  though  in  spirit  it  would 
apijly  to  any  fast,  be  not,  as  the  bypocrites,  of 
a  sad  countenance :  for  tliey  disfigure  their  faces 
— \&(l>aviX,oucnv\ — lit.,  'make  unseen;'  very  well 
rendered  "disfigure."  They  went  about  with  a 
slovenly  appearance,  and  ashes  sprinkled  on  their 
head  that  they  may  appear  unto  men  to  fast. 
It  was  not  the  deed,  but  reputation  for  the  deed 
which  they  sought ;  and  with  this  view  those 
Imjocrites  multiplied  their  fasts.  And  are  the 
exhausting  fasts  of  the  Chui'ch  of  Rome,  and  of 
llomanizing  Protestants,  free  from  this  taint? 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have  their  reward. 
17.  But  thou,  when  thou  fastest,  anoint  thine 
head,  and  wash  thy  face— as  the  Jews  did,  except 
when  mourning  (Dan.  x.  3) ;  so  that  the  meaning 
is,  '  Appear  as  usual ' — apiiear  so  as  to  attract  no 
notice.  18.  That  thou  appear  not  unto  men  to 
fast,  but  unto  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret:  and 
thy  Father,  which  seeth  In  secret,  shall  reward 
42 


thee  [openly]  [ev  rii  c\)avepw\.  The  "openly"  seems 
evidently  a  later  addition  to  the  text  of  this  verse 
from  w.  4,  7,  though  of  course  the  idea  is  implied. 
Bemarks.  —  1.  We  have  here  one  of  many 
liroofs  that  the  whole  teaching  of  the  Epistles  of 
the  New  Testament  is  seminally  contained  in  the 
Gospels.  When  the  apostle  bids  servants  obey 
their  masters,  "not  with  eye-ser\ace,  as  men- 
pleasers ;  but  in  singleness  of  heart,  fearing  God" 
(Col.  iii.  22),  what  is  this  but  the  gi-eat  precept  of 
this  Section,  to  "do  our  righteousness' — whatso- 
ever we  do  in  word  or  deed — to  the  Lord  alone? 
Not  that  we  are  to  be  indifferent  to  men's  obser- 
vations on  our  conduct — quite  the  reverse — for 
servants  are  exhorted  so  to  carry  themselves  to- 
wards their  masters  as  to  "  please  them  well  in  all 
things"  (Tit.  ii.  9).  But  just  as  the  supreme 
authority  for  aU  duty,  and  the  fina,l  judgment  on 
all  we  do  in  respect  of  it,  lies  with  God,  so  in 
simjjle  obedience  to  Him  must  all  duty  be  done, 
and  to  His  judicial  procedure  upon  it  must  all  be 
referred.  2.  As  nothing  is  more  hateful  to  God, 
and  beneath  the  true  dignity  of  His  children,  than 
an  ostentatious  way  of  perf ormin,^  any  duty — 
while  a  retiring  spirit,  and  an  absorbing  desire  to 
please  God  in  all  we  do,  is  as  beautiful  m  itself  as 
it  is  in  the  Divine  eye— so  at  the  great  day  this 
wdll  be  signally  manifested,  when  "  they  that 
despise  Him  shall  be  lightly  esteemed,"  and  as 
"having  had  their  reward,"  shall  be  "sent  empty 
away;"  whereas  "them  that  honour  Him  He  will 
honour"  by  "  rewarding  them  openly."  3.  What 
power  and  warmth  is  there  in  the  brevity  of  those 
prayers  which  are  offered  by  God's  dear  children 
to  a  Father  who  wants  no  information  from  them, 
and  no  stimulus  to  attend  to  them,  though  with 
equal  love  and  -wisdom  He  has  linked  all  His  suiv 
plies  to  their  confiding  petitions !  What  "  bab- 
bling" would  this  spirit  effectually  disperse,  and 
what  a  glorious  contrast  would  it  jiresent,  not 
only  to  the  prayers  of  "the  heathen,"  but  to  the 
heathenish  jirayers  which  one  too  often  hears  from 
]_irofessedly  Christian  lips !  4  Surely  it  is  not 
tor  nothing  that  the  first  three  Petitions  in  the 
Model-Prayer  have  respect  to  God  ;  and  that  not 
till  we  have  exhausted  the  uttermost  desires  of 
the  gracious  soul  for  His  glory  are  we  directed  to 
seek  anything  for  ourselves.  This  was  very 
early  observed  by  the  devout  students  of  this 
Prayer,  and  has  been  often,  but  cannot  be  too 
often,  pointed  out.  The  inference  is  obWous,  but 
weighty — that  God  must  have  the  first  place,  as  in 
our  prayers,  so  in  the  desires  of  our  heart  (Ps. 
IxxiiL  25,  2(3).  5.  Are  not  the  fountains  of  the 
missionary  spirit  opened  by  the  first  three  Peti- 
tions of  this  incomparable  Prayer ;  and  must  not 
its  living  waters  spring  up  into  everlasting  life 
within  us  the  oftener  we  pour  them  forth  from 
the  bottom  of  our  hearts?  Can  he  who  says  daily, 
"  Hallowed  be  Thy  name,"  hear  that  name  "  con- 
tinually every  day  blasphemed,"  without  trying 
to  "  come  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the 
mighty"?    Can  he  who  ceases  not  to  say,  "Thy 


Chrisfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VI. 


on  tJie  Mount. 


1 9  Lay  ^  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  earth,  where  moth  and  rust 

20  doth  cornipt,  and  where  thieves  break  tlu'ougli  and  steal:  but  ^lay  up 
for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor  rust  doth 

21  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor  steal:  for  where 

22  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also.     The  '"light  of  the  body  is 
tlie  eye :  if  therefore  thine  eye  be  single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of 


A.  D.  31. 


i'  I'ro.  23.  4. 

1  Tim.  6.  17. 

Ileb.  13.  5. 
3  1  Tim.  6. 19. 

1  Pet.  1.  4. 
''  Luke  11.31. 


kingdom  come ;  Thy  wall  be  done  in  earth,  as  it  is 
iu  heaven,"  know  that  the  kingdom  of  God's 
enemy  embraces,  even  in  this  nineteenth  century 
of  the  Christian  era,  a  majority  of  the  earth's 
liopulation,  and  that  even  where  God's  kingdom  is 
set  visibly  up,  and  where  it  is  had  in  greatest 
lionoiir,  His  will  is  yet  far,  O  how  far!  from  being 
done  as  it  is  in  heaven — and  not  feel  his  spirit 
stirred  within  him,  remembering  that  to  His  own 
disciples  did  the  Master,  ere  he  took  His  flight  for 
glory,  commit  the  evangelization  of  the  world, 
and  that  the  curse  of  Meroz  (Jud,  v.  23)  rests 
upon  those  who  come  not  to  the  help  of  the 
Lord,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty? 
G.  Dear  to  all  the  children  of  Cxod  should  be  the 
fourth  petition  of  this  matchless  prayer — in  its 
proper  literal  sense — because  it  teaches  them  that 
this  body,  which  God  thus  cares  for,  is  of  value 
in  His  esteem :  because,  if  thej'  be  needy,  it  gives 
them  "cords  of  a  man,  and  bands  of  love,"  to 
draw  them  to  the  fountain  of  jilenty,  and  calms 
their  anxious  Sjiii-its  with  the  assurance  that  the 
needed  sui)i)ly  will  not  be  withheld ;  and  if  they 
be  not  needy,  but  blessed  with  plenty,  it  teaches 
them  consideration  and  compassion  for  those 
whose  case  is  the  reverse,  and  identities  them 
with  such  —  constraining  them  to  feel  that  for 
the  gift,  and  the  continuance  of  their  abund- 
ance, they  are  as  dependent  upon  their  Father 
in  heaven  as  are  the  poorest  of  their  brethren 
for  their  scanty  means.  7.  By  directing  God's 
children  to  say  daily,  "Forgive  us  our  debts," 
our  Lord  rebukes  not  only  those  perfectionists 
who  say  that  as  believers  "they  have  no  sin" 
(1  Jolin  i.  8),  but  those  who,  without  going 
this  length,  deem  it  so  the  privilege  of  believers 
to  have  forgiveness,  that  to  ask  it  is  unbelief. 
Were  this  really  the  case,  who  that  knows  the 
lilagues  of  his  own  heart  would  not  think  it 
a  i)ity,  and  would  not  irresistibly  brei\k  through 
the  restraint,  for  the  very  privilege  of  crying, 
"  Forgive  us  our  debts"?  But  that  it  is  not  the 
case,  this  petition  plainly  shows.  It  is  true  that 
"  he  that  is  washed  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his 
feet,  but  is  clean  every  whit ;"  but  it  is  just  this 
e.Kceptive  "  washing  of  the  feet,"  the  felt  need  of 
whicli  daily  makes  it  such  a  necessity  and  such 
a  privilege  to  say  daily,  "Forpive  us  our  debts." 
(See  on  John  xiii.  10.)  8.  0  how  much  hypo- 
crisy is  there  in  multitudes  of  worshippers,  who 
protest  before  the  Searcher  of  hearts  that  they 
"  forgive  their  debtors ! "  And  if  we  have  just  so 
much  forgiveness  of  God  as  we  ourselves  extend 
to  men,  may  not  this  be  at  least  one  explanation 
of  the  inability  of  some  real  Christians  to  attain 
to  the  joy  of  God's  salvation?  9.  How  strange  it  is 
that  any  real  Christians,  after  saying,  "  Lead  us  not 
into  temptation,"  should  deliberately  adventure 
themselves  into  scenes  which  not  only  they  ought 
to  know  are  trying  to  Christian  principle,  but 
from  which  they  themselves  liave  already  suf- 
fered !  It  is  not  enough  that  what  is  transacted 
is  not  intrinsically  sinful.  Whatever  is  found  by 
experience  to  wound  the  conscience,  or  even 
greatly  endanger  its  purity,  ought  to  be  eschewed 
by  all  who  cry  daily  from  the  heart,  "  Lead  us  not 
into  temptation."  10.  How  precious  is  the  closing 
i)etition  of  this  Model-Prayer — "But  deliver  us 
43 


from  evil " !  lifting  the  soul  into  a  region  of  superi- 
ority to  evil,  even  while  yet  in  the  midst  of  it, 
encouraging  it  to  stretch  the  neck  of  its  expecta- 
tion beyond  it  all,  and  assuring  it,  as  its  believing 
asiiirations  are  dying  away,  that  the  time  is  draw- 
ing nigh  when  it  shall  bid  an  eternal  adieu  to  the 
last  remnant  and  memorial  of  it. 
19-34  —  Concluding   Illustrations    of    the 

PaGHTEOUSNESS    OF     THE    KINGDOM — HeAVENLY- 
MINDEDNESS    AND    FlLI.^L    CONFIDENCE. 

19.  Lay  not  up  for  yourselves — or  hoard  not — 
treasures  upon  earth,  where  moth  [tr^s  =  ddj — 
a  'clothes-moth.'  Eastern  treasures,  consisting 
partly  in  costly  dresses  stored  uji  (Job  xxvii.  16), 
were  liable  to  be  consumed  by  moths  (Job  xiiL  28 ; 
Isa.  1.  9;  IL  8).  In  Jas.  v.  2  there  is  an  evident 
i-eference  to  our  Lord's  words  here,  and  rust 
\fipo>cn<s] — any  '  eating  into '  or  '  consuming ;'  here, 
probably,  '  wear-and-teaa-. '  doth  corrupt  [a</)ai'r^et] 
— 'cause  to  disaiJi)ear.'  By  this  reference  to  moth 
and  rust  oiu-  Loixl  would  teach  how  perishable  are 
such  earthly  treasures,  and  where  thieves  break 
through  and  steal.  Treasures  these,  how  preca- 
rimis!  20.  But  lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures 
in  heaven.  The  language  in  Luke  (xiL  33)  is  very 
bold — "Sell  that  ye  have,  and  give  alms;  provide 
yourselves  bags  which  wax  not  old,  a  treasure  in 
the  heavens  that  faileth  not,"  &c.  where  neither 
moth  nor  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves 
do  not  break  through  nor  steal.  Treasures  these, 
imperishahle  and  unassailahle !  (Compare  Col.  iii. 
2. )  21.  For  where  your  treasure  is— that  which 
ye  value  most,  there  will  your  heart  be  also. 
['Thy  treasure — thy  heart'  is  probably  the  true 
reading  here;  'your,'  in  Luke  xii.  34,  from  which 
it  seems  to  have  come  in  here.]  Obvious  though 
this  maxim  be,  by  what  multitudes  who  jirofess 
to  bow  to  the  teaching  of  Christ  is  it  practically 
disregarded!  'What  a  man  loves,'  says  Luther, 
quoted  by  Tholuck,  'that  is  his  God.  For  he 
carries  it  in  his  heart,  he  goes  alx)ut  with  it  night 
and  day,  he  sleeps  and  wakes  with  it ;  be  it  what 
it  may — wealth  or  pelf,  pleasure  or  renown. '  But 
because  "laying  up"  is  not  in  itself  siufuL  nay,  in 
some  cases  enjoined  (2  Cor.  xii.  14),  and  honest 
industry  and  sagacious  enterprise  are  usually  re- 
warded with  prosperity,  many  Hatter  themselves 
that  all  is  right  between  them  and  God  while  their 
closest  attention,  anxiety,  zeal,  and  time  aie  ex- 
hausted u]ioii  these  earthly  pursuits.  To  put  this 
right,  our  Lord  adds  what  follows,  in  which  there 
is  profound  practical  wisdom.  22.  The  light — 
rather,  'The  lamp'  [Xuxvos] — of  the  body  is  the 
eye:  if  therefore  thine  eye  be  single  [atrXovi] — 
'simple,'  'clear.'  As  applied  to  the  outward  eye, 
this  means  general  soundness;  particularly,  not 
looking  two  ways.  Here,  as  also  in  classical 
Greek,  it  is  used  figuratively  to  denote  the  sim- 
phcity  of  the  mind's  eye,  singleness  of  purpose, 
looking  right  at  its  object,  as  opposed  to  having 
two  ends  in  view.  (See  Pro.  iv.  25-27. )  thy  whole 
body  shall  be  full  of  light  {(p<oTew6v\ — 'illumi- 
nated. '  As  with  the  bodily  vision,  the  nian  who 
looks  with  a  good,  sound  eye  walks  in  light,  see- 
ing every  object  clear;  so  a  simple  and  persistent 
purpose  to  serve  and  please  God  in  everything  will 
make  the  whole  character  consistent  and  bright. 
23.  But  if  tLlne  eye  be  evil  [tto^'ijoos]— 'distem- 


ChrisVs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VI. 


on  the  Mount. 


23 


24 


light.  But  if  thine  eye  be  evil,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  darkness. 
If  therefore  the  light  that  is  in  thee  be  darkness,  *how  great  is  that  dark- 
ness! No  *man  can  serve  two  masters:  for  either  he  will  hate  the  one, 
and  love  the  other ;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the  one,  and  despise  the  other. 

25  "Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon.  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  *Take 
no  thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink ;  nor 
yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.     Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat, 

26  and  the  body  than  raiment?  Behold  "the  fowls  of  the  air:  for  they  sow 
not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns;  yet  your  heavenly 

27  Father  feedeth  them.     Are  ye  not  much  better  than  they  ?    Which  of  you. 


A.  D.  31. 

'  Kom.  1.  21. 

2  Cor.  4.  4. 
«  Luke  10. 13. 
«  Gal.  1.  10. 

1  Tim.  G.ir. 
i  Be  not 

anxiously 

careful. 

Ps.  55.  22. 

Phil.  4.  C. 

"  Job  38.  41. 

Ps.  147.  9. 


pered,'  or,  as  we  should  say,  If  we  have  got  a 
(huI  eye  [of.  Prov.  xxiii.  6,  "an  evil  eye,"  I'?  i'"},'. 
thy  whole  body  shall  he  full  of  darkness  [ttko- 
TCLvov^ — 'darkened.'  As  a  vitiated  eye,  or  an 
eye  that  looks  not  straight  and  full  at  its  object, 
.sees  nothing  as  it  is,  so  a  niind  and  heart  divided 
between  heaven  and  earth  is  all  dark.  If  there- 
fore the  light  that  is  in  thee  [not  Xi'-xi^os  now,  but 
0ai5,  ' light']  be  darkness,  how  great  is  that  dark- 
ness !  As  the  conscience  is  the  regvdative  faculty, 
and  a  man's  inward  purpose,  scope,  aim  in  life, 
dctennines  his  charactei- — if  these  be  not  sim^jle 
and  heavenward,  but  distorted  and  double,  what 
must  all  the  other  faculties  and  princiiiles  of  our 
nature  be  which  take  their  direction  and  character 
fi-om  these,  and  what  must  the  whole  man  and  the 
whole  life  be,  but  a  mass  of  darkness  ?  In  Luke 
(xi.  36)  the  converse  of  this  statement  A^ery  strik- 
ingly expresses  what  pure,  beautiful,  broad  per- 
ceptions the  clarity  of  the  iniuard  eye  imparts  :  "If 
thy  whole  body  therefore  be  full  of  light,  having 
no  part  dark,  the  whole  shall  be  full  of  light,  as 
the  bright  shining  of  a  candle  doth  give  thee 
light."  But  now  for  the  application  of  this. 
24.  No  man  can  serve  [covXeCeiv].  The  word 
means  to  'belong  wholly  and  be  entirely  under 
command  to,'  two  masters:  for  either  he  will 
hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other ;  or  else  he  will 
hold  to  the  one,  and  despise  the  other.  Even 
if  the  two  masters  be  of  one  character  and  have 
but  one  object,  the  servant  miist  take  law  from 
one  or  other:  though  he  may  do  what  is  agree- 
able to  both,  he  cannot,  in  the  nature  of  the 
thing,  be  servant  to  more  t-lian  one.  Much  less 
if,  as  in  the  present  case,  their  interests  are  q\iite 
difiercut,  and  even  conflicting.  In  this  case,  if 
our  aftectioas  be  in  the  service  of  the  one— if  we 
"love  the  one" — we  must  of  necessity  "hate  the 
other;"  if  we  determine  resolutely  to  "hold  to 
the  one,"  we  must  at  the  same  time  disregard, 
and,  if  he  insist  on  his  claims  upon  iis,  even 
"despise  the  other."  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and 
mammon.  The  word  "mamon" — better  written 
with  one  m  —  is  a  foreign  one,  whose  precise  de- 
rivation cannot  certainly  be  determined,  though 
the  most  probable  one  gives  it  the  sense  of  '  what 
one  trusts  in.'  Here,  there  can  be  no  doubt  it 
is  used  for  riches,  considered  as  an  idol-master, 
or  god  of  the  heart.  The  service  of  this  god  and 
the  true  God  together  is  here,  with  a  kind  of 
indignant  curtness,  pronoimced  impossible.  But 
since  the  teaching  of  the  iireceding  verses  might 
seem  to  endanger  our  falling  short  of  what  is 
requisite  for  the  present  life,  and  so  being  left 
destitute,  our  Lord  now  comes  to  speak  to  that 
point.  25.  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  Take  no 
thought  \jxi)  ixepinvCi-re]  —  '  Be  not  solicitous.' 
The  English  word  "thought,"  when  our  version 
was  made,  expressed  this  idea  of  'solicitude,' 
'anxious  concern' — as  may  be  seen  in  any  old 
English  classic;  and  in  the  same  sense  it  is  used 
in  1  Sam.  ix,  6,  &c.  But  this  sense  of  the  word 
44 


has  now  nearly  gone  out,  and  so  the  mere  English 
reader  is  ai>t  to  be  perplexed.  Tlionylit  or  tore- 
thought,  for  temporal  things — in  the  sense  of 
reflection,  consideration  —  is  required  alike  by 
Scripture  and  common  sense.  It  is  that  anxious 
solicitude,  that  carking  care,  which  springs  from 
unbelieving  doubts  and  misgisdngs,  wliicli  alone 
is  here  condemned.  (See  Phil.  iv.  6.)  for  your 
life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink; 
nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  In 
Luke  (xii.  29)  our  Lord  adds,  '  neither  be  ye  un- 
settled' \jxeTe(opL^e(jde] — not  "of  doubtful  mind," 
as  in  our  version.  When  "  careful  (or  '  full  of 
care ')  about  nothing, "-but  committing  all  in  prayer 
and  sui>]ilication  with  thanksgiving  unto  God, 
the  apostle  assures  us  that  "the  peace  of  God, 
which  passeth  all  understanding,  .shall  keep  our 
hearts  and  minds  [i-oil/ia-ra]  in  Christ  Jesus " 
(Phil.  iv.  6,  7) ;  that  is,  shall  guard  both  our 
feelings  and  our  thoughts  from  undue  agitation, 
and  keep  them  in  a  holy  calm.  But  when  w;e 
commit  our  wliole  tempoial  condition  to  the  wit 
of  our  own  mimls,  we  get  into  that  "unsettled" 
state  against  which  our  Lord  exhorts  His  dis- 
ciples. Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat— or 
'food'  [Tpo(pTii\  and  the  body  than  raiment? 
If  God,  tlien,  give  and  keep  up  the  greater — the 
life,  the  body— Avill  He  withhold  the  less,  food 
to  sustain  life  and  raiment  to  clothe  the  body  ? 
26.  Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air — in  v.  28,  '  observe 
weir  {i;a-Taf.Lu>de-re\  and  iu  Luke  xii.  24,  "con- 
sider" {KaTavovcraTe^ — SO  as  to  learn  wisdom 
from  them.  for  they  sow  not,  neither  do 
they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns;  yet  your 
heavenly  Father  feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not 
much  better  than  they?— nobler  in  yourselves  and 
dearer  to  God.  The  argument  here  is  from  the 
greater  to  the  less  ;  but  how  rich  in  detail !  The 
brute  creation— void  of  reason — are  incapable  of 
sowing,  reaiiing,  and  storing ;  yet  yoiu-  heavenly 
Father  suffers  them  not  heljilessly  to  peiish,  but 
sustains  them  without  any  of  those  processes  :  Will 
He  see,  then.  His  own  chikb'en  usmg  all  the  means 
which  reason  dictates  for  procuring  the  things  need- 
ful for  the  body — looking  up  to  Himself  at  every 
step — and  yet  leave  them  to  starve?  27.  Which 
of  you,  by  taking  thought  ('anxious  solicitude'), 
can  add  one  cubit  unto  his  stature  [>]\i.Klav]1 
"  Stature"  can  hardly  be  the  thing  intended  here : 
first,  because  the  subject  is  the  p7~olo7iffatio7i  of  life, 
by  the  siipply  of  its  necessaries  of  food  and  cloth- 
ing ;  and  next,  because  no  one  woidd  dream  of 
adding  a  cubit— or  a  foot  and  a  half — to  his  stature, 
v.'hile  in  the  corresponding  passage  in  Luke 
(xii.  25,  26),  the  thing  intended  is  represented  as 
"that  thing  which  is  least."  But  if  we  take  the 
w^ord  in  its  primary  sense  of  'age'  (for  'statiu-e'  is 
but  a  secondary  sense)  the  idea  wall  be  this, 
'  Which  of  you,  however  anxiously  you  vex  your- 
selves about  it,  can  add  so  much  as  a  step  to  the 
length  of  your  life's  journey?'  To  compare  the 
length  of  life  to  measures  of  this  nature  is  not 


C/irlsfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VI. 


on  the  Mount. 


28  by  taking  thought,  can  add  one  cubit  unto  his  stature?  And  why  take 
ye  thought  for  raiment  ?     Consider  the  HHes  of  the  field,  how  they  grow : 

29  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin :  and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  That  even 

30  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  Wherefore,  if 
God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is 
cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not  much  more  clothe  you,  0  ye  of  little  faith? 
Therefore  take  no  thought,  saying,  What  shall  we  eat?  or,  What  shall 
we  drink?  or,  Wlierewithal  shall  we  be  clothed?  (For  after  all  these 
things  do  the  Gentiles  seek:)  for  "^'your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye 
have  need  of  all  these  things.  But  ^seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  his  righteousness;  ^and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you. 
Take  therefore  no  ^  thought  for  the  morrow :  for  the  morrow  shall  take 
thought  for  the  things  of  itself.  Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil 
thereof. 


31 
32 

33 


A.  D.  31. 

""  Ps.  'a.  1. 

Phil.  4.  19. 
*  1  Ki.  3.  13. 

Ps.  3J.  9. 

Ps.  37.  25. 

Mark  lu.  30. 

Luke  12.  31. 

P.om.  8.  32. 

1  Tim.  4.  8. 
y  Ps.  34.  9, 10. 

Ch.  19.  29. 

Mark  10.10. 

Luke  18.29. 
30. 

Rom.  8.  32. 
5  an.xious 

tliougl  t. 


foreign  to  the  language  of  Scripture,  (cf.  Ps.  xxxix. 
5;  2  Tim.  iv.  7,  &c.)  So  understood,  tlie  moaning 
is  clear  and  the  connection  natural.  In  this  the 
hest  critics  now  agree.  28.  And  -why  take  ye 
thought  for  raimerit  ?  Consider  (' observe  well') 
the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow :  they  toil 
not— as  men,  planting  and  preparing  the  flax, 
neither  do  they  spin  —as  women :  29.  And  yet  I 
say  unto  you,  That  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory 
was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  What  incom- 
jiarable  teaching! — best  left  in  its  own  transparent 
clearness  and  rich  simplicity.  30.  Wherefore,  if  God 
so  clothe  the  grass — the  'herbage'  [x''/'toi']— of 
the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast 
into  the  oven — wild  flowers  cut  with  the  grass, 
withering  by  the  heat,  and  used  for  fuel.  (See  Jas. 
i.  11.)  shall  he  not  much  more  clothe  you,  0  ye 
of  little  faith  ?  The  argument  here  is  something 
fresh.  'Gorgeous  as  is  the  array  of_  the  flowers 
that  deck  the  fields,  surpassing  all  artificial  human 
grandeur,  it  is  for  but  a  brief  moment;  you  are 
ravished  with  it  to-day,  and  to-morrow  it  is  gone; 
yoiu-  own  hands  have  seized  and  cast  it  into  the 
oven  :  Shall,  then,  God's  children,  so  dear  to  Hiin, 
and  instinct  with  a  life  that  cannot  die,  be  left 
naked?'  He  does  not  say,  Shall  they  not  be 
more  beauteously  arrayed?  but,  Shall  He  not 
much  more  clothe  them?  that  being  all  He  will 
have  them  regard  as  secured  to  them  (cf.  Heb. 
xiii.  5).  The  expiression,  '  Little-faithed  ones ' 
[oXtyyVto-Tot],  which  our  Lord  applies  once 
and  again  to  His  disciples  (ch.  viii.  2(j ;  xiv.  31 ; 
xvi.  8),  can  hardly  be  regarded  as  rebuking  any 
actual  manifestations  of  unbelief  at  that  early 
period,  and  before  such  an  audience.  It  is  His 
way  of  gently  chiding  the  spirit  of  unbelief,  so 
natiu-al  even  to  the  best,  who  are  surrounded 
by  a  world  of  sense,  and  of  kiiidlimr  a  generous 
desire  to  shake  it  oft".  31.  Therefore  take  no 
thought  ('solicitude'),  sayin?.  What  shall  ve 
eat  ?  or,  What  shall  we  drink  ?  or,  V/herewithal 
shall  we  he  clothed?  32.  (For  after  all  these 
things  do  the  Gentiles  seek)  [e7ri^7jTe£]— rather, 
'  pursue.'  Knowing  nothing  deflnitely  beyond 
the  present  life  to  kindle  their  aspirations  and 
engage  their  supreme  attention,  the  heathen  na- 
turally pursue  present  objects  as  their  chief,  their 
only  good.  To  what  an  elevation  above  these 
does  Jesus  here  lift  His  disciples!  for  your 
heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of 
all  these  things.  How  precious  this  word!  Food 
and  raiment  are  pronounced  needful  to  God's  chil- 
dren; and  He  who  could  say,  "No  man  knoweth 
the  Father  but  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever 
the  Son  will  reveal  Him"  (ch.  xi.  27),  says  with 
an  authority  which  none  but  Himself  could  claim, 
*'  ^.'oiu'  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have 
45 


need  of  all  these  things."  Will  not  that  suftice 
you,  O  ye  needy  ones  of  the  household  of  faith  ? 
33.  But  seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
his  righteousness ;  and  all  these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you.  This  is  the  great  summing  up. 
Strictly  speaking,  it  has  to  do  only  with  the  sub- 
ject of  the  present  Section — the  right  state  of  the 
heart  with  reference  to  heavenly  and  earthly 
things;  but  being  couched  in  the  form  of  a  brief 
general  directory,  it  is  so  comprehensive  in  its 
grasp  as  to  eniln-ace  the  whole  subject  of  this 
Discourse.  And,  as  if  to  make  this  the  more  evi- 
dent, the  two  key-notes  of  this  great  Sermon  seem 
l>urposely  struck  in  it — "tlie  kingdom"  and  "  the 
KiOHTEOUSNESs"  of  the  kingdom — as  the  grand 
objects,  in  the  suju'eme  pursuit  of  which  all 
things  needful  for  the  present  life  will  be  added 
to  us.  The  ]irecise  sense  of  every  word  in  this 
golden  verse  sliould  be  carefully  weighed.  "'The 
kingdom  of  God"  is  the  priniaiy  subject  of  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount — that  kingdom  which  the 
God  of  heaven  is  erecting  in  this  fallen  world, 
within  which  are  all  the  spiritually  recovered  and 
inwardly  subject  portion  of  the  family  of  Adam, 
under  Messiah  as  its  divine  Head  and  King. 
"  The  7-i(jhteousness  thereof"  is  the  character  of 
all  such,  so  amply  descrilied  and  variously  illus- 
ti'ated  in  the  foregoing  portKJiis  of  this  Discourse. 
The  "seeking"  of  these  is  the  making  them  the 
object  of  supreme  choice  and  pursuit ;  and  the 
seeking  of  them  "first"  is  the  seeking  of  them 
before  and  above  all  else.  The  "all  these  tliimjs" 
which  shall  in  that  case  be  added  to  us  are  just 
the  "all  these  things"  which  the  last  words  of  the 
preceding  verse  assured  us  "  our  heavenlj'  Father 
knoweth  that  we  have  need  of;"  that  is,  all  we 
require  for  the  present  life.  And  when  our  Lord 
says  they  shall  be  "added"  it  is  implied,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  that  the  seekers  of  the  kingdom 
and  its  righteousness  shall  have  these  as  their 
l)roper  and  primary  portion ;  the  rest  being  their 
gracious  reward  for  not  seeking  them.  (See  au 
illustration  of  the  iirinciple  of  this  in  2  Chr.  i.  11, 
12. )  What  follows  is  but  a  reduction  of  this  gi-eat 
general  direction  into  a  practical  and  ready  form 
tor  daily  use.  34.  Take  therefore  no  tnought 
('anxious  care')  for  the  morrow:  for  the  raorrov/ 
shall  take  thought  for  the  things  of  Itself  (or. 
according  to  other  authorities,  'for  itself) — shall 
have  its  own  causes  of  anxiety.  SufQcient  unto 
the  day  is  the  evil  thereof.  An  admirable  prac- 
tical maxim,  and  better  rendered  in  our  version 
than  in  almost  any  other,  not  excepting  the  pre- 
ceding English  ones.  Every  day  brings  its  own 
cares  ;  and  to  anticipate  is  only  to  double  them. 

Remarks. — I.  Worldly-niindedness  is  as  in.sidioua 
as  it  is  destructive  to  spirituality  in  the  Chiistiau. 


Christ's  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VII. 


on  the  Mount. 


7      JUDGE  "not,  that  ye  be  not  judged.     For  with  what  judgment  ye 

2  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged:  *and  with  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be 

3  measured  to  you  again.     And  ''why  beholdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in 
thy  brother's  eye,  but  considerest  not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye  ? 

4  Or  how  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother.  Let  me  pull  out  the  mote  out  of 

5  thine  eye ;  and,  behold,  a  beam  is  in  thine  own  eye  ?     Thou  hypocrite, 


A.  D.  31. 

CHAP.  7. 
»  Eom.  1.  1. 

Rom.  U.  X 

Jas.  4.  U. 
6  Mark  4.  l'4. 

Luke  6.  3S. 
"=  Luke  6.  41. 


The  innocence  of  secular  occupations  is  the  plea 
on  which  inordinate  attention  to  them  is  permit- 
ted to  steal  away  the  heart.  And  thus  it  is  that 
the  care  of  this  world,  and  the  deceitfulness  of 
riches,  and  the  pleasm-es  of  this  life— silently  but 
surely — choke  the  word,  and  no  fruit  is  brought 
to  perfection  (see  on  Mai-k  iv.  7).  2.  What  vanity 
and  folly  might  be  written  over  the  life  of  many 
jiersons  in  high  repute  for  religion;  made  up  as 
it  is  of  a  long  struggle  to  solve  an  impossible 
problem  -how  to  sei-ve  two  masters!  But  this  is 
not  the  worst  of  their  case.  For,  3.  This  dividcd- 
ness  of  heart  vitiates  and  darkens  their  whole 
inner  man;  making  them  strangers  to  that  glo- 
rious light  which  irradiates  the  i)ath  of  the  just, 
whose  ove  aim  in  life  is  to  serve  and  glorify  their 
Father  who  is  in  heaven.  4.  ISince  the  whole  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  creation — so  liberally  fed  and 
so  gorgeously  clad — is  silently,  perj)etually,  and 
charmingly  xireaching  to  the  children  of  God  the 
duty  of  confidence  in  their  Father  Avho  is  in 
heaven,  what  a  noble  field  of  devout  study  do 
these  kingdoms  of  nature  open  up  to  us;  and 
what  a  monstrous  misuse  of  this  study  is  made  Ity 
those  who  study  themselves  into  an  Atheistic 
Naturalism,  wliich  not  only  makes  the  laws  of 
nature  their  sole  object  of  pursuit,  but  drearily 
rests  in  them  as  the  ultimate  account  of  all  phy- 
sical things !  5.  In  this  Discourse  we  find  our 
Lord  telling  us  what  "the  heathen"  do,  that  He 
may  teach  us  how  differently  He  expected  His 
oMTi  disciples  to  do.  The  heathen  "  babble"  their 
prayers,  and  the  heathen  pursue  this  present 
world  as  their  all.  But  if  so,  0  how  many  heathen 
are  there  in  the  visible  Christian  Church  ;  and 
what  a  heathenish  formality  in  devotion  and  secu- 
larity  in  the  business  of  life  do  too  many  of  the 
children  of  God  suffer  to  invade  and  to  mar  the 
spirituality,  and  liberty,  and  joy,  and  strength  of 
their  Christian  life !  6.  As  honesty  is  the  best 
jiolicy,  so  spirituality  of  mind  in  the  prosecxition 
of  the  business  of  life  is  the  true  secret  of  all  real 
temporal  prosperity.  "  The  blessing  of  the  Lord 
it  maketh  rich  ;  an<l  he  addeth  no  sorrow  with  it" 
(Prov.  X.  22) — not,  He  addeth  no  sorrow  with  the 
blessing:  but  none  with  the  riches — whereas  un- 
blest  riches  are  full  of  sorrow.  7.  Let  it  never  be 
forgotten  that  what  our  Lord  here  condemns  is 
not  attention  to  businesSj  nor  any  amount  or  range 
of  thowjlit  on  the  subject  of  it  which  may  be 
necessary  for  its  most  successful  prosecution ;  but 
only  such  attention  to  it  as  is  due  exclusively  to 
heavenly  things,  and  cannot  possibly  be  given  to 
both ;  and  such  anxiety  of  mind  alx)ut  the  means 
of  life  as  springs  from  distrust  of  God,  and  cor- 
rodes the  heart,  while  it  does  not  in  the  least  ad- 
vance the  object  we  have  in  view.  Nor  is  riches 
spoken  against  here,  but  only  the  setting  of  the 
heart  upon  them,  which  the  poor  mav  do  and  the 
rich  not.     (See  Ps.  Ixii.  10;  1  Tim.  vi.  17-19.) 

CHAP.  VIL  Sermon  on  the  Mount— con- 
cluded, 

1-12. — Mtscellaneotis  Supplementary  Coun- 
sels. That  these  verses  are  entirely  supplemen- 
tary is  the  simplest  and  most  natural  view  of 
them.  All  attempts  to  make  out  any  evident  con- 
nection with  the  immediately  preceding  context 
are,  in  our  judgment,  forced  But,  though  supple- 
4Q 


mentary,  these  counsels  are  far  from  being  of  sub- 
ordinate importance.  On  the  contrary,  they  in- 
volve some  of  the  most  delicate  and  vital  duties  of 
the  Christian  life.  In  the  vivid  form  in  which 
they  are  here  presented,  perhaps  they  could  not 
have  been  introduced  with  the  same  effect  under 
any  of  the  foregoing  heads ;  but  they  spring  out 
of  the  same  great  jirinciples,  and  are  but  other 
forms  and  manifestations  of  the  same  evangelical 
"righteousness." 

Vensorious  Judgment  (1-5).  1.  Judge  not,  that 
ye  be  not  judged.  To  "judge"  here  [Kpiveiv]  does 
not  exactly  mean  to  pronounce  condemnatory 
judgment  {KaTaK(jLV€iv\;  nor  does  it  refer  to  simple 
judging  at  all,  whether  favoiu-able  or  the  reverse. 
The  context  makes  it  clear  that  the  thing  here 
condemned  is  that  disposition  to  look  unfavour- 
ably on  the  character  and  actions  of  others,  which 
leads  invariably  to  the  pronouncing  of  rash,  un- 
just, and  unlovely  judgments  upon  them.  No 
doubt  it  is  the  judgments  so  pronounced  which 
are  here  sijoken  of ;  but  what  our  Lord  aims  at  is 
the  spirit  out  of  which  they  spring.  Provided 
we  eschew  this  unlovely  spirit,  we  are  not  only 
warranted  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  a  brother's 
character  and  actions,  but,  in  the  exercise  of  a 
necessary  discrimination,  are  often  constrained  to 
do  so  for  our  own  guidance.  It  is  the  violation 
of  the  law  of  love  involved  in  the  exercise  of  a 
censorious  disposition  which  alone  is  here  con- 
demned. And  the  argument  against  it — "that  ye 
be  not  judged" — confirms  this:  'that  your  own 
character  and  actions  be  not  pronounced  upon 
with  the  like  severity;'  that  is,  at  the  great  day. 
2.  For  with  what  judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be 
judged:  and  with  what  measure  ye  mete — what- 
ever standard  of  judgment  ye  apply  to  others,  it 
shall  be  measured  to  you  [again]  [fbTi/xeT-ptjtfjyo-e- 
Tai.  The  iivrl — 'again,'  or  'in  return' — which  be- 
longs to  tlie  corresponding  passage  in  Luke  vi.  38, 
has  hardly  any  support  here ;  though  of  course 
it  is  implied.  1  This  jiroverbial  maxim  is  used  by 
our  Lord  in  other  connections— as  in  INIark  iv.  24, 
and  with  a  slightly  different  application  in  Luke 
vi.  38 — as  a  great  principle  in  the  divine  adminis- 
tration. Uutender  judgment  of  others  wiU  be 
judicially  returned  upon  ourselves,  in  the  day 
when  God  shall  judge  the  secrets  of  men  by  Jesus 
Christ.  But,  as  in  many  other  cases  uncler  the 
divine  administration,  such  harsh  judgment  gets 
self-punished  even  here.  For  yieople  shrink  from 
contact  with  those  who  systematically  deal  out 
harsh  judgment  ujion  others — naturally  conclud- 
ing that  they  themselves  may  be  the  next  vic- 
tims— and  feel  impelled  in  self  defence,  when  ex- 
posed to  it,  to  roll  back  upon  the  assailant  his 
own  censiu-es.  3.  And  why  beholdest  thou  the 
mote  yKap<po<;'\ — 'splinter;'  here  very  well  rendered 
"mote,"  denoting  any  small  fault,  that  is  in 
thy  brother's  eye,  but  considerest  not  the  beam 
[5okok]  that  is  in  thine  own  eye  ?-- denoting  the 
much  greater  fault  which  we  overlook  in  our- 
selves. 4.  Or  how  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother, 
Let  me  pull  out  the  mote  out  of  thine  eye ;  and, 
behold,  a  beam  is  in  thine  own  eye?  5.  Thou 
hypocrite  ['IVoK-piTa]— 'Hjqiocrite!'  first  cast 
out  the  beam  out  of  thine  own  eye;  and  then 
Shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  cast  out  the  mete  out  of 


Christ'' s  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VII. 


0??  the  Mount. 


first  cast  oxit  the  beam  out  of  thine  own  eye ;  and  then  slialt  thou  see 
clearly  to  cast  out  the  mote  out  of  thy  brother's  eye. 

6  Give  '^not  that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs,  neither  cast  ye  your  pearl?, 
before  swine,  lest  they  trample  them  under  their  feet,  and  turn  again  antl 
rend  you. 

7  Ask,  *and  it  shall  be  given  you;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find;  knock,  and 

8  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you :  for  -^  eveiy  one  that  asketh  receiveth ; 
and  he  that  seeketh  findeth;    and  to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be 

9  opened.     Or  what  man  is  there  of  you,  whom  if  his  son  ask  bread,  will 

10  he  give  him  a  stone?  or  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  give  him  a  serpent? 

11  If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  cliildren, 
how  much  ^more  shall  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  give  good  things 
to  them  that  ask  him ! 

12  Therefore  all  things  '^whatsoever  ye  wo\ild  that  men  should  do  to  you, 
do  ye  even  so  to  them :  for  Hhis  is  the  Law  and  the  Prophets. 


A.  D.  31. 

d  Pro.  9.  7,  s. 

Pro.  23.  fl. 

Acts  13.  45. 
*   ch.  21.  22. 

Mark  11.2}. 

John  1.5.  7. 

Jas.  1.  .1,  6. 

1  John  3. 22. 
/  Pro.  8.  17. 

Jer.  20.  12. 

Jon.  2.  2. 

Jon.  3.  8-10i 
'  Isa.  49.  1.1. 

Eom.  S.  3?. 
''  Luke  6.  31. 
<  Lev.  19.  18. 

Eom.  13.  & 

Gal.  5.  14. 

1  Tim.  1.  .=). 


thy  brotlier's  eye.  Our  Lord  uses  a  most  hjqier- 
bolical,  but  not  unfamiliar  tigtire,  to  express  the 
monstrous  inconsistency  of  this  conduct.  The 
"hy]iocrisy"  which,  not  without  indignation.  He 
charges  it  with,  consists  in  the  pretence  of  a  zeal- 
ous and  compassionate  charity,  which  cannot  pos- 
sibly be  real  in  one  who  suffers  worse  faults  to  lie 
uncorrected  in  himself.  He  only  is  fit  to  be  a  re- 
prover of  others  who  jealously  and  severely  judges 
himself.  Such  persons  will  not  only  be  slow  to 
undertake  the  office  of  censor  on  their  neighbours, 
but,  when  constrained  in  faithfulness  to  deal  with 
them,  will  make  it  evident  that  they  do  it  with 
reluctance  and  not  satisfaction,  with  moderation 
and  not  exaggeration,  with  love  and  not  harsh- 
ness. 

Prostitution  of  Holy  T7dncfS  (G).  The  opposite 
extreme  to  that  of  censoriousness  is  here  con- 
demned— want  of  discrimination  of  character. 
6.  Give  not  that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs- 
savage  or  snarling  haters  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness, neither  cast  ye  your  pearls  hefore  swine 
— the  impure  or  coarse,  who  are  incapable  of 
appreciating  the  priceless  jewels  of  Christianity. 
In  the  East  dogs  are  wilder  and  more  gregarious, 
and,  feeding  on  carrion  and  garbage,  are  coarser 
and  tiercer  than  the  same  animals  in  the  West. 
Dogs  and  swine,  besides  being  ceremonially  un- 
clean, were  laeculiarly  repulsive  to  the  Jews, 
and  indeed  to  the  ancients  generally,  lest  they 
trample  them  under  their  feet— as  swine  do — and 
turn  again  and  rend  you — as  dogs  do.  lleligion  is 
brought  into  contempt,  and  its  professors  insulted, 
when  it  is  forced  upon  those  who  cannot  value  it 
and  will  not  have  it.  But  while  the  indiscrim- 
inately zealous  have  need  of  this  caution,  let  us  be 
on  our  guard  against  too  readily  setting  our  neigh- 
bours down  as  dogs  and  swine,  and  excusing 
ourselves  from  endeavouring  to  do  them  good  on 
this  poor  plea. 

Prayer  (7-11).  Enough,  one  might  think,  had 
been  said  on  this  subject  in  ch.  vi.  5-15.  But 
tlie  difficulty  of  the  foregoing  duties  seems  to 
have  recallecl  the  subject,  and  this  gives  it  quite 
a  new  turn.  '  How  shall  we  ever  be  able  to 
carry  out  such  precei)ts  as  these,  of  tender,  holy, 
yet  discriminating  love?'  might  the  humble  dis- 
ciple enquire.  'Go  to  God  with  it,'  is  our  Lord's 
reply;  but  He  expresses  this  vidth  a  fulness  which 
leaves  nothing  to  be  desired,  urging  now  not  only 
confidence,  but  importunity  in  prayer.  7.  Ask, 
and  it  shall  he  given  you;  seek,  and  ye  shall 
find;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you. 
Though  there  seems  evidently  a  climax  here, 
expressive  of  more  and  more  importunity,  yet 
each  of  these  terms  used  i3resents  what  we  desire 
47 


of  God  in  a  different  light.  We  a.sk  for  what  we 
wish;  we  seek  for  what  we  miss;  we  knock  for 
that  from  which  we  feel  ourselves  shut  out.  An- 
swering to  this  threefold  representation  is  the 
triple  assurance  of  success  to  our  believing  efforts., 
'  But  ah ! '  might  some  humble  disciple  say,  '  I 
cannot  persuade  myself  that  /  have  any  interest 
with  God.'  To  meet  this,  our  Lord  repeats  tko 
triple  assurance  he  had  just  given,  bjit  in  such  a. 
form  as  to  silence  every  such  complaint.  8.  For 
every  one  that  asketh  receiveth;  and  he  that 
seeketh  findeth;  and  to  him  that  knocketh  it 
shall  he  opened.  Of  course,  it  is  presumed  that 
he  asks  aright — that  is,  in  faith — and  with  ari 
honest  purjiose  to  make  use  of  what  he  receives. 
"  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God. 
But  let  him  ask  in  faith,  nothing  wavering  (un- 
decided whether  to  be  altogether  on  the  Lord'.^i 
side).  For  he  that  wavereth  is  like  a  wave  of  the 
sea  driven  with  the  wind  and  tossetl.  For  let  not 
that  man  think  that  he  shall  receive  amy  thing  of  the 
LorcV  (Jas.  i.  5-7).  Hence,  "Ye  ask,  and  receive 
not,  because  ve  ask  amiss,  that  ye  may  consun-o 
it  upon  your  lusts"  (Jas.  iv.  3).  9.  Or  what  man 
is  there  of  ycu,  whom  if  his  son  ask  bread  [apTOf] 
— 'a  loaf,'  will  he  give  him  a  stone?— round  ami 
smooth  like  such  a  loaf  or  cake  as  was  much  iu 
use,  but  only  to  mock  him.  10.  Or  if  he  ask  a  fish, 
wUl  he  give  him  a  serpent?— like  it,  indeed,  but 
only  to  sting  hhn.  11.  If  ye  then,  being  evil, 
know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children, 
how  much  more  shall  your  Father  which  is  iii 
heayen  give  good  things  to  them  that  ask  him  !' 
Bad  as  our  fallen  nature  is,  the  father  in  us  is 
not  extinguished.  What  a  heart,  then,  must  tin- 
Father  of  all  fathers  have  towards  His  pleadinLC 
children!  In  the  corresponding  passage  in  Luko 
(see  on  xi.  LS),  instead  of  "good  things,"  orr 
Lord  asks  whether  He  will  not  much  "more  givo 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  Him.  At  this 
early  stage  of  His  ministry,  and  before  such  an 
audience.  He  seems  to  avoid  such  sharp  doctrinal 
teaching  as  was  more  accordant  with  His  plan  at 
the  riper  stage  indicated  in  Luke,  and  in  address- 
ing His  own  disciples  exclusively. 

Golden  Rule  (12).  12.  Therefore— to  say  all  in 
one  word— all  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that 
men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  [oiiTOJs]— 
the  same  thing  and  in  the  same  way,  to  them: 
for  this  is  the  Law  and  the  Prophets.  '  This  is  the 
substance  of  all  relative  duty;  all  Scriptm-e  in  a 
nutshell.'  Incomparable  summary!  How  well 
called  "the  royal  law"!  (Jas.  \i.  8;  cf.  Eom.  xiii.  9). 
It  is  true  that  similar  maxims  are  found  float- 
ing in  the  writings  of  the  cultivated  Greeks  and 
Romans,  and  naturally  enough  in  the  Eabbiniciil 


Cln'itc's  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VII. 


071  the  Mount. 


13  Enter  ■'ye  in  at  the  strait  gate :  ''^for  wide  is  the  gate,  and  broad  is  the 
way,  that  leadeth  to  destruction,  and  many  there  be  which  go  in  thereat : 

14  ^because  strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way,  which  leadeth  unto 
life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it. 


A.  D.  31. 


1  Luk3  y.  'ii. 
Luke  13.  24. 
*  1  John  5. 19. 
1  Or,  h  w. 


writings.  But  so  expressed  as  it  is  here — iu  imme- 
tliate  connection  with,  ami  as  the  sum  of  such  duties 
as  had  been  just  enjoined,  and  such  ivriuciples  as 
had  been  before  taught — it  is  to  be  found  nowhere 
else.  And  the  best  commentary  upon  this  fact  is, 
that  never  till  our  Lord  came  down  thus  to  teach 
did  men  etfectually  and  widely  exemplify  it  in 
their  iiractice.  The  precise  sense  of  the  maxim  is 
))est  referred  to  common  sense.  It  is  not,  of  course, 
what — in  our  wayward,  capricious,  giasping  moods 
— we  should  wisli  that  men  would  do  to  us,  that 
we  are  to  hold  ourselves  bound  to  do  to  them ;  but 
only  what — in  the  exercise  of  an  impartial  judg- 
ment, and  putting  ourselves  in  their  place — we 
consider  it  reasonable  that  they  should  do  to  us, 
that  we  are  to  do  to  them. 

Remarks. — 1,  How  grievous  is  it  to  think  to  what 
an  extent,  in  spite  of  our  Lord's  injunctions  and 
warnings  here,  censoriousness  prevails,  not  only 
amongst  the  mass  of  professing  Christians,  but 
even  among  the  undoubted  children  of  God !  Of 
two  or  more  motives  by  Avhich  any  action  or  course 
may  have  been  i  iromptetL,  and  only  one  of  which  is 
wrong,  how  readily  do  many  Christians — in  a  spirit 
the  reverse  of  love — fasten  upon  the  ^\Tong  one, 
without  any  e\'iilcnce,  but  merely  on  ]u-esumption ! 
And  even  after  they  have  discovered  themselves  to 
have  wronged  their  neighlxmr — perhaps  a  brother 
or  sister  in  Christ — by  imi)utiug  to  them  motives 
to  which  they  find  they  were  sti-anger.s,  instead  of 
^'ieving  over  such  v>^ant  of  love  (Prov.  x.  12 ;  1 
Pet.  iv.  8),  and  guarding  against  it  for  the  future, 
are  they  not  as  ready  again  to  do  the  same  thing  V 
We  speak  not  of  such  snarling  dispositions  as  seem 
incapable  of  looking  upon  any  jjeison  or  action  but 
unfavourably — of  which  one  meets  with  unhap]iy 
specimens  iu  some  whom  one  would,  fain  include 
among  the  sincere  disciples  of  Christ.  But  we  refer 
to  a  too  prevalent  tendency  in  manj'  who  are  above 
this.  Let  such  think  whether,  at  the  great  day, 
they  would  like  to  have  their  own  harsh  measure 
meted  out  to  themselves ;  let  them  remember  to 
^vhat  a  small  extent  one  is  able  to  enter  into  the  cir- 
cumstances of  another;  let  them  consider  whether 
in  any  given  case,  they  are  called  on  to  ])ro- 
nounce  a  judgment  at  all;  and  if  they  think  they 
are,  let  it  be  with  reluctance  and  regret  that  an 
unfavoiu'able  judgment  is  pronounced ;  and  let  full 
weight  be  given  to  extenuating  circumstances.  As 
the  law  of  love  demands  all  this,  so  shall  we  find, 
at  the  great  day,  that  we  have  our  own  merciful 
measure  meted  out  to  ourselves.  But  after  all, 
2.  (Self-knowledge  will  be  the  best  iireservative 
against  a  censorious  disposition.  He  who  knows 
how  often  his  own  motives  would  be  misunder- 
stood, if  judged  in  every  case  from  first  appear- 
ances, will  not  1)6  ready  to  judge  thus  of  his  iieigh- 
lionr's  ;  nor  will  he  who  is  conscious  of  his  own 
uprightness,  even  when  he  has  been  betrayed  into 
something  wrong,  be  ready  to  put  the  worst 
construction  even  upon  v\diat  cannot  be  de- 
fended. And  as  the  censorious  get  self-punished 
e\'en  here,  so  a  considerate,  kincl,  charitable  way 
of  looking  at  the  character  and  actions  of  others  is 
rewarded  with  general  respect,  esteem,  and  confi- 
dence. 3.  Christian  zeal  must  be  tempered  with 
discretion.  No  love  to  the  souls  of  men  can  oblige 
a  Christian  to  thrust  divine  truth  upon  ears  that 
will  not  listen  to  it,  that  will  but  loathe  it,  and 
are  only  irritated  to  keener  hatred  by  effoi-ts  made 
to  force  it  on  them.  (See  Prov.  ix.  7,  8;  xiv.  7; 
43 


xxiii.  9,  &c.)  And  yet  how  few  are  there  so 
virulent  that  love  cannot  ap])roach  them  aud 
persevering  love  cannot  subdue  them !  Dis- 
cei'nmeut  of  character  is  indeed  indispensable 
for  hopefully  giving  "that  which  is  holy"  to 
those  who  are  strangers  to  it,  and  offering  safely 
our  ''pearls"  to  the  needy.  But  He  who  said  to 
obstinate  aud  scornful  Jerusalem,  "  How  often 
would  I  have  gathered  thy  children,  and  ye  would 
not" — He  who  has,  even  for  ages,  "stretched  out 
His  hands  all  day  long  to  a  disobedient  and  gain- 
saying people!" — will  not  have  us  too  readily  to 
despair  of  oui-  fellow-men,  aud  cease  from  endeav- 
oiu'ing  to  win  them  to  the  truth.  And  sui-ely, 
when  we  rememl)er  what  forbearance  we  ourselves 
have  needed  and  experienced,  and  how  hopeless 
some  of  us  once  were,  we  should  not  be  over-nasty 
in  turning  even  from  the  obstinate  ojiponents  of 
truth  and  righteousness  as  "do^s"  and  "swine," 
whom  to  meddle  with  is  equally  bootless  and  per- 
ilous. 4.  Delicate  and  dilticult  as  are  the  duties 
enjoined  in  this  Section,  demanding  a  high  tone 
and  involving  habitual  seif-commantl,  the  disciple 
of  Christ  has  an  unfailing  resoui'ce  in  his  Father 
which  is  in  heaven,  to  whom  there  is  free  access 
by  prayer  for  all,  and  no  believing  application  is 
made  in  vain.  5.  Had  the  unlcersal  depravity  of 
oiu'  nature  not  been  an  uudei stood  and  acknow- 
ledged truth,  it  is  dithcult  to  see  liow  om-  Lord 
could  have  expressed  Himself  as  He  does  in  the 
11th  verse  of  this  cha]iter,  nor  can  the  full  force 
of  His  reasoning  be  felt  on  any  other  principle. 
For  this  is  it :  '  The  natural  affection  of  human 
parent-s  towards  their  children  has  to  struggle 
through  the  cv'd  which  every  child  of  Adam  brings 
with  him  into  the  world,  and  carries  about  with 
him  to  his  dying  day;  and  yet,  in  sjiite  of  this, 
what  parent  is  there  whose  heart  does  not  j'earu 
over  his  ovn\  child,  or  is  able  to  resist  his  reason- 
able pleadings  ?  But  your  heavenly  Father  has  no 
evil  in  His  nature  to  struggle  with ;  and  has  a 
heai't  towards  His  children,  compared  with  which 
the  affections  of  all  the  parents  that  ever  did,  do, 
or  shall  exist,  though  tliej'  were  blended  into  one 
mighty  affection,  is  not  even  as  a  drop  to  the 
ocean :  How  much  more,  tlien,  will  He  give  good 
gifts  to  His  pleading  children!'  V7hat  an  argu- 
ment this  for  faith  to  plead  upon  ! 

13-29.— Conclusion  and  Lffect  of  the  Sek- 
MON  ON  THE  MouNT.  We  have  here  the  applica- 
tion of  the  whole  preceding  Discourse. 

Condnsion  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Movnt  (13-27). 
"The  righteousness  of  the  kingdom,"  so  amj'ly 
described,  both  in  principle  and  in  detail,  would 
be  seen  to  involve  self-sacr'iji<e  at  eveiy  step. 
Multitudes  would  never  face  this.  But  it  must 
lie  faced,  else  the  consequences  will  be  fatal. 
This  would  divide  all  within  the  sound  of  these 
truths  into  two  classes :  the  many,  who  ^^■ill 
follow  the  path  of  ease  and  self-iiKiulgence — end 
where  it  might ;  and  tlie  few,  who,  l)ent  on  eternal 
safety  above  everything  else,  take  the  way  that 
leads  to  it — at  N\liatever  cost.  This  gives  occasion 
to  the  two  opening  verses  of  this  aiqilication.  13. 
Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate — as  if  hardly  wide 
enough  to  admit  one  at  all.  This  expresses  the 
difficulty  of  the  first  right  step  in  religion,  involv- 
ing, as  it  does,  a  triumph  over  all  our  natural 
inclinations.  Hence  the  still  stronger  expression 
in  Luke  (xiii.  24),  "Strive  [aywviX^eot^e]  to  enter 
iu  at  the  strait  gate."    for  wide  is  the  gate— easily 


Chrisfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VII. 


0)1  the  Mount. 


15  Beware  'of  false  prophets,  '"■  which  come  to  5'ou  in  sheep's  clothing,  but 

16  inwardly  they  are  "ravening  wolves.     Ye  shall  know  them  by  their  fruits. 

17  "Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of  thistles?     Even  so  ^ every 
good  tree  bringeth  forth  good  fruit ;  but  a  corrupt  tree  bringeth  forth 

1 8  evil  fruit.     A  good  tree  cannot  bring  forth  evil  fruit,  neither  can  a  cor- 

19  rupt  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit.     Every  tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good 

20  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire.     Wherefore  by  their  fruits  ye 
shall  know  them. 

21  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  ^Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven ;  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in 

22  heaven.     Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day.  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  'not 
prophesied  in  thy  name  ?  and  in  thy  name  have  cast  out  devils  ?  and  in 


A.  D.  31. 

'  Deut.  13.  3. 

Jer.  23.  16. 

Eom.  16.  ir. 
'"Mic.  3.  6. 

2  Tim.  3.  5. 
"  Acts  20.  29. 
"  Luke  6.  43. 
P  Jer.  11. 19. 
«  Hos.  8.  2. 

Acts  19. 13. 

Eom.  2. 13. 

Jas.  1.22. 
•■  Num.  24.  4. 

John  11. 61. 

1  Cor.  13.  2. 


entered— and  broad  is  the  way — easily  trodden^ 
tliat  leadetli  to  destruction,  and — thus  Imed — 
many  there  be  which  go  in  thereat :  14.  Because 
Btrait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way, 
which  leadeth  unto  life — in  other  words,  the  whole 
com-se  is  as  difficult  as  the  first  step ;  and  (so  it 
comes  to  pass  that)  few  there  be  that  find  it.  The 
recommendation  of  the  broad  way  is  the  ease  with 
which  it  is  trodden  and  the  abundance  of  company 
to  be  found  in  it.  It  is  sailing  with  a  fair  wind 
and  a  favourable  tide.  The  natural  inclinations 
ai-e  not  crossed,  and  fears  of  the  issue,  if  not  easily 
Imshed,  are  in  the  long  run  effectually  subdued. 
The  one  disadvantage  of  this  course  is  its  end — it 
"  leadeth  to  destruction."  The  gi-eat  Teacher  says 
it,  and  says  it  as  "  One  having  authority."  To  the 
supposed  injustice  or  harshness  of  this  He  never 
ouce  adverts.  He  leaves  it  to  be  inferred  that 
such  a  course  righteously,  natiu-ally,  necessarily  so 
ends.  But  whether  men  see  this  or  no,  here  He 
lays  down  the  law  of  the  kingdom,  and  leaves  it 
with  us.  As  to  the  other  way,  the  disadvantage 
of  it  lies  in  its  narrowness  and  solitude.  Its  very 
first  step  involves  a  revolution  in  our  whole  pur- 
jioses  and  plans  for  life,  and  a  surrender  of  all 
that  is  dear  to  natural  inclination,  while  all  that 
follows  is  but  a  repetition  of  the  first  great  act  of 
self-sacrifice.  No  wonder,  then,  that  few  find  and 
few  are  f oimd  in  it.  But  it  has  one  advantage — it 
"  leadeth  unto  life."  Some  critics  take  "  the  gate" 
here,  not  for  the  first,  but  the  last  step  in  reli- 
gion; since  gates  seldom  open  into  roads,  but  roads 
usually  terminate  in  a  gate,  leading  straight  to  a 
mansion.  But  as  this  would  make  our  Lord's 
words  to  have  a  very  inverted  and  unnatural  form 
as  they  stand,  it  is  better,  with  the  majority  of 
critics,  to  view  them  as  we  have  done.  [The  read- 
ing inv.  14,  of  Ti  for  "0-rt— ' How  strait!' — pre- 
ferred by  Tregelles — is,  we  think,  with  Tischendorf, 
to  be  disai)proved.] 

But  since  such  teaching  would  be  as  unpopular 
as  the  way  itself,  our  Lord  next  forewarns  His 
hearers  that  preachers  of  smooth  things — the  true 
heirs  and  representatives  of  the  false  prophets 
of  old — would  be  rife  enough  in  the  new  King- 
dom. 15.  Beware  {Upouex^Te  oe] — 'But  beware' of 
false  prophets— that  is,  of  teachers  coming  as 
authorized  expounders  of  the  mind  of  God  and 
guides  to  heaven.  (See  Acts  xx.  29,  30;  2  Pet.  ii. 
1,  2.)  which  come  to  you  in  sheep's  clothing 
—with  a  bland,  gentle,  plausible  exterior;  per- 
suading you  that  the  gate  is  not  strait  nor  the 
way  narrow,  and  that  to  teach  so  is  illiberal  and 
bigoted — precisely  what  the  old  prophets  did  (Ezek. 
xiii.  1-10,  22).  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening 
wolves — bent  on  devouring  the  flock  for  their  o^vn 
ends  (2  Cor.  xi.  2,  3, 13-15).  16.  Ye  shall  know  them 
by  their  fruits — not  their  doctrines — as  many  of 
the  elder  interpreters  and  some  later  ones  explain 
VOL.    V.  49 


it — for  that  corresponds  to  the  tree  itself;  but  the 
practical  effect  of  their  teaching,  which  is  the  f)ro- 
Iier  fruit  of  the  tree.  Do  men  gather  grapes  of 
thorns  [AkuvQusv] — any  kind  of  pricldy  plant,  or  figs 
of  thistles?  \TpL(i6\wv\ — a  three-pronged  variety. 
The  general  sense  is  obvious — Every  tree  bears  its 
own  fruit.  17.  Even  so  every  good  tree  bringeth 
forth  good  fruit;  but  a  corrupt  tree  bringeth 
forth  evil  fruit.  18.  A  good  tree  cannot  bring 
forth  evil  fruit,  neither  can  a  corrupt  tree  bring 
forth  good  fruit.  Obvious  as  is  the  truth  here  ex- 
pressed in  difi'erent  forms — that  the  heart  deter- 
mines and  is  the  only  jiroper  interpreter  of  the 
actions  of  our  life— no  one  who  knows  how  the 
(Jliurch  of  Rome  makes  a  merit  of  actions,  quite 
apart  from  the  motives  that  prompt  them,  and 
how  the  same  tendency  manifests  itself  from  time 
to  time  even  among  Protestant  Christians,  can 
think  it  too  obvious  to  be  insisted  on  by  the  teachers 
of  divine  truth.  Here  follows  a  wholesome  digres- 
sion. 19.  Every  tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good 
fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire.  See 
on  ch.  iii.  10.  20.  Wherefore  by  their  fruits  ye 
shall  know  them:  —  q.  d.,  'But  the  point  I  now 
press  is  not  so  much  the  end  of  such,  as  the  means 
of  detecting  them ;  and  this,  as  already  said,  is 
their  fruits.'  The  hypocrisy  of  teachers  now  leads 
to  a  solemn  warning  against  religious  hypocrisy  in 
general. 

21.  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord, 
Lord — the  redu]ilication  of  the  title  "Lord"  denot- 
ing zeal  in  according  it  to  Christ  (see  Mark  xiv.  45). 
Yet  our  Lord  claims  and  expects  this  of  all  His 
disciples,  as  when  He  washed  their  feet,  "  Ye  call 
me  Master  and  Lord:  and  ye  say  M'ell;  for  so  I 
am"  (John  xiii.  13).  shall  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  heaven;  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven — that  will  which 
it  had  been  the  great  object  of  this  Discoiu-se  to  set 
forth.  Yet  our  Lord  says  warily,  not  '  the  will  of 
your  Father,'  but  "  of  Jl/?/ Father ; '  thus  claiming  a 
relationship  to  His  Father  M'ith  which  His  disci- 
ples might  not  intermeddle,  and  which  He  never 
lets  down.  And  He  so  speaks  here,  to  give  author- 
ity to  His  asseverations.  But  now  He  rises  higher 
still— not  formally  announcing  Himself  as  the  Judge, 
but  intimating  what  men  will  say  to  Him,  and 
He  to  them,  when  He  sits  as  their  final  judge.  22. 
Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day  [Ninn  cmi  What 
day?  It  is  emphatically  unnamed.  But  it  is  the 
day  to  which  He  had  just  referred,  when  men 
shall  "enter"  or  not  enter  "into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  (See  a  similar  way  of  speaking  of  "that 
day"  in  2  Tim.  i.  12;  iv.  8).  Lord,  Lord.  The 
reiteration  denotes  siui^rise.  'What,  Lord?  How 
is  this?  Are  we  to  be  disowTied?'  have  we  not 
prophesied — or  'publicly  taught.'  As  one  of  the 
special  gifts  of  the  Spirit  in  the  early  Church,  it  has 
the  sense  of  '  inspired  and  authoritative  teaching,' 


Chrlsfs  Sermon 


MATTHEW  VII. 


on  tlie  Mount, 


23  thy  name  done  m'any  wonderful  works?  And  then  v/ill  I  profess  unto 
them,  I  never  knew  you  :  *  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity. 

24  Therefore,  'whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them, 

25  I  will  liken  him  unto  a  wise  man,  which  built  his  house  upon  a  rock:  and 
"the  rain  descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat 
upon  that  house;    and  ^ it  fell  not:   for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock. 

26  And  every  one  that  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them  not, 
shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man,  which  built  his  house  upon  the  sand : 

27  and  the  rain  descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and 
beat  upon  that  house;  and  it  fell :  "'and  great  was  the  faU  of  it. 

28  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  ended  these  sayings,  "^the  people 

29  were  astonished  at  his  doctrine:  for  ^he  taught  them  as  one  having 
authority,  and  not  as  the  scribes. 


A.  D.  31. 


•  Ps.  5.  5. 
Ps.  6.  8. 
Ch.  25.  41. 

<  Luke  6.  4". 

"  Acts  14.  23. 

2  Tim.  3. 12. 
'  2  Tim.  2. 19. 

1  Pet.  1.  5. 
"Heb.  10.31. 

2  Pet.  2.  20. 
"  ch.  13.  54. 

Mark  1.  22. 
Mark  6.  2. 
Luke  4.  32. 
y  Isa.  50.  4. 
John  7.  4G. 


and  is  ranked  ne.xt  to  the  apostlesliip.  (See  1  Cor. 
xiL  28;  Eph.  iv.  11. )  In  this  sense  it  is  used  here, 
as  appears  from  what  follows,  in  tliy  name? — 
or,  to  thy  name,'  and  so  in  the  two  following 
clauses  [toJ  o-w  bvo^ari.  Only  here  and  in  Mark 
ix.  38] — 'having  reference  to  Thy  name  as  the 
sole  power  in  which  we  did  it.'  and  in  thy 
nama  have  cast  out  devils?  and  in  thy  name 
done  many  wonderful  works?  —  or  'miracles' 
\&\)vaueii\.  These  are  selected  as  three  examples 
of  the  highest  services  rendered  to  the  Christian 
cause,  and  through  the  power  of  Christ's  own 
name,  inA^oked  for  that  purpose;  Himself,  too, 
responding  to  the  call.  And  the  threefold  repe- 
tition of  the  question,  each  time  in  the  same 
form,  expresses  in  the  liveliest  manner  the  aston- 
ishment of  the  speakers  at  the  view  now  taken  of 
them.  23.  And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them, 
[6/io/\oyji<Tfo] — or,  '  openly  proclaim ' — tearing  off  the 
mask— I  never  knew  you.  What  they  claimed 
^intimacy  with  Christ — is  just  what  He  rejiu- 
diates,  and  with  a  certain  scornful  dignity.  '  Our 
acquaintance  was  not  broken  off — there  never 
was  any.'  depart  from  me  (cf.  ch.  xxv.  41). 
The  connection  here  gives  these  words  an  avsrful 
significance.  They  claimed  intimacy  with  Christ, 
and  in  the  corresponding  passage,  Luke  xiii.  26, 
are  represented  as  having  gone  out  and  in  with 
Him  on  familiar  terms.  'So  much  the  worse  for 
you,'  He  replies:  'I  bore  with  that  long  enough; 
but  now— begone!'  ye  that  work  iniquity- not 
'  that  wrou'jlit  iniquity;'  for  they  are  represented  as 
fresh  from  the  scenes  and  acts  of  it  as  they  stand 
before  the  Judge.  (See  on  the  almost  identical, 
but  even  more  vivid  and  awful,  description  of  the 
scene  in  Luke  xiii.  24-27. )  That  the  apostle  alludes 
to  these  very  words  in  2  Tim.  ii.  19,  there  can 
hardly  be  any  doubt — "Nevertheless  the  founda- 
tion of  God  standeth  sure,  having  this  seal.  The 
Lord  knmceth  them  that  are  His.  And,  let  every 
one  that  nameth  the  name  cf  Christ  depart  from 
iniquity." 

24.  Therefore — to  bring  this  Discourse  to  a  close, 
whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and 
doeth  them.  See  Jas.  i.  22,  which  seems  a  plain 
allusion  to  these  words ;  also  Luke  xi.  28;  Rom.  ii. 
1.3;  1  John  iii.  7.  I  wUl  liken  him  unto  a  wise 
man  [avopl  (ppovtfxio] — a  shrewd,  prudent,  provi- 
dent man,  Which  huilt  his  house  upon  a  rock — 
the  rock  of  true  discipleship,  or  genutae  subjection 
to  Christ.  25.  And  the  rain— from  above — de- 
scended, and  the  floods — from  below — came  [ttotu- 
liol],  and  the  winds — sweeping  across— ^hlew,  and — 
thus  from  every  direction — beat  upon  that  house ; 
and  it  fell  not :  for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock. 
See  1  John  ii.  17.  26.  And  every  one  that  heareth 
these  sajdngs  of  mine — in  the  attitude  of  disciple- 
ship, and  doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened  unto 
50 


a  foolish  man,  which  built  his  house  upon  the 
sand — denoting  a  loose  foundation — that  of  an 
empty  profession  and  mere  external  services.  27. 
And  the  rain  descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and 
the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon  [■7rpo<re/:oi|/ai']— or 
'struck  against'  that  house;  and  it  fell:  and 
great  was  the  fall  of  it — terrible  the  ruin !  How 
lively  must  this  imagery  have  been  to  an  audience 
accustomed  to  the  fierceness  of  an  Eastern  tem- 
pest, and  the  suddenness  and  completeness  with 
which  it  sweeps  everything  imsteady  before  it ! 

Meet  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (28-29).  28. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  ended 
these  sayings,  the  people  were  astonished  at 
his  doctrine — rather,  'His  teaching'  [o'^ax!']!  for 
the  reference  is  to  the  manner  of  it  qiiite  as  much 
as  to  the  matter,  or  rather  more  so.  29.  For  he 
taught  them  as  [one]  having  authority.  The 
word  "one,"  which  our  translators  have  here 
inserted,  only  weakens  the  statement,  and  not 
as  the  scribes.  The  consciousness  of  dixine 
authority,  as  Lawgiver,  Expounder,  and  Judge, 
so  beamed  through  His  teaching,  that  the  scribes' 
teaching  could  not  but  apjiear  di-ivelling  in  such 
a  light. 

liemarks.- — 1.  Let  the  disciples  of  Christ  be- 
ware of  obliterating  the  distinction  between  the 
"broad"  and  the  "narrow"  way;  and  neither 
be  carried  away  by  the  plausibilities  of  that 
'liberal'  school  of  jireachers  and  writers  whose 
aim  is  to  refine  away  the  distinguishing  peculi- 
arities of  the  two  classes,  nor  be  ashamed  of  the 
fidelity  which  holds  them  up  in  bold,  clear,  sharp 
outline.  It  is  easy  to  run  down  the  latter  class 
as  narrow  bigots,  and  cry  up  the  former  as  sen- 
sible and  large-minded..  But  He,  Whom  none 
claiming  the  Christian  name  dare  call  narrow 
or  harsh,  concludes  this  incomparable  Discourse 
with  the  assurance  that  there  are  but  two  great 
courses  —  the  one  ending  in  "life,"  the  other  in 
"destruction;"  that  the  easy  one  is  the  fatal,  the 
difficult  the  only  safe  way;  and  that  true  wisdom 
lies  in  eschewing  the  former  and  making  choice 
of  the  latter.  Genuine,  out-and-out  discipleship 
yields  its  devout  assent  to  this,  and  casts  in 
its  lot  with  all  that  teach  it,  however  despised; 
stopping  its  ears  to  the  preachers  of  smooth 
things,  charm  they  never  so  ■rnisely.  2.  While 
corrupt  teaching  is  followed,  sooner  or  later,  by 
corresponding  practice,  the  immediate  effects  are 
often,  to  all  appearance,  the  reverse.  There  is 
often  a  simplicity,  an  earnestness,  an  absorption 
in  the  objects  at  which  they  aim,  in  preachers 
who  are  conscious  that  they  have  peculiar  ideas 
to  lodge  in  the  min4s  of  their  hearers ;  and  there 
are  other  subtle  elements  in  the  popularity  of 
some,  who,  by  widening  the  strait  gate  and 
broadening    the   narrow    way,    win   to    religious 


Jesus  deanseth 


MATTHEW  VIII. 


the  leper. 


8      WHEN  he  was  come  down  from  the  mountain,  great  multitudes  fol- 
lowed him. 

2  And,  "'behold,  there  came  a  leper  and  worshipped  him,  saying,  Lord, 

3  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me  clean.     And  Jesus  put  forth  his  hand, 
and  touched  him,  saying,  I  will ;  be  thou  clean.     And  immediately  his 


A.  D.  31. 

CHAP.  8. 

■  Mark  1.  40. 
Luke  5.  12. 
2K1  6.  1. 
2  Chr.26.19. 


thought  and  earnestness  not  a  few  who  otherwise 
Avonld  in  all  probability  have  remained  strangers 
to  both.  But  when  we  see  clearly  the  character 
of  such  teaching,  let  us  never  doubt  what  its 
ultimate  issue  must  be,  and,  in  spite  of  all  pres- 
ent appearances,  and  in  answer  to  all  charges 
of  bigotry,  let  us  be  ready,  with  our  Master,  to 
exclaim,  "Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs 
of   thistles?"     3.    The  light  in  which  our  Lord 

iiresents  Himself  in  the  closing  words  of  this 
>iscourse  has  a  grandeur,  on  supposition  of  His 
proper  personal  Divinity,  which  must  commend 
itself  to  every  devout,  reflecting  mind;  whereas, 
if  we  regard  Him  as  a  mere  creature,  they  are 
so  dishonouring  to  God  as  to  be  repulsive  in 
the  last  degree  to  all  who  are  jealous  for  His 
glory.  The  dialogue  form  in  which  the  appeals 
at  the  great  day  are  said  to  be  made  to  Him, 
and  rejected  by  Him — though  expressive,  it  may 
l)e,  of  nothing  more  than  the  principles  and  feel- 
ings of  both  parties  towards  each  other,  which 
will  then  be  brought  out — places  our  Lord  Him- 
self in  a  light  wholly  incompatible  with  anything 
which  Scripture  warrants  a  creature  to  assume. 
Not  only  does  it  exhibit  Him  as  the  Judge,  but 
it  represents  all  moral  and  religioiis  duties  as  ter- 
minating in  Him,,  and  the  blissful  or  blighted 
future  of  men  as  turning  upon  their  doing  or 
not  doing  all  to  Him.  In  perfect,  yet  awful 
accordance  with  this  is  the  sentence — "Depart 
FROM  Me"— as  if  separation  from  Him  were  death 
and  hell.  If  the  Speaker  were  a  mere  creature, 
no  language  can  express  the  mingled  absurdity 
and  profanity  of  such  assumptions;  but  if  He 
was  the  Word,  who  at  the  beginning  was  with 
God  and  was  God,  and  if  thus  rich  He  for  our 
sakes  only  became  poor,  then  all  that  He  says 
here  is  worthy  of  Himself,  and  shines  in  its  own 
lustre.  See  Remark  2  at  the  close  of  the  cor- 
responding Section  (Luke  xiii.  23-30).  4.  While 
most  persons  within  the  pale  of  the  Christian 
Clnirch  are  ready  to  admit  that,  not  professed, 
but  proved  subjection  to  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ — not  lip,  but  life  service — will  avail 
"in  that  day,"  it  is  not  so  readily  admitted  and 
felt  that  services  such  as  "prophesying  in  Christ's 
name,  and  in  His  name  casting  out  devils,  and 
in  His  name  doing  many  miracles" — or,  what  in 
later  ages  correspond  to  these,  eloquent  and  suc- 
cessful preaching — even  to  the  deliverance  of  souls 
from  the  thraldom  of  sin  and  Satan;  learned 
contributions  to  theological  literature;  great  ex- 
ertions for  the  ditfusion  of  Christianity  and  the 
vindication  of  religious  liberty ;  and  princely  don- 
ations for  either  or  both  _  of  these — may  all  be 
rendered  in  honour  of  Christ,  while  the  heart  is 
not  subjected  to  Him,  and  the  hfe  is  a  contra- 
diction to  His  precepts.  What  need,  then,  have 
we  to  tremble  at  the  closing  words  of  this  great 
Discourse;  and,  "Let  every  one  that  nameth  the 
name  of  Christ  depart  from  iniquity"!  See  Re- 
mark 1  at  the  close  of  the  corresponding  Section 
(Luke  xiii.  23-30).  5.  Is  there  not  something 
awful  in  the  astonishment  and  dismay  with  which 
the  inconsistent  disciples  of  the  Lord  Jesus  are 
here  represented  as  receiving  their  sentence  at 
the  great  day?  What  a  light  does  it  throw 
upon  the  extent  to  which  men  may  be  the  victims 
ot  self-deception,  and  the  awful  inveteracy  of  it — 
51 


as  if  nothing  would  open  their  eyes  but  the 
Judge's  own  sentence:  I  never  knew  you:  de- 
part from  me"!  Well  may  one,  on  rising  from 
the  study  of  this  solemn  close  to  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  exclaim  with  Bunyan,  in  the  closing 
words  of  his  immortal   'Pilgrim,'   'Then  I  saw 

THAT    THERE    WAS    A   WAY    TO     HeLL    EVEN    FROM 

THE  Gates  of  Heaven.' 

CHAP.  VIII.  1-4. — Healing  of  a  Lepeiu 
(=  Marki.  40-45;  Luke  v.  12-16.) 

The  time  of  this  miracle  seems  too  definitely 
fixed  here  to  admit  of  our  placing  it  where  it 
stands  in  Mark  and  Luke,  in  whose  Gospels  no 
such  precise  note  of  time  is  given. 

1.  [And]  When  he  was  come  down  from  the 
mountain,  great  multitudes  followed  him.  2. 
And,  toehold,  there  came  a  leper — "a  man  full 
of  leprosy,"  says  Luke,  v.  12.  Much  has  been 
written  on  this  disease  of  leprosy,  but  certain 
points  remain  still  doubtful.  All  that  needs 
be  said  here  is,  tliat  it  was  a  cutaneous  disease, 
of  a  loathsome,  diffusive,  and,  there  is  reason 
to  believe,  when  thoroughly  pronoimced,  in- 
curable character;  that  though  lu  its  distinctive 
features  it  is  still  found  in  several  countries — 
as  Arabia,  Egyi^t,  and  South  Africa — it  prevailed, 
in  the  form  of  what  is  called  white  leprosy, 
to  an  unusual  extent,  and  from  a  very  early 
period,  among  the  Hebrews;  and  that  it  thus  fur- 
nished to  the  whole  nation  a  familiar  and  affecting 
symbol  of  sin,  considered  as  (1)  loathsome,  (2) 
spreading,  (3)  incurable.  And  while  the  ceremonial 
ordinances  for  detection  and  cleansing  prescribed 
in  this  case  by  the  law  of  Moses  (Lev.  xiii.,  xiv. ) 
held  forth  a  coining  remedy"  for  sin  and  for  un- 
cleanness"  (Ps.  li.  7;  2  Ki.  v.  1,  7,  10,  13,  14), 
the  numerous  cases  of  leprosy  with  which  our 
Lord  came  in  contact,  and  the  glorious  cures  of 
them  which  He  wrought,  were  a  fitting  manifesta- 
tion of  the  work  which  He  came  to  accomplish. 
In  this  view,  it  deserves  to  be  noticed  that  the 
first  of  our  Lord's  miracles  of  healing  recorded  by 
Matthew  is  this  cure  of  a  leper,  and  worshipped 
him — in  what  sense  we  shall  presently  see.  Mark 
says  (i.  40),  he  came,  "beseeching  and  kneeling  to 
Him,"  and  Luke  says  (v.  12),  "he  fell  on  his  face." 
sasdng,  Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me 
clean.  As  this  is  the  only  cure  of  leprosy  recorded 
by  all  the  three  first  Evangelists,  it  was  probably 
the  first  case  of  the  kind;  and  if  so,  this  leper's 
faith  in  the  power  of  Christ  must  have  been  formed 
in  him  by  wliat  he  had  heard  of  His  other  cures. 
And  how  striking  a  faith  is  it !  He  does  not  say 
he  believed  Him  able,  but  with  a  brevity  expressive 
of  a  confidence  that  knew  no  doubt,  he  says  siniply, 
"Thou  canst"  ISivarrai].  But  of  Christ's  willing- 
ness to  heal  him  he  was  not  so  sure.  It  needed 
more  knowledge  of  Jesus  than  he  could  be  sup- 
posed to  have  to  assure  him  of  that.  But  one 
thing  he  was  sure  of,  that  He  had  but  to  "will"  it. 
This  shows  with  what  "worship"  of  Christ  this 
leper  fell  on  his  face  before  him.  Clear  theological 
knowledge  of  the  Person  of  Christ  was  not  then 
possessed  even  by  those  who  were  most  with  Him 
and  nearest  to  Him.  Much  less  could  full  insight 
into  all  that  we  know  of  the  Only  begotten  of  the 
Father  be  expected  of  this  leper.  But  he  who  at 
that  moment  felt  and  owned  that  to  heal  an  incur- 
able disease  needed  but  the  fiat  of  the  Person  who 


Jesus  healetli  the 


MATTHEW  VIII. 


centurmis  serTant. 


10 


11 


4  leprosy  was  cleansed.  And  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  ''See  thou  tell  no  man ; 
but  go  thy  way,  show  thyself  to  the   priest,  and  offer  the  gift  that 

"^  Moses  commanded,  for  a  testimony  unto  them. 

5  And  ''when  Jesus  was  entered  into  Capernaum,  there  came  unto  him 

6  a  centurion,  beseeching  him,  and   saying.   Lord,   my  servant  lieth  at 

7  lionie  sick  of  the  palsy,  grievously  tormented.     And  Jesus  saith  unto  him, 

8  I  will  come  and  heal  him.  The  centurion  answered  and  said,  Lord,  I  'am 
not  worthy  that  thou  shouldest  come  under  my  roof:  but  -^speak  the  word 

9  only,  and  my  servant  shall  be  healed.  For  I  am  a  man  under  authority, 
having  soldiers  under  me :  and  I  say  to  this  maji,  Go,  and  he  goeth ;  and 
to  another,  Come,  and  he  cometh ;  and  to  my  servant.  Do  tliis,  and  he 
doeth  it.  When  Jesus  heard  it,  he  marvelled,  and  said  to  them  that  fol- 
lowed. Verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not  in 
Israel.  And  I  say  unto  you,  That  ^many  shall  come  from  the  east  and 
west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the 


A.  D.  31. 


>>  ch.  9.  30. 

Mark  6.  43. 
"  Lev.  14.  3. 

Luke  5.  14. 
d  Luke  7.  1. 
'  Luke  15. 19. 
/  Ps.  33.  9. 

Ps.  107.  20. 
"  Gen.  in.  3. 

Isa.  2.  2,  3. 

Isa.  11. 10. 

Mai.  1. 11. 

Luke  13.  29. 

Acts  10.  45. 

Acts  11.  18. 

Acts  14.  27. 

Rom.  15.  9. 

Eph.  3.  6. 


stood  before  him,  had  assuredly  that  very  faith  in 
the  germ  which  now  casts  its  crown  before  Him 
that  loved  us,  and  would  at  any  time  die  for  His 
blessed  name.  3.  And  Jesus  [or  '  He,'  according  to 
another  reading] — "moved  with  compassion,"  says 
Mark  (i.  41);  a  precious  addition,  put  forth  Ms 
hand,  and  touched  him.  Such  a  touch  occasioned 
ceremonial  defilement  (Lev.  v.  3) ;  even  as  the 
leper's  coming  near  enough  for  contact  was  against 
the  Levitical  regulations  (Lev.  xiii.  46).  But  as  the 
man's  faith  told  him  there  would  be  no  case  for 
8uch  regulations  if  the  cure  he  hoped  to  experience 
should  be  accomplished,  so  He  who  had  healing  in 
His  wings  transcended  all  such  statutes,  say- 
ing, I  will;  be  thou  clean  [Qekw,  Kadapiad^Ti]. 
How  majestic  those  two  words!  By  not  assiu-ing 
the  man  of  His  power  to  heal  him.  He  delightfully 
sets  His  seal  to  the  man's  previous  confession  of 
that  power;  and  by  assuring  him  of  the  one  thing 
of  which  he  had  any  doubt,  and  for  which  he 
waited — His  will  to  do  it — lie  makes  a  claim  as 
divine  as  the  cure  Avhich  immediately  followed  it. 
And  immediately  his  leprosy  was  cleansed.  Mark, 
more  emphatic,  says  (i.  42),  "And  as  soon  as  He 
had  spoken,  immediately  the  leprosy  departed 
from  him,  and  he  was  cleansed" — as  jierfectly  as 
instantaneously.  What  a  contrast  this  to  modern 
pretended  cures !  4.  And  Jesus  ("  straitly  charged 
him,  and  forthwith  sent  him  away,"  Mark  i.  43, 
and)  saith  unto  him,  See  thou  tell  no  man.  A 
hard  condition  this  would  seem  to  a  grateful  heart, 
whose  natural  language,  in  such  a  case,  is,  "Come, 
liear,  all  ye  that  fear  God,  and  I  will  declare  what 
He  hath  done  for  my  soul"  (Ps.  Ixvi.  16).  We  shall 
jiresently  see  the  reason  for  it.  hut  go  thy  way, 
show  thyself  to  the  priest,  and  offer  the  gift 
that  Moses  commanded  (Lev.  xiv.),  for  a  testi- 
mony unto  them— a  palpable  witness  that  the 
Great  Healer  had  indeed  come,  and  that  "God 
had  visited  His  people."  What  the  sequel  was, 
our  Evangelist  says  not;  but  Mark  thus  gives  it 
(i.  45):  "But  he  went  out,  and  began  to  publish  it 
much,  and  to  blaze  abroad  the  matter,  insomuch 
that  Jesus  could  no  more  openly  enter  into  the 
city,  but  was  without  in  desert  places :  and  they 
came  to  Him  from  every  quarter. "  Thus — by  an 
cver-zealoiis,  though  most  natural  and  not  very 
culpable,  infringement  of  the  injunction  to  keep 
the  matter  quiet — was  our  Lord,  to  some  extent, 
thwarted  in  His  movements.  As  His  whole 
course  was  sublimely  noiseless  (ch.  xii.  19),  so  we 
find  Him  rejieatedly  taking  steps  to  prevent  matters 
coming  prematurely  to  a  crisis  with  Him.  (But 
see  on  Mark  v.  19,  20.)  "And  He  withdrew  Him- 
self," adds  Liike  (v.  16),  "into  the  wilderness, 
and  prayed;"  retreating  from  the  popular  excite- 
52 


ment  into  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High,  and 
thus  coming  forth  as  dew  upon  the  mown  grass, 
and  as  showers  that  water  the  earth  (Ps.  Ixxii.  6). 
And  this  is  the  secret  both  of  strength  and  of 
sweetness  in  the  servants  and  followers  of  Christ 
in  eveiy  age. 

Bemarks. — 1.  It  is,  at  least,  a  pleasing  thought, 
that  this  first  healed  leper  was  none  other  than 
he  who  within  a  few  days  of  his  Lord's  death, 
under  the  familiar  name  of  "Simon  the  leper," 
made  Him  a  supper  at  Bethany  in  his  o^vn  house. 
(See  on  Mark  xiv.  3.)  And  if  so,  is  it  not  refi'esh- 
ing  to  think  that  he  who  so  early  experienced 
the  healing  power  and  grace  of  Jesus,  and  abode 
true  and  grateful  to  Him  throughout,  should 
have  had  the  privilege  of  ministering  to  him  at 
His  loved  retreat  of  Bethany  when  the  hour  of 
His  last  sufferings  was  so  near  at  hand?  2.  How 
gloriously  is  the  absolute  authority  of  Christ  to 
heal  or  not,  just  as  He  "will,"  both  owned  by 
this  leper  and  claimed  by  Himself!  And  as  the 
cure  instantaneously  followed  the  exjiression  of 
that  will,  how  bright  is  the  attestation  of  Heaven 
thus  given  to  the  Personal  Divinity  of  the  Lord 
Jesus !  (Compare  Ps.  xxxiii.  9 ;  Gen.  i.  3,  &c. ) 
3.  Would  those  who  groan  under  the  leprosy  of  sin 
obtain  a  glorious  cm-e?  Let  them  but  honoiir  the 
power  of  Christ  as  did  this  poor  leper,  adding  to 
this  a  confidence  in  His  "will"  which  the  leper 
coiild  not  be  expected  to  reach;  and  they  Avill 
not  be  disapiiointed.  4  Our  own  sense  of  pro- 
jiriety  is  never  to  be  carried  out  in  opposition 
to  commanded  duty.  The  strange  command  of 
Christ  would  seem  to  this  healed  leper  to  be 
more  honoured  in  the  breach  than  in  the  obser- 
vance. In  blazing  abroad  his  cure,  he  would 
seem  to  himself  to  be  simply  obeying  a  resistless 
and  holy  impulse;  and  but  for  the  injunction, 
in  this  particular  case,  to  do  the  very  opposite, 
he  would  have  acted  most  laudably.  But  after 
receiving  a  command  to  keep  silence,  the  part  of 
duty  was  not  to  judge  of  it,  but  to  obey  it.  As 
he  was  no  competent  judge  of  the  reasons  which 
dictated  the  command,  so  he  ought  to  have 
"brought  into  captivity  every  thought  to  the 
obedience  of  Christ;"  and  thus  shoiild  we  act 
in  every  such  case.  5.  Healed  lepei-s,  not  now 
required  to  keep  silence,  let  the  love  of  Christ 
constrain  you  to  sing  forth  the  honoiu-  of  His 
name,  and  make  His  jpraise  glorious :  so  will  the 
sense  of  it  habitually  retain  its  freshness  and 
warmth. 

5-13.— Healing  of  the  Centurion's  Servant. 
( =  Luke  vii.  l-IO.)  This  incident  belongs  to  a 
later  stage.  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Luke 
vil  1-10. 


Jems  JiealetJi  Peter  & 


MATTHEW  VIII. 


mother-in-law  and  others. 


12 


13 


14 
15 

16 


kingdom  of  heaven:  but  ''the  children  of  the  kingdom  *  shall  be  cast 
out  into  outer  darkness :  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 
And  Jesus  said  unto  the  centurion,  Go  thy  way;  and  as  thou  hast 
believed,  so  be  it  done  unto  thee.  And  his  servant  was  healed  in  the 
self-same  hour. 

And  ■'when  Jesus  was  come  into  Peter's  house,  he  saw  ^his  wife's  mother 
laid,  and  sick  of  a  fever.  And  he  touched  her  hand,  and  the  fever  left 
her :  and  she  arose,  and  ministered  unto  them. 

When  Hhe  even  was  come,  they  brought  unto  him  many  that  were 
possessed  with  devils:  and  he  cast  out  the  spirits  with  his  word,  and 

17  healed  all  that  were  sick:  that  it  might  be  fultilled  which  was  spoken  by 
Esaias  the  prophet,  saying.  Himself  "'took  our  infirmities,  and  bare  our 
sicknesses. 

18  Now  when  Jesus  saw  great  multitudes  about  him,  he  gave  command- 

19  ment  to  depart  unto  the  other  side.     And  "a  certain  scribe  came,  and  said 

20  unto  him.  Master,  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou  goest.  And 
Jesus  saith  unto  him.  The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  ha'ce 

21  nests;  but  "the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head.  And  ^  an- 
other of  his  disciples  said  unto  him,  Lord,  ^suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury 

22  my  father.  But  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Follow  me;  and  let  'the  dead  bury 
their  dead. 


A.  D.  31. 


><■  ch.  21.  43. 
i   ch.  13.  42. 

ch.  22.  13. 

ch.  24.  61. 

ch.  25.  30. 

Luke  13.28. 

2  Pet.  2.  ir. 

Jude  13. 
i  Mark  1.  29. 

Luke  4.  S8. 
fc  1  Cor.  9.  5. 
'  Mark  1.  32. 

Luke  4.  40. 
"'  Isa.  53.  4. 

1  Pet.  2.  24. 
"  Luke  9.  57. 

"  Ps.  22.  6. 

Ps.  40.  17. 

Ps.  69.  29. 

Luke2.7,12. 

Luke  8.  3. 

John  1.  10, 
11. 
P  Luke  9.  59. 
«  1  Ki.  19.  '^0. 
•■  Eph.  2. 1. 


14-17. — Healing  of  Peter's  Mother-in-Law, 
AND  Many  Others.  (  =  Mark  L  29-34;  Luke  iv. 
38-41.)    For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  i.  29-34. 

18-22. — Incidents  illustrative  of  Disciple- 
ship.     (=  Luke  ix.  57-62.) 

The  incidents  here  are  two :  in  the  correspond- 
ing passage  of  Luke  they  are  three.  Here  they  are 
introduced  before  the  mission  of  the  Twelve;  in 
Lxike,  when  our  Lord  was  making  preparation  for 
His  final  journey  to  Jerusalem.  But  to  conclude 
from  this,  as  some  good  critics  do,  as  Bengel,  Elli- 
cott,  &c.,  that  one  of  these  incidents  at  least 
occurred  twice— which  led  to  the  mention  of  the 
others  at  the  two  different  times— is  too  artiticiah 
Taking  them,  then,  as  one  set  of  occiu-rences,  the 
question  arises,  Whether  are  they  recorded  by 
Matthew  or  by  Luke  in  their  proper  place?  iV^e- 
ander,  Srhleiennacher,  and  Ofshausoi  adhere  to 
Luke's  order;  while  Meyer,  de  Wette,  and  Lange 
prefer  that  of  Matthew.  Probably  the  first  in- 
cident is  here  in  its  right  place.  But  as  the 
command,  in  the  second  incident,  to  preach  the 
kingdom  of  God,  would  scarcely  have  been  given  at 
so  early  a  period,  it  is  likely  that  it  and  the  tliird 
incident  have  their  true  place  in  Luke.  Taking 
these  tliree  incidents,  then,  up  here,  we  have — 

I.  The  Rash  or  Precipitate  Discijjle  (19,  20).  19. 
And  a  certain  scribe  came,  and  said  unto  him, 
Master,  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou 
goest.  20.  And  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  The  foxes 
have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests ; 
but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head. 
Few  as  there  were  of  the  scribes  who  attached 
themselves  to  Jesus,  it  would  appear,  from  his 
calling  Him  'Teacher'  [Atoao-KaXe],  that  this  one 
was  a  "  disciple"  in  that  looser  sense  of  the  word 
in  which  it  is  applied  to  the  crowds  who  flocked 
after  Him,  with  more  or  less  conviction  that  His 
claims  were  well  founded  But  from  the  answer 
which  he  received  we  are  led  to  infer  that  there 
was  more  of  transient  emotion — of  temporary 
impulse  —  than  of  intelligent  principle  in  the 
speech.  The  preaching  of  Christ  had  riveted  and 
charmed  him ;  his  heart  had  swelled ;  his  enthus- 
iasm had  been  kindled;  and  in  this  state  of  mind 
he  will  go  anywhere  with  Him,  and  feels  impelled 
to  tell  Him  so.  'WUt  thou?'  replies  the  Lord 
53 


Jesus,  'Knowest  thou  Whom  thou  art  pledging 
thyself  to  follow,  and  whither  haply  He  may  lead 
thee?  No  warm  home,  no  downy  pillow  has  He 
for  thee :  He  has  them  not  for  Himself.  The  foxes 
are  not  without  their  holes,  nor  do  the  birds  of 
the  air  want  their  nests ;  but  the  Son  of  man  has 
to  depend  on  the  hospitality  of  others,  and  borrow 
the  pillow  whereon  He  lays  His  head.'  How 
affecting  is  this  reply!  And  yet  He  rejects  not 
this  man's  offer,  nor  refuses  him  the  liberty  to 
foUow  Him.  Only  He  will  have  him  know  what 
he  is  doing,  and  'count  the  cost.'  He  will  have 
him  weigh  well  the  real  nature  and  the  strength 
of  his  attachment,  whether  it  be  such  as  will  abide 
in  the  day  of  triaL  If  so,  he  wiU  be  right  wel- 
come, for  Christ  puts  none  away.  But  it  seems 
too  plain  that  in  this  case  that  had  not  been  done. 
And  so  we  have  called  this  The  Eash  or  Precipi- 
tate Disciple. 

II.  Tlie  Procrastinating  or  Entangled  Disciple 
(21,  22).  As  this  is  more  fully  given  in  Luke,  we 
must  take  both  together.  "And  He  said  unto 
another  of  his  disciples.  Follow  me.  But  he 
said,"  Lord,  suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my 
father.  But  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Follow  me; 
and  let  the  dead  bury  their  dead— or,  as  more 
definitely  in  Luke,  "  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead : 
bui;  go  thou  and  preach  the  kingdom  of  God." 
This  disciple  did  not,  like  the  former,  volunteer 
his  services,  but  is  called  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  not 
only  to  follow,  but  to  preach  Him.  And  he  is 
quite  willing;  only  he  is  not  ready  just  yet. 
"  Lord,  I  ivill;  but" — '  There  is  a  difficulty  in  the 
way  just  now ;  but  that  once  removed,  I  am  Thine.' 
What  now  is  this  difficulty  ?  Was  his  father  ac- 
tually dead — lying  a  corpse — having  only  to  be 
buried?  Impossible.  As  it  was  the  practice,  as 
noticed  on  Luke  v-ii.  12,  to  bury  on  the  day  of  death, 
it  is  not  very  likely  that  this  disciple  would  have 
been  here  at  all  if  his  father  had  just  breathed  his 
last;  nor  would  the  Lord,  if  He  was  there,  have 
hindered  him  discharging  the  last  duties  of  a  son 
to  a  father.  No  doubt  it  was  the  common  case  of 
a  son  having  a  frail  or  aged  father,  not  likely  to 
live  lon^,  whose  head  he  thinks  it  his  duty  to  see 
under  the  gi-ound  ere  he  goes  abroad.  '  This  aged 
father  of  mine  waU  soon  be  removed;  and  if  I 


Jesiis  stiUeth  tTie 


MATTHEW  VIII. 


tempest  on  tJie  sea. 


23  And  when  he  was  entered  into  a  ship,  his  disciples  followed  him. 

24  And,  *  behold,  there  arose  a  great  tempest  in  the  sea,  insomuch  that  the 

25  ship  was  covered  with  the  waves :  but  he  was  asleep.     And  his  disciples 

26  came  to  Mm,  and  awoke  him,  saying,  Lord,  save  us :  we  jjerish.  And  he 
saith  unto  them,  Why  'are  ye  fearful,  0  ye  of  little  faith?  Then  "he 
arose,  and  rebuked  the  winds  and  the  sea ;  and  there  was  a  great  calm. 

27  But  the  men  marvelled,  saying,  What  manner  of  man  is  this,  that  even 
the  wdnds  and  the  sea  obey  him ! 


A.  D.  31. 

•  Mark  4.  .•.7. 

Luke  8.  23. 
«  PhU.  4.  6. 
"  Job3S.8-ll. 

Ps.  65.  7. 

Ps.  89.  9. 

Ps.  93.  4. 

P.S.  104  3. 

Ps.   lOr.  i!9. 


mi"lit  but  delay  till  I  see  him  decently  interred, 
I  should  then  be  free  to  preach  the  kingdom  of 
God  wherever  duty  might  call  me.'  This  \-iew  of 
the  case  will  explain  the  curt  reply,  "  Let  the 
dead  bury  their  dead :  but  go  thou  and  preach  the 
kingdom  of  God."  Like  all  the  other  paradoxical 
sayings  of  oiir  Lord,  the  key  to  it  is  the  different 
senses — a  higher  and  a  lower — in  which  the  same 
word  "dead "is  used:  'There  are  two  kingdoms 
of  God  in  existence  upon  earth;  the  kingdom  of 
nature,  and  the  kingdom  of  ^ace:  To  the  one 
kingdom  all  the  children  of  this  world,  even  the 
most  ungodly,  are  fully  alive;  to  the  other,  only 
the  childi'en  of  light :  The  reigning  irreligion  con- 
sists not  in  indifference  to  the  common  humani- 
ties of  social  life,  but  to  things  spiritual  and 
eternal :  Fear  not,  therefore,  that  yovu-  father  will 
in  your  alDsence  be  neglected,  and  that  when  he 
breathes  his  last  there  will  not  be  relatives  and 
friends  ready  enough  to  do  to  him  the  last  offices  of 
kindness.  Your  wish  to  discharge  these  yourself 
is  natural,  and  to  be  allowed  to  do  it  a  privilege 
not  lightly  to  be  foregone.  But  the  Kingdom  of 
God  lies  now  all  neglected  and  needy:  Its  more 
exalted  character  few  discern;  to  its  paramount 
claims  few  are  alive;  and  to  "preach"  it  fewer 
stiU  are  qualified  and  called :  But  thou  art :  The 
Lord  therefore  hath  need  of  thee:  Leave,  then, 
those  claims  of  nature,  high  though  they  be,  to 
those  who  are  dead  to  the  still  higher  claims  of 
the  kingdom  of  grace,  which  God  is  now  erecting 
upon  earth — Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead :  but  go 
thou  and  preach  the  Kingdom  of  God.'  And  so 
have  we  here  the  genuine,  but  Procrastinating  or 
Entangled  Disciple.  The  next  case  is  recorded 
only  by  Luke : 

IIL  Tlie  Irresolute  or  Wavering  Disciph  (Luke 
ix.  61,  62).  61.  "  And  another  also  said,  Lord,  I 
will  follow  thee ;  but  let  me  fii-st  go  bid  them  fare- 
well which  are  at  home  at  my  house.  62.  And 
Jesus  said  unto  him.  No  man,  having  jiut  his  hand 
to  the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the 
kingdom  of  God."  But  for  the  very  different  re- 
I'lies  given,  we  should  hardly  have  discerned  the 
difference  between  this  and  the  second  case :  the 
one  man  called,  indeed,  and  the  other  volunteer- 
ing, as  did  the  first;  but  both  seemingly  alike 
willing,  and  only  having  a  difficulty  in  their  way 
just  at  that  moment.  But,  by  help  of  what  is 
said  respectively  to  each,  we  perceive  the  great 
difference  between  the  two  cases.  From  the 
warning  given  against  "looking  back,"  it  is  evi- 
dent that  this  man's  discii)leship  was  not  yet 
thorough,  his  separation  from  the  world  not  entire. 
It  is  not  a  case  of  going  back,  but  of  looking  back ; 
and  as  thei'o  is  here  a  manifest  reference  to  the 
ease  of  "  Lot's  wife"  (Geii.  xix.  26 ;  andsee  on  Luke 
xvii.  32),  we  see  that  it  is  not  actual  return  to  the 
world  that  we  have  here  to  deal  with,  but  a  re- 
luctance to  brea,k  with  it.  The  figure  of  putting 
one's  hand  to  the  plough  and  looking  back  is  an 
exceedingly  vivid  one,  and  to  an  agricultural 
l)eople  most  impressive.  As  ploughing  requires 
an  eye  intent  on  the  furrow  to  be  made,  and  is 
maired  the  instant  one  turns  about,  so  will  they 
54 


come  short  of  salvation  who  prosecute  the  work  of 
God  with  a  distracted  attention,  a  divided  heart. 
The  reference  may  be  chiefly  to  ministers ;  but 
the  application  at  least  is  general.  As  the  image 
seems  plainly  to  have  been  suggested  by  the  case 
of  Elijah  and  Elisha,  a  difficulty  may  be  raised,  re- 
quiring a  moment's  attention.  When  Elijah  cast 
his  mantle  about  Elisha — which  the  youth  quite 
understood  to  mean  appointing  him  his  successor, 
he  was  ploughing  with  twelve  yoke  of  oxen,  the 
last  pair  held  by  himself.  Leaving  his  oxen,  he 
ran  after  the  prophet,  and  said,  "  Let  me,  I  pray 
thee,  kiss  my  father  and  my  mother,  and  [then]  I 
will  follow  thee."  Was  this  said  in  the  same 
spirit  with  the  same  s^jeech  uttered  by  our  dis- 
ciple? Let  us  see.  "And  Elijah  said  unto  him. 
Go  back  again:  for  what  have  I  done  to  thee.  ' 
Commentators  take  this  to  mean  that  Elijah  had 
reaUy  done  nothing  to  hinder  him  fiom  going  on 
with  all  his  ordinary  duties.  But  to  us  it  seems 
clear  that  Elijah's  intention  was  to  try  what  man- 
ner of  si)irit  the  youth  was  of: — '  Kiss  thy  father 
and  mother?  And  why  not?  By  all  means,  go 
home  and  stay  with  them ;  for  what  have  I  done 
to  thee?  I  did  but  throw  a  mantle  about  thee; 
but  what  of  that?'  If  this  was  his  meaning, 
Elisha  thoroughly  apprehended  and  nobly  met  it. 
"  He  returned  back  from  him,  and  took  a  j'oke  of 
oxen,  and  slew  them,  and  boiled  theu'  flesh  with 
the  instruments  of  the  oxen  [the  wood  of  his 
ploughing  im]>lements],  aud  gave  imto  the  people, 
and  they  did  eat :  then  he  arose,  and  went  after 
Elijah,  and  ministered  unto  him"  (1  Ki.  xix.  19- 
21).  We  know  not  if  even  his  father  and  mother 
had  time  to  be  called  to  this  hasty  feast.  But 
this  much  is  plain,  thatj  though  in  affluent  cir- 
cumstances, he  gave  up  his  lower  calling,  with  all 
its  prospects,  for  the  higher,  and  at  that  time 
perilous  office  to  which  he  was  called.  What  now 
is  the  bearing  of  these  two  cases  ?  Did  Elisha  do 
WTong  in  bidding  them  farewell  with  whom  he 
was  associated  in  his  earthly  calling?  Or,  if  not, 
woidd  this  disciple  have  done  wrong  if  he  had 
done  the  same  thing,  and  in  the  same  spirit,  with 
Elisha?  Clearly  not.  Elisha's  doing  it  proved 
that  he  could  with  safety  do  it ;  and  our  Lord's 
warning  is  not  against  bidding  them  farewell 
which  were  at  home  at  his  house,  but  against  the 
probable /ata^  consequences  of  that  step;  lest  the 
embraces  of  earthly  relationship  slioukl  prove  ti  )o 
strong  for  him,  and  he  should  never  return  to 
foUow  Christ.  Accordingly,  we  have  called  this 
the  Irresolute  or  Wavering  Disciple. 

BemarJcs. — 1.  Rash  or  precipitate  discipleshiji 
is  scarcely  to  be  looked  for  in  times  of  spiritual 
death  in  lethargic  conditions  of  the  Church.  .  The 
man  who  said  he  would  follow  Christ  wherever  He 
went  had  doubtless  had  his  enthusiasm  kindleck, 
as  we  have  said,  by  Christ's  matchless  preaching, 
though  possibly  also  by  the  sight  of  His  miracles. 
Even  so  an  earnest,  warm,  rousing  ministry,  or  a 
season  of  unusual  awakening,  stirring  the  most 
thoughtless,  calls  forth  the  enthusiasm  of  not  a 
few,  X'articularly  among  the  young  and  ardent, 
wlio  resolve  — i-erhaps    with  tears  of  joy — that 


Jesns  healeth  two  men 


MATTHEW  IX. 


possessed  with  devils. 


28  And  ^when  he  wiis  come  to  the  other  side,  into  the  country  of  the 
Gergesenes,  tliere  met  him  two  possessed  with  devils,  coming  out  of  the 

29  tombs,  exceeding  fierce,  so  that  no  man  might  pass  by  that  way.  And, 
behold,  they  cried  out,  saying,  Wliat  "'have  we  to  do  with  thee,  Jesus, 
tliou  Son  of  God?  art  thou  come  hither  to  torment  us  before  the  time? 

30  And  there  was  a  good  way  oft"  from  them  an  herd  of  many  "^  swine  feeding. 

31  So  the  devils  ^besought  him,  saying.  If  thou  cast  us  out,  sufi'er  us  to  go 

32  away  into  the  herd  of  swine.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Go.  And  when 
they  were  come  out,  they  went  into  the  herd  of  swine :  and,  behold,  the 
whole  herd  of  swine  ran  violently  down  a  steep  place  into  the  sea,  and 

33  perished  in  the  waters.  And  they  that  kept  them  fled,  and  went  their 
ways  into  the  city,  and  told  every  thing,  and  what  was  befallen  to  the 

34  possessed  of  the  devils.  And,  behold,  the  whole  city  came  out  to  meet 
Jesus :  and  when  they  saw  him,  they  "besought  him  that  he  would  depart 
out  of  their  coasts. 

9      AND  he  entered  into  a  ship,  and  passed  over,  "and  came  into  his  own 

2  city.     And,  ^behold,  they  brought  to  him  a  man  sick  of  the  palsy, 
lying  on  a  bed:  '^and  Jesus,  seeing  their  faith,  said  unto  the  sick  of  the 

3  palsy.  Son,  be  of  good  cheer;  '^thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee.     And,  behold, 
certain  of  the  scribes  said  within  themselves.  This  man  blasphemeth. 


A.  r>.  31. 

"  Mark  5.  1. 
■"283111.16.10. 

2Sam.l9.22. 

Joel  3.  4. 

Mark  1.  24. 

Mark  5.  7. 

Luke  4.  34. 

2  Pet.  2.  4. 
"^  Deut.  14.  8. 
V  Phil.  2.  10. 
'  Deut.  5.  23. 

1  VS.  17.  IS. 

Luke  5.  8. 

Acts  16.  39. 

CHAP.  9. 

"  ch.  4.  13. 
<>  Mark  2.  3. 
Luke  5.  8. 
"  ch.  8.  10. 
d  Ps.  32,  1.  2. 

Luke  5.  20. 
Eom.4.  6-8. 
Eom.  5.  11. 
Lph.  1.  7. 


they  will  henceforth  abandon  the  world  and  fol- 
low Christ.  "Yet  have  they  not  root  in  them- 
selves, but  endui'e  for  a  whUe;  for  when  tribula- 
tion or  persecution  ariseth  because  of  the  word, 
presently  they  are  stumbled."  They  want  depth 
of  solid  conviction.  Their  spiritual  necessities 
and  danger  have  never  led  them  to  Hee  from  the 
wi-ath  to  come.  Their  faith  in  Christ,  then,  and 
joy  in  the  Gospel  being  but  suiierficial,  it  gives 
w-ay  in  the  day  of  trial.  The  thing  which  such 
lequire  is  to  ' count  the  cost ;'  and  while  rejoicing 
to  see  men,  in  a  time  of  general  awakening,  drink- 
ing in  the  truth,  melted  under  it,  and  giving  in 
their  accession  to  Christ,  let  them  see  to  it  that 
they  "  break  u^)  their  fallow  ground,  and  sow  not 
among  thorns."  2,  How  many  real  disciples  are 
not  ready  disciples.  The  Lord  hath  need  of  them, 
and  they  are  heartily  desirous  of  ser\'ing  Him— 
"/'W/."  They  will  do  this  and  that — lut:  they 
will  go  hitlier  or  thither  when  called  to  do  so — 
lut.  There  is  a  difficulty  in  the  way  just  now. 
As  soon  as  that  is  out  of  the  way  they  are  ready. 
But  what  if  the  work  required  of  them  can  only 
be  done  just  now — cannot  stand  still  till  their  dif- 
ficulty is  removed  ?  What  if,  ere  that  is  out  of  the 
way,  their  disposition  to  go  has  evaporated,  or,  if 
still  there,  has  no  field — "help  having  come  from 
another  quarter"  ?  Young  ministers  are  wanted 
as  missionaries  abroad,  and  young,  ardent,  female 
disciples,  who  are  wanted  as  heli)s  meet  for  them, 
both  hesitate.  'But  for  those  aged  parents,  I 
would  gladly  go ;  but  till  their  head  is  beneath  the 
gi-ound  I  am  not  free.'  By  that  time,  however,  they 
are  neither  so  in  love  with  the  work,  nor  is  the 
lield  oi^en  to  them.  While  the  harvest  is  so  plen- 
teous and  the  labourers  so  few,  let  those  who  hear 
tlie  Macedonian  cry,  "Come  over  and  help  us," 
l)e\vare  of  allowing  secidar  obstacles,  however  for- 
midable, to  arrest  the  impulse  to  obey  the  sum- 
mons. Beyond  all  doubt  it  is  owing  to  this,  among 
other  things,  that  the  commission,  "  Co,  make  dis- 
ciples of  all  nations,"  remains  still  to  so  vast  an 
extent  unexecuted  —  eighteen  centuries  since  it 
was  given  forth.  3.  The  best  illustration  of  the 
danger  of  "looking  back,"  after  having  "put  our 
hand  to  the  plough,"  is  the  case  of  those  converts 
fi'om  Hinduism,  whose  jjarents,  when  apprised  of 
tlieir  intention  to  be  bajitized,  travel  to  the  mis- 
sion-house, and  plead,  with  tears  and  threats,  that 
55 


they  will  not  take  a  steiJ  so  fatal.  Failing  by  thi.5 
means  to  shake  their  resolution,  they  at  length 
submit  to  their  hard  fate ;  only  requesting  that 
before  they  undergo  the  rite  which  is  to  sever 
them  for  ever  from  home,  they  will  pay  them  one 
parting  visit^to  "bid  them  farewell  which  are  at 
home  at  their  house."  It  seems  but  reasonable. 
To  refuse  it  looks  like  gratuitously  wounding  jia- 
rental  feeling.  '  Well,  I  will  go ;  but  my  heart  is 
with  you,  my  spiritual  fathers,  and  soon  I  will  re- 
join you.'  He  goes — but  never  returns.  How  many 
lironiising  converts  have  thus  been  lost  to  Chris- 
tianity, to  the  anguish  of  dear  missionaries,  travail- 
ing in  birth  till  Christ  be  formed  in  the  heathen, 
and  to  their  own  undoing !  And  though  some  have, 
after  again  conforming  to  heathenism,  been  filled 
with  such  remorse,  that,  like  Peter  when  he  de- 
nied his  Lord,  tliey  have  gone  out  and  wept  bit- 
teziy,  and,  after  severe  and  protracted  struggles, 
have  returned  to  be  more  resolute  followers  of 
Christ  than  ever,  what  seas  of  trouble  does  this 
"  looldng  back"  cost  them !  and  how  very  few  are 
such  cases  compared  to  the  many  that  "make 
shipwreck  of  faith  and  of  a  good  conscience"! 
"Let  him  that  thinketh  he  staudeth  take  heed 
lest  he  fall." 

23-27. — Jesus,  crossing  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 
MIRACULOUSLY  Stills  A  Tempest.  (  =  Mark  iv. 
35-41;  Luke  viii.  22-25.)  For  the  exiDosition,  see 
on  Mark  iv.  35-41. 

28-34— Jesus  Heals  the  (tergesene  Demo- 
niacs. (  =  Mark  v.  1-20;  Luke  viii.  26-39.)  For 
the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  v.  1-20, 

CHAP.  IX.  1-8. — Healing  of  a  Paralytic. 
(=  Mark  ii.  1-12;  Luke  v.  17-26.)  This  incident 
ap]iears  to  follow  next  in  order  of  time  to  the  cure 
of  the  leper  (ch.  viii.  1-4).  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Mark  ii.  1-12. 

9-13.— Matthew's  Call  and  Feast.  (  =  Mark 
il  14-17 ;  Luke  v.  27-32 ) 

The  Call  of  Mattheui  (9).  9.  And  as  Jesus  passed 
forth  from  thence — that  is,  from  the  scene  of  the 
paraljrtic's  cure  in  Capernaum,  towards  the  shore 
of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  on  which  that  town  lay. 
Mark,  as  usual,  pictures  the  scene  more  in  detail, 
thus  (ii.  13):  "And  He  went  forth  again  by  the 
sea-side;  and  all  the  multitude  resorted  unto 
Him,  and  He  taught  them"  \iSi&a(TKev  avTovs:} 
— or,  'kept  teaching  them.'     "And  as  he  i)assed 


Jems  cureth  the  palsy. 


MATTHEW  IX. 


Matthew  called. 


4  And  Jesus,  *  knowing  their  thoughts,  said,  Wherefore  think  ye  evil  in 

5  your  hearts?     For  whether  is  easier  to  say,  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee;  or 

6  to  say.  Arise,  and  walk?  But  that  ye  may  know  that -^ the  Son  of  man 
hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins,  (then  saith  he  to  the  sick  of  the 

7  palsy,)  Arise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  go  unto  thine  house.     And  he  arose, 

8  and  departed  to  his  house.  But  when  the  multitudes  saw  it,  they  mar- 
velled, and  glorified  God,  which  had  given  such  power  unto  men, 

9  And  ^as  Jesus  passed  forth  from  thence,  he  sav/  a  man,  named 
Matthew,  sitting  at  the  receipt  of  custom :  and  he  saith  unto  him.  Fol- 
low me.     And  he  arose,  and  followed  him. 

10  And  ^it  came  to  pass,  as  Jesus  sat  at  meat  in  the  house,  behold,  many 

11  publicans  and  sinners  came  and  sat  down  with  him  and  his  disciples.    And 
when  the  Pharisees  saw  it,  they  said  unto  his  disciples,  Why  eateth  your 

12  Master  with  ^publicans and  ■^'sinners?    But  when  Jesus  heard  that,  he  said 
unto  them,  They  that  be  whole  need  not  a  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick. 

13  But  go  ye  and  learn  what  that  meaneth,  I  *will  have  mercy,  and  not  sac- 
rifice :  for  I  am  not  come  to  call  the  righteous,  ^but  sinners  to  repentance. 


A.  D.  31. 


'   Ps.  139.  2. 

Ch.  12.  25. 

Mark  12. 15. 
/  Luke  5.  21. 

Acts  5.  31. 

2  Cor.  2.  10. 
"  Mark  2.  14. 

Luke  5.  27. 
''  Mark  2.  15. 

Luke  5.  29. 
'  Luke  5.  30. 

Luke  15.  2. 

Luke  19.  7. 

Gal.  2.  5. 
3  GaL  2.  15. 

Eph.  2.  12. 
&  Pro.  21.  3. 

Hos.  6.  6. 

Mic.  6.  6. 
I  1  Tim.  1.15. 

1  John  3.  5. 


by,"  lie  saw  a  man,  named  Matthew  —  the 
writer  of  this  precious  Gospel,  who  here,  with 
singular  modesty  and  bre\dty,  relates  the  story 
of  his  own  calling.  In  Mark  and  Luke  he  is 
called  Levi  [Aeuer,  or,  according  to  the  preferable 
reading,  Aeuet'i/],  which  seems  to  have  been  his 
family  name.  In  their  lists  of  the  twelve  apostles, 
however,  Mark  and  Luke  give  him  the  name  of 
Matthew,  which  seems  to  have  been  the  name 
by  which  he  was  known  as  a  disciple.  While  he 
liimself  sinks  his  family  name,  he  is  careful  not 
to  sink  his  occupation,  the  obnoxious  associations 
with  which  he  would  place  over  against  the  grace 
that  called  him  from  it,  and  made  him  an  ajiostle. 
(See  on  ch.  x.  3. )  Mark  alone  tells  us  (ii.  14)  that 
he  was  "the  son  of  Alpheus" — the  same,  probably, 
with  the  father  of  James  the  less.  From  this  and 
other  considerations  it  is  pretty  certain  that  he 
must  at  least  have  heard  of  our  Lord  before  this 
meeting.  Unnecessary  doubts,  even  from  an  early 
period,  have  been  raised  about  tlie  identity  of 
Levi  and  Matthew.  No  English  jury,  with  the 
evidence  before  them  which  we  have  in  the  Gos- 
j)els,  would  hesitate  in  giving  in  a  unanimous  ver- 
dict of  identity,  sitting  at  tlie  receipt  of  custom 
—as  a  publican,  which  Luke  (v.  27)  calls  him.  It 
means  the  place  of  receipt,  the  toll-house  or  booth 
in  wliich  the  collector  sat.  Being  in  this  case  by 
the  sea-side,  it  might  be  the  ferry-tax,  for  the 
transit  of  persons  and  goods  across  the  lake,  which 
he  collected.  (See  on  ch.  v.  46.)  and  lie  saith 
unto  him,  Follow  me.  Witching  words  these, 
from  the  lips  of  Him  who  never  employed  them 
without  giving  tliem  resistless  efhcacy  in  the  hearts 
of  those  they  were  spoken  to.  And  he  "left all" 
(Luke  V.  28),  arose  and  followed  him. 

The  Feast,  (10-13).  10.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as 
Jesus  sat  at  meat  in  the  house.  The  modesty 
of  our  Evangelist  signally  apjiears  here.  Luke 
says  [v.  29)  that  "  Levi  made  Him  a  ureal  feast," 
or  'reception'  [^ox')"  M^T"'^')"],  while  Matthew 
merely  says,  "He  sat  at  meat;"  and  Mark  and 
Luke  say  that  it  was  in  Levi's  "own  house," 
while  Matthew  merely  says,  "He  sat  at  meat  in 
the  house.'"  Whether  this  feast  was  made  now,  or 
not  till  afterwards,  is  a  i:ioint  of  some  importance 
in  the  order  of  events,  and  not  agreed  among  har- 
monists The  probability  is  that  it  did  not  take 
place  till  a  considerable  time  afterwards.  For 
Matthew,  who  ought  surely  to  know  what  took  place 
while  his  Lord  was  speaking  at  his  own  table,  tells 
us  that  the  visit  of  Jairus,  the  ruler  of  the  syn- 
agogue, occurred  at  that  moment  (v.  IS).  Exit  we 
56 


know  from  Mark  and  Luke  that  this  visit  of  Jairus 
did  not  take  place  till  after  our  Lord's  return,  at  a 
later  period,  from  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes. 
(See  Mark  v.  21,  &c. ,  and  Luke  viii.  40,  &c. )  We  con- 
clude, therefore,  that  the  feast  was  not  made  in  the 
novelty  of  his  discipleship,  but  after  Matthew  had 
had  time  to  be  somewhat  established  in  the_ faith  ; 
when,  returning  to  Capernaum,  his  compa;  sion  for 
old  friends,  of  his  own  calling  and  character,  led 
him  to  gather  them  together  that  they  might  have 
an  opportunity  of  hearing  the  gracious  words  which 
proceeded  out  of  His  Masters  mouth,  if  ha])ly 
they  might  experience  a  like  change,  behold, 
many  publicans  and  sinners — Luke  says,  "  a  great 
company"  (v.  29),  came  and  sat  down  with  him 
and  his  disciples.  In  all  such  cases  the  word 
rendered  'sat'  is  'reclined,'  in  allusion  to  the 
ancient  mode  of  lying  on  couches  at  meals.  11. 
And  when  the  Pharisees — "and  scribes,"  add 
Mark  and  Luke,  saw  it,  they  "murmured"  or 
'muttered,'  says  Luke  (v.  30),  and  said  unto  his 
disciples — not  venturing  to  put  their  question  to 
Jesus  Himself.  Why  eateth  your  Master  with 
publicans  and  sinners  ?  (See  on  Luke  xv.  2.)  12. 
But  when  Jesus  heard  [that],  he  said  unto  them 
— to  the  Pharisees  and  scribes;  addressing  Himself 
to  them,  though  they  had  shrunk  from  addressing 
Him.  They  that  be  whole  need  not  a  physician, 
but  they  that  are  sick — g.d.,  '  Ye  deem  yourselves 
whole;  My  mission,  therefore,  is  not  to  you :  The 
physician's  business  is  with  the  sick;  therefore  eat 
I  with  publicans  and  sinners.'  0,  what  myriads 
of  broken  hearts,  of  sin-sick  souls,  have  beenbouiul 
up  by  this  matchless  saying !  13.  But  go  ye  and 
learn  what  that  meaneth  (Hos.  vi.  6),  I  will 
have  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice— that  is,  the  one 
rather  than  the  other.  "Sacrifice,"  the  chief  part 
of  the  ceremonial  law,  is  here  put  for  a  religion  of 
literal  adlierence  to  mere  rules;  while  "Mercy" 
expresses  such  compassion  for  the  fallen  as  seeks 
to  lift  them  ui\  The  duty  of  keeping  aloof  from 
the  polluted,  in  the  sense  of  "having  no  fellowship 
with  the  unti'uitful  works  of  darkness,"  is  obvious 
enough;  but  to  understand  this  as  prohibiting  such 
intercourse  ■with  them  as  is  necessary  to  their 
recovery,  is  to  abuse  it.  This  was  what  these 
Pharisaical  religionists  did,  and  this  is  what  our 
Lord  here  exposes,  for  I  am  not  come  to  call 
the  righteous,  but  sinners  [to  repentance].  The 
words  enclosed  in  brackets  are  of  doubtful  au- 
thority here,  and  more  than  doubtful  authority  in 
Mark  ii.  17;  but  in  Luke  v.  32  they  are  undis- 
puted.    We  have  here  just  the  former  statemtut 


Jesus  Jiealeth  an  issue 


MATTHEW  IX.        and  raiseth  a  ruler  s  daughter. 


14  Then  came  to  him  the  disciples  of  John,  saying,  '"'Wliy  do  we  and  the 

15  Pharisees  fast  oft,  but  thy  disciples  fast  not?  And  Jesus  said  unto  them, 
Can  "the  children  of  the  bride-chamber  mourn,  as  long  as  the  bridegroom 
is  with  them  ?  but  the  days  will  come,  when  the  bridegroom  shall  be 

16  taken  from  them,  and  "then  shall  they  fast.  No  man  putteth  a  piece 
of  ^  new  cloth  unto  an  old  garment ;  for  that  which  is  put  in  to  fill  it  up 

17  taketh  from  the  garment,  and  the  rent  is  made  worse.  Neither  do  men 
put  new  Avine  into  old  bottles;  else  the  bottles  break,  and  the  wine 
runneth  out,  and  the  bottles  perish :  but  they  put  new  wine  into  new 
bottles,  and  both  are  preserved. 

18  While  ^he  spake  these  things  unto  them,  behold,  there  came  a  certain 
ruler,  and  worshipped  him,  saying,  My  daughter  is  even  now  dead :  but 

19  come  and  lay  thy  hand  upon  her,  and  she  shall  live.  And  Jesus  arose, 
and  followed  him,  and  so  did  his  disciples. 

20  And,  *  behold,  a  woman,  which  was  diseased  with  an  issue  of  blood 
twelve  years,  came  behind  him,  and  touched  the  hem  of  his  garment : 

21  For  she  said  within  herself.  If  I  may  but  touch  his  garment,  I  shall  be 

22  whole.  But  Jesus  turned  him  about;  and  when  he  saw  her,  he  said, 
Daughter,  be  of  good  comfort;  ''thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole.  And 
the  woman  was  made  whole  from  that  hour. 

23  And  Svhen  Jesus  came  into  the  ruler's  house,  and  saw  Hhe  minstrels 

24  and  the  people  making  a  noise,  he  said  unto  them,  "Give  place;  for  the 

25  maid  is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth.  And  they  laughed  him  to  scorn.  But 
when  the  people  were  put  forth,  he  went  in,  and  took  her  by  the  hand, 

26  and  the  maid  arose.  And  ^the  fame  hereof  went  abroad  into  all  that 
land. 

27  And  when  Jesus  departed  thence,  two  blind  men  followed  him,  crying, 


A.  D.  31. 


'"Mark  2.  is. 

Luke  6.  33. 

Luke  18. 12. 
"Luke  2113. 

John  3.  29. 

John  16.  fi. 

Acts  1.  10. 
"  Acts  13.  2. 

Acts  14.  23. 

1  Cor.  7.  5. 

1  Or,  raw,  or, 
unwrought 
cloth. 

P  Mark  5.  22. 

Luke  8.  -11. 
9  Lev.  15.  25. 

Mark  5.  25. 

Luke  8.  43. 
"■  Mark  10.52. 

Luke  7.  £0. 

Luke  8.  i% 

Luke  17. 19. 

Luke  18.42. 

Acts  14.  9. 

Heb.  4.  2. 
»  Mark  5.  3?. 

Luke  8.  51. 
t  2  Chr.35.2.5. 
"  1  Ki.  17.  18- 
24. 

Acts.  9.  40. 

Acts  20.  10. 

2  Or,  this 
fame. 
Isa.  52.  1.3. 


stripped  of  its  figure.  "The  righteous"  are  the 
whole;  "sinners,"  the  sick.  When  Christ  " called" 
the  latter,  as  He  did  Matthew,  and  probably  some 
of  those  publicans  and  sinners  whom  lie  had  invited 
to  meet  with  Him,  it  was  to  heal  them  of  their 
spiritual  maladies,  or  save  their  souls:  "The 
righteous,*'  like  those  miserable,  self-satisfied  Phari- 
sees, "He  sent  enipty  away." 

Remarks. — 1.  How  glorious  is  the  grace  which 
not  only  saves  the  chief  of  sinners,  but  places 
one  of  a  proverbially  sunken  class  among  "the 
princes  of  His  people"!  (See  on  ch.  i.  3,  5,  6.) 
2.  How  delightful  is  it  to  trace  the  deep  humility 
with  which  "this  disciple  ever  after  carried  him- 
self— whether  in  the  Genealogy  which  he  gives 
of  His  Master,  to  which  reference  has  just  been 
made;  or  in  avoiding,  in  the  record  of  his  m\Ti 
calling,  what  was  to  Ids  ovm  credit ;  or  in  noting, 
in  his  catalogue  of  the  Twelve,  as  none  of  the 
other  New  Testament  wi-iters  do,  the  justly 
branded  class  out  of  which  he  had  been  called. 
(See  on  ch.  x.  3.)  3.  But  let  us  not  fail  to  ob- 
serve the  compassion  with  which  he  sought  to 
fetch  in  his  old  associates  to  the  circle  of  the 
saved,  "that  they  also  might  have  fellowship 
with  him"  in  the  love  of  Jesus.  There  is  no  more 
certain  evidence  of  genuine  repentance  and  true 
discipleship  than  this.  (See  Ps  IL  12,  13;  Luke 
xxii.  32,  second  clause.)  4.  How  grievously  do 
they  err,  and  pervert  the  simjjle,  who  represent 
the  object  of  Christ's  mission  to  have  been  merely 
to  furuish  a  code  of  sound  morality,  or  establish 
spirituality  of  Avorship,  or  certify  the  doctrine  of 
the  resurrection,  or  the  like.  He  came  to  heal 
the  sick  soid,  to  raise  the  sunken,  to  save  sin- 
ners; to  bring  back  to  God  the  vilest  prodigals, 
and  beautify  them  with  salvation.  Such  as 
want  Him  not  for  this  He  passes  by;  they  are 
not  His  patients,  and  they  get  nothing  from  Him. 
57 


They  may  laud  the  purity  and  loftiness  of  His  teach- 
ing and  example;  but  they  are  strangers  to  Him 
as  "the  Balm  in  Gilead  and  the  Physician  there." 

14-17.— Discourse  on  Fasting.  ( =  Mark  li. 
18-22;  Luke  v.  33-30.)  As  this  Discourse  is  re- 
corded by  all  the  three  first  Evangelists  imme- 
diately after  their  account  of  MattheAv's  Call  and 
Feast,  there  can  be  no  doulit  that  it  was  deli- 
vered on  that  occasion.  For  the  exposition  of 
this  important  Discourse,  see  on  Luke  v^3-39, 
where  it  is  given  most  fully. 

18-26.— The  Woman  with  the  Issue  of  Blood 
Healed.— The  Daughter  of  .Jairus  Eaised  to 
Life  (  =  Luke  viii.  40-56;  Mark  v.  21-43.)  For 
the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  v.  21-43. 

27-34.— Two  Blind  Men,  and  a  Dumb  De- 
moniac, Healed.  These  two  miracles  are  re- 
corded by  Matthew  alone. 

Tioo  Blind  Men  Healed  (27-31).  27.  And  when 
Jesus  departed  thence,  two  blind  men  follOAred 
him— hearing,  doubtless,  as  in  a  later  case  is  ex- 
pressed, "that  Jesus  passed  by"  (ch.  xx.  30),  cry- 
ing, and  saying,  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy 
on  us.  It  is  remarkable  that  in  the  only  other 
recorded  case  in  which  the  blind  applied  to  Jesus 
for  their  sight,  and  obtained  it,  they  addressed 
Him,  over  and  over  again,  by  this  one  Messianic 
title,  so  well  known— "Son  of  David"  (ch.  xx.  30). 
Can  there  be  a  doubt  that  their  faith  fastened  on 
such  great  Messianic  promises  as  this,  "Then  the 
eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be  opened"?  &c.  (Isa.  xxxv. 
5);  and  if  so,  this  appeal  to  Him,  as  the  Consola- 
tion of  Israel,  to  do  His  predicted  othce,  would 
fall  with  great  weight  u]ion  the  ears  of  Jesus.  28. 
And  when  he  was  come  Into  the  house.  To  try 
their  faith  and  patience.  He  seems  to  have  made 
them  no  answer.  But  the  blind  men  came  to 
Him— which,  no  doubt,  was  what  He  desired, 
and  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Believe  ye  that  I 


Jesus  healetJi  two  blind  men 


MATTHEW  IX. 


and  a  dumb  demoniac. 


28  and  saying,  ^  Thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  us.  And  when  he  was 
come  into  the  house,  the  Wind  men  came  to  him  :  and  Jesus  saith  unto 
them,  Beheve  ye  that  I  am  able  to  do  this  ?     They  said  unto  him,  Yea, 

29  Lord.     Then  touclied  he  their  eyes,  saying,  According  to  j^our  faith  be  it 

30  unto  you.     And  ^' their  eyes  were  opened:  and  Jesus  straitly  charged 

31  them,  saying,  ^See  that  no  man  know  2#.  But  ^they,  when  they  were 
departed,  spread  abroad  his  fame  in  all  that  country. 

32  As  ^they  went  out,  behold,  they  brought  to  him  a  dumb  man  pos- 

33  sessed  Avith  a  devil.     And  when  the  devil  was  cast  out,  the  dumb  spake : 

34  and  the  multitudes  marvelled,  saying,  It  was  never  so  seen  in  Israel.  But 
the  Pharisees  said.  He  casteth  out  devils  through  the  prince  of  the  devils. 

35  And  "Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages,  teaching  in  their 
synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing 
every  sickness  and  every  disease,  among  the  people. 


A.  D.  31. 

"  ch.  15.  2i 

ch.  20.  30. 

Mark  9.  22. 

Mark  10. 4r. 

Luke  17. 13. 

Luke  18.3:1. 

John  7.  42. 
^  Ps.  146.  8. 

John  9.  7, 
26. 
^  Luke  5.  14. 
y  Mark  7.  36. 

*  ch.  12.  22. 

Mark  9.  17. 

Luke  11.14. 
"  l\;ark  6.  6. 

Luke  13.22. 


am  al)le  to  do  this  ?  They  said  unto  Mm,  Yea, 
Lord.  Doubtless  our  Lord's  design  was  not  only 
to  i)ut  their  faith  to  the  test  by  this  question,  but 
to  deepen  it,  to  raise  their  expectation  of  a  cure, 
and  so  prepare  them  to  receive  it ;  and  the  cordial 
acknowledgment,  so  touchingly  simple,  which  they 
immediately  made  to  Him  of  His  power  to  heal 
them,  shows  how  entirely  that  object  was  gained. 
29.  Then  touched  he  their  eyes,  saying,  Accord- 
ing to  your  faith  he  it  unto  you— not.  Receive  a 
ciu-e  jyrojjortioned  to  your  faith,  but.  Receive  this 
t!Ui-e  as  granted  to  your  faitlu  Thus  would  they 
carry  about  with  them,  in  their  restored  vision,  a 
gracious  seal  of  the  faith  which  drew  it  from  their 
compassionate  Lord.  30.  Aid  their  eyes  were 
opened:  and  Jesus  straitly  charged  them.  The 
expression  is  very  sti'oug  \_kvclipiixv(jaTo  aurols], 
denoting  great  earnestness.  31.  But  they,  when 
they  were  depai-ted,  spread  abroad  his  fame  in 
all  that  country.  (See  on  clu  viiL  4,  and  Remark 
4  on  that  Section. ) 

A  Dumb  Demoniac  Healed  (.32-34).  32.  As  they 
went  out,  behold,  they  brought  to  him  a  dumb 
man  possessed  with  a  devil  [^ai/iovt^o/uei-oi/]— 'de- 
inonized. '  The  dumbness  was  not  natural,  but  was 
the  efl'ect  of  the  possession.  33.  And  when  the 
devil — or  'demon' — was  cast  out,  the  dumb  spake. 
The  particulars  in  this  case  are  not  given;  the 
object  being  simply  to  record  the  instantaneous  re- 
storation of  the  natural  faculties,  on  the  removal  of 
the  malignant  oppiession  of  them,  the  form  which 
the  popular  astonishment  took,  and  the  very  dif- 
ferent efl'ect  of  it  upon  another  class,  and  the 
multitudes  marvelled,  saying,  It  was  never  so 
seen  in  Israel —refei-ring,  probably,  not  to  this 
ease  only,  but  to  all  those  miraculous  displays  of 
healing  power  which  seemed  to  ]iromise  a  new  era 
in  the  Iiistory  of  Israel.  Probably  they  meant  by 
this  language  to  indicate,  as  far  as  they  thought  it 
safe  to  do  so,  theii-  inclination  to  regard  Him  as 
the  promised  Messiah,  34.  But  the  Pharisees 
said,  He  casteth  out  devils  through  the  prince 
of  the  devils— 'the  demons  through  the  prince  of 
the  demons.'  Tliis  seems  to  be  the  first  muttering 
of  a  theory  of  such  miracles  which  soon  became  a 
fixed  mode  of  calumniating  them— a  theory  which 
would  be  I'idiculous  if  it  were  not  melancholy,  as 
;:n  outburst  of  the  darkest  malignity.  (See  on  ch. 
:^ii.  24,  &c.) 

Bemarks. — L  So  manifestly  were  these  bodily 
ciiies  designed  to  set  forth  analogous  operations 
oi  grace  on  the  soul,  that  in  the  case  of  opening 
tlie  eyes  of  the  blind,  our  Lord,  before  perform- 
ing it,  in  one  notable  instance,  expressly  an- 
nounced the  higher  design  of  it,  saying,  "As 
h)!ig  as  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am  the  light  of  the 
wofid"  (John  ix.  5).  Nor  would  it  have  been 
5S 


l)ossible  beforehand  to  tell  with  certainty  whether 
the  predictions  of  such  glorious  miiacles  (for 
example,  in  Isa.  xxxv.  5,  (i;  xliL  7) — as  inaugu- 
rating and  distinguishing  the  Messianic  economy 
— were  designed  to  be  understood  literally,  or 
spiritually,  or  both.  Hence,  we  are  to  regard 
all  such  incidents  as  are  here  recorded  as  having 
higher  aspects  and  bearings  than  any  that  ter- 
minate on  the  body;  and  on  the  same  iniiiciple, 
the  honour  which  our  Lord  here  put  upon  the 
faith  and  patience  of  these  blind  men  may  sm-ely 
be  reckoned  on  by  all  who  sigh  to  be  "turned  by 
Him  from  daikness  to  light,  and  from  the  power 
of  Satan  unto  God."  2.  How  differently  are  the 
same  operations  and  events  regarded  by  the  unso- 
phisticated and  the  prejudiced!  'More  light.' 
is  the  cry  of  many  besides  these  prejudiced  Pha,ri- 
sees.  Eut  what  they  want  is  more  simplicity 
and  godly  sincerity,  the  stifling  of  which  leaves 
the  soul  a  prey  to  the  darkest  passions. 

35— X.  5. — Third  Galilean  Circuit — Mission 
OF  THE  Twelve  Apostles.  As  the  Mission  of  the 
Twelve  supjioses  the  previous  Choice  of  them — of 
which  our  Evangelist  gives  no  account,  and  which 
did  not  take  place  till  a  later  stage  of  om*  Lord's 
liublic  life — it  is  introduced  here  out  of  its  ])roper 
place,  which  is  after  what  is  recorded  in  Luke  vi. 
12-19. 

Third  Galilean  Circuit  (.35) — and  probably  the 
last.  35.  And  Jesus  went  about  ail  the  cities 
and  villages,  teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and 
preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  heal- 
ing every  sickness  and  every  disease,  [among  the 
people].  The  bracketed  words  are  of  more  than 
doubtful  authority  here,  and  were  i^robably  intro- 
duced from  ch.  iv;  23.  The  language  heie  is  so 
identical  with  that  used  in  describing  the  flrst  cii'- 
cuit  (ch.  iv.  '23),  that  we  may  presume  the  work 
done  on  both  occasions  was  much  the  same.  It 
was  just  a  fm-ther  preparation  of  the  soil,  and  a 
fresh  sowing  of  the  precious  seed.  (See  on  ch.  iv. 
23.)  To  these  fruitful  jom-neyings  of  the  Re- 
deemer, "with  healing  in  His  wings,"  Peter  no 
doubt  alludes,  when,  in  his  addi'ess  to  the  house- 
hold of  Cornelius,  he  spoke  of  "  How  God 
anointed  Jesus  of  Kazareth  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  with  ]30wer:  who  went  about  doing  good 
[oiJ/XOey  ebepycTuiv^,  and  healing  all  that  were 
oppressed  of  the  devil:  for  God  was  with  Him" 
(Acts  X.  3S). 

Jesus,  Compassionatimj  the  Multitudes,  A  six 
Prayer  for  Help  (36-3-8).  He  had  now  returned 
from  His  preaching  and  healing  circiut,  and  tlie 
result,  as  at  the  close  of  the  flrst  one,  was  the 
gathering  of  a  vast  and  motley  multitude  around 
Him.  After  a  whole  night  spent  in  prayer.  He 
had    called   His   more   immediate  disciples,  and 


Jesus  givetJi  the  apostles 


MATTHEW  X. 


power  to  worJc  miracles. 


36  But  when  he  saw  the  multitudes,  he  was  moved  with  compassion  on 
them,  because  they  ^fainted,  and  were  scattered  abroad,  as  sheep  having 

37  no  shepherd.     Then  saith  he  unto  his  disciples,  *The  harvest  truly  is 

38  plenteous,  but  the  labourers  are  few;  pray  ''ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest,  that  he  will  send  forth  labourers  into  his  harvest. 

10  AND  "when  he  had  called  unto  Mm  his  twelve  disciples,  he  gave 
them  power  ^against  unclean  spirits,  to  cast  them  out,  and  to  heal  all 
manner  of  sickness,  and  all  manner  of  disease. 

2  Now  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  are  these;  The  first,  Simon, 
*who  is  called  Peter,  and  Andrew  his  brother;  James  the  son  of  Zebedee, 

3  and  John  his  brother;  Philip,  and  Bartholomew;  Thomas,  and  Matthew 
the  publican ;  James  the  son  of  Alpheus,  and  Lebbeus,  whose  surname 

4  was  ^Thaddeus;  Simon ''the  Canaan ite,  and  Judas  ''Iscariot,  Avho  also 
betrayed  him. 


A.  D.  31. 

3  Or,  were 
tired  and 
lay  down. 

i>  Luke  10.  2. 
John  4.  3,5. 

°  Acts  13.  2. 
Acts  20.  2S. 

1  Cor.  12.2S. 


CHAP.  10. 

"  Mark  3.  13. 

Mark  C.  7. 

1  Or,  over. 

b  John  1.  42. 

2  Or,  Judas. 
Jude  1. 

"  Acts  I.  13. 
•i  John  13.26. 


from  them  had  solemnly  chosen  the  Twelve; 
then,  coming  down  from  the  mountain,  on  which 
this  was  transacted,  to  the  multitudes  that  waited 
for  Him  below,  He  had  addressed  to  them  —  as 
we  take  it — ^that  Discourse  which  liears  so  strong 
a  resemblance  to  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  that 
many  critics  take  it  to  be  the  same.  (Sec  on  Luke 
vi.  12-49 ;  and  on  Matt.  v. ,  Introductory  Remarks. ) 
Soon  after  this,  it  should  seem,  the  multitudes 
still  hanging  on  Him,  Jesus  is  touched  with  their 
wretched  and  helpless  condition,  and  acts  as  is 
now  to  be  described. 

35.  But  when  lie  saw  the  multitudes,  he  was 
moved  with  compassion  on  them,  because  they 
fainted  [jjo-ai/  e/cXeXuiUjuej/ot].  This  reading,  how- 
ever, has  hardly  any  authority  at  all.  The  true 
reading  doubtless  is,  'were  harassed'  [■r]<Tav  ea-KvX- 
nevoi],  and  were  scattered  abroad  [^ppi/ifxevoi]— 
rather,  'lying  about,'  'abandoned,'  or  'neglected' 
— as  sheep  having  no  shepherd — their  pitiable 
condition  as  wearied  and  couching  under  bodily 
fatigue,  a  vast  disorganized  mass,  being  but  a 
faint  picture  of  their  wretchedness  as  the  victims 
©f  Pharisaic  guidance ;  their  souls  uncared  for,  yet 
drawn  after  and  liaaging  upon  Him.  This  moved 
tlie  Redeemer's  compassion.  37.  Then  saith  he 
unto  his  disciples,  The  harvest  truly  is  plenteous. 
His  eye  doubtless  rested  immediately  on  the  Jew- 
ish field,  but  this  he  saw  widening  into  the  vast 
field  of  "the  world"  (ch.  xiii.  3S),  teeming  with 
souls  having  to  be  gathered  to  Him.  but  the 
labourers— men  divinely  qualified  and  called  to 
gather  them  in— are  few;  38.  Pray  ye  therefore 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest— the  great  Lord  and  Pro- 
prietor of  all.  Compare  John  xv.  i— '■*  I  am  the 
ti'ue  Vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  Husbandman." 
that  he  will  send  forth  labourers  into  his  har- 
vest. The  word  [eKf^dXr]]  properly  means  '  thrust 
forth ;'  but  this  emplaatic  sense  disaj )]  lears  in  some 
places,  as  in  v.  25,  and  John  x.  4 — "  When  Heput- 
teth  forth  His  own  sheep."     (See  on  ch.  iv.  1. ) 

CHAP.  X.  1-5. — Mission  of  the  Twelve  Apos- 
tles.    {■=  Mark  vi.  7-13;  Lukeix.  1-6.) 

The  last  thi-ee  verses  of  ch.  ix.  form  the  proper 
introduction  to  the  Mission  of  the  Twelve ;  as  is 
evident  from  the  remarkable  fact  that  the  Mission 
of  the  Seventy  was  prefaced  by  the  very  same 
words.  (See  on  Luke  x.  2. )  1.  And  when  he  had 
called  unto  him  his  twelve  disciples,  he  gave 
them  power  {e^ovaiav].  The  word  signifies  both 
'power,'  and  'authority'  or  'right.'  Even  if  it 
were  not  evident  that  here  both  ideas  are  in- 
cluded, we  find  both  words  expressly  used  in 
the  parallel  passage  of  Luke  (ix.  1) —  'He  gave 
them  power  and  authority"  {^iwaixiv  Kal  e^ov- 
aiui/]  — in.   other  words.    He    both    qualified   txvA 


authorized  them  —  against  —  or  '  over ' — unclean 
spirits,  to  cast  them  out,  and  to  heal  all 
manner  of  sickness,  and  all  manner  of  disease. 

2.  Now  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  are 
these.  The  other  Evangelists  enumerate  the  Twelve 
in  immediate  connection  with  their  appointment 
(Mark  iii.  13-19;  Luke  vi.  13-16).  But  our  Evan- 
gelist, not  intending  to  record  the  appointment, 
but  only  the  Mission  of  the  Twelve,  gives  their 
names  here.  And  as  in  the  Acts  (i.  13)  we  have 
a  list  of  the  Eleven  who  met  daily  in  the  u])])er 
room  with  the  other  disciples  after  theii"  Master's 
ascension  until  the  day  of  Peutecost,  we  have  four 
catalogues  in  all  for  comparison.  The  first,  Simon, 
who  is  called  Peter  (see  on  Jolin  i.  42),  and  Andrew 
his  brother;  James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  John 
his  brother— named  after  James,  as  the  younger  of 
the  two.  3.  Philip,  and  Bartholomew.  "  That  this 
person  is  the  same  with  "Nathanael  of  Cana  in 
Galilee,"  is  justly  concluded  for  the  thi-ee  follow- 
ing reasons :  First,  because  Bartholomew  [=  'rjSi  ^2, 
or  'son  of  Ptolomy']  is  not  so  properly  a  name  as 
a  family  surname;  next,  because  not  only  in  this 
list,  but  in  Mark's  and  Lulie's,  he  follows  the  name 
of  'Philip,"  who  v/as  the  instrument  of  bringing 
Nathanael  first  to  Jesus  (John  i.  45);  and  again, 
when  our  Loi-d,  after  His  resurrection,  a})peared 
at  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  "  Nathanael  of  Cana  in 
Galilee"  is  mentioned  along  with  six  others,  all  of 
them  apostles,  as  being  present  (John  xxi.  2). 
Matthew  the  publican.  In  none  of  the  four  lists 
of  the  Twelve  is  this  apostle  so  branded  but  in 
his  own  one,  as  if  he  would  have  all  to  know  how 
deep  a  debtor  he  had  been  to  his  Lord.  (See  on  ch. 
i.  t5,  5,  6;  aiidix.  9,  and  Remark  2 on  that  Section.) 
James  the  son  of  Alpheus  [=^Sn]— the  same  per- 
son apparently  who  is  called  Cleopas  or  Clopas 
(Luke  xxiv.  18;  John  xix.  25);  and  as  he  was  the 
hiisband  of  Mary,  sister  to  the  Virgin,  James  the 
less  must  have  been  our  Lord's  cousin,  and  Leb- 
beus, whose  surname  was  Thaddeus— the  same, 
without  doubt,  as  "  Judas  the  brother  of  James," 
mentioned  in  both  the  lists  of  Luke  (vi.  16 ;  Acts 
i.  13),  while  no  one  of  the  name  of  Lebbeus  or 
Thaddeus  is  so.  It  is  he  who  in  John  (xiv.  22)  is 
sweetly  called  "Judas,  not  Iscariot."  That  he 
was  the  author  of  the  Catholic  Epistle  of  "  Jude," 
and  not  "the  Lord's  brother"  (ch.  xiii.  55),  unless 
these  be  the  same,  is  most  likely.  4.  Simon  the 
Canaanite;  rather  'Kananite'  (Karai/tTj)?],  but  bet- 
ter still,  'the  Zealot'  [Zi/Xwt?;?],  as  he  is  called 
in  Luke  vi.  15,  where  the  original  term  should  not 
have  been  retained  as  in  our  version  ("Simon, 
called  Zelotes"),  but  rendered  'Simon,  called  the 
Zelot.'  The  word  "Kananite"  is  .iiist  the  Ara- 
maic, or  Syro-Chaldaic,  term  for  'Zealot'  [Heb. 


Jesus  sendeth  forth 


MATTHEW  X. 


liis  twelve  apostles. 


5      These  twelve  Jesus  sent  forth,  and  commanded  them,  saying,  Go  not  I     ^  p-  ^'- 
into  the  way  of  the  Gentiles,  and  into  ani/  city  of  *the  Samaritans  enter  | '  2K1. 17.21. 


^'^i?,  'jealoxis' or  'zealous' — Chald.  ]^?I2].  Probably 
before  his  acquaintance  with  Jesus,  he  be- 
longed to  the  sect  of  the  Zealots,  who  bound 
themselves,  as  a  sort  of  voluntary  ecclesiastical 
police,  to  see  that  the  law  was  not  broken  with 
impunity,  and  Judas  Iscariot — that  is,  Judas  of 
Kerioth,  a  town  of  Judah  (Josh.  xv.  25);  so  called 
to  distinguisli  him  from  "  Judas  the  brother  of 
James"  (Luke  vi.  16).  who  also  betrayed  him— a 
note  of  infamy  attached  to  his  name  in  aU  the 
catalogues  of  the  Twelve. 

Remarks. — 1.  As  the  reapers  of  every  harvest 
are  appointed  by  the  projirietor  of  the  tield,  so  the 
labourers  whom  God  will  own  in  "His  harvest" 
are  of  His  own  appointing,  and  to  be  sought  of 
Him  by  prayer  (ch.  ix.  38).  Even  the  Lord  Jesus 
spent  a  whole  night  in  prayer  to  God  before 
selecting  the  Twelve  Apostles  (Luke  vi.  12,  13). 
But  just  as  in  that  case  the  Redeemer  followed 
up  His  prayer  by  action,  so  must  we.  If  to  take 
action  for  providing  preachers  without  asking 
them  from  God  be  the  spirit  of  naturalism,  to 
cry  to  God  for  preachers  and  do  nothing  to  pro- 
vide them,  is  mere  fanaticism ;  but  to  do  both, 
with  full  assurance  that  each  is  indispensable  for 
its  own  purposes,  and  necessary  to  make  the  other 
available— tliis  is  to  tread  in  the  very  footsteps 
of  Christ.  In  every  age  and  every  land  the  na- 
ture of  the  steps  recpiisite  on  oiir  part  to  procure 
and  prepare  the  proper  labourers  will  vary ; 
but  OLir  action  in  this  matter  is  not  superseded 
by  divine  interpositions.  The  Lord  indeed  will 
not  bind  Himself  to  employ  none  on  whom  no 
human  preparation  has  been  bestowed ;  and  facts 
prove  that  to  disown  the  labours  of  all  on  whom 
the  stamp  of  an  organized  Church  has  not  been 
affixed,  would  be  to  fight  against  God.  But 
to  make  such  exceptional  cases  determine  the 
Church's  line  of  procedure,  in  so  solemn  a  matter 
as  the  Gospel  ministry,  would  be  short-sighted 
and  ruinous.  On  the  other  hand,  as  the  tenden- 
cy of  all  churches  is  to  depend,  upon  its  own 
measures  for  providing  qualified  preachers  of  the 
everlasting  Gospel,  it  will  be  our  time  wisdom  to 
drink  in  the  spirit  of  the  Master's  teaching  here — 
that  the  Lord  appoints  His  own  labourers,  and 
for  this  thing  must  be  entreated  of  us  to  do  it 
for  us ;  remembering  that  whatever  be  the  gifts 
which  men  bring  to  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
and  whatever  their  external  success  in  it,  unless 
they  be  of  God's  own  selecting  and  appointing, 
they  have  no  right  to  be  there,  and  ai'e  liable  at 
the  last  to  hear  from  the  lips  of  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  those  awful  words,  I  never  knew  you." 
2.  Did  the  Redeemer,  as  He  beheld  the  multi- 
tudes harassed  and  abandoned,  like  shejiherdless 
sheep,  have  compassion  upon  them,  and  go  out 
in  thought  to  the  vastness  of  the  harvest  to  be 

fathered  in  and  the  fewness  of  the  labourers  to 
o  it ;  and  did  He  call  the  attention  of  His  dis- 
ciples to  this  aff"ecting  state  of  things,  that  they 
might  enter  into  His  own  mind  about  it,  and, 
like  Himself,  carry  the  matter  to  God  for  relief? 
Then,  what  a  model-attitude  for  ourselves  is  here 
held  up  before  us!  Were  the  churches,  and  all 
tlie  true  followers  of  Christ,  to  direct  their  eye 
steadily  mion  the  spiritually  wretched  and  neces- 
sitous condition  of  the  world,  till  their  eye  affect- 
ed their  heart,  and  the  ciy  of  faith  went  up  from 
it  to  God,  to  send  forth  labourers  into  His  har- 
vest, how  speedily  would  the  answer  come,  and 
in  how  rich  a  form !  Nor  would  it  be  confined  to 
the  direct  object  of  their  prayer.  For  He,  whose 
60 


own  very  attitude  in  the  days  of  His  flesh  would 
thus  be  reflected  by  His  believing  people,  would 
set  the  seal  of  His  complacency  upon  them  in  a 
thousand  ways — drying  up  the  fountains  of  dis- 
sension and    separation    and   weakness   amongst 
themselves,  and  drawing  them  into  love  and  con- 
cord and  strength,  to  the  astonishment  of  a  sur- 
rounding world.      Blessed  Jesus,   shall  not  this 
consummation  be  realized  at  length?    "My  soul 
breaketh  for  the  longing  that  it  hath  at  all  times" 
to  see  this  great  sight,  which   we  cannot  doubt 
will  be  fulfilled  in  its  season.     On  the  choice  of 
the   apostles,  we   observe,    3.  That   the   number 
Twelve  was  fixed  on  to  correspond  with  the  num- 
ber of  the  tribes  of   Israel,   as  is  e^ddent  from 
ch.   xix.  28;  as  the  nvimber  of  Seventy,  to  go  on 
a  subsequent  mission  (Luke  x.  1),  had  certainly  a 
reference  to  the  seventy  elders  of  Israel,  on  whom 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  made  to  rest,  that 
they  might  bear  along  with  Moses  the  burden  of 
administration  (Num.  xi.  16,  17,  25).     4  The  rela- 
tionship existing  among  those  Twelve  is  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  facts.     There  were  no  fewer 
than  three  pairs  of  brothers  among  them  :  Andrew 
and  Peter ;  James  and  John ;  James  the  less  and 
Judas,  or  Lebbaeus,  or  Simon  the  Zealot — not  to 
speak  of  the  peculiar  tie  which  bound  Bartho- 
lomew, or  Nathanael,  to  Philii>,  and  the  common 
tie  that  bound  them  all   together  as  disciples — 
probably  the  most  devoted  and  advanced — of  John 
the  Baptist,  and  as  drawn  mostly  from  the  same 
locality.      Reasons    for    all    this    may    easily    be 
imagined;   but  we  here  leave  the  fact  to  speak 
for  itself.     5.    Our    Evangelist    enumerates    the 
T\yelve  in  couples,  with  evident  allusion  to  their 
being  sent  on  this  mission   "by  two  and  two" 
(Mark  vi.  7).      6.  In  all  the  first  three  lists  the 
names  are  arranged  in  three  quaternions,  or  di^n- 
sions  of  four  each.     Nor  can  it  be  doubted  that 
this  has  reference  to  some  distribution  of  them 
by  the  Lord  Himself;  for  in  all  of  them  Philip 
stands  first  in  the  second  qiiaternion — as  in  the 
third,  James   the   son  of  Alpheus.     7.    The  first 
quaternion    evidently    stood     highest    in    order. 
Peter  and  James   and  John,  who  constituted  a 
sacred  trio  in  some  of  the  leading  events  of  our 
Lord's  public  life,  were  at  the  head  of  all ;  Andrew 
being  associated  with  them,  to  make  up  the  first 
quaternion,  not  only  as  being  Peter's  brother,  but 
as  having  been  the  first  to  "bring  him  to  Jesus" 
(John  i.  41,  42).     In  the   lists  of   Matthew  and 
Luke  he  stands  next  after  Peter,  from  connection 
with  him ;  while  in  the  other  two  lists  the  sacred 
trio  stand  first,  the  name  of  Andrew  completing 
that  quaternion.     8.  When  our  Evangelist  says, 
^^  The  first,  Simon" — without  assigning  a  number 
to  any    of    the    rest^while  in    the  other  three 
lists  his  name  stands   first,  as  it  does  here,  the 
evident  design  is  to  hold  forth  his  prominence 
amongst    the   Twelve:    not   as    having    any  au- 
thority above  the  rest — for  not  a  vestige  of  this 
appears   in  the  New  Testament— but  as   mark- 
ing the  use  which  His  Lord  made  of  him  above 
any   of    the  rest ;   for  which    his   qualifications, 
in  spite  of   failings,    stand  out  on  almost  every 
page  of  the  Gospel  History,   and  in  the  earlier 
portion  of  the   Acts   of   the  Apostles.     9.    With 
the  exception  of  the  four  first   names,  the  rest 
are  almost  unknown  in  the  New  Testament ;  and 
the  slight  variety  with  which  they  are  arranged 
in  the  several  lists  shows  the  little  prominence 
with  which  they  were  regarded  for  the  purposes 
of  this  History.      10.    In  all  the  catalogues  the 


Jesus  commissi 071  s 


MATTHEW  X. 


the  apostles  to  preach. 


6  ye   not:    but  -^'go   rather  to   the  ^lost  sheep  of  the   house  of  Israel. 

7  And  '^as  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand. 

8  Heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  lepers,  raise  the  dead,  cast  out  devils :  freely  ye 

9  have  received,  freely  give.     ^  Provide  neither  gold,  nor  silver,  nor  brass  in 

10  your  purses,  nor  scrip  for  your  journey,  neither  two  coats,  neither  shoes, 

11  nor  yet  *  staves;   ^for  the  workman  is  worthy  of  his  meat.     And  into 
whatsoever  city  or  town  ye  shall  enter,  enquire  who  in  it  is  worthy; 

12  and  there  abide  till  ye  go  thence.     And  when  ye  come  into  an  house, 

13  salute  it.     And  if  the  house  be  worthy,  let  your  peace  come  upon  it : 


A.  D.  31. 


Acts  13.  46. 
Isa.  53.  6. 
Eom.  11.  1. 
Luke  9.  2. 
Or,  Get. 
1  Sam.  9.  r. 
a  staff. 
Luke  10.  7. 
1  Cor.  9.  7. 
1  Tim.  5.18. 


name  of  Judas  not  only  stands  last,  but  "  traitor  ^^ 
is  added  to  it  as  a  brand  of  abhorrence;  and  so 
revolting  were  the  associations  connected  with 
his  name,  that  the  beloved  disciple,  in  recording 
a  deeply  interesting  question  put  at  the  last 
supper  by  Judas  to  his  Lord,  hastens  to  explain, 
in  a  sweet  parenthesis,  that  it  was  ''''not  Iscariot" 
that  he  meant  {John  xiv.  22).  11.  How  terrific 
is  the  warning  which  the  case  of  Judas  holds 
forth  to  the  ministers  of  Christ,  not  to  trust  in  any 
gifts,  any  offices,  any  ser\aces,  any  success,  as 
sure  evidence  of  divine  acceptance,  apart  from  that 
"holiness  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord"! 

5-42. — The  Twelve  Receive  their  Instruc- 
tions. This  Directory  divides  itself  into  three 
distinct  parts.  The  first  part — extending  from  vv. 
5  to  15— contains  directions  for  the  brief  and  tem- 
porary mission  on  which  they  were  now  going 
forth,  ■with  respect  to  the  places  they  were  to  go 
to,  the  works  they  were  to  do,  the  message  they 
were  to  bear,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  were 
to  conduct  themselves.  The  second  part — extend- 
ing from  w.  16  to  23-— contains  directions  of  no 
such  limited  and  temporary  nature,  but  opens  out 
into  the  permanent  exercise  of  the  Gospel  minis- 
try. The  third  part — extending  from  vv.  24  to  42 
^s  of  wider  application  still,  reaching  not  only  to 
the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  in  every  age,  but_  to 
the  service  of  Christ  in  the  widest  sense.  It  is  a 
strong  confirmation  of  this  threefold  division,  that 
each  part  closes  with  the  words,  "Verily  I  say 
UNTO  YOU "  (vv.  15,  23,  42). 

Directions  for  the  Present  Mission  (5-15).  5. 
These  twelve  Jesus  sent  forth,  and  commanded 
them,  saying,  Go  not  into  the  way  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  into  any  city  of  the  Samaritans  enter 
ye  not.  The  Samaritans  were  Gentiles  by  blood ; 
but  being  the  descendants  of  those  whom  the 
king  of  Assyria  had  transported  from  the  East  to 
supply  the  place  of  the  ten  tribes  carried  captive, 
they  had  adopted  the  religion  of  the  Jews,  though 
with  admixtures  of  their  own ;  and,  as  the  nearest 
neighbours  of  the  Jews,  they  occupied  a  place  in- 
termediate between  them  and  the  Gentiles.  Ac- 
cordingly, when  this  prohibition  was  to  be  taken 
off,  on  the  effusion  of  the  Spirit  at  Pentecost,  the 
apostles  were  told  that  they  should  be  Christ's 
wtnesses  first  "in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea," 
then  "in  Samaria,"  and  lastly,  "unto  the  utter- 
most part  of  the  earth"  (Acts  i.  8).  6.  But  go 
rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel. 
Until  Christ's  death,  which  broke  down  the  mid- 
dle wall  of  partition  (Eph.  ii.  14),  the  Gospel  com- 
mission was  to  the  Jews  only,  who,  though  the 
visible  people  of  God,  were  "lost  sheep,"  not 
merely  m  tne  sense  in  which  all  sinners  are  (Isa. 
liii  6;  1  Pet.  ii.  25;  with  Luke  xix.  10),  but  as 
abandoned  and  left  to  wander  from  the  right  way 
by  faithless  shepherds,  (Jer.  1.  6,  17;  Ezek.  xxxiv. 
2-6,  &c.)  7.  And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand.  (See  on  ch.  iii.  2.) 
8.  Heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  lepers,  [raise  the 
dead,]  cast  out  devils.  [The  bracketed  clause— 
61 


"raise  the  dead"  —  is  wanting  in  so  many  MSS. 
and  ancient  versions  that  Tischendorf  and  others 
omit  it  altogether,  as  havin»  found  its  way  into 
this  verse  from  ch.  xi.  5.  Griesbach,  Lachmann, 
and  Tregelles  insert  it,  putting  it  before  the  words 
"cleanse  the  lepers,"  which,  if  it  be  genuine,  is  its 
right  place.  But  it  seems  very  improbable  that 
our  Lord  imparted  at  so  early  a  period  this  highest 
of  all  forms  of  supernatm-al  power.]  Here  we 
have  the  first  communication  of  supernatural 
power  by  Christ  Himself  to  his  followers — thus 
anticipating  the  gifts  of  Pentecost.  And  right 
royally  does  he  dispense  it.  freely  ye  have  re- 
ceived, freely  give.  Divine  saying,  divinely  said ! 
(cf.  Deut.  XV.  10,  11 ;  Acts  iii.  bj-^an  apple  of 
gold  in  a  setting  of  silver  (Prov.  xxv.  11).  It 
reminds  us  of  that  other  golden  saying  of  our 
Lord,  rescued  from  oblivion  by  Paul,  "It  is 
more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive"  (Acts 
XX.  35).  Who  can  estimate  what  the  world 
owes  to  such  sayings,  and  with  what  beautiful 
foliage  and  rich  fruit  such  seeds  have  covered,  and 
will  yet  cover,  this  earth !  9.  Provide  neither 
gold,  nor  silver,  nor  brass  in  [eis] — 'for'  your 
purses  [^tt)i/as] — lit.,  'your  belts,'  in  which  they 
kept  their  money.  10.  Nor  scrip  for  your  journey 
— the  wallet  used  by  travellers  for  holding  provi- 
sions— neither  two  coats  [xiTtof  as] — or  tunics,  worn 
next  the  skin.  The  meaning  is,  Take  no  change 
of  dress,  no  additional  articles,  neither  shoes 
— that  is,  change  of  them — nor  yet  staves.  The 
received  text  here  has  ' a  staff'  [pa^tiov],  but  our 
version  follows  another  reading  [pa/3i5oi/s],  '  staves,' 
which  is  foimd  in  the  received  text  of  Luke  (ix.  3). 
The  true  reading,  however,  evidently  is  'a  staff' — 
meaning,  that  they  were  not  to  procure  even  thus 
much  expressly  for  this  missionary  jom-ney,  but  to 
go  with  what  they  had.  Iso  doubt  it  was  the  mis- 
understanding of  this  that  gave  rise  to  the  read- 
ing "staves'  in  so  many  MSS.  Even  if  this 
reading  were  genuine,  it  could  not  mean  'more 
than  one;'  for  who,  as  Alford  well  asks,  would 
think  of  taking  a  spare  staff?  for  the  work- 
man is  worthy  of  his  meat  [tiOoc/jjIs]— his  'food' 
or  'maintenance;'  a  principle  whJchj  being  uni- 
versally recognized  in  secular  affairs,  is  here 
authoritatively  applied  to  the  services  of  the 
Lord's  workmen,  and  by  Paul  repeatedly  and 
touchingly  employed  in  his  ajipeals  to  the  churches 
(Rom.  XV.  27;  1  Cor.  ix.  II;  Gal.  \'i.  6),  and  once 
as  "Scripture"  (1  Tim.  v.  18).  11.  And  Into 
whatsoever  city  or  town  [ttoAii'  ?)  Kwfxi\v\ — 'town 
or  village'  ye  enter  [carefully]  enquire  [efexa- 
o-are]  who  in  it  is  worthy— or  'meet'  to  enter- 
tain such  messengers ;  not  in  point  of  rank,  of 
course,  but  of  congenial  disposition,  and  there 
abide  till  ye  go  thence— not  shifting  about,  as 
if  discontented,  but  returning  the  welcome  given 
them  -wdth  a  courteous,  contented,  accommodating 
disposition.  12.  And  when  ye  come  into  an  house 
— or  'the  house'  \ynv  okiai/],  but  it  means  not  the 
worthy  house,  but  the  house  ye  fiist  enter,  to  try 
if  it  be  worthy,  salute  it — show  it  the  usual 
civilities.     13.  And   if   the    house    be   worthy— 


Jesm  vcarnetTi 


MATTHEW  X. 


of  persecutions. 


15 


16 


14  but  if  it  be  not  worthy,  let  your  peace  return  to  you.  And  whosoever 
shall  not  receive  you,  nor  hear  your  words,  when  ye  depart  out  of  that 
house  or  city,  •^  shake  off  the  dust  of  your  feet.  Verily  I  say  unto  you. 
It  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  the  land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrha  in  the 
day  of  judgment,  than  for  that  city. 

Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves :  ^'be  ye  there- 
17  fore  wise  as  serpents,  and  ^harmless  as  doves.     But  beware  of  men;  for 
they  will  deliver  you  up  to  the  councils,  and  Hhey  will  scourge  you  in 

15  their  synagogues :  and '"ye  shall  be  brought  before  governors  and  kings 

19  for  my  sake,  for  a  testimony  against  them  and  the  Gentiles.  But  when 
they  deliver  you  up,  take  no  thought  how  or  what  ye  shall  speak :  for  "it 

20  shall  be  given  you  in  that  same  hour  what  ye  shall  speak.  For  °it  is  not 
ye  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  wliich  speaketh  in  you. 

21  And  ^the  brother  shall  deliver  up  the  brother  to  death,  and  the  father 
the  child :  and  the  children  shall  rise  up  against  their  parents,  and  cause 

22  them  to  be  put  to  death.     And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's 


A.  D.  31. 


i  Neh.  5.  13. 
Acts  13.  61. 
Acts  18.  C. 
Acts  iO.  20. 

•a. 

*  Gen.  3.  I. 

Luke  21.  1.5. 

Bom.  16.19. 

Eph.  5.  15. 
5  Or,  simple. 

iCor.  14.10. 
'  Acts  5.  40. 
""Acts  12.  1. 

Acts  24.  10. 
"  Ex.  4.  12. 

Jer.  1.  r. 
"  2  Sam.  23.  2. 

Acts  4.  8. 

Acts  6.  10. 
P  Mic.  7.  6. 


showing  this  by  giving  you  a  welcome — let  your 
peace  come  upon  it.  This  is  best  explained  by 
the  injunction  to  the  Seventy,  "And  into  whatso- 
ever house  ye  enter,  first  say.  Peace  be  to  this 
house"  (Luke  x.  5).  This  was  the  ancient  saluta- 
tion of  the  East,  and  it  prevails  to  this  day.  But 
from  the  lips  of  Christ  and  his  messengers,  it 
means  something  far  higher,  both  in  the  gift  and 
the  giving  of  it,  than  in  the  current  salutation. 
(See  on  John  xiv.  27. )  tout  if  it  be  not  worthy, 
let  your  peace  return  to  you.  If  your  peace  finds 
a  shut  instead  of  an  open  door  in  the  heart  of  any 
household,  take  it  back  to  yourselves,  who  know 
how  to  value  it,  and  it  will  taste  the  sweeter  to 
you  for  having  been  offered,  even  though  rejected. 

14.  And  whosoever  shall  not  receive  you,  nor  hear 
your  words,  when  ye  depart  out  of  that  house  or 
city — for  possibly  a  vrhole  towni  miglit  not  furnish 
one  "  worthy",  shake  off  the  dust  of  your  feet 
— "for  a  testimony  against  them,"  as  Mark  and 
Luke  add.  By  this  symbolical  action  they  vividly 
shook  themselves  from  all  connection  with  such, 
and  all  responsibUiUj  for  the  guilt  of  rejecting  them 
and  their  message.  Such  symbolical  actions  were 
common  in  ancient  times,  even  among  others  than 
the  Jews,  as  strikingly  apjiears  in  Pilate  (ch.  xxvii. 
24).     And  even  to  this  day  it  prevails  in  the  East. 

15.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  It  shall  be  more  toler- 
able—more bearable,  for  Sodom  and  Gomorrha 
in  the  day  of  judgment,  than  for  that  city. 
Those  cities  of  the  plain,  which  were  given  to 
the  flames  for  their  loathsome  impurities,  shall 
be  treated  as  less  criminal,  we  are  here  taught, 
than  those  places  which,  though  morally  resjiect- 
able,  reject  the  Gospel  message  and  affront  those 
that  bear  it. 

Directioihs  for  the  Future  and  Permanent  Exercise 
of  the  Christian  Ministry  (16-2,3).  16.  Behold,  I  send 
you  forth.  The  "  I "  here  [Eytb]  is  emphatic,  hold- 
ing up  Himself  as  the  Fountain  of  the  Gospel 
ministry,  as  He  is  also  the  Great  Burden  of  it. 
as  sheep— defenceless,  in  the  midst  of  wolves 
—ready  to  make  a  prey  of  you  (John  x.  12).  To 
be  left  exposed,  as  sheep  to  wolves,  would  have 
been  startling  enough ;  but  that  the  sheep  should 
be  sent  among  the  wolves  would  sound!^  strange 
indeed.  No  wonder  this  announcement  begins 
with  the  exclamation,  "Behold."  be  ye  there- 
fore wise  as  serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves. 
Wonderful  combination  this !  Alone,  the  wisdom 
of  the  serx:)ent  is  mere  cunning,  and  the  harm- 
lessness  of  the  dove  little  better  than  weak- 
ness :  but  in  combination,  the  wisdom  of  the 
serpent  would  save  them  from  unnecessary  ex- 
G2 


^)osure  to  danger;  the  harmlessness  of  the  dove, 
from  sinful  expedients  to  escajie  it.  In  the 
apostolic  age  of  Christianity,  how  harmoniously 
were  these  qualities  displayed!  Instead  of  the 
fanatical  thirst  for  martyrdom,  to  which  a  later 
age  gave  birth,  there  was  a  manly  combina- 
tion of  unflinching  zeal  and  calm  discretion, 
before  which  nothing  was  able  to  stand.  17. 
But  beware  of  men ;  for  they  will  deliver  you  up 
to  the  councils  [arweopidl — the  local  courts,  used 
here  for  civil  magistrates  in  general,  and  they 
will  scourge  you  in  their  synagogues.  By  this  is 
meant  persecution  at  the  hands  of  the  ecclesias- 
tics. 18.  And  ye  shall  be  brought  before  gover- 
nors— or  provincial  rulers,  and  kings — the  high- 
est tribunals — for  my  sake,  for  a  testimony 
against  them  [kOtoT?] — rather,  'to  them,'  in  order 
to  bear  testimony  to  the  truth  and  its  glorious 
effects— and  [to]  the  Gentiles— a  hint  that  their 
message  would  not  long  be  confined  to  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  The  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  are  the  best  commentary  on  these  warn- 
ings. 19.  But  when  they  deliver  you  up,  take  no 
thought — '  be  not  solicitous'  or  '  anxious'  [fin 
fi-epifjivticnTTe].  (See  On  ch.  vL  25.)  how  or  what  ye 
shall  speak — that  is,  either  in  what  manner  ye 
shall  make  your  defence,  or  of  what  matter  it  shall 
consist — for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  that  same 
hour  what  ye  shall  speak.  (See  Exod.  iv.  12 ;  Jer. 
i.  7. )  20.  For  it  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit 
of  your  Father  which  speaketh  in  you.  How  re- 
markably this  has  been  verified,  the  whole  history 
of  persecution  thrillingly  proclaims  —  from  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles  to  the  latest  martyrology. 
21.  And  the  brother  shall  deliver  up  the  brother 
to  death,  and  the  father  the  child :  and  the  chil- 
dren shall  rise  up  against  their  parents,  and 
cause  them  to  be  put  to  death— for  example,  by 
lodging  informations  against  them  Avith  the  author- 
ities. The  deep  and  Aririilent  hostility  of  the  old 
nature  and  life  to  the  new — as  of  Belial  to  Christ 
— was  to  issue  in  awful  wrenches  of  the  dearest 
ties ;  and  the  disciples,  in  the  prospect  of  their 
cause  and  themselves  being  launched  upon  so- 
ciety, are  here  prepared  for  the  worst.  22.  And 
ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake. 
The  universality  of  this  hatred  would  make  it 
evident  to  them,  that  since  it  would  not  be  owing 
to  any  temporary  excitement,  local  virulence,  or 
personal  prejudice,  on  the  part  of  their  enemies, 
so  no  amount  of  discretion  on  their  part,  consis- 
tent with  entire  fidelity  to  the  truth,  would  avail 
to  stifle  that  enmity — though  it  might  soften  its 
violence,   and  in  some  cases  avert  the  outward 


Directions  for  tTie 


MATTHEW  X. 


service  of  Christ. 


23  sake :  'but  he  that  endureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved.  But  '"when  they  per- 
secute you  in  this  city,  flee  ye  into  another :  for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Ye 
shall  not  ^have  gone  over  the  cities  of  Israel,  till  *the  Son  of  man  be  come. 

24  The   disciple  is   not   above  his  master,  nor  the   servant  above  his 

25  lord.  It  is  enough  for  the  disciple  that  he  be  as  his  master,  and 
the  servant  as  his  lord.  If  they  have  called  the  master  of  the  house 
'''Beelzebub,  how  much  more   shall  they  call  them  of  his  household? 

26  Fear  them  not  therefore :  for  there  is  nothing  covered,  that  shall  not  be 

27  revealed;  and  hid,  that  shall  not  be  known.  What  I  tell  you  in  dark- 
ness, that  speak  ye  in  light :  and  what  ye  hear  in  the  ear,  that  preach 

28  ye  upon  the  house-tops.  And  'fear  not  them  which  kill  the  body,  but 
are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul :  but  rather  fear  him  which  is  able  to  destroy 

29  both  soul  and  body  in  hell.     Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  ^farthing? 


A.  D.  31. 

9  Dan.  12.  vz. 

GaL  6.  9. 
*■  Acts  14.  G. 

^  Or,  end, 
or,  finish. 

»  ch.  16.  2S. 
Acts  2.  1. 

7  Beelzebul. 
«  Isa.  8.  12. 

1  Pet.  3.  14. 

8  Halfpenny 
farthing, 
the  tenth 
part  of 
the  Koman 
penny. 


manifestations  of  it.  but  he  that  endureth  to  the 
end  shall  be  saved — a  great  saying,  repeated,  in 
connection  with  similar  warnings,  in  the  prophecy 
of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  (ch.  xxiv.  13) ;  and 
often  reiterated  by  the  apostle  as  a  warning 
against  "drawing  back  unto  perdition."  (Heb, 
iii.  6,  13;  vi.  4-6;  x.  23,  26-29,  .33,  39;  &c.)  As 
"drawing  back  unto  perdition"  is  merely  the 
palpable  evidence  of  the  want  of  "root  "from  the 
first  in  the  Christian  profession  (Luke  viii.  13),  so 
'•  enduring  to  the  end  is  just  the  proper  evidence 
of  its  reality  and  solidity.  23.  But  when  they 
persecute  you  in  this  city,  flee  ye  into  another 
{ell  Ti]v  a\,\j)i/] — 'into  the  other.'  This,  though 
applicable  to  all  time,  and  exemplified  by  our 
Lord  Himself  once  and  again,  had  special  refer- 
ence to  the  brief  opportunities  which  Israel  was 
to  have  of  "knowing  the  time  of  his  visitation." 
for  verily  I  say  unto  you— what  will  startle  you, 
but  at  the  same  time  show  you  the  solemnity  of 
your  mission,  and  the  need  of  economizing  the 
time  for  it — Ye  shall  not  have  gone  over  [nv  /j.fi 
TsXetniTe] — 'Ye  shall  in  nowise  have  completed' 
the  cities  of  Israel,  till  the  Son  of  man  be  come. 
To  understand  this — as  Lange  and  others  do — in 
the  first  instaucCj  of  Christ's  own  peregrinations, 
as  if  He  had  said,  'Waste  not  your  time  upon 
hostile  places,  for  I  myself  will  be  after  you  ere 
your  work  be  over' — seems  almost  trifling.  "The 
coming  of  the  Son  of  man"  has  a  fixed  doctrinal 
sense,  here  referring  immediately  to  the  crisis  of 
Israel's  histoiy  as  the  visible  kingdom  of  God, 
when  Christ  was  to  come  and  judge  it;  when 
"the  wrath  would  come  upon  it  to  the  utter- 
most ;"  and  when,  on  the  ruins  of  Jerusalem  ai\d 
the  old  economy,  He  would  establish  His  own 
khigdom.  This,  in  the  uniform  langiiage  of  Scriii- 
tiu"e,  is  more  immediately  "the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  man,"  "the  day  of  vengeance  of  our  God"  (ch. 
xvi.  28;  xxiv.  27,  34;  with  Heb.  x.  25;  Jas.  v. 
7-9) — but  only  as  being  such  a  lively  anticipation  of 
His  Second  Coming  for  vengeance  and  deliverance. 
So  understood,  it  is  parallel  with  ch.  xxiv.  14  (on 
which  see). 

DirecUon.i  for  the  Sei'vice  of  Christ  in  its  widest 
sense  (24-42).  24.  The  disciple  is  not  above  his 
master  [SiSdcrKaXov] — 'teacher,'  nor  the  servant 
above  his  lord — another  maxim  which  our  Lord 
repeats  in  various  connections  (Luke  vi.  40 ;  John 
xiii.  16;  XV.  20).  25.  It  is  enough  for  the  dis- 
ciple that  he  be  as  his  Master,  and  the  servant 
as  his  Lord.  If  they  have  called  the  master 
of  the  house  Beelzebub.  All  the  Greek  MSS. 
write  "  Beelzebul,"  which  undoubtedly  is  the 
right  form  of  this  word.  The  other  reading  came 
in  no  doubt  from  the  Old  Testament  "Baalzebub," 
the  god  of  Ekron  (2  Ki.  i.  2),  which  it  was  de- 
signed to  express.  As  all  idolatry  was  regarded 
63 


as  devil-worship  (Lev.  xvii.  7;  Deut.  xxxii.  17; 
Ps.  cvi.  37 ;  1  Cor.  x.  20),  so  there  seems  to  have 
been  something  peculiarly  Satanic  about  the  wor- 
ship of  this  hateful  god,  which  caused  his  name 
to  be  a  synonym  of  Satan.  Though  we  noAvhere 
read  that  our  Lord  was  actually  called  "Beel- 
zebid,"  He  was  charged  with  being  in  league  with 
Satan  under  that  hateful  name  (ch.  xii.  24,  26), 
and  more  than  once  Himself  was  charged  with 
"having  a  devil"  or  "demon"  (Mai-k  iii.  30  ;  John 
vii.  20;  viii.  48).  Here  it  is  used  to  denote  the 
most  opprobrious  language  which  could  be  applied 
by  one  to  another,  how  much  more  [shall  they 
call]  them  of  his  household?  [oiMa/coi-s]— '  the  in- 
mates.' Three  relations  in  which  Christ  stands 
to  His  people  are  here  mentioned:  He  is  their 
Teacher — they  His  disciples ;  He  is  their  Lord — 
they  His  servants ;  He  is  the  Master  of  the  house- 
hold—they its  inmates.  In  all  these  relations. 
He  says  here.  He  and  they  are  so  bound  up  to- 
gether that  they  cannot  look  to  fare  better  than 
He,  and  should  thinli  it  enough  if  they  are  no 
worse.  26.  Fear  them  not  therefore:  for  there 
is  nothing  covered,  that  shall  not  be  revealed; 
and  hid,  that  shall  not  be  known : — q.  d. ,  '  There 
is  no  use,  and  no  need,  of  concealing  anything; 
right  and  wrong,  truth  and  error,  are  about  to 
come  into  open  and  deadly  collision  ;  and  the  day 
is  coming  when  all  hidden  things  shall  be  dis- 
closed, everything  seen  as  it  is,  and  every  one 
have  his  due' (1  Cor.  iv.  5).  27.  What  I  tell  you 
in  darkness — in  the  privacy  of  a  teaching  for 
which  men  are  not  yet  ripe — that  speak  ye  in 
the  light— for  when  ye  go  forth  all  will  be  ready — 
and  what  ye  hear  in  the  ear,  that  preach  ye  upon 
the  house-tops :— Give  free  and  fearless  utter- 
ance to  all  that  I  have  taught  you  while  yet 
Avith  you.  Objection:  But  this  may  cost  us  our 
life?  Answer:  It  may,  but  there  their  power 
ends  :  28.  And  fear  not  them  which  kill  the 
body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul.  In  Luke 
xii.  4,  "and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they 
can  do."  but  rather  fear  him — in  Luke  this 
is  peculiarly  solemn,  "  I  Avill  forewarn  you  whom 
ye  shall  fear,"  even  Him  which  is  able  to 
destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell.  A  decisive 
proof  this  that  there  is  a  hell  for  the  body  as 
well  as  the  soul  in  the  eternal  world;  in  other 
words,  that  the  torment  that  awaits  the  lost  will 
have  elements  of  suffering  adapted  to  the  material 
as  well  as  the  spiritual  ^)art  of  our  nature,  both 
of  which,  we  are  assured,  will  exist  for  ever.  In 
the  corresponding  warning  contained  in  Luke, 
Jesus  calls  His  disciples  "  My  friends,"  as  if  He 
had  felt  that  such  sufferings  constituted  a  bond 
of  peculiar  tenderness  between  Him  and  them. 
29.  Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  farthing? 
In  Luke  (xii.  6)  it   is  "Five   sjiarrows    for   two 


Directions  for  the 


LIATTHEW  X. 


service  of  Christ. 


30  and  one  of  them  shall  not  fall  on  the  ground  without  your  Father.     But 

31  "the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.     Fear  ye  not  therefore, 

32  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows.  Whosoever  ^therefore  shall 
confess  me  before  men,  ""liim  will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven.  But  ^whosoever  shall  deny  me  before  men,  him  will  I 
also  deny  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Think  not  that  I  am 
come  to  send  peace  on  earth :  I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword. 
For  I  am  come  to  set  a  man  at  variance  ^against  his  father,  and  the 
daughter  against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter-in-law  against  her 
mother-in-law.  And  a  man's  foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  household. 
He  that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me ;  and 

38  he  that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me.  And 
he  that  taketh  not  his  cross,  and  followeth  after  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me. 

39  He  Hhat  findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it:  and  he  that  loseth  his  life  for  my 

40  sake  shall  find  it.     He  that  receiveth  you,  receiveth  me ;  and  he  that 

41  receiveth  me,  receiveth  him  that  sent  me.  He  ''that  receiveth  a  prophet 
in  the  name  of  a  prophet  shall  receive  a  prophet's  reward;  and  he  that 
receiveth  a  righteous  man  in  the  name  of  a  righteous  man  shall  receive 


33 
34 

35 

36 
37 


A.  D.  31. 

"  Acts  27.  3  J. 

"  Ps.  119.  46. 

Eom.  10.  9. 

1  Tim  6.  12, 
13. 

Eev.  2.  13. 
*"  1  Sam.  2.  30. 

Ch.  25.  34. 

Eev  3.  5. 
"  ch.  26. 70-75. 

Mark  8.  38. 

Luke  9.  26. 

Luke  12.  9. 

2  Tim.  2. 12. 
V  Mic.  7.  6. 

ch.  24. 10. 

Mark  13. 12. 
*  ch  16.  25. 

Luke  17.33. 

John  12.  25. 

Eev.  2.  10. 
"  1  Ki.  17.  10. 

2  KL  4.  8. 


farthings  ;"  so  that,  if  the  purchaser  took  two 
farthings'  worth,  he  got  one  m  addition — of  such 
small  value  were  they,  and  one  of  them  shall 
not  fall  on  the  ground— exhausted  or  killed — 
without  your  Father — "Not  one  of  them  is  for- 
gotten before  God,"  as  it  is  in  Luke.  30.  But  the 
very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  See 
Luke  xxi.  18,  (and  compare  for  the  language  1 
Sam.  xiv.  45 ;  Acts  xxvii.  34).  31.  Fear  ye  not 
therefore,  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many 
sparrows.  Was  ever  language  of  such  simplicity 
felt  to  carry  such  weight  as  tliis  does  ?  But  here 
lies  much  of  the  charm  and  power  of  our  Lord's 
teaching.  32.  Whosoever  therefore  shall  confess 
me  before  men — "despising  the  shame",  him 
will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven — I  will  not  be  ashamed  of  him,  but  will 
own  him  before  the  most  august  of  aU  assemblies. 
33.  But  whosoever  shall  deny  me  before  men, 
him  will  I  also  deny  before  my  Father  which  is 
in  heaven— before  that  same  assembly :  '  He 
shall  have  from  Me  his  own  treatment  of 
Me  on  the  earth.'  But  see  on  ch.  xvL  27.  34. 
Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace  on 
earth :  I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword- 
strife,  discord,  conflict ;  deadly  opposition  between 
eternally  hostile  principles,  penetrating  into  and 
rending  asunder  tlie  dearest  ties.  35.  For  I  am 
come  to  set  a  man  at  variance  against  his  father, 
and  the  daughter  against  her  mother,  and  the 
daughter-in-law  against  her  mother-in-law.  See 
on  Luke  xiL  51-53.  36.  And  a  man's  foes  shall  be 
they  of  his  own  household.  This  saying,  which  is 
quoted,  as  is  the  whole  verse,  from  Mic.  vii.  6,  is 
but  an  extension  of  the  Psalmist's  complaint,  Ps. 
xli.  9;  Iv.  12-14,  which  had  its  most  affecting  illus- 
tration in  tlie  treason  of  Judas  against  our  Lord 
HimseK  (John  xiii.  18 ;  Matt.  xxvL  48;50).  Hence 
would  arise  the  necessity  of  a  choice  between 
Christ  and  the  nearest  relations,  which  would  put 
them  to  the  severest  test.  37.  He  that  loveth 
father  or  mother  more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of 
me;  and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more 
than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me.  Compare  Deut. 
xxxiii.  9.  As  the  preference  of  the  one  would, 
in  the  case  supposed,  necessitate  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  other,  our  Lord  here,  with  a  sub- 
lime, yet  awful  seK-respect,  asserts  His  own 
claims  to  supreme  affection.  38.  And  he  that 
taketh  not  his  cross,  and  followeth  after  me, 
is  not  worthy  of  me — a  saying  which  our  Lord 
64 


once  and  again  emphatically  reiterates  (ch.  xvi. 
24 ;  Luke  ix.  23 ;  xiv.  27).  We  have  become  so 
accustomed  to  this  exjjression — "taking  up  one's 
cross "  —  in  the  sense  of  '  being  prepared  for 
trials  in  general  for  Christ's  sake,'  that  we  are 
apt  to  lose  sight  of  its  primary  and  proper  sense 
here — '  a  preparedness  to  go  forth  even  to  cruci- 
fixion,' as  when  our  Lord  had  to  bear  His  own 
cross  on  His  way  to  Calvary — a  saying  the  more 
remarkable  as  our  Lord  had  not  as  yet  given  a 
hint  that  He  would  die  this  death,  nor  was  cruci- 
fixion a  Jewish  mode  of  capital  punishment.  39. 
He  that  findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it:  and  he 
that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it — 
another  of  those  pregnant  sayings  which  our  Lord 
so  often  reiterates  (ch.  xvi.  25;  Luke  xvii.  33; 
John  xiL  25).  The  pith  of  such  i^aradoxical 
maxims  depends  on  the  double  sense  attached  to 
the  word  "  life"^ — a  lower  and  a  higher,  the  natural 
and  the  spiritual,  the  temporal  and  eternal.  An 
entire  sacrifice  of  the  lower,  with  all  its  relation- 
ships and  interests — or,  which  is  the  same  thing, 
a  willingness  to  make  it — is  indispensable  to  the 
fireservation  of  the  higher  life ;  and  he  who  can- 
not bring  himself  to  surrender  the  one  for  the 
sake  of  the  other  shall  eventually  lose  both.  40. 
He  that  receiveth— or  '  entertaineth '  you,  re- 
ceiveth me ;  and  he  that  receiveth  me,  receiveth 
him  that  sent  me.  As  the  treatment  which  an 
ambassador  receives  is  understood  and  regarded  as 
expressing  the  light  in  which  he  that  sends  him 
is  viewed,  so,  says  our  Lord  here,  '  Your  authority 
is  mine,  as  mine  is  my  Father's.'  41.  He  that  re- 
ceiveth a  prophet — one  divinely  commissioned  to 
deliver  a  message  from  heaven.  Predicting  futiu-e 
events  was  no  necessary  part  of  a  prophet's  office, 
especially  as  the  word  is  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, in  the  name  of  a  prophet— for  his  otfice' 
sake  and  love  to  his  Master.  (See  2  Kings  iv.  9, 
10. )  shall  receive  a  prophet's  reward.  What  an 
encouragement  to  those  \vho  are  not  prophets! 
(See  3  John  5-8. )  and  he  that  receiveth  a  right- 
eous man  in  the  name  of  a  righteous  man — from 
sympathy  with  his  character  and  esteem  for  him- 
self as  such,  shall  receive  a  righteous  man's 
reward — for  he  must  himself  have  the  seed  of 
righteousness  who  has  any  real  sympathy  with 
it  and  complacency  in  him  who  possesses  it.  42. 
And  whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of 
these  little  ones.  Beautiful  epithet!  originally 
taken  from  Zecli.  xiii.  7.     The  reference  is  to  their 


The  reward  of 


MATTHEW  XI. 


Christian  benevolence. 


42  a  righteous  man's  reward.  And  ^whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto 
one  of  these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only  in  the  name  of  a  dis- 
ciple, verily  I  say  unto  you,  '^he  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  reward. 

11  AND  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  made  an  end  of  commanding  his 
twelve  disciples,  he  departed  thence,  to  teach  and  to  preach  in  their 
cities. 


A.  D.  31. 


Ch.  25.  40. 
Mark  9.  42. 
Heb.  6.  10. 
Prov.  24  14. 
Luke  6.  35. 


lowliness  in  spirit,  their  littleness  in  the  eyes  of  an 
imdisceruing  world,  while  high  in  Heaven's  esteem. 
a  cup  of  cold  water  only— meaning,  the  smallest 
service,  in  the  name  of  a  disciple — or,  as  it  is 
in  Mark  (ix.  41),  because  ye  are  Christ's  [XpicrTou 
6(7T6] :  from  love  to  Me,  and  to  him  from  his  con- 
nection with  Me,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  lie  shall 
in  no  wise  lose  Ms  reward.  There  is  here  a  de- 
scending climax — "  a  prophet,"  "a  righteous  man," 
"a  little  one;"  signifying  that  however  low  we 
come  down  in  our  services  to  those  that  are 
Christ's,  all  that  is  done  for  His  sake,  and  that 
bears  the  stamp  of  love  to  His  blessed  name, 
shall  be  divinely  appreciated  and  owned  and  re- 
warded. 

BemarJcs.—l.  It  is  a  manifest  abuse  of  the  direc- 
tions here  given  for  this  first,  hasty  and  temporary, 
mission  {vv.  5-15),  to  take  them  as  a  general  Direc- 
tory for  the  missionaries  of  Christ  in  all  time  and 
under  all  circumstances.  The  cessation  of  those 
miraculous  credentials  with  which  the  Twelve 
were  furnished  for  this  present  Mission,  might 
surely  convince  Christian  men  that  the  directions 
for  such  a  mission  were  not  intended  to  be  liter- 
ally followed  by  the  missionaries  of  the  Cross  in 
all  time.  Even  our  Lord  Himself  did  not  act  on 
the  sti-ict  letter  of  these  directions,  having  for 
needful  uses,  as  Luther  (in  Stier)  quaintly  says — 
"money,  bag,  and  bread-baskets  too."  It  is  true 
that  one  or  two  servants  of  Christ,  in  the  course  of 
an  age,  are  found,  who,  in  a  spirit  of  entire  self- 
abnegation,  consecrate  themselves  to  works  of 
Christian  philanthropy  without  wealth  or  other 
ordinary  resom-ces,  and  yet  not  only  obtain  enough 
to  maintain  them  in  their  work,  but  the  means  of 
extending  it  beyond  all  anticipation,  and  that  for 
a  long  series  of  years,  or  even  a  life-time.  But  the 
interest  and  admu-ation  which  such  cases  draw 
forth  throughout  the  Christian  world  shows  them 
to  be  exceptional  illustrations  of  answer  to  prayer, 
and  childlike  confidence  in  working  the  work  of 
God,  rather  than  the  normal  character  of  the  work 
of  His  Idngdom.  At  the  same  time,  the  servants 
of  Christ  will  do  well  to  imbibe  the  spirit  of  these 
first  directions — in  simplicity  of  purpose  and  su- 
lieriority  to  fastidious  concern  about  their  per- 
sonal comfort;  in  energy  also,  and  alacrity  in 
prosecuting  their  work :  taking  as  their  motto 
that  golden  maxim,  "Freely  ye  have  received, 
freely  give;"  yet  "not  casting  their  pearls  before 
swine,"  but  acting  on  the  principle  that  the  rejec- 
tion of  their  message  is  an  affront  put  upon  their 
Master,  rather  than  themselves.  2.  Though  the 
vast  change  which  the  Gospel  has  produced  upon 
Christendom  is  apt  to  make  men  think  that  our 
Lord's  statements,  here  and  elsewhere,  of  the  uni- 
versal hatred  with  which  Christians  would  be  re- 
garded, have  become  inapplicable,  we  are  never  to 
forget  that  the  hostility  He  speaks  of  is  a  hostility 
of  unchangeable  2^rinciples;  and  that  although  the 
imfaithfulness  and  timidity  of  Christians,  on  the 
one  hand,  may  so  compromise  or  keep  in  the  back- 
ground those  principles  which  the  world  hates,  or 
on  the  other  hand,  the  world  itself  may  from 
various  causes  be  restrained  from  manifesting  that 
hatred,  yet,  whenever  and  wherever  the  light  and 
the  darkness,  Christ  and  Behal,  are  brought  face 
to  face  in  vivid  juxtaposition,  there  will  the  eternal 
VOL.   V.  65 


and  irreconcileable  opposition  of  tlie  one  to  the 
other  appear.  3.  How  vastly  greater  would  be 
the  influence  of  Christians  upon  the  world  around 
them  if  they  were  more  studious  to  combine  the 
wisdom  of  the  serpent  with  the  harmlessness  of 
the  dove!  We  have  Christians  and  Christian 
ministers  who  i)ride  themselves  upon  theu'  know- 
ledge of  the  world,  and  the  shrewdness  with  which 
they  conduct  themselves  in  it ;  while  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  dove  is  almost  entirely  in  abeyance. 
Even  the  world  can  discern  this,  and,  discerning 
it,  despise  those  who  to  all  appearance  are  no  bet- 
ter than  others,  and  yet  jjretend  to  be  so.  But  on 
the  other  hand,  there  are  Christians  and  Christian 
ministers  who  have  the  harmlessness  of  the  dove, 
but  being  totally  void  of  the  wisdom  of  the  ser- 
pent, carry  no  weight,  and  even  expose  themselves 
and  their  cause  to  the  contempt  of  the  world. 
0  that  the  followers  of  the  Lamb  would  lay  this 
to  heart !  4  What  weighty  inducements  to  siififer 
unflinchingly  for  the  Gospel's  sake  are  here  pro- 
vided !  Such  as  do  so  are  no  worse  ofl'  than  their 
Master,  and  may  rest  assured  of  His  sympathy  and 
support,  in  a  furnace  which  in  His  own  case  was 
heated  seven  times.  And  what  though  their  life 
should  be  taken  from  them  for  Jesus'  sake?  The 
power  of  their  enemies  ceases  there ;  whereas  He 
whose  wrath  they  incui"  by  selling  their  conscience 
to  save  life  is  able  to  cast  both  soul  and  body  into 
hell-fire.  (See  on  Mark  ix.  43-48.)  God's  suffering 
childi-en  are  unspeakably  dear  to  Him;  their 
every  trial  in  His  service  is  full  before  Him ;  and 
their  coiu-age  in  confessing  the  name  of  Jesus  will 
be  rewarded  by  the  confession  of  their  name 
amidst  the  solemnities  and  the  splendom-s  of  the 
great  day:  whereas  a  faithless  denial  of  Clmst 
here  will  be  followed  by  the  indignant  and  open 
denial  of  such  by  the  Judge  from  His  great  white 
throne.  5.  When  Jesus  here  demands  of  His  fol- 
lowers a  love  beyond  all  that  is  found  in  the 
tenderest  relations  of  life,  and  pronounces  all 
who  withhold  this  to  be  unworthy  of  Him,  He 
makes  a  claim  which,  on  the  part  of  any  mere 
creature,  would  be  wicked  and  intolerable,  and 
in  Him  who  honoured  the  Father  as  no  other  on 
earth  ever  did,  is  not  to  be  imagined,  if  He  had 
not  been  "the  Fellow  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 
6.  It  is  an  abuse  of  the  duty  of  disinterestedness 
in  religion  to  condemn  all  reference  to  our  own 
future  safety  and  blessedness  as  a  motive  of 
action.  For  what  have  we  here,  as  the  conclu- 
sion of  this  lofty  Directory,  but  an  encouragement 
to  entertain  His  servants,  and  welcome  His  people, 
and  do  offices  of  kindness,  however  small,  to  the 
humblest  of  His  disciples,  by  the  emphatic  assiu'- 
ance  that  not  the  lowest  of  such  offices  shall  go 
unrewarded?  And  shall  not  Christians  be  stimu- 
lated to  lay  themselves  thus  out  for  Him  to  whom 
they  owe  their  all  ? 

CHAP.  XL  1-19.— The  Imprisoned  Baptist's 
Message  to  his  Master— The  Reply,  and  Dis- 
course, ON  the  Departure  of  the  Messengers, 

REGARDING  JOHN   AND   HIS   MiSSION.   (=:LukeviJ. 

18-35.) 

1.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  made 
an  end  of  commanding  his— rather,  '  the'  twelve 
disciples,  he  departed  thence  to  teach  and  to 
preacli  in  their  cities.    This  was  scarcely  a  fourth 


Christ's  testimony 


MATTHEW  XL 


cr.:icern'tng  John. 


2       Now  "when  John  had  heard  ''in  the  prison  the  workis  oi  Christ,  he  sent 
;-'  two  of  his  disciples,  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  "he  that  should  come, 

4  or  do  we  look  for  another?     Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Go  and 

5  show  John  again  those  things  which  ye  do  hear  and  see:  the  ''blind  re- 
ceive their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the 
deaf  hear,  tlie  dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  'poor  have  the  Gospel  preached 

0  to  them.     And  blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall  not  be  -^offended  in  me. 

7  And  ^as  they  departed,  Jesus  began  to  say  unto  the  multitudes  con- 
cerning John,  What  went  ye  out  into  the  wilderness  to  see?    A  reed 

8  shaken  with  the  wind  ?  But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  A  man  clothed 
in  soft  raiment?    Behold,  they  that  wear  soft  clothing  are  in  kings' 

9  houses.     But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see?   A  prophet?  yea,  I  say  unto 

10  you,  '^and  more  than  a  prophet.  For  this  is  he,  of  whom  it  is  wTitten, 
^Behold,  I  send  my  messenger  before  thy  face,  which  shall  prepare  thy 

11  way  before  thee.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  Among  them  that  are  born  of 
women  there  hath  not  risen  a  greater  than  John  the  Baptist ;  notwith- 
standing he  that  is  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than  he. 

12  And  ■''frora  the  days  of  John  the  Baptist  until  now  the  kingdom  of 
18  heaven  ^ suffereth  violence,  and  the  violent  take  it  by  force.     For  ^'all 

1 4  the  Prophets  and  the  Law  prophesied  until  John.     And  if  ye  will  receive 

15  it,  this  is  ^Elias,  wliich  was  for  to  come.     He  '"that  hath  ears  to  hear, 

16  let  him  hear.     But  ''whereunto  shall  I  liken  this  generation?    It  is  like 

1 7  unto  children  sitting  in  the  markets,  and  calling  unto  their  fellows,  and 
saying.  We  have  piped  unto  you,  and  ye  have  not  danced ;    we  have 

18  mourned  unto  you,  and  ye  have  not  lamented.     For  John  came  neither 

19  eating  nor  drinking,  and  they  say.  He  hath  a  devil.  The  Son  of  man 
came  eating  and  drinking,  and  they  say,  Behold  a  man  gluttonous,  and 
a  wine-bibber,  "a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners.  '^But  Wisdom  is  justi- 
fied of  her  children. 

20  Then  ''began  he  to  upbraid  the  cities  wherein  most  of  his  mighty  works 

2 1  ware  done,  because  they  repented  not :  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin !  woe 
unto  thee,  Bethsaida !  for  if  the  mighty  works  which  were  done  in  you 
had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon,  they  would  have  repented  long  ago 


A.  D.  31. 

•*  Luke  7.  !8. 
ft  ch.  14.  3. 
"=  Gen.  49.  ;o. 

Num.  24.1 7. 

Dan  9.  24. 

Mai.  3.  1-3. 
fJ  Ii5a  29.    S. 

Isa   35.  4. 

Isa.  42  7. 
"  Ps.  22.  2fi. 

Isa.  fii.  1. 

Luke  4.  18. 

Jas  2.  .5. 
/  Isa.  8. 14. 

ch.  13.  .W. 

ch.  24.  10. 

ch   26.  31. 

Pom    9.  32. 

1  Cor.  1.  23. 

1  Cor.  2.  14. 

CaL  .5  11. 

1  Pet.  2.  8. 
»  Luke  7.  24. 
'1  Luke  1.  7G. 
■  Mai  3.  1. 

Mark  1.  2. 
}  Luke  16  If). 
1  Or,  i.s  got- 
ten by 

force,  and 

th-y  that 

thrust 

men. 
*  Mai.  4.  0. 
'  Mai.  4.  h. 

ch.  17.  12. 

Luke  1.  17. 

John  1.  n. 
'"Kev.  2.  7. 
»  Luke  7.  31. 
"  ch.  9.  10. 
P  PhU.  2.  15. 
1  Lnke'O.    ?.. 


circuit — if  we  may  jud^e  from  tlie  less  formal  way  i 
in  which  it  is  expressed— but,  perhaps,  a  set  of  i 
visits  paid  to  certain  places,  either  not  reached  at 
all,  or  too  rajiidly  passed  through  before,  in  order 
to  fill  up  the  time  till  the  return  of  the  Twelve. 
As  to  their  labours,  nothing  is  said  of  them  by 
our  Evangelist.  But  Luke  (ix.  6)  says,  "They 
departed,  and  went  through  the  towns"  {Kwfiai], 
or  'villages,'  "  preaching  the  Gospel,  and  healing 
everywhere."  Mark  (vi.  12,  13),  as  usual,  is  more 
explicit :  "  And  they  went  out,  and  preached  that 
men  should  repent.  And  they  cast  out  many 
devils  (or  'demons'),  and  anointed  with  oil  many 
that  were  sick,  and  healed  them."  Thoug:h  this 
"  anointing  with  oil"  was  not  mentioned  in  our 
Lord's  instructions — at  least  in  any  of  the  records 
of  them — we  know  it  to  have  been  practised  long 
after  this  in  the  apostolic  Church  (see  Jas.  v.  14, 
and  compare  Mark  vi.  12, 13) — not  medicinally,  but 
as  a  sign  of  the  healing  virtue  which  was  com- 
municated by  their  hands,  and  a  symbol  of  some- 
thing still  more  precious.  It  was  unction,  indeed, 
but,  as  Bengel  remarks,  it  was  something  very 
different  from  what  Romanists  call  extreme 
unction.  He  adds,  what  is  very  probable, 
that  they  do  not  appear  to  have  carried  the  oil 
about  with  them,  but,  as  the  Jews  used  oil  as 
a  medicine,  to  have  employed  it  just  as  they 
found  it  with  the  sick,  in  their  own  higher 
way. 
2.  Now  -wlien  John  had  heard  in  the  prison. 

m 


For  the  account  of  this  imprisonment,  see  on  Mark 
vi.   17-20.    the  -works  of  Christ,  he  sent,  &c.    Ou 
the  whole  passage,  see  on  Luke  vii.  18-3^5. 
20-30.  -  Outburst  of  Feeling,  suggested  to 

THE     MIND     OF     JeSUS    BY     THE    RESULT    OF    HiS 

LABOURS  IN  Galilee. 

The  connection  of  this  with  what  goes  before  it, 
and  the  similarity  of  its  tone,  makes  it  evident, 
we  think,  that  it  was  delivered  on  the  same  occa- 
sion, and  that  it  is  but  a  new  and  more  compre- 
hensive series  of  reflections  in  the  same  strain.  _ 
20.  Then  began  he  to  upbraid  the  cities  wherein 
most  of  his  mighty  works  were  done,  because 
they  repented  not:  21.  Woe  unto  thee,  Chora- 
zin!— not  elsewhere  mentioned,  but  it  must  have 
lain  near  Capernaum,  woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida! 
['~|'5  and  'T'^',  '  hunting'  or  'fishing-house' — 'a  fish- 
ing station'] — on  the  western  side  of  the  sea  of 
(xalilee,  and  to  the  north  of  Capernaum;  the 
birth-place  of  three  of  the  apostles — the  brothers 
Andrew  and  Peter,  and  Philip.  These  two  cities 
appear  to  be  sinded  out  to  denote  the  whole  region 
in  which  they  lay — a  region  favoured  with  the 
Redeemer's  presence,  teaching,  and  works  above 
every  other,  for  if  the  mighty  works  [al  5vva- 
/ifis]— 'the  miracles'  which  were  done  in  yoii 
had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon — ancient 
and  celebrated  commercial  cities,  on  the  north- 
eastern shores  of  the  Mediterranean  sea,  lying 
north  of  Palestine,  and  the  latter  the  northern- 
most.    As  their  wealth  and  jirosiierity  engeudered 


Christ  itphraidetJi  the 


MATTHEW  XL 


impen Hen ce  of  Caper na inn. 


22  '"in  sackcloth  and  ashes.     But  I  say  unto  you,  It  shall  be  more  tolerable 

23  for  Tyre  and  Sidon  at  the  day  of  judgment,  than  for  you.  And  thou, 
Capernaum,  *  which  art  exalted  unto  heaven,  shalt  be  brought  down  to 
hell :  for  if  the  mighty  works,  which  have  been  done  in  thee,  had  been 

24  done  in  Sodom,  it  would  have  remained  until  this  day.  But  I  say  unto 
you,  That  it  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  the  land  of  Sodom  in  the 
day  of  jiidgment,  than  for  thee. 

25  At  that  time  Jesus  answered  and  said,  I  thank  thee,  0  Father,  Lord  of 
heaven  and  earth,  because  *thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and 

26  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes.     Even  so.  Father ;  for  so  it 

27  seemed  good  in  thy  sight.  All  "things  are  delivered  unto  me  of  my 
Father :  and  no  man  knoweth  the  Son,  but  the  Father ;  ^neither  knoweth 
any  man  the  Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  will 


A.  D.  31. 


luxury  and  its  concomitant  evils — irreligion  and 
moral  degeneracy — their  overthrow  was  repeatedly 
foretold  in  ancient  i^rophecy,  and  once  and  again 
fulfilled  by  victorious  enemies.  Yet  they  were 
rebuilt,  and  at  this  time  were  in  a  flourishing 
condition,  they  would  have  repented  long  ago 
in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  Remarkable  language, 
showing  that  they  had  done  less  violence  to  con- 
science, and  so,  in  God's  sight,  were  less  criminal 
than  the  region  here  spoken  of.  22.  But  I  say  un- 
to you.  It  shall  be  more  tolerable— more  'endur- 
able,' for  Tjrre  and  Sidon  at  the  day  of  judgment, 
than  for  you.  23.  And  thou,  Capernaum  (see  on 
eh.  iv.  1.3),  which  art  exalted  unto  heaven.  Not 
even  of  Chorazin  and  Eothsaida  is  this  said.  For 
since  at  Capernaum  Jesus  had  His  stated  abode 
during  the  whole  period  of  His  public  life  which 
He  spent  in  Galilee,  it  was  the  most  favoured  spot 
upon  earth,  the  most  exalted  in  privilege,  shalt 
be  brought  down  to  hell :  for  if  the  mighty  works, 
which  have  been  done  in  thee,  had  been  done 
in  Sodom — destroyed  for  its  pollutions,  it  would 
have  remained  until  this  day— having  done  no 
such  violence  to  conscience,  and  so  incurred  un- 
speakably less  guilt.  24.  But  I  say  unto  you,  That 
it  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  the  land  of  Sodom 
in  the  day  of  judgment,  than  for  thee.  '  It  has 
been  indeecl,'  says  Z>»'.  Stanley,  'more  tolerable,  in 
one  sense,  in  the  day  of  its  earthly  judgment,  for 
the  land  of  Sodom  than  for  Capernaum:  for  the 
name,  and  perhaps  even  tlie  remains,  of  Sodom 
are  still  to  be  found  on  the  shores  of  the  Dead  Sea ; 
whilst  that  of  Capernaum  has.  on  the  Lake  of 
Gennesareth,  been  utterly  lost.  But  the  judg- 
ment of  which  our  Lord  here  speaks  is  still  future; 
a  judgment  not  on  material  cities,  but  their  respon- 
sible inhabitants— a  judgment  final  and  irretriev- 
able. 

25.  At  that  time  Jesus  answered  and  said. 
We  are  not  to  understand  by  this,  that  the  prex-i- 
ous  discourse  had  been  concluded;  and  that  this 
is  a  record  only  of  something  said  about  the  same 
period.  For  the  connection  is  most  close,  and  the 
word  "answered" — which,  when  there  is  no  one 
to  answer,  refers  to  something  just  before  said, 
or  rising  in  the  mind  of  the  speaker  in  conse- 
quence of  something  said — confirms  this.  What 
Jesus  here  "answered"  evidently  was  the  melan- 
choly results  of  His  ministry,  lamented  over  in 
the  foregoing  verses.  It  is  as  if  He  had  said, 
'  Yes  ;  but  there  is  a  brighter  side  of  the  picture : 
even  in  those  who  have  rejected  the  message  of 
eternal  life,  it  is  the  pride  of  their  own  hearts  only 
which  has  blinded  them,  and  the  glory  of  the 
truth  does  but  the  more  appear  in  their  inability 
to  receive  it:  Nor  have  all  i-ejected  it  even  here; 
souls  thirsting  for  salvation  have  drawn  water 
with  joy  from  the  wells  of  salvation ;  the  weary 
67  '  ^ 


have  found  rest;  the  hungry  have  been  filled 
with  good  things,  while  the  rich  have  been  sent 
empty  away.'  I  thank  thee  rEJo/x-oXoyoO/uac 
(tol\ — rather,  'I assent  to  thee.'  But  this  is  not 
strong  enough.  The  idea  of  ''fidV  or  'cordial' 
concurrence  is  conveyed  by  the  jireposition  ['Eg]. 
The  thing  expressed  is  adoring  acquiescence,  holy 
satisfaction  with  that  law  of  the  divine  procedure 
about  to  be  mentioned.  And  as,  when  He  after- 
wards uttered  the  same  words,  He  "exulted  in 
spirit"  (see  on  Luke  x.  21),  probably  He  did  the 
same  now,  though  not  recorded.  0  Father,  Lord 
of  heaven  and  earth.  He  so  styles  His  Father 
here,  to  signify  that  from  Him  of  right  emanate  all 
such  high  arrangements,  because  thou  hast  hid 
these  things — the  knowledge  of  these  saving 
truths — from  the  wise  and  prudent  [(ro4>S>v  kcu 
(xvv£Tuw\  The  former  of  these  terms  points  to  the 
men  who  pride  themselves  upon  their  speculative 
or  philosojjhical  attainments ;  the  latter  to  the 
men  of  worldly  shrewdness — the  clever,  the  sharp- 
witted,  the  men  of  affairs.  The  distinction  is  a 
natural  one,  and  was  well  understood.  (See  1  Cor. 
i.  19;  &c.)  But  why  had  the  Father  hid  from 
such  the  things  that  belonged  to  their  peace,  and 
why  did  Jesus  so  emphatically  set  His  seal  to 
this  arrangement?  Because  it  is  not  for  the 
offending  and  revolted  to  speak  or  to  specu- 
late, but  to  listen  to  Him  from  whom  we  nave 
broken  loose,  that  we  may  learn  whether  there 
be  any  recovery  for  us  at  all ;  and  if  there  be,  on 
what  principles — of  what  nature — to  what  ends. 
To  bring  our  own  "  wisdom  and  prudence"  to  sucli 
questions  is  impertinent  and  presumptuous ;  and 
if  the  truth  regarding  them,  or  the  glory  of  it, 
be  "hid"  from  us,  it  is  but  a  fitting  retribution, 
to  which  all  the  right-minded  ■R'ill  set  their 
seal  along  with  Jesus.  But,  Thou  hast  revealed 
them  unto  babes — to  babe-like  men ;  men  of  un- 
assuming docility,  men  who,  conscious  that  they 
know  nothing,  and  have  no  right  to  sit  in  judg- 
ment on  the  things  that  belong  to  their  peace, 
determine  simply  to  "  hear  what  God  the  Lord 
will  speak."  Such  are  well  called  "babes."  (See 
Heb.  V.  13;  1  Cor.  xiii.  11;  xiv.  2(.);  &c.)  26. 
Even  so.  Father;  for  so  it  seemed  good  [eWohi'a] 
— the  emphatic  and  chosen  term  for  expressing 
any  object  of  divine  complacency ;  whether  Christ 
Himself  (see  on  ch.  iii.  17)  or  God's  gracious  eter- 
nal arrangements  (see  on  Phil.  ii.  13) — in  thy 
sight.  This  is  just  a  sublime  echo  of  the  foregoing 
words ;  as  if  Jesus,  when  He  uttered  them,  had 
paused  to  reflect  on  it,  and  as  if  the  glory  of  it — 
not  so  much  in  the  light  of  its  own  reasonableness 
as  of  God's  absolute  will  that  so  it  should  be — had 
filled  His  soul.  27.  All  things  are  delivered  unto 
me  of  my  Father.  He  does  not  say,  They  are 
revealed — as  to    one  who   knew   them   not,  and 


Gracious  offer  of 


T^IATTHEW  XI. 


rest  to  the  weary. 


28  reveal  him.     Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and 

29  I  will  give  you  rest.      Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  ^and  learn  of  me; 
for  I  am  meek  and  ^  lowly  in  heart :  and  ^ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your 

30  souls.     For  ^my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light. 


A.  D.  31. 

«"  1  John  2.  6. 
*  Zech.  9.  9. 
"  Jer.  6.  16. 
'  1  John  5.  3. 


was  an  entire  stran^r  to  them  save  as  they  were 
discovered  to  him— but,  They  are  '  delivered  over ' 
\TrapeS6d})\,  or  'committed,'  to  me  of  my  Father; 
meaning  the  whole  administration  of  the  king- 
dom of  grace.  So  in  John  iii.  35,  "The  Father 
loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  His 
hand"  (see  on  that  verse).  Bnt  though  the  "all 
things  "  in  both  these  passages  refer  properly  to  the 
kingdom  of  grace,  they  of  course  include  all  things 
necessary  to  the  full  execution  of  that  trust— that 
is,  unlimited  power.  (So  ch.  xxviii.  18 ;  John  xvii. 
2;  Eph.  i.  22.)  and  no  man  knoweth  the  Son, 
tut  the  Father;  neither  knoweth  any  man  the 
Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the 
Son  will — or  'willeth'  |j3ouX?)xai]  to  reveal  him. 
What  a  saying  is  this,  that  'the  Father  and  the 
Son  are  mutually  and  exclusively  known  to  each 
other!'  A  higher  claim  to  equality  with  the 
Father  cannot  be  conceived.  Either,  then,  we 
have  here  one  of  the  most  revolting  assumptions 
ever  littered,  or  the  proper  Divinity  of  Christ 
should  to  Christians  be  beyond  dispute.  _  'But 
alas  for  me ! '  may  some  burdened  soul,  sighing 
for  relief,  here  exclaim.  If  it  be  thus  with  us, 
what  can  any  poor  creature  do  but  lie  down  in 
passive  despair,  unless  he  could  dare  to  hope  that 
he  may  be  one  of  the  favoured  class  '  to  whom 
the  Son  is  willing  to  reveal  the  Father'  ?  But  nay. 
This  testimony  to  the  sovereignty  of  that  gracious 
"  will,"  on  which  alone  men's  salvation  depends, 
is  designed  but  to  reveal  the  source  and  enhance 
the  glory  of  it  when  once  imparted— not  to  para- 
lyze or  shut  the  soul  up  in  despair.  Hear,  ac- 
cordingly, what  follows :  28.  Come  unto  me,  all 
ye  that  "labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest.  Incomparable,  ravishing  sounds 
these— if  ever  such  were  heard  in  this  weary, 
groaning  world!  What  gentleness,  what  sweet- 
ness is  there  in  the  very  style  of  the  invitation 
^'Hither  to  Me'  [Aeuxe  'wpoi  Me]:  and  in  the 
words,  'All  ye  that  toil  and  are  biirdened'  [ol  ko- 
TLuivTcs  Kal  irecpopTLcrfieiioL],  the  universal  wi'etch- 
edness  of  man  is  depicted,  on  both  its  sides — the 
active  and  the  passive  forms  of  it.  29.  Take  my 
yoke  upon  you — the  yoke  of  subjection  to  Jesus — 
and  learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart:  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls. 
As  Christ's  willinmess  to  empty  Himself  to  the 
uttermost  of  His  Father's  requirements  \yas  the 
spring  of  ineffable  repose  to  His  own  spirit,  so  in 
the  same  track  does  He  invite  all  to  follow  Him, 
with  the  assurance  of  the  same  experience.  30. 
For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light. 
Matchless  paradox,  even  amongst  the  paradoxi- 
cally couched  maxims  in  which  our  Lord  delights  ! 
That  rest  which  the  soul  experiences,  when  once 
safe  under  Christ's  Aving,  makes  all  yokes  easy,  all 
biu-dens  light. 

Remarhs. — 1.  Perhaps  in  no  Section  of  this  won- 
derful History  is  the  veil  so  fully  lifted  from  the 
Redeemer's  soul,  and  His  inmost  thoughts  and 
deepest  emotions  more  affectingly  disclosed,  than 
here.  When  we  think  how  much  more  profoimd 
and  acute  must  have  been  His  sensibilities  than 
any  other's — from  the  unsullied  puritjr  of  His 
natiu-e  and  the  vast  reach  of  His  perceptions — we 
may  understand,  in  some  degree,  what  "a  Man 
of  sorrows  "  He  must  have  been,  and  how  "ac- 
quainted with  grief  "—to  see  His  Person  shghted. 
His  eri'and  misapprehended,  and  His  message 
68 


rejected,  in  the  very  region  on  which  He  be- 
stowed the  most  of  His  presence  and  the  richest 
of  His  labours.  Even  in  ancient  prophecy  we 
find  Him  exclaiming,  "I  have  laliourecl  in  vain, 
I  have  spent  My  strength  for  nought  and  in  vain;" 
and  fallmg  back  upon  this  affecting  consolation, 
that  there  was  One  that  knew  Him,  and  was  the 
Judge  of  His  doings: — "Yet  surely  my  judgment 
is  with  the  Lord,  and  my  work  with  my  God" 
(Isa.  xlix.  4).  But,  as  Ave  turn  to  the  bright  side 
of  the  picture,  who  can  fathom  the  depth  of  that 
exultant  complacency  with  which  His  eye  rested 
upon  those  "babes"  into  whose  souls  streamed 
the  light  of  God's  salvation,  and  with  which  He 
set  His  seal  to  that  law  of  the  divine  procedure 
in  virtue  of  which  this  was  done,  while  from  the 
self-sufficient  it  was  hidden !  And  after  thus 
seeming  to  wrap  Himself  and  His  Father  up  from 
all  human  penetration,  save  of  some  favoured 
class,  what  ineffable  joy  must  it  have  been  to  His 
heart  to  disabuse  the  anxious  of  such  a  thought, 
by  giving  forth  that  most  wonderful  of  all  invita- 
tions, "Come  unto  Me!"  &c.  These  are  some  of 
the  lights  and  shadows  of  the  Piedeemer's  life  on 
earth ;  aud  what  a  reality  do  they  impart  to  the 
Evangelical  Narrative  —  what  resistless  attrac- 
tion, what  heavenly  sanctity !  2.  Let  those  who, 
under  the  richest  ministrations  of  the  word  of 
life,  "repent  not,"  but  live  on  unrenewed  in  the 
spirit  of  their  minds,  remember  the  doom  of  the 
cities  of  Galilee — executed  in  part,  but  in  its  most 
dread  elements  yet  to  come— and  rest  assured 
that  at  the  judgment-day  the  degree  of  guilt  will 
be  estimated,  not  by  the  flagrancy  of  outward 
transgression,  but  by  the  degree  oi  violence  ha- 
bitually offered  to  the  voice  of  conscience — the 
extent  to  which  light  is  quenched  and  con^dc- 
tion  stifled.  (See  on  Luke  xii.  47,  48.)  Ah! 
blighted  Chorazin,  Bethsaida,  Ca]3ernaum — who, 
and  more  particularly  what  pastor,  can  wander 
over  that  region  somewhere  in  which  ye  once 
basked  in  the  very  sunshine  of  Heaven's  light,  as 
no  other  spots  on  earth  ever  did,  and  not  enter 
thrilling]  y  into  the  poet's  soliloquy, — 

"  These  days  are  past— Bethsaida,  where? 
Choriizin,  where  art  tliou? 
Uis  tent  the  wild  Arab  pitches  there, 
The  wild  reed  shades  thy  brow. 

"Tell  me,  ye  moulderine  frafrments,  tell. 
Was  the  Saviour's  city  here? 
Lifted  to  heaven,  has  it  sunk  to  hell. 
With  none  to  shed  a  tear? 

"  Ah!  would  my  flock  from  tlice  might  leorn 
How  days  of  grace  will  tiee; 
How  all  an  offered  Christ  who  spurn 
Shall  mourn  at  last  like  thee."'— M'Chkyne. 

3.  If  it  be  true  that  "  no  man  knoweth  the  Son 
but  the  Father,"  how  unreasonable  is  it  to  meas- 
ure the  statements  of  Scripture  regarding  the 
Person  and  work  of  Christ  by  the  limited  stand- 
ard of  human  apprehension — rejecting,  modifying, 
or  explaining  away  whatever  we  are  unable  fully 
to  comprehend,  even  though  clearly  expressed  in 
the  oracles  of  God !  Nay,  in  the  light  of  what  our 
Lord  here  says  of  it,  are  not  the  difficulties  just  what 
might  have  been  expected  ?  4  Let  those  who  set 
the  soA'ereignty  of  divine  gi-ace  in  opposition  to 
the  freedom  and  responsibility  of  the  human  will 
— rejecting  now  the  one  and  now  the  other,  as 
if    they  were    irreconcileable — take    the    rebuke 


Jesus  reprotcth 


MATTHEW  XII. 


the  Pharisees. 


12      AT  that  time  "Jesus  went  on  the  sabbath  day  through  the  corn;  and 
his  disciples  were  an  hungered,  and  began  to  pluck  the  ears  of  corn,  and 

2  to  eat.     But  when  the  Pharisees  saw  it,  they  said  unto  him.  Behold,  thy 

3  disciples  do  that  which  is  not  lawful  to  do  upon  the  sabbath  day.     But 
he  said  unto  them.  Have  ye  not  read  ''what  David  did,  when  he  was  an 

4  hungered,  and  they  that  were  with  him ;  how  he  entered  into  the  house 


A.  D.  31. 


CHAP.  12. 
"  Deut.23.25. 

Mark  2.  23. 

Luke  6.  1. 
6  Ex.  25.  30. 

1  Sam.  21.6. 


■^ 


which  our  Lord  here  gives  them.  For  while 
nowhere  is  there  a  more  exiilicit  declaration  than 
here  of  the  one  doctrine — That  the  saving  know- 
ledge of  the  Father  de^jends  absolutely  on  the 
sovereign  "will"  of  the  Son  to  impart  it;  yet 
nowhere  is  there  a  brighter  utterance  of  the  other 
also — That  this  knowledge,  and  the  rest  it  brings, 
is  open  to  all  who  will  come  to  Christ  for  it,  and 
that  all  who  sigh  for  rest  unto  their  souls  are 
freely  invited,  and  will  be  cordially  welcomed, 
under  Christ's  wing.  5.  But  Whose  voice  do  I 
hear  in  this  incomparable  Invitation?  Moses  was 
the  divinely  commissioned  lawgiver  of  Israel,  but 
I  do  not  find  him  speaking  so ;  nor  did  the  chief- 
est  of  the  apostles  presume  to  speak  so.  But  that 
is  saying  little.  For  no  human  lips  ever  ventured 
to  come  within  any  measurable  approach  to  such 
language.  We  could  fancy  one  saying — We  might 
say  it  and  have  said  it  ourselves — 'Come,  and  I 
will  show  you  where  rest  is  to  be  found.'  But 
here  the  words  are,  "  Come  unto  Me,  and  I  will 
GIVE  YOU  BEST."  To  give  repose  even  to  one 
wearj%  burdened  soul — much  more  to  all  of  every 
age  and  every  land — what  mortal  ever  undertook 
this?  what  creature  is  able  to  do  it?  But  here 
is  One  M'ho  undertakes  it,  and  is  conscious  that  He 
has  power  to  do  it.  It  is  the  voice  of  my  Beloved. 
It  is  not  the  syren  voice  of  the  Tempter,  coming 
to  steal  away  our  hearts  from  the  living  God — it 
loould  be  that,  if  the  spokesman  were  a  creature — 
but  it  is  the  Only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full 
of  grace  and  truth;  and  in  calling  so  lovingly, 
"  Come  hither  to  Me,"  He  is  but  wooing  us  back 
to  that  blessed  Bosom  of  the  Father,  that  origi- 
nal and  proper  home  of  the  heart,  from  which 
it  is  our  misery  that  we  were  ever  estranged.  6. 
As  the  source  of  all  unrest  is  estrangement  from 
God,  so  the  secret  of  true  and  abiding  repose  is 
that  of  the  prodigal,  who,  when  at  length  he  came 
to  say,  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father,"  straight- 
way "arose  and  went."  But  as  Jesus  is  the  way, 
and  the  truth,  and  the  life  of  this  return,  so  in 
suJijection  to  Jesus — as  Himself  was  in  absolute 
sulyection  to  His  Father — is  the  heart's  true  rest. 
When  "  the  love  of  Christ  constrains  us  to  live 
not  unto  om-selves,  but  unto  Hiin  who  died  for 
us,  and  rose  again ;"  when  we  enter  into  His 
meekness  and  lowliness  of  heart  who  "made 
Himself  of  no  rei)utation,"  and  "pleased  not 
Himself"  in  anything,  but  His  Father  in  every- 
thing— then,  and  only  then,  shall  we  find  rest 
unto  our  souls.  Whereas  those  who  chafe  with 
restless  discontent  and  ambition  and  self-seeking 
are  "  like  the  troubled  sea  when  it  cannot  rest, 
whose  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt."  7.  Al- 
though the  Fathers  of  the  Church  were  not  wrong 
in  calling  the  Fourth  Gospel,  'the  spiritual  Gos- 
pel  [to  TTvevfxaTiKou],  in  contradistinction  to  the 
First  Three,  which  they  called  'the  corporeal' 
ones  [tu  crto/iaTtKa] — striving  thus  to  express 
the  immensely  higher  platform  of  vision  to 
which  the  Fourth  lifts  us-^yet  is  it  the  same 
glorious  Object  who  is  held  in  aU  the  Four ;  and 
while  the  Fourth  enshrines  some  of  its  most  di- 
vine and  spiritual  teachings  in  a  framework  of 
exquisitely  concrete  historical  fact,  the  First 
Three  rise  at  times — as  Matthew  here,  and  Luke 
in  the  corresponding  passage  (x.  21,  22) — into  a 
69 


region  of  pure  Joannean  thought ;  insomuch  that 
on  reading  the  last  six  verses  of  this  Section,  we 
seem  to  be  reading  out  of  the  'spiritual'  Gospel, 
In  fact,  it  is  all  corporeal  and  all  spiritual ;  only, 
the  one  side  was  committed  peculiarly  to  the 
First  Three  Evangelists,  "by  the  same  Spirit;" 
the  other,  to  the  Fourth  Evangelist,  "by  the 
same  Spirit" — "but  all  these  worketh  that  one 
and  the  self-same  Spirit,  dividing  to  every  man 
severally  as  He  will." 

CHAP.  Xn.  1-8. — Plucking  Corn-ears  on 
THE  Sabbath  day.  (  =  Mark  ii.  23-28 :  Luke  vi. 
1-5.) 

The  season  of  the  year  when  this  occurred  is 
determined  by  the  event  itself.  Ripe  corn-ears 
are  only  found  in  the  fields  just  before  harvest. 
The  barley  harvest  seems  clearly  intended  here, 
at  the  close  of  our  March  and  beginning  of  our 
Ai)riL  It  coincided  with  the  Passover-season,  as 
the  wheat  harvest  with  Pentecost.  But  in  Lidie 
(vi.  1)  we  have  a  still  more  definite  note  of  time,  if 
we  could  be  certain  of  the  meaning  of  the  pecu- 
liar term  which  he  employs  to  express  it.  "It 
came  to  pass  (he  says)  on  the  sabbath,  which  was 
the  first-second"  [o-a/S/JaTw  SevTepoirpuiTw] — for  that 
is  the  proper  rendering  of  the  word,  and  not  "the 
second/  sabbath  after  the  fu-st,"  as  in  our  version. 
Of  the  various  conjectures  what  this  may  mean, 
that  of  Scaliqer  is  the  most  approved,  and,  as  we 
think,  the  freest  from  difficulty,  namely,  '  the 
first  sabbath  after  the  second  day  of  the  Pass- 
over;' that  is,  the  fiLrst  of  the  seven  sabbaths 
which  were  to  be  reckoned  from  the  second  day  of 
the  Passover,  which  was  itseK  a  sabbath,  until 
the  next  feast,  the  feast  of  Pentecost  (Lev.  xxiii. 
15,  16;  Dent.  xvi.  9,  10).  In  this  case,  the  day 
meant  by  the  Evangelist  is  the  first  of  those  seven 
sabbaths  intervening  between  Passover  and  Pen- 
tecost. And  if  we  are  right  in  regarding  the 
"feast"  mentioned  in  John  v,  1  as  a  Passover,  and 
consequently  the  second  dnring  our  Lord's  piublic 
ministry  (see  on  that  passage),  this  plucking  of  the 
ears  of  corn  must  have  occiuu-ed  immediately  after 
the  scene  and  the  Discourse  recorded  in  John 
v.,  which,  doubtless,  would  induce  ^our  Lord  to 
hasten  His  departure  for  the  north,  to  avoid  the 
MTath  of  the  Pharisees,  which  He  had  kindled  at 
Jerusalem.  Here,  accordingly,  we  find  Him  in 
the  fields— on  His  way  probably  to  Galilee.  1.  At 
that  time  Jesus  went  on  the  sabbath  day 
through  the  corn— "the  corn  fields"  (Mark  ii.  23; 
Luke  vi.  1).  and  his  disciples  were  an  hungered 
— not  as  one  may  be  before  his  regular  meals ;  but 
evidently  from  shortness  of  provisions ;  for  Jesus 
defends  their  plucking  the  corn-ears  and  eating 
them  on  the  plea  of  necessity,  and  began  to  pluck 
the  ears  of  corn,  and  to  eat — "rubbing  them 
in  their  hands"  (Luke  vi.  1).  2.  But  when  the 
Pharisees  saw  it,  they  said  unto  him,  Behold, 
thy  disciples  do  that  which  is  not  lawful  to  do 
upon  the  sabbath  day.  The  act  itself  was  ex- 
pressly permitted  (Deut.  xxiii.  25).  But  as  being 
servile  work,"  which  was  prohibited  on  the 
sabbath  day,  it  was  regarded  as  sinfuL  3.  But  he 
said  unto  them,  Have  ye  not  read — or  as  Mai^k 
has  it,  "Have  ye  never  read" — what  David  did 
(1  Sam.  xxi.  1-6),  when  he  was  an  hungered,  and 
they  that  were  with  him ;  4.  How  he  entered  into 


Christ  healeth 


MATTHEW  XII. 


the  withered  hand. 


of  God,  and  did  eat  "^the  sliowbread,  wliicli  was  not  lawful  for  him  to  eat, 

5  neither  for  them  which  were  with  him,  '^but  only  for  the  priests?  _  Or 
have  ya  not  read  in  the  *Law,  how  that  on  the  sabbath  days  the  priests 

6  in  the  temple  profane  the  sabbath,  and  are  blameless  ?     But  I  say  unto 

7  you.  That  in  this  place  is  one  -'"greater  than  the  temple.     But  if  ye  had 
known  what  this  meaneth,  I  ^will  have  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice,  ye  would 

8  not  have  condemned  the  guiltless.     For  the  ^  Son  of  man  is  Lord  even 
of  the  sabbath  day. 

9  And  'when  he  was  departed  thence,  he  went  into  their  synagogue : 
10  And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  which  had  his  hand  withered.     And  they 

asked  him,  saying,  ■^'Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the  sabbath  days?  that  they 


A.  D.  31. 


■  Ex.  26.  30. 

Lev.  24.  5. 

i  Kx.  29.  32. 

Lev.  .8.  31. 

'  Num.  28.  9. 

John  7.  22. 

■  2  Chr.  6.  18. 
Hag.  2.  7.  9. 

'  Hos.  6.  6. 
'  Dan.  7.  13. 

JNlark  3.  1. 

Luke  13. 14. 

Luke  14.  3. 


tlie  house  of  God,  and  did  eat  the  showbread, 
which  was  not  lawful  for  him  to  eat,  neither  for 
them  which  were  with  him,  hut  only  for  the 
priests?     No    example    could  be  more  apposite 
tliau  this.     The  man  after  God's  owii   heart,  of 
whom  the  Jews  ever  boasted,  when  suffering  in 
God's  cause  and  straitened  for  j)ravisions,  asked 
and  obtained  from  the  high  pi-iest  what,  according 
to  the  law,  it  was   illegal  for  any  one  save  the 
jiriests  to  touch.     Mark  (il  26)  says  this  occurred 
"  in  the  days  of  Abiathar  the  high  priest. "  But  this 
means  not  during  his  high  priesthood — for  it  was 
mider  that  of  his  father  Ahimelech — but  simply, 
in  his  time.     Ahimelech  was  soon  succeeded  by 
Abiathar,  whose  connection  with  Da\dd,  and  pjro- 
minence  dm-ing  his  reign,  may  account  for  his  name, 
rather  than    his  father  s,  being  here  introduced. 
Yet  there  is  not  a  little  confusion  in  what  is  said 
of  these  priests  in  different  jiarts  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment.    Thus  he  is  called  both  the  sou  and  the 
father  of  Ahimelech  (1  Sam.  xxii.  20;  2  Sam.  viiL 
17) ;  and  Ahimelech  is  called  Ahiah  (1  Sam.  xiv. 
3),  and  Ahimelech  (1  Chr.   xviii.  16).     5.  Or  have 
ye  not  read  in  the  Law,  how  that  on  the  sahhath 
days  the  priests  in  the  temple  profane  the  sah- 
bath — by  doing  "  servile  work," — and  are  blame- 
less?    The    double    offerings    requii-ed    on    the 
sabbath  day  (Num.  xxviiL  9)  could  not  be  pre- 
sented, and  the  new -baked  showbread  (Lev.  xxiv. 
5;  1  Chr.  ix.  32)  could  not  be  prepared  and  i)re- 
sented  every  sabbath  morning,   without  a  good 
deal  of  servile  woi-k  on  the  part  of  the  ju-iests ; 
not  to  speak  of  cucmucision,  which,  when  the 
child's  eighth  day  happened  to  fall  on  a  sabbath, 
had  to  be  performed  by  the  priests  on  that  day. 
(See  on  John  vii.  22,  23.)    6.  But  I  say  unto  you. 
That  in  this  place  is  one  greater  {ixeiX^wv]  than 
the  temple^or  rather,  according  to  the  reading 
which    is    best    supported    [jueT^oi/],     '  something 
gi-eater.'    The  argument  stands  thiis:  'The  ordi- 
nary rules  for  the  observance  of  the  sabbath  give 
■way  before  the  requu-ements  of  the  temple;  but 
there  are  rights  here  before  which  the   temple 
itself  must  give  way.'    Thus  iudii-ectly,  but  not 
tlie  less  decidedly,  does  our  Lord  put  in  His  own 
claims  to  consideration  in  this  question — claims  to 
be  presently  put  in  even  more  nakedly.     7.  But  if 
ye  had  known  what  [this]  meaneth,  I  will  have 
mercy,  and  not  sacrifice,  (Hos.  vi.  6 ;  Mic.  vi.  6-S, 
&c.)    See  on  ch.  ix.  13.    ye  would  not  have  con- 
demned the  guiltless: — q.  d.,  '  Had  ye  understood 
the  great  principle  of  all  rehgion,  which  the  Scrip- 
ture everywhere  recognizes — that  ceremonial  ob- 
servances must  give  way  before  moral  duties,  and 
particularly  the  necessities  of  nature — ye  would 
have    refrained   from    these  captious  complaints 
against  men  who  in  this  matter  are  blameless.' 
But  our  Lord  added  a  specific  application  of  this 
great  principle  to  the  law  of   the  sabbath,   pre- 
served only  in  Mark:  "And  he  said  unto  them, 
the  sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for 
7d 


the  sabbath"  (Mark  ii.  27).  A  glorious  and  far- 
reaching  maxim,  alike  for  the  permanent  estab- 
lishment of  the  sabbath  and  the  true  freedom  of 
its  observance.  8.  For  the  Son  of  man  is  Lord 
[even]  of  the  sabbath  day.  [The  bracketed  word 
"even" — kuI — should  not  be  in  the  text,  as  the 
overwhelming  weight  of  authority  against  it 
shows.]  In  what  sense  now  is  the  Son  of  man  Lord 
of  the  sabbath  day  ?  Not  sm-ely  to  abolish  it — that 
surely  were  a  strange  lordship,  especially  just 
after  saying  that  it  was  made  or  instituted 
[eyeVe-ro]  for  MAN — but  to  own  it,  to  interpret  it,  to 
preside  over  it,  and  to  ennoble  it,  by  merging  it  in 
"the  Lord's  I)ay"  (Rev.  i.  10),  breathing  into  it 
an  ail'  of  liberty  and  love  necessarily  imknowu 
before,  and  thus  making  it  the  nearest  resem- 
blance to  the  eternal  sabbatism. 

Beinarkti. — 1.  How  affecting  are  the  glimjises,  of 
which  this  is  one,  which  the  Gospel  History  fur- 
nishes of  the  straitened  cii-cumstances  into  which 
once  and  again  om-  Lord  foimd  Himself  in  the  dis- 
charge of  His  imblic  work !  Doubtless,  He  whose 
is  every  beast  of  the  forest,  and  the  cattle  upon  a 
thousand  hills,  could  have  easily  and  simply  sup- 
l^lied  Him,  or  sent  "twelve  legions  of  ant^els"  to 
minister  to  Him.  But  He  did  not ;  pai-tly,  that 
we  might  know  how  "  poor  He  who  was  rich  for 
our  sakes  became,  tliat  we  through  His  ]ioverty 
might  be  rich,"  and  jiartly,  no  doubt,  to  give 
Him  an  experimental  taste  of  His  people's  and 
His  servants'  sti-aits,  and  thus  assure  them  of 
His  sjTiipathy  with  them,  and  ability  to  succour 
them.  2.  How  valuable  is  an  intelHgent  and 
ready  familiarity  with  Scriptiue,  when  beset  by 
the  temptations  of  Satan  (see  on  ch.  iv.  3,  &c. ) 
and  the  cavils  of  capitious  men!  3.  How  miser- 
able a  thing  is  a  slavish  adherence  to  the  letter  of 
Scripture,  which  usually  the  closer  it  is  occasions 
only  a  wider  departure  from  its  siiirit !  4.  How 
can  the  teaching  of  this  Section  be  made  to  agree 
with  the  theory  of  the  temjiorary  and  local  char- 
acter of  the  sabbath-law,  and  its  abrogation  imder 
the  Gospel?    (See  on  Koim  xiv.  6.) 

9-21.  The  Healing  of  a  Withered  Hand  on 
THE  Sabbath  day,  and  Retirement  of  Jesus 
TO  AVOID  DANGER.  (  =  Mark  iiL  1-12;  Luke  vL 
6-11.) 

Healinu  of  a  Withered  Hand  (9-14).  9.  And 
when  he  was  departed  thence — but  "  on  another 
sabbath"  (Luke  \i.  6),  he  went  into  their 
synagogue —  "  and  taught."  He  had  now,  no 
doubt,  arrived  in  Galilee;  but  this,  it  would 
ai>pear,  did  not  occur  at  Capernaum,  for  after  it 
was  over  He  "  withdrew  HimseK,"  it  is  said,  "<w 
the  sea"  (Mark  iii.  7),  whereas  Capernaum  was  a< 
the  sea.  10.  And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  which 
had  his  hand  withered — disabled  by  paralysis  (as 
1  Kings  xiii.  4).  It  was  his  right  hand,  as  Luke 
gi-aphically  notes.  And  they  asked  him,  saying. 
Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the  sabbath  days?  that 
they  might  accuse  him.    Mattlicw  and  Luke  say 


Jesus  retires  to 


MATTHEW  XII. 


arold  danger. 


11 


might  accuse  liim.  And  he  said  unto  them,  What  man  shall  there  be 
among  you  that  shall  have  one  sheep,  and  ^if  it  fall  into  a  pit  on  the 
sabbath  day,  will  he  not  lay  hold  on  it,  and  lift  it  out  ?  How  much  then 
is  a  man  better  than  a  sheep?  Wherefore  it  is  lawful  to  do  well  on  the 
sabbath  days.  Then  saith  he  to  the  man,  Stretch  forth  tlune  liand. 
And  he  stretched  it  forth ;  and  it  was  restored  whole,  like  as  the  other. 
Then  Hlie  Pharisees  went  out,  and  ^heid  a  council  against  hiui,  how 
they  might  destroy  him. 

But  when  Jesus  '"  knew  it,  "  he  withdrew  himself  from  thence :    and 
IG  great  multitudes  followed  him,  and  he  healed  them  all;  and  charged 

17  them  that  they  should  not  make  him  known:  that  "it  might  be  fulfilled 

18  which  was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  i)rophet,  saying,  Behold  ^my  servant, 
whom  I  have  chosen ;  my  beloved,  in  whom  my  soul  is  well  pleased :  I 
will  put  '^my  Spirit  upon  him,  and  he  shall  show  judgment  to  the  Gen- 

19  tiles.     He  shall  not  strive,  nor  cry;  neither  shall  any  man  hear  his  voice 

20  in  the  streets.     A  'bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break,  and  smoking  flax 


12 


13 


14 


15 


A.  D.  31. 


*•'  Ex.  23.  4. 

Deut.  22.  4. 
'  Mark  3.  6. 

Luke  6.  11. 

John  5.  18. 

John  10.  39. 

John  11.  63. 
1  Or,  took 

counsel. 
"'  Heb.  4.  13. 

Ps.  139.  2. 
"  Mark  3.  7. 
"  Kum,  23.19. 

Isa.  49.  6,  G. 

Isa.  52.  13. 
V  Isa.  42.  1. 

ch.  3.  16. 
«  Isa.  61. 1. 

ch.  11.  28. 
''  Isa.  40.  11. 


they  "  watched  Him  whether  He  would  heal  on 
the  sabbath  day."  They  were  now  come  tlie 
length  of  dogging  His  steps,  to  collect  materials  for 
a  charge  of  impiety  against  Him.  It  is  probable 
that  it  was  to  their  thoughts  rather  than  their 
words  that  Jesus  addi-essed  Himself  in  what  fol- 
lows. 11.  And  lie  said  unto  them,  What  man 
shall  there  be  among  you  that  shall  have  one 
sheep,  and  if  it  fall  into  a  pit  on  the  sabbath 
day,  will  he  not  lay  hold  on  it,  and  lift  it  out  ? 
12.  How  much  then  is  a  man  better  than  a 
sheep?  Hesistless  appeal!  "A  righteous  man 
regardeth  the  life  of  his  beast''  (Pro v.  xii.  10), 
and  would  instinctively  rescue  it  from  death  or 
suffering  on  the  sabbath  day ;  how  much  more 
Ids  nobler  fellow-man.  But  the  reasoning,  as  given 
in  the  other  two  Gospels,  is  singularly  striking: 
'■  But  He  knew  their  thoughts,  and  said  to  the  man 
which  had  the  withered  hand.  Rise  up,  and  stand 
forth  in  the  midst.  And  he  arose  and  stood  forth. 
Then  said  Jesus  unto  them,  I  will  ask  you  one 
thing;  Is  it  lawful  on  the  sabbath  days  to  do 
good,  or  to  do  evil?  to  save  life  or  to  destroy  it?" 
(Luke  vi.  8,  9)  or  as  in  Mark  (iii.  4)  "to  kUl?"  He 
thus  shuts  them  up  to  tliis  startling  alternative : 
'  Not  to  do  good,  when  it  is  in  the  i)Ower  of  our 
hand  to  do  it,  is  to  do  evil ;  not  to  save  life,  when 
we  can,  is  to  kill' — and  must  the  letter  of  the 
sabbath-rest  be  kept  at  this  e.xpense?  This 
unexiiected  thrust  shut  their  mouths.  By  this 
great  ethical  i)rinciple  our  Lord,  we  see,  held 
Himself  bound,  as  Man.  But  here  we  must 
turn  to  Mark,  whose  graphic  details  make  the 
second  Gospel  so  exceedingly  precious.  "  When 
He  had  looked  round  about  on  them  with  anger, 
being  grieved  for  the  hardness  of  their  hearts. 
He  saith  unto  the  mau"  (Mark  iii.  5).  This  is 
one  of  the  very  few  passages  in  the  Gospel  His- 
tory which  reveal  our  Lord's  feelings.  How 
holy  this  anger  was,  appears  from  the  "  grief" 
which  mingled  with  it  at  "  the  hardness  of  their 
hearts."  13.  Then  saith  he  to  the  man,  Stretch 
forth  thine  hand.  And  he  stretched  it  forth — 
the  power  to  obey  going  forth  with  the  word  of 
command,  and  it  was  restored  whole,  like  as 
the  other.  The  x^oor  man,  liaving  faith  in  this 
wonderful  Healer — which  no  doubt  the  whole 
scene  would  singularly  help  to  strengthen — dis- 
legarded  the  proud  and  venomous  Pharisees,  and 
thus  gloriously  put  them  to  shame.  14.  Then  the 
Pharisees  went  out,  and  held  a  council  against 
him,  how  they  might  destroy  him.  This  is  the 
first  explicit  mention  of  their  murderous  designs 
against  our  Lord.  Luke  (vi.  11)  says  "they  were 
71 


filled  with  madness,  and  communed  one  \vith 
another  what  they  might  do  to  Jesus."  But  their 
doubt  was  not,  whether  to  get  rid  of  Him,  but  livw 
to  compass  it.  Mark  (iii.  G),  as  usual,  is  more 
definite :  "  The  Pharisees  went  forth,  and  straight- 
way took  coimsel  with  the  Herodians  against 
Him,  how  they  might  destroy  Him."  These  Hero- 
dians were  supporters  of  Herod's  dynasty,  created 
by  Cffisar— a  political  rather  than  religious  jiarty. 
The  Pharisees  regarded  them  as  untrue  to  their 
religion  and  country.  But  here  we  see  them  com- 
bining together  against  Christ,  as  a  common  enemy. 
So  on  a  subsequent  occasion,  Matt.  xxii.  15,  IG. 

Jesus  Betires  to  Avoid  Danger  (15-21).  15.  But 
when  Jesus  knew  it,  he  withdrew  himself  from 
thence—whither,  our  Evangelist  says  not;  but 
Mark  (iii.  7)  says  "it  was  to  the  sea" — to  some 
distance,  no  doubt,  from  the  scene  of  the  miracle, 
the  madness,  and  the  plotting  just  recorded,  and 
great  multitudes  followed  him,  and  he  healed 
them  all.  Mai-k  gives  the  following  interesting 
details :  "A  great  multitude  from  Galilee  followetl 
Him,  and  from  Judea,  and  from  Jerusalem,  and 
from  Idumea,  and  from  beyond  Jordan ;  and  they 
about  Tyre  and  Sidon,  a  great  multitude,  when 
they  had  heard  what  great  things  he  did,  came  unto 
Him.  And  he  spake  to  His  disciples,  that  a  small 
shii)"— or  'wherry'  [■TrXuLapiov] — "should  wait  on 
Him  because  of  the  multitude,  lest  they  should 
throng  Him.  For  He  had  healed  many  ;  insomuch 
tiiat  they  pressed  upon  Him  for  to  touch  Him,  as 
many  as  had  plagues.  And  unclean  spirits,  when 
they  saw  Him,  fell  down  before  Him,  and  cried, 
saymg.  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God.  And  He  straitly 
charged  them  that  they  should  not  make  Hiiii 
known"  (Mark  iii.  7-12).  How  glDrious  this  ex- 
torted homage  to  the  Son  of  God!  But  as  this 
was  not  the  time,  so  neither  were  they  the  fitting 
preachers,  as  Bengel  says.  (See  on  Mark  i.  25, 
and  cf.  Jas.  ii.  19.)  Coming  back  now  to  our 
Evangelist :  after  saying  "  He  healed  them  all," 
he  continues,  16.  And  charged  them— the  healed 
—that  they  should  not  make  him  known.  (See 
on  ch.  viii.  4)  17.  That  it  might  be  fulfilled 
which  v/as  spoken  by  Esaias  the  prophet,  say- 
ing (Isa.  xhi.  1),  18.  Beheld  my  servant,  whom 
I  have  chosen;  my  beloved,  in  whom  my  soul 
is  well  pleased :  I  will  put  my  Spirit  upon  him, 
and  he  shall  show  judgment  to  the  Gentiles. 
19.  He  shall  not  strive,  nor  cry;  neither  shall 
any  man  hear  his  voice  in  the  streets.  20.  A 
bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break,  and  smoking 
fiax  shall  he  not  quench,  till  he  send  forth 
Judgment  unto  victory—"  uuto  truth,"  says  the 


A  blind  and  dumb 


MATTHEW  XIL 


demoniac  healed. 


21  shall  he  not  quench,  till  he  send  forth  judgment  unto  victory.     And  in 
his  name  shall  the  Gentiles  trust. 

22  Then  Vas  brought  unto  him  one  possessed  with  a  devil,  blind  and 
dumb:  and  he  healed  him,  insomuch  that  the  bhnd  and  dumb  both 

23  spake  and  saw.     And  all  the  people  were  amazed,  and  said.  Is  not  this 


A.  D.  31. 


'   Ch.  9.  32. 

Mark  3.  11. 
Mark  9.  17. 
Luke  11. 14. 


Hebrew  original,  and  the  LXX.  also.  But  our 
Evangelist  merely  seizes  the  spirit,  instead  of 
the  letter  of  the  prediction  in  this  point.  The 
grandeur  and  comijleteness  of  Messiah's  victories 
would  prove,  it  seems,  not  more  wonderful  than 
the  unobtrusive  noiselessness  with  which  they 
were  to  be  achieved.  And  whereas  one  rough 
touch  will  break  a  bruised  reed,  and  quench  the 
flickering,  smoking  flax,  His  it  should  be,  with 
matchless  tenderness,  love,  and  skill,  to  lift  up  the 
meek,  to  strengthen  the  weak  hands  and  confirm 
the  feeble  knees,  to  comfort  all  that  mourn,  to  say  to 
them  that  are  of  a  fearful  heart.  Be  strong,  tear 
not.  21.  And  in  Ms  name  shall  the  Gentiles 
trust.  Part  of  His  present  audience  were  Gentiles 
— from  Tyre  and  Sidon- -first-fruits  of  the  great 
Gentile  harvest,  contemplated  in  the  prophecy. 

Remarks. — 1.  Did  Christians  habitually  act  on 
the  great  principle  by  which  our  Lord  held  Him- 
self bound — that  to  neglect  any  opportimity  of 
doing  good  is  to  do  evil — what  a  different  face 
would  the  Cluu'ch,  and  society,  and  even  the 
Avorld  at  large,  soon  put  on !  And  shall  not  we 
who  write,  and  we  who  read  or  hear  these 
things,  strive  prayerfully  for  ourselves  to  act  upon 
it  ?  2.  What  a  picture  of  finely-balanced  sensibi- 
lities have  we  in  the  emotions  of  "anger"  and 
"grief"  which  the  conduct  of  the  Pharisees  on 
this  occasion  kindled  in  the  bosom  of  Jesus !  It  is 
possible,  we  see,  to  "  be  angry  and  sin  not"  (Eph. 
IV.  26) ;  but  first,  the  anger  must  not  be  causeless 
(see  on  ch.  v.  22);  and  next,  even  though  just,  nay, 
though  demanded  by  the  occasion,  as  in  the  pres- 
ent case,  that  anger  is  never  sinless,  unless  when 
"grief"  for  what  kindles  the  "anger"  mingles 
with  and  tempers  it.  3.  In  the  remarkable  com- 
mand, to  stretch  forth  a  withered  hand,  we  have 
an  illustration  of  sxich  seemingly  unreasonable 
calls  as  these:  "  Prophesy  upon  these  bones,  and 
say  unto  them,  O  ye  di-y  bones,  hear  the  word  of 
the  Lord"  (Ezek.  xxxvii.  4);  "Incline  your  ear, 
and  come  unto  me:  hear,  and  your  soul  shall 
live"  (Isa.  Iv.  3) ;  "  Awake  thou  that  sleepest,  and 
arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  thee 
light"  (Eph.  V.  14).  To  ask  dry  bones  to  hear 
and  live,  and  call  ui)on  the  dead  to  listen  and 
live,  and  demand  from  the  impotent  an  exercise  of 
power — there  is  apparent  mockery  in  all  this. 
Yet  as  the  dry  bones,  in  the  vision,  when  pro- 
phesied to  as  commanded,  did  hear  and  obey ;  and 
the  withered  hand  found  power  to  extend  itself — 
even  so,  it  is  no  vain  thing  to  say  to  the  dead  in 
sin,  "  Hear,  and  your  soul  shall  live."  Your 
"  wise  and  prudent"  (see  on  ch.  xi.  25),  will 
demonstrate  to  yon,  that  one  or  other  of  these 
things  must  be  false: — '  either  they  are  not  dead, 
or,  if  they  be,  they  can't  hear ;  and  if  they  hear, 
you  need  not  add  "  and  your  soul  shall  live,"  for 
they  are  alive  already.'  But  if  the  narrative  of 
this  Section  be  not  a  fable,  all  such  reasoning  is 
false ;  and  as  long  as  the  Gospel  History  lives,  this 
narrative  will  stand  out  at  once  as  a  directory  and 
as  a  glorious  encoiu-agement,  to  preach  to  the  dead 
in  sin  as  the  divinely  aijpointed  means  of  sum- 
moning them  into  life.  4.  Determined  prejudice 
against  the  truth  is  only  irritated  by  additional 
evidence.  Of  this  the  whole  conduct  of  the  Phari- 
sees towards  our  Lord  forms  one  varied,  vivid, 
and  afl'ectiug  illustration.     5.  If  the  enemies  of 


the  truth,  notwithstanding  their  mutual  jealousies 
and  discords,  find  it  easy  to  unite  and  co-operate 
against  the  truth  which  they  feel  a  common  inter- 
est in  crushing,  how  shameful  is  it  that  Christians 
should  allow  their  petty  diflerences  to  prevent 
combined  action  for  the  advancement  of  their 
common  Christianity !  6.  The  predicted  noiseless- 
ness of  Messiah's  footsteps,  and  the  gentleness  of 
His  dealings  with  feeble  and  tender  souls,  opens 
up  a  great  general  principle  of  moral  and  spiritual 
strength.  This  was  grandly  illustrated  to  Elijah. 
Standing  on  Moimt  Horeb,  the  Lord  passed  by, 
while  a  great  and  strong  wind  rent  the  moimtaius, 
and  brake  in  pieces  the  rocks  before  him ;  but  the 
Lord  was  not  m  the  wind :  and  after  the  wind  an 
earthquake;  but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  earth- 
quake :  and  after  the  earthquake  a  fire ;  but  the 
Lord  was  not  in  the  fire :  and  after  the  fire,  a  still 
small  voice :  And  it  was  so,  Avhen  Ehjah  heard  it, 
that  he  wrapped  his  face  in  his  mantle  (1  Ki.  xix. 
11-13).  Yes,  in  that  still  small  voice  the  prophet 
felt  the  immediate  presence  of  God,  as  he  hacV  not 
done  in  the  wind,  nor  in  the  earthquake,  nor  in 
the  fire.  True  power  is  quiet.  Even  "  a  soft 
answer  turneth  away  wrath"  (Prov.  xy.  1);  and 
how  grand — though  all  noiseless  and  impercept- 
ible— is  the  growth  of  the  animal  and  vegetable 
world!  Let  the  servants  of  Christ,  then,  not  esti- 
mate the  value  of  the  work  done  in  His  service  by 
the  sound  of  their  movements  and  the  noise  of  the 
machinery,  but  by  the  steady  silent  purpose  and 
the  persistent  activity  with  which  they  prosecute 
the  work  given  them  to  do. 
22-37.— A  Blind  and  Dumb  Demoniac  Healed, 

AND    PePLY    to    the    MaLIGNANT    EXPLANATION 

PUT  UPON  IT.  (=Markiii.  20-30;  Luke  xi.  14-23.) 
The  precise  time  of  this  Section  is  uncertain. 
Judging  from  the  statements  with  which  Mark 
introduces  it,  we  should  conclude  that  it  was 
when  our  Lord's  popidarity  was  approaching  its 
zenith,  and  so,  before  the  feeding  of  the  five  thou- 
sand. But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  advanced  state 
of  the  charges  brought  against  our  Lord,  and  the 
l^lainness  of  His  warnings  and  denunciations  in 
reply,  seem  to  favour  the  later  period  at  which 
Luke  introduces  it.  "And  the  multitude,"  says 
Mark  (iii.  20,  21),  "  cometh  together  again,"  refer- 
ring back  to  the  immense  gathering  which  Mark 
had  before  recorded  (ch.  ii.  2) — "so  that  they 
could  not  so  much  as  eat  bread.  And  when  His 
friends"  [ol  irap'  avTov] — or  rather,  'relatives,'  as 
appears  from  verse  31,  and  see  on  ch.  xii.  46 — 
"heard  of  it,  they  went  out  to  lay  hold  on  Him  : 
for  they  said.  He  is  beside  Himself"  [e^e'cn-))]. 
Compare  2  Cor.  v.  13,  "For  whether  we  be  beside 
ourselves  [ege'o-Tijyufv],  it  is  to  God." 

22.  Then  was  brought  unto  him  one  possessed 
with  a  devil — or  'a  demonized  person'  [oat^o- 
i/i^o/ieyos] — blind  and  dumb :  and  he  healed  him, 
insomuch  that  the  blind  and  dumb  both  spake 
and  saw.  23.  And  all  the  people  were  amazed, 
and  said,  Is  not  this  the  son  of  David?  [Mi'i-n 
oD-ro's  ecTTiv  6  ulos  Aaj3t/3?]  The  form  of  the  inter- 
rogative requires  this  to  be  rendered,  '  Is  this  the 
Son  of  David?'  And  as.  questions  put  in  this 
fonn  (in  Greek)  suppose  doubt,  and  expect  rather 
a  negative  answer,  the  meaning  is,  '  Can  it  pos- 
sibly be?' — the  people  thus  indicating  their  secret 
impression  that  this  must  be  He ;  yet  saving  them- 


Of  hlaspTiemy  against 


MATTHEW  XII. 


the  Holy  Ghost. 


24  Hlie  son  of  David?  But  "when  the  Pharisees  heard  it,  they  said,  This 
fellow  doth  not  cast  out  devils,  but  by  ^Beelzebub  the  prince  of  the  devils. 

25  And  Jesus  ^knew  their  thoughts,  and  said  unto  them.  Every  kingdom 
divided  against  itself  is  brought  to  desolation ;  and  every  city  or  house 

26  divided  against  itself  shall  not  stand :  and  if  Satan  cast  out  Satan,  he 

27  is  divided  against  himself;  how  shall  then  his  kingdom  stand?  And 
if  I  by  Beelzebub   cast   out   devils,   by  whom   do   your  children   cast 

28  them  out?  therefore  they  shall  be  your  judges.  But  if  I  cast  out 
devils  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  then  '^the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  unto 

29  you.  Or  ^else  how  can  one  enter  into  a  strong  man's  house,  and 
spoil  his  goods,  except  he   first  bind  the  strong  man?   and  then  he 

30  will  spoil   his  house.     He  that  is  not  with  me   is  against  me;   and 

31  he  that  gathereth  not  with  me  scattereth  abroad.  Wherefore  I  say 
unto  you,  ^  All  manner  of  sin  and  blasphemy  shall  be  forgiven  unto  men : 
^but  the  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  not  be  forgiven  unto 

32  men.  And  whosoever  "speaketh  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man,  *it  shall 
be  forgiven  him :  but  whosoever  speaketh  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it 
shall  not  be  forgiven  him,  neither  in  this  world,  neither  in  the  world  to 


A.  D.  31. 

«  Eom.  9.  5. 
"  Mark  3.  22. 
2  Beekebul. 

*  ch.  9.  4. 
John  2.  26. 
Rev.  2.  23. 

"Dan.  2.  44. 

Dan.  7.  14. 

Lnke  i.  33. 

Luke  11.  20. 

Luke  17.  2a 

Heb.  12.  28, 
"  Isa.  49.  24. 
y  Mark  3.  28. 

Luke  12. 10. 

Heb.  10.  26. 

lJohn5. 16. 

*  Acts  7.  61. 
Heb.  6.  4. 

"  ch.  11.  19. 

ch.  13.  56. 

John  7.  12. 
6  1  Tim.  1. 13. 


selves  from  tlie  Avi-ath  of  the  ecclesiastics,  whicli 
a  direct  assertion  of  it  would  have  brought  upon 
them.  (See  on  a  similar  question  in  John  iv.  29 ; 
and  on  the  phrase,  "  Son  of  David,"  on  ch.  ix.  27.) 
24.  But  wlien  the  Pharisees  heard  it.  Mark  (iii. 
22)  says  "the  scribes  which  came  do\vn  from  Je- 
rusalem ;"  so  that  this  had  been  a  hostile  party  of 
the  ecclesiastics,  who  had  come  all  the  way  from 
Jerusalem  to  collect  materials  for  a  charge  against 
Him.  (See  on  v.  14.)  they  said,  This  fellow 
[OC-ros]  —  an  exiiression  of  contempt— doth  not 
cast  out  devils,  but  toy  Beelzebub — rather,  Beel- 
zebul  (see  on  ch.  x.  25)— the  prince  of  the  devils. 
Two  things  are  here  implied — first,  that  the  bit- 
terest enemies  of  our  Lord  were  unable  to  deny 
the  reality  of  His  miracles;  and  next,  that  they 
believed  in  an  organized  infernal  kingdom  of  evil, 
imder  one  chief.  This  belief  would  be  of  small 
conseqiience,  had  not  our  Lord  set  His  seal  to  it ; 
but  this  He  immediately  does.  Stimg  by  the  unso- 
phisticated testimony  of  ''all  the  people,"  they  had 
no  way  of  holding  out  against  His  claims,  but  by  the 
desperate  shift  of  ascribing  His  miracles  to  Satan. 
25.  And  Jesus  knew  their  thoughts — "called 
them"  (Mark  iii.  23),  and  said  unto  them,  Every 
kingdom  divided  against  itself  is  brought  to 
desolation;  and  every  city  or  house — that  is, 
household— divided  against  itself  shall  not  stand : 
26.  And  if  Satan  cast  out  Satan,  he  is  divided 
against  himself;  how  shall  then  his  kingdom 
stand?  The  argiiment  here  is  irresistible:  'No 
organized  society  can  stand — whether  kingdom, 
city,  or  household — when  turned  against  itself ; 
such  intestine  war  is  suicidal:  But  the  works  I 
do  are  destructive  of  Satan's  kingdom :  That  I 
should  be  in  league  with  Satan,  therefore,  is  in- 
credible and  absiud.'  27.  And  if  I  by  Beelzebub 
cast  out  devils,  by  whom  do  your  children — 
'your  sons'  [viol]  meaning  here,  the  '  discijiles'  or 
pupils  of  the  Pharisees,  who  were  so  termed  after 
the  familiar  language  of  the  Old  Testament  in 
speaking  of  the  sons  of  the  prophets.  (1  Ki.  xx. 
3o;  2  Ki.  ii.  3,  &c.)  Our  Lord  here  seems  to 
admit  that  such  works  were  wrought  by  them; 
in  which  case  the  Pharisees  stood  self -condemned, 
as  expressed  in  Luke  (xi.  19),  "Therefore  shall 
they  be  your  judges."  28.  But  if  I  cast  out  devils 
by  the  Spirit  of  God.  In  Luke  (xi.  20)  it  is,  "  with 
(or  '  by')  the  finger  of  God."  This  latter  expression 
is  just  a  figurative  way  of  representing  the  x>ower  of 
God,  while  the  former  tells  us  the  living  Personal 
73 


Agent  made  use  of  by  the  Lord  Jesus  in  every 
exercise  of  that  power,  then — "no  doubt"  (Luke 
xi.  20) — the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  unto  you 
[ecp'  i^as] — rather  '  upon  you,'  as  the  same  expres- 
sion is  rendered  in  Luke : — g.  d.,  'If  this  expul- 
sion of  Satan  is,  and  can  be,  by  no  other  than  the 
Spirit  of  God,  then  is  his  Destroyer  already  in  the 
midst  of  you,  and  that  kingdom  which  is  destined 
to  supplant  his,  is  already  rising  on  its  ruins,'  29. 
Or  else  how  can  one  enter  into  a— or  rather, 
'the'— strong  man's  house,  and  spoil  his  goods, 
except  he  first  bind  the  strong  man?  and  then  he 
will  spoil  his  house.  30.  He  that  is  not  with  me 
Is  against  me;  and  he  that  gathereth  not  with 
me  scattereth  abroad.  On  this  important  para- 
ble, in  connection  with  the  corresponding  one,  vi\ 
43-45,  see  on  Luke  xi.  21-26.  31.  Wherefore  I  say 
unto  you,  All  manner  of  sin  and  blasphemy  shall 
be  forgiven  unto  men.  The  word  "  blasphemy" 
|j8Xa(T<^r)/ita]  properly  signifies  'detraction'  or 
'  slander.'  In  the  New  Testament  it  is  applied, 
as  it  is  here,  to  vitui^eration  directed  against 
God  as  well  as  against  men ;  and  in  this  sense  it 
is  to  be  understood  as  an  aggravated  form  of  sin. 
Well,  says  our  Lord,  all  sin — whether  in  its  ordi- 
nary or  its  more  aggravated  foi-ms — shall  find 
forgiveness  with  God.  Accordingly,  in  Mark  (iii. 
28)  the  language  is  still  stronger:  "All  sins  shall 
be  forgiven  unto  the  sons  of  men,  and  blasphemies 
wherewith  soever  they  shall  blasiiheme."  There 
is  no  sin  whatever,  it  seems,  of  which  it  may  be 
said,  '  That  is  not  a  pardonable  sin.'  This  glorious 
ass\irance  is  not  to  be  limited  by  what  follows ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  what  follows  is  to  be  ex- 
plained by  this,  but  the  blasphemy  against  the 
Holy  Ghost  shaU  not  be  forgiven  unto  men.  32. 
And  whosoever  speaketh  a  word  against  the  Son 
of  man,  it  shall  be  forgiven  him :  but  whosoever 
speaketh  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  shall  not 
be  forgiven  him,  neither  in  this  world,  neither 
in  the  world  to  come.  In  Mark  the  language 
is  awfully  strong,  "hath  never  forgiveness,  but 
is  in  danger  of  eternal  damnation"  [/cpiVeajsl — 
or  rather,  according  to  what  appears  to  be  the 
preferable,  though  very  unusual  reading,  'in 
danger  of  eternal  guilt  [d/xapx/j/xaT-os] — a  guilt 
which  he  will  underlie  for  ever.  Mark  has  the 
important  addition  (v.  30),  "Because  they  said, 
He  hath  an  unclean  spirit."  (See  on  ch.  x.  25). 
What,  then,  is  this  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost— 
the  unpardonable  sin?    One  thing  is  clear:    Its 


Account  shall  be 


MATTHEW  XII. 


made  of  idle  words. 


oo  come.  Either  make  the  tree  good,  and  '^his  fruit  good;  or  else  make  the 
tree  corrupt,  and  his  fruit  corrupt :  for  the  tree  is  known  by  Ids  fruit. 

34  0  ** generation  of  vipers,  how  can  ye,  being  evil,  speak  good  tilings?  *for 

35  out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh.  A  good  man, 
out  of  the  good  treasure  of  the  heart,  bringeth  forth  good  things: 
and  an  evil  man,  out  of  the  evil   treasure,  bringeth  forth  evil  things. 

36  But  I  say  unto  you.  That  every -^idle  word  that  men  shall  speak,  they 

37  shall  give  account  thereof  in  the  day  of  judgment.  For  by  thy  words 
thou  shalt  be  justified,  and  by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  condemned. 


A.  D.  31. 

"  ch.  7.  17. 

Luke  6.  43. 
d  ch.  3.  7. 

ch.  2.!.  33. 

Luke  3.  7. 

John  8.  44. 

lJohn3.I0. 
°  Luke  6.  45. 
/  Eccl.  12. 14. 

Eph.  5.  4. 

Rev.  20  12. 


iiu]iardonableness  cannot  arise  from  anything  in 
the  nature  of  the  sin  itself ;  for  that  would  be  a 
naked  contradiction  to  the  emphatic  declaration 
of  verse  31st,  that  all  manner  of  sin  is  jjardonable. 
And  what  is  this  but  the  fundamental  truth  of  the 
(Jospel?  (See  Acts  xiii.  3S,  39;  Rom.  iii.  22,  24; 
1  John  i.  7 ;  &c. )  Then,  again,  when  it  is  said 
('•.  32),  that  to  speak  against  or  blaspheme  the  Son 
(if  man  is  pardonable,  but  the  blasphemy  against 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  not  pardonable,  it  is  not  to  be 
conceived  that  this  arises  from  any  greater  sanctity 
in  the  one  blessed  Person  than  the  other.  These 
remarks  so  narrow  the  question,  that  the  true  sense 
of  our  Lord's  words  seem  to  disclose  themselves  at 
once.  It  is  a  contrast  between  slandering  "  the  Son 
of  man"  in  His  veiled  condition  and  unfinished 
work — which  might  be  done  "  ignorantly,  in  unbe- 
lief" (ITim.  i.  13),  and  slandering  the  same  blessed 
Person  after  the  blaze  of  glory  which  the  Holij 
iihost  was  soon  to  throw  around  His  claims,  and 
in  the  fuU  knowledge  of  all  that.  This  would  be 
to  slander  Him  with  eyes  open,  or  to  do  it  "  pre- 
sumptuously. "  To  blaspheme  Christ  in  the  former 
condition — when  even  the  apostles  stumbled  at 
many  things — left  them  still  open  to  conviction  on 
fuller  light ;  but  to  blas])heme  Him  in  the  latter 
condition  would  be  to  hate  the  light  the  clearer  it 
became,  and  resolutely  to  shut  it  out ;  which,  of 
course,  precludes  salvation.  (See  on  Heb.  x. 
2(5-29. )  The  Pharisees  had  not  as  yet  done  this  ; 
but  in  charging  Jesus  with  being  in  league  with 
hell  they  were  displaying  beforehand  a  malignant 
determination  to  shut  their  eyes  to  all  evidence, 
and  so,  horderinq  upon,  and  in  spirit  committing 
the  unpardonable  sin.  33.  Either  make  tlie  tree 
good,  &c.  34.  0  generation  of  vipers  (see  on 
uh.  iii.  7),  how  can  ye,  being  evil,  speak  good 
things?  for  out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart 
the  mouth  speaketh — a  principle  obvious  enough, 
yet  of  deepest  significance  and  vast  applica- 
tion. In  Luke  vi.  45  we  find  it  uttered  as  part 
of  the  Discourse  delivered  after  the  choice  of  the 
II]  )ostles.  35.  A  good  man,  out  of  the  good  treasure 
of  the  heart,  bringeth  [e/cjSaWei]  —  'orputteth' 
forth  good  things :  and  an  evil  man,  out  of  the 
evU  treasure,  bringeth— or  'putteth'  forth  evil 
things.  The  word  'putteth'  indicates  the  spon- 
taueousness  of  what  comes  from  the  heart ;  for  it 
is  out  of  the  ahundance  of  the  heart  that  the  mouth 
speaketh.  We  have  here  a  new  application  of  a 
former  saying  (see  on  ch.  vii.  16-20).  Here,  the 
sentiment  is,  '  There  are  but  two  kingdoms,  inter- 
ests, parties — ^ith  the  projier  workings  of  each  : 
If  I  promote  the  one,  I  cannot  belong  to  the  other ; 
l)ut  they  that  set  themselves  in  wilful  opiwsition 
to  the  kingdom  of  light  openly  proclaim  to  what 
other  kingdom  they  belong.  As  for  you,  in  what 
ye  have  now  uttered  ye  have  but  revealed  the 
venomous  malignity  of  yoiu"  hearts.'  36.  But  I  say 
unto  you,  That  every  idle  word  that  men  shall 
speak,  they  shall  give  account  thereof  in  the  day 
of  judgment.  They  might  say,  '  It  was  nothing  ; 
we  meant  no  evil ;  we  merely  threw  out  a  supposi- 
tion, as  one  way  of  accounting  for  the  miracle  we 
74 


witnessed ;  if  it  ^\^ll  not  stand,  let  it  go ;  why 
make  so  much  of  it,  and  bear  dowTi  with  such 
severity  for  it  ? '  Jesus  rephes,  '  It  was  not  nothing, 
and  at  the  great  day  will  not  be  treated  as  nothing : 
Words,  as  the  index  of  the  heart,  however  idle 
they  may  seem,  will  be  taken  account  of,  whether 
good  or  bad,  in  estimating  character  in  the  day  of 
judgment.' 

liemarks. — I.  Instead  of  wondering  that  our 
Lord  should  have  been  thought  "  beside  Him- 
self," by  those  who  were  totally  unable  to  sympa- 
thize with,  or  even  to  comprehend.  His  exalted 
views.  His  compassionate  feelings,  His  gracious 
errand,  and  the  preciousness  of  the  time  allotted 
for  the  execution  of  it,  this  is  precisely  what  we 
might  have  expected  from  those  who  "judged 
after  the  flesh.'  Nor  is  it  any  wonder,  if  those 
who  tread  the  most  iu  His  steps  are  similarly  mis- 
understood and  misrepresented.  (See  on  2  Cor.  v. 
13.)  2.  When  we  see  the  vast  organized  imseen 
kingdom  of  evil,  though  full  of  contradiction  and 
division  within  itself,  so  tz'emendously  harmonious 
in  its  opposition  to  truth  and  righteousness,  what 
a  consolation  is  it  to  know  that  "  for  this  pmpose 
the  Sou  of  God  was  ^manifested,  that  he  might 
destroy  the  works  of  the  devil"  (1  John  iii.  8), 
subvert  his  kingdom,  and  utterly  bruise  the  ser- 
pent's head  (Gen.  iii.  15) !  3.  Let  scofl'era  at 
Christianity  tremble.  For,  if  they  tread  under 
foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  do  desinte  unto  the 
Spirit  of  grace,  "there  remaineth  no  more  sacri- 
fice for  sins,"  and  nothing  more  to  be  done  by  the 
Spirit  of  grace  (Heb.  x.  26-29) ;  and  having  poured 
contempt  upon  the  uttermost  provisions  of 
Heaven  for  their  restoration  to  eternal  life,  they 
shut  themselves  uji  by  their  own  act  and  deed, 
and,  with  their  eyes  open,  to  irremediable  ruin. 
But  4  How  distressing  is  it,  on  the  other  hand,  to 
find  tender  consciences  making  themselves  miser- 
able with  the  ap] >rehension  that  the  guilt  of  the 
impardonable  sin  lies  upon  them?  If  this  arise,  as 
in  many  cases  it  does,  from  a  morbid  state  of  the 
nervous  system,  acting  on  a  religious  tempera- 
ment, the  remedy  lies  beyond  the  limits  of  this 
Exiwsition.  But  if  it  be  the  fruit  of  inaccurate 
conceptions  of  Bible  teaching,  surely  a  dispas- 
sionate consideration  of  verses  31,  32  of  the  pres- 
ent Section,  as  alx)ve  expounded,  ought  to  dis- 
sipate such  apprehensions.  And  if  the  language 
of  1  John  V.  16,  17,  shoidd  seem  still  to  jjresent 
some  difficulty  (see  on  those  verses) — let  not  the 
plain  sense  of  the  great  catholic  statements  of 
Scripture  be  stripped  of  their  value  by  the  su])- 
posed  meaning  of  some  isolated,  and  obscure  pas- 
sage ;  but,  in  spite  of  all  such  obscurities,  let  the 
trembling  sinner  assure  himself  of  this,  that  "  all 
manner  of  sin  and  blasjihemy  shall  be  forgiven 
imto  men,"  and  that  "the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ, 
God's  Son,  cleanseth  from  all  sin." 

38-50. — A  Sign  Demanded,  and  the  Reply— 
His  Mother  and  Brethren  seek  to  Speak 
WITH  Him,  and  the  Answer.  ( =  Luke  xi.  16, 
24-36;  Mark  iii.  31-35;  Luke  viii.  19-21.) 

A  Siijn  demanded,  and  the  Eephj  (38-45).     The 


The  Pharisees 


MATTHEW  XII. 


seeTc 


a  sign. 


38  Then  ^certain  of  the  scribes  and  of  the  Pharisees  answered,  saying, 

39  Master,  we  would  see  a  sign  from-  thee.  But  he  answered  and  said  unto 
them.  An  evil  and  '^adulterous  generation  seeketh  after  a  sign;  and  there 

40  shall  no  sign  be  given  to  it,  but  the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonas:  For 
*as  Jonas  was  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  whale's  bellj^,  so 
shall  the   Son  of  man  be  three   days  and  three  nights   in  the  heart 

41  of  the  earth.  The  -^men  of  Nineve  shall  rise  in  judgment  Avith  this 
generation,  and  ^' shall  condemn  it:  'because  they  repented  at  the  preacli- 

42  ing  of  Jonas;  and,  behold,  "'a  greater  than  Jonas  is  here.  The  "queen 
of  the  south  shall  rise  up  in  the  judgment  with  this  generation,  and  shall 
condemn  it :  for  she  came  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  to  hear 
the  wisdom  of  Solomon ;  and,  behold,  a  "greater  than  Solomon  is  here. 

43  \^Tien  ^tlie  unclean  spirit  is  gone  out  of  a  man,  ^he  walketh  through  dry 

44  places,  seeking  rest,  and  findeth  none.  Then  he  saith,  I  will  return  into 
my  house  from  whence  I  came  out ;  and  when  he  is  come,  he  findeth  it 

45  empty,  swept,  and  garnished.  Then  'goetli  he,  and  taketh  with  himself 
seven  other  spirits  more  wicked  than  himself,  and  they  enter  in  and 
dwell  there:  and  ^ the  last  state  of  that  man  is  worse  than  the  first. 
Even  so  shall  it  be  also  unto  this  wicked  generation. 


A.  r>.  31. 


«  ch.  16.  1. 
Mark  8.  11. 
Luke  11.  IB. 
John  2.  18. 

1  Cor.  1.  22. 
ft  Isa.  67.  3. 

Mark  8.  38. 

John  4.  48. 
>  Jon.  1.  17. 
3  Luke  11.  32. 
^  Jer.  3.  11. 

Ezek.  16.51. 
I  Jon.  3.  6. 
"'Isa.  9.  6. 

Eom.  9.  5. 
"  1  KL  10.  1. 

2  Chr.  9.  1. 

"  Col.  2.  2,  3. 

''  Luke  11.21. 
«  Job  1.  7. 

1  Pet.  5.  8. 
■"  Isa.  66.  3,  4. 
'  Heb.  6.  4. 

Heb.  10.  26. 


occasion  of  this  Section  was  manifestly  the  same 
with  that  of  the  preceding.  38.  Tlien  certain  of 
tlie  scribes  and  of  the  Pharisees  answered,  say- 
ing, Master  [AioaaKoke] — 'Teacher,'  equivalent  to 
'  Rabbi'— we  would  see  a  sign  from  thee—"  a  sign 
from  heaven"  (Liike  xi.  16);  something  of  an  im- 
mecliate  and  decisive  nature,  to  show,  not  that 
his  miracles  were  real — that  they  seemed  willing 
to  concede — but  that  they  were  from  above,  not 
from  beneath.  These  were  not  the  same  class 
with  those  who  charged  Him  with  being  in  league 
with  Satan  (as  we  see  from  Luke  xi.  15,  16);  but  as 
the  spirit  of  both  was  similar,  the  tone  of  severe  re- 
buke is  continued.  39.  But  he  answered  and  said 
unto  them — "when  the  people  were  gathered  thick 
together"  (Luke  xi.  29),  An  evil  and  adulterous 
generation.  This  latter  expression  is  best  ex- 
plained by  Jer.  iii.  29,  "Surely  as  a  Avife  treach- 
erously departeth  from  her  husband,  so  have  ye 
dealt  treacheroiisly  with  lue,  O  house  of  Israel, 
saith  the  Lord."  For  this  was  the  relationship 
in  which  He  stood  to  the  covenant  peojile — "  I  am 
married  unto  you"  (Jer.  iii.  14).  seeketh  after  a 
sign.  In  the  eye  of  Jesus  this  class  were  but  the 
spokesmen  of  their  generation,  the  e,xi)ouents  of 
the  reigning  spirit  of  imbelief.  and  there  shall 
no  sign  be  given  to  it,  hut  the  sign  of  the  prophet 
Jonas:  40.  For  as  Jonas  was— "a  sign  unto  the 
Ninevites,  so  shall  also  the  Sou  of  man  be  to  this 
generation  "  (Luke  xi.  30).  For  as  Jonas  was  three 
days  and  three  nights  in  the  whale's  belly  (Jon. 
i.  17),  so  shall  the  Son  of  man  be  three  days  and 
three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the  earth.  This 
was  the  second  public  annoimcement  of  His 
resurrection  three  days  after  His  death.  (For 
the  first,  see  John  ii.  19.)  Jonah's  case  was 
analogous  to  this,  as  being  a  signal  judgment 
of  God ;  reversed  in  three  days ;  and  followed  by 
a  glorious  mission  to  the  Gentiles.  The  expres- 
sion "in  the  heart  of  the  earth,"  suggested  by  the 
expression  of  Jonah  with  respect  to  the  sea  (ii.  3,  in 
LXX.),  means  simi:)ly  the  grave,  but  this  consid- 
ered as  the  most  emphatic  expression  of  real  and 
total  entombment.  The  period  during  which  He 
was  to  lie  in  the  grave  is  here  expressed  in  round 
nimibers,  according  to  the  Jewish  way  of  speaking, 
which  was  to  regard  any  part  of  a  day,  however 
small,  included  within  a  period  of  days,  as  a  full 
clay.  (See  1  Sam.  xxx.  12,  13;  Esth.  iv.  16;  v.  1; 
Matt.  xxviL  63,  G4;  &c.)  41.  The  men  of  Nineve 
75 


shall  rise  in  judgment  with  this  generation,  and 
shall  condemn  it :  because  they  repented  at  the 
preaching  of  Jonas ;  and,  behold,  a  greater  than 
Jonas  is  here.  The  Ninevites,  though  heathens, 
repented  at  a  man's  preaching;  while  they,  God's 
covenant  people,  repented  not  at  the  preaching  of 
the  Son  of  God — whose  suijreme  dignity  is  rather 
imjilied  here  than  expressed.  42.  The  queen  of 
the  south  shall  rise  up  in  the  judgment  with 
this  generation,  and  shall  condemn  it:  for  she 
came  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  to 
hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon;  and,  behold,  a 
greater  than  Solomon  is  here.  The  queen  of 
Sheba — a  tract  in  Arabia,  near  the  shores  of  the 
Red  Sea — came  from  a  remote  country,  "south" 
of  Judea,  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  a  mere  man, 
though  a  gifted  one,  and  was  trauspoiised  with 
wonder  at  what  she  saw  and  heard  (1  Ki.  x. 
1-9).  They,  when  a  Greater  than  Solomon  had 
come  to  them,  despised  and  rejected,  slighted  and 
slandered  Him. 

43-45.  When  the  unclean  spirit  is  gone  out  of 
a  man,  &c.  On  this  important  parable,  in  con- 
nection with  the  corresponding  one  — v.  29 — see 
on  Luke  xi.  21-26. 

A  charming  little  incident,  given  only  in  Luke 
xi.  27,  28,  seems  to  have  its  proper  place  here. 
"  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  He  spake  these  things,  a 
certain  woman  of  the  company"  [ck  tou  oxXov] — 
'out  of  the  crowd,'  "lifted  up  her  voice  and  said 
unto  Him,  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bare  thee, 
and  the  paps  which  Thou  hast  sucked."  With 
true  womanly  feeling,  she  envies  the  mother  of 
such  a  wonderful  Teacher.  And  a  higher  and 
better  than  she  had  said  as  much  before  her  (see 
on  Luke  i.  28).  42.  How  does  our  Lord,  then, 
treat  it?  He  is  far  from  condemning  it.  He  only 
holds  up  as  "blessed  rather"  another  class: 
"  But  he  said.  Yea  rather,  blessed  are  they  that 
hear  the  word  of  God,  and  keep  it" — in  other 
words,  the  humblest  real  saint  of  God.  How 
utterly  alien  is  this  sentiment  from  the  teaching 
of  tlae  Church  of*  Rome,  which  would  doubtless 
excommunicate  any  one  of  its  members  that  dared 
to  talk  in  such  a  strain ! 

IJis  MotJier  and  Brethren  Seek  to  Speak  with 
Him,  and  the  Answer  (46-50).  46.  While  he  yet 
talked  to  the  people,  behold,  his  mother  and  his 
brethren  (see  on  ch.  xiii.  55,  56)  stood  without, 
desiring  to  tpeak  with  him— "and  could  not  come 


The  parable 


MATTHEW  XIII. 


of  the  Sower. 


46  While  he  yet  talked  to  the  people,  behold,   ^his  mother  and  "his 

47  brethren  stood  without,  desiring  to  speak  with  him.     Then  one  said  unto 
him,  Behold,  thy  mother  and  thy  brethren   stand  without,  desiring  to 

48  speak  with  thee.     But  he  answered  and  said  unto  him  that  told  him, 

49  Who  is  my  mother?  and  who  are  my  brethren?    And  he  stretched  forth 
his  hand  toward   his   disciples,  and   said,  Behold  my  mother  and  my 

50  brethren !     For  ^whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother,  and  sister,  and  mother. 

13      THE  same  day  went  Jesus  out  of  the  house,  "and  sat  by  the  sea-side. 

2  And  ^  great  multitudes  were  gathered  together  unto  him,  so  that  "^he 
went  into  a  ship,  and  sat ;  and  the  whole  multitude  stood  on  the  shore. 

3  And  he  spake  many  things  unto  them  in  parables,  saying, 

4  Behold,  a  sower  went  forth  to  sow :  and  when  he  sowed,  some  seeds  fell 

5  by  the  way-side,  and  the  fowls  came  and  devoured  them  up :  some  fell 


A.  D.  31. 


«  Mark  3.  31. 

Luke  8.  19. 
"  Mark  6.  3. 

John  2.  12. 

John  7.  3,5. 

Acts  1.  14. 

1  Cor.  9.  5. 

Gal.  1.  19. 
*  John  15. 14. 

Gal.  5.  6. 

Gal.  6.  X5. 

Col.  3.  11. 

Heb.  2.  II. 


CHAP.  13. 
"  Mark  4. 1. 
6  Luke  8,  4. 
'  Luke  5.  3. 


at  Him  for  the  press "  (Liike  viii.  19).  For  what 
purpose  these  came,  we  learn  from  Mark  iii.  20,  21. 
In  His  zeal  and  ardour  He  seemed  indifferent 
both  to  food  and  repose,  and  "they  went  to  lay 
hold  of  Him"  as  one  "beside  himself."  Mark 
says  graphically,  "And  the  multitude  sat  about 
Him"  [wepl  ai/xoy]— or  'aroimd  Him.'  47.  Then 
one  said  unto  him,  Behold,  thy  mother  and  thy 
brethren  stand  without,  desiring  to  speak  with 
thee.  48.  But  he  answered  and  said  unto  him 
that  told  him.  Who  is  my  mother  ?  and  who  are 
my  brethren?  Absorbed  in  the  awful  warnings 
He  was  pouring  forth,  He  felt  this  to  be  an  un- 
seasonable interruption,  fitted  to  dissipate  the 
impression  made  upon  the  large  audience — such 
an  interruption  as  duty  to  the  nearest  relatives 
did  not  require  Him  to  give  way  to.  But  instead 
of  a  direct  rebuke,  He  seizes  on  the  incident  to 
convey  a  sublime  lesson,  expressed  in  a  style  of 
inimitable  condescension.  49.  And  he  stretched 
forth  his  hand  toward  his  disciples.  How 
graphic  is  this!  It  is  the  language  evidently  of 
an  eye-witness,  and  said,  Behold  my  mother  and 
my  brethren!  50.  For  whosoever  shall  do  the 
will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same 
is  my  brother,  and  sister,  and  mother:— g.  d., 
'  There  stand  here  the  members  of  a  family  tran- 
scending and  surviving  this  of  earth:  Filial  sub- 
jection to  the  will  of  my  Father  in  heaven  is  the 
indissoluble  bond  of  union  between  Me  and  all  its 
members ;  and  whosoever  enters  this  hallowed 
circle  becomes  to  Me  brother,  and  sister,  and 
mother ! ' 

Remarks. — 1.  What  strange  revelations  will  the 
day  of  judgment  make,  particularly  as  to  the  rela- 
tive character  of  some  of  the  most,  and  some  of 
the  least,  favoured  of  the  human  family!  {vv.  41- 
42.)  Verily  "the  last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first 
last."  2.  When  the  demands  of  even  the  nearest 
and  dearest  relatives,  urging  on  us  only  that  atten- 
tion to  our  personal  interests  or  comforts  which  in 
other  circumstances  would  be  natural  and  proper, 
are  seen  to  interfere  with  some  present  work  of 
God,  let  the  spirit  of  our  Lord's  example  here  be 
our  guiding  principle,  rather  than  the  suggestions 
of  nature.  3.  How  glorious  is  the  thought  that 
there  is  a  family  even  upon  earth  of  which  the  Son 
of  God  holds  Himself  a  part ;  a  family,  the  loving 
bond  and  reigning  principle  of  which  is  subjection 
to  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  so  em- 
bracing high  and  low,  rude  and  refined,  bond  and 
free,  of  every  kindred  and  every  age  that  have 
tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious ;  a  family  whose 
members  can  at  once  understand  each  other  and 
take  sweetest  counsel  together,  though  meeting  for 
the  first  time  from  the  ends  of  the  earth — while 
with  their  nearest  relatives,  who  are  but  the  chil- 
76 


dren  of  this  world,  they  have  no  sympathy  in  such 
things ;  a  family  which  death  cannot  break  up, 
but  only  transfer  to  their  Father's  house!  Did 
Christians  but  habitually  realize  and  act  upon 
this,  as  did  their  blessed  Master,  what  woidd  ba 
the  effect  upon  the  Church  and  upon  the  world  ? 

CHAP.  XIIL  1-52.— Jesus  Teaches  by  Par- 
ables. ( =  Mark  iv.  1-34 ;  Luke  viii.  4-18 ;  xiii. 
18-20.) 

Introduction  (1-3).  1.  The  same  day  went  Jesus 
out  of  the  house,  and  sat  by  the  sea-[side].  2. 
And  great  multitudes  were  gathered  together 
unto  him,  so  that  he  went  into  a  ship — the  ar- 
ticle in  the  received  text  wants  authority — and 
sat ;  and  the  whole  multitude  stood  on  the  shore. 
How  graphic  this  picture — no  doubt  from  the  pen 
of  an  eye-witness,  himself  impressed  witli  the 
scene!  it  was  "the  same  day"  on  which  tlie 
foregoing  solemn  discourse  was  delivered,  when 
His  kindred  thought  Him  "beside  HimseK"  for 
His  indilference  to  food  and  repose — that  same 
day,  retiring  to  the  sea-shore  of  Galilee,  and  there 
seating  Himself,  perhaps  for  coolness  and  rest, 
the  crowds  again  flock  around  Him,  and  He  is 
fain  to  push  off  from  them,  in  the  boat  usually 
kept  in  readiness  for  Him;  yet  only  to  begin, 
without  waiting  to  rest,  a  new  course  of  teaching 
by  parables  to  the  eager  multitudes  that  lined 
the  shore.  To  the  parables  of  our  Lord  there  is 
nothing  in  alJ  language  to  be  compared,  for  simphc- 
ity,  grace,  fulness,  and  variety  of  spiritual  teach- 
ing. They  are  adapted  to  all  classes  and  stages 
of  advancement,  bemg  understood  by  each  accord- 
ing to  the  measure  of  his  spiritual  capacity.  3. 
And  he  spake  many  things  unto  them  in  para- 
bles, saying,  &c. 

These  parables  are  seven  in  number ;  and  it  is 
not  a  little  remarkable  that  wliile  this  is  the  sacred 
number,  the  first  four  of  them  were  spoken  to 
the  mixed  multitude,  while  the  remaining  three 
were  spoken  to  the  Twelve  in  private — these  di- 
visions, four  and  three,  being  themselves  notable 
in  the  symbolical  arithmetic  of  Scripture.  Another 
thing  remarkable  in  the  structure  of  these  parables 
is,  that  while  the  first  of  the  Seven — that  of  the 
Sower — is  of  the  nature  of  an  Introduction  to  the 
whole,  the  remaining  Six  consist  of  three  pairs — 
the  Second  and  Seventh,  the  Third  and  Fourth,  and 
the  Fifth  and  Sixth,  corresponding  to  each  other ; 
each  pair  setting  forth  the  same  general  truths, 
but  with  a  certain  diversity  of  aspect.  All  this 
can  hardly  be  accidental. 

First  Parable :  The  Sower  (3-9,  18-23).  This 
Parable  may  be  entitled.  The  Effect  of  the 
Word  Dependent  on  the  State  of  the  Heart. 
For  the  exposition  of  this  parable,  see  on  Mark 
iv.  1-9,  14-20.  . 


Beasonfor 


MATTHKVV  XIII. 


teaching  in  parables. 


upon  ''stony  places,  where  they  had  not  much  earth;  and  forthwith  they 
sprung  up,  because  they  had  no  deepness  of  earth :  and  when  the  sun  was 
up,  they  were  scorched ;  and  because  they  had  no  *  root,  they  withered 
away:  and  some  fell  among  thorns;  and  the  thorns  sprung  up  and 
choked  them :  but  other  fell  into  good  ground,  and  brought  forth  fruit, 
some  '^an  hundred-fold,  some  sixty-fold,  some  thirty-fold.  Who  ''hath 
ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

And  the  disciples  came,  and  said  unto  him.  Why  speakest  thou  unto 
them  in  parables?  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Because  '*it  is 
given  unto  you  to  know  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  to 
them  it  is  not  given.  For  ^whosoever  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given,  and 
he  shall  have  more  abundance ;  but  whosoever  hath  not,  from  him  shall 
be  taken  away  even  that  he  hath.  Therefore  speak  I  to  them  in 
parables:  because   they  seeing,  see  not;   and  hearing,  they  hear  not; 

14  neither  do  they  understand.  And  in  them  is  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of 
Esaias,  which  saith,  •'By  hearing  ye  shall  hear,  and  shall  not  understand; 
and  seeing  ye  shall  see,  and  shall  not  perceive :  for  this  people's  heart 
is  waxed  gross,  and  their  ears  ^'are  dull  of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  they 
have  closed ;  lest  at  any  time  they  should  see  with  their  eyes,  and  hear 
with  their  ears,  and  should  understand  with  their  heart,  and  should  be 

16  converted,  and  I  should  heal  them.     But  'blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they 


9 

10 
11 

12 

13 


15 


A.  D.  31. 


d  Ezek.  11.  la. 
'  Col.  2.  7. 
/  Gen.  26.  12. 
»  Mark  4.  9. 
ft  ch.  11.  25. 

ch.  16.  17. 

Mark  4.  11. 

1  Cor.  2.  10. 
lJohri2.27. 
Col.  1.  26. 

i  Mark  4.  25. 

Luke  8.  18. 

Luke  19.  26. 
3  Isa.  6.  9. 

Ezek.  12.  2. 

Mark  4.  12. 

Luke  8.  10. 

John  12.  40. 

Acts  28.  26, 
27. 

Eom.  11.  8. 

2  Cor.  3.  14. 
*  Heb.  5.  11. 

I  ch.  16.  17. 
Luke  10.  23, 
24. 
John  20.  29. 


Reason  for  Teaching  in  Parables  (10-17).  10. 
And  the  disciples  came,  and  said  unto  Mm — 
"  they  that  were  with  Him,  when  they  were 
aloue"  (Mark  iv.  10)— Why  speakest  thou  unto 
them  in  parables?  Thoucli  before  this  He  had 
couched  some  things  in  the  parabolic  form,  for 
more  vivid  illustration,  it  would  appear  that  He 
now,  for  the  first  time,  formally  employed  this 
method  of  teaching.  11.  He  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  Because  it  is  given  unto  you  to  know 
the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  The 
word  "mysteries"  [(Uiyo--r»ipta]  in  Scripture  is  not 
used  in  its  classical  sense — of  '  religious  secrets,' 
nor  yet  of  '  things  incomprehensible,  or  in  their 
own  nature  difficult  to  be  understood' — but  in  the 
sense  of  '  things  of  purely  divine  revelation,'  and, 
usually,  '  things  darkly  announced  under  the 
ancient  economy,  and  during  all  that  period 
darkly  understood,  but  fully  iwblished  under  the 
Gospel '  (1  Cor.  ii.  6-10 ;  Eph.  iii.  3-6,  8,  9).  "  The 
mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  then,  mean 
those  glorious  Gospel  truths  which  at  that  time 
only  the  more  advanced  disciples  could  appreciate, 
and  they  but  partially,  but  to  them  it  is  not 
given.  (See  on  ch.  xi.  25.)  Parables  serve  the 
double  purpose  of  revealing  and  concealing;  pre- 
senting 'the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom'  to  those 
who  know  and  relish  them,  though  in  never  so 
small  a  degree,  in  a  new  and  attractive  light ; 
but  to  those  who  are  insensible  to  spiritual 
things  yielding  only,  as  so  many  tales,  some  tem- 
porary entertainment.  12.  For  whosoever  hath 
— that  is,  keeps  ;  as  a  thing  which  he  values,  to 
him  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  more 
abundance— he  will  be  rewarded  by  an  increase 
of  what  he  so  much  prizes ;  but  whosoever  hath 
not — who  lets  this  go  or  lie  unused,  as  a  thing 
on  which  he  sets  no  value— from  him  shall  be 
taken  away  even  that  he  hath — or  as  it  is  in 
Luke  (xra.  18),  "what  he  seemeth  to  have" 
[d  poK€~i  £x^iv\  or  '  thiuketh  he  hath.'  This  is  a 
principle  of  immense  importance,  and,  like  other 
weighty  sayings,  appeai-s  to  have  been  uttered 
by  our  Lord  on  more  than  one  occasion,  and  in 
different  connections.  (See  on  ch.  xxv.  9.)  As  a 
great  ethical  principle,  we  see  it  in  operation 
everywhere,  under  the  general  law  of  habit;  in 
77 


virtue  of  which  moral  principles  become  stronger 
by  exercise,  while  by  disuse,  or  the  exercise  of 
their  contraries,  they  wax  weaker,  and  at  length 
expire.  The  same  ])rinciple  reigns  in  the  intel- 
lectual world,  and  even  in  the  animal — if  not  in 
the  vegetable  also  —  as  the  facts  of  i^hysiology 
sufficiently  prove.  Here,  however,  it  is  viewed 
as  a  divine  ordination,  as  a  judicial  retribution 
in  continual  ox^eration  under  the  divine  admin- 
istration. 13.  Therefore  speak  I  to  them  in 
parables  —  which  our  Lord,  be  it  observed, 
did  not  begin  to  do  till  His  miracles  were 
malignantly  ascribed  to  Satan,  because  they 
seeing,  see  not.  They  "saw,"  for  the  light  shone 
on  them  as  never  light  shone  before;  but  they 
"  saw  not,"  for  they  closed  theii'  eyes,  and  hear- 
ing, they  hear  not ;  neither  do  they  understand. 
They  "  heard,"  for  He  taught  them  who  "  spake 
as  never  man  spake;"  but  they  "heard  not,'  for 
they  took  nothing  in,  apiirehending  not  the  soul- 
penetrating,  life-giving  words  addiessed  to  them. 
In  Mark  and  Luke,  what  is  here  expressed  as  a 
human  fact  is  represented  as  the  fumlmeut  of  a 
divine  luirpose — "  that  seeing  they  may  see,  and 
not  perceive,"  &c.  The  explanation  of  this  lies  in 
the  statement  of  the  foregoing  verse — that,  by  a 
fixed  law  of  the  divine  administration,  the  duty 
men  voluntarily  refuse  to  do,  and  in  point  of  fact 
do  not  do,  they  at  length  become  morally  incapable 
of  doing.  14.  And  in  them  is  fulfilled  [aj/aTrXfj- 
povTui] — rather,  'is  fulfilling,'  or  is  receiving  its 
fulfilment— the  prophecy  of  Esaias,  which  saith 
(Isa.  vi.  9, 10— here  quoted  according  to  the  LXX.), 
By  hearing  ye  shall  hear,  and  shall  not  under- 
stand, &c.  15.  For  this  people's  heart  is  waxed 
gross  .  .  .  and  their  eyes  they  have  closed ;  lest 
at  any  time  they  should  see  .  .  .  and  hear  .  .  . 
and  should  understand  .  .  .  and  should  be  con- 
verted, and  I  should  heal  them.  They  were  thus 
judicially  sealed  up  under  the  darkness  and  obdu- 
racy which  they  deliberately  yireferred  to  the  liglit 
and  healing  which  Jesus  brought  nigh  to  them. 
16.  But  blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they  see ;  and 
your  ears,  for  they  hear : — q.  d. ,  '  Happy  ye,  whose 
eyes  and  ears,  voluntarily  and  gladly  opened,  are 
drinking  in  the  light  divine.'  17.  For  verily  I  say 
unto   you,  That  many  prophets  and  righteous 


Parable  of  tlie 


MATTHEW  XIII. 


Wheat  and  the  Tares. 


'7  see;  and  your  ears,  for  they  hear.  For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  "'^Tliat 
many  prophets  and  righteous  men  have  desired  to  see  those  things  vrhich 
ye  see,  and  have  not  seen  them;  and  to  hear  those  things  which  ye  hear, 
and  have  not  heard  them. 

IS       Hear  '^ye  therefore  the  parable  of  the  sower.     ^\lien  any  one  hear- 

19  eth  the  Avord  of  the  kingdom,  and  understandeth  it  not,  then  cometh 
"the  wicked  one,  and  catcheth  away  that  which  was  sown  in  his  heart. 

20  This  is  he  which  received  seed  by  the  way-side.  But  he  that  received 
the  seed  into  stony  places,  the  same  is  he  that  heareth  the  word,  and 

21  anon  ^with  joy  receiveth  it:  yet  hatli  he  not  root  in  himself,  but 
dureth  for  a  while ;  for  when  tribulation  or  persecution  ariseth  because 

22  of  tlie  word,  by  and  by  ''he  is  offended.  He  ''also  that  received  seed 
*  among  the  thorns  is  he  that  heareth  the  word;  and  the  care  of  this 
world,  and  the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  choke  the  word,  and  he  becometh 

23  unfruitful.  But  he  that  received  seed  into  the  good  ground  is  he  that 
heareth  the  word,  and  understandeth  it;  which  also  beareth  fruit,  and 
bringeth  forth,  some  an  hundred-fold,  some  sixty,  some  thirty. 

24  Another  parable  put  he  forth  unto  them,   saying,   The  kingdom  of 

25  heaven  is  likened  unto  a  man  which  sowed  good  seed  in  his  field :  but 
while  men  slept,  'his  enemy  came  and  sowed  tares  among  the  wheat,  and 

26  went  his  way.     But  when  the  blade  was  sprung  up,  and  brought  forth 

27  fruit,  then  appeared  the  tares  also.  So  the  servants  of  the  householder 
came  and  said  unto  him,  Sir,  didst  not  thou  sow  good  seed  in  thy  field? 

28  from  whence  then  hath  it  tares  ?  He  said  unto  them,  An  enemy  hath 
done  this.     The  servants  said  unto  liim,  Wilt  thou  then  that  we  go  and 

29  gather  them  up?     But  he  said.  Nay;  lest,  while  ye  gather  up  the  tares, 

30  ye  root  up  also  the  wheat  with  them.  Let  both  grow  together  until  the 
harvest :  and  in  the  time  of  harvest  I  will  say  to  the  reapers.  Gather  ye 
together  first  the  tares,  and  bind  them  in  bundles  to  burn  them ;  but 
"gather  the  wheat  into  my  barn. 

31  Another  parable  put  he  forth  unto  them,  saying,  ^'Tlie  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  like  to  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  which  a  man  took,  and  sowed 

32  in  his  field:  which  indeed  is  the  least  of  all  seeds;  but  when  it  is 
grown,  it  is  the  grejltest  among  herbs,  and  becometh  a  tree,  so  that  the 
birds  of  the  air  come  and  lodge  in  the  branches  thereof 

33  Another  '"parable  spake  he  unto  them;  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
like  unto  leaven,  which  a  woman  took  and  hid  in  thi'ee  ^measures  of 
meal,  till  the  whole  was  leavened. 

34  All  these  things   spake  Jesus  unto  the  multitude  in  parables;  and 

35  without  a  parable  spake  he  not  unto  them :  that  it  might  be  fulfilled 
which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  saying,  ^I  will  open  my  mouth  in 
parables;  ^I  will  utter  things  which  have  been  kept  secret  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world. 


A.  D.  31. 


"'Luke  10.24. 
John  8.  56. 
Eph.  3.  5. 
Heb.  11.  1.1. 

1  Pet.  1.  10. 
"  Mark  4.  14. 

Luke  8.  11. 

"  Mark  4.  15. 

Luke  8.  12. 

2  Cor.  2.  II. 
P  Isa.  58.  2. 

Ezek.  f3.3I. 

Mark  4.  ifi. 

John  5.  35. 

Acts  8.  13. 
'  Ch.  11.  6. 

2  Tim.  1. 15. 
*■  ch.  19.  23. 

INtark  10.2.'?. 

Luke  18.  24. 

1  Tim.  6.  9. 

2  Tim.  4. 10. 
'  Jer.  4.  3. 

'  Luke  10.  19. 
2  Cor.  11.13- 
15. 

1  Pet.  5.  8. 
"  ch.  3.  12. 

ch.  24.  31. 
Luke  3.  17. 
iThes4.-7. 

2  Thes.  2. 1. 
"  Isa.  2.  2,  3. 

Mic.  4. 1. 
Mark  4.  30. 
Luke  13. 18. 
2  Pet.  3.  18. 

'"  Luke  I.'?.  20. 

1  The  word 
in  the 
Greek  is  a 
measure 
containin.? 
about  a 
peck  and  a 
half,  want- 
ing a  little 
more  than 
a  pint. 

^  Ps.  78.  2. 

y  Ps.  49.  4. 

Am.  3.  7. 
Eom.  16.2.i. 
1  Cor.  2.  7. 
Eph.  3.  9. 
CoL  1.  26. 


men  have  desired  [iiredi'nr\(yav'\  —  rather,  'covet- 
ed,' to  see  those  things  which  ye  see,  and  have 
not  seen  them ;  and  to  hear  those  things  which 
ye  hear,  and  have  not  heard  them.  ^Not  only 
were  the  disciples  blessed  above  the  blinded  just 
spoken  of,  but  favoured  above  the  most  honoured 
and  the  best  that  lived  under  the  old  economy, 
■who  had  but  glimpses  of  the  things  of  the  new 
kingdom,  just  sufficient  to  kindle  in  them  desires 
not  to  be  fulfilled  to  any  in  their  day.  In  Luke  x. 
2;^,  24,  where  the  same  saying  is  repeated  on  the 
return  of  the  Seventy— the  words,  instead  of 
"  many  j)rophets  and  righteous  men,"  are  "many 
piroyihets  and  kings;'''  for  several  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment saints  were  kings. 

Second  and  Seventh  Parables,  or  First  Pair:  The 
Wheat  and  the  Takes,   and  The  Good  and 
78 


Bad  Fish  (24-30  ;  3G-43 ;  and  47-50).  The  subject 
of  both  these  Parables — which  teach  the  same 
truth,  with  a  slight  diversity  of  aspect — is    -^ 

The  mixed  CHARACTER  of  the  Kingdom  ix 
ITS  Present  State,  and  the  FINAL  ABSOLUTE 
SEPARATION  of  the  Two  Classes. 

The  Tares  and  the  Wheat  (24-30,  36-43).  24. 
Another  parahle  put  he  forth  unto  them,  say- 
ing, The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened  unto  a 
man  which  sowed  good  seed  in  his  field.  Hap- 
pily for  us,  these  exquisite  parables  are,  with  like 
charming  simplicity  and  clearness,  expounded  to  us 
by  the  Great  Preacher  Himself.  Accordingly,  we 
pass  to  vt\  36-38.  Then  Jesus  sent  the  multitude 
away,  and  went  into  the  house :  and  his  disciples 
came  unto  him,  saying,  Declare  unto  us  the  par- 
able of  the  tares  of  the  field.    Ee  answered  and 


r arable  of  tie 


MATTHEW  XIII. 


Tavps  dedarecT. 


36 


Then  Jesiis  sent  the  multitude  away,  and  went  into  the  house :  and 
his  disciples  came  unto  him,  saying.  Declare  unto  us  the  parable  of  the 
tares  of  the  field.  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  He  that  ''soweth 
the  good  seed  is  the  Son  of  man;  the  "field  is  the  world;  the  good  seed 
are  the  children  of  the  kingdom;  but  the  tares  are  ''the  children  of  the 

39  wicked  one;  the  enemy  that  sowed  them  is  the  devil;  '^the  harvest  is 

40  the  end  of  the  world ;  and  the  reapers  are  the  angels.  As  therefore  the 
tares  are  gathered  and  burned  in  the  fire ;  so  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of 
this  world.  The  Son  of  man  shall  send  forth  his  angels,  '^and  they  shall 
gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all  ^  things  that  offend,  and  them  which  do 

42  iniquity,  and  ^ shall   cast  them  into  a  furnace  of  fire:  there  shall  be 

43  wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth.     Then  -^ shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as 


37 

38 


41 


A.  D.  31. 


»  Isa.  Gi.  1. 
■^  ch.  2i.  14. 

Luke  24.  47. 
6  Gen.  3.  1.^ 

Acts  13.  0. 
«  Joel  3.  13. 

Rev.  14.  1.'.. 
<«  2  Pet.  2. 1,2. 
2  Or, 

scandals. 
«  Eev.  19.  10. 

Kev.  ^0.  10. 
/  Dan.  12.  3. 

1  Cor.  i.^.4J. 


said  unto  them,  He  that  soweth  the  good  seed 
is  the  Son  of  man  (see  on  John  i.  52) ;  the  field 
is  the  world;  the  good  seed  are  the  children  of 
the  kingdom.  In  the  parable  of  the  Sower,  "tlie 
seed  is  the  word  of  God"  (Lnke  viii.  11).  But 
here  that  word  has  been  received  into  the  heart, 
and  has  converted  him  that  received  it  into  a  new 
creature,  a  "  child  of  the  kingdom,"  according  to 
that  saying  of  James  (i.  18),  "Of  His  own  will 
begat  He  us  with  the  word  of  truth,  that  we 
should  be  a  kind  of  first-fruits  of  His  creatures." 
It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  this  vast  field  of  the 
R'orld  is  here  said  to  be  Christ s  own — "  His  field," 
I  ays  the  parable.  (See  Ps.  ii.  8. )  25.  But  while  men 
slept,  his  enemy  came  and  sowed  tares  among 
the  wheat,  and  went  his  way.  38.  The  tares  are 
the  children  of  the  wicked  one.  As  this  sowing 
could  only  be  "while  men  slept,"  no  blame  seems 
intended,  and  certainly  none  is  charged  upon  "  the 
servants:''  it  is  probably  just  the  dress  of  the 
parable.  39.  The  enemy  that  sowed  them  is  the 
devil — emphatically  ''■His  enemy"  {v.  25).  See 
Gen.  iii.  15;  1  John  iii.  8.  By  "tares"  [^i^avia]  is 
meant,  not  what  in  our  husbandry  is  so  called, 
but  some  noxious  plant,  probably  darnel.  "  Tlie 
tares  are  the  children  of  tne  wicked  one  ;"  and  by 
their  being  sown  "  among  the  wheat"  is  meant 
their  being  deposited  within  the  territory  of  the 
visible  Church.  As  they  resemble  the  children  of 
the  kingdom,  so  they  are  prodiiced,  it  seems,  by 
a  similar  process  of  "sowing" — the  seeds  of  evil 
being  scattered  and  lodging  in  the  soil  of  those 
hearts  upon  which  falls  the  seed  of  the  word.  The 
enemy,  after  sowing  his  "  tares,"  "  went  his  way" 
— his  dark  work  soon  done,  but  taking  time  to 
develop  its  true  character.  26.  But  when  the 
hlade  was  sprung  up,  and  brought  forth  frait, 
then  appeared  the  tares  also— the  growth  in 
both  cases  running  parallel,  as  antagonistic  princi- 
ples are  seen  to  do.  27.  So  the  servants  of  the 
householder  came — that  is,  Christ's  ministers — 
and  said  unto  him,  Sir,  didst  not  thou  sow  good 
seed  in  thy  field?  from  whence  then  hath  it 
tares?  This  well  expresses  the  surprise,  disap- 
pointment, and  anxiety  of  Christ's  faithful  servants 
and  people,  at  the  discovery  of  "false  brethren" 
among  the  members  of  the  Church.  28.  He  said 
tmto  them,  An  enemy  hath  dene  this.  Kind 
words  these  from  a  good  Husbandman,  honourably 
clearing  His  faithful  servants  of  the  wrong  done 
to  His  field.  The  servants  said  unto  him,  Wilt 
thou  then  that  we  go  and  gather  them  up? 
Compare  with  this  the  question  of  James  and 
John  (Luke  ix.  54),  "  Lord,  -wait  thou  that  M'e 
command  fire  to  come  down  from  heaven  and  con- 
sume "  those  Samaritans  ?  In  this  kind  of  zeal  there 
is  usually  a  large  mixture  of  carnal  heat.  (See 
Jas.  i.  20.)  29.  But  he  said,  Nay—'  It  will  be  done 
in  due  time,  but  not  now,  nor  is  it  your  business.' 
lest,  while  ye  gather  up  the  tares,  ye  root  up 
79 


also  the  wheat  with  them.  Nothing  could  more 
clearly  or  forcibly  teach  the  ditficulty  of  distin- 
guishing the  two  classes,  and  the  high  probability 
that  in  the  attempt  to  do  so  these  will  be  con- 
founded. 30,  39.  Let  both  grow  together— that  is, 
in  the  visible  Church  — until  the  harvest— till 
the  one  have  rix^ened  for  full  salvation,  the  other 
for  destruction.  The  harvest  is  the  end  of  the 
world  [arvvre^eia  tou  aioii/o?] — the  period  of  Christ  -S 
second  coming,  and  of  the  judicial  separation  of 
the  righteous  and  the  wicked.  Till  tnen,  no  at- 
tempt is  to  be  made  to  effect  such  separation. 
I3ut  to  stretch  this  so  far  as  to  justify  allov,ii;<» 
openly  scandalous  persons  to  remain  in  the  com- 
munion of  the  Church,  is  to  wrest  the  teaching  of 
this  parable  to  other  than  its  proper  desipn,  aid 
go  in  the  teeth  of  apostolic  injunctions  (1  Cor.  vi. 
and  in  the  time  of  harvest  I  will  say  to  the 
reapers.  And  the  reapers  are  the  angels.  But 
v/hose  angels  are  they?  "The  Son  of  man  shall 
send  forth  His  angels"  {y.  41).  Compare  1  Pet. 
iii.  22 — "Who  is  gone  into  heaven,  and  is  on 
the  right  hand  of  God;  angels  and  authorities  and 
powers  being  made  suVyect  unto  Him."  Gather 
ye  together  first  the  tares,  and  bind  them  in 
bundles  to  burn  them — "in  the  fire"  [v.  40)— but 
gather  the  wheat  into  my  barn.  Christ,  as  the 
Judge,  Avill  sejiarate  the  two  classes  (as  in  ch. 
XXV.  32).  It  Avill  be  observed  that  the  tares  are 
burned  before  the  wheat  is  housed ;  in  the  exposi- 
tion of  the  parable  {vv.  41,  43)  the  same  order  is 
observed;  and  the  same  in  ch.  xxv.  46 — as  if,  iu 
some  literal  sense,  "with  thine  eyes  shalt  thou 
behold  and  see  the  reward  of  the  wicked"  (Ps. 
xci.  8).  41.  The  Son  of  man  shall  send  forth 
his  angels,  and  they  shall  gather  out  of  his 
kingdom — to  which  they  never  really  belonged. 
They  usurped  their  place  and  name  and  outward 
privileges;  but  "the  ungodly  shall  not  stand  in 
the  judgment,  nor  sinners  [abide]  in  the  congre- 
gation of  the  righteous"  (Ps.  i.  5).  a,ll  things 
that  offend  {Truvra  T(\  (TKcivcuXa^ — all  those  who 
have  proved  a  stumbling-block  to  others,  and 
them  which  do  iniquity.  The  former  class,  as 
the  worst,  are  mentioned  fii-st.  42.  And  shall 
cast  them  into  a  furnace — rather,  'the  furnace' 
of  fire :  there  shall  be  wailing  and  gnashing  of 
teeth.  What  terrific  strength  of  language-^tho 
"casting"  or  "flinging"  expressive  of  indigna- 
tion, abhorrence,  contempt  (cf.  Ps.  ix.  17;  Dan. 
xii.  2);  " the  furnace  of  fire"  denoting  the  fierce- 
ness of  the  torment;  the  "wailing"  signifying  the 
anguish  this  causes ;  while  the  "  gnashing  of  teetlij' 
is  a  graphic  way  of  expressing  the  despair  in  which 
its  remedilessness  issues  (see  on  ch.  viii.  12) !  43. 
Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sua 
in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father— as  if  they  had 
been  under  a  cloud  during  their  present  associa- 
tion with  ungodly  pretenders  to  their  character, 
and  claimants  of  their  privileges,  and  obstructors 


Parable  of  the 


MATTHEW  XIII. 


Hidden  Treasure. 


the  sun  in  tlie  kingdom  of  their  Father.  Who  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him 
hear. 

Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  treasure  hid  in  a  field;  the 
which  when  a  man  hath  found,  he  hideth,  and  for  joy  thereof  goeth  and 
^'selleth  all  that  he  hath,  and  ''buyeth  that  field. 

Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  merchant-man  seeking 
46  goodly  pearls:  who,  when  he  had  found  'one  pearl  of  great  price,  went 
and  sold  all  that  he  had,  and  bought  it. 


44 


45 


A.  D.  31. 


»  ch.  19.  27. 

PhU.  3.  7. 
^  Pro.  23.  23. 

Isa.  55.  1. 

ch.  25.  9. 

Rev.  3.  18. 
'  Pro.  2.  4. 

Pro.  3.  11 

Pro.  8. 10. 


of  their  course.  Who  hatli  ears  to  hear,  let  him 
hear.     (See  on  Mark  iv.  9. ) 

The  Good  and  Bad  Fish  (47-50).  The  object 
of  this  brief  parable  is  the  same  with  that  of 
the  Tares  and  Wheat.  _  But  as  its  details  are 
fewer,  so  its  teaching  is  less  rich  and  varied. 
47.  Again,  the  kiagdom  of  heaven  Is  like  unto 
a  net,  that  was  cast  into  the  sea,  and  gathered 
of  every  kind.  The  word  here  rendered  "net" 
[crayvvii]  signifies,  a  large  drag-net,  which  draws 
everything  after  it,  suffering  nothing  to  escape, 
as  distinguished  from  '' a,  casting-net'  [a/uLcpipXr^crTftov, 
and  SiKTvoi/\  Mark  L  16,  18.  The  far-reaching 
efficacy  of  the  Gospel  is  thus  denoted.  This 
Gospel  net  "gathered  of  every  kind,"  meaning 
every  variety  of  character.  48.  Which,  when  it 
was 'full,  they  drew  to  shore— for  the  separation 
will  not  be  made  till  the  number  of  the  elect  is 
accomplished — and  sat  down— expressing  the  de- 
liberateness  with  which  the  judicial  separation  will 
at  length  be  made— and  gathered  the  good  into 
vessels,  but  cast  the  bad  away  [xd  oe  aruTrpa] — lit., 
'  the  rotten, '  but  here  meaning, '  the  foul '  or  '  worth- 
less' fish;  corresponding  to  the  "tares"  of  the 
other  parabla  49.  So  shall  it  be  at  the  end  of 
the  world:  the  angels  shall  come  forth,  and 
sever  the  wicked  from  among  the  just,  50. 
And  shall  cast  them  into  the  furnace  of  fire: 
there  shall  be  wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 
8ee  on  verse  42.  We  have  said  that  each  of  these 
two  ijarables  holds  forth  the  same  truth  under  a 
slight  diversity  of  aspect.  What  is  that  diversity  ? 
First,  the  had,  in  the  former  parable,  are  repre- 
sented as  vile  seed  so^vn  amongst  the  wheat  by 
the  enemy  of  souls  ;  in  the  latter,  as  foul  fish 
drawn  forth  out  of  the  great  sea  of  human  beings 
by  the  Gospel  net  itself.  Both  are  important 
truths — that  the  Gosiael  draws  witliin  its  pale, 
and  into  the  communion  of  the  visible  Church, 
multitudes  who  are  Christians  only  in  name ;  and 
that  the  injury  thus  done  to  the  Chm-ch  on  earth  is 
to  be  traced  to  the  wicked  one.  But  further,  while 
the  former  ijarable  gives  chief  prominence  to  the 
present  mixture  of  good  and  bad,  in  the  latter, 
the  prominence  is  given  to  the  future  separation 
of  the  two  classes. 

Remarks. — 1.  These  two  parables  teach  clearly 
the  vanity  of  expecting  a  perfectly  pure  Church  in 
the  i^resent  state,  or  before  Christ  comes.  In  the 
latter  parable,  it  is  the  Gospel  net  itself  that 
gathers  the  bad  as  well  as  the  good;  and  as  it  is 
by  this  tie  that  they  get  and  keep  their  connection 
with  the  Church,  we  cannot  expect  so  to  cast  that 
net  as  to  di-aw  in  the  good  only.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  as  the  presence  of  tares  among  the 
wheat,  in  the  former  parable,  is  ascribed  to  the 
eaemy  of  the  Chm-ch  and  her  Lord,  it  follows 
that,  in  so  far  as  we  encourage  the  entrance  of 
such  into  the  communion  of  the  Church,  we  do  the 
devil's  work.  Thus  does  this  parable  give  as  little 
encouragement  to  laxity  as  to  a  Utopian  purism  in 
church-discipline.  2.  When  the  servants,  in  the 
former  parable,  ask  liberty  to  pull  vip  the  tares, 
that  the  growth  of  the  wheat  may  not  suffer  from 
theii'  presence,  and  that  liberty  is  denied  them,  does 
80 


not  this  rebuke  intolerance  in  religion,  on  pretence 
of  purging  out  heresy?  3.  How  grand  is  the  view 
here  given  by  the  Great  Preacher  of  His  own  ma- 
jesty, as  Bengel  remarks !  The  field  of  the  world 
into  which  the  seed  of  the  kingdom  is  cast  is  "  His 
field "  {v.  24) ;  the  angels  who  do  the  work  of  sepa- 
ration at  the  end  of  the  world  are  "  His  angels;  " 
and  as  it  is  "the  Son  of  man  that  sends  them 
forth,"  so  in  "gathering  out  of  His  kingdom  all 
things  that  offend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity," 
they  do  but  obey  His  commands  (vv.  30,  41.)  4. 
The  Scriptm-e  nowhere  holds  out  the  expectation 
of  a  Millennium  in  which  there  will  be  none  but 
regenerate  men  on  the  earth,  in  flesh  and  blood — 
or,  in  the  language  of  our  parable,  in  which  the 
earth  will  be  one  field  of  wheat  without  any  tares. 
It  would  seem  to  follow  that  there  are  but  two 
great  stages  of  Humanity  under  the  Gospel :  the 
present  mixed  state,  and  the  futiu-e,  fin;u,  abso- 
lutely w?i??iw-e(Z  condition;  the  Millennial  era  being, 
in  that  case,  but  a  continuation  of  the  present 
condition — vastly  superior,  indeed,  and  with  much 
less  mixture  than  we  now  see,  but — not  essen- 
tially differing  from  it,  and  so,  having  no  place 
in  this  parable  at  all.  The  proper  place  of  the 
Milleunmm,  in  these  parables,  is  in  the  next  pair. 
5.  Do  those  who  talk  so  much  of  "the  meekness 
and  gentleness  of  Christ,"  as  if  that  were  the  one 
featiu'e  of  His  character,  set  their  seal  to  the 
sharp  lines  of  His  teaching  in  these  two  parables — 
on  the  subject  of  the  tares  as  "  the  children  of  the 
wicked  one,"  and  "the  enemy  that  sows  them" 
being  "  the  devil ;"  as  to  the  "  furnace  of  fire"  pre- 
pared for  them,  the  "casting"  or  "flinging  of 
them  into  the  furnace,  which  that  gentle  Lamb  of 
God  shall  demand  of  His  angels,  and  the  "wailing 
and  gnashing  of  teeth"  in  which  this  will  end? 
0,  if  men  but  knew  it,  it  is  just  the  gentleness  of 
the  Lamb  which  explains  the  eventual  "  wrath  of 
the  Lamb." 

Third  and  Fourth  Paralles,  or  Second  Pair: 
The  Mustard  Seed  and  The  Leaven  (31-33). 
The  subject  of  both  these  parables,  as  of  the  first 
pair,  is  the  same,  but  under  a  slight  diversity  of 
aspect:  namely,  -f 

The  growth  OF  THE  KINGDOM,  from   the 

SMALLEST  BEGINNINGS  TO  ULTIMATE  UNIVERSAL- 
ITY. 

The  3fustard  Seed  (31,  32).  31.  Another  parable 
put  he  forth  unto  them,  saying.  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  like  to  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  which 
a  man  took,  and  sowed  in  his  field :  32.  Which  in- 
deed is  the  least  of  all  seeds— not  absolutely,  but 
popularly  and  proverbially,  as  in  Luke  xvii.  (5,  "If 
ye  nad  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,"  that  is, 
'  never  so  little  faith.'  but  when  it  is  grown,  it  is 
the  greatest  among  hertos- not  absolutely,  but  in 
relation  to  the  small  size  of  the  seed,  and  in  warm 
latitudes  proverbially  great,  and  becometh  a 
tree,  so  that  the  birds  of  the  air  come  and  lodge 
in  the  branches  thereof.  This  is  added,  no 
doubt,  to  express  the  amplitude  of  the  tree.  But 
as  this  seed  has  a  hot,  fiery  vigour,  gives  out  its 
best  virtues  when  bruised,  and  is  grateful  to  the 
taste  of  birds,  which  are  accordingly  attracted  to 


Parable  of  the 


MATTHEW  XIII. 


Good  and  Bad  Fish. 


47  Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  net,  that  was  cast  into 

48  the  sea,  and  gathered  of  every  kind:  which,  when  it  was  full,  they 
drew  to  shore,  and  sat  down,  and  gathered  the  good  into  vessels,  but  cast 

49  the  bad  away.     So  shall  it  be  at  the  end  of  the  world :  the  angels  shall 

50  come  forth,  and  •^  sever  the  wicked  from  among  the  just,  and  shall  cast 
them  into  the  furnace  of  fire :  there  shall  be  wailing  and  gnashing  of 
teeth. 


A.  IX  31. 

3  Mai  3.  18. 
ch.  22.12-14. 
Ch.  25.  5-12. 
Ch.  25.  33. 
2  Thes.  1.  7- 
10. 

Rev.  20.  12- 
1.".. 


its  branclies  both  for  shelter  and  food,  is  it  strain- 
iug  the  parable,  asks  Trench,  to  suppose  that, 
besides  the  wonderful  growth  of  His  kingdom,  our 
Lord  selected  this  seed  to  illustrate  fui'ther  the 
shelter,  re2:>ose,  and  blessedness  it  is  destined  to 
afford  to  the  nations  of  the  world  ? 

The  Leaven  (33).  33.  Another  parable  spake  he 
unto  them ;  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto 
leaven,  which  a  woman  took  and  hid  in  three 
measures  of  meal,  till  the  whole  was  leavened. 
This  parable,  while  it  teaches  the  same  general 
truth  as  the  foregoing  one,  holds  forth,  perhaps, 
rather  the  inward  gi'owth  of  the  kingdom,  while 
"  the  Mustard  Seed"  seems  to  point  chieliy  to  the 
outward.  It  being  a  woman's  woi'k  to  knead,  it 
seems  a  rehnement  to  say  that  "  the  woman"  here 
reijreseuts  the  Church,  as  the  instrument  of  de- 
positing the  leaven.  Nor  does  it  yield  much  satis- 
faction to  understand  the  "three  measures  of 
meal"  of  that  threefold  division  of  our  nature 
into  "  spirit,  soul,  and  body,"  alluded  to  in  1 
Thes.  V.  23,  or  of  the  threefold  partition  of  the 
world  among  the  three  sons  of  Noah  (Gen.  x.  32), 
as  some  do.  It  yields  more  real  satisfaction  to 
JLsee  in  this  brief  parable  just  the  all-j)enetrating 
and  assimilating  quality  of  the  Gospel,  by  vu-tue 
of  which  it  will  yet  mould  all  institutions  and 
tribes  of  men,  and  exhibit  over  the  whole  earth 
one  "Kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  His  Christ." 
(See  on  Rev.  xi.  15.) 

34.  All  these  thinis  spake  Jesus  unto  the  mul- 
titude in  parables ;  and  without  a  parable  spake 
lie  not  unto  them — that  is,  on  this  occasion ;  re- 
fraining not  only  from  all  naked  discourse,  but 
even  from  all  interpretation  of  these  parables  to 
the  mixed  multitude.  35.  That  it  might  he  ful- 
filled which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  say- 
ing (Ps.  Ixxviii.  2,  nearly  as  in  LXX.),  I  will  open 
my  mouth  in  parables ;  I  will  utter  things  which 
have  been  kept  secret  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world.  Though  the  Psalm  seems  to  contain 
only  a  summary  of  Israelitish  history,  the  Psalmist 
liimself  calls  it  "a  parable,"  and  "dark  sayings 
from  of  old"  p^i^'-sp,  air'  &px')^^—a,'S:  containing, 
underneath  the  history,  truths  for  all  time,  not  fully 
brought  to  light  till  the  Gospel -day. 

Remarks. — 1.  Those  who  maintain  that  the  Mil- 
lennial era  will  be  organically  different  from  the 
present  Gospel  dispensation,  and  denounce  as  iin- 
scrii^tural  the  notion  that  the  one  will  be  but  the 
universal  triumph  of  the  other,  \n\\  find  it  hard  to 
intemret  the  parables  of  the  Mustard  Seed  and 
the  Leaven  on  any  other  principle.  The  giadual 
growth  of  the  Christian  tree  until  the  world  be 
overshadowed  by  its  wide-spreading  branches — 
the  silent  operation  of  the  Gospel  on  the  mass  of 
mankind,  until  the  whole  be  leavened  — these  are 
representations  of  what  the  Gospel  is  designed 
to  do,  which  it  wdll  be  hard  to  reconcile  to  the 
belief  that  the  world  is  not  to  be  Christianized 
before  Christ's  Second  Coming ;  that  Christendom 
is  to  wax  worse  and  worse,  and  be  at  its  worst  con- 
dition, when  He  comes ;  and  that  not  till  after 
He  appears  the  second  time,  without  sin,  unto 
salvation,  will  the  Millennium  commence  and  a 
universal  Christianity  be    seen    uijon  the  earth. 

VOL.    V.  81 


That  those  gigantic  superstitions,  and  spiritual 
tyrannies,  and  hideous  corruptions,  which  have 
for  ages  supjilanted  and  well-nigh  crushed  out 
a  iHire  Christianity  in  some  of  the  fairest  por- 
tions of  Cliristendom,  will  not  disaiii^ear  withcufc 
a  struggle,  and  that  in  this  sense  the  blessed 
Millennial  era  will  be  ushered  in  convulsively,  we 
may  well  believe,  and  Scripture  proj^hecy  is  abun- 
dant and  clear  in  such  details.  But  in  the  light 
of  such  grand  divisions  as  are  presented  to  us  in 
the  parables  of  the  Tares  and  Wheat  and  of  the 
Good  Fish  and  Bad — between  the  present  mixed 
and  the  future  vmmixed  condition  of  Humanity, 
all  such  minor  divisions  disappear;  and  the  re- 
presentations of  the  parables  of  the  Mustard  Seed 
and  the  Leaven  are  seen  to  stretch  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Christian  era,  unbroken,  into 
and  through  and  on  to  the  termination  of  the 
Millennial  era.  But  2.  It  were  a  pity  if  these 
parables  \^'ere  used  merely  for  adjusting  our  views 
of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  Tliey  cheer  the  ser- 
vants of  Christ,  when  planting  the  standard  of  the 
Cross  on  new  ground,  with  the  assurance  of  ulti- 
mate triumph ;  when  exposed  to  crushing  persecu- 
tion, with  assurances  of  linal  victory;  and  when 
gaining  little  ground  on  the  heathen  world,  while 
old  forms  of  corrupted  Christianity  seem  never  to 
yield,  with  the  certainty  that  tlie  time  to  favour 
Zion  is  coming,  even  the  set  time,  and  the  king- 
dom and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the 
kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven  shall  be  given 
unto  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  and  the  king- 
doms of  this  world  shall  become  the  Kingdom  of 
oui'  Lord  and  of  His  Christ. 

Fifth  and  Sixth  Parables,  or  Third  Pair:  The 
Hidden  Treasure  and  The  Pearl  of  Great 
Price  (44-46).  The  subject  of  this  last  Pair,  as  of 
the  two  former,  is  the  same,  but  also  "Under  a 
slight  diversity  of  asjiect :  namely. 

The  priceless  VALUE  of  the  Blessings  of 
the  Kingdom.  And  while  the  one  parable  repre- 
sents the  Kingdom  as  found  luithout  seeking,  the 
other  holds  forth  the  Kingdom  as  sought  and 
found. 

The  Hidden  Treasure  (44-46).  44.  Again,  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  treasure  hid  in 
a  field — no  uncommon  thing  in  unsettled  and  half- 
civilized  countries,  even  now  as  well  as  in  ancient 
times,  when  there  was  no  other  way  of  securing  it 
from  the  rapacity  of  neighbours  or  marauders. 
(Jer.  xli.  8;  Job  iii.  21;  Prov.  ii.  4.)  the  which 
when  a  man  hath  found— that  is,  unexpectedly 
found — he  hideth,  and  for  joy  thereof — on  per- 
ceiving what  a  treasure  he  had  lighted  on,  passing 
the  worth  of  all  he  possessed,  goeth  and  selleth 
all  that  he  hath,  and  buyeth  that  field — in  which 
case,  by  Jewish  law,  the  treasure  would  become 
his  own. 

The  Pearl  of  Great  Price  (45,  46).  45.  Again,  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  merchant- 
man, seeking  goodly  pearls :  46.  Who,  when  he 
had  found  one  pearl  of  great  price,  went  and 
sold  all  that  he  had,  and  bought  it.  The  one 
pearl  of  great  price,  instead  of  being  found  by 
accident,  as  in  the  former  case,  is  found  by  one 
whose  lusiness  it  is  to  seek  for  such,  and  who  hnds 
a 


Christ  contemned 


MATTHEW  XIII. 


of  his  own  countrymen. 


51  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Have  ye  understood  all  these  things?    They 

52  say  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord.  Then  said  he  unto  them.  Therefore  every 
scribe  which  is  instructed  unto  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  is  like  unto  a 
man  that  is  an  householder  which  bringeth  forth  out  of  his  treasure 
^things  new  and  old. 

53  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  when  Jesus  had  finished  these  parables,  he 

54  departed  thence.  And  'when  he  was  come  into  his  own  country,  he 
taught  them  in  their  synagogue,  insomuch  that  they  were  astonished, 
and  said,  Wlience  hath  this  man  this  wisdom,  and  these  mighty  works? 

55  Is  '"not  this  the  carpenter's  son?  is  not  his  mother  called  Mary?  and  "his 

56  brethren,  "James,  and  Joses,  and  Simon,  and  Judas?  and  his  sisters,  are 


A.  D.  31. 

*  Song  7.  13. 
'  Deut.  18.15. 

ch.  2.  23. 

Mark  6.  1. 

Luke  4.  16. 

John  1.  U. 
"Isa.  49.  7. 

Isa.  53.  2,  3. 

Mark  6.  3. 

Luke  3.  23. 

John  6.  42. 
"  ch.  12.  46. 
"  Mark  15.  40. 


it  just  in  the  way  of  searching  for  such  treasures. 
But  in  both  cases  the  surpassing  value  of  the 
treasure  is  alike  recognized,  and  in  both  all  is 
parted  with  for  it. 

51.  Jesus  saith  unto  them — that  is,  to  the 
Twelve.  He  had  spoken  the  first  four  in  the 
hearing  of  the  mixed  multitude :  the  last  three  He 
reserved  till,  on  the  dismissal  of  the  mixed  audi- 
ence, He  and  the  Twelve  were  alone,  [v.  36,  &c.) 
Have  ye  understood  all  these  things  ?  They  say 
unto  him,  Yea,  Lord.  52.  Then  said  he  unto 
them,  Therefore — or  as  we  should  say,  Well,  then, 
every  scribe — or  Christian  teacher ;  here  so  called 
from  that  well-known  class  among  the  Jews.  (See 
ch.  xxiii.  34. )  ■which  is  instructed  unto  the  king- 
dom of  heaven— himself  taught  in  the  mysteries 
of  the  Gospel  which  he  has  to  teach  to  others, 
is  like  unto  a  man  that  is  an  householder 
which  bringeth  forth — '  turneth '  or  '  dealeth  out ' 
f  e-/c/3a\X6t] — out  of  his  treasure— his  store  of  divine 
truth,  things  new  and  old— old  truths  in  ever 
new  forms,  aspects,  applications,  and  with  ever 
new  illustrations. 

Reinarks.—l.    The  truths  taught  in  the  third 
pair  of  these  parables— the  Hidden  Treasure  and 
the   Pearl   of   Great   Price— are  these:   that  the 
blessings  of  Christ's  kingdom  are  of  incomparable 
value ;  that  they  only  truly  deem  them  so  who  are 
prepared  to  part  with  aU  for  them ;  and  that  while 
some   find   Christ  without  seeking  Him,   others 
find  Him  as  the  result  of  long  and  anxious  search. 
Of  the  former  sort,  Messiah  Himself   says,    "I 
was  found  of  them  that  sought  me  not ;   I  was 
made  manifest  imto  them  that  asked  not  after  me." 
(Isa.  Ixv.  i. ;  Eom,  x.  20.)     Such  was  the  woman 
of    Samaria  (Jolm  iv.);    such  was  Matthew  the 
publican  (  ch.  ix.  9) ;  such  was  Zaccheus  the  pub- 
lican (Luke  xix.  1-10) ;  such  was  the  thief  on  the 
cross  (Luke  xxiii.  39-43) ;  such  was  the  man  born 
blind   (John  ix.);  and  such  was  Saul  of  Tarsus, 
(Acts  ix.)    Of  the  latter  sort  it  is  said,  "  Ye  shall 
seek  me,  and  find  me,  when  ye  shall  search  for 
me  with  all  your  heart"   (Jer.  xxix.  13).     Such 
was  Nathanael  (John  i.  45-49),  and  many  others  of 
whom  we  read  in  the  New  Testament.     Of  the 
former  sort  were  nearly  all  who  were  called  from 
among  the  Gentiles,  as  are  the  fruits  of  missions 
still  in  heathen  lands :   of  the  latter  sort  were 
probably  most  of  John's  disciples  who  went  from 
him  to  His  Master,  and  generally,    "all  who  in 
Jerusalem  looked  for  Redemption"  and  "waited  for 
the  Consolation  of  Israel"  (Luke  ii.  25,  38);  and 
to    them    must  be    added  all  now  in  Christian 
lands  reared  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  taught 
to  seek  Him  early,  yet  often  long  of  finding  Him. 
2.  Those  who  find  Christ  without  seeking  Him 
have  usually  the  liveliest  joy— the  joy  of  a  blessed 
sui-prise;   while   those  who  find  Him   after  long 
and  anxious  search  have  usually  the  deepest  ap- 
prehensions  of  His   value.     It  vnll  be   observed 
that  the  "joy"  of  discovery  is  only  in  the  former 
82 


parable — as  if  to  express,  not  the  vahie  set  upon 
the  treasure,  but  the  unexpectedness  of  it.  On 
this  principle,  there  was  "more  joy"  over  the 
imexpected  return  of  the  Prodigal  Son  than  over 
the  son  who  had  been  with  his  father  all  his 
days.  (Luke  xv.)  Yet  not  less,  but  more  pro- 
found is  the  sense  of  Christ's  preciousness,  wnen 
found  after  lengthened  and  weary  search,  which 
has  deepened  the  sense  of  wretchedness  without 
Him  and  the  craving  of  the  soul  after  Him. 

53-58.— How   Jesus   was   Eegakded   by  His 
Relatives.     (  =  Mark  vi.  1-6 ;  Luke  iv.  16-30.) 

53.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  when  Jesus  had 
finished  these  parables,  he  departed  thence.    54. 
And  when  he  was  come  into  his  own  country — 
that    is,     Nazareth ;  _  as    is    plain    from    Mark 
vi.  I.     See  on  John  iv.  43,  where  also  the  same 
phrase  occurs.     This,  according  to  the  majority 
of    Harmonists,   was    the    second    of    two   visits 
which   our  Lord   paid  to  Nazareth  during    His 
public  ministry;   but  in    our  view  it   was    His 
first  and  only  visit  to  it.     See  on  ch.  iv.  13 ;  and 
for  the  reasons,  see  on  Luke  iv.  16-30.     he  taught 
them  in  their  synagogue,  insomuch  that  they 
were  astonished,    and   said,  Whence   hath  this 
man    this    wisdom,   and  these  mighty  works? 
— '  these  miracles '   [oyi/a/xets].     These  surely  are 
not  like  the  questions  of  people  who  had  asked 
precisely  the  same  questions  before,   who  from 
astonishment    had    proceeded   to    rage,    and    in 
their  rage    had   hurried    Him    out   of   the  syn- 
agogue,   and    away    to    the    brow    of    the    hill 
whereon  their  city  was  built,  to  thrust  Him  down 
headlong,  and  who  had  been  foiled  even  in  that 
object  by  His  passing  through  the  midst  of  them, 
and  going  His  way.     But  see  on  Liike  iv.  16,  &c. 
55.  Is  not  this  the  carpenter's  son?    In  Mark 
(vi.  3)  the  question  is,    "Is  not  this  the  carjien- 
ter?"    In  all  likelihood,  our  Lord,  during  His  stay 
under  the  roof  of  His  earthly  pai-ents,  wrought 
along  with  His  legal  father,     is  not  his  mother 
called  Mary? — 'Do  we  not  know  all  aboiit  His 
parentage  ?    Has  He  not  grown  np  in  the  midst  of 
us  1    Are  not  all  His  relatives  our  own  townsfolk  ? 
Whence,  then,  such  wisdom  and  such  miracles?' 
These  particiilars  of  our  Lord's  human  history 
constitute  the  most  valuable  testimony,  first,  to 
His  true  and  real  humanity — for  they  prove  that 
during  all  His  first  thirty  years  His  townsmen 
had  (fiscovered  nothing  about  Him  different  from 
other  men;  secondly,  to  the  divine  character  of 
His  mission — for  these  Nazarenes  proclaim  both 
the  unparalleled  character  of  His   teaching  and 
the  reality  and  glory  of  His  miracles,  as  transcend- 
ing human  ability;  and  thirdly,  to  His  wonder- 
ful humility  and  self-denial — in  that  when  He  was 
such  as  they  now  saw  Him  to  be.  He  yet  never  gave 
any  indications  of  it  for  thirty  years,  because  "His 
hour  was  not  yet  come."    and  his  brethren,  James, 
and  Joses,  and  Simon,  and  Judas?    56.  And  his 
sisters,  are  they  not  all  with  us?    Whence  then 


John  the  Baptist^ s 


MATTHEW  XIV. 


imprisonment  and  death. 


tliey  not  all  with  us?     Whence  then  hath  this  man  all  these  things? 

57  And  they  ^were  offended  in  him.     But  Jesus  said  unto  them,  *  A  prophet 
is  not  without  honour,  save  in  his  own  country,  and  in  his  own  house. 

58  And  '"he  did  not  many  mighty  works  there,  because  of  their  unbelief 

14      AT  that  time  "Herod  the  tetrarch  heard  of  the  fame  of  Jesus,  and 

2  said  unto  his  servants.  This  is  John  the  Baptist :  he  is  risen  from  the  dead ; 
and  therefore  mighty  works  ^  do  show  forth  themselves  in  hira. 

3  For  ^ Herod  had  laid  hold  on  John,  and  bound  hin^,  and  put  hhn  in 

4  prison  for  Herodias'  sake,  his  brother  Philip's  wife.     For  John  said  unto 

5  him,  *^It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to  have  her.     And  when  he  would  have 
put  him  to  death,  he  feared  the  multitude,  ^  because  they  counted  liim 

6  as  a  prophet.     But  when  Herod's  *  birthday  was  kept,  the  daughter  of 

7  Herodias  danced  ^before  them,  and  pleased  Herod.     Wliereupon  he  j^ro- 

8  mised  with  an  oath  to  give  her  whatsoever  she  would  ask.     And  she, 
being  before  instructed  of  her  mother,  said.  Give  me  here  John  Bap- 

9  tist's  head  in  a  charger.     And  the  king  was  sorry:  -^nevertheless,  for 
the  oath's  sake,  and  them  which  sat  with  hi^l  at  meat,  he  commanded 

10  it  to  be  given  her.     And  he  sent,  and  beheaded  John  in  the  prison. 

1 1  And  his  head  was  brought  in  a  charger,  and  given  to  the  damsel :  and 

12  she  brought  it  to  her  mother.     And  his  disciples  came,  and  took  up  the 
body,  and  buried  it,  and  vent  and  told  Jesus. 

13  When  ^ Jesus  heard  of  it,  he  departed  thence  by  ship  into  a  desert 


A.  D   31. 


1'  Ps.  22.  6. 

Cll.  II.  6. 
9  Luke  4.  24. 

John  4.  44. 
•■  Heb  3  19. 

Heb.  4.  2. 

CHAP.  14. 

"  Jlark  6.  14. 

Luke  9.  7. 

1  Or,  are 
wrought 
by  him. 

*  Pro.  10.  17. 

Pro.  15.  10. 
"  Lev.  18.  16. 

Lev.  20.  21. 
d  ch.  21.  2fi. 

Luke  20.  6. 
'  Gen  40.  20. 

2  in  the 
midst. 

/  Titus  1.  16. 
"  ch.  10  23. 

ch  12. 15. 

Mark  6.  32. 

Luke  9.  10. 

John  6. 1,  2. 


hath  this  [man]  all  these  things  ?  An  exceedingly 
difficult  question  here  arises — What  -were  these 
"brethren"  and  "sisters"  to  Jesus?  Were  they, 
First,  His  full  brothers  and  sisters?  or,  Secondly, 
Were  they  his  step-brothers  and  step-sisters,  chil- 
dren of  Joseph  by  a  former  marriage?  or.  Thirdly, 
Were  they  His  cousins,  according  to  a  common  way 
of  speaking  among  the  Jews  respecting  persoins  of 
collateral  descent?  On  this  suDJect  an  immense 
deal  has  been  wi'itten ;  nor  are  opinions  yet  by  any 
means  agreed.  For  the  second  opinion  there  is 
no  groimd  but  a  vague  tradition,  arising  probably 
from  the  ■ft'ish  for  some  such  explanation.  The 
first  opinion  undoubtedly  suits  the  text  best  in  all 
the  places  where  the  parties  are  certainly  referred 
to  (ch.  xii.  46,  and  its  jjarallels,  Mark  iii.  31,  and 
Luke  viiL  19 ;  our  present  passage,  and  its  parallel, 
Mark  vi.  .3;  John  ii.  12;  vii.  3,  5,  10;  Acts  L  14). 
But,  in  addition  to  other  objections,  many  of  the 
best  interpreters,  thinkiu;^  it  in  the  last  degree  im- 
probable that  our  Lord,  when  hanging  on  the  cross, 
would  have  committed  His  mother  to  John  if  He 
had  had  full  brothers  of  His  own  then  alive,  jirefer 
the  third  opinion ;  although,  on  the  other  hand,  it 
is  not  to  be  doubted  that  our  Lord  might  have 
good  reasons  for  entrusting  the  guardianship  of 
His  doubly  widowed  mother  to  the  beloved  dis- 
ciple in  preference  even  to  full  brothers  of  His 
own.  Thus  dubiously  we  prefer  to  leave  this 
vexed  question,  encompassed  as  it  is  with  diffi- 
culties. As  to  the  names  here  mentioned,  the 
first  ol  them,  "James,"  is  afterwards  called  "the 
Lord's  brother  "  (see  on  Gal.  i.  19),  but  is  perhaps 
not  to  be  confounded  with  "James  the  son  of 
Alpheus,"  one  of  the  Twelve,  though  many  think 
their  identity  beyond  dispute.  This  question  also 
is  one  of  considerable  difficulty,  and  not  without 
importance;  since  the  James  who  occupies  so 
prominent  a  place  in  the  Church  of  Jerusalem, 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  Acts,  was  apparently 
the  apostle,  but  is  by  many  regarded  as  "  the 
Lord's  brother,"  while  others  think  their  identity 
best  suits  all  the  statements.  The  second  of  those 
here  named,  "  Joses  "  (or  Joseph),  who  must  not  be 
confounded  with  "Joseph  called  Barsabas,  Avho 
was  surnamed  Justus"  (Acts  i.  23) :  and  the  third 

m 


here  named,  "  Simon,"  is  not  to  be  confounded  with 
Simon  the  Kananite  or  Zealot  (see  on  ch.  x.  4). 
These  three  are  nowhere  else  mentioned  in  the 
New  Testament.  The  foiurth  and  last-Jiarned, 
"  Judas,"  can  hardly  be  identical  with  the  apostle 
of  that  name — though  the  brothers  of  V)oth  were 
of  the  name  of  "  James" — nor  (unless  the  two  be 
identical,  was  this  Judas)  with  the  author  of  the 
catholic  Epistle  so  called.  57.  And  they  were 
oflFended  in  him.  But  Jesus  said  unto  them,  A 
prophet  is  not  without  honour,  save  in  his  own 
country,  and  in  his  own  house.  58.  And  he  did 
not  many  mighty  works  there,  because  of  their 
unbelief — "  save  that  He  laid  His  hands  on  a  few 
sick  folk,  and  healed  them"  (Mark  vi.  5).  See  on 
Luke  iv.  16-30,  and  Remarks  at  the  close  of  that 
Section. 
CHAP.  XIV.     1-12. — Herod  thinks  Jesus  a 

PiESUERECTION     OF     THE      MURDERED      BaPTIST — 

Account  of  his  Imprisonment  and  Death. 
(  =  Mark  vi.  14-29;  Luke  ix.  7-9.) 

The  time  of  this  alarm  of  Herod  Antijpas  ap- 
pears to  have  been  during  tlie  mission  of  the 
Twelve,  and  shortly  after  the  Baptist — who  had 
lain  in  prison  for  r)robably  more  than  a  year — had 
been  cruelly  put  to  death. 

Herod's  Theory  of  the  Works  of  Christ  (1,  2).  1. 
At  that  time  Herod  the  tetrarch— Herod  Antipas, 
one  of  the  three  sons  of  Herod  the  Great,  and  own 
brother  of  Archelaus  (ch.  ii.  22),  who  ruled  as 
Ethnarch  over  Galilee  and  Perea.  heard  of  the 
fame  of  Jesus — "for  His  name  was  spread  abroad" 
(Mark  vi.  14).  2.  And  said  unto  his  servants — his 
counsellors  or  court-ministers,  This  is  John  the 
Baptist:  he  is  risen  from  the  dead;  and  there- 
fore mighty  works  do  show  forth  themselves  in 
him.  The  murdered  prophet  haunted  his  guilty 
breast  like  a  spectre,  and  seemed  to  him  alive 
again  and  clothed  -svith  unearthly  powers  in  the 
person  of  Jesus. 

Account  of  the  Baptist's  Imprisonment  and  Death 
(3-12).  For  the  exposition  of  this  portion,  see  on 
Markvi.  17-29. 

12-21.— HEAmNa  OF  THE  Baptist's  Death, 
Jesus  Crosses  the  Lake  with  the  Twelve, 
AND    Miraculously   Feeds    Five    Thousand. 


Jesus  walJceth 


MATTHEW  XV. 


on  the  sea. 


14 


15 


21 


22 


23 


place  apart :  and  when  the  people  had  heard  thereof,  they  followed  him 
on  foot  out  of  the  cities. 

And  Jesus  went  forth,  and  saw  a  great  multitude,  and  '^was  moved 
with  compassion  toward  them,  and  he  healed  their  sick. 

And  when  it  was  evening,  his  disciples  came  to  him,  saying,  This  is  a 
desert  place,  and  the  time  is  now  past ;  send  the  multitude  away,  that 

16  they  may  go  into  the  villages,  and  buy  themselves  victuals.     But  Jesus 

17  said  unto  them,  They  need  not  depart;  '■give  ye  them  to  eat.     And  they 

18  say  unto  him.  We  have  here  but  five  loaves,  and  two  fishes.     He  said, 

19  Bring  them  hither  to  me.  And  he  commanded  the  multitude  to  sit 
down  on  the  grass,  and  took  the  five  loaves,  and  the  two  fishes,  and, 
looking  up  to  heaven,  -^he  blessed,  and  brake,  and  gave  the  loaves  to  Ms 

20  disciples,  and  the  disciples  to  the  multitude.  And  they  did  all  eat,  and 
were  filled:  and  they  took  up  of  the  fragments  that  remained  twelve 
baskets  full.  And  they  that  had  eaten  were  about  five  thousand  men, 
besides  women  and  children. 

And  straightway  Jesus  constrained  his  disciples  to  get  into  a  ship,  and 
to  go  before  him  unto  the  other  side,  while  he  sent  the  multitudes  away. 
And  ^when  he  had  sent  the  multitudes  away,  he  went  up  into  a  moun- 
tain apart  to  pray :  '  and  when  the  evening  was  come,  he  was  there  alone. 

24  But  the  ship  was  now  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  tossed  with  waves :  for  the 

25  wind  was  contrary.     And  in  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night  Jesus  went 

26  unto  them,  walking  on  the  sea.  And  when  the  disciples  saw  him  '"walk- 
ing on  the  sea,  they  were  troubled,  saying.  It  is  a  spirit :  and  they  cried 

27  out  for  fear.     But  straightway  Jesus  spake  unto  them,  saying.  Be  of 

28  good  cheer :  it  is  I ;  be  not  afraid.     And  Peter  answered  him  and  said, 

29  Lord,  if  it  be  thou,  bid  me  come  unto  thee  on  the  water.  And  he  said, 
Come.     And  when  Peter  was  come  doAvn  out  of  the  ship,  he  walked  on 

30  the  water,  to  go  to  Jesus.  But  when  he  saw  the  wind  ^boisterous, 
he  was  afraid ;  and,  beginning  to  sink,  he  cried,  saying,  Lord,  save  me ! 

31  And  immediately  Jesus  stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  caught  him, 
and   said  unto    him,    0   thou    of  little   faith,   wherefore    "didst  thou 

32  doubt?     And  when  they  were   come  into  the  ship,  the  "wind  ceased. 

33  Then  they  that  were  in  the  ship  came  and  worshipped  him,  saying.  Of  a 
truth  thou  ^art  the  Son  of  God. 

34  And  ^when  they  were  gone  over,  they  came  into  the  land  of  Gennesaret. 

35  And  when  the  men  of  that  place  had  knowledge  of  him,  they  sent  out 
into  all  that  country  round  about,  and  brought  unto  him  all  that  were 

36  diseased;  and  besought  him  that  they  might  only  touch  the  hem  of  his 
garment:  and  '^as  many  as  touched  were  made  perfectly  whole. 

15       THEN  "came  to  Jesus  scribes  and  Pharisees,  wliich  were  of  Jerusalem, 
2  saying,  Why  *  do  thy  disciples  transgi-ess  "^  the  tradition  of  the  elders  ?  for 


A.  D.  31. 


'•  Ch.  9.  36. 

Heb.  2.  17. 
Heb.  4.  15. 
Heb.  5.  2. 

•  2  KL  4.  42, 

43. 

Luke  3.  11. 
John  13.  29. 
2  Cor.  8.  2,3. 
}   ch.  15.  36. 
ch.  26.  26. 
Mark  8.  6. 
Luke  22.19. 
John  6.  11, 

23. 
Acts  27.  35. 

*  ch.  6.  6. 
ch.  26.  36. 
Mark  6.  40. 
Luke  6. 12. 
Acts  6.  4. 

I  John  6. 16. 
"'  Job  7.  19. 

Job  9.  8. 

Ps.  39.  13. 

Ps.  73.  19. 

Isa.  43.  16. 

Lam.  3.  3,8. 
3  Or,  strong. 
"  ch.  8.  20. 

ch.  10.  8. 

Jas.  1.  6. 
"  Ps.  107.  29. 

Mark  4.  41. 

Mark  6.  5. 

John  6.  21. 
P  Ps.  2.  7. 

Mark  1.  1. 

ch.  16.  16, 

ch.  26.  63. 

Luke  4.  41. 

John  1.  49. 

John  6.  69. 

John  11.  27. 
9  Mark  6.  63. 
>■  ch.  9.  20. 

Mark  3.  10. 

Luke  6.  19. 

Acts  19. 12. 


CHAP.  15. 
»  Mark  7. 1. 
0  Mark  7.  5. 
"  GaL  1. 14. 

CoL  2.  8. 


(  =  Mark  vi.  30-44;  Luke  Lx.  10-17 ;  John  vi.  1-14.)  | 
For  the  exposition  of  this  Section — one  of  the  very 
few  where  all  the  four  Evangelists  run  parallel — 
see  on  Mark  vi.  30-44. 

22-36.  —  Jesus  Crosses  to  the  Western  Side 
OF  THE  Lake  Walking  on  the  Sea — Inci- 
dents ON  Landing.  (  =  Mark  vi.  45 ;  John  vl 
15-24. )    For  the  exposition,  see  on  John  vi.  15-24. 

CHAP.  XV.  1-20. —  Discourse  on  Ceremo- 
nial Pollution.     (  =  Mark  vii.  1-23.) 

The  time  of  this  Section  was  after  that  Pass- 
over which  was  nigh  at  hand  when  our  Lord  fed 
the  five  thousand  (John  vi.  4) — the  third  Passover, 
as  we  take  it,  since  His  public  ministry  began,  but 
which  He  did  not  keep  at  Jerusalem  for  the  reason 
mentioned  in  John  vii.  1. 

1.  Then  came  to  Jesus  scribes  and  Pharisees, 
■which  were  of  [d-n-o]  -  or  '  from'  Jerusalem.    Mark 
Bays  they  "  tame  from"  it ;  a  deputation  probably 
84 


sent  from  the  cai^ital  expressly  to  watch  Him. 
As  He  had  not  come  to  them  at  the  last  Pass- 
over, which  they  had  reckoned  on,  they  now 
come  to  Him.  "And,"  says  Mark,  "when  they 
saw  some  of  His  disciples  eat  bread  with  de- 
filed, that  is  to  say,  with  unwasheu,  hands" 
— hands  not  ceremonially  cleansed  by  washint^ 
— "they  found  fault.  For  the  Pharisees,  and  all 
the    Jews,   except    they  wash  their  hands   oft" 

t-Kvyfj.^] — lit. ,  '  in '  or  '  with  the  fist ;'  that  is,  pro- 
)ably,  washing  the  one  hand  by  the  use  of  the 
other — though  some  understand  it,  with  our  ver- 
sion, in  the  sense  of  'diligently,'  'sedulously' — 
"eat  not,  holding  the  tradition  of  the  elders;" 
acting  religiously  according  to  the  custom  handed 
down  to  them.  "  And  when  they  come  from  the 
market"  [Kal  airo  iyopai'] — '  And  after  market;' 
after  any  common  business,  or  attending  a  court 
of  justice,  where  the  Jews,  as   Welater  and   W'd- 


Jesus  reproveth  the 


MATTHEW  XV. 


Scribes  and  Pharisees. 


3  they  wash  not  their  hands  when  they  eat  bread.  But  he  answered  and 
said  unto  them,  Wliy  do  ye  also  transgress  the  commandment  of  God  by 

4  your  tradition?  For  God  commanded,  saying,  '^'Honour  thy  father  and 
mother:  and,  ^He  that  curseth  father  or  mother,  let  him  die  the  death. 

5  But  ye  say,  Whosoever  shall  saj'-  to  his  father  or  his  mother,  ■^It  is  a  gift, 

6  by  whatsoever  thou  mightest  be  profited  by  me ;  and  honour  not  his 
father  or  his  mother,  he  shall  he  free.  Thus  have  ye  made  the  com- 
mandment of  God  of  none  effect  by  your  tradition.  Ye  ^hypocrites, 
well  did  Esaias  prophesy  of  j'ou,  saying,  This  ^people  draweth  nigh  unto 
me  with  their  mouth,  and  honoureth  me  with  their  lips ;  but  their  heart 
is  far  from  me.  But  in  vain  they  do  worship  me,  Heachingybr  doctrines 
the  commandments  of  men. 

And  ■'he  called  the  multitude,  and  said  unto  them.  Hear,  and  under- 
stand: not  ^'that  which  goetli  into  the  mouth  defileth  a  man;  but  that 
which  Cometh  out  of  the  mouth,  this  defileth  a  man. 

Then  came  his  disciples,  and  said  unto  him,  Knowest  thou  that  the 
13  Pharisees  were  offended,  after  they  heard  this  saying?  But  he  answered 
and  said,  'Every  plant,  which  my  heavenly  Father  hath  not  planted. 


7 
8 

9 

10 
11 

12 


A.  D.  32. 


<*  Ex.  20.  12. 

Lev.  19.  3. 
Deut.  5.  16. 
Pro.  23.  22. 

•  Ex.  21.  17. 
Lev.  20.  9. 
Deut.  27.16. 
Pro.  20.  20. 
Pro.  30.  17, 

/  ]\Iark  7.  11. 
"  Mark  7.  6. 
''  Isa.  29.  13. 

Ezek.  33  31. 
i  Isa.  29. 13. 

CoL  2. 18. 

Titus  1.  14. 
i  Mark  7. 14. 

*  Acts  10.  15. 
Rom.  14.14. 
1  Tim.  4.  4. 
Titus  1.  16. 

'  John  15.  2. 
1  Cor.  3. 12. 


k'mson  remark,  after  their  subjection  to  the  Ro- 
mans, were  especially  exposed  to  intercourse  and 
contact  with  heathens  — "  except  they  wash,  they 
eat  not.  And  many  other  things  there  be,  which 
they  have  received  to  hold,  as  the  washing  of  cnps 
and  pots,  brazen  vessels  and  tables "  {kXivoov\— 
lather  'couches,'  such  as  were  vised  at  meals, 
which  probably  were  merely  sprinkled  for  cere- 
monial purposes.  ' '  Then  the  Pharisees  and  scribes 
asked  Him,"  saying,  2.  Why  do  thy  disciples  trans- 
gress the  tradition  of  the  elders  ?  for  they  wash 
not  their  hands  when  they  eat  hread.  3.  But  he 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  Why  do  ye  also 
transgress  the  commandment  of  God  by  your 
tradition  ?  The  charge  is  retorted  with  startling 
power :  '  The  tradition  they  transgress  is  but 
inan's,  and  is  itself  the  occasion  of  heavy  trans- 
gression, undermining  the  authority  of  GocVs  laiv.' 
4.  For  God  commanded,  saying  (Exod.  xx.  12; 
&c.),  Honour  thy  father  and  mother:  and  (Exod. 
xxi.  17;  &c. ),  He  that  curseth  father  or  mother, 
let  him  die  the  death.  5.  But  ye  say.  Whosoever 
shall  say  to  his  father  or  his  mother.  It  is  a 
gift  [Au>pov]—or  simply,  '  A  gift ! '  In  Mark  it  is, 
"Corban!"  [R"?';] — that  is,  'An  oblation!'  mean- 
ing, any  unbloody  offering  or  gift  dedicated  to 
sacred  uses,  hy  whatsoever  thou  mightest  be 
profited  by  me ;  6.  And  honour  not  his  father  or 
his  mother,  [he  shall  be  free].— 5.  (/.,  '  It  is  true, 
father — mother — that  by  giving  to  thee  this,  which 
I  now  present,  thou  mightest  be  jirotited  by  me ; 
but  I  have  gifted  it  to  pious  uses,  and  therefore, 
at  whatever  cost  to  thee,  I  am  not  now  at 
liberty  to  alienate  any  portion  of  it.'  "And,"  it 
is  added  in  Mark,  "ye  suffer  him  no  more  to  do 
aught  for  his  father  or  his  mother."  To  dedi- 
cate pro]3erty  to  God  is  indeed  lawful  and  laudable, 
but  not  at  the  expense  of  filial  duty.  Thus  have 
ye  made  the  commandment  of  God  of  none  effect 
[t'lKvpcocrare] — '  cancelled'  or  '  nullified'  it — by  your 
tradition.  7.  Ye  hsrpocrites,  well  did  Esaias  pro- 
phesy of  you,  saying  (Isa.  xxix.  13),  8.  This 
people  draweth  nigh  unto  me  with  their  mouth, 
and  honoureth  me  with  their  lips;  but  their 
heart  is  far  from  me.  9.  But  in  vain  they  do 
worship  me,  teaching  for  doctrines  the  com- 
mandments of  men.  By  putting  the  command- 
ments of  men  on  a  level  with  the  divine  require- 
ments, their  ivhole  woi'shipwas  rendered  vain — a 
principle  of  deep  moment  in  the  service  of  God. 
For,"  it  is  added  iu  Mark  viL  8,  "  laying  aside  the 
85 


commandment  of  God,  ye  hold  the  tradition  of 
men,  as  the  washing  of  pots  and  cups ;  and  many 
other  such  like  things  ye  do."  [Tregelles  brackets 
all  the  words  after  "men"  in  this  verse  as  of 
doubtful  authority ;  but  we  see  no  ground  for  this : 
Tischendorf  inserts  the  whole  as  in  the  received 
text.]  The  drivelling  nature  of  their  multitudin- 
ous observances  is  here  pointedly  exjiosed,  in  con- 
trast with  the  manly  observance  of  "the  com- 
mandment of  God;"  and  when  our  Lord  says, 
"Many  other  such  like  things  ye  do,"  it  is  implied 
that  He  had  but  given  a  specimen  of  the  hideous 
treatment  which  the  tlivine  law  received,  and  the 
grasping  disposition  which,  under  the  mask  of 
piety,  was  manifested  by  the  ecclesiastics  of  that 
day.  10.  And  he  called  the  multitude,  and  said 
unto  them.  The  foregoing  dialogue,  though  in  the 
people's  hearing,  was  between  Jesus  and  the  phari- 
saic  cavillers,  whose  object  was  to  disparage  Him 
with  the  i^eople.  But  Jesus,  having  put  them 
do^^Ti,  turns  to  the  multitude,  who  at  this  time 
were  prepared  to  drink  in  everything  He  said,  and 
with  admirable  plainness,  strength,  and  brevity 
lays  down  the  great  principle  of  real  pollution,  by 
which  a  world  of  bondage  and  uneasiness  of  con- 
science would  be  dissipated  in  a  moment,  and  the 
sense  of  sin  be  reserved  for  deviations  from  the 
holy  and  eternal  law  of  God.  Hear  and  under- 
stand :  11.  Not  that  which  goeth  into  the  mouth 
defileth  a  man  ;  but  that  which  cometh  out  of  the 
mouth,  this  defileth  a  man.  This  is  expressed 
even  more  emphatically  in  Mark  (vii.  15,  16),  and 
it  is  there  added,  "If  any  man  have  ears  to  hear, 
let  him  hear."  [Tregelles  brackets  this  little 
verse  here,  as  wanting  in  some  good  MSS.  ; 
but  Tischendorf,  we  tliink  rightly,  gives  it  as  in 
the  received  text.]  As  in  ch.  xiii.  9,  this  so 
oft-repeated  saying  seems  designed  to  call  atten- 
tion to  the  fundamental  and  universal  character  of 
the  truth  it  refers  to.  12.  Then  came  his  dis- 
ciples, and  said  unto  him,  Knowest  thou  that  the 
Pharisees  were  offended,  after  they  heard  this 
saying?  They  had  given  vent  to  their  irritation, 
and  perhax>s  threats,  not  to  our  Lord  Himself, 
from  whom  they  seem  to  have  slunk  away,  but  to 
some  of  the  disciples,  who  report  it  to  their  Mas- 
ter. 13.  But  he  answered  and  said.  Every  plant, 
which  my  heavenly  Father  hath  not  planted, 
shall  be  rooted  up,  '  They  are  offended,  are  they! 
Heed  it  not:  their  corrupt  teaching  is  already 
doomed;  the  Garden  of  the  Lord  upon  earth,  too 


Jesus  sJiowetli  what 


MATTHEW  XV. 


di'filetli  a  man. 


14  shall  be  rooted  up.  Let  ""^tliem  aloue:  "they  be  blind  leaders  of  the 
blind.     And   if  the    blind   lead    the   blind,    both   shall   fall  into   the 

15  ditch.     Then  "answered  Peter  and  said  Unto  him,  Declare  unto  us  this 

16  parable.     And  Jesus   said,   ^Are   ye   also   yet  without  understanding? 

17  Do  not  ye  yet  understand,  that  ^whatsoever  entereth  in  at  the  mouth 

18  goeth  into  the  belly,  and  is  cast  out  into  the  draught?  But  ''those 
things  which  proceed  out  of  the  mouth  come  forth  from  the  heart ;  and 

19  they   defile   the   man.     For   *out   of  the  heart  proceed   evil  thoughts, 

20  murders,  adulteries,  fornications,  thefts,  false  witness,  blasphemies:  these 
are  the  things  which  defile  a  man :  bat  to  eat  with  unwashen  hands 
defileth  not  a  man. 

21  Then  Jesus  went  thence,  and  departed  into  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and 

22  Sidon.  And,  behold,  a  woman  of  Canaan  came  out  of  the  same  coasts, 
and  cried  unto  him,  saying.  Have  mercy  on  me,  0  Lord,  thou  son  of 

23  David;  my  daughter  is  grievously  vexed  with  a  devil.     But  he  answered 


A.  D.  32. 

'"Hos.  4.  14, 

17. 
"  Isa.  9.  16. 

Mai.  2.  8. 

Ch.  23.  16. 

Luke  6.  39. 
"  Mark  7.  17. 
*  ch.  10.  9. 

Mark  7.  18. 
9  1  Cor.  6.  13. 
»■  Pro.  6.  li 

ch.  12.  31. 

Jas.  3.  6. 
'  Gen.  6.  5. 

Gen.  8.  21. 

Pro.  6. 14. 

Jer.  17.  9. 

Mark  7.  21. 


long  cumbered  with  their  presence,  shall  yet  be 
purged  of  them  and  their  accursed  system;  yea, 
and  whatsoever  is  not  of  the  planting  of  My  heav- 
enly Father,  the  great  Husbandman  (John  xv. 
1),  shall  share  the  same  fate.'  14.  Let  them 
alone :  they  be  blind  leaders  of  the  blind.  And 
if  the  blind  lead  the  blind,  both  shall  fall  into 
the  ditch.  Striking  expression  of  the  ruinous 
effects  of  erroneous  teaching !  15.  Then  answered 
Peter  and  said  unto  him — "  when  He  was  entered 
into  the  house  from  the  people,"  says  Mark — De- 
clare unto  us  this  parable.  16.  And  Jesus  said, 
Are  ye  also  yet  without  understanding  ?  Slowness 
of  spiritual  apprehension  in  His  genuine  disciples 
grieves  the  Saviour:  from  others  He  expects  no 
better  (ch.  xiii.  11).  17,  18.  Do  not  ye  yet  under- 
stand, that  whatsoever  entereth  in  at  the  mouth, 
&c.  Familiar  though  these  sayings  have  now  be- 
come, what  freedom  from  bondage  to  outward 
things  do  they  proclaim,  on  the  one  hand,  and  on 
the  other,  how  searching  is  the  truth  which  they 
express — that  nothing  which  enters  from  with- 
out can  really  defile  us;  and  that  only  the  evil 
that  is  in  the  heart,  that  is  allowed  to  stir  there, 
to  rise  up  in  thought  and  affection,  and  to  flow  forth 
in  voluntary  action,  really  defiles  a  man !  19.  For 
out  of  the  heart  proceed  evil  thoughts  \c,ia\oyi<Jixo\ 
TToi/rjpol] — 'evil  reasonings;'  referring  here  more 
immediately  to  those  corrupt  reasonings  which 
had  stealthily  introduced  and  gradually  reared 
up  that  hideous  fabric  of  tradition  which  at  length 
Iiractically  nullified  the  unchangeable  principles  of 
the  moral  law.  But  the  statement  is  far  broader 
than  this,  namely,  that  the  first  shape  which  the 
evil  that  is  in  the  heart  takes,  when  it  begins 
actively  to  stir,  is  that  of  'considerations'  or 
'  reasonings '  on  certain  suggested  actions,  mur- 
ders, adulteries,  fornications,  thefts,  false  wit- 
ness, blasphemies  \fi\aa<p^p,ia^\  —  '  detractions,' 
whether  directed  against  God  or  man:  here 
the  reference  seems  to  be  to  the  latter.  Mark 
adds,  "  covetousnesses "  [-TrXeove^tai] — or  desires 
after  more ;  "  wickednesses  "  \jrovnp  laij — here  mean- 
ing, perhaps, '  malignities'  of  various  f orm ;" deceit, 
lasciviousness "  \(i.ai\yeLut\ — meaning,  'excess'  or 
'  enormity '  of  any  kind,  though  by  later  writers 
restricted  to  lewdness ;  "  an  evil  eye" — meaning,  all 
looks  or  glances  of  envy,  jealousy,  or  ill-will  to- 
M'ards  a  neighbour;  "pride,  foolishness"  \a<^pui- 
(Txjv>}\ — in  the  Old  Testament  sense  of  "folly;" 
that  is,  criminal  senselessness,  the  folly  of  the 
heart.  How  appalling  is  this  black  catalogue! 
20.  These  are  the  things  which  defile  a  man :  but 
to  eat  with  unwashen  hands  defileth  not  a  man. 
Thus  does  our  Lord  sum  up  this  whole  searching 
Discoui'se. 


Remarks.—!^  There  is  a,  principle  at  the  bottom 
of  such  traditional  practices  as  are  here  exposed, 
without  the  knowledge  of  which  we  cannot  rightly 
improve  the  teaching  of  oui"  Lord  on  the  sub- 
ject. Be  it  observed,  then,  that  the  practices 
here  referred  to,  though  based  only  on  "  the  tradi- 
tion of  the  elders,"  might  seem,  even  to  conscien- 
tious Israelites,  in  the  highest  de^ee  laudable.  It 
was  a  ceremonial  economy  they  lived  under;  and 
as  one  principal  design  of  this  economy  was  to 
teach  the  difference  betiveen  clean  and  unclean  by 
external  symbols,  it  was  natural  to  think  that  the 
more  vividly  and  variously  they  could  bring  this 
before  their  own  minds,  the  more  would  they  be 
falling  in  with  the  spirit  and  following  out  the 
design  of  that  economy.  Such  are  the  plausibiKties 
by  which  most  of  the  symbolical  featiu-es  of  the 
Bomish  ritual  are  defended.  Nor  is  it  merely  as 
acts  of  will-worship,  without  divine  warrant,  that 
they  are  to  be  condemned,  but  as  teliding  to  weaken, 
the  sense  of  divine  authority  for  what  is  commanded 
by  mixing  it  up  with  what  is  purely  human,  though 
originally  introduced  with  the  best  intentions. 
Examples  of  this  deep  principle  will  readily  occur 
— such  as  the  effect,  everywhere  seen,  of  observing 
a  multitude  of  saints'  days  in  weakening  the  sense 
of  the  paramount  claims  of  "  the  Lord's  Day."  2. 
When  we  read  here  of  the  detestable  pretexts  under 
which  those  Jewish  ecclesiastics  sufi'ered  no  more 
their  deluded  followers,  when  once  they  had  theiu 
committed  to  some  rash  pledge,  "to  do  aught  for 
their  father  or  mother,"  who  can  help  thinking 
of  the  clergy  of  the  Church  of  E,ome,  who  have 
served  themselves  heirs  to  the  worst  features  of 
Babbinical  Judaism  ?  3.  If  it  be  true  that  to  mul- 
tiply human  devices  for  strengthening  the  force  of 
religious  principles  in  the  life  tends  to  draw  the 
attention  so  far  ofi"  from  the  divine  law  enjoining 
duty,  and  to  rivet  it  upon  the  human  device 
for  securing  obedience  to  it,  may  it  not  be 
worthy  of  the  consideration  of  Christians  whether, 
when  sin  is  committed  in  spite  of  these  devices, 
the  breach  of  their  own  pledges  is  not  apt  to 
trouble  them  more  than  that  of  the  divine  law, 
which  they  were  designed  to  fortify  ?  But  we 
would  not  press  this  too  far ;  and  there  certainly 
are  cases  where  evil  habits,  when  inveterate,  re- 
quire restraints  which  in  other  cases  are  superfluous. 
It  is  to  the  former  only  that  we  refer.  4.  If  nothing 
outward  can  defile,  it  is  obvious  that  nothing  purely 
outward  can  sanctify — as  the  Church  of  Bome 
teaches  that  Sacraments,  for  example,  do  of  them- 
selves ['  ex  opere  operato^].  "  God  is  a  Spirit,  and 
they  that  worshiji  Him  must  worship  Him  in 
spirit  and  in  truth." 

21-28. —The    Woman   of    Canaan  and   hkr 


Four  thousand  fed. 


MATTHEW  XVI. 


A  sign  required. 


31 


32 


her  not  a  word.     And  his  disciples  came  and  besought  him,  saying,  Send 

24  her  away;  for  she  crieth  after  us.     But  he  answered  and  said,  *I  am  not 

25  sent  but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.     Then  came  she  and 

26  worshipped  him,  saying,  Lord,  help  me !     But  he  answered  and  said.  It 

27  is  not  meet  to  take  the  children's  bread,  and  to  cast  it  to  "dogs.  And 
she  said.  Truth,  Lord :  yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs  which  fall  from 

28  their  master's  table.  Then  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  0  woman, 
great  is  thy  faith :  be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt.  And  her  daughter 
was  made  whole  from  that  very  hour. 

29  And  ^  Jesus  departed  from  thence,  and  came  nigh  '^unto  the  sea  of 

30  Galilee;  and  went  up  into  a  mountain,  and  sat  down  there.  And  '^ great 
multitudes  came  unto  him,  having  with  them  those  that  were  lame, 
blind,  dumb,  maimed,  and  many  others,  and  cast  them  down  at  Jesus' 
feet;  and  he  healed  them:  insomuch  that  the  multitude  wondered, 
when  they  saw  the  dumb  to  speak,  the  maimed  to  be  whole,  the  lame  to 
walk,  and  the  blind  to  see :  and  they  glorified  the  God  of  Israel. 

Then  ^  Jesus  called  his  disciples  unto  him,  and  said,  I  ^have  compassion 
on  the  multitude,  because  they  continue  with  me  now  three  days,  and 
have  nothing  to  eat :  and  I  will  not  send  them  away  fasting,  lest  they 

33  faint  in  the  way.  And  ''his  disciples  say  unto  him.  Whence  should  we 
have  so  much  bread  in  the  wilderness  as  to  fill  so  great  a  multitude  ? 

34  And  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  How  many  loaves  have  ye  ?    And  they  said, 

35  Seven,  and  a  few  little  fishes.     And  he  commanded  the  multitude  to  sit 

36  down  on  the  ground.  And  *he  took  the  seven  loaves  and  the  fishes,  and 
"^gave  thanks,  and  brake  them,  and  gave  to  his  disciples,  and  the  disciples 

37  to  the  multitude.     And  they  did  all  eat,  and  were  filled :  and  they  took 

38  up  of  the  broken  meat  that  was  left  seven  baskets  full.  And  they  that 
did  eat  were  four  thousand  men,  besides  women  and  children. 

And  '^he  sent  away  the  multitude,  and  took  ship,  and  came  into  the 
coasts  of  Magdala. 

THE  "Pharisees  also  with  the  Sadducees  came,  and  tempting  desired 
him  that  he  would  show  them  a  sign  from  heaven.  He  answered  and 
said  unto  them,  When  it  is  evening,  ye  say.  It  icill  be  fair  weather;  for 
the  sky  is  red :  and  in  the  morning,  It  icill  be  foul  weather  to-day ;  for 
the  sky  is  red  and  lowring.  0  ye  hyjDocrites,  ye  can  discern  the  face  of 
the  sky;  but  can  ye  not  discern  the  ^ signs  of  the  times?  A  "^ wicked  and 
adulterous  generation  seeketh  after  a  sign ;  and  there  shall  no  sign  be 
given  unto  it,  but  the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonas.  And  he  left  them, 
and  departed. 

And  ''when  his  disciples  were  come  to  the  other  side,  they  had  for- 
gotten to  take  bread.  Then  Jesus  said  unto  them,  *Take  heed  and 
beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the  Sadducees.  And 
they  reasoned  among  themselves,  saying,  It  is  because  we  have  taken 
no  bread.  Which  when  Jesus  perceived,  he  said  unto  them,  0  ye  of 
little  faith,  why  reason  ye  among  yourselves,  because  ye  have  brought 
no  bread  ?     Do  •^'ye  not  yet  understand,  neither  remember  the  five  loaves 

10  of  the  five  thousand,  and  how  many  baskets  ye  took  up?  Neither  ^the 
seven  loaves  of  the  four  thousand,  and  how  many  baskets  ye  took  up? 

11  How  is  it  that  ye  do  not  understand  that  I  spake  it  not  to  you  concerning 
bread,  that  ye  should  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the 

12  Sadducees?     Then  understood  they  how  that  he  bade  them  not  beware 


39 

16 

2 


9 


A.  D.  32. 

'   Isa.  53.  6. 

ch.  10.  5,  6. 

Acts  3.  25, 
26. 

Acts  13.  46. 

Eom.  15.  8. 
"  ell.  7.  6. 

Eph.  2.  12. 

Phil.  3.  2. 
"  Mark  7  31 
""  ch.  4  18 

John6.1,23. 

Mark  1.  16. 
"  Isa.  35.  6,  6. 

ch.  11.  5. 

Luke  7.  22. 
y  Mark  8.  1. 
'  Ps.  86.  15. 

Ps.  103.  13. 

Ps.  111.  4. 

Mark  1.  41. 

Heb.  2.  17. 

Heb.  4.  15. 

Heb.  5.  2. 
"  Num.  11. 21, 
22. 

2  Ki  4.  43. 
*  ch.  14.  19. 
"  Deut.  8. 10. 

1  Sam.  9.13. 

Ps.  104.  28. 

Luke  22.19. 
d  Marks.  10. 

CHAP.  16. 

°'  ch.  12.  38. 
Mark  8.  11. 
Luke  11. 16. 
Luke  12.  64- 
56. 

1  Cor.  1.  22. 
6  Gen.  49.  10. 

Isa.  7.  14. 

Isa.  11.  1. 

Isa  42.  1. 

£zek.  21.27. 

Dan.  9.  24. 

Mic.  6.  2. 

Hag.  2.  7. 

MaL  3.  1. 
"  ch.  12.  3P. 
d  ch.  15.  39. 

Mark  8.  14. 
«  ch.  7.  15. 

ch.  24.  4. 

Luke  12.  L 

Eom.  16.17. 
18. 

Eph.  5.  6. 

Col.  2.  8. 

Phil.  3.  2. 

2  Pet.  3.  17. 
/  ch.  14. 17. 

ch.  15. 16,17. 
John  6.  9. 
Eev.  2.  23. 
B  ch,  15.  34. 


Daughter.  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  vii. 
24-30. 

29-39. — Miracles  of  Healing— Four  Thou- 
sand MIRACULOUSLY  Fed.  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Mark  vii.  31 — viii.  10. 

CHAP.  XVL  1-12.— A  Sign  from  Heaven 
87 


Sought  and  Eefused — Caution  against  the 
Leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees. 
For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  viii.  11-21. 

13-28. — Peter's  noble  Confession  of  Christ, 
AND  the  Benediction  pronounced  upon  him— 
Cueist's  First  explicit  Announcement  of  His 


MATTHEW  XVI. 


Peter  s  confession 

of  the  leaven  of  bread,  but  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the 
Sadducees.  ... 

13  "Wlien  Jesus  came  into  the  coasts  of  Cesarea  Philippi,  he  asked  his 
14-  disciples,  saying,  '^WHiom  do  men  say  that  I  the  Son  of  man  am?  And 
they  said,  ^Some  say  that  thou  art  John  the  Baptist;  some,  •^Elias;  and 
others,  Jeremias,  or  one  of  the  prophets.  He  saith  unto  them.  But 
whom  say  ye  that  I  am  ?  And  Simon  Peter  answered  and  said.  Thou 
^■art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God.  And  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  him.  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-jona:  'for  flesh  and  blood  hath 


of  Christ. 


15 
16 
17 


A.  D.  32. 


Dan.  7.  13. 
Mark  8.  27. 
Luke  9.  18. 
ch.  14.  2. 
Luke  9.  7,8, 
9. 

Mai  4.  5. 
:  Ps.  2.  7. 

ch.  14.  33. 
Eph.  2.  8. 


APPROACHING  SUFFERINGS,  DeATH,  ANU  RESUR- 
RECTION—HiS  Rebuke  of  Peter  and  Warning 
TO  ALL  the  Twelve.  (  =  Mark  viii.  27;  ix.  1; 
Liike  ix.  18-27.)  The  time  of  this  Section— which 
is  beyond  doubt,  and  will  presently  be  mentioned 
— is  of  immense  importance,  and  throws  a  touch- 
ing interest  around  the  incidents  which  it  records. 
Peter's  Confession  and  the  Benediction  pronounced 
upon  him  (13-20).  13.  When  Jesus  came  into  tlie 
coasts  [tu  /xepi]] — '  the  parts ;'  that  is,  the  territory 
or  region:  In  Mark  (viii.  27)  it  is  "the  towns"  or 
'villages'  [h'toMfs].  of  Cesarea  Philippi.  It  lay  at 
the  foot  of  mount  Lebanon,  near  the  sources  of  the 
Jordan,  in  the  territory  of  Dan,  and  at  the  north- 
east extremity  of  Palestine.  It  was  originally 
called  Panium  (from  a  cavern  in  its  neighbour- 
hood dedicated  to  the  god  Pan)  and  Paneas. 
Philip,  the  tetrarch,  the  only  good  son  of  Herod 
the  Great,  in  whose  dominions  Paneas  lay, 
having  beautified  and  enlarged  it,  changed  its 
name  to  Cesarea,  in  honour  of  the  Roman  em- 
peror, and  added  PhiVqjpi  after  his  o^vn  name, 
to  distinguish  it  from  the  other  Cesarea  (Acts 
X.  1)  on  the  north-east  coast  of  the  Mediterranean 
sea.  [Joseph.  Antt.  xv.  10,  3 ;  xviii.  2,  1. )  This 
quiet  and  distant  retreat  Jesus  appears  to  have 
sought,  with  the  view  of  talking  over  vdth  the 
Twelve  the  fruit  of  His  past  labours,  and  breaking 
to  them  for  the  first  time  the  sad  intelligence 
of  His  approaching  death,  he  asked  his  dis- 
ciples—"by  the  way,"  says  Mark  (viii.  27), 
and  "as  He  was  alone  praying,"  says  Luke 
(ix.  18) — saying',  Whom  —  or  more  grammati- 
cally, "Who"  do  men  say  that  I  the  Son  of 
man  am?  [or,  'that  the  Son  of  man  is' — i-ecent 
editors  omitting  here  the  yue  of  Mark  and  Luke ; 
though  the  evidence  seems  pretty  nearly  bal- 
anced]— q.d.,  'What  are  the  views  generally  en- 
tertained of  Me,  the  Son  of  man,  after  going  up 
and  down  among  them  so  long?'  He  had  now 
closed  the  first  great  stage  of  His  ministry,  and 
was  just  entering  on  the  last  dark  one.  His  spirit, 
burdened,  sought  relief  in  retirement,  not  only 
from  the  multitude,  but  even  for  a  season  from 
the  Twelve.  He  retreated  into  "  the  secret  place 
of  the  Most  High,"  pouring  out  His  soid  "  in  suji- 
plications  and  prayers,  with  strong  crying  and 
tears"  (Heb.  v.  7).  On  rejoining  His  disciples,  and 
as  they  were  pursuing  their  quiet  journey,  He 
asked  them  this  question.  14.  And  they  said, 
Some  say  that  thou  art  John  the  Baptist — risen 
from  the  dead.  So  that  Herod  Antipas  was  not 
singular  in  his  surmise  (ch.  xiv.  1,  2).  some,  Elias 
— cf.  Mark  vi.  15.  and  others,  Jeremias.  Was 
this  theory  suggested  by  a  supposed  resemblance 
between  the  "Man  of  Sorrows"  and  'the  weeping 
prophet?'  or  one  of  the  prophets— or,  as  Luke 
(ix.  8)  expresses  it,  "  that  one  of  the  old  prophets 
is  risen  again."  In  another  report  of  the  popular 
opinions  which  Mark  (vi.  15)  gives  us,  it  is  thus 
expressed,  "  That  it  is  a  prophet,  [or]  as  one  of  the 
prophets"  [the  word  "or" — n — is  wanting  in  au- 
thority] : — in  other  words,  That  he  was  a  propheti- 
cal person,  resembling  those  of  old.  15.  He  saith 
88 


unto  them,   But  whom— rather,  "Who"  say  ye 
that  I  am?    He  had  never  put  this  question  be- 
fore, but  the  crisis  He  was  reaching  made  it  fitting 
that  He  should  now    have  it  from   them.     We 
may  suppose  this  to  be  one  of  those  moments  of 
which  the  i>rophet  says,  in  His  name,   "  Then  I 
said,  I  have  laboured  in  vain ;  I  have  spent  my 
strength  for  nought,  and  in  vain"   (Isa.  xlix.   4j: 
Lo,  these  three  years  I  come  seeking  fruit  on  this 
fig  tree ;  and  what  is  it  ?    As  the  residt  of  all,  I 
am  taken  for  John  the  Baptist,  for  Elias,  for  Jere- 
mias, for  one  of  the  ]iroi3hets.     Yet  some  there  are 
that  have  beheld  My  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the 
Only  begotten  of    the  Father,  and  I  shall  hear 
their  voice,  for  it  is  sweet.     16.  And  Simon  Peter 
answered  and  said,  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  the  living  God.    He  does  not  say,  '  Scribes  and 
Pharisees,  rulers  and  people,  are  all   perplexed; 
and  shall  we,  unlettered  fishermen,  presume  to 
decide?'      But  feeling  the  light  of  his  Masters 
glory  shining  in  his  soul,  he  breaks  forth — not  in  a 
tame,  prosaic  acknowledgment,  '  /  believe  that  thou 
art,^  &c. — but  in  the  language  of  adoration — such 
as  one  uses  in  worship,   "Thou  art  the  Christ, 
THE  Son  of  the  Living  God!"    He  first  owns 
Him  the  promised  Messiah  (see  on  ch.  i.  16) ;  then 
he  rises  higher,  echoing  the  voice  from  heaven — • 
"  This    is    my    beloved    Son,    in    whom    I    am 
well  pleased ; "  and  in  the  important  addition — 
"  Son  of  the  Living  God," — he   recognizes  the 
essential  and  eternal  life  of  God  as  in  this  His  Son 
—though  doubtless  without  that  distinct  percep- 
tion afterwards  vouchsafed.    17.  And  Jesus  an- 
swered   and  said  unto  him,  Blessed  art   thou. 
Though  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  Peter,  in  this 
noble  testimony  to  Christ,  only  expressed  the  con- 
viction of  all  the  Twelve,  yet  since  he  alone  seems 
to  have  had  clear  enough  apprehensions  to  put 
that  conviction    in    proper  and    suitable  words, 
and  courage  enough  to  speak  them  out,  and  readi- 
ness enough  to  do  this  at  the  right  time — so  he 
only,  of  all  the  Twelve,  seems  to  have  met  the 
prese  it  want,  and  communicated  to  the  saddened 
soul  of  the  Redeemer  at  the  critical  moment  that 
balm  which  was  needed  to  cheer  and  refresh  it. 
Nor  is  Jesus  above  giving  indication  of  the  deep 
satisfaction  Mdiich  this  sjieech  yielded  Him,  and 
hastening  to  respond  to  it  by  a  signal  acknowledg- 
ment of  Peter  in  return.     Simon  Bar-jona  [nji'  lai 
— or,  '  son  of  Jona'  (John  i.  42)  or  Jonas  (John 
xxi.  15).     This  name,  denoting  his  humble  fleshly 
extraction,    seems  to  have  been  purposely  here 
mentioned,  to  contrast  the  more  vividly  with  the 
spiritual  elevation  to  which  divine  illumination 
had  raised  him.     for  flesh   and  blood  hath  not 
revealed  it  unto  thee—'  This  is  not  the  fruit  of 
human  teaching.'    but   my   Father  which  is  in 
heaven.     In  speaking  of  God,  Jesus,  it  is  to  be 
observed,  never  calls  Him,  "Our  Father"  (see  on 
John  XX.   17),   but  either  ''your  Father"— when 
He   would  encourage   His   timid    believing   ones 
with  the  assurance  that  He  was  theirs,  and  teach 
themselves  to  call   Him    so — or,   as    here,    "My 
Father,"  to  signify  some  peculiar  action  or  aspect 


Jesus  foresJioiceth 


MATTHEW  XVI. 


his  death. 


18 


not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  ™my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  And  I 
say  also  unto  thee.  That  "thou  art  Peter,  and  "upon  this  rock  I  will 
build  my  church;  and  ^the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 
And  *I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  and 
whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven;  and 
whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven.  Then 
charged  he  his  disciples  that  they  should  tell  no  man  that  he  was  Jesus 
the  Christ. 

From  that  time  forth  began  Jesus  to  show  unto  his  disciples,  how  that 
he  must  go  unto  Jerusalem,  and  suffer  many  things  of  the  elders  and 
chief  priests  and  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  be  raised  again  the  third  day. 

22  Then  Peter  took  him,  and  began  to  rebuke  him,  saying,  ^  Be  it  far  from 

23  thee.  Lord :  this  shall  not  be  unto  thee.  But  he  turned,  and  said  unto 
Peter,  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan :  ''thou  art  an  offence  unto  me ;  for 
thou  savourest  not  the  things  that  be  of  God,  but  those  that  be  of  men. 


19 


20 


21 


A.  D.  3>. 

'"1  Cor.  2.10. 

Oal.  1.  ic. 
"  John  1.  42, 
*  Isa.  28.  16. 

1  Cor.  a  11. 

Eph.  2.  20. 

Eev.  21.  14. 
f  Isa  54.  17. 
«  John  2a  23. 
1  Pity 

thyself. 
*■  Gen.  3  i-fi. 
IT. 

ch.  4.  10. 

Mark  8.  S3. 

Luke  1.  8. 

Eom.  8.  7. 

2Cor.U.  14, 
15. 


of  Him  as  "  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  18.  And  I  say  also  unto  thee  [Kayti  5h 
o-ot  Xcyto]: — q.  cL,  'As  thou  hast  borne  such  tes- 
timony to  Me,  even  so  in  return  do  I  to  thee;' 
That  thou  art  Peter.  At  his  first  calling,  this 
new  name  was  announced  to  him  as  an  honour 
afterwards  to  be  conferred  on  him  (John  i.  4^^ 
iS'ow  he  gets  it,  with  an  exjilanation  of  what  it 
was  meant  to  convey,  and  upon  this  rock.  As 
"  Peter"  and  "Ilock"  are  one  word  in  the  dialect 
familiarly  spoken  by  our  Lord — the  Aramaic  or 
Syro-Chaldaic,  which  was  the  mother  tongue  of 
the  coimtry — this  exalted  play  upon  the  word  [**?'?] 
Ki;<^as,  John  i.  43]  can  be  fully  seen  only  in  lan- 
guages Avhich  have  one  word  for  both.  Even  in 
the  Greek  it  is  imperfectly  represented  [o-u  el 
YleTpoi,  KOI  evL  TcwTri  tV]  7reT/oa].  In  French, 
as  Webster  and  Wilkinson  remark,  it  is  perfect, 
Pierre — pierre.  I  'will  build  my  church — not  on 
the  man  Simon  Bar-jona;  but  on  him  as  the 
heaven-taught  Confessor  of  such  a  faith.  "My 
Church,"  says  our  Lord,  calling  the  Church  His 
OWN ;  a  magnificent  expression,  remarks  Bengel, 
regarding  Himself— nowhere  else  occurring  in  the 
Gospels.  See  on  ch.  xiii.  24-30,  36-43,  Remark  3. 
and  the  gates  of  hell  l<toou]— '  of  Hades,'  or,  the 
unseen  world ;  meaning,  the  gates  of  Death :  in 
other  words, '  It  shall  never  perish.'  Some  explain 
it  of  '  the  assaults  of  the  powers  of  darkness  ;'  but 
though  that  expresses  a  glorious  truth,  jirobably 
the  former  is  the  sense  here.  19.  And  I  will  give 
unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven — 
the  kingdom  of  God  about  to  be  set  up  on  earth — 
and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shall 
be  bound  in  heaven ;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt 
loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven.  What- 
ever this  mean,  it  was  soon  expressly  extended 
to  all  the  apostles  (ch.  xviii.  18) ;  so  that  the  claim 
of  supreme  authority  in  the  Church,  made  for 
Peter  by  the  Church  of  Eome,  and  then  arrogated 
to  themselves  by  the  Popes  as  the  legitimate  suc- 
cessors of  St.  Peter,  is  baseless  and  impudent. 
As  first  in  confessing  Christ,  Peter  got  this  com- 
mission before  the  rest;  and  with  these  "keys," 
0!i  the  day  of  Pentecost,  he  first  "  opened  the  door 
of  faith"  to  the  Jeics,  and  then,  in  the  person  of 
Cornelius,  he  was  honoured  to  do  the  same  to  the 
Gentiles.  Hence,  in  the  lists  of  the  apostles,  Peter 
is  always  first  named.  iSee  on  ch.  xviii.  18.  One 
thing  is  clear,  that  not  in  all  the  New  Testament 
is  there  the  vestige  of  any  authority  either  claimed 
or  exercised  by  Peter,  or  conceded  to  him,  above 
the  rest  of  the  apostles — a  thing  conclusive  against 
the  Romish  claims  in  behalf  of  that  apostle.  See 
on  ch.  x.  1-5,  Remark  8.  20.  Then  charged  he  his 
89 


disciples  that  they  should  tell  no  man  that  ha 
was  Jesus  the  Christ.  Now  that  He  had  been  so 
explicit,  they  might  natiu-ally  think  the  time  come 
for  giving  it  out  openly ;  but  here  they  are  told  it 
had  not. 

Announcement  of  His  approaching  Death,  and 
Rebuke  of  Peter  (21-28).  The  occasion  here  is 
evidently  the  same.  21.  From  that  time  forth 
began  Jesus  to  show  unto  his  disciples— that  is, 
with  an  exjAicitness  and  frequency  He  had  never 
observed  before,  how  that  he  must  go  unto  Jer- 
usalem, and  suffer  many  things  ("and  be  re- 
jected," Matt,  and  Mark)  of  the  elders  and  chief 
priests  and  scribes— not  as  before,  merely  by 
not  receiving  Him,  but  by  formal  deeds— and  be 
killed,  and  be  raised  again  the  third  day.  Alark 
(viii.  32)  adds,  that  "He  spake  that  saying  openly" 
y-wapf.iya'iq]  —  'explicitly,'  or  'without  tlisguise.' 
22.  Then'  Peter  took  him  [aside],  apart  from  the 
rest ;  presuming  on  the  distinction  just  con- 
ferred on  him ;  showing  how  unexpected  and 
distasteful  to  them  all  was  the  announcement. 
and  began  to  rebuke  him— affectionately,  yet  witii 
a  certain  generous  indignation,  to  chide  him.  say- 
ing, Be  it  far  from  thee,  Lord:  this  shall  not  be 
unto  thee — i.  e.,  'If  I  can  help  it; '  the  same  spirit 
that  pronipted  him  in  the  garden  to  draw  the 
sword  in  His  behalf  (John  xviii.  10).  23.  But  he 
turned,  and  said — in  the  hearing  of  the  rest ;  for 
Mark  (viii.  33)  expressly  says,  "When  He  had 
turned  about  and  looked  on  His  disciples.  He  re- 
buked Peter;"  perceiving  that  he  had  but  boldly 
uttered  what  others  felt,  and  that  the  check  was 
needed  by  them  also.  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan 
— the  same  words  as  He  had  addressed  to  the 
Tempter  (Luke  iv.  8);  for  He  felt  in  it  a  Satanic 
lure,  a  whisper  from  hell,  to  move  Him  from  His 
purpose  to  suffer.  So  He  shook  off'  the  Serpent, 
then  coiling  around  Him,  and  "felt  no  harm" 
(Acts  xxviii.  5).  How  quickly  has  the  "rock" 
turned  to  a  devil !  The  fruit  of  divine  teaching 
the  Lord  delighted  to  honour  in  Peter;  but  the 
mouthpiece  of  hell,  which  he  had  in  a  moment 
of  forgetfulness  become,  the  Lord  shook  off  with 
horror.  thou  art  an  cfFence  [m^duSaXov]  —  'a 
stumbling-block'  unto  me :  '  Thou  playest  the 
Tempter,  casting  a  stumbling-block  in  my  "way 
to  the  Cross.  Could  it  succeed,  where  wert 
thou?  and  how  should  the  Serpent's  head  be 
bruised?'  for  thou  savourest  not  [ov  4>poi>6is]— 
'  thou  thinkest  not' — the  things  that  be  of  God,  but 
those  that  be  of  men.  '  Thou  art  carried  away  by 
human  views  of  the  way  of  setting  up  Messiah's 
kingdom,  quite  contrary  to  those  of  God.'  This  was 
kindly  said,  not  to  take  off  the  shari^  edge  of  the 


Jesus  followers 


MATTHEW  XVI. 


to  hear  his  cross. 


24  Then  *said  Jesus  unto  his  disciples.  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let 

25  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me.  For  whosoever 
will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it :  and  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my 

2G  sake  shall  find  it.  For  what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the 
whole  Avorld,  and  lose  his  own   soul?   or  'what  shaU  a  man  give  in 

27  exchange  for  his  soul?  For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of 
his  Father  "with   his   angels;  "and  then  he  shall  reward  every  man 

28  according  to  his  works.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  be  some  standing 
here  which  shall  not  taste  of  death,  till  they  see  the  Son  of  man  coming 
in  his  "'kingdom. 


A.  D.  32. 

*  Acts  14.  22. 

1  Thes.  3.  3. 

2  Tim.  3.12. 
«  Ps.  49.  7,  8. 
"  Dan.  7.  10. 

Zech.  14.  5. 

Jude  14. 
"  Jer.  17.  10. 

Rom.  2.  6. 

2  Cor.  5.  10. 

1  Pet.  1.  17. 
"  Mark  9.  1. 


rebuke,  but  to  explain  and  justify  it,  as  it  was 
evident  Peter  knew  not  what  was  in  the  bosom  of 
his  rash  speech.  24.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  Ms 
disciples.  Mark  (viiL  34)  says,  "When  He  had 
called  the  people  unto  Him,  with  His  disciples 
also,  He  said  unto  them " — turning  the  rebuke  of 
one  into  a  warning  to  alL  If  any  man  will  come 
after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his 
cross,  and  follow  me.  25.  For  whosoever  will 
save  [3-e\?7  awa-ai] — 'is  minded  to  save,'  or  bent  on 
saving,  his  life  shall  lose  it :  and  whosoever  will 
lose  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it.  See  on  eh. 
X.  38,  39.  *  A  suffering  and  dying  Messiah  liketli 
you  ill ;  but  what  if  His  servants  shall  meet  the 
same  fate?  They  may  not;  but  who  follows  Me 
must  be  prepared  for  the  worst.'  26.  For  what  is 
a  man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world, 
and  lose  [^t(/xi(oe??]— or  'forfeit'  his  own  soul?  or 
what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ? 
Instead  of  these  weighty  words,  which  we  find  in 
Mark  also,  it  is  thus  expressed  in  Luke:  "If  he 
gain  the^  whole  world,  and  lose  himself,  or  be  cast 
away"  [euvTop  de  airoXecra^  ?;  ^jj^KuOets],  or  better, 
'  If  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  destroy  or  forfeit 
himself.'  How  awfid  is  the  stake  as  here  set 
forth !  If  a  man  makes  the  present  world — in  its 
various  forms  of  riches,  honours,  pleasures,  and 
such  like — the  object  of  supreme  pursuit,  be  it 
that  he  gains  the  world ;  yet  along  with  it  he  for- 
feits his  own  souL  Not  that  any  ever  did,  or  ever 
will  gain  the  whole  world — a  very  small  portion  of 
it,  indeed,  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  most  successfid  of 
the  world's  votaries — but  to  make  the  extravagant 
concession,  that  by  giving  himself  entirely  up  to 
it,  a  man  gains  the  whole  world ;  yet,  setting  over 
against  this  gain  the  forfeiture  of  his  soul— neces- 
sarily following  the  surrender  of  his  whole  heart 
to  the  world — what  is  he  profited?  But,  if  not 
the  whole  world,  yet  possibly  something  else 
may  be  conceived  as  an  equivalent  far  the  souL 
Well,  what  is  it? — "Or  what  shall  a  man  give 
in  exchange  for  his  soul?"  Thus,  in  language  the 
weightiest,  because  the  simplest,  does  our  Lord 
shut  up  His  hearers,  and  all  who  shall  read  these 
words  to  the  end  of  the  world,  to  the  priceless 
value  to  every  man  of  his  own  souL  In  Mark  and 
Luke  the  following  words  are  added:  "Whoso- 
ever therefore  shall  be  ashamed  of  Me  and  of  My 
words" — 'shall  be  ashamed  of  belonging  to  Me, 
and  ashamed  of  My  Gospel,'  "in  this  adulterous 
and  sinful  generation"  (see  on  ch.  xiL  39),  "  of  him 
shall  the  Son  of  man  be  ashamed  when  He  cometh 
in  the  glory  of  His  Father,  with  the  holy  angels  " 
(Mark  viii.  38 ;  Luke  ix.  26).  He  will  render  back 
to  that  man  his  own  treatment,  disowning  him 
before  the  most  august  of  all  assemblies,  and 
putting  him  to  '* shame  and  everlasting  contempt" 
(Dan.  xii.  2).  '0  shame,'  exclaims  Bengel,  'to  be 
put  to  shame  before  God,  Christ,  and  angels ! ' 
The  sense  of  ahame  is  founded  on  our  love  of  repu- 
tation,  which  causes  instinctive  aversion  to  what  is 
fitted  to  lower  it,  and  was  given  us  as  a  ijreserva- 
90 


tive  from  all  that  is  properly  shameful.  To  be  lost 
to  shame,  is  to  be  nearly  past  hope.  (Zeph.  iii.  5; 
Jer.  vi.  15;  iii.  3.)  But  when  Christ  and  "His 
words"  are  unpopular,  the  same  instinctive  desire 
to  stand  well  tvUh  others  begets  that  temptation  to  be 
ashamed  of  Him  which  only  the  'expulsive  power' 
of  a  higher  affection  can  effectually  countei-act.  27. 
For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  his 
Father  with  his  angels— in  the  splendour  of  His 
Father's  authority  and  with  all  His  angelic  minis- 
ters, ready  to  execute  His  pleasure ;  and  then  he 
shall  reward,  &c.  28.  Verily  I  say  unto  you. 
There  be  some  standing  here  [rti/es  twv  wSe  eo-Tj)- 
KOTwv] — 'some  of  those  standing  here,'  which 
shall  not  taste  of  death,  till  they  see  the  Son  of 
man  coming  in  his  kingdom^r,  as  in  Mark 
(ix.  1),  "till  they  see  the  kingdom  of  God  come 
with  power ;"  or,  as  in  Luke  (ix.  27),  more  simply 
still,  "tdl  they  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  "The 
reference,  beyond  doubt,  is  to  the  firm  estabhsh- 
ment  and  victorious  progress,  in  the  life-time  of 
some  then  ijresent,  of  that  new  Ivingdom  of  Christ, 
which  was  destined  to  work  the  greatest  of  all 
changes  on  this  earth,  and  be  the  grand  pledge  of 
His  final  coming  in  glory. 

lieniaTks. — 1.  The  distraction  and  indecision  of 
the  public  mind  on  the  great  vital  questions  of 
Religion  will  be  no  excuse  for  the  want  of  detinite 
convictions  on  the  part  either  of  the  educated  or 
the  illiterate  on  such  momentous  matters.  On 
the  contrary,  it  is  just  when  such  distraction  and 
indecision  are  greatest  that  the  Lord  Jesus  ex- 
pects firm  conviction  and  decision  on  the  part  of 
His  true  friends,  and  values  it  most.  2.  The 
testimony  here  borne,  in  our  Lord's  commendation 
of  Peter,  to  the  reality  of  an  inward  divine  teach- 
ing, distinct  from  the  outward  communication  of 
divine  truth,  is  very  precious.  For  Peter  h.id 
enjoyed  the  outward  teaching  of  the  Son  of  God 
Himself.  But  since  many  others  had  done  this 
to  no  saN'ing  effect,  the  Lord  expressly  ascribes 
the  difference  between  Peter  and  them  to  sujjer- 
natural  illumination.  3.  When  the  Lord  has  any 
eminent  work  to  do  in  His  kingdom.  He  always 
finds  the  fitting  instruments  to  do  it;  and  yet, 
how  different,  usually,  fi-om  those  He  might  have 
been  expected  to  select !  Who  would  have  thought 
that  a  humble  Galilean  fisherman  woidd  be  chosen, 
and  found  qualified,  to  do  what  at  that  time  was 
the  highest  work  for  Christ,  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  the  Church — opening  the  door  of  faith  to  the 
Jews  first,  and  thereafter  to  the  Gentiles  ?  But 
this  is  God's  way — to  choose  the  foolish  things  of 
the  world  to  confound  the  wise,  and  the  weak 
things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  mighty,  and 
base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  wliich  are 
despised,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring 
to  nought  the  things  that  are;  that  no  flesh  should 
glory  in  His  presence  (1  Cor.  i.  27-29).  4  In  the 
words  of  commendation  and  reward  here  addressed 
to  Peter  we  have  a  striking  example  of  the  ex- 
tremes to  be    avoided   in  the   interpretation  of 


The  transfiguration 


Mx\TTHEW  XVII. 


of  Christ. 


17      AND  "after  sLx  days  Jesus  taketli  Peter,  James,  and  John  his  brother, 

2  and  bringeth  them  up  into  an  high  mountain  apart,  and  was  transfigured 
before  them ;  and  his  face  did  shine  as  the  sun,  and  his  raiment  was 

3  white  as  the  light.     And,  behold,  there  appeared  unto  them  Moses  *and 

4  Ehas  talldng  with  him.  Then  answered  Peter,  and  said  unto  Jesus, 
Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here :  if  thou  wilt,  let  us  make  here  three 

5  tabernacles ;  one  for  thee,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias.  While 
■^he  yet  spalce,  behold,  a  bright  cloud  overshadowed  them:  and  behold 
a  voice  out  of  the  'cloud,  which  said,  ''This  is  my  beloved  Son,  ^in 

6  whom   I   am  well  pleased;  •''hear  ye   him.     And  ''when   the  disciples 

7  heard  it,  they  fell  on  their  face,  and  were  sore  afraid.     And  Jesus  came 

8  and  touched  them,  and  said.  Arise,  and  be  not  afraid.     And  when  they 

9  had  lifted  up  their  eyes,  they  saw  no  man,  save  Jesus  only. 

9  And  as  they  came  down  from  the  mountain,  Jesus  charged  them, 
saying,  Tell  the  vision  to  no  man,  until  the  Son  of  man  be  risen  again 

10  from  the  dead.     And  his  disciples  asked  him,  saying,  ^Vlly  ''then  say 

1 1  the  scribes  that  Elias  must  first  come  ?     And  Jesus  answered  and  said 

12  unto  them,  Elias  truly  shall  first  come,  and  restore  *all  things.  But  -^I 
say  unto  you,  That  Ehas  is  come  already,  and  they  knew  him  not,  but 
have  ^"done  unto  him  whatsoever  they  listed.     Likewise  shall  also  the 

13  Son  of  man  sutler  of  them.  Then  the  disciples  understood  that  he 
spake  unto  them  of  John  the  Baptist. 

14  And  'when  they  were  come  to  the  multitude,  there  came  to  him  a 

15  certain  man,  kneeling  down  to  him,  and  saying,  Lord,  have  mercy  on  my 


A.  D.  32. 

CHAP.  17. 
"  Mark  9.  a 

Luke  9.  28. 
>>  Eom.  3.  21. 
"  2  Pet.  1.  IT. 
d  ch.  3.  17. 

Mark  1.  11. 

Luke  3.  22. 

Luke  9.  35. 

John  3.  lt>, 
35. 

John  5.  20. 
«  Isa.  42.  1. 
/  Deut.  18.15. 

Acts  3.  22. 

Heb.  12.  25. 
»  2  Pet.  1.  18. 
A  Mai.  4.  5. 

ch.  11.  14. 

Ch.   27.   47- 
49. 

Mark  9.  11. 

John  1.  21, 
25. 
>  MaL  4.  6. 

Luke  1.  16. 

Acts  3.  21. 
7  Mark  9.  11 
*■■  ch.  14.  3. 
(  Mark  9.  14. 

Luke  9.  3T. 


Scripture.  While  Romanists  and  Romanizers 
build  upon  this  a  distmction  in  favour  of  Peter,  in 
•which  none  else,  even  of  the  Twelve,  were  destined 
to  share,  able  Protestants  have  gone  to  the  oppo- 
site extreme,  of  denying  that  'our  Lerd,  in  speaking 
•of  "that  rock  on  which  He  was  to  build  His 
Church,"  had  any  reference  to  Peter  at  all ;  and 
take  the  rock  to  mean  either  the  Speaker  Himself, 
■or  at  least  the  fundamental  truth  regarding  Him 
which  Peter  had  just  uttered — that  He  was  "the 
•Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. "  But  as  hi  that 
case  the  manifest  play  upon  the  word  "rock," 
which  the  name  of  Peter  was  designed  to  express, 
would  be  lost,  so  we  do  not  lose  the  truth  for 
which  these  Protestant  intei-preters  contend  by 
admitting  that  Peter  himself  is  intended  in  this 
announcement,  provided  it  be  understood  that  it 
was  not  as  the  naan  "Simon,  son  o'f  Jonas,"  that 
anything  was  to  be  built  upon  Peter,  but  on  Peter 
as  the  man  of  most  distinguished  faith  in  Jesus 
as  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God.  Thus, 
while  the  plain  sense  of  the  passage  is  preserved, 
the  truth  expressed  is  according  to  Scripture.  5. 
How  hard  is  it  even  for  eminent  Christians  to 
stand  high  commendation  without  forgetting  them- 
selves !  (See  on  Luke  xxii.  31,  &c. ;  and  see  2  Cor. 
xii.  7.)  Peter,  it  is  to  be  feared,  must  have  been 
carried  somewhat  off  his  feet  by  the  encomium 
pronounced  upon  him — even  though  his  superiority 
was  expressly  ascribed  to  Grace — «re  he  could  have 
been  betrayed  into  the  presumption  of  taking 
his  Master  to  task.  6.  How  deejuy  instructive  is 
the  sharp  distiuction  which  Christ  here  draws 
between  the  things  that  be  of  God  and  those  that 
be  of  men,  and  how  severe  the  rebuke  adminis- 
tered to  Peter  for  judging  of  the  one  by  the 
standard  of  the  other!  If  the  things  of  God  be 
hid  from  "the  wise  and  prudent"  (see  on  ch.  xi. 
25),  can  we  wonder  that  when  God's  own  children 
make  use  of  the  world's  wisdom  and  prudence 
to  measure  His  ways,  they  should  misjudge  and 
run  against  them  ?  And  yet,  so  plausible  is  this 
worldly  wisdom,  that  when,  having  fallen  into  uu- 


spu'itual  conceptions  of  the  things  of  God,  Chris- 
tians throw  stumbling-blocks  before  those  servants 
of  Christ  who  are  more  devoted  than  themselves, 
they  fancy  they  are  only  checking  a  too  fiery 
zeal,  and  arresting  proceedings  which  are  inju- 
dicious and  hurtful ;  while  our  Lord  here  teaches 
us  that  they  are  but  tools  of  Satan  ]  7.  Let  the 
example  of  Jesus,  in  not  only  resenting  and  repel* 
bag  all  such  suggestions  as  tended  to  arrest  His 
onward  career,  but  even  when  they  came  from  His 
most  eminent  disciple,  tracing  them  with  horror 
to  their  proper  soui'ce  in  the  dark  Enemy  of  man's 
salvation,  stand  out  before  us  as  oiu-  perfect  Model 
in  all  such  cases.  8.  In  times  of  severe  persecution, 
and  in  prospect  of  suffering  in  any  shape  for  the 
sake  ot  the  Gospel,  it  will  be  our  wisdom,  and 
be  found  a  tower  of  strength,  calmly  to  weigh  both 
issues— the  gaiii  and  the  loss  of  each  course.  And 
to  be  prepared  for  the  worst,  it  will  be  well  to  put 
the  best  of  the  world's  gain  over  against  the  worst  of 
Christ's  service.  Put  the  gain  of  the  whole  world 
against  only  one  loss — the  loss  of  the  soul — and  the 
loss  of  everything  in  tliis  world,  friends,  goods, 
liberty,  life  itseK,  against  only  one  gain — the  gain  of 
the  soul  Then  let  us  ask  ourselves,  in  the  sight  of 
conscience  and  God,  and  an  eternity  of  bliss  or  woe, 
With  which  side  lies  the  advantage  ?  And  to  make 
the  answer  to  this  question  the  more  certain  and 
the  more  impressive,  let  us  habitually  summon  uj) 
before  us  the  scene  here  presented  to  us  by  Him 
who  is  to  be  Himself  the  Judge— the  great  assize, 
the  parties  at  the  bar,  the  open  acknowledgment 
and  acquittal  of  the  one,  the  disavowal  and  con- 
demnation of  the  other,  and  the  eternal  issues. 
So  shall  we  feel  ourselves  di-iven  out  of  the  denial 
of  that  blessed  Name,  and  shut  up  and  shut  in  to 
Christ  and  the  fearless  confession  of  His  truth  and 
grace,  come  what  may. 

CHAP.  XVn.  1-13.— Jesus  is  Transfigured 
—Conversation  about  Elias.  (--Mark  ix.  2-13; 
Luke  ix.  28-36.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Luke 
ix.  2.8-36. 

14-23.— Healing  of  a  Demoniac  Eoy— Second 


CJirist  healeth 


MATTHEW  XVII. 


the  lunatic. 


son :  for  he  is  lunatic,  and  sore  vexed :  for  ofttimes  he  falleth  into  the 

1 6  fire,  and  oft  into  the  water.     And  I  brought  him  to  thy  disciples,  and 

17  they  could  not  cure  him.  Then  Jesus  answered  and  said,  0  faithless 
and  perverse  generation,  how  long  shall  I  be  with  you !  how  long  shall  I 

18  suffer  you!  13ring  him  hither  to  me.  And  Jesus  rebuked  the  devil; 
and  he  departed  out  of  him:  and  the  child  was  cured  from  that  very 

19  hour.     Then  came  the  disciples  to  Jesus  apart,  and  said,  "Why  could 

20  not  we  cast  him  out?  And  Jesus  said  unto  them.  Because  of  your 
unbelief:  for  verily  I  say  unto  you.  If  '"ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of 
mustard  seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain.  Remove  hence  to  yonder 
place;  and  it  shall  remove;  and  nothing  shall  be  impossible  unto  you. 

21  Howbeit  this  kind  goeth  not  out  but  by  prayer  and  fasting. 

22  And  "^ while  they  abode  in  Galilee,  Jesus  said  unto  them,  The  Son  of 

23  man  shall  be  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  men;  and  "they  shall  kill  him, 
and  the  third  day  he  shall  be  raised  again.  And  they  were  exceeding 
sorry. 

24  And  when  they  were  come  to  Capernaum,  they  that  received  ^tribute 

25  money  came  to  Peter,  and  said.  Doth  not  your  master  pay  tribute?  He 
saith,  Yes.  And  when  he  was  come  into  the  house,  Jesus  prevented 
him,  saying.  What  thinkest  thou,  Simon  ?  of  whom  do  the  kings  of  the 
earth  take  custom  or  tribute?   of  their  own  children,  or  of  strangers? 


A.  D.  32. 


'"  ch.  21.  21. 
Mark  11. 23. 
Luke  17.  6. 
1  Cor.  12.  9. 
1  Cor.  13.  2. 
"  ch.  16.  21. 
ch.  20.  17. 
Mark  8.  31. 
Mark  9.  10, 
31. 

Mark  10. 33. 
Luke  9.  22. 
Luke  18.  31. 
Luke  24.  6, 
7. 
"  Ps.  22.15,22. 
Isa.  53.  7,10- 

12. 

Dan.  9.  26. 
Mark  9.  33. 
lCor.15.3,4. 
1  didrachma, 
in  value 
fifteen- 
pence. 
Ex.  30  13. 
Ex.  33.  26. 


Explicit  Announcement  by  our  Lord  of 
His  approaching  Death  and  E,esurrection. 
(  =  Mark  ix.  14-32;  Luke  ix.  37-45. )  The  time 
of  this  Section  is  sufficiently  denoted  hj  the  events 
which  all  the  narratives  show  to  have  imme- 
diately preceded  it — the  first  exjjhcit  annoimce- 
ment  of  His  death,  and  the  transhgm-ation — both 
being  between  his  tlm-d  and  his  fourth  and  last 
Passover, 

Healing  of  the  Demoniac  and  Lunatic  Boy  (14-21). 
For  the  exposition  of  this  portion,  see  on  Mark  ix. 
14.32. 

Second  Announcement  of  His  Death  (22,  23).  22. 
And  while  they  abode  in  Galilee,  Jesus  said  unto 
them,  Mark  (ix.  30),  as  usual,  is  very  precise  here : 
"And  they  departed  thence" — that  is,  from  the 
scene  of  the  last  miracle — "  and  passed  through 
Galilee ;  and  He  would  not  that  any  man  shomd 
know  it."  So  this  was  not  a  preaching,  but  a 
private,  journey  through  Galilee.  Indeed,  His  pub- 
lic ministry  in  Galilee  was  now  all  but  concluded. 
Though  He  sent  out  the  Seventy  after  this  to 
l^reach  and  heal,  Himself  was  little  more  in 
l)ublic  there,  and  He  was'  soon  to  bid  it  a  final 
adieu.  Till  this  hour  arrived  He  was  chiefly  occu- 
pied A\atli  the  Twelve,  preparing  them  for  the 
coming  events.  Th9  Son  of  man  shall  be  be- 
trayed into  the  hands  of  men;  23.  And  they 
shall  kill  him,  and  the  third  day  he  shall  be 
raised  again.  And  they  were  exceeding  sorry. 
Though  the  shock  would  not  be  so  great  as  at  the 
first  aunouucemeut  (ch.  x^•i  21,  22),  their  "sorrow" 
would  not  be  the  less,  but  probably  the  greater, 
the  deeper  the  intelligence  went  down  into  their 
hearts,  and  a  new  M^ave  dashing  upon  them  by 
this  repetition  of  the  heavy  tidings.  Accordingly, 
Luke  (ix.  43,  44),  connecting  it  ^^^th  the  scene  of 
the  miracle  just  recorded,  and  the  teaching  which 
arose  out  of  it — or  possibly  with  all  His  recent 
teaching — says  our  Lord  forewarned  the  Twelve 
that  they  would  soon  stand  in  need  of  all  that 
teaching:  "But  while  they  wondered  every  one 
at  all  things  which  Jesus  did,  He  said  imto 
His  disciples,  Let  these  sayings  sink  down  into 
your  ears ;  for  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be  deli- 
vered, &c. ; "  'Be  not  carried  off  your  feet  by 
the  grandeur  you  have  lately  seen  in  Me,  but 


remember  what  I  have  told  you,  and  now  tell  you 
again,  that  that  Sun  in  whose  beams  ye  now  re- 
joice is  soon  to  set  in  midnight  gloom.'  Eemark- 
able  is  the  antithesis  in  those  words  of  our  Lord, 
preserved  in  all  the  three  Narratives — "  The  Son 
of  man  shall  be  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  men.'''' 
He  adds  {v.  45)  that  "  they  imderstood  not  this 
saying,  and  it  was  hid  from  them,  that  they 
perceived  it  not" — for  the  plainest  statements, 
when  they  encounter  long-continued  and  obstinate 
prejudices,  are  seen  through  a  distorting  and  dull- 
ing medium — "and  were  afraid  to  ask  Him;" 
deterred  partly  by  the  air  of  lofty  sadness  with 
which  doubtless  these  sayings  were  uttered,  and 
on  which  they  would  be  reluctant  to  break  in,  and 
pai-tly  by  the  fear  of  laying  themselves  o^ien  to 
rebuke  for  their  shallowness  and  timidity.  How 
artless  is  aU  this ! 

For  Remarks  on  this  Section,  see  on  ISIark  ix. 
14-32,  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 

24-27.— The  Tribute  Money. 

The  time  of  this  Section  is  evidently  in  im- 
mediate succession  to  that  of  the  preceding  one. 
The  brief  but  most  pregnant  incident  which  it 
records  is  given  by  oui-  Evangelist  alone — for 
whom,  no  doubt,  it  _  would  have  a  peculiar 
interest,  from  its  I'elation  to  his  own  tovTi  and 
his  own  familiar  lake.  24.  And  when  they  were 
come  to  Capernaum,  they  that  received  tri- 
bute money  [xa  ^iopaxp-a^ — '  the  double  di'achma ;' 
a  sum  equal  to  two  Attic  drachmas,  and  cor- 
responding to  the  Jewish  "half -shekel,"  payable, 
towards  the  maintenance  of  the  Temple  and  its 
services,  by  every  male  Jew  of  twenty  years  old 
and  upwards.  For  the  origin  of  this  annual  tax, 
see  Exod.  xxx.  13,  14;  2  Chr.  xxiv.  6,  9.  Thus, 
it  will  be  observed,  it  was  not  a  civil,  but  an  ecclesi- 
astical tax.  The  tax  mentioned  in  the  next  verse 
was  a  ci\'il  one.  The  whole  teaching  of  this  very 
remarkable  scene  depends  upon  this  distinction. 
came  to  Peter — at  whose  house  Jesus  n>robably 
resided  while  at  Capernaum.  This  explains  seve- 
ral things  in  the  narrative,  and  said,  Doth  not 
your  master  pay  tribute?  The  question  seems 
to  imply  that  the  payment  of  this  tax  was  volun- 
tary, out  expected;  or  what,  in  modern  phrase, 
would  be  called  a  '  voluntary  assessment.'    25.  He 


Christ  teacheth 


MATTHEW  XVIII. 


to  atiold  offence. 


18 


26  Peter  saitli  unto  liim,  Of  strangers.     Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Then  are  the 

27  children  free.  Notwithstanding,  lest  we  ^should  offend  them,  go  thou 
to  the  sea,  and  cast  an  hook,  and  take  up  the  fish  that  first  cometh 
up;  and  when  thou  hast  opened  his  mouth,  thou  shalt  find  ^a  j)iece 

money :  that  take,  and  give  unto  them  for  me  and  thee. 

AT  '^the  same  time  came  the  disciples  unto  Jesus,  saying,  "Who  is 

2  the  gTeatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven?    And  Jesus  called  a  little  child 

3  unto  him,  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  said.  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  ^Except  ye  be  converted,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye 

4  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Whosoever  'therefore  shall 
humble  himself  as  this  little  child,  the  same  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom 

5  of  heaven.     And  "^  whoso  shall  receive  one  such  little  child  in  my  name 

6  receiveth  me.  But  whoso  shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones  which 
believe  in  me,  it  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged  about 
his  neck,  and  that  he  were  drowned  in  the  depth  of  the  sea. 

7  Woe  unto  the  world  because  of  offences!  for  *it  must  needs  be  that 


A.  D.  32. 

P  Mark  12. 17. 
1  Cor.  10.32. 

2  Or,  a 
stater.    It 
is  in  vahie 
2s.  6d.  after 
6s.  the 
ounce. 

CHAP.  18. 
"  Mark  9.  33. 

Luke  9.  48. 
6  Ps.  131.  2. 

Mark  10.14. 

Luke  18. 16. 
"  Ps.  57.  15. 

Ps.  68.  2. 
d  Ch.  10  42. 

«  Luke  17.  1. 
1  Cor.ll.ia. 


saith,  Yes — q.  d.,  'To  be  sure  He  does;'  as  if 
eager  to  remove  eveu  the  suspicion  of  tlie  con- 
trary. If  Peter  knew — as  surely  he  did — that  there 
was  at  this  time  no  money  in  the  bag,  this  reply 
must  be  regarded  as  a  gi-eat  act  of  faith  in 
his  Master.  And  when  he  was  come  into  the 
house-Peter's,  Jesus  prevented  him  [Trpoecfydaa-ev 
aiiTov] — 'anticipated  him;'  according  to  the  old 
sense  of  the  word  "  prevent,"  saying,  What 
thinkest  thou,  Simon?— using  his  family  name 
for  familiarity,  of  whom  do  the  kings  of  the 
earth  take  custom  [teXj;]  —  meaning  custom  on 
goods  exported  or  imported — or  tribute?  [kjjwo-ou, 
from  the  Latin  word  ce7isus]  —  meaning  the  poll- 
tax,  payable  to  the  Romans  by  every  one  whose 
name  was  in  the  'census.'  This,  therefore,  it  will 
be  observed,  was  strictly  a  civil  tax.  of  their  own 
children,  or  of  strangers  [dXXoTpiwv]  ?  This  can- 
not mean  '  foreigners,'  from  whom  sovereigns  cer- 
tainly do  not  raise  taxes,  but  '  those  who  are  not 
of  their  own  family,'  that  is,  their  subjects.  26. 
Peter  saith  unto  him.  Of  strangers— or,  '  Of  those 
not  their  children.'  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Then 
are  the  children  free.  By  "the  children"  our  Lord 
cannot  here  mean  Himself  and  the  Twelve  together, 
in  some  loose  sense  of  their  near  relationship  to 
God  as  their  common  Father.  For  besides  that 
our  Lord  never  once  mixes  HimseK  up  Avith  His 
disciples  in  speaking  of  their  relation  to  God,  but 
ever  studiously  keeps  His  relation  and  theirs  apart 
(see,  for  example,  on  the  last  words  of  this  chap- 
ter)— this  would  be  to  teach  the  right  of  believers 
to  exemption  from  the  dues  required  for  sacred  ser- 
vices, in  the  teeth  of  all  that  Paul  teaches  and  that 
He  Himself  indicates  throughout.  He  can  refer 
here,  then,  only  to  Himself ;  using  the  word  "  chil- 
dren'] evidently  in  order  to  express  the  general 
princii^le  observed  by  sovereigns,  who  do  not  draw 
taxes  from  their  own  children,  and  thus  convey 
the  truth  respecting  His  own  exemption  the  more 
strikingly: — (/.  d.,  'If  the  sovereign's  own  family  be 
exempt,  you  know  the  inference  m  My  case ;'  or  to 
express  it  more  nakedly  than  Jesus  thought  need- 
ful and  fitting :  '  This  is  a  tax  for  upholding  My 
Father's  House :  As  His  Son,  then,  ihat  tax  is  not 
due  by  Me — I  am  free.'  27.  Notwithstanding,  lest 
we  should  offend— or 'stumble'— them— all  igno- 
rant as  they  are  of  My  relation  to  the  Lord  of  the 
Temple,  and  sliould  misconstrue  a  claim  to  exemp- 
tion into  indifference  to  His  honour  who  dwells 
in  it,  go  thou  to  the  sea— Capernaum,  it  will  be 
remembered,  lay  on  the  sea  of  Galilee,  and  cast  an 
hook,  and  take  up  the  fish  that  first  cometh  up ; 
and  when  thou  hast  opened  his  mouth,  thou 
93 


Shalt  find  a  piece  of  money  [o-Tar^fja] — 'a  stater.' 
So  it  should  have  been  rendered,  and  not  inde- 
finitely, as  in  our  version;  for  the  coin  was  an 
Attic  silver  coin,  equal  to  two  of  the  fore-men- 
tioned "didrachms  of  half-a-shekel's  value,  and 
so,  was  the  exact  sum  required  for  both.  Accord- 
ingly, the  Lord  adds,  that  take,  and  give  unto 
them  for  me  and  thee  [ai/xi  efxov  Kal  a-ov] — lit., 
'  instead  of  Me  and  thee ;'  perhaps  because  the  pay- 
ment was  a  redeinption  of  the  perso7i  paid  for 
(Exod.  XXX.  12) — in  which  view  Jesus  certainly 
was  "free."  If  the  house  was  Peter's,  this  will 
account  for  payment  being  provided  on  this  occa- 
sion, not  for  all  the  Twelve,  but  only  for  him  and 
His  Lord.  Observe,  our  Lord  does  not  say  "  for 
us,"  but  "for  Me  and  thee;"  thus  distinguishing 
the  Exempted  One  and  His  non-exempted  disciple. 
(See  on  John  xx.  17.) 

Remarks. — 1.  A  stronger  claim  to  essential 
Divinity  than  our  Lord  in  this  scene  at  Caper- 
naum advances — as  "  o^vn  Son"  of  the  Lord  of  the 
Temple— cannot  well  be  conceived.  Either,  there- 
fore, the  teaching  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  systema- 
tically subversive  of  the  prerogatives  of  Him  who 
will  not  give  His  glory  to  another,  or  He  was  the 
Fellow  of  the  Lord  of  hosts.  But  the  former  can- 
not be  true,  attested  as  Jesus  was  in  every  imagin- 
able way  by  His  Father  in  heaven:  His  claim, 
then,  to  supreme  personal  Divinity,  ought  with 
Christians  to  be  beyond  dispute,  and  is  so  with  all 
who  deserve  the  name — who  would  die  sooner 
than  surrender  it,  and  with  whose  loftiest  joys 
and  hopes  it  is  inseparably  bound  up.  2.  What 
manifold  wonders  are  there  in  the  one  miracle  of 
this  Section!  The  exact  sum  required  was  found 
in  a  fish's  mouth ;  Jesus  showed  that  He  knew 
this ;  this  very  fish  came  to  the  spot  where  Peter's 
hook  was  to  be  cast,  and  at  the  very  time  when  it 
was  cast ;  that  fish  took  that  hook,  retained  it  till 
drawn  to  land,  and  there  yielded  up  the  needed 
coin !  And  yet,  3.  Amidst  such  wealth  of  divine 
resources — lo,  the  Lord's  whole  means  of  temporal 
subsistence  at  this  time  appear  to  have  been  ex- 
hausted! "Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ" — but  do  ye  know  it,  O  my  readers? — 
"  that  thougli  He  was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  He 
became  poor,  that  ye  through  his  poverty  might 
be  rich  !*^  (2  Cor.  viii.  9). 

CHAP.  XVIIL  1-9.  — Strife  among  the 
Twelve  Who  should  be  Greatest  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven,  with  Relative  Teach- 
ing. (  =  Mark  ix.  33-50 ;  Luke  ix.  46-50. )  For  the 
exposition,  see  on  Mark  ix.  33-50. 

10-35. — Further    Teaching    on    the    same 


Christ  teacJietJi  to 


MATTHEW  XVIII. 


forghe  our  hrefhren. 


offences  come;   but  •'woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the   offence  cometh! 

8  Wherefore  ^if  thy  hand  or  thy  foot  offend  thee,  cut  them  off,  and  cast 
them  from  thee :  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  into  life  halt  or  maimed, 
rather  than  having  two  hands  or  two  feet  to  be  cast  into  everlasting  fire. 

9  And  if  thine  eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it  from  thee :  it  is 
better  for  thee  to  enter  into  life  with  one  eye,  rather  than  having  two 
eyes  to  be  cast  into  hell  fire. 

10  Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones;  for  I  say  unto 
you.  That  in  heaven  ''their  angels  do  always  ^behold  the  face  of  my 

1 1  Father  which  is  in  heaven.     For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  save  that 

12  which  was  lost.  How  •'think  ye?  If  a  man  have  an  hundred  sheep, 
and  one  of  them  be  gone  astray,  doth  he  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine, 
and  goeth  into  the  mountains,  and  seeketh  that  which  is  gone  astray? 

13  And  if  so  be  that  he  find  it,  verily  I  say  unto  you.  He  rejoiceth  more  of 

14  that  sheep,  than  of  the  ninety  and  nine  which  went  not  astray.  Even  so 
it  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  that  one  of  these 
little  ones  should  perish. 

15  Moreover,  ^'if  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against  thee,  go  and  tell  him 
his  fault  between  thee  and  him  alone :  if  he  shall  hear  thee,  'thou  hast 

16  gained  thy  brother.  But  if  he  will  not  hear  thee,  then  take  with  thee 
one  or  two  more,  that  in  '"the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses  every 

17  word  may  be  established.  And  if  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  them,  tell  it 
unto  "  the  church :  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  unto 
thee  as  an  "heathen  man  and  a  publican. 

18  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  ^Whatsoever  ye  shall  bind  on  earth  shall  be 


A.  D.  32. 


/  Ch.  26.  24. 

1  Deut.  1.3.  6. 

ch.  5.  29,  30. 
ch.  14.  3,  4. 
Mark  9.  43. 
Luke  14.  26. 
Luke  18.  22. 

*  Ps.  34.  r. 

Zech.  1.3.  7. 

Heb.  1.  14. 
i  Esth.  1.  14. 

Luke  1.  19. 
i  Luke  15.  4. 
i  Lev.  19.  17. 

Luke  17.  3. 
'  Jas  5.  20. 

1  Pet.  3.  1. 
""Num. 35.  .30. 

Deut.  17.  a 

Deut.  19.15. 

1  Ki.  21. 13. 
John  8.  17. 

2  Cor.  13.  1. 
Heb.  10.  28. 
1  John  a.  7, 

8. 

Eev.  II.  3. 
"  1  Tim.  5.20. 
"  Eom.  16.17. 

1  Cor.  5.  9. 

2  John  10. 
''  John  20.  23. 


Subject,  including  the  Pakable  of  the  Un- 
merciful Debtor. 

fiame  Subject  (10-20).  10.  Take  heed  that  ye  de- 
spise— '  stumble' — not  one  of  these  little  ones ;  for 
I  say  tmto  you,  That  in  heaven  their  angels  do 
always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven.  A  difficult  verse;  but  perhaps  the  fol- 
lowing may  be  more  than  an  illustration : — Among 
men,  those  who  nm-se  and  rear  the  royal  children, 
liowever  humble  in  themselves,  are  allowed  free 
entrance  with  their  charge,  and  a  degree  of  famil- 
iarity which  even  the  highest  state-ministers  dare 
not  assume.  Probably  our  Lord  means  that,  in 
virtue  of  their  charge  over  His  disciples  (Heb.  i. 
13;  John  i.  51),  the  angels  have  errands  to  the 
throne,  a  tvelcome  there,  and  a  dear  familiaritij  in 
dealing  with  "His  Father  which  is  in  heaven," 
which  on  their  own  matters  they  could  not  assume 
(See  on  John  v.  1-47,  Remark  1,  at  the  close  of 
that  Section. )  11.  For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to 
save  that  which  was — or  '  is ' — lost.  A  golden 
sajdng,  once  and  again  repeated  in  different  forms. 
Here  the  connection  seems  to  be,  '  Since  the  whole 
object  and  errand  of  the  Son  of  Man  into  the 
world  is  to  save  the  lost,  take  heed  lest,  by  causing 
'  offences,  ye  lose  the  saved. '  That  this  is  the  idea 
intended  we  may  gather  from  verse  14.  12,  13. 
How  think  ye?  If  a  man  have  an  hundred 
sheep,  and  one  of  them  he  gone  astray,  &c.  This 
is  another  of  those  pregnant  sayings  which  our 
Lord  uttered  more  than  once.  See  on  the  de- 
lightful parable  of  tlie  lost  sheep  in  Luke  xv.  4-7. 
Only  the  object  there  is  to  show  what  the  good 
Shepherd  will  do,  when  even  one  of  His  sheep  is 
lost,  to  find  it ;  here  the  object  is  to  show,  when 
found,  how  reluctant  He  is  to  lose  it.  Accordingly, 
it  is  added,  v.  14.  Even  so  it  is  not  the  will  of 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  that  one  of 
these  little  ones  should  perish.  How,  then,  can 
He  but  visit  for  those  "offences"  which  endanger 
the  souls  of  these  little  ones  ! 

15.  Moreover,  if  thy  brother  shall  trespass 
94 


against  thee,  go  and  tell  him  his  fault  between 
thee  and  him  alone :  if  he  shall  hear  thee,  thou 
hast  gained  thy  brother.  16.  But  if  he  will  not 
hear  thee,  then  take  with  thee  one  or  two  more, 
that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses 
every  word  may  be  established.  (Deut.  xvii.  6; 
xix.  15. )  17.  And  if  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  them, 
teU  it  unto  the  church :  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear 
the  church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen 
man  and  a  publican.  Probably  our  Lord  has 
reference  still  to  the  late  dispute.  Who  should  be 
the  greatest?  After  the  rebuke  —  so  gentle  and 
captivating,  yet  so  dignified  and  divine — under 
which  they  would  doubtless  be  smai'ting,  perhaps 
each  would  be  saying.  It  was  not  /that  began  it, 
it  was  not  I  that  tlirew  out  unworthy  and  irritating 
insinuations  against  my  brethren.  Be  it  so,  says 
our  Lord ;  but  as  such  things  will  often  arise,  I 
will  direct  you  how  to  proceed.  First,  Neither 
harbour  a  grudge  against  your  offending  brother, 
nor  break  forth  upon  him  in  presence  of  the  un- 
believing, but  take  him  aside,  show  him  his  fault, 
and  if  he  own  and  make  reparation  for  it,  you 
have  done  more  sei-i'ice  to  him  than  even  justice 
to  yourself.  Next,  If  this  fail,  take  two  or  three 
to  witness  how  just  your  complaint  is,  and  how 
brotherly  your  spirit  in  dealing  with  him.  Again, 
If  this  fail,  bring  him  before  the  church  or  congre- 
gation to  which  "both  belong.  Lastly,  If  even  this 
fail,  regard  him  as  no  longer  a  brother  Christian, 
but  as  one  "without"— as  the  Jews  did  Gentiles 
and  Publicans. 

18.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever  ye  shall 
bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven;  and 
whatsoever  ye  shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed 
in  heaven.  Here,  what  had  been  granted  but  a 
short  time  before  to  Peter  only  (see  on  ch.  x^i.  16) 
is  plainly  extended  to  all  the  Twelve;  so  that 
whatever  it  means,  it  means  nothing  peculiar  to 
Peter,  far  less  to  his  pretended  successors  a.t  Eome. 
It  has  to  do  with  admission  to  and  rejection  from 
the  membership  of  the  Church.    But  see  on  John 


Parable  oftJie 


MATTHEW  XVIII. 


Unmerciful  Debtor. 


19 


20 


21 


bound  in  heaven ;  and  whatsoever  ye  shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed 
in  heaven.  Again  *I  say  unto  you,  That  if  two  of  you  shall  agree  on 
earth  as  touching  any  thing  that  they  shall  ask,  ''it  shall  be  done  for 
them  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  For  where  two  or  three  are 
gathered  together  in  my  name,  *  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them. 

Then  came  Peter  to  him,  and  said,  Lord,  how  oft  shall  my  brother  sin 

22  against  me,  and  I  forgive  him?  *till  seven  times?  Jesus  saith  unto  him, 
I  say  not  unto  thee.  Until  seven  times;  "but,  Until  seventy  times  seven. 

23  Therefore  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  likened  unto  a  certain  king,  which 

24  would  take  account  of  his  servants.     And  when  he  had  begun  to  reckon, 

25  one  was  brought  unto  him,  which  owed  him  ten  thousand  Halents:  but 
forasmuch  as  he  had  not  to  pay,  his  lord  commanded  him  ^to  be  sold, 
and  his  wife  and  children,  and  all  that  he  had,  and  payment  to  be  made. 

26  The  servant  therefore  fell  down,  and  ^  worshipped  him,  saying,  Lord,  have 


A.  D.  32. 


«  Ch.  6.  24. 
"■  Jas.  5.  16. 
'  Ezek.  48.35. 
t  Luke  17.  4. 
"  CoL  3.  13. 

1  A  talent  is 
750  ounces 
ef  silver, 
which  after 
five  shil- 
lings the 
ounce  is 

187(  lOS. 
"  2  Ki.  4.  1. 

2  Or,  be- 
sought 
him. 


XX.  23.  19.  Again  I  say  unto  you,  That  if  two  of 
you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching  any  thing 
that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them 
of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  20.  For  where 
two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  [or  '  unto ' 
— eh]  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them. 
On  this  ]3assage — so  full  of  sublime  encoiuragement 
to  Christian  union  in  actiou  and  in  prayer — observe, 
first,  the  connection  in  which  it  stands.  Our 
Lord  had  been  speaking  of  church-meetings,  be- 
fore which  the  obstinate  perversity  of  a  brother 
was,  in  the  last  resort,  to  be  brought,  and  whose 
decision  was  to  be  final — such  honour  does  the 
Lord  of  the  Church  put  upon  its  lawful  assem- 
blies. But  not  these  assemblies  only  does  He 
deign  to  countenance  and  honour.  For  even 
two  uniting  to  bring  any  matter  before  Him 
shall  find  that  they  are  not  alone,  for  My  Father 
is  with  them,  says  Jesus.  Next,  observe  the 
premium  here  put  iipon  iinion  in  prayer.  As 
this  cannot  exist  with  fewer  than  two,  so  by 
letting  it  down  so  low  as  that  number,  He 
gives  the  utmost  conceivable  encouragement  to 
union  in  this  exercise.  But  what  kind  of  union  ? 
Not  an  agreement  merely  to  pray  in  concert,  but 
to  pray /or  some  definite  thing.  "  As  touching  any- 
thing which  they  shall  ask,"  says  our  Lord — any- 
thing they  shall  agree  to  ask  iu  concert.  At  the 
same  time,  it  is  plain  He  had  certain  things  at 
that  moment  in  His  eye,  as  most  fitting  and 
needful  subjects  for  such  concerted  prayer.  The 
Twelve  had  been  "  falling  out  by  the  way"  about 
the  miserable  question  of  ijrecedence  in  their 
Master's  kingdom,  and  this,  as  it  stirred  their 
corruptions,  had  given  rise— or  at  least  was  in 
danger  of  giving  rise — to  "  oif'ences "  perilous  to 
their  souls.  The  Lord  Himself  had  been  direct- 
ing them  how  to  deal  with  one  another  about 
such  matters.  "  But  now  shows  He  unto  them 
a  more  excellent  way."  Let  them  bring  all  such 
matters — yea,  and  everything  whatsoever  by  which 
either  their  own  loving  relationship  to  each  other, 
or  the  good  of  His  kingdom  at  large,  might  be 
affected — to  their  Father  in  heaven;  and  if  they 
be  but  agreed  in  petitioning  Him  about  that  thing, 
it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  His  Father  which  is 
in  heaven.  But  further,  it  is  not  merelj^  union 
in  prayer  for  the  same  thing — for  that  might  be 
with  very  jarring  ideas  of  the  thing  to  be  desired — 
but  it  is  to  symphonious  prayer  [as  the  word  signi- 
fies— <7Vfi.(i>oivri(7U)crw\  to  jjrayer  by  kindred  spirits, 
members  of  one  family,  servants  of  one  Lord,  con- 
strained by  the  same  love,  fighting  under  one 
banner,  cheered  by  assurances  of  the  same  victory; 
a  living  and  loving  union,  whose  voice  in  the 
Di^^ne  ear  is  as  the  sound  of  many  waters.  Ac- 
cordingly, what  they  ask  "on  earth"  is  done  for 
95 


them,  says  Jesus,  "  of  my  Father  which  is  m 
heaven."  Not  for  nothing  does  He  say,  "of  MY 
Father" — not  "your  Iather;"  as  is  evident 
from  what  follows :  "  For  where  two  or  three  are 
gathered  together  unto  my  name" — the  "My"  is 
emphatic  [eis  to  kfiov  oVo/xa]  "there  am  I  in  the 
midst  of  them."  As  His  name  would  jjiove  a  spell 
to  draw  together  many  clusters  of  His  dear  dis- 
ciples, so  if  there  should  be  but  two  or  three, 
that  ■wall  attract  Himself  down  into  the  midst 
of  them ;  and  related  as  He  is  to  both  the  par- 
ties, the  petitioners  and  the  Petitioned — to  the 
one  on  earth  by  the  tie  of  His  assumed  flesh, 
and  to  the  other  in  heaven  by  the  tie  of  His 
eternal  Spirit  —  their  symphonious  prayers  on 
earth  would  thrill  ujjwards  through  Him  to 
heaven,  be  carried  by  Him  into  the  holiest  of 
all,  and  so  reach  the  Throne.  Thus  will  He  be 
the  living  Conductor  of  the  prayer  upward  and 
the  answer  downward. 

Parable  of  the  Unmerciful  Debtor  (21-35).  21. 
Then  came  Peter  to  him,  and  said.  Lord,  how  oft 
shall  my  brother  sin  against  me,  and  I  forgive 
him  ?  In  the  recent  dispute,  Peter  had  probably 
been  an  object  of  special  envy,  and  his  forward- 
ness in  continually  answering  for  all  the  rest 
would  likely  be  cast  up  to  him — and  if  so,  probably 
by  Judas — notwithstanding  his  Master's  commen- 
dations. And  as  such  insinuations  were  perhaps 
made  once  and  again,  he  wished  to  know  how 
often  and  how  long  he  was  to  stand  it.  till  seven 
times  ?  This  being  the  sacred  and  complete  num- 
ber, perhaps  his  meaning  was,  Is  there  to  be  a 
limit  at  which  the  needful  forbearance  will  be  full  ? 

22.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee. 
Until  seven  times ;  but,  Until  seventy  times  seven 
— that  is,  so  long  as  it  shall  be  needed  and  sought : 
you  are  never  to  come  to  the  point  of  refusing  for- 
giveness sincerely  asked.     (See  on  Luke  xvii.  3,  4.) 

23.  Therefore — '  with  reference  to  this  matter,' 
is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  likened  unto  a  certain 
king,  which  would  take  account  of  his  servants 
— or,  woidd  scrutinize  the  accounts  of  his  revenue- 
collectors.  24.  And  when  he  had  begun  to  reckon, 
one  was  brought  unto  him,  which  owed  him  ten 
thousand  talents.  If  Attic  talents  are  here 
meant,  10,(XX)  of  them  woidd  amount  to  above  a 
million  and  a  half  sterling ;  if  Jewish  talents,  to 
a  much  larger  sum.  25.  But  forasmuch  as  he  had 
not  to  pay,  his  lord  commanded  him  to  be  sold, 
and  his  wife  and  children,  and  all  that  he  had, 
and  payment  to  be  made.  (See  2  Ki.  iv.  1 ;  Neh. 
V.  8 ;  Lev.  xxv.  39. )  26.  The  servant  therefore  feU 
down,  and  worshipped  him — or  did  humble  obeis- 
ance to  him,  saying.  Lord,  have  patience  with  me, 
and  I  will  pay  thee  all.  This  was  just  an  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  ju&fcicc  of  the  claim  made  against 


Parable  of  the 


MATTHEW  XVIII. 


Unmerciful  Debtor. 


27  patience  with  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee  all.  Then  the  lord  of  that  servant 
was  moved  with  compassion,  and  loosed  him,  and  forgave  him  the  debt. 

28  But  the  same  servant  went  out,  and  found  one  of  his  fellow-servants, 
which  owed  him  an  hundred  ^  pence ;  and  he  laid  hands  on  him,  and  took 

29  him  by  the  throat,  saying.  Pay  me  that  thou  owest.  And  his  fellow- 
servant  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and  besought  him,  saying,  Have  patience 

30  with  me,  and  I  wiU  pay  thee  all.     And  he  would  not;  but  went  and  cast 

31  him  into  prison,  till  he  should  pay  the  debt.  So  when  his  fellow-ser- 
vants saw  what  was  done,  they  were  very  sorry,  and  came  and  told  unto 

32  their  lord  all  that  was  done.  Then  his  lord,  after  that  he  had  called  him, 
said  unto  him,  0  thou  wicked  servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that  debt, 

33  because  thou  desiredst  me :  shouldest  '"not  thou  also  have  had  compassion 

34  on  thy  fellow-servant,  even  as  I  had  pity  on  thee?  And  his  lord  was 
wroth,  and  delivered  him  to  the  tormentors,  till  he  should  pay  all  that 

35  was  due  unto  him.  So  ^likewise  shall  my  heavenly  Father  do  also  unto 
you,  if  ye  from  your  hearts  forgive  not  every  one  his  brother  their 
trespasses. 


A.  D.  32. 


The  Eo- 
man penny 
is  the 
eighth  part 
of  an 
ounce, 
which  after 
five  shil- 
lings the 
ounce  is 
seven- 
pence 
halfpenny, 
oh.  20.  2. 

'  Eph.  4.  32. 
Eph.  5.  2. 
Col.  3.  13. 

''  Pro.  21.  13. 
ch  6.  12. 
Mark  11.26. 
Jas.  2.  13. 


him,  and  a  piteous  imploration  of  mercy.  27.  Then 
tlie  lord  of  that  servant  was  moved  with  compas- 
sion, and  loosed  him,  and  forgave  him  the  debt. 
Payment  being  hopeless,  the  Master  is,  first, 
moved  with  compassion ;  next,  liberates  his  debtor 
from  prison;  and  then  cancels  the  debt  freely. 
28.  But  the  same  servant  went  out,  and  found 
one  of  his  fellow-servants.  Mark  the  difference 
here.  The  first  case  is  that  of  master  and  ser- 
vant ;  in  this  case,  both  are  on  a  footing  of  equality. 
(See  V.  33,  below.)  which  owed  him  an  hundred 
pence.  If  Jewish  money  is  intended,  this  debt 
was  to  the  other  less  than  one  to  a  million,  and 
he  laid  hands  on  him,  and  took  him  by  the 
throat  [/cpaTjio-as  idiTov  tTTi/iye] — '  he  seized  and 
throttled  him,'  saying,  Pay  me  that  thou  owest. 
Mark  the  mercilessness  even  of  the  tone.  29.  And 
his  fellow-servant  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and  be- 
sought him,  saying,  Have  patience  with  me,  and 
I  will  pay  thee  all.  The  same  attitude,  and  the 
same  words  which  drew  compassion  from  his  mas- 
ter are  here  employed  towards  himself  by  his  fel- 
low-servant. 30.  And  he  would  not ;  but  went  and 
cast  him  into  prison,  till  he  should  pay  the  debt. 
31.  So  when  his  fellow-servants  saw  what  was 
done,  they  were  very  sorry,  and  came  and  told 
unto  their  lord  all  that  was  done.  Jesus  here 
vividly  conveys  the  intolerable  injustice  and  im- 
pudence which  even  the  servants  saw  in  this  act, 
on  the  part  of  one  so  recently  laid  under  the 
heaviest  obligations  to  their  common  master.  32. 
Then  his  lord,  after  that  he  had  called  him,  said 
unto  him,  0  thou  wicked  servant,  I  forgave  thee  all 
that  debt,  because  thou  desiredst  me :  33.  Should- 
est not  thou  also  have  had  compassion  on  thy 
fellow-servant,  even  as  I  had  pity  on  thee?  Be- 
fore bringing  down  his  vengeance  upon  him,  he 
calmly  points  out  to  him  how  shamefully  unreason- 
able and  heartless  liis  conduct  was  ;  vihich  would 
give  the  punishment  inflicted  on  him  a  double  sting. 
34.  And  his  lord  was  wroth,  and  delivered  him  to 
the  tormentors  [jSao-ario-rais] — more  \h.a,n  jailers  ; 
denoting  the  severity  of  the  treatment  which  he 
thought  such  a  case  demanded,  till  he  should 
pay  all  that  was  due  unto  him.  35.  So  likewise 
[OuTtus  KaL\ — in  this  spirit,  or  on  this  principle, 
shaU  my  heavenly  Father  do  also  unto  you,  if 
ye  from  your  hearts  forgive  not  every  one  his 
brother  their  trespasses. 

Bemarks.  —  1.  When  we  think  how  Jesus  here 

speaks  of  God's  "little  ones"— how  dear,  He  tells 

us,  even  one  of  them  is  to  His  Father,  and  what 

perdition   to  them  lies    in  the  bosom   of   those 

96 


"offences"  which  are  apt  to  spring  up  amongst 
them — how  incredible  would  it  appear,  if  we  did 
not  see  it  with  our  eyes,  that  Christians  should 
think  so  little  of  falling  out  on  the  merest  trifles, 
and  insist  so  rancorously  on  their  own  point  in 
every  argument !  See  on  Mark  ix.  33-50,  and  Re- 
mark 1  tnere ;  and  compare  Eom.  xiv.  13-17,  where 
our  Lord's  teaching  on  this  subject  seems  to  have 
been  in  the  apostle's  eye.  Ours  rather  be  the  Good 
Shepherd's  jealous  care  to  recover  His  shee)3  when 
lost,  and  keep  them  when  found!  2.  How  de- 
lightful is  the  truth — here  and  elsewhere  taught 
in  Scripture  —  that  God's  dear  children  are  com- 
mitted by  Him,  during  their  sojourn  here,  to  the 
guardianship  of  angels!  Whatever  may  be  the 
meaning  of  the  remarkable  expression,  "  their 
a7ig els"— whether  it  be  designed  to  teach  us  that 
each  child  of  God  is  under  the  special  care  of  one 
particular  angel,  a  doctrine  in  which,  notwith- 
standing Eomish  abuses,  we  can  see  nothing 
unscriptuial ;  or  whether  it  mean  no  more  than 
simply  'the  angelic  guardians  of  believers' — the 
information  communicated  here  only,  that  they 
do  always  behold  the  face  of  Christ's  Father  in 
heaven,  is  sm-ely  designed  to  teach  us  how  dear  to 
God  and  how  high  in  His  favour  each  of  them  is, 
when  even  their  guardians  have  uninterrupted 
and  familiar  access  to  their  Father  on  their 
account.  Children  of  God,  brighten  up,  when  ye 
hear  this.  But  0,  have  a  care  how  ye  think  and 
speak  and  act,  under  such  high  guardianshii) ! 
3.  How  much  unlovely  feeling  among  Christians 
would  disappear  under  the  treatment  here  en- 
joined !  Many  misunderstandings  melt  away 
under  a  quiet  brotherly  expostulation  with  the 
offending  party :  failing  this,  the  affectionate  and 
faithful  dealings  of  two  or  three  more — still  in 
private — might  be  expected  to  have  more  weight : 
and  if  even  an  apiaeal,  in  the  last  resort,  to  the 
body  of  Christians  to  which  both  belonged,  should 
fail  to  bring  an  offending  party  to  reason,  the 
matter  would  but  recjuire  to  end  there,  and 
Christian  fellowship  with  the  refractory  member 
henceforth  to  cease.  4.  The  opening  and  shutting 
of  the  doors  of  Christian  fellowship  —  in  other 
words,  Church  Discipline — is  an  ordinance  of  the 
Church's  Living  Head,  whose  sanction  is  pledged 
to  the  faithful  exercise  of  it,  in  accordance  with 
His  word.  5.  What  sublime  encouragement  to 
concerted  prayer  among  Christians,  for  definite 
objects,  have  we  in  this  Section.  And  should  not 
Christians  prove  their  Lord  now  here'with,  if  He 
will  not  open  to  them  the  windows  of  heaven,  and 


Christ's  departure 


]\rATTHEW  XIX. 


from  Galilee. 


19 

2 
3 
4 


AND  it  came  to  pass,  '^that  when  Jesus  had  finished  these  sayings,  he 
departed  from  Gahlee,  and  came  into  the  coasts  of  Judea  beyond  Jordan; 
and  ''great  multitudes  followed  him;  and  he  healed  them  there. 

The  Pharisees  also  came  unto  him,  tempting  him,  and  saying  unto 
him.  Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to  put  away  his  wife  for  every  cause  ?  And 
he  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  not  read,  ''that  he  which  made 
them  at  the  beginning  made  them  male  and  female,  and  said,  '^For  this 
cause  shall  a  man  leave  father  and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  to  his  wife : 
and  Hhey  twain  shall  be  one  flesh?  Wherefore  they  are  no  more  twain, 
but  one  flesh.  Wliat  therefore  God  hath  joined  together,  let  not  man 
put  asunder. 

They  say  unto  him,  -^'Wliy  did  Moses  then  command  to  give  a  writing 
of  divorcement,  and  to  put  her  away?  He  saith  unto  them,  Moses 
because  of  the  hardness  of  your  hearts  suffered  you  to  put  away  your 


A.  D.  32. 

CHAP.  19. 
"  Mark  10.  i. 

John  10. 40. 
b  ch.  12.  15. 

ch.  15.  20. 

Mark  6.  55. 
'^  Gen.  1.  27. 

Gen.  5.  2. 

Mai.  2.  15. 
<*  Gen.  2.  24. 

Mark  10.  5, 
9. 

Eph.  5.  31. 
'  1  Cor.  6.  16. 

1  Cor.  7.  2. 
/  Deut.  24.  1. 

ch.  5.  31. 


pour  tliem  out  a  blessing  tliat  there  shall  not  be 
room  enough  to  receive  it?  6.  When  we  read  our 
Lord's  injunctions  here  to  stretch  our  forbearance 
with  brethren  to  the  utmost,  can  we  but  blush 
to  think  how  little  it  is  done,  especially  in  the 
light  of  that  other  saying  of  His— "Ye  are  my 
friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you"? 
(John  XV.  14).  Let  us  hear  the  aj)ostle.  "  Put  on 
therefore,  as  the  elect  of  God,  holy  and  beloved, 
Ijowels  of  mercies,  kindness,  humbleness  of  mind, 
meekness,  long-suffering;  forbearing  one  another, 
and  forgiving  one  another,  if  any  man  have  a 
quarrel  against  any :  even  as  Christ  forgave  you, 
so  also  do  ye.  And  above  all  these  things  put  on 
charity,  which  is  the  bond  of  perfectness.  And 
let  the  peace  of  God  rule  in  your  hearts,  to  the 
which  also  ye  are  called  in  one  body ;  and  be 
ye  thankfur'  (Col.  iii.  12-15).  7.  Let  the  grand 
evangelical  principle  on  which  turns  the  beauti- 
ful parable  of  the  Unmerciful  Debtor  be  written 
as  in  letters  of  gold  and  hung  up  before  every 
Christian  eye — that  GocVs  forgiveness  of  our  vast 
debts  to  Him  precedes  our  forgiveness  of  the  petty 
debts  we  oive  to  one  another;  that  this  is  that 
which  begets  in  us  the  forgiving  disposition;  and 
that  it  furnishes  us  loith  the  grand  model  of  for - 

fiving  Mercy  vihich  ice  have  to  copy.  8.  When  our 
iOrd  represents  the  king  in  the  parable  as  cancel- 
ling the  free  iiardon  of  the  relentless  debtor  and 
again  shutting  him  up  in  prison  till  he  should  pay 
all  that  he  owed ;  and  when  He  then  says,  "So  shall 
My  heavenly  Father  do  also  unto  you,  if  ye  from 
your  hearts  forgive  not  every  one  his  brother  their 
trespasses" — we  must  not  imderstand  Him  to 
teach  that  such  literal  reversals  of  pardon  do 
actually  take  place  in  God's  treatrnent  of  His 
pardoned  children — for  that,  we  take  it,  is  but  the 
dress  of  the  parable — but  simply,  that  on  this 
2)rincij}le  God  will  deal,  in  the  matter  of  forgive- 
ness, with  unforgiving  men  ;  and  so,  we  have  here 
just  a  repetition — in  the  form  of  a  jjarable — of 
the  truth  expressed  in  ch.  vi.  15,  and  elsewhere, 
that  "if  we  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses, 
neither  mt.11  our  heavenly  Father  forgive  our 
trespasses. " 

CHAP.  XIX.  1-12.— Final  Departure  from 
Galilee — Divorce.    {=Markx.  1-12;  Lukeix.  51.) 

Farewell  to  Galilee.  1.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that 
when  Jesus  had  finished  these  sayings,  he  departed 
from  Galilee.  This  marks  a  very  solemn  period  in 
our  Lord's  public  ministry.  So  slightly  is  it  touched 
here,  and  in  the  corresponding  j^assage  of  Mark 
(x.  1),  that  few  readers  probably  note  it  as  the 
Redeemer's  Farewell  to  Galilee,  which  however  it 
was.  See  on  the  sublime  statement  of  Luke 
(ix.  51 ),  which  relates  to  the  same  transition-stage 
in  the  iirogress  of  om-  Lord's  work,    and  came 

VOL.    v.  97 


Into  the  coasts— or  'boundaries' — of  Judea  be- 
yond Jordan  —  that  is,  to  the  firrther,  or  east 
side  of  the  Jordan,  into  Perea,  the  dominions  of 
Herod  Antipas.  But  though  one  might  conclude 
from  our  Evangelist  that  our  Lord  went  straight 
from  the  one  region  to  the  other,  we  know  from  the 
other  Gosi^els  that  a  considerable  time  elapsed  be- 
tween the  departiu-e  from  the  one  and  the  arrival 
at  the  other,  diuing  which  many  of  the  most  im- 
portant events  in  our  Lord's  public  life  occm-red 
— probably  a  large  part  of  'WTiat  is  recorded  in 
Liike  ix.  51,  onwards  to  ch.  xviii.  15,  and  part  of 
John  vii.  2— xi.  54.  2.  And  great  multitudes  fol- 
lowed Mm;  and  he  healed  them  there.  Mark 
says  further  (x.  1),  that  "  as  He  was  wont,  He 
taught  them  there."  What  we  now  have  on  the 
subject  of  Divorce  is  some  of  that  teaching. 

Divorce  (3-12).  3.  The  Pharisees  also  came  unto 
him,  tempting  him,  and  saying  unto  him,  Is  it 
lawful  for  a  man  to  put  away  his  wife  for  every 
cause?  Two  rival  schools  (as  we  saw  on  ch.  v.  31) 
were  divided  on  this  question— a  delicate  one,  as 
de  Wette  pertinently  remarks,  in  the  dominions  of 
Herod  Antipas.  4.  And  he  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  Have  ye  not  read,  that  he  which  made 
them  at  the  beginning  made  them  male  and  fe- 
male— or  better,  perhaps,  'He  that  made  them 
made  them  from  the  beginning  a  male  and  a  female. ' 
5.  And  said,  For  this  cause — to  follow  out  this 
divine  appointment,  shall  a  man  leave  father 
and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  to  his  wife :  and 
they  twain  shall  be  one  flesh?  6.  Wherefore  they 
are  no  more  twain,  but  one  flesh.  What  therefoi  e 
God  hath  joined  together,  let  not  man  put  asunder. 
Jesus  here  sends  them  back  to  the  original  consti- 
tution of  man  as  one  pair,  a  male  and  a  female ;  to 
their  marriage,  as  such,  by  divine  appointment; 
and  to  the  purpose  of  God,  expressed  by  the  sacred 
histoi'ian,  that  in  all  time  one  man  and  one  woman 
should  by  marriage  become  one  flesh — so  to  con- 
tinue as  long  as  both  are  in  the  flesh.  This  being 
God's  constitution,  let  not  man  break  it  up  by 
causeless  divorces. 

7.  They  say  unto  him.  Why  did  Moses  then 
command  to  give  a  writing  of  divorcement,  and 
to  put  her  away  ?  8.  He  saith  unto  them,  Moses 
— as  a  civil  lawgiver,  because  of  [Trpds  Ti]u\ — or 
'  having  respect  to'  the  hardness  of  your  hearts- 
looking  to  your  low  moral  state,  and  your  inability 
to  endiu-e  the  strictness  of  the  original  law,  suf- 
fered you  to  put  away  your  wives— tolerated  a 
relaxation  of  the  strictness  of  the  marriage  bond — 
not  as  approving  of  it,  but  to  prevent  still  gx-eater 
evils,  but  from  the  beginning  it  was  not  so. 
This  is  repeated,  in  order  to  impress  upon  His 
audience  the  temporary  and  purely  civil  char- 
acter of  this  Mosaic   relaxation.     9.  And  I  say 


Little  Children 


MATTHEW  XIX. 


brought  to  Christ. 


9  wives:  but  ^from  the  beginning  it  was  not  so.  And  ''I  say  unto  yoii, 
Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  except  it  be  for  fornication,  and  shall 
marry  another,  committeth  adulter)^ ;  and  whoso  marrieth  her  which  is 
put  away  doth  commit  adultery. 

10  His  disciples  say  unto  him,  *If  the  case  of  the  man  be  so  with  his  wife, 

11  it  is  not  good  to  marry.     But  he  said  unto  them,  •'All  men  cannot  receive 

12  this  saying,  save  they  to  whom  it  is  given.  For  there  are  some  eunuchs, 
which  were  so  born  from  their  mother's  womb;  and  there  are  some 
eunuchs,  which  were  made  eunuchs  of  men;  and  ^there  be  eunuchs, 
which  have  made  themselves  eunuchs  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's  sake. 
He  that  is  able  to  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it. 

13  Then  'were  there  brought  unto  him  little  children,  that  he  should  put 

14  his  hands  on  them,  and  pray:  and  the  disciples  rebuked  them.  But 
Jesus  said.  Suffer  little  cliildren,  and  forbid  them  not,  to  come  unto  me; 

15  for  of  ™such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  And  he  laid  his  hands  on  them, 
and  departed  thence. 

16  And,  behold,  one  came  and  said  unto  him,  '"Good  Master,  what  "good 

1 7  thing  shall  I  do,  that  I  may  have  eternal  life  ?  And  he  said  unto  him. 
Why  callest  thou  me  good?  there  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is,  God: 

18  but  if  thou  wilt  enter  into  life,  keep  the  commandments.  He  saith  unto 
liim,  Wliich?  Jesus  said.  Thou  ^shalt  do  no  murder.  Thou  shalt  not  com- 
mit adultery,  Thou  shalt  not  steal,  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness, 

19  Honour  *thy  father  and  thy  mother;  and,  'Thoii  shalt  love  thy  neighbour 

20  as  thyself.     The  young  man  saith  unto  him,  All  these  things  have  I  kept 

21  from  my  youth  up:  what  lack  I  yet?  Jesus  said  unto  him,  If  thou  wilt 
be  perfect,  *go  and  sell  that  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  thou 

22  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven ;  and  come  and  follow  me.  But  when  the 
young  man  heard  that  saying,  he  went  away  sorrowful :  for  he  had  great 
possessions. 

23  Then  said  Jesus  unto  his  disciples.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  That  *a  rich 

24  man  shall  hardly  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.     And  again  I  say 


A.  D.  33. 

"  Jer.  6.  16. 
'i  ch.  5.  32. 

Mark  10.  U. 

Luke  16. 18. 

1  Cor.  7.  10, 
11. 
<  Gen.  2.  18. 

Pro.  5. 15-' 9. 

Pro.  21.  19. 

1  Cor.  7.  1, 

2,  8. 

1  Tim.  4.  3. 
1  Tim.  6. Il- 
ls. 
}  1  Cor.  7.  2. 
7,  9,  17. 

*  1  Cor.  7.  32, 

31. 

1  Cor.  9.  6. 

15. 
»  Mark  10.13. 

Luke  18.15. 
"'  ch.  18.  3. 

iPet.  2  1.2. 
"  Luke  10.25. 
"  Eom.  9.  31. 
P  Exod.20.13. 

Dent.  5. 17. 
9  ch.  15.  4. 
"■  Lev.  19.  18. 

Pom.  13  9. 

Gal.  5.  14. 

Jas.  2.  8. 
»  Luke  12.3a 

Luke  16.  9. 

Acts  2.  45. 

Acts  1  34. 

1  Tim.  6,18 

*  1  Cor.  1.  26. 
1  Tim.  6.  9. 


unto  you,  Wh.osoever  shall  put  away  his  wife, 
except,  &c. ;  and  whoso  marrieth  her  which  is 
put  away  doth  commit  adultery.  See  on  ch.  v. 
32.  ['I'j-egeUes  brackets  this  last  clause,  as  of 
douLtful  authority — but  without  sufficient  reason, 
as  we  think.  Tischendorf  inserts  it,  as  in  the 
received  text.] 

10.  His  disciples  say  unto  Mm,  If  the  case  of 
the  man  be  so  with  his  wife,  it  is  not  good 
to  marry: — q.  d.,  '  In  this  view  of  marriage,  surely 
it  must  prove  a  snare  rather  than  a  blessing,  and 
had  better  be  avoided  altogether.'  11.  But  he 
said  unto  them,  All  men  cannot  receive  this 
saying,  save  they  to  whom  It  is  given: — q.d., 
'That  the  unmarried  state  is  better,  is  a  saying 
not  for  every  one,  and  indeed  only  for  such  as 
it  is  divinely  intended  for.'  But  who  are  these? 
they  would  naturally  ask ;  and  this  our  Lord 
proceeds  to  tell  them  in  three  particulars.  12. 
For  there  are  some  ?unuchs,  which  were  so 
bom  from  their  mother's  womb — persons  consti- 
tutionally either  incapable  of  or  indisposed  to 
marriage;  and  there  are  some  eunuchs,  which 
were  made  eunuchs  of  men — persons  rendered 
incapable  by  others ;  and  there  be  eunuchs,  which 
have  made  themselves  eunuchs  for  the  kingdom 
of  heaven's  sake — persons  M'ho,  to  do  God's  work 
better,  deliberately  choose  this  state.  Such  was 
Paul  (1  Cor.  vii.  7).  He  that  is  able  to  receive  it, 
let  him  receive  It — '  He  who  feels  this  to  be  his 
proper  vocation,  let  him  embrace  it;'  which,  of 
course,  is  as  much  as  to  say — 'he  only.'  Thus, 
all  is  left  free  in  this  matter. 

Remarks. — 1.  If  the  sanctity  of  the  marriage-tie, 
98 


as  the  fountain  of  all  social  well-being,  is  to  be 
upheld  among  men,  it  must  be  by  basing  it  on 
the  original  divine  institution  of  it ;  nor  will  those 
relaxations  of  it  which  corrupt  ingenuity  intro- 
duces and  defends  be  effectually  checked  but  by 
reverting,  as  our  Lord  here  does,  to  the  great 
primary  character  and  design  of  it  as  established 
at  the  beginning.  2.  Let  those  who  reverence  the 
authority  of  Christ  mark  the  divine  authority 
which  He  ascribes  to  the  Old  Testament  in  gene- 
ral, and  to  the  books  of  Moses  in  particular,  in  the 
settlement  of  all  questions  of  divine  truth  and 
human  duty  [vv.  4,  5) ;  nor  let  us  fail  to  observe  the 
important  distinction  which  He  draws  between 
things  commanded  and  things  permitted — between 
things  tolerated  for  a  time,  and  regulated  by  civil 
enactment,  to  keep  the  barriers  of  social  morality 
from  being  quite  Broken  do"mi,  and  the  enduring 
sanctities  of  the  great  moral  law  (ii\  8,  9).  3.  When 
our  Lord  holds  forth  the  single  life  as  designed  for 
and  suited  to  certain  specific  classes,  let  Christians 
understand  that,  while  their  ovra  plan  and  condition 
of  life  shoidd  be  regulated  by  higher  considerations 
than  mere  inclination  or  personal  advantage,  they 
are  not  to  lay  down  rules  for  others,  but  let  each 
decide  for  himself,  as  to  his  own  Master  he  stand- 
eth  or  falleth.  For  he  that  in  these  things  serveth 
Christ  is  acceptable  to  God  and  approved  of  men. 

13-1.5. — Little  Children  Brought  to  Christ. 
(=  Mark  x.  13-16;  Luke  xviii.  15-17.)  For  the 
exposition,  see  on  Luke  xrs'iii.  15-17. 

16-30.— The  Rich  Young  Ruler.  ( =  Mark 
X.  17-31;  Luke  xviii.  18-30.)  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Luke  xviii.  18-30. 


Parable  of  the 


MATTHEW  XX. 


Labourers  in  the  Vineyard. 


27 

28 


29 


unto  you,  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  than 

25  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  When  liis  disciples 
heard  it,  they  were  exceedingly  amazed,  saying,  Who  then  can  be  saved  ? 

26  But  Jesus  beheld  them,  and  said  unto  them,  With  men  this  is  impossible ; 
but  with  "God  all  things  are  possible. 

Then  ''answered  Peter  and  said  unto  him,  Behold,  '"we  have  forsaken 
all,  and  followed  thee ;  what  shall  we  have  therefore  ?  And  Jesus  said 
unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  That  ye  which  have  followed  me,  in 
*^the  regeneration,  when  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  in  the  throne  of  his 
glory,  ^ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel.  And  every  one  that  hath  forsaken  houses,  or  brethren,  or  sisters, 
or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my  name's  sake, 

30  shall  receive  an  hundredfold,  and  shall  inherit  everlasting  life.  But  ''many 
that  are  first  shall  be  last;  and  the  last  shall  be  first. 

20  FOR  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is  an  householder, 
which  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  hire  labourers  into  his  vineyard. 
And  when  he  had  agreed  with  the  labourers  for  a  ^  penny  a  day,  he  sent 
them  into  his  vineyard.  And  he  went  out  about  the  third  hour,  and  saw 
others  standing  idle  in  the  market-place,  and  said  unto  them.  Go  ye 
also  into  the  vineyard,  and  whatsoever  Ls  right  I  will  give  you.  And 
they  went  their  way.  Again  he  went  out  about  the  sixth  and  ninth  hour, 
and  did  likewise.  And  about  the  eleventh  hour  he  went  out,  and  found 
others  standing  idle,  and  saith  unto  them,  Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day 
idle  ?  They  say  unto  him.  Because  no  man  hath  hired  us.  Pie  saith  unto 
them.  Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard ;  and  whatsoever  is  right,  that  shall 
ye  receive.  So  when  "even  was  come,  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  saith  unto 
his  steward.  Call  the  labourers,  and  give  them  their  hire,  beg^inning  from 
the  last  unto  the  first.  And  when  they  came  that  ^(;ere  hired  about  the 
eleventh  hour,  they  received  every  man  a  penny.     But  when  the  first 


A.  D.  33 


"  Gen.  18.  14. 

Job  42.  2. 

Jer.  32.  17. 

Zech.  8.  6. 

Mark  10.27. 
"  Mark  10.28. 
'"rteut.  33.  9. 

ch.  4.  20. 

ch.  9.  9. 

Mark !.  :.- 
20. 

Mark  2.  14. 

Luke  5.  11. 

Luke  \i.3\ 

Luke  18.28. 
"  2  Cor.  5.  17. 
y  Luke  22.  28. 

1  Cor.  6.  2,3. 

Eev.  2.  26. 

'  ch.  20.  16. 

Mark  10.31. 

CHAP.  20. 

1  The  Eo- 
man  penny 
is  the 

eighth  part 
of  an 
ounce, 
whichafter 
five  shil- 
lings the 
ounce  is 
seven- 
pence 
halfpenny. 

"  Acts  17.  31. 
lThes.4.16. 


CHAP.  XX.  1-16.— Parable  of  the  Labour- 
ers IN  THE  Vineyard. 

This  parable,  recorded  only  by  Matthew,  is 
closely  connected  with  the  end  of  ch.  xix.,  being 
spoken  with  reference  to  Peter's  question,  How  it 
should  fare  with  those  who,  like  himself,  had  left 
all  for  Christ  ?  It  is  designed  to  show  that  while 
they  would  be  richly  rewarded,  a  certain  equity 
would  still  be  observed  towards  later  converts  and 
workmen  in  His  service.  1.  For  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is  an  house- 
holder, which  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to 
hire  labourers  into  his  vineyard.  The  figure  of 
a  Vineyard,  to  represent  the  rearing  of  souls  for 
heaven,  the  culture  required  and  provided  for 
that  purpose,  and  the  care  and  yiains  which  God 
takes  in  that  whole  matter,  is  familiar  to  every 
reader  of  the  Bible.  (Ps.  Ixxx.  8-16;  Isa.  v.  1-7  ; 
Jer.  ii.  21;  L^lke  xx.  9-16;  John  xv.  1-8.)  At 
vintage-time,  as  Webster  and  Wilkinson  remark, 
labour  was  scarce,  and  masters  were  obliged  to  be 
early  in  the  market  to  secure  it.  Perhaps  the 
pressing  nature  of  the  work  of  the  Gospel,  and  the 
comparative  paucity  of  labourers,  may  be  inciden- 
tally suggested,  ch.  ix.  37,  38.  The  "labourers,"  as 
in  CO,  ix.  38,  are  first,  the  official  servants  of  the 
Church,  but  after  them  and  along  with  them  all 
tlie  servants  of  Christ,  whom  he  has  laid  under 
the  weightiest  obligation  to  work  in  His  service. 
2.  And  when  he  had  agreed  with  the  labourers 
for  a  penny  [S^ivapiov]  —  a  usual  day's  hire  (the 
amount  of  which  will  be  found  in  the  margin 
of  our  Bibles),  he  sent  them  into  his  vine- 
yard. 3.  And  he  went  out  about  the  third  hour 
— about  nine  o'clock,  or  after  a  fourth  of  the 
working  day  Lad  expired:  the  day  of  twelve 
99 


hours  was  reckoned  from  six  to  six.  and  saw 
others  standing  idle  [apyoiii] — 'unemployed — in 
the  market-place,  4.  And  said  unto  them.  Go  ye 
also  into  the  vineyard ;  and  whatsoever  is  right 
[SiKaiov] — 'just,'  'equitable,'  in  proportion  to  their 
time — I  will  give  you.  And  they  went  their  way. 
5.  Again  he  went  out  about  the  sixth  and  ninth 
hour — about  noon,  and  about  three  o'clock  after- 
noon— and  did  likewise — hiring  and  sending  into  his 
vineyard  fresh  labourers  each  time.  6.  And  about 
the  eleventh  hour — but  one  hour  before  the  close 
of  the  working  day;  a  most  unusual  hour  both 
for  offering  and  engaging—  and  found  others  stand- 
ing idle,  and  saith,  Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day 
idle  ?  7.  They  say  unto  him,  Because  no  man  hath 
hired  us.  He  saith  unto  them,  Go  ye  also  into  the 
vineyard ;  and  whatsoever  is  right,  that  shall  ye 
receive.  Of  course  tliey  had  not  been  there,  or 
not  been  disposed  to  offer  themselves  at  the  proper 
time;  but  as  they  were  now  willing,  and  the  day 
was  not  over,  and  "yet  there  was  room,"  they  also 
are  engaged,  and  on  similar  terms  with  all  the  rest. 
8.  So  when  even  was  come — that  is,  the  reckon- 
ing-time between  masters  and  labourers  (see  Deut. 
xxiv.  15) ;  pointing  to  the  day  of  final  account — the 
lord  of  the  vineyard  saith  unto  his  steward — 
answering  to  Christ  Himself,  represented  "  as  a 
Son  over  His  own  house"  (Heb.  iii.  6 ;  see  Matt, 
xi.  27 ;  John  iii.  35;  v.  27),  Call  the  labourers,  and 
give  them  their  hire,  beginning  from  the  last  unto 
the  first.  Remarkable  direction  this — '  last  hired, 
first  paid.'  9.  And  when  they  came  that  were 
hired  about  the  eleventh  hour,  they  received  every 
man  a  penny — a  full  day's  wages.  10.  But  when 
the  first  came,  they  supposed  that  they  should 
have  received  more.     This  is  that  calculating), 


Parable  of  the 


MATTHEW  XX. 


Labourers  in  the  Vineyard. 


came,  they  supposed  that  they  should  have  received  more ;  and  they  like- 

1 1  wise  received  every  man  a  penny.     And  when  they  had  received  it,  they 

12  murmured  against  the  goodman  of  the  house,  saying,  These  last  ^have 
wrought  but  one  hour,  and  thou  hast  made  them  equal  unto  us,  which 

13  have  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day.     But  he  answered  one  of 
them,  and  said,  Friend,  I  do  thee  no  wrong :  didst  not  thou  agree  with 

14  me  for  a  penny?    Take  that  thine  is,  and  go  thy  way:  I  will  give  unto 

15  this  last  even  as  unto  thee.     Is  *it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I  will 

16  with  mine  own?    '^Is  tliine  eye  evil,  because  I  am  good?     So  ''the  last 
shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last :  *for  many  be  called,  but  few  chosen. 


A.  D.  33. 


2  Or,  have 

continued 

one  hour 

only. 
6  Eom.  9.  21. 
"  Deut.  15.  9. 

Pro.  '/S.  6. 

Jon.  4.  1. 

Ch.  6.  23. 
<i  ch.  19.  30. 
*  ch.  22.  14. 

Luke  14.  24. 


mercenary  spirit  wliich  had  peeped  out— though 
perhaps  very  slightly — in  Peters  question  (ch. 
xix.  27),  and  which  this  parable  was  designed  once 
for  all  to  put  down  among  the  servants  of  Christ. 
11.  And  when  they  had  received  it,  they  murmured 
against  the  goodman  of  the  house  [oiKoSecnroTov] 
—rather,  'the  householder,'  the  word  being  the 
same  as  in  verse  1.  12.  Saying,  These  last  have 
wrought  [hut]  one  hour,  and  thou  hast  made 
them  equal  unto  us,  which  have  borne  the  bur- 
den and  heat — 'the  burning  heat'  [Kavatova]  of 
the  day — who  have  wi-ought  not  only  longer  but 
during  a  more  trying  period  of  the  day.  13.  But 
he  answered  one  of  them — doubtless  the  spokes- 
man of  the  complaining  party — and  said.  Friend, 
I  do  thee  no  wrong :  didst  not  thou  agree  with  me 
for  a  penny?  14.  Take  that  thine  is,  and  go 
thy  way:  I  wUl  give  unto  this  last  even  as 
unto  thee.  15.  Is  it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do 
what  I  will  with  mine  own?  Is  thine  eye  evU, 
because  I  am  good  ? — q.  d. ,  '  You  appeal  to  justice, 
and  by  that  your  mouth  is  shut ;  for  the  sum  you 
agreed  for  is  paid  you :  Your  case  being  disposed 
of,  with  the  terms  I  make  with  other  laboiu-ers 
you  have  nothing  to  do ;  and  to  grudge  the  benevo- 
lence shown  to  others,  when  by  your  own  admis- 
sion you  have  been  honourably  dealt  with,  is  both 
unworthy  envy  of  your  neighbour,  and  discontent 
with  the  goodness  that  engaged  and  rewarded  you 
in  his  service  at  all.'  16.  So  the  last  shall  be 
first,  and  the  first  last: — q.d.,  'Take  heed  lest 
by  indulging  the  spirit  of  these  "murmurers"  at 
the  "penny"  given  to  the  last  hired,  ye  miss 
your  own  penny,  though  first  in  the  vineyard; 
while  the  consciousness  of  having  come  in  so  late 
may  inspire  these  last  with  such  a  humble  frame, 
and  such  admiration  of  the  grace  that  has  hired 
and  rewarded  them  at  all,  as  will  put  them  into 
the  foremost  place  in  the  end.'  for  many  be 
called,  but  few  chosen.  This  is  another  of  our 
Lord's  terse  and  pregnant  sayings,  more  than 
once  uttered  in  different  connections.  (See  ch. 
xix.  30;  xxii.  14.)  The  "calling"  of  which  the 
New  Testament  almost  invariably  speaks  is  what 
divines  call  effectual  calling,  carrying  with  it  a 
supernatural  operation  on  tne  will  to  secure  its 
consent.  But  that  cannot  be  the  meaning  of  it 
here;the  "  called"  being  emphatically  distiiiguished 
from  the  "chosen."  It  can  only  mean  here  the 
'invited.'  And  so  the  sense  is,  Many  receive 
the  invitations  of  the  Gospel  whom  God  has  never 
"  chosen  to  salvation  through  sanctilication  of  the 
Spirit  and  behef  of  the  truth"  (2  Thes.  ii.  13). 
But  Avhat,  it  maybe  asked,  has  this  to  do  with  the 
subject  of  our  parable?  Probably  this — to  teach 
us  that  men  who  have  wrought  in  Christ's  ser- 
vice all  their  days  may,  by  the  spirit  which  they 
manifest  at  the  last,  make  it  too  evident  that,  as 
between  God  and  their  own  souls,  they  never 
were  chosen  workmen  at  all 

Taking  the  parable  thus,  the  difficulties  which 
have  divided  so  many  commentators  seem  to  melt 
100 


away,  and  its  general  teaching  may  be  expressed 
in  the  following 

Eemarks. — 1.  True  Christianity  is  a  life  of  ac- 
tive service  rendered  to  Christ,  whose  love,  as 
soon  as  one  has  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious, 
constrains  him  to  live  not  unto  himself,  but  unto 
Him  that  died  for  him  and  rose  again.  2.  Though 
we  might  well  deem  it  a  privilege  to  work  for 
Christ  without  fee  or  reward,  yet  is  our  Father 
pleased  to  attach  rewards — not  of  merit,  of  course, 
but  of  pure  grace,  as  all  rewards  to  those  who  once 
were  sinners  must  be — to  faithful  working  in  His 
vineyard.  3.  Although  the  Lord  may  sm-ely  "  do 
what  He  will  with  His  own,"  and  so  His  rewards 
must  be  regarded  as  all  flowing  from  His  own  sove- 
reign will,  yet  there  is  a  certain  equity  stamped 
upon  them  in  relation  to  each  other.  That  true 
attachment  to  Christ,  and  that  fidelity  in  His  ser- 
vice which  is  common  to  all  chosen  labourers  in 
His  vineyard — this  is  acknowledged  by  a  reward 
common  to  all  alike;  and  only  those  services  in 
which  Christians  differ  from  each  other  in  self- 
sacrificing  devotedness  are  distinguished  by  sjjecial 
rewards  corresponding  with  their  character.  And 
thus,  while  aspiring  to  those  special  rewards  to 
distinguished  Christians  which  are  promised  at 
the  close  of  ch.  xix.,  we  are  never  to  forget  that 
there  are  gracious  rewards  common  to  all  the  true 
servants  of  Christ.  4.  How  unreasonable  and  un- 
grateful are  those  who,  not  contented  with  being 
called  into  the  service  of  Christ — itself  a  high 
priAdlege^and  graciously  rewarded  for  all  they  do, 
euA'y  their  fellow-servants,  and  reflect  upon  their 
common  Master,  for  seeming  to  do  to  others  more 
than  is  consistent  with  justice  to  themselves. 
Such  was  the  sj^irit  of  the  elder  brother  in  the 
Ijarable  of  the  Prodigal  Son  (Luke  xv).  Those 
men  who  appeal  to  God's  justice  will  find  their 
mouth  closed  in  the  day  that  He  deals  with 
them.  5.  Let  those  who,  conscious  of  having 
corne  in  late,  are  afraid  lest  neither  themselves  nor 
tlieii-  offers  of  service  should  be  accej^ted  at  all,  be 
encoiu-aged  by  the  assuj-ance  which  this  jiarable 
holds  forth,  that  as  long  as  the  working-day  of 
life  and  the  present  state  of  the  kingdom  of  grace 
lasts,  so  long  will  the  great  Householder  be  found 
looking  out  for  fresh  labourers  in  His  vineyard, 
and  so  long  will  He  be  ready  to  receive  the  offers 
and  engage  the  services  of  all  that  are  prepared  to 
jdeld  themselves  to  Him.  6.  What  strange  revela- 
tions will  the  day  of  final  reckoning  make— dis- 
covering some  that  came  latest  in,  and  were  least 
accounted  of,  amongst  the  first  in  the  ranks  of 
heaven ;  and  some  that  were  earliest  in,  and  stood 
the  highest  in  Christian  estimation,  among  the  last 
and  lowest  in  the  ranks  of  heaven ;  and  some  not 
amongst  them  at  all  who  were  of  greatest  note  in 
the  Church  below!  "Nevertheless,  the  founda- 
tion of  God  standeth  siu-e,  having  this  seal.  The 
Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His  ;  and.  Let  every 
one  that  nameth  the  name  of  Christ  depart  from 
iniquity"  (2  Tim.  ii.  19). 


Ambitious  request 


MATTHEW  XXI. 


of  James  and  John. 


22 


23 


24 


17  And  •^ Jesus  going  up  to  Jerusalem  took  the  twelve  disciples  apart  in 

18  the  way,  and  said  unto  them,  behold,  ^we  go  up  to  Jerusalem;  and  the 
Son  of  man  shall  be  betrayed  unto  the  chief  priests  and  unto  the  scribes, 

19  and  they  shall  condemn  him  to  death,  and  ^ shall  deliver  him  to  the 
Gentiles  to  mock,  and  to  scourge,  and  to  crucify  Jiim :  and  the  third  day 
he  shall  rise  again, 

20  Then  ^came  to  him  •^'the  mother  of  Zebedee's  '^children  with  her  sons, 

21  worshipping  him,  and  desiring  a  certain  thing  of  liim.  And  he  said  unto 
her.  What  wilt  thou  ?  She  saith  unto  him,  Grant  that  these  my  two  sons 
^may  sit,  the  one  on  thy  right  hand,  and  the  other  on  the  left,  in  thy 
kingdom.  But  Jesus  answered  and  said,  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.  Are 
ye  able  to  drink  of  the  '"cup  that  I  shall  drink  of,  and  to  be  baptized 
with  '^tlie  baptism  that  I  am  baptized  with?  They  say  unto  him.  We  are 
able.  And  he  saith  unto  them,  "Ye  shall  drink  indeed  of  my  cup,  and 
be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I  am  baptized  with :  but  to  sit  on  my 
right  hand,  and  on  my  left,  is  not  mine  to  '''give,  but  it  shall  be  given  to 
them  for  whom  it  is  prepared  of  my  Father. 

And  ^wheu  the  ten  heard  it,  they  were  moved  with  indignation  against 

25  the  two  brethren.  But  Jesus  called  them  unto  him,  and  said.  Ye  know 
that  the  princes  of  the  Gentiles  exercise  dominion  over  them,  and  they 

26  that  are  great  exercise  authority  upon  them.  But  '^it  shall  not  be  so 
among  you :  but  whosoever  *will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your 

27  minister;    and  *  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your 

28  servant:  even  ^as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  ^but 
to  minister,  and  to  '"give  his  life  a  ransom  ^for  many. 

29  And  ^as  they  departed  from  Jericho,  a  great  multitude  followed  him. 

30  And,  behold,  Hwo  blind  men  sitting  by  the  way-side,  when  they  heard 
that  Jesus  passed  by,  cried  out,  saying.  Have  mercy  on  us,  0  Lord,  thou, 

31  son  of  David!  And  the  multitude  rebuked  them,  because  they  should 
hold  their  peace :  but  they  cried  the  more,  saying.  Have  mercy  on  us,  0 

32  Lord,  thou  son  of  David !     And  Jesus  stood  still,  and  called  them,  and 

33  said.  What  will  ye  that  I  shall  do  unto  you  ?    They  say  unto  him.  Lord, 

34  that  our  eyes  may  be  opened.  So  Jesus  had  "compassion  on  them,  and 
touched  their  eyes ;  and  immediately  their  eyes  received  sight,  and  they 
followed  him. 

AND  "when  they  drew  nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  and  were  come  to  Beth- 
phage,  unto  ^the  mount  of  Olives,  then  sent  Jesus  two  disciples,  saying 
unto  them.  Go  into  the  village  over  against  you,  and  straightway  ye  shall 
find  an  ass  tied,  and  a  colt  with  her :  loose  them,  and  bring  them  unto  me. 
And  if  any  man  say  ought  unto  you,  ye  shall  say.  The  "^Lord  hath  ''need 
of  them ;  and  straightway  he  will  send  them.  (All  this  was  done,  that 
it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  saying.  Tell  *ye 
the  daughter  of  Sion,  Behold,  thy  King  cometh  unto  thee,  meek,  and 
sitting  upon  an  ass,  and  a  colt  the  foal  of  an  ass.)  And  •'"the  disciples 
went,  and  did  as  Jesus  commanded  them,  and  brought  the  ass,  and  the 

8  colt,  and  put  ^on  them  their  clothes,  and  they  set  him  thereon.     And  a 
very  great  multitude  spread  their  garments  in  the  way;  ''others  cut  down 

9  branches  from  the  trees,  and  strawed  them  in  the  way.     And  the  multi- 
tudes that  went  before,  and  that  followed,  cried,  saying,  ^Hosanna  to  the 


21 

2 


A.  D.  33. 

/  John  12. 12. 
"  ch.  16.  21. 
''  ch.  27.  2. 

John  18.  28. 

Acts  3.  13. 
'■  Mark  10  35. 

i  ch.  27.  66. 

Markio^O. 

*  ch.  4.  21. 
'  ch.  19.  28. 

Jas.  4.  3. 

""ch.  26.  39. 

Mark  14.36. 

John  18. 11. 
"  Luke  12.  50. 
"  Acts  12.  2. 

Eom.  8.  17. 

2  Cor.  1.  7. 

Rev.  1.  9. 
^  ch.  25.  34. 
9  Luke  22. 24. 
"■  1  Pet.  5.  3. 

'  ch.  23.  11. 

Mark  9.  35. 

Mark  10.43. 
«  ch.  18.  4. 
"  John  13.  4. 

Phil.  2.  7. 
"  Luke  22.  27. 

John  13. 14. 
""  Isa.  53.  10. 

Dan.  9.  24. 

John  11.  61. 

1  Tim.  2.  6. 

Tit.  2.  14. 

1  Pet.  1.  19. 
"  ch.  26.  28. 

Eom.  5.  15. 

Heb.  9.  28. 
y  Mark  10.46. 

Luke  18.  35. 

*  ch.  9.  27. 
"  Ps.  145.  8. 

Heb.  4.  15. 


CHAP.  21. 
°-  Mark  11.  i. 

Luke  19.  29. 
6  Zee.  14. 1 
°  Ps.  24.  1. 
<*  2  Cor.  8.  9. 
"  1  Ki.  1.  33. 

Isa.  C2.  11. 

Zee.  9.  9. 
/  Mark  11.  4. 
»  2  Ki.  9.  13. 
ft  Lev.  23.  40. 

John  12. 13. 

•  Ps.  118.  25. 
ch.  22.  42. 
Mark  12.35- 
37. 

Luke  18.38. 
Eom.  1.  3. 


But  that  is  not  all  the  teaching  of  this  parable ; 
for,  as  Olshausen  finely  says,  the  parables  are  like 
many-sided  precious  stones,  cut  so  as  to  cast  their 
lustre  in  more  than  one  direction, 

17-28, — Third   explicit    Announcement    op 

His    approaching    Sufferings,    Death,    and 

Resurrection — The    Ambitious    Request    op 

James  and  John,  and  the  Eeply.    ( =  Mark 

101 


X,  32-45;  Luke  xriii.  31-34)  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Mark  x.  32-45, 

29-34.— Two  Blind  Men  Healed.  (  =  Mark 
X.  ^-52;  Luke  xviii.  35-43.)  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Luke  xviii.  35-43. 

CHAP.  XXI.  1-9.— Christ's  Triumphal  Entry 
into  Jerusalem  on  the  First  Day  of  the 
Week.    (=  Markxi.  1-11;  Luke  xix.  29-40;  John 


Ckrisfs  triumphal 


MATTHEW  XXI. 


entri/  into  Jerusalem. 


10 
11 

12 


son  of  David !  •'Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  iu  the  name  of  the  Lord ! 
Hosanna  in  the  highest ! 

And  ^'when  he  was  come  into  Jerusalem,  all  the  city  was  moved,  saying, 
Who  is  this?  And  the  multitude  said,  This  is  Jesus  the  'prophet  of 
Nazareth  of  Galilee. 

And  "'Jesus  went  into  the  temple  of  God,  and  cast  out  all  them  that 
sold  and  bought  iu  the  temple,  and  overthrew  the  tables  of  the  ^'money- 

13  changers,  and  the  seats  of  them  that  sold  doves,  and  said  unto  them.  It 
is  written,  "My  house  shaU  be  called  the  house  of  prayer;  but  ^ye  have 

14  made  it  a  den  of  thieves.     And  ^the  bhnd  and  the  lame  came  to  him  in 

15  the  temple;  and  he  healed  them.  And  when  the  chief  priests  and  scribes 
saw  the  wonderful  things  that  he  did,  and  the  children  crying  in  the 
temple,  and  saying,  Hosanna  to  '  the  son  of  David ;  they  were  sore  dis- 

16  pleased,  and  said  unto  him,  Hearest  thou  what  these  say?  And  Jesus 
saith  unto  them,  Yea;  have  ye  never  read,  ^Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes 

17  and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise?  And  he  left  them,  and  went 
out  of  the  city  into  *  Bethany ;  and  he  lodged  there. 

18  Now  in   the   morning,  as  he  returned   into   the  city,   he  hungered. 

19  And  when  he  saw  ^a  fig  tree  in  the  way,  he  came  to  it,  and  found 
nothing  thereon,  but  leaves  only,  and  said  unto  it.  Let  no  fruit  grow 
on  thee  hencefonvard  for  ever.     And  presently  the  fig  tree  withered  away. 

20  And   when  the   disciples  saw  it,  they  marvelled,  saying,  How  soon  is 

21  the  fig  tree  withered  away!  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  ''If  ye  have  faith,  and  *' doubt  not,  ye  shall  not  only 
do  this  which  is  done  to  the  fig  tree,  '"but  also  if  ye  shall  say  unto  this 
mountain,  Be  thou  removed,  and  be  thou  cast  into  the  sea ;  it  shall  be 
done.  And  *all  things,  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye 
shall  receive. 

And  ^when  he  was  come  into  the  temple,  the  chief  priests  and  the 
elders  of  the  people  came  unto  him  as  he  was  teaching,  and  ^said,  By 
what  authority  doest  thou  these  things?  and  who  gave  thee  this  au- 
24  thority?  And  "Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  also  will  ask  you 
one  thing,  which  if  ye  tell  me,  I  in  like  wise  wiU  tell  you  by  what  author- 
ity I  do  these  things.  The  baptism  of  John,  whence  was  it?  from 
heaven,  or  of  men  ?  And  they  reasoned  with  themselves,  saying,  If  we 
shall  say,  From  heaven ;  he  wiU  say  unto  us.  Why  did  ye  not  then  be- 
lieve him?     But  if  we  shall  say.  Of  men;  we  fear  the  people;  ''for  all 


A.  D.  33. 


22 


23 


25 


26 


•/ 


J  ch.  23.  39. 
*  Mark  11.15. 

Luke  19. 45. 

John  12. 13. 
'  John  6.  14. 
'"  Mai.  3. 1,  2, 

Mark  11. 11. 

John  2.  15. 
"  Deut.  14.25. 
"  Isa.  56.  7. 
P  Jer.  7.  11. 

Mark  11.17. 

Luke  19.40. 
«  Isa.  35.  5. 

ch.  9.  35. 

ch.  11.  4,  5. 
Acts  3.  1-9. 
Acts  10.  33. 
'■  Isa.  11.  1. 
ch.  22.  42. 

John  7.  42, 
»   Ps.  8.  2. 

ch.  11.  25. 
(  Mark  ii.ll. 

John  11.18. 
1  one  fig 

tree. 
"  ch.  17.  20. 

Luke  17.  6. 
"  Jas.  1.  6. 
""  1  Cor.  13.  2. 
'  ch.  7.  7. 

Mark  11.24. 

Luke  11.  9. 

Jas.  6.  16. 

1  John  3. 22. 

1  John  5. 14. 
y  Luke  20.21. 
*  Ex.  2.  14. 

Acts  4.  7. 

Acts  7.  27. 
"  Job  5.  13. 

b  ch.  14.  5. 

Luke  20.  6. 
Mark  6.  iO. 
John  5.  33. 
John  10. 41, 
42. 


xiL  12-19.)  For  the  exposition  of  tliis  m^estic 
scene — recorded,  as  will  be  seen,  by  all  the  Evan- 
gelists— see  on  Luke  xix.  29-40. 

10-22. — Stik  about  Him  in  the  City— Second 
Cleansing  of  the  Temple,  and  Miracles 
THERE— Glorious  Vindication  of  the  Chil- 
dren's Testimony— The  Barren  Fig  Tree 
Cursed,  \yith  Lessons  from  it.  (  =  Mark  xL 
11-26;  Luke  xix.  45-48.)  For  the  exposition,  see 
Luke  xix.  after  v.  44 ;  and  on  Mark  xL  12-26. 

23-46. — The  Authority  of  Jesus  Questioned, 
AND  THE  Reply — The  Parables  of  the  Two 
Sons,  and  of  the  Wicked  Husbandmen,  (  = 
Mark  xi.  27— xii.  12  ;  Luke  xx.  1-19.) 

Now  commences,  as  Alford  remarks,  that  series 
of  parables  and  discourses  of  our  Lord  with  His 
enemies,  in  which  He  develops,  more  completely 
than  ever  before,  His  hostility  to  their  hyiiocrisy 
and  iniquity :  and  so  they  are  stirred  up  to  com- 
pass His  death. 

The  Authority  of  Jesus  Questioned,  and  the  Reply 
(23-27).  23.  And  when  lie  w£llfe  come  into  the 
temple,  the  chief  priests  and  the  elders  of  the 
people  came  unto  him  as  he  was  teaching,  and 
said.  By  what  authority  doest  thou  these  things  ?— 
102 


referring  particularly  to  the  expulsion  of  the  buy- 
ers and  sellers  from  the  temple,  and  who  gave 
thee  this  authority?  24.  And  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  them,  I  also  will  ask  you  one 
thing,  which  if  ye  tell  me,  I  in  like  wise  will 
tell  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things. 
25.  The  baptism  of  John — meaning,  his  whole 
mission  and  ministry,  of  which  baptism  was  the 
pro])er  character,  whence  was  it  ?  from  heaven, 
or  of  men  ?  What  wisdom  there  was  in  this  way 
of  meeting  tlieir  question,  will  best  appear  by 
their  re]  ily.  And  they  reasoned  with  themselves, 
saying,  If  we  shall  say,  From  heaven ;  he  will  say 
unto  us.  Why  did  ye  not  then  believe  him? — 
'  Why  did  ye  not  believe  the  testimony  which  he 
bore  to  Me,  as  the  jiromised  and  expected  Mes- 
siah?' for  that  was  the  bm-den  of  his  whole  testi- 
mony. 26.  But  if  we  shall  say,  Of  men  ;  we  fear 
the  people  [tov  oy\ov\ — rather  the  multitude.  In 
Luke  (xx.  6)  it  is,  "all  the  people  will  stone 
us"  [KaToXiddffet]  —  'stone  us  to  death.'  for 
all  hold  John  as  a  prophet.  Crooked,  cringing 
hyi^ocrites !  No  wonder  Jesus  gave  you  no  answer. 
27.  And  they  answered  Jesus,  and  said,  We  can- 
not tell.    Evidently  their  difficulty  was,  how  to 


Parable  of 


MATTHEW  XXI. 


the  Two  Sons. 


27  hold  John  as  a  prophet.  And  they  answered  Jesus,  and  said,  We  can- 
not tell.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Neither  tell  I  you  by  what  authority 
I  do  these  things. 

28  But  what  think  ye?     K  certain  man  had  two  sons;  and  he  came  to 

29  the  first,  and  said.  Son,  go  work  to-day  in  my  vineyard.     He  answered 

30  and  said,  I  will  not:  but  afterward  "he  repented,  and  went.  And  he 
came  to  the  second,  and  said  likewise.     And  he  answered  and  said,  I  go, 

31  sir;  and  went  not.  Whether  of  them  twain  did  the  will  of  his  father? 
They  say  unto  him,  The  first.  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Verily  I  say  unto 
you.  That  the  publicans  and  the  harlots  go  into  the  kingdom  of  God  be- 

32  fore  you.  For  ''John  came  unto  you  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  and  ye 
believed  him  not:  but  'the  publicans  and  the  harlots  believed  him:  and 
ye,  when  ye  had  seen  it,  repented  not  afterward,  that  ye  might  believe 
him. 

33  Hear  another  parable:  There  was  a  certain  householder,  -^ which 
planted  a  vineyard,  and  hedged  it  round  about,  and  digged  a  winepress 
in  it,  and  built  a  tower,  acd  let  it  out  to  husbandmen,  and  ^went  into  a 

34  far  country:  and  when  the  time  of  the  fruit  drew  near,  he  sent  his 
servants  to  the  husbandmen,  ''that  they  might  receive  the  fruits  of  it. 


A.  D.  3.f. 


<■'  ch.  3.  2. 
2  Chr.33.19. 
Isa.  I.  X6. 
Isa.  5a.  6, 7. 
Ezek.  18.28. 
Dan.  4.  34- 

37. 

Jonah  3.  2. 

Luke  15.18. 

Acts  26.  10. 

Eph.  2. 1-10. 
d  Isa  35.  8. 

Jer.  6.  16. 

ch.  3.  1. 

Luke3.8-13. 
«  Luke  3. 12. 
/  Ps.  80.  9. 

Song  8.  11. 

Isa  5. 1. 

Jer.  2.  21. 

Mark  12.  1. 

Luke  20.  9. 
B  ch.  25.  14. 
''  Song  8.  IL 


answer,  so  as  neither  to  shake  their  determination 
to  reject  the  claims  of  Christ  nor  damage  their 
reputation  with  the  people.  For  the  truth  itself 
they  cared  nothing  whatever.  And  he  said  unto 
them,  Neither  tell  I  you  by  what  authority  I  do 
these  things.  What  composiu-e  and  dignity  of 
wisdom  does  our  Lord  here  display,  as  He  turns 
their  question  upon  themselves,  and,  while  re- 
vealing His  knowledge  of  their  hypocrisy,  closes 
their  mouths !  Taking  advantage  of  the  suriirise, 
silence,  and  awe,  produced  by  this  rejjly,  our  Lord 
followed  it  immediately  up  by  the  two  following 

Parable  of  the  Two  Sons  (28-32).  28.  But  what 
think  ye  ?  A  certain  man  had  two  sons ;  and  he 
came  to  the  first,  and  said,  Son,  go  work  to-day 
in  my  vineyard — for  true  religion  is  a  i^ractical 
thing,  a  "bringing  forth  fruit  unto  God,"  29.  He 
answered  and  said,  I  will  not.  Trench  notices  the 
rudeness  of  this  answer,  and  the  total  absence  of 
any  attempt  to  excuse  such  disobedience,  both  char- 
acteristic ;  representing  careless,  recldess  sinners, 
resisting  God  to  His  face,  but  afterward  he  re- 
pented, and  went.  30.  And  he  came  to  the  second, 
and  said  likewise.  And  he  answered  and  said,  I 
Igoj,  sir  [Eyo)  Kvpie] — 'I,  sir.'  The  emphatic  "I," 
here,  denotes  the  seK-righteous  complacency  which 
says,  "  God,  I  thank  thee  that  /  am  not  as  other 
men"  (Luke  xviiL  11).  and  went  not.  Hf  did  not 
"  aftei-ward  repent"  and  refuse  to  go;  for  there 
was  here  no  intention  to  go.  It  is  the  class  that 
"say  and  do  not"  (ch.  xxiiL  3) — a  falseness  more 
abominable  to  God,  says  Stier,  than  any  "I  will 
not."  31.  Whether  of  them  twain  did  the  will 
of  his  Father?  They  say  unto  him,  The  first. 
[Instead  of  o  -tt/owt-os,  "  the  fu'st,"  Tregelles  reads 
o  'v(rTe(ioi,  '  the  latter,'  contrary  not  only  to  the 
manifest  sense  of  the  parable,  but  to  the  decided 
preponderance,  as  we  think,  of  MS.  authority. 
Tischendorf  adheres  to  the  received  text.]  Now 
comes  the  ai3i>lication.  Jesus  saith  unto  them, 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  That  the  publicans  and 
the  harlots  go — or  'are  going;'  even  now  entering, 
while  ye  hold  back,  into  the  kingdom  of  God 
before  you.  The  publicans  and  the  harlots  were 
the  fu'st  son,  who,  when  told  to  work  in  the  Lord's 
vineyard,  said,  I  will  not ;  but  afterwards  repented 
and  went.  Their  early  life  was  a  flat  and  flagrant 
refusal  to  do  what  they  were  commanded;  it  was 
one  continued  rebellion  against  the  authority  of 
1C3 


God-  "  The  chief  priests  and  the  elders  of  the 
people,"  with  whom  our  Lord  was  now  speaking, 
were  tne  second  son,  who  said,  I  go.  Sir,  but  went 
not.  They  were  early  called,  and  all  their  life  long 
professed  obedience  to  God,  but  never  rendered 
it;  their  life  was  one  of  continued  disobedience. 
32.  For  John  came  unto  you  in  the  way  of 
righteousness — that  is,  '  calling  yovi  to  repent- 
ance;' as  Noah  is  styled  "a  preacher  of  right- 
eousness" (2  Pet.  iL  5),  when  like  the  Baptist 
he  warned  the  old  world  to  "  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come."  and  ye  believed  him  not.  "They did 
not  reject  him;"  nay,  they  "were  willing  for  a 
season  to  rejoice  in  his  li^ht"  (John  v.  35):  but 
they  would  not  receive  his  testimony  to  Jesus. 
but  the  publicans  and  the  harlots  believed  him. 
Of  the  publicans  this  is  twice  expressly  recorded, 
Luke  iii.  12;  viL  29.  Of  the  harlots,  then,  the 
same  may  be  taken  for  granted,  though  the  fact  is 
not  expressly  recorded.  These  outcasts  gladly 
believed  the  testimony  of  John  to  the  coming 
Saviour,  and  so  hastened  to  Jesus  when  He 
came.  See  Luke  vii,  37;  xv.  1,  &c.  and  ye, 
when  ye  had  seen  it,  repented  not  afterward, 
that  ye  might  believe  him.  Instead  of  being 
"provoked  to  jealousy"  by  their  example,  ye 
have  seen  them  flocking  to  the  Saviour  and 
getting  to  heaven,  unmoved. 

Parable  of  the  Wicked  Husbandmen  (33-46).  33. 
Hear  another  parable:  There  was  a  certain 
householder,  which  planted  a  vineyard.  See  on 
Lulie  xiiL  6.  and  hedged  It  round  about,  and 
digged  a  winepress  in  it,  and  built  a  tower. 
These  details  are  taken,  as  is  the  basis  of  the 
parable  itself,  from  that  beautiful  parable  of  Isa. 
V.  1-7,  in  order  to  fix  down  the  apiilication  and 
sustain  it  by  Old  Testament  authority,  and  let  it 
out  to  husbandmen.  These  are  just  the  ordinary 
spiritual  guides  of  the  people,  under  whose  care 
and  culture  the  fruits  of  righteousness  are  expected 
to  spring  up.  and  went  into  a  far  country— "for 
a  long  time"  (Luke  xx.  9),  leaving  the  vineyard 
to  the  laws  of  the  spiritual  husbandry  during 
the  whole  time  of  the  Jewish  economy.  On  this 
phraseology,  see  on  Mark  iv.  26.  34.  And  when 
the  time  of  the  fruit  drew  near,  he  sent  his 
servants  to  the  husbandmen.  By  these  "ser- 
vants" are  meant  the  prophets  and  other  extra- 
ordiuaiy  messengers,  raised  u\)  from  time  to  time. 
See  on  ch.   xxiii.   37.    that  they  might  receive 


Parable  of  the 


MATTHEW  XXI. 


WlcJced  Husbandmen. 


35  And  Hlie  husbandmen   took  his  servants,  and  beat   one,    and   killed 

36  another,  and  stoned  another.     Again,  he  sent  other  servants  more  than 

37  the  first;  and  they  did  unto  them  likewise.     But  last  of  all  •'he  sent  unto 

38  them  his  son,  saying,  They  will  reverence  my  son.  But  when  the  hus- 
bandmen saw  the  son,  they  said  among  themselves,  ^'This  is  the  heir; 

39  'come,  let  us  Idll  him,  and  let  us  seize  on  his  inheritance.     And  "Hhey 

40  caught  him,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  vineyard,  and  slew  him.  When  the 
Lord  therefore  of  the  vineyard  cometh,  what  will  he  do  unto  those  hus- 

41  bandmen?  They  "say  unto  him,  "He  will  miserably  destroy  those 
wicked  men,  ^and  will  let  out  his  vineyard  unto  other  husbandmen, 

42  which  shall  render  him  the  fraits  in  their  seasons.  Jesus  saith  unto  them, 
^Did  ye  never  read  in  the  Scriptures,  The  stone  which  the  builders  re- 
jected, the  same  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner :  this  is  the  Lord's 

43  doing,  and  it  is  '"marvellous  in  our  eyes?  Therefore  say  I  unto  you, 
*The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation 

44  bringing  forth  the  fruits  thereof  And  whosoever  'shall  fall  on  this  stone 
shall  be  broken:  but  on  whomsoever  it  shall  fall,  "it  will  giind  him  to 
powder. 


A.  t»   33. 

«  iiChr.24.2i. 

2Chr36.iC, 
i  Gal.  4.  4. 
fc  Ps.  2.  8. 
'  Ps.  2.  2. 

John  11.53. 

Acts  4.  27. 
"'Acts  2.  23. 
"  Luke  20. 16. 
"  Deut.  4.  26. 
P  Acts  13  46. 

Rom.  9.  1. 

8  Ps    118.  22. 

Isa.  28.  16. 

Mark  12.10. 

Acts  4.  11. 
>■  1  Tim.  3. 16. 
•  ch.  8.  12. 
«  Isa.  8.  14. 

Zee.  12.  3. 
"  Isa.  60.  12. 

Dan.  2.  44. 


the  fruits  of  it.  See  again  on  Liilce  xiii.  6. 
35.  And  tlie  husbandmen  took  his  servants, 
and  beat  one — see  Jer.  xxxvii.  15;  xxxviii.  6. 
and  killed  another— see  Jer.  xxvi.  20-23.  and 
stoned  another  — see  2  Clir.  xxiv.  21.  Com- 
pare with  this  whole  verse  ch.  xxiii.  37,  where 
our  Lord  reiterates  these  'charges  in  the  most 
melting  strain.  36.  Again,  he  sent  other  ser- 
vants more  than  the  first ;  and  they  did  unto 
them  likewise— see  2  Kings  xvii.  13;  2  Chr. 
xxxvi.  15,  16;  Neh.  ix.  26.  37.  But  last  of  all 
he  sent  unto  them  his  son,  saying,  They  will 
reverence  my  son.  In  Mark  (xii.  6)  this  is  most 
touchingly  expressed :  "  Having  yet  therefore  one 
son,  His  well-beloved,  He  sent  Him  also  last  unto 
them,  saying.  They  will  reverence  my  son. "  Luke's 
version  of  it  too  (xx.  13)  is  striking:  "Then  said 
the  lord  of  the  vineyard.  What  shall  I  do?  I  will 
send  my  beloved  son :  it  may  be  they  will  rever- 
ence Him  when  they  see  Him."  Who  does  not  see 
that  our  Lord  here  severs  Himself,  by  the  sharpest 
line  of  demarcation,  from  all  merely  human  mes- 
sengers, and  claims  for  Himself  Somhip  in  its 
loftiest  sense?  (Compare  Heb.  iii.  3-6.)  The  ex- 
pression, "  It  may  be  they  will  reverence  my  son," 
IS  designed  to  teach  the  almost  unimaginable 
guilt  of  not  reverentially  welcoming  God's  Son. 
S8.  But  when  the  husbandmen  saw  the  son,  they 
said  among  themselves  —  compare  Gen.  xxxvii. 
18-20;  John  xi.  47-53,  This  is  the  heir.  Sublime 
expression  this  of  the  great  truth,  that  God's 
inheritance  was  destined  for,  and  in  due  time  is 
to  come  into  the  possession  of.  His  own  Son  in  our 
nature  (Heb.  i.  2).  come,  let  us  kUl  him,  and  let 
us  seize  on  his  inheritance— that  so,  from  mere 
servants,  we  may  become  lords.  This  is  the  deep 
aim  of  the  depraved  heart;  this  is  emphatically 
"the  root  of  all  evil."  39.  And  they  caught  him, 
and  cast  him  out  of  the  vineyard— compare  Heb. 
xiii.  11-13  ("without  the  gate— -without  the  camp"); 
1  Ki.  xxi.  13;  John  xix.  17,  and  slew  him.  40. 
When  the  lord  therefore  of  the  vineyard  cometh. 
This  represents  '  the  settling  time,'  which,  in  the 
case  of  the  Jewish  ecclesiastics,  was  that  judicial 
trial  of  the  nation  and  its  leaders  which  issued  in 
the  destruction  of  their  whole  state,  what  will 
he  do  unto  those  husbandmen?  41.  They  say 
unto  him.  He  will  miserably  destroy  those  wicked 
men  [KaKov<s  /caKws]— an  emphatic  alliteration  not 
easily  conveyed  in  English :  He  will  badly  destroy 
those  bad  men.'  or  '  miserably  destroy  those  miser- 
104 


able  men,'  is  something  like  it.  and  will  let  out 
his  vineyard  unto  other  husbandmen,  which  shall 
render  him  the  fruits  in  their  seasons.  If  this 
answer  was  given  by  the  Pharisees,  to  whom  our 
Lord  addressed  the  parable,  they  thus  unwittingly 
pronoimced  their  own  condemnation ;  as  did  David 
to  Nathan  the  prophet  (2  Sam.  xii.  5-7),  and  Simon 
the  Pharisee  to  our  Lord,  (Luke  vii.  43,  &c.)  But  if  it 
was  given,  as  the  two  other  Evangelists  agree  in 
representing  it,  by  our  Lord  Himself , and  the  expli- 
cituess  of  the  answer  would  seem  to  favour  that 
supposition,  then  we  can  better  explain  the  excla- 
mation of  the  Pharisees  which  followed  it,  in 
Luke's  report — "  And  when  they  heard  it,  they 
said,  God  forbid" — His  whole  meaning  now  burst- 
ing upon  them.  42.  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Did 
ye  never  read  in  the  Scriptures  (Ps.  cxviiL  22, 2;i), 
The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same 
is  become  the  head  of  the  corner :  this  is  the 
Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes?  A 
bright  Messianic  prophecy,  which  reappears  in  va- 
rious forms  (Isa.  xxviii.  16,  &c. ),  and  was  made  glo- 
rious use  of  by  Peter  before  the  Sanhedrim  (Acts 
iv.  11).  He  recurs  to  it  in  his  iirst  Epistle  (1  Pet. 
ii.  4-6).  43.  Therefore  say  I  unto  you,  The  kingdom 
of  God — God's  visible  Kingdom,  or  Church,  upon 
earth,  which  up  to  this  time  stood  in  the  seed 
of  Abraham,  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and 
given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits 
thereof — ^that  is,  the  great  Evangelical  community 
of  the  faithful,  which,  after  the  extrusion  of  the 
Jewish  nation,  would  consist  chiefly  of  Gentiles, 
until  "  all  Israel  should  be  saved"  (Rom,  xi.  25,  26). 
Tliis  vastly  important  statement  is  given  by  Mat- 
thew only.  44.  And  whosoever  shall  fall  on  this 
stone  shall  be  broken:  but  on  whomsoever  it 
shall  fall,  it  will  grind  him  to  powder.  The 
Kingdom  of  God  is  here  a  Temple,  in  the  erection 
of  which  a  certain  stone,  rejected  as  unsuitable  by 
the  spiritual  builders,  is,  by  the  great  Lord  of  the 
House,  made  the  key-stone  of  the  whole.  On  that 
Stone  the  builders  were  now  "falling"  and  being 
"  broken"  (Isa.  viii,  15).  They  were  sustaining 
great  spiritual  hurt ;  but  soon  that  Stone  should 
'fall  upon  them"  and  "grind  them  to  powder" 
(Dan.  ii.  34,  35;  Zee.  xii.  3) — in  their  corporate 
capacity,  in  the  tremendous  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem, but  personally,  as  unbelievers,  in  a  more 
awful  sense  stiU. 

45.  And  when  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees 
had  heard  his  parables— referring  to  that  of  the 


The  Marriage  of 


MATTHFW  XXII. 


tlie  King^s  8on. 


45  And  when  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  had  heard  his  parables,  they 

46  perceived  that  he  spake  of  them.     But  when  they  sought  to  lay  hands  on 
him,  they  feared  the  multitude,  because  they  "took  him  for  a  prophet. 

22       AND  Jesus  answered  "and  spake  unto  them  again  by  parables,  and 
2  said.  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  certain  king,  wliich  made  a 


A.  D.  33. 


"  Luke  7.  16. 


CHAP.  22. 

^  Luke  14.16. 

Eev.  19.  7,9. 


Two  Sons  and  this  one  of  the  Wicked  Hiisband- 
men,  they  perceived  tliat  he  spake  of  them.  46. 
But  when  they  sought  to  lay  hands  on  him— 

wliich  Luke  (xs.  19)  says  they  did  "  the  same 
hour,"  hardly  able  to  restrain  their  ra^e,  they 
feared  the  multitude — rather  'the  multitudes' 
[tous  oxXoi>s],  because  they  took  him  for  a  prophet 
— ^just  as  they  feared  to  say  John's  baptism  was  of 
men,  because  the  masses  took  him  for  a  prophet 
iv.  26.)    Miserable  creatures!    So,  for  this  time, 

they  left  Him  and  went  their  wav"  (Mark 
xii.  12). 

Remarks. — 1.  Though  argument  be  thrown  away 
upon  those  who  are  resolved  not  to  believe,  the 
wisdom  that  can  silence  them  and  thus  obtain  a 
hearing  for  weighty  truths  and  solemn  warnings, 
is  truly  enviable.  In  this  our  Lord  was  incompar- 
able, and  He  hath  herein,  as  in  all  else,  left  us  an 
example  that  we  should  follow  His  steiis.  2.  The 
self-righteousness  of  the  Pharisees,  which  scorn- 
fully rejected  the  salvation  of  the  Gpspel,  and 
the  conscious  unworthiness  of  the  publicans  and 
sinners,  which  thankfully  embraced  it,  reapi)ear 
from  age  to  age  as  types  of  character.  Wherever 
the  Gospel  is  faithfully  i)reached  and  earnestly 
pressed,  the  self-satisfied  religious  i^rofessors  show 
the  old  reluctance  to  receive  it  on  the  same  foot- 
ing with  the  profligate ;  while  these  great  sin- 
ners, conscious  that  they  deepjly  need  it,  and 
cannot  dare  to  hope  for  it  on  the  footing  of  merit, 
gladly  hail  it  as  a  message  of  free  grace.  3.  A 
purely  democratic  form  of  the  Church  seems  in- 
consistent with  the  representations  of  our  Lord  in 
this  Section — in  which  official  men  are  supposed, 
to  whom  the  Great  Proprietor  of  the  vineyard 
"  lets  it  out,"  and  to  whom  He  will  naturally  look 
that  they  should  render  Him  of  its  fruits.  And 
though  the  language  of  parables  is  not  to  be 
stretched  beyond  tlie  lessons  which  they  may 
natiu-ally  be  supposed  intended  to  teach,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  make  anything  out  of  the  parable  of  the 
Wicked  Husbandmen — at  least  as  regards  the 
Cliristian  Church — on  anything  short  of  the  above 
view.  4  Though  our  Lord^to  meet  the  charge  of 
setting  Himself  up  against  God,  by  the  loftiness  of 
His  claims — represents  Himself  invariably  as  the 
Father's  commissioned  Servant  in  every  step  of 
His  work ;  yet,  in  relation  to  other  servants  and 
messengers  of  God,  He  is  careful  so  to  sever  Him- 
self from  them  all,  that  there  may  be  no  danger  of 
His  being  confounded  with  them — holding  Him- 
self forth  as  the  Son,  Only  and  Well-beloved 
(Mark  xii.  6),  in  the  sense  of  a  relationship  of  na- 
ture not  to  be  mistaken,  a  relationship  manifestly 
implying  proper  Personal  Divinity.  5.  The  dis- 
inheriting of  Israel  after  the  flesh,  and  the  substi- 
tution or  surrogation  of  the  Gentiles  in  their 
place,  must  not  be  misunderstood.  As  Gentiles 
were  not  absolutely  excluded  from  the  Chiu'ch 
of  God  under  the  Jewish  economy,  so  neither 
are  Jews  now  shut  out  from  the  Church  of 
Christ.  All  that  we  are  taught  is,  that  as  it 
was  the  purpose  of  God  to  constitute  the  seed  of 
Abraham  of  old  to  be  His  visible  people,  so  now, 
for  their  unfaithfulness  to  the  great  trust  com- 
mitted to  them,  it  has  been  transferred  to  the 
Gentiles,  from  amongst  whom,  accordingly,  God 
is  now  taking  out  a  people  for  His  name.  When, 
therefore,  we  are  assured  that  the  time  is  com- 


ing  when  "all  Israel  shall  be  saved"  (Rom. 
xi.  26),  that  cannot  mean  merely  that  they  will 
drop  into  the  Christian  Church  individually  from 
time  to  time — for  that  they  have  been  domg  all 
along,  and  have  never  ceased  to  do  — but  that 
they  shall  be  nationally  re-engrafted  into  their 
own  olive  tree,  not  now  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
Gentiles,  but  to  constitute  along  -ndth  them  one 
universal  Church  of  God  upon  earth.  (See  on 
Rom.  xi.  22-24,  26,  28.)  6.  "If  some  of  the 
branches  be  broken  oflf,  and  thou,"  0  Gentile, 
"being  a  wild  olive  tree,  wert  graffed  in  among 
them,  and  with  them  partakest  of  the  root  and 
fatness  of  the  olive  tree ;  boast  not  against  the 
branches.  Thou  wilt  say.  The  branches  were 
broken  off,  that  I  might  be  grafl"ed  in.  Well ;  be- 
cause of  unbelief  they  were  broken  off,  and  thou 
standest  by  faith.  Be  not  highminded,  but  fear : 
for  if  God  spared  not  the  natural  branches,  take 
heed  lest  He  also  spare  not  thee.  Behold  there- 
fore the  goodness  and  severity  of  God :  on  them 
which  fell,  severity;  but  toward  thee,  goodness,  if 
thou  continue  in  His  goodness :  otherwise  thou 
also  shalt  be  cut  off^'  (Rom.  xi.  17,  19-22).  Nor  is 
this  a  mere  threatening  in  case  of  Gentile  unbelief ; 
for  Scripture  prophecy  too  clearly  intimates,  that 
at  that  great  crisis  in  the  history  of  Christendom 
when  "  aU  Israel  shall  be  saved,"  a  vast  portion 
of  the  Gentile  Church  shall  be  found  equally  un- 
faithful to  the  trust  committed  to  them  with  Israel 
of  old,  and  will  be  judged  accordingly.  "  Where- 
fore, let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed 

CHAP.  "XXIL  1-14.7-Parable  of  the  Mar- 
riage OF  THE  King's  Son. 

This  is  a  difi'erent  parable  from  that  of  the  Great 
Supper,  in  Luke  xiv.  15,  &c.,  and  is  recorded  by 
Matthew  alone.  1.  And  Jesus  answered  and  spake 
unto  them  again  by  parables,  and  said,  2.  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  certain  king, 
which  made  a  marriage  for  his  son.  'In  this 
parable,' as  Trench  admirably  remarks, 'we  see  how 
the  Lord  is  revealing  Himself  in  ever  clearer  light 
as  the  central  Person  of  the  kingdom,  giving  here 
a  far  plainer  hint  than  in  the  last  parable  of  the 
nobility  of  His  descent.  There  He  was  indeed 
the  Son,  the  only  and  beloved  one  (Mark  xii.  6), 
of  the  Householder ;  but  here  His  race  is  royal, 
and  He  appears  as  Himself  at  once  the  King  and 
the  King's  Son.  (Ps.  IxxiL  1.)  The  last  was  a 
parable  of  the  Old  Testament  history ;  and  Christ 
is  rather  the  last  and  greatest  of  the  line  of  its 
prophets  and  teachers  than  the  Founder  of  a  new 
kingdom.  In  that,  God  appears  demanding  some- 
thing fron/i  men ;  in  this,  a  parable  of  grace,  God 
appears  more  as  giving  something  to  them.  Thus, 
as  often,  the  two  complete  each  other ;  this  taking 
up  the  matter  where  the  other  left  it.'  The  "mar- 
riage" of  Jehovah  to  His  people  Israel  was  familiar 
to  Jewish  ears;  and  in  Ps.  xlv.  this  marriage  is 
seen  consummated  in  the  Person  of  Messiah  '  the 
King,'  Himself  addressed  as  'God'  and  yet  as 
anointed  by  '  His  God'  with  the  oil  of  gladness 
above  His  fellows.'  These  apparent  contradic- 
tories (see  on  Luke  xx.  41-44)  are  resolved  in 
this  parable;  and  Jesus,  in  claiming  to  be  this 
King  s  Son,  serves  Himself  Heir  to  all  that  the  pro- 
phets and  sioeet  singers  of  Israel  held  forth  as  to 
Jehovah's  ineffably  near  and  endearing  union  to  His 


The  Marriage 


MATTHEW  XXII. 


of  the  King's  Son. 


3  marriage  for  his  son,  and  sent  forth  his  servants  to  call  them  that  were 

4  bidden  to  the  wedding :  and  they  would  not  come.  Again,  he  sent  forth 
other  servants,  saying,  Tell  them  which  are  bidden,  Behold,  I  have  pre- 
pared my  dinner:  ^my  oxen  and  my  fatlings  are  Idlled,  and  all  things 

5  «rg  ready:  come  unto  the  marriage.     But  they  "^ made  light  of  it,  and 
G  went  their  ways,  one  to  his  farm,  another  to  his  merchandise:  and  ''the 

remnant  took  his  servants,  and  entreated  them  spitefully,  and  slew  them. 

7  But  when  the  king  heard  thereof,  he  was  wroth:  and  he  sent  forth  *liis 

8  armies,  and  destroyed  those  murderers,  and  burned  up  their  city.  Then 
saith  he  to  his  servants,  The  wedding  is  ready,  but  they  which  were 

9  bidden  were  not  -^worthy.     Go  ye  therefore  into  the  higliways,  and  as 

10  many  as  ye  shall  find,  bid  to  the  marriage.     So  those  servants  went  out 
into  the  higliways,  and  "^ gathered  together  all  as  many  as  they  found, 

1 1  both  bad  and  good :  and  the  wedding  was  furnished  with  guests.     And 
Avhen  the  king  came  in  to  see  the  guests,  he  saw  there  a  man  ''which  had 


A.  D.  33 


b  Yro.  9.  2. 
'  Ps.  81.  11. 

d  iThes.2.14, 

15. 
'  Isa.  10.  6-7. 

Jer.  51.  20- 
23. 

Dan.  9.  26. 

Luke  19.  2r. 
/  ch.  10.  11. 

Luke  20.  35. 

Acts  13.  46. 
"  ch.  13.  38. 
ft  2  Cor.  5.  3. 

Eph.  4.  24. 

Col.  3.10,12. 

Eev.  3.  4. 

Kev.  16.  IS. 

Kev.  19.  8. 


people.  But  observe  carefully,  that  the  Bride 
does  not  come  into  \iew  in  this  parable ;  its  design 
being  to  teach  certain  truths  under  the  figure  of 
guests  at  a  wedding  feast,  and  the  want  of  a 
wedding  garment,  which  would  not  have  harmon- 
ized with  the  introduction  of  the  Bride.  3.  And 
sent  forth  his  servants— lepreseutiug  all  preachers 
of  the  Gosi^el,  to  call  them  that  were  bidden 
■ — here  meaning  the  Jews,  who  were  "  bidden," 
from  the  fust  choice  of  them  onwards  through 
every  summons  addressed  to  them  by  the  prophets 
to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  for  the  appearing 
of  their  Kin^.  to  the  wedding — or  the  marriage 
festivities,  when  the  preparations  were  all  con- 
cluded, and  they  would  not  come— as  the  issue 
of  the  whole  ministry  of  the  Baptist,  our  Lord 
Himself,  and  His  apostles  thereafter,  too  sadly 
showed.  4.  Again,  he  sent  forth  other  servants, 
saying,  Tell  them  which  are  bidden.  Behold,  I 
have  prepared  my  dinner :  my  oxen  and  my  fat- 
lings  are  killed,  and  all  things  are  ready:  come 
unto  the  marriage.  This  points  to  those  Gospel 
calls  aftrr  Christ's  death,  resurrection,  ascension, 
and  effusion  of  the  Spirit,  to  which  the  parable 
could  not  directly  allude,  Ijut  when  only  it  could 
be  said,  with  strict  propriety,  "that  all  things 
were  ready."  Compare  1  Cor.  v.  7,  8,  "  Christ  our 
passover  is  sacrificed  for  us ;  therefore,  let  us  keep 
the  feast:"  also  John  vL  51,  "I  am  the  living 
bread  which  came  down  from  heaven :  if  any  man 
eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever:  and  the 
bread  which  I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  which  I  wiU 
give  for  the  life  of  the  world.  5.  But  they  made 
light  of  it,  and  went  their  ways,  one  to  liis 
farm,  another  to  his  merchandise :  6.  And  the 
remnant  took  his  servants,  and  entreated  them 
spitefully  [vfipiaaf] — 'insulted  them,'  and  slew 
them.  These  are  two  difierent  classes  of  unbe- 
lievers ;  the  one  simply  indifferent;  the  other  abso- 
lutely hostile — the  one,  contemptuous  scorners;  the 
other,  bitter  persecutors.  7.  But  when  the  king 
— the  Great  God,  who  is  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  heard  thereof.  [7Vegelles,  with  not 
sufficient  warrant,  as  we  think,  omits  the  word 
dKouo-as.  Tischendorf  retains  it.]  he  was  wroth 
^at  the  affront  i:)ut  both  on  His  Son,  and  on 
Himself  who  had  deigned  to  invite  them,  and 
he  sent  forth  his  armies.  The  Romans  are 
here  styled  God's  armies,  just  as  the  Assyrian 
is  styled  "the  rod  of  His  anger"  (Isa.  x.  5), 
as  being  the  executors  of  His  judicial  vengeance. 
and  destroyed  those  murderers — and  in  what  vast 
numbers  did  they  do  it!  and  burned  up  their 
city.  Ah !  Jerusalem,  once  "the  city  of  the 
Great  King"  (Ps.  xlviii.  2),  and  even  up  al- 
IO(i 


most    to    this  time    (ch.    v.   35);    but    now  it  ia 
"  their  city" — ^just  as  our  Lord,  a  day  or  two  after 
this,  said  of  the  temple,  where  God  had  so  long 
dwelt,  "Behold  your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate  " 
(ch.  xxiii.  3S) !    Compare  Luke  xix.  43,  44.     8.  Then 
saith  he  to  his  servants,  The  wedding  is  ready, 
but  they  which  were  bidden  were  not  worthy — for 
how  should  those  be  deemed  worthy  to  sit  down 
at  His  table  who  had  affronted  Him  by  theii-  treat- 
ment of  His  gracious  invitation?    9.  Go  ye  there- 
fore  into  the  highways— the  great  outlets  and 
thoroughfares,  whether  of  town  or  country,  where 
human  beings  are  to  be  found,  and  as  many  as 
ye  shall  find  bid  to  the  marriage  —  that  is,  just 
as   they  are.      10.    So  those  servants  went  out 
into  the  highways,   and   gathered  together  all 
as  many  as  they  found,  both  bad  and  good^ 
that  is^  without  making  any  distinction  between 
open  sinners  and  the  morally  correct.     The  Gos- 
iiel  call  fetched  in  Jews,   Samaritans,  and  out- 
lying heathen  alike.      Thus  far  the  parable  an- 
swers to  that  of   '  the  Great  Sui)per,    Luke  xiv. 
16,  &C.     But   the  distinguishing  feature  of    our 
parable  is  what  follows :    11.  And  when  the  king 
came  in  to  see  the  guests.    Solemn  exjiression 
this,   of  that  or)iniscient  inspection  of  every  pj'o- 
fessed   disciple   of  the  Lord  JestLs  from    age    to 
age,  in  virtue  of  which  his  true  character  wiU 
hereafter  be  judicially  proclaimed !    he  saw  there 
a  man.    This  shows  that  it  is  the  judgment  of 
indiiiduals  which  is  intended  in  this  latter  jiail; 
of  the  T)arable :  the  fii'st  part  rei^reseuts  rather 
national  judgment,    which  had  not  on  a  wedding 
garment.    The  language  here  is  drawn  from  the 
following  remarkable  passage  in  Zeph.  L  7,  8: — 
"  Hold  thy  peace  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord  God ; 
for  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  at  hand  :  for  the  Lord 
hath  prepared  a  sacrifice,  He  hath  bid  His  guests. 
And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  day  of  the  Lord's 
sacrifice,  that  I  will  punish  the  princes,  and  the 
king's  childi-en,  and  all  such  as  are  clothed  with 
strange  apparel"    The  custom  in  the  East  of  pre- 
senting festival  garments  (See  Gen.  xlv.  22;  2  KL 
V.  22),   even  though  not  clearly  proved,   is  cer- 
tainly presujiposed  here.     It  undoubtedly  means 
something  which  they  bring  not  of  their  own— 
for  how  could  they  have  any  such  dress  who  were 
gathered  in  from  the  highways  indiscriminately ': — 
but  which  they  receive  as  their  approjiriate  dress. 
And  what  can  that  be  but  what  is  meant  by 
"putting  on  the  Lord  Jesus"  as  "The  Lord  cub 
KiGHTEOUSNESs"?    (ScePs.  xlv.  13, 14)    Kor  could 
such  language  be  strange  to  those  in  whose  ears  had 
so  long  resounded  those  words  of  iiroi)hetic  joy : 
"1  will  gi-eatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  my  soul  shall  be 


The  Pharisees 


MATTHEW  XXII. 


and  Sadducees  confuted. 


12  not  on  a  wedding  garment:  and  hesaith  unto  him,  Friend,  how  earnest 
thou  in  hither  not  having  a  wedding  gannent?     And  he  *was  speechless. 

13  Then  said  the  king  to  the  servants,  Bind  him  hand  and  foot,  and  take 
him  away,  and  cast  him  ■^iuto  outer  darkness;  there  shall  be  weeping  and 

14  gTiasliing  of  teeth.     For  ^'many  are  called,  hut  few  are  chosen. 

15  Then  ^went  the  Pharisees,  and  took  counsel  how  they  might  entangle 

16  him  in  his  talk.  And  they  sent  out  unto  him  their  disciples  with  the 
Herodians,  saying.  Master,  we  know  that  thou  art  true,  and  teachest  the 
way  of  God  in  truth,  neither  carest  thou  for  any  man  ;  for  thou  regardest 

17  not  the  person  of  men.     Tell  us  therefore.  What  thin kest  thou?     Is  it 

18  laAvful  to  give  tribute  unto  Cesar,  or  not?    But  Jesus  perceived  their 

19  wickedness,  and  said.  Why  tempt  ye  me,  ye  hypocrites?     Show  me  the 

20  tribute  money.     And  they  brought  unto  him  a  ^  penny.     And  he  saith 

21  unto  them,  Whose  is  this  image  and  -superscription?  They  say  unto 
him,  Cesar's.  Then  saith  he  unto  them,  "'Bender  therefore  unto  Cesar 
the  things  which  are  Cesar's ;  and  unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's. 

22  When  they  had  heard  these  words,  they  "marvelled,  and  left  him,  and 
went  their  way. 

23  The  "same  day  came  to  him  the  Sadducees,  ^which  say  that  there  is 

24  no  resurrection,  and  asked  him,  saying.  Master,  ^  Moses  said.  If  a  man 
die,  having  no  children,  his  brother  shall  maiTy  his  wife,  and  raise  up 


A.  D.  33. 

•  Kom.  3.  19. 
i  ch.  8.  12. 

*  ch.  20.  16. 

'  Mark  12. 13. 
Luke  'JO.  20. 

1  In  value 
seven- 
pence  half- 
penny, 
ch.  20.  2. 

-  Or,  inscrip- 
tion. 

'"  ch.  17.  25. 
Luke  23.  2. 
Kom.  13.  7. 

"  Job  5.  IS. 

"  ch.  3.  7. 
ch.  16.  6. 
Mark  12.18. 
Luke  20.  27. 
Acts  4.  1. 
Acts  5.  17. 

P  Acts  23.  8. 
iCor.  15.12. 
2  Tim.  2.17. 

a  Gen.  3S.  8. 
Deut.  25.  5. 


joyful  in  my  God;  for  He  hath  clothed  me  with 
the  garments  of  salvation,  He  hath  covered  me 
with  the  robe  of  righteousness,  as  a  bridegroom 
decketh  himself  with  ornaments,  and  as  a  bride 
adorneth  herself   with  her  jewels "  (Isa.  Ixi,  10). 

12.  And  lie  saith  unto  him,  Friend,  how  earnest 
thou  in  hither  not  having  a  wedding  garment? 
And  he  was   speechless  —  being  seK-condemned. 

13.  Then  said  the  king  to  the  servants  —  the 
angelic  ministers  of  divine  vengeance  (as  in  ch. 
xiii.  41).  Bind  him  hand  and  foot  —  putting  it 
out  of  his  power  to  resist,  and  take  him  away, 
and  cast  him  into  outer  darkness;  [eis  to  o-/cdxo9 
TO  i^wTepov].  So  ch.  viii.  12 ;  xxv.  30.  The  ex- 
l)ression  is  emphatic — 'The  darkness  which  is  out- 
side.' To  be  'outside^  at  all — or,  in  the  language 
of  Eev.  xxii.  15,  to  be  '  without^  the  heavenly 
city  f^^""],  excluded  from  its  joyous  nuptials 
and  gladsome  festivities — is  sad  enough  of  itself, 
without  anything  else.  But  to  find  themselves 
not  only  excluded  from  the  brightness  and  glory 
and  joy  and  felicity  of  the  kingdom  above,  but 
thrust  into  a  region  of  "  darkness,"  with  all  its 
horrors,  this  is  the  dismal  retribution  here  an- 
nounced, that  awaits  the  unworthy  at  the  great 
day.  I  there]  [iKel] — in  that  region  and  condition, 
thall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  See 
CO  ch.  xiii.  42.  14.  For  many  are  called,  but  few 
are  chosen.    So  ch.  xix.  30.     See  on  ch.  xx.  1(3. 

liemarks. — 1.  What  claim  to  supreme  Divinity 
brighter  and  more  precious  than  our  Lord  here  ad- 
vances can  be  conceived?  Observe  the  succession 
of  ideas,  as  unfolded  in  the  Old  Testament,  and 
how  Jesus  ijlaces  Himself  in  the  centre  of  them. 
First,  all  the  gracious  relations  which  Jehovah  is  re- 
presented as  sustaining  to  His  people  culminate  in 
the  intimate  and  endearing  one  of  a  marriage-imion 
( Jer.  iii,  14 ;  Hos.  ii.  16  ;  &c).  But  next,  when  the 
nuptial-song  of  tliis  high  union  is  sung,  in  the 
Forty-fifth  Psalm,  we  find  it  to  celebrate  a  union, 
not  directly  and  immediately  between  Jehoixih 
and  the  Chiirch,  but  between  Messiah  and  the 
Church ;  yet  a  Messiah  who,  while  anointed  of 
God  -vfiih.  the  oil  of  gladness  above  His  fellows, 
is  addressed  in  the  JPsalm  as  Himself  God:  so 
that  it  is  just  Jehovah  in  the  Person  of  Mes- 
siah "the  King"  who  in  that  uuptial-song  is  cele- 
1U7 


brated  as  taking  the  Church  to  be  His  Bride. 
But  this  is  not  all ;  for  in  other  predictions  this 
Divine  Messiah  is  expressly  called  the  Son  of 
God  (Ps.  li.  7,  12 ;  compare  Prov.  xxx.  4 ;  Dan.  iii. 
25).  Such  being  the  representations  of  the  Old 
Testament,  what  does  Jesus  here  but  serve  Him- 
self Heir  to  them,  holding  Himself  forth  as  Him- 
self the  King's  Son  of  Old  Testament  prophecy,  as 
the  Anointed  King  in  whose  Person  Jehovah  was 
to  many  His  people  to  Himself,  and  whose  nui> 
tials  are  celebrated  in  the  lofty  Messianic  Psalm 
to  which  we  have  adverted?  2.  As  in  the  parable 
of  the  Great  Supper  (Luke  xiv.),  so  here,  it  is  not 
those  who  have  all  along  basked  in  the  sunshine 
of  religious  iirivileges  who  are  the  readiest  to 
embrace  the  Gospel  call,  but  the  very  opposite 
classes.  And  is  it  not  so  stiU?  3.  The  terrible 
destruction  which  fell  upon  Jerusalem,  and  the 
breaking  up  and  dispersion  and  wretchedness  of  the 
nation  which  ensued,  and  continues  to  this  hour — 
what  a  warning  are  they  of  that  vengeance  of  God 
wliich  awaits  the  despisers  of  His  Son !  4.  Though 
sinners  are  invited  to  Christ  as  they  are,  and 
salvation  is  "  without  money  and  without  price," 
we  are  "accepted"  only  "in  the  Beloved'  (Eph. 
i.  6);  if  there  be  "no  condemnation,"  it  is  '  to 
them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus"  (Rom.  \'iii.  1). 
These  are  they  that  have  "put  on  the  Lord  Jesus" 
(Rom.  xiii.  14;  GaL  iii.  27).  This  is  to  have  the 
weddiug  garment.  5.  Though  we  may  deceive  not 
only  others  but  ourselves,  there  is  an  Eye  which 
comes  in  expressly  to  see  the  guests;  the  one 
thing  He  looks  for  is  that  wedding  garment ;  and 
amongst  myriads  of  persons,  all  professing  to  be 
His,  He  can  discern  even  one  who  is  not.  C.  No 
moral  or  religious  excellences  will  compensate  for 
the  absence  of  this  wedding  garment.  If  we  have 
not  put  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  if  we  are  not  "in  Christ 
Jesus,"  our  doom  is  sealed;  and  what  a  doom — to 
be  cast  intlignantly  and  without  the  power  of  re- 
sistance into  outer  darkness,  where  there  shall  be 
Aveepiug  and  gnashing  of  teeth !  Oh !  do  men  really 
beKeve  that  this  doom  awaits  those  who,  however 
exemplary  in  other  respects,  venture  to  present 
themselves  Ijefore  God  out  of  Christ? 

15-40. — Entangling  Questions  about  Trib- 
ute, THE  RkSUKRECTION,  AND  THE  GbEAT  Coil- 


Christ  baffles 


MATTHEW  XXIII. 


the  Pharisees. 


25  seed  unto  his  brother.  Now  there  were  with  us  seven  brethren:  and  the 
first,  when  he  had  married  a  wife,  deceased,  and,  having  no  issue,  left  his 

26  wife  unto  his  brother:  hkewise  the  second  also,  and  the  third,  unto  the 
27,  ^seventh.     And  last   of  all  the  woman  died  also.     Therefore  in   the 

28  resurrection  whose  wife  shall  she  be  of  the  seven?  for  they  all  had  her. 

29  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Ye   do   err,    ''not  knowing    the 

30  Scriptures,  nor  the  power  of  God.  For  in  the  resurrection  they  neither 
marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  but  *are  as  the  angels  of  God  in  heaven. 

31  But  as  touching  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  have  ye  not  read  that 

32  which  was  spoken  unto  you  by  God,  saying,  I  *am  the  God  of  Abraham, 
and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob?    God  is  not  the  God  of 

33  the  dead,  but  of  the  living.  And  when  the  multitude  heard  this,  they 
^were  astonished  at  his  doctrine. 

34  But  when  the  Pharisees  had  heard  that  he  had  put  the  Sadducees  to 

35  silence,  they  were  gathered  together.     Then  one  of  them,  ivhich  was  ^a 

36  lawyer,  asked  him  a  question,  tempting  him,  and  saying,  Master,  which 

37  is  the  great  commandment  in  the  law?  Jesus  said  unto  him,  '^Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul, 

38  and  with  all  thy  mind.     This   is  the  first  and  great   commandment. 

39  And  the  second  is  Hke  unto  it,  ^Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 

40  On  ^  these  two  commandments  hang  all  the  Law  and  the  Prophets. 

41  While  ^the  Pharisees  were   gathered   together,   Jesus   asked  them, 

42  saying,  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  whose  son  is  he  ?     They  say  unto  him, 

43  The  son  of  David.     He  saith  unto  them.  How  then  doth  David  "in  spirit 

44  call  him  Lord,  saying.  The  *Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my 

45  right  hand,  till  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool  ?     If  David  then  call 

46  him  Lord,  how  is  he  his  son  ?  And  "^ no  man  was  able  to  answer  him  a 
word;  neither  durst  any  man  from  that  day  forth  ask  him  any  more 
questions. 

23      THEN  spake  Jesus  to  the  multitude,  and  to  his  disciples,  saying,  "The 
2,  scribes  and  the  Pharisees  sit  in  Moses'  seat :  all  therefore  whatsoever 

3  they  bid  you  observe,  that  observe  and  do ;  but  do  not  ye  after  their 

4  works:   for  *they  say,  and   do   not.      For  ''they  bind   heavy  burdens 
and  grievous  to  be  borne,  and  lay  them  on  men's  shoulders ;  but  they 

5  themselves  will  not  move  them  with  one  of  their  fingers.     But  *^all  their 


A.  D.  33. 

"i  seven. 

"■  John  20  9. 

*  Ps.  103.  20. 
Zee.  3.  7. 

Ch.  13.  43. 

1  Cor.  7.  29. 

1  John  3.  2. 
«  Ex.  3.  6,  16. 

Mark  12.26. 

Luke  20.  :'u. 

Acts  7.  32. 

Heb.  11. 16. 
"  ch.  7.  28. 

*  Luke  10.  25. 
«'  Deut.  6.  .5. 

Deut.  10.12. 
Deut.  30.  6. 
Pro.  23.  26. 

*  Lev.  19  18. 

ch.  19.  19. 

Mark  12.31. 
Eom.  13.  9. 
Gal.  5.  14. 
Jas.  2.  8. 

y  ch.  7.  12. 

1  Tim  1.  5. 

*  Mark  12.35. 
Luke  20.  41. 

"  2  Sam.  23  2. 
Acts  2.  30. 

2  Pet.  1.  21. 

!>  Ps.  110.  1. 

Acts  2.  31. 

1  Cor.  15.25. 

Heb.  1. 13. 

Heb.  10.  12. 
"  Luke  14.  6. 


CHAP.  23. 
■*  Neh.  8.  4,8. 

Mai.  2.  7. 
b  Eom.  2.  19. 
"  Luke  11. 4C. 

Acts  15.  10. 

Gai  6.  13. 
<J  ch.  6.  1,  2. 


MANDMENT,   WITH   THE    REPLIES.       (  =  Mark  xii. 

13-34;  Luke  xx  20-40.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on 
Mark  xii  13-34. 

41-46. — Christ  Bapfles  the  Pharisees  by  a 
Question  about  David  and  Messiah.  ( =  Mark 
xii.  35-37 ;  Luke  xx,  41-44. )  For  the  exposition,  see 
on  Mark  xiL  35-37. 

CHAP.  XXIIL  1-39.— Denunciation  of  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees— Lamentation  over 
Jerusalem,  and  Farewell  to  the  Temple. 
(  =  Mark  xiL  38-40;  Luke  xx.  45-47.)  For  this 
long  and  terrible  discourse  we  are  indebted, 
Avith  the  exception  of  a  few  verses  in  Mark  and 
Luke,  to  Matthew  alone.  But  as  it  is  only  an 
extended  repetition  of  denunciations  uttered 
not  long  before  at  the  table  of  a  Pharisee,  and 
recorded  by  Luke  (xi.  37-54),  we  may  take  both 
together  in  the  exposition. 

Denunciation  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  (1-36). 
The  first  twelve  verses  were  addressed  more  im- 
mediately to  the  disciples,  the  rest  to  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees. 

1.  Then  spake  Jesus  to  the  multitude  [oxXois]— 
'  to  the  multitudes,'  and  to  his  disciples,  2.  Say- 
ing, The  scribes  and  the  Pharisees  sit.  The  Jew- 
ish teachers  stood  to  read,  but  sat  to  expound  the 
Scriptures,  as  will  be  seen  by  comparing  Luke 
iv.  16  with  V.  20.  in  Moses'  seat— that  is,  as  in- 
108 


terpreters  of  the  law  given  by  Moses.  3.  All 
therefore— that  is,  all  which,  as  sitting  in  that  seat 
and  teaching  out  of  that  law,  they  bid  you  ob- 
serve, that  observe  and  do.  The  word  "there- 
fore" is  thus,  it  will  be  seen,  of  great  importance, 
as  limiting  those  injunctions  which  He  would  have 
them  obey  to  what  they  fetched  from  the  law 
itself.  In  requiring  implicit  obedience  to  such 
injimctionSj  He  would  have  them  to  recognize 
the  authority  with  which  they  taught  over  and 
above  the  obligation  of  the  law  itself  —  an  im- 
portant principle  truly;  but  He  who  denoimced 
the  traditions  of  such  teachers  (ch.  xv.  3)  can- 
not have  meant  here  to  throw  His  shield  over 
these.  It  is  remarked  by  Webster  and  Wilkinson 
that  the  warning  to  beware  of  the  scribes  is 
given  by  Mark  and  Luke  without  any  qualifi- 
cation ;  the  charge  to  respect  and  obey  them  being 
reported  by  Matthew  alone,  indicating  for  whom 
this  Gospel  was  especially  written,  and  the  writer's 
desire  to '  conciliate  the  Jews.  4.  For  they  bind 
heavy  burdens  and  grievous  to  be  borne,  and  lay 
them  on  men's  shoulders;  but  they  themselves 
will  not  move  them— "touch  them  not"  (Luke 
xi.  46),  with  one  of  their  fingers — referring  not  so 
much  to  the  irksomeness  of  the  legal  rites,  thou,gh 
they  were  irksome  enough  (Acts  xv.  10),  as  to  the 
heartless  rigour  with  which  they  were  enforced. 


Denunciation  of  the 


MATTHEW  XXIII. 


Scribes  and  PJiarisees. 


works  they  do  for  to  be  seen  of  men:  *  they  make  broad  then*  phylac- 

6  teries,  and  enlarge  the  borders  of  their  garments,  and -^  love  the  uppermost 

7  rooms  at  feasts,  and  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  greetings  in 

8  the  markets,  and  to  be  called  of  men.  Rabbi,  Rabbi.  But  ^be  not  ye 
caUed  Rabbi :  for  one  is  j^our  Master,  even  Christ ;  and  aU  ye  are  bretliren. 
And  call  no  man  your  father  upon  the  earth:  ^ for  one  is  your  Father, 
which  is  in  heaven.  Neither  be  ye  called  masters :  for  one  is  your  Master, 
even  Christ.  But  ^he  that  is  greatest  among  you  shall  be  your  servant. 
And  •'whosoever  shall  exalt  himself  shall  be  abased;  and  he  that  shall 
humble  himself  shall  be  exalted. 

But  ^"woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hjqiocrites!  for  ye  shut  up 
the   kingdom  of  heaven  against  men :  for  ye  neither  go  in  yourselves, 

14  neither  suffer  ye  them  that  are  entering  to  go  in.  Woe  unto  you,  scribes 
and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  ^for  ye  devour  widows'  houses,  and  for  a  pre- 
tence make  long  prayer :  therefore  ye  shall  receive  the  greater  damnation. 
Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites !  for  ye  compass  sea  and 
land  to  make  one  proselyte ;  and  when  he  is  made,  ye  make  him  two- 
fold more  the  child  of  hell  than  yourselves.  Woe  unto  you,  ''^^ye  blind 
guides,  which  say,  "Whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  temple,  it  is  nothing; 
but  whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  gold  of  the  temple,  he  is  a  debtor! 

17    Ye  fools,  and  blind!  for  whether  is  greater,  the  gold,  "or  the  temple  that 


9 
10 
11 
12 

13 


15 


16 


A.  D.  33. 


*  Num.  15.38. 

Deut.  22.12. 
/  Mark  12.33. 

Luke  20.46. 
»  Jas.  3.  L 
ft  Mai.  1.  6. 

Kom.  8.  U- 
17. 
i   Ch.  20.  '26. 
j  Job  22.  2:>. 

Pro.  15.  33. 

Pro.   29.  23. 

Dan.  4.  37. 
Luke  14. 11. 
Luke  18.14. 
Jas.  4.  6. 

1  Pet.  5.  5. 
&  Luke  11. 52. 
«  Ezek.  22. 25. 

Mark  12.40. 
Luke  20. 47. 

2  Tim.  3.  6. 
Titus  1.  11. 

"»Isa.  56.  10. 
ch.  15.  14. 
"  ch.  5.  33. 
"  Ex.  30.  29. 


ami  by  men  of  shameless  inconsistency.  5.  But 
all  their  works  they  do  for  to  toe  seen  of  men. 
Whatever  good  they  do,  or  zeal  they  show,  has 
but  one  motive — human  applause,  they  make 
broad  their  phylacteries  —  strips  of  iiarchment 
■with  Scripture-texts  on  them,  worn  on  the  fore- 
head, arm,  and  side,  in  time  of  prayer,  and 
enlarge  the  borders  of  their  garments — fringes 
of  their  upxier  garments  (Num.  xv.  37-4D).  6. 
And  love  the  uppermost  rooms.  The  word 
"room"  is  now  obsolete  in  the  sense  here  in- 
tended. It  should  be  'the  uppermost  place'  [prpw- 
TOK\L<TLav\,  that  is,  the  place  of  high'  st  honour, 
at  feasts,  and  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues. 
See  on  Luke  xiv.  7,  8.  7.  And  greetings  in  the 
markets,  and  to  be  called  of  men.  Rabbi,  Rabbi. 
It  is  the  spirit  rather  than  the  letter  of  this  that 
must  be  i^ressed ;  though  the  violation  of  the  let- 
ter, springing  from  spiritual  jiride,  has  done  incal- 
culable evil  in  the  Chm-ch  of  Christ.  The  reitera- 
tion of  the  word  "Kabbi"  shows  how  it  tickled 
the  ear  and  fed  the  spiritual  pride  of  those  ecclesi- 
astics. [!7Vejre//es  improperly,  as  we  think,  omits 
the  repetition,  but  Tiscliemlorf  does  not.  ]  8.  But 
be  not  ye  called  Rabbi:  for  one  is  your  Master 
[Ka0i)y?jT);s]  — '  your  Guide,  your  Teacher,'  even 
Christ ;  and  all  ye  are  brethren.  9.  And  call  no 
man  your  father  upon  the  earth :  for  one  is  your 
Father,  which  is  in  heaven.  10.  Neither  be  ye 
called  masters:  for  one  is  your  Master,  even 
Christ.  _  To  construe  these  injunctions  into  a  con- 
demnation of  every  title  by  which  church  rulers 
may  be  distinmiished  from  the  Hock  which  they 
rule,  is  virtually  to  condemn  that  rule  itself ;  and 
accordingly  the  same  persons  do  both — but  against 
the  whole  strain  of  the  New  Testament  and  sound 
Christian  judgment.  But  when  we  have  guarded 
ourselves  against  these  extremes,  let  us  see  to  it 
that  we  retain  the  full  spirit  of  this  warning 
against  that  itch  for  ecclesiastical  superiority 
which  has  been  the  bane  and  the  scandal  of 
Christ's  ministers  in  every  age.  (On  the  use  of 
the  word  "Christ"  here,  see  on  ch.  i.  1.)  11.  But 
he  that  is  greatest  among  you  shall  be  your 
servant.  This  plainly  means,  '  shall  show  that  he 
is  so  by  becoming  your  servant ;'  as  in  ch.  xx.  27, 
compared  with  Mark  x.  44  12.  And  whosoever 
109 


shall  ezalt  himself  shall  be  abased ;  and  he  that 
shall  humble  himself  shall  be  exalted.  See  on 
Luke  xviiL  14. 

What  follows  was  addressed  more  immediately 
to  the  scribes  and  Pharisees.  13.  But  woe  unto 
you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites !  for  ye  shut 
up  the  kingdom  of  heaven  against  men :  for  ye 
neither  go  in  [yourselves],  neither  suffer  ye  them 
that  are  entering  to  go  in.  Here  they  are  charged 
with  shutting  heaven  against  men :  in  Luke  xi.  52, 
they  are  charged  with  what  was  worse,  taking  cnvay 
the  key — "the  key  of  knowledge" — which  means,  not 
the  key  to  open  knowledge,  but  knowledge  as  the 
only  key  to  open  heaven.  A  right  knowledge  of 
God's  revealed  word  is  eternal  life,  as  our  Lord 
says  (John  xvii.  3,  and  v.  39) ;  but  this  they  took 
away  from  the  people,  substituting  tor  it  their 
wretched  traditions.  14.  Woe  unto  you,  scribes 
and  Pharisees,  hypocrites !  for  ye  devour  widows' 
houses,  and  for  a  pretence  make  long  prayer : 
therefore  ye  shall  receive  the  greater  damnation. 
Taking  advantage  of  the  helpless  condition  and 
confiding  character  of  "  widows,"  they  contrived 
to  obtain  possession  of  their  property,  while  by 
their  "long  prayers"  thev  made  them  believe  they 
were  raised  far  above  filthy  lucre."  So  much 
"the  greater  damnation"  awaits  them.  What  a 
life-like  description  of  the  Romish  clergj'',  the  true 
successors  of  those  scribes !  15.  Woe  unto  you, 
scribes  and  Pharisees,  hj^ocrites!  for  ye  compass 
sea  and  land  to  make  one  proselyte — from  hea- 
thenism. We  have  evidence  of  this  in  Jnsephxis. 
and  when  he  is  made,  ye  make  him  two-fold  more 
the  child  of  hell  than  yourselves — condemned,  for 
the  hyiiocrisy  he  would  learn  to  practice,  both  by 
the  religion  he  left  and  that  he  embraced.  16. 
Woe  unto  you,  ye  blind  guides.  Striking  expression 
this  of  the  ruinous  effects  of  erroneous  teaching. 
Our  Lord,  here  and  in  some  following  verses,  con- 
demns the  subtle  distinctions  they  made  as  to  the 
sanctity  of  oaths,  distinctions  invented  only  to 
promote  their  own  avaricious  purposes,  which 
say.  Whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  temple,  it  is 
nothing— he  has  incurred  no  debt,  but  whosoever 
shall  swear  by  the  gold  of  the  temple — meaning 
not  the  gold  that  adorned  the  temple  itself,  but  the 
Corban,  set  apait  for  sacred  uses  (see  on  ch.  xv.  5), 


Denunciation  of  the 


MATTHEW  XXIIT. 


Scribes  and  Pharisees. 


18  sinctifietli  the  gold?  And,  Whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  altar,  it  is 
nothing;  but  whosoever  sweareth  by  the  gift  that  is  upon  it,  he  is  ^guilty. 

19  Ye  fools,  and  blind!  for  whether  is  greater,  the  gift,  or  ^ the  altar  that 

20  sanctifieth  the  gift  ?    Whoso  therefore  shall  swear  by  the  altar,  sweareth 

21  by  it,  and  by  all  things  thereon.     And  whoso  shall  swear  by  the  temple, 

22  sweareth  by  it,  and  by  *him  that  dwelleth  therein.  And  he  that  shall 
swear  by  heaven,  sweareth  by  ''the  throne  of  God,  and  by  him  that 
sitteth  thereon. 

23  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hj-pocrites!  'for  ye  pay  tithe  of 
mint  and  ^  anise  and  cummin,  and  *have  omitted  the  weightier  matters 
of  the  law,  judgment,  mercy,  and  faith :  these  ought  ye  to  have  done, 

24  and  not  to  leave  the  other  undone.      Ye  blind  guides,  which  strain  at  a 

25  gnat,  and  swallow  a  camel.  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  h}'po- 
crites!  "for  ye  make  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter,  but 

26  within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and  excess.  Thou  blind  Pharisee, 
cleanse  first  that  which  ''is  within  the  cup  and  platter,  that  the  outside 
of  them  may  be  clean  also. 

27  "Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  '^for  ye  are  like  unto 
whited  sepulchres,  which  indeed  appear  beautiful  outward,  but  are  within 


A.  D.  33. 

1  Or,  debtor, 
or,  bound. 

P  Ex.  29.  37. 

9  1  Ki,  8.  13. 

2  Chr.  C.  2. 

Ps.  26.  8. 

Ps.  132.  14. 
'  Ch.  5.  3  J. 

Ps.  11.  4. 

Acts  7.  49. 
'  Luke  11.42. 

2  anethon, 

diU 
«  1  Sam.  15. 22. 

Hos.  6.  6. 

Mic.  6.  8. 
»  Mark  7.  4. 

Luke  II.  39. 
"  Isa.  65.  7. 

Jer.  4.  14. 

Ezek.  18.31. 

Luke  6.  45. 

Titus  1.  15. 
""  Acts  23.  3. 


lie  is  a  debtor ! — that  is,  it  is  no  longer  his  own, 
even  though  the  necessities  of  a  parent  might 
require  it.  We  know  who  the  successors  of  these 
men  are.  17.  Ye  fools,  and  blind !  for  whether  is 
greater,  the  gold,  or  the  temple  that  sanctifieth 
the  gold  ?  IS.  And,  Whosoever  shall  swear  by  the 
altar,  it  is  nothing  ;  but  whosoever  sweareth  by 
the  gift  that  is  upon  it,  he  is  guilty  [6<t>ei\ei\.  It 
should  have  been  rendered,  "  he  is  a  debtor,"  as  in 
V.  \\S.  19.  Ye  fools,  and  blind !  for  whether  is 
greater,  the  gift,  or  the  altar  that  sanctifieth  the 
gift?  (See  Exod.  xxix.  37.)  20-22.  Whoso  there- 
fore shall  swear  by  the  altar,  .  .  .  And  ...  by 
the  temple,  .  .  .  And  ...  by  heaven,  &c.  See 
on  Matt.  V.  ^3-37. 

23.  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypo- 
crites !  for  ye  pay  tithe  of  mint  and  anise — rather 
'  dill,'  as  in  margin  [«i/i)t)oi'],  and  cummin.  In  Luke 
(xi.  42)  it  is  "  and  rue,  and  all  manner  of  herbs." 
They  grounded  this  iiractice  on  Lev.  xxvii.  30, 
which  they  interpreted  rigidly.  Our  Lord  pur- 
posely names  the  most  trifling  products  of  the 
earth,  as  examples  of  wliat  they  punctiliously 
exacted  the  tenth  of.  and  have  omitted  the 
weightier  matters  of  the  law,  judgment,  mercy, 
and  faith.  In  Luke  (xi.  42)  it  is,  "  judgment, 
mercy,  and  the  love  of  God " — the  expression 
being  probably  varied  by  our  Lof  d  Himself  on  the 
two  different  occasions.  In  both  His  reference  is 
to  Mic.  vi.  6-8,  where  the  prophet  makes  all  ac- 
ceptable religion  to  consist  of  three  elements — 
"  doing  justly,  loving  mercy,  and  walking  humbly 
with  our  God;"  which  third  element  pre-supposes 
and  comprehends  both  the  "faith"  of  Matthew 
and  the  love  "  of  Luke.  See  on  Mark  xii.  29,  32, 
33.  The  same  tendency  to  merge  greater  duties  in 
less  besets  even  the  children  of  God ;  but  it  is  the 
characteristic  of  hypocrites,  these  ought  ye  to 
have  done,  and  not  to  leave  the  other  undone. 
There  is  no  need  for  one  set  of  duties  to  jostle  out 
another ;  but  it  is  to  be  carefully  noted  that  of  the 
greater  duties  our  Lord  says,  "  Ye  Ought  to  have 
done"  them,  while  of  the  lesser  He  merely  says, 
"Ye  ought  not  to  leave  them  undone."  24.  Ye 
blind  guides,  which  strain  at  a  gnat.  The  proper 
rendering — as  in  the  older  English  translations, 
and  perhaps  our  own  as  it  came  from  the  transla- 
tors' hands — evidently  is,  '  strain  out.'  It  was  the 
custom,  says  Trench,  of  the  stricter  Jews  to  strain 
their  wine,  vinegar,  and  other  potables  through 


linen  or  gauze,  lest  unawares  they  should  drink 
down  some  little  unclean  insect  therein,  and  thus 
trans^ess  (Lev.  xi.  20,  23,  41,  42)^ust  as  the 
Budhists  do  now  in  Ceylon  and  Hindostan — and  to 
this  custom  of  theirs  our  Lord  here  refers,  and 
swallow  a  camel— the  largest  animal  the  Jews 
knew,  as  the  "gnat"  was  the  smallest:  both  were 
by  the  law  unclean.  25.  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  for  ye  make  clean  the  out- 
side of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter,  but  within  they 
are  full  of  extortion  [apirayri's].  In  Luke  (xi.  39) 
the  same  word  is  rendered  "ravening,"  that  is, 
'  rapacity.'  and  excess.  26.  Thou  blind  Pharisee, 
cleanse  first  that  which  is  within  the  cup  and 
platter,  that  the  outside  of  them  may  be  clean  also. 
In  Luke  (xi.  40)  it  is,  "  Ye  fools,  did  not  he  that 
made  that  which  is  without  make  that  which  is 
within  also?" — 'He  to  whom  belongs  the  outer  life, 
and  of  right  demands  its  subjection  to  Himself,  is 
the  inner  man  less  His?'  A  remarkable  example 
this  of  our  Lord's  power  of  drawing  the  most 
striking  illustrations  of  great  truths  from  the  most 
familiar  objects  and  incidents  in  life.  To  these 
words,  recorded  by  Luke,  He  adds  the  follow- 
ing, invohang  a  principle  of  immense  value : 
"But  rather  give  alms  of  siiich  things  as  ye  have, 
and  behold,  all  things  are  clean  unto  you"  (Luke 
xi.  41).  As  the  greed  of  these  hypocrites  was  one 
of  the  most  prominent  features  of  their  character 
(Luke  xvi.  14),  our  Lord  bids  them  exemplify 
the  opposite  character,  and  then  their  outride, 
ruled  by  this,  would  be  beautiful  in  the  eye  of 
God,  and  their  meals  would  be  eaten  with  clean 
hands,  though  never  so  fouled  -vvith  the  business 
of  this  worky  world.     (See  Eccl.  ix.  7). 

27,  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisses,  hypo- 
crites! for  ye  are  like  whited  (or  '  white-washed ') 
sepulchres  (cf.  Acts  xxiii.  3).  The  process  of 
white-washing  the  sepulchres,  as  Lifihtfoot  says, 
was  perfonned  on  a  certain  day  every  year,  not 
for  ceremonial  cleansing,  but,  as  the  follow- 
ing words  seem  rather  to  imply,  to  beautify 
them,  which  indeed  appear  beaiitiful  outward, 
but  are  within  full  of  dead  men's  bones,  and 
of  all  uncleanness.  What  a  powerful  way  of 
conveying  the  charge,  that  with  all  their  fair  sliow 
their  hearts  were  full  of  corruption  !  (Cf.  Ps.  v.  9 ; 
Rom.  iii.  13.)  But  our  Lord,  stripping  off  the 
figure,  next  holds  up  their  iniquity  in  naked 
colours :    28.  Even  so  ye  also  outwardly  appear 


Denunciation  of  the 


MATTHEW  XXIII. 


Scribes  and  Pharisee!^. 


28  full  of  dead  men's  bones,  and  of  all  uncleanness.  Even  so  ye  also  out- 
wardly appear  righteous  unto  men,  but  within  ye  are  full  of  hypocrisy 

29  and  iniquity.  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  because 
ye  build  the  tombs  of  the  prophets,  and  garnish  the  sepulchres  of  the 

30  righteous,  and  say,  If  we  had  been  in  the  days  of  our  fathers,  we  would 

31  not  have  been  partakers  with  them  in  the  blood  of  the  prophets.  AMiere- 
fore  ye  be  witnesses  unto  yourselves,  that  ^ye  are  the  children  of  them 

32  which  killed  the  prophets.     Fill  ^ye  up  then  the  measure  of  your  fathers. 

33  Ye  serpents,  ye  'generation  of  vipers,  how  can  ye  escape  the  damnation 

34  of  hell?  Wherefore,  "behold,  I  send  unto  you  prophets,  and  wise  men, 
and  scribes:  and  some  ''of  them  ye  shall  kill  and  crucify;  and  "some  of 
them  shall  ye  scourge  in  your  synagogues,  and  persecute  them  from  city 

35  to  city:  that  ''upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous  blood  shed  upon  the 
earth,  *from  the  blood  of  righteous  Abel  unto  the  blood  of  Zacharias  son 

36  of  Barachias,  whom  ye  slew  between  the  temple  and  the  altar.  Verily  I 
saj^  unto  you.  All  these  things  shall  come  upon  this  generation. 

37  0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest 
them  which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  -^have  gathered  thy 
children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings 


A.  D  3:3. 


*  Acts  7.  51. 
lThes2.]5. 

*  Gen  15.  le. 
Num.  32. 14. 
Zee.  5.  6-n. 
iThes2.i6. 

*  ch.  3.  7. 
ch.  12.  3». 
Luke  3.  7. 

"  ch.  21.  34. 

Luke  11. 49. 

Acts  11.  2T. 

Acts  13.  1. 

Acts  15l  32. 

Eev.  11.  la 
fc  Acts  5.  4a 

Acts  7.  58. 

Acts  22.  1&. 
"  2  Cor.11.24. 
rf  Eev.  18.  24. 
'  Gen.  4.  8. 

1  John  3. 12. 
/  Deut.  32.11. 


rigliteous  unto  men,  but  -within  ye  are  full  of 
hypocrisy  and  iniquity.  29-31.  Woe  unto  you, 
,  .  .  hjTpocrites !  ye  huild  the  tombs  of  the  pro- 
phets, .  .  ,  And  say,  If  we  had  been  in  the 
days  of  our  fathers,  we  would  not,  &c.  Where- 
fore ye  be  witnesses  unto  yourselves,  that  ye  are 
the  children  of  them  which  killed  the  prophets 
—  that  is,  'ye  he.  witnesses  that  ye  have  inher- 
ited, and  voluntarily  served  yourselves  heirs  to, 
the  truth-hatinj^,  ijrophet-killing,  sjtirit  of  your 
fathers.'  Out  of  pretended  respect  and  honour, 
they  repaired  and  tjeautified  the  sepulchres  of  the 
prophets,  and  ■\\'ith  whining  hj^^iocrisy  said,  "  If 
we  had  been  in  their  days,  how  differently  sliould 
we  have  treated  these  prophets  ? "  while  all  the 
time  they  were  witnesses  to  themselves  that  they 
were  the"  childi-en  of  them  that  killed  the  prophets, 
convicting  themselves  daily  of  as  exact  a  resem- 
blance in  spirit  and  character  to  the  very  classes 
over  whose  deeds  they  pretended  to  mourn,  as  child 
to  parent.  In  Luke  xi.  44  our  Lord  gives  another 
turn  to  this  figure  of  a  gitive :  "  Ye  are  as  graves 
which  appear  not,  and  the  men  that  walk  over 
them  are  not  aware  of  them."  As  one  might  im- 
consciously  walk  over  a  grave  concealed  from  view, 
and  thus  contract  ceremonial  defilement,  so  the 
plausible  exterior  of  the  Pharisees  kept  people 
from  perceiving  the  pollution  they  contracted  from 
coming  in  contact  with  such  corrupt  characters. 

32.  Fill  ye  up  then  the  measure  of  your  fathers. 

33.  Ye  serpents,  ye  generation  of  vipers,  how  can 
ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell?  In  thus,  at 
the  end  of  His  ministry,  recalling  the  words  of 
the  Baptist  at  the  outset  of  his,  our  Lord  would 
seem  to  intimate  that  the  only  difference  between 
their  condemnation  now  and  then  was,  that  now 
they  were  ri]ie  for  their  doom,  which  they  were 
not  then.  34.  Wherefore,  behold,  I  send  unto 
you  prophets,  and  wise  men,  and  scribes  ['Eyib 
n-Tro<TTe\\u)\.  The  /  here  is  emphatic  :  '  I  am  send- 
ing,' that  is,  '  am  about  to  send.'  In  Luke  xi.  49, 
the  variation  is  remarkable  :  "Therefore  also,  said 
the  wisdom  of  God,  I  will  send  them,"  &c.  What 
precisely  is  meant  by  "  the  wisdom  of  God"  here, 
is  somewhat  difficult  to  determine.  To  us  it  ap- 
pears to  be  simply  an  annoimcement  of  a  purpose 
of  the  Divine  Wisdom,  in  the  high  style  of  ancient 
prophecy,  to  send  a  last  set  of  messengers  whom 
the  people  would  reject,  and  rejecting,  would  fill 
up  tlie  cup  of  their  iniquity.     But,  whereas  in 

IIJ 


Luke  it  is  '  I,  the  Wisdom  of  God,  will  send  them,' 
in  Matthew  it  is  '  I,  Jesus,  am  sending  them ;' 
language  only  befitting  the  one  Sender  of  all  the 
prophets,  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  now  in  the  flesh. 
They  are  evidently  Evangelical  messengers,  but 
called  by  the  familiar  Jewish  names  of  "  pro- 
phets, wise  men,  and  scribes,"  whose  counterparts 
were  the  inspired  and  gifted  servants  of  the  Lord 
Jesus;  for  in  Luke  (xi.  49)  it  is  "prophets  and 
apostles."  And  some  of  them  ye  shall  kill  and 
crucify;  and  some  scourge,  .  .  .  and  persecute 
.  .  ,  35.  That  upon  you  may  come  all  the 
righteous  blood  shed  upon  the  earth,  from  the 
blood  of  righteous  Abel  unto  the  blood  of  Zacha- 
rias son  of  Barachias,  whom  ye  slew  between  the 
temple  and  the  altar.  As  there  is  no  record  of 
any  fresh  murder  answering  to  this  description, 
probably  the  allusion  is  not  to  any  recent  murder, 
but  to  2  Chr.  xxiv.  20-22,  as  the  last  recorded  and 
most  suitable  case  for  illustration.  And  as  Zacha- 
rias' last  words  were,  "The  Lord  reqiiire  it,"  so  they 
are  here  warned  that  of  that  generation  it  should 
be  required^  36.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  All  these 
things  shall  come  upon  this  generation.  As  it 
was  only  in  the  last  generation  of  them  that  "the 
iniquity  of  the  Amorites  was  full"'  (Gen.  xv.  l('), 
and  then  the  abominations  of  ages  were  at  once 
completely  and  awfully  avenged,  so  the  iniquity  of 
Israel  was  allowed  to  accumulate  from  age  to  age 
till  in  that  generation  it  came  to  the  full,  and  the 
whole  collected  vengeance  of  Heaven  broke  at  once 
over  its  devoted  head.  In  the  first  French  Eevo- 
lution  the  same  awful  principle  was  exempKfied, 
and  Christendom  has  not  done  xoitli  it  yet. 

Lavientntion  over  Jeriisalcm,  and  Farewell  to 
the  Temple  (37-39),  37.  0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem, 
thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest 
them  which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often 
would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together, 
even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under 
her  wings,  and  ye  would  not !  How  ineffably 
grand  and  melting  is  this  apostrophe!  It  is  the 
very  heart  of  God  potiring  itself  forth  through 
human  flesh  and  speech.  It  is  this  incarnation  of 
the  innermost  life  and  love  of  Deity,  pleading  with 
men,  bleeding  for  them,  and  ascending  only  to 
open  His  arms  to  them  and  win  them  back  by  the 
power  of  this  Story  of  matchless  love,  that  has 
conquered  the  world,  that  vail  yet  "draw  all  men 
imto  Him,"  and  beautify  and  ennoble  Humanity 


Destruction  of 


MATTHEW  XXIII. 


Jerusalem  Joretold. 


)8  and  ye  would   not!     Behold,   your  house   is  left   unto   you   desolate. 
59  For  I  say  unto  you,  ^Ye  shall  not  see  me  henceforth,  till  ye  shall  say, 
''Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 


A.  D.  33. 


»  Pro.  1.  26. 
ft  Ps.  118.  26. 


itself !  "  Jerusalem"  here  does  not  mean  the  mere 
city  or  its  inhaljitants ;  nor  is  it  to  be  viewed 
merely  as  the  metropolis  of  the  nation,  but  as  the 
centre  of  their  religious  life, — "the  city  of  their 
solenmities,  whither  the  tribes  went  up,  to  give 
thanks  unto  the  name  of  the  Lord;"  and  at  this 
moment  it  was  full  of  them.  It  is  the  whole 
family  of  God,  then,  which  is  here  apostrophized, 
by  a  name  dear  to  every  Jew,  recalling  to  him  all 
that  was  distinctive  and  precious  in  his  religion. 
The  intense  feeling  that  sought  vent  in  this  utter- 
ance comes  out  first  in  the  redoubling  of  the  opening 
word— "  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem!"  but,  next,  in  the 
l)icture  of  it  which  He  draws—"  that  killest  the 
prophets,  and  stonest  them  which  are  sent  unto 
thee  ! " — not  content  with  spurning  God's  messages 
of  mercy,  that  canst  not  suffer  even  the  messengers 
to  live!  (.See  2  Chr.  xxxvi.  15,  16;  Neh.  ix.  26; 
Matt.  v.  12;  xxi.  35-39;  xxiii.  29-32;  Acts  vii.  51- 
54,  57-59.)  When  He  adds,  "How  often  would  I 
have  gathered  thee ! "  He  refers  surely  to  some- 
thing beyond  the  six  or  seven  times  that  He  visited 
and  taught  in  Jerusalem  while  on  earth.  No 
doubt  it  points  to  "  the  prophets,"  whom  they 
"killed,"  to  "them  that  were  sent  unto  her," 
whom  they  "  stoned ; "  for,  says  Peter,  it  was 
"  the  Spii'it  of  Christ  which  was  in  them  that  did 
testify  beforehand  the  sufferings  of  Christ  and  the 
following  glories "  [tus  fieTo.  TavTu  ^fS^as,  1  Pet. 
i.  11].  He  it  was  that  "sent  unto  them  all  His  ser- 
vants the  prophets,  rising  early  and  sending  them, 
saying.  Oh,  do  not  this  abominable  thing  that  I 
hate ! "  (Jer.  xliv.  4).  In  His  divine  and  eternal 
natui-e,  as  Olshausen  says.  He  was  the  Prophet  of 
the  prophets.  But  whom  would  He  have  gathered 
so  often  ?  "  Thee,"  truth-hating,  mercy-spurning, 
prophet-killing  Jerusalem — how  often  would  I 
have  gathered  TJiee !  Compare  with  this  that 
affecting  clause  in  the  great  ministerial  comniis- 
sion,  "  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
should  be  preached  in  His  name  among  all  nations, 
bee/inning  at  Jerusalem!"  (Luke  xxiv.  47).  What 
encouragement  to  the  heart-broken  at  their  own 
long-continued  and  obstinate  rebellion !  But  we 
have  not  yet  got  at  the  whole  heart  of  this  outburst. 
I  would  have  gathered  thee,  He  says,  "  even  as  a 
hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings."  Was 
ever  imagery  so  homely  invested  with  siich  grace 
and  such  sublimityas  this,  at  our  Lord's  touch? 
And  yet  how  exquisite  the  tigiue  itself — of  pro- 
tection, rest,  warmth,  and  all  manner  of  conscious 
well-being  in  those  poor,  defenceless,  dependent 
little  creatures,  as  they  creep  under  and  feel  them- 
selves overshadowed  by  the  capacious  and  kindly 
^ving  of  the  mother-bird!  If,  wandering  beyond 
hearing  of  her  peculiar  caU,  they  are  overtaken  by 
a  storm  or  attacked  by  an  enemy,  what  can  they 
do  but  in  the  one  case  di'oop  and  die,  and  in  the 
other  submit  to  lie  torn  in  pieces?  But  if  they  can 
reach  in  time  their  iDlace  of  safety,  under  the 
mother's  wing,  in  vain  %vill  any  enemy  try  to  di-ag 
them  thence.  For  rising  into  strength,  kindling 
into  fury,  and  forgetting  herself  entirely  in  her 
young,  she  will  let  the  last  drop  of  her  blood  be 
shed  out  and  perish  in  defence  of  her  precious 
charge,  rather  than  yield  them  to  an  enemy's 
talons.  How  significant  all  this  of  what  Jesus  is 
and  does  for  men !  Under  His  great  Mediatorial 
wing  would  He  have  "  gathered"  Israel.  For  the 
figure,  see  Deut.  xxxii.  10-12 ;  Ruth  ii.  12 ;  Ps.  xvii, 
8 ;  xxxvi.  7 ;  Ixi.  4  ;  Ixiii.  7  ;  xci.  4  ;  Isa.  xxxi.  5  ; 
MaL  iv.  2.  The  ancient  rabbins  had  a  beautiful 
112 


expression  for  proselytes  from  the  heathen — that 
they  had  '  come  under  the  wings  of  the  Shechinah.' 
For'  this  last  word,  see  on  v.  38.  But  what  was 
the  result  of  all  this  tender  and  mighty  love  ?  The 
answer  is,  "And  ye  would  not."  (bee  Keh.  ix.  26 ; 
Ps.  Ixxxi.  11,  13;  Isa.  vi.  9,  10;  xxviii.  12;  xxx.  8,  9, 
15 ;  xlix.  4 ;  liiL  1 ;  with  John  xii.  37-40. )  0  mys- 
terious word !  mysterious  the  resistance  of  such 
patient  Love  —  mysterious  the  liberty  of  self- 
undoing !  The  awful  dignity  of  the  will,  as  here 
expressed,  might  make  the  ears  to  tingle.  38. 
Behold,  your  house — the  Temple,  beyond  all 
doubt;  but  their  house  now,  not  the  Lord's. 
See  on  ch.  xxii.  7.  is  left  unto  you  desolate 
lepijfxoi]—'  deserted ;'  that  is,  of  its  Divine  Inhabi- 
tant. But  who  is  that?  Hear  the  next  words :  39. 
For  I  say  unto  you — and  these  were  Bis  last  words 
to  the  innjeuitent  nation :  see  opening  remarks  on 
Mark  xiii.— Ye  shall  not  see  me  henceforth.  What? 
Does  Jesus  mean  that  He  was  Himself  the  Lord 
of  the  temple,  and  that  it  became  "deserted" 
when  He  finally  left  it  ?  It  is  even  so.  Now  is 
thy  fate  sealed,  0  Jerusalem,  for  the  glory  is  de- 
pai-ted  from  thee  !  That  glory,  once  visible  in  the 
holy  of  holies,  over  the  mercy-seat,  when  on  the 
day  of  atonement  the  blood  of  typical  expiation 
was  sprinlded  on  it  and  in  front  of  it — called  by 
the  Jews  the  Shechinah,  or  the  Dwelling  [iriopi^ 
as  being  the  visible  pavilion  of  Jehovah — that 
glory,  which  Isaiah  (ch.  vi.)  saw  in  vision,  the 
beloved  disciple  says  was  the  glory  of  Christ  (John 
xii.  41).  Though  it  was  never  visible  in  the  second 
temple,  Haggai  foretold  that  "  the  glory  of  that 
latter  house  mould  he  greater  than  of  the  forme)-" 
(ch.  ii.  9),  because  "the  Lord  whom  they  sought 
was  suddenly  to  come  to  His  temple"  (MaL  iii.  1), 
not  in  a  mere  bright  cloud,  but  enshrined  in  living 
Humanity!  Yet  brief  as  well  as  "sudden"  was 
the  manifestation  to  be;  for  the  words  He  was 
now  uttering  were  to  be  His  very  last  within  its 
precincts,  till  ye  shall  say,  Blessed  is  he  that 
cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord:  that  is,  till 
those  "  Hosaunas  to  the  Son  of  David"  with  which 
the  multitude  had  welcomed  Him  into  the  city — 
instead  of  "  sore  displeasing  the  chief  priests  and 
scribes"  (ch.  xxi.  15)-;-shouTd  break  forth  from  the 
whole  nation,  as  their  glad  acclaim  to  their  once 
pierced  but  now  acknowledged  Messiah.  That 
such  a  time  will  come  is  clear  from  Zee.  xii.  10 ; 
Rom.  xi.  26 ;  2  Cor.  iii.  15,  16,  «&c.  In  what  sense 
they  shall  then  "  see  Him,"  may  be  gathered  from 
Zee.  ii.  10-13 ;  Ezek.  xxx\ai.  23-28 ;  xxxix.  28,  29, 
&c. 

Remarhs. — 1.  Though  the  proceedings  of  churcli 
rulers  have  no  intrinsic  validity  against  the 
truth  of  God,  they  have  a  divine  sanction,  and  as 
such  are  to  be  reverenced,  when  their  sole  object 
is  to  maintain,  unfold,  and  enforce  the  word  of 
God  (vv.  2,  3).  2.  Humility  and  brotherly  love, 
and  that  sujireme  attachment  to  Christ  which 
will  beget  and  strengthen  both  these,  are  the  glory 
and  stability  of  the  Christian  ministry;  but  wheii 
the  ministers  of  religion,  seeking  the  fleece  rather 
than  the  flock,  abandon  themselves  to  pride 
and  self-seeking,  they  not  only  reveal  their  own 
hyiDocrisy,  but  bring  their  otiice  into  contem])t. 
What  sad  illustrations  of  this  does  history  f  m-nish ! 
If  the  Jewish  ecclesiastics  are  faithfully,  and  not 
too  darkly,  depicted  in  this  Section,  what  language 
woidd  adequately  describe  their  Romish  succes- 
sors, who,  with  far  clearer  light,  have  exceeded 
them  in  every  detestable  feature  of  their  charac- 


Prophecy  of  the 


MATTHEW  XXIV. 


destruction  of  Jerusalem. 


24     AND  "Jesus  went  out,  and  departed  from  the  temple :  and  his  dis- 

2  ciples  came  to  kim,  for  to  show  him  the  buildings  of  the  temple.  And 
Jesus  said  unto  them,  See  ye  not  all  these  things?  Verily  I  say  unto 
you.  There  *  shall  not  be  left  here  one  stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not 
be  thrown  down. 

3  And  as  he  sat  upon  the  mount  of  Olives,  the  disciples  came  unto 
him  privately,  saying,  '^Tell  us,  when  shall  these  things  be?  and  what 


A.  D.  33. 


CHAP.  24. 
"  Mark  13.  L 

Luke  21.  6. 
*  1  Ki.  9.  T. 

Jer.  5.  10. 

Jer.  26.  18. 

Mic.  3.  12. 
'  1  Thes.  5. 1. 


ter?  3.  As  "evil  men  and  seducers  wax  worse  and 
worse,  deceiving  and  being  deceived"  (2  Tim. 
iii.  13),  and  treasure  up  unto  themselves  wrath 
against  the  day  of  -wrath  (Rom.  ii.  5);  so  over  and 
above  the  partial  retribution  which  often  over- 
takes them  individually,  there  are  outstanding 
accounts  left  to  be  settled  with  them  as  a  class, 
which  accumulate  from  time  to  time— sometimes 
for  ages — and  are  at  length,  ''  in  the  day  of  visita- 
tion,'' awfully  brought  up  against  them  and  settled, 
by  an  exercise  of  collective  and  crushing  venge- 
ance {vv.  31-36).  This  terrific  but  righteous  law 
of  the  divine  administration  has  been  illustrated  at 
different  times  on  a  scale  of  no  little  magnitude; 
but  perhaps  its  most  appalling  illustration  is  yet 
to  come  (see  Dan.  vii.  9-14;  2  Thes.  ii.  7-12;  Rev. 
xi.  15-18 ;  xvii.  14 ;  xviiL  5-8,  24).  4.  What  a  com- 
bination of  withering  denunciation  and  weeping 
lamentation  do  we  find  here — as  if  the  intensity  of 
the  Redeemer's  holy  emotions,  in  their  most  vivid 
contrast,  had  only  found  full  vent  at  this  last  visit 
to  Jerusalem,  and  in  this  His  last  public  address  to 
the  impenitent  nation!  And  if  the  verses  which 
conclude  this  chapter  were  indeed  His  last  words 
to  them,  as  it  is  evident  they  were  (see  opening 
remarks  on  Mark  xiiL ),  how  worthy  were  tney  of 
Him,  and  of  the  awful  occasion,  and  how  pregnant 
with  warning  to  every  such  favoured  region :  — 

JERUSALEM. 

Jcrusiilem!  Jerusalem!  cutlironed  once  on  liiRli,  [sky! 

Tliou  favourd  home  of  GoU  oq  earth,  tliou  heaven  below  the 
Now  bvouglit  to  bondage  witli  thy  sons,  a  curse  and  grief  to 
Jeiusaleml  Jerusalem!  our  teal's  shall  flow  for  thee.  [see. 

Oh !  hadst  thou  known  thy  day  of  grace,  and  flock'd  beneath 

the  wing 
Of  Him  who  called  thee  lovingly,  thine  own  anointed  King, 
Then  had  the  tribes  of  all  the  world  gone  up  thy  pomp  to  see. 
And  glory  dwelt  within  thy  gates,  and  all  thy  sous  been  free! 

"  And  who  art  thou  thatmouniest  me?"  replied  the  ruin  gray, 
"  S.\iiX  fear'st  not  rather  that  thyself  may  prove  a  castaway? 
1  am  a  dried  and  abject  branch,— my  place  is  given  to  tliee; 
But  woe  to  ev'ry  barren  graft  of  thy  wild  olive  tree! 

"  Our  day  of  grace  is  sunk  in  night,  our  time  of  mercy  spent. 
For  heavy  was  my  children's  crime,  and  strange  their  punish- 
ment; 
Yet  gaze  not  idly  on  our  fall,  but,  sinner,  warned  be,— 
Who  spared  not  His  chosen  seed  may  send  His  wrath  on  thee! 

"Our  day  of  grace  is  sunk  in  night,  thy  noon  is  in  its  prime; 
<h,  turn  and  seek  thy  Saviour's  face  in  this  accepted  time! 
So,  Gentile,  may  Jerusalem  a  lesson  prove  to  tliee. 
And  in  the  New  Jerusalem  thy  home  for  ever  be!" — Hebi:e. 

5.  Ye  that  are  ready  to  despair  of  salvation,  when 
ye  think  of  your  obstinate  and  long-continued 
rebellion  against  light  and  love,  truth  and  grace 
• — yea,  bloody  ijersecutors,  ''Jerusalem-sinners'' — 
come  hither,  and  suffer  me  to  jilead  with  you. 
Listen  once  more  to  the  Friend  of  sinners.  "  0 
Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,"  says  He,  "  that  killest  the 
yirophets,  and  stonest  them  that  are  sent  unto 
thee,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thee! "  And 
would  He  not  have  gathered  them  even  then,  whilst 
He  was  yet  speaking?  Verily  He  Avould,  "  but  they 
loould  not.''''  That  was  all  the  hindi-ance :  there  was 
none,  none  at  all,  in  Him.  If  thou,  then,  art  of 
their  mind,  there  is  indeed  no  help,  no  hope,  for 
thee  ;  but  if  thou  only  lu'dt  be  made  whole — 
VOL.     V.  113 


'Jesus  ready  stands  to  save  thee, 
tuU  of  pity,  love,  and  power: 

He  is  able, 
He  is  willing,  ask  no  more.' 

6.  The  doctrine  of  Scripture  regarding  man's 
will  embraces  the  following  points : — First,  that 
whether  men  are  to  be  saved  or  lost  hinges  entirely 
ujwn  their  own  wiU.  "Whosoever  w'dl  [o  QeKwv\, 
let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely"  (Rev.  xxii.  17). 
"I  would  have  gathered  you,  a'jd  ye  would  not" 
[oi//c  ijdeXriaaTe].  This  great  truth  must  not  be 
qualified  or  explained  away.  Next,  the  will  of  man 
is  utterly  indisposed  and  disabled  from  yielding 
itself  to  Christ.  "  No  man  can  come  to  Me,  except 
the  Father  which  hath  sent  Me  di'aw  him"  (John 
vi  44).  And  hence,  finally,  when  the  will  is  effec- 
tually gained,  and  salvation  thus  obtained,  it  is  in 
consequence  of  a  divine  oj^eration  upon  it.  "It  is 
God  that  worketh  in  yoii,  both  to  w'dl  and  to 
do  "  of  His  good  pleasure  (RhiL  ii.  13).  Nor  is  this 
to  be  modified  or  attenuated  in  the  least.  The  re- 
svdt  of  all  is,  that  when  a  soul  is  undone,  it  is  self- 
destroyed;  but  when  surrendered  to  Christ  and 
saved,  it  is  purely  of  grace  (Hos.  xiiL  9).  That  self- 
surrender  to  Christ  which  secures  its  salvation  is 
as  purely  voluntary  as  the  rejection  of  Him  which 
is  fatal  to  unbelievers ;  but  never  is  this  done  till 
God  "worketh  in  us  to  will"  it.  How  this  is  ef- 
fected, consistently  with  the  entire  freedom  of  the 
human  will,  we  shall  never  know — here  below,  at 
least.  But  it  is  a  pitiful  thing  for  men,  who  see  the 
same  principle  of  divine  operation  on  the  free  will 
of  man  in  the  ordinary  administration  of  the 
world,  to  pitch  the  one  of  these  against  the  other 
in  the  matter  of  salvation :  Pelagians  and  Semi- 
I)elagians,  of  different  name,  denying  the  grace 
which  alone  ever  gains  the  consent  of  man's  Avill 
to  salvation  in  Christ  Jesus ;  and  ulti'a-Calvinists, 
denying  the  entire  freedom  of  that  iv'dl  which  in 
one  class  rejects  Christ  and  is  undone,  and  in 
another  embraces  Him  and  lives  for  ever.  With 
what  a^vful  dignity  and  responsibility  is  the 
human  will  invested  by  these  words  of  Christ, 
"I  would  have  gathered  you,  but — ye  would 
not;"  and  by  those  other  words  of  the  same  Lips, 
now  glorified  and  enthroned,  "  Behold,  I  stand  at 
the  door,  and  knock :  if  any  man  hear  my  voice, 
and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will 
sup  with  him,  and  he  with  Me"!  (Rev.  iii.  20). 
But  when  we  have  opened  our  willing  hearts  to 
this  glorious  and  fuU-nanded  Saviour,  our  resist- 
less language  is,  "By  the  grace  of  God  I  am 
what  I  am"  (1  Cor.  xv.  10).  7.  What  a  day  wiU 
that  be  when  those  whom  Christ  solicited  so  long 
in  vain  "shall  look  on  Him  whom  they  have 
pierced,  and  mourn  for  Him  as  one  mourneth 
for  his  only  son,  and  be  in  bitterness  for  Him  as 
one  that  is  in  bitterness  for  his  first-born ! "  What 
acclamations  of  "Hosauna  to  the  Son  of  David" 
will  those  be  that  come  from  the  lips  of  Abraham's 
seed  that  once  cried,  "  Crucify  Him,  crucify  Him" ! 
No  wonder  that  the  apostle  asks,  "What  shall 
the  receiving  of  them  be  but  life  from  the  dead?" 
(Rom.  xl  isl.  The  Lord  hasten  it  in  its  time. 
CHAP.  XXIV.   1-51.— Christ's  Pbophecy  of 

THE    D£.STRtJCT10N    OF    JERUSALEM,   AND    WaRX- 


Prophexy  of  the 


MATTHEW  XXIV. 


destruction  of  Jerusalem. 


4  shall  he  the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ?     And      ^-  ^-  ^^■ 
Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Take  ''heed  that  no  man  deceive 

5  you.     For  'many  shall  come  in  my  name,  saying,  I  am  Christ;  and  shall 

6  deceive  many.     And  ye  shall  hear  of  wars  and  rumours  of  wars:   see 
that  ye  be  not  troubled :  for  all  these  things  inust  come  to  pass,  but  the 

7  end  is  not  yet.     For  -^nation  shall  rise   against  nation,  and  kingdom 
against  kingdom:    and  there    shall  be  famines,  and  pestilences,   and 

8  earthquakes,  in  divers  places.     All  these  are  the  beginning  of  soitows. 

9  Then  "shall  they  deliver  you  up  to  be  afilicted,  and  shall  kill  you :  and 

10  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  nations  for  my  name's  sake.  And  then  shall 
many ''be  offended,  and  shall  betray  one  another,  and  shall  hate  one 

11  another.     And  ^many  false  prophets  shall  rise,  and  •'shall  deceive  many. 

12  And  because  iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love  of  many  shall  wax  cold. 

13  But  ^he  that  shall   endure   unto   the   end,  the   same  shall  be  saved. 

14  And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  'shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a 
witness  unto  all  nations ;  and  then  shall  the  end  come. 

15  When  ye  therefore  shall  see  the  abomination  of  desolation,  spoken  of 
by  Daniel  "'the  prophet,  stand  in  the  holy  place,  ("whoso  readeth,  let 

16  him  understand,)  then  let  them  wliich  be  in  Judea  flee  into  the  moun- 

17  tains:  let  him  which  is  on  the  house-top  not  come  down  to  take  any 

18  thing  out  of  his  house :  neither  let  him  which  is  in  the  field  return  back 

1 9  to  take  his  clothes.     And  woe  unto  them  that  are  with  child,  and  to 

20  them  that  give  suck,  in  those  days!     But  pray  ye  that  your  flight  benot 

21  in  the  winter,  neither  on  the  sabbath  day:  for  "then  shall  be  great  tribu- 
lation,  such  as  was  not  since  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  this  time, 

22  iio,  nor  ever  shall  be.  And  except  those  days  should  be  shortened,  there 
should  no  flesh  be  saved:  ^ but  for  the  elect's  sake  those  days  shall  be 

23  shortened.     Then  if  any  man  shall  say  unto  you,  Lo,  here  is  Christ,  or 

24  there;  believe  it  not.  For  ^ there  shall  arise  false  Christs,  and  false  pro- 
phets, and  shall  show  great  signs  and  wonders;  insomuch  that,  ''if  it  were 

25  possible,  they  shall  deceive  the  very  elect.     Behold,  I  have  told  you 

26  before.  Wherefore,  if  they  shall  say  unto  you,  Behold,  he  is  in  the 
desert;  go  not  forth:  behold,  he  is  in  the  secret  chambers;  believe  it  not. 

27  For  as  the  hghtning  cometh  out  of  the  east,  and  shineth  even  unto  the 

28  west;  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be.  For  *  wheresoever 
the  carcase  is,  there  Avill  the  eagles  be  gathered  together. 

29  Immediately 'after  the  tribulation  of  those  days  "shall  the  sun  be 
darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall 

30  from  heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken:  and  '"then 
shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man  in  heaven:  '^and  then  shall  all 
the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  ^  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming 

31  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and  great  glory.  And  ^he  shall  send 
his  angels  ^with  a  great  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather 
together  his  elect  from  the  four  winds,  fi-om  one  end  of  heaven  to  the 
other. 

32  Now  learn  ^a  parable  of  the  fig  tree:  Wlien  his  branch  is  yet  tender, 

33  and  putteth  forth  leaves,  ye  know  that  summer  is  nigh :  so  likewise  ye, 
when  ye  shall  see  all  these  things,  know  that  ^it  is  near,  even  at  the 

34  doors.     Verily  I  say  unto  you,  "^This  generation  shall  not  pass,  till  all 

35  these  things  be  fulfilled.  Heaven  *and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my 
words  shall  not  pass  away. 

36  But  "^of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  angels  of 

37  heaven,  ''but  my  Father  only.     But  as  the  days  of  Noe  were,  so  shall 

INGS    SUGGESTED    BY  IT    TO  PREPARE   FOR  His  pLecv,  wliich  will  be  best  apprehended  by  takiug 

Second  Coming.    (=  Mark  xiii.  1-37 ;  Luke  xxi.  all  the  records  of  it  together,  see  on  Mark  xiiL 

5-36.)    For  the  exposition  of  this  wonderful  Pro-  1-37. 
114 


d  Eph.  6.  6. 
2  Thes.  2.  3. 

1  John  4. 1. 
"  Jer.  It.  14. 

Jer.  23.  21. 

John  5.  43. 
/  Isa.  19.  2. 

Hag.  2.  22. 

Zee.  14.  1.3. 
"  Acta  4.  2, 3. 

Acts  7.  69. 

Acts  12.  1. 

*  2Tim.  1. 15. 
'  Acts  20.  29. 

2  Cor.  11.13. 
2  Pet.  2.  1. 

i  1  Tim.  4.  1. 

*  Heb.  3.  6. 

'  Rom.  10.18. 
"'  Dan.  9.  27. 

Dan.  12.  U. 
"  Dan.  9.  2.i. 
"  Dan.  12.  1. 

Joel  1.  2. 

Joel  2  2. 
f  Isa.  65. 8, 9. 

Zee.  14.2,3. 
9  Deut.  13.  1. 

2  Thes.  2.  9. 

Eev.  13.  13. 
•■  Rom.  8.  28. 

2  Tim.  2.19. 

1  Pet.  1.  5. 

*  Job  39.  30. 

*  Dan.  7.  11. 
"  Isa.  13.  10. 

Ezek.  32.  7. 

Acts  2.  20. 

Rev.  6.  12. 
"  Dan.  7.  13. 
""  Zee.  12.  12. 
^  Rev.  1.  7. 
y  1  Cor.  15.52. 

1  Thes.  4. 16. 

1  Or.  with  a 
trumpet, 
and  a  great 
voice. 

'  Luke  21.29. 

2  Or,  he. 
Jas.  5.  9. 

"  Ch.  16.  28. 

Ch.  23.  36. 
b  Ps.    102.  26, 
27. 

Isa.  34.  4. 

Isa.  SL  6. 

Jer.  31.  35. 

ch.  5.  18. 

Mark  13.31. 

Luke  21. 33. 

Heb.  1.  11. 

2  Pet.  3.  7- 
12. 

Rev.  6.  14. 
0  Acts  1.  7. 

1  Thes  5.  2. 

2  Pet.  3.  10 
d  Zee.  14.  7. 


Parable  of 


I\IATTHEW  XXV. 


the  Ten  Virgins. 


38 


39 


40 


also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be.  For  *as  in  the  days  that  were 
before  the  flood  they  were  eating  and  drinking,  marrying  and  giving  in 
marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noe  entered  into  the  ark,  and  knew  not 
until  the  flood  came,  and  took  them  all  away;  so  shall  also  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  man  be.     Then  shall  two  be  in  the  field ;  the  one  shall  be 

41  taken,  and  the  other  left.  Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill;  the 
one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left. 

42  Watch  therefore ;  for  ye  know  not  what  hour  your  Lord  doth  come. 

43  But  •'"know  this,  that  if  the  goodman  of  the  house  had  known  in  what 
watch  the  thief  would   come,  he  would  have  watched,  and  would  not 

44  have  suffered  his  house  to  be  broken  up.     Therefore  be  ye  also  ready : 

45  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man  cometh.  Who  ^then 
is  a  faithful  and  wise  servant,  whom  his  lord  hath  made  ruler  over  his 

46  household,  to  give  them  meat  indue  season?    Blessed  ^  25  that  servant 

47  whom  his  lord  when  he  cometh  shall  find  so  doing.     Verily  I  say  unto 

48  you,  That  he  shall  make  him  ruler  over  all  his  goods.     But  and  if  that 

49  evil  servant  shall  say  in  his  heart.  My  lord  delayeth  his  coming ;  and 
shall  begin  to  smite  his  fellow-servants,  and  to  eat  and  drink  with  the 

50  drunken ;  the  lord  of  that  servant  shall  come  in  a  day  when  he  looketh 
not  for  him,  and  in  an  hour  that  he  is  not  aware  of,  and  shall  ^cut  him 
asunder,  and  appoint  him  *his  portion  with  the  hypocrites:  there  shall 
be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 

THEN  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened  unto  ten  virgins,  which 
took  their  lamps,  and  went  forth  to  meet  "the  bridegroom.  And  ^five 
of  them  were  wise,  and  five  were  foolish.  They  that  were  foolish  took  their 
lamps,  and  took  ''no  oil  with  them :  but  the  wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels 


il 


25 

2 
3 
4 


A.  D.  33 


"  Gen.  6.  3. 

Gen  7.  1. 

Luke  17.26. 

1  Pet  3.  20. 
/  Mark  13.1^3. 
3G. 

1  Thes  5.  6. 

Eev.  3.  3. 

Rev.  16.  15. 
"  1  Cor.  4.  2. 

Heb.  3.  5. 
ft  Ch.  25.  34. 

1  Tim.  4.  7, 
8. 

Eev.  16.  15. 
3  Cr.  cut  him 

off. 
<  Ps.  U.  6. 

ch.  25.  30. 
Luke  12.  46- 

CHAP.  25. 
"  John  3.  29. 

Eph.  5.  29. 

Eev.  19.  7. 

Eev.   21.  2, 
9. 
*  ch.  13.  47. 

ch.  22.  10, 
"  Isa.  29.  13. 

Ezra  33.  30- 
32. 

2  Tim.  3.  5. 
Titus  1.  16. 


CHAP.  XXV.  1-13.— Parable  of  the  Ten 
Virgins.  This  and  the  following  parable  are  in 
Matthew  alone. 

1.  Tben — at  the  time  referred  to  at  the  close 
of  the  preceding  chapter,  the  time  of  the  Lord's 
Second  Coming  to  reward  His  faithful  servants  and 
take  vengeance  on  the  faithless.  Then  shall  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened  unto  ten  virgins, 
wMcli  took  their  lamps,  and  went  forth  to  meet 
the  bridegroom.  This  supplies  a  key  to.  the  par- 
able, whose  object  is,  in  the  main,  the  same,  as  that 
of  the  last  parable — to  illustrate  the  vigilant  and 
e  rpectant  attitude  of  faith,  in  respect  of  which 
believers  are  described  as  "they  that  look  for 
Him"  (Heb.  ix.  28),  and  "love  His  appearing" 
(2  Tim,  iv.  S).  In  the  last  parable  it  was  that  of 
servants  waiting  for  their  atjsent  Lord ;  in  this  it 
is  that  of  virgin-attendants  on  a  Bride,  whose  duty 
it  was  to  go  forth  at  night  with  lamps,  and  be 
ready  on  the  appearance  of  the  Bridegroom  to  con- 
..duct  the  Bride  to  his  house,  and  go  in  with  him  to 
tlie  marria,ga  This  entire  and  beautiful  change 
of  figure  brings  out  the  lesson  of  the  former  par- 
able in  quite  a  new  light.  But  let  it  be  observed 
that,  just  as  in  the  parable  of  the  Marriage  Supper, 
so  in  this — the  Bride  does  not  come  into  view  at 
all  in  this  iiarable ;  the  Virgins  and  the  Bridegroom 
holding  forth  all  the  intended  instruction:  nor 
could  believers  be  represented  both  as  Bride  and 
Bridal  Attendants  ^\'itho.ut  incongruity.  ^.  And 
five  of  them  were  wise,  and  five  werie  foolish. 
They  are  not  distinguished  into  good  and  bad,  as 
'Trench  observes,  but  into  "wise"  and  "foolish" 
— ^just  as  in  Matt.  vii.  25-27,  those  who  reared  their 
house  for  eternity  are  distinguished  into  "wise" 
and  "foolish  builders;"  because  in  both  cases  a 
certain  degree  of  good  will  towards  the  truth  is 
assumed,  To  make  anything  of  the  equal  number 
of  both  classes  would,  we  think,  be  i)recarious, 
save  to  warn  us  how  large  a  portion  of  those  who, 
up  to  the  last,  so  nearly  resemble  those  that  love 
115 


Christ's  appearing  will  be  disowned  by  Him  when 
He  comes.  3.  They  that  were  foolish  took  their' 
lamps,  and  took  nb  oU  with  them:  4.  But  the, 
wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps; 
What  are"1jhese.""lamp^"  and  this  '.^oil?"  Many 
answers  have  been  given.  But  sihcQ  the  foolish  as 
well  as  the  wise  took  their  lamps  and  went  forth 
with  them  to  meet  the  bridegroom,  these  lighted 
lamps,  and  this  advance  a  certain  way  in  company 
with  the  wise,  must  denote  that  Christian  profes- 
sion which  is  common  to  all  who  bear  the  Christian 
name ;  while  the  insufficiency  of  this  without  some- 
thing else,  of  which  they  never  possessed  them- 
selves, shows  that  "the  foolish"  mean  those  who, 
with  all  that  is  common  to  them  with  real  Chris- 
tians, lack  the  essential  preparation  for  meeting 
Christ.  Th^n,  since  the  wisdom  of  "the  wise 
consisted  in  their  taking  with  their  lamps  3) 
supply  of  oil  in  their  vessels,  keeping  their  lamps 
burning  till  the  Bridegroom  came,  and  so  fitting 
them  to  go  in  with  Him  to  the  marriage— this 
supply  of  oil  must  mean  that  inward  realitg 
of  grace  which  alone  will  stand  when  He  ap- 
peareth  whose  eyes  are  as  a  flame  of  fire. 
But  this  is  too  general;  for  it  cannot  be  for 
nothing  that  tliis  inward  grace  is  here  set  forth  by 
the  familiar  symbol  of  oil,  by  which  the  Spirit  of 
all  grace  is  so  constantly  represented  in  Scripture. 
Beyond  all  doubt,  this  was  what  was  symbolized 
by  that  precious  anointing  oil  with  which  Aaron 
and  his  sons  were  consecrated  to  the  priestly  office 
(Exod.  XXX.  23-25,  30);  by  "the  oil  of  gladness 
above  His  fellows"  with  which  Messiah  was  to  be 
anointed  (Ps.  xlv.  7 ;  Heb.  i.  9),  even  as  it  is  ex.. 
pressly  said,  that  "  God  giveth  not  the  Spirit  by 
measure  unto  Him"  (John  iii.  34);  and  by  the 
bowl  full  of  golden  oil,  in  Zeehariah's  vision, 
which,  receiving  its  supplies  from  the  two  olive- 
trees  qh  either  side  of  it,  poured  'it  through 
seven  golden  pipes  into  the  golden  lamp-stand,  to 
keep  it  continually  burning  bright  '(Zee.  iv.)— for 


Parable  of  the 


MATTHEW  XXV. 


Ten  Virgins. 


A.  D.  33. 

d  1  Thes.  5. 6. 
"  ch  24.  31. 

lTiies.4.16. 

2  Tliej.  1.  r- 
10. 

Jude  14.  15. 
/  Luke  12.35. 
1  Or,  going 

out. 


5  with  tlieir  lamps.     While  the  bridegroom  tarried,  ''they  all  slumbered 

6  and  slept.     And  at  midnight  Hhere  was  a  cry  made,  Behold,  the  bride- 

7  groom  cometh;  go  ye  out  to  meet  him.     Then  all  those  virgins  arose, 

8  and  trimmed  their  -^lamps.     And  the  foolish  said  unto  the  wise.   Give 

9  us  of  your  oil;  for  our  lamps  are  ^gone  out.     But  the  wise  answered, 
saying,  Not  so;  lest  there  be  not  enough  for  us  and  you  :  but  go  ye  rather 

10  to  them  that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves.     And  while  they  went  to  buy, 
the  bridegroom  came ;  and  they  that  were  ready  went  in  with  him  to 

conclude  tliat  the  foolish  virgins  must  rejiresent 
true  Christians  as  well  as  the  wise,  since  only  true 
Christians  have  the  Spirit;  and  that  the  difference 
between  the  two  classes  consists  only  in  the  one 
having  the  necessary  watchfulness  which  the 
other  wants?  Certainly  not.  Since  the  parable 
was  designed  to  hold  forth  the  prepared  and  the 
unprepared  to  meet  Christ  at  His  coming,  and 
how  the  unj)repared  might,  up  to  the  very  last,  be 
confounded  with  the  prepared — the  structure  of 
the  parable  behoved  to  accommodate  itself  to  this, 
by  making  the  lamps  of  the  foolish  to  burn,  as  well 
as  those  of  the  wise,  up  to  a  certain  Jioint  of  time, 
and  only  then  to  discover  their  inability  to  buru 
on  for  want  of  a  fresh  supply  of  oil.  But  this  is 
evidently  just  a  structural  device;  and  the  real 
difference  between  the  two  classes  who  profess  to 
love  the  Lord's  appearing  is  a  radical,  one— the 
possession  by  the  one  class  of  an  enduring  principle 
of  spiritual  life,  aud  the  want  of  it  by  the  other. 
8.  And  the  foo.isli  said  unto  the  wise,  Give  U3 
of  your  oil;  for  our  lamps  are  gone  out  [o-/3eV- 
v\ivTai\  —  rather,  as  in  the  margin,  'are  going 
out ;'  for  oil  will  not  light  an  extinguished  lamp, 
though  it  will  keep  a  bm-ning  one  from  going  out. 
Ah !  now  at  length  they  have  discovered  not  only 
their  own  folly,  out  the  wisdom  of  the  other  class, 
and  they  do  homage  to  it.  They  did  not  perhaps 
despise  them  before,  but  they  thought  them  right- 
eous overmuch ;  now  they  are  forced,  -vWth  bitter 
mortification,  to  wish  they  were  like  them.  9. 
But  the  wise  answered,  [Not  so];  lest  there  be 
not  enough  for  us  and  you.  The  words  "Not 
so,"  it  will  be  seen,  are  not  in  the  original,  where 
the  reply  is  very  elliptical  \Mi'rwoT€  ovk  apKea-ri 
iifxlu  Kal  vfjui/]—^ln  case  there  be  not  enough  for 
us  and  you. '  A  truly  wise  answer  this.  '  And 
what,  then,  if  we  shall  share  it  with  you?  Why, 
both  will  be  undone.'  but  go  ye  lather  to  them 
that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves.  Here  again  it 
would  be  straining  the  parable  bej^ond  its  legiti- 
mate design  to  make  it  teach  that  men  may  get 
salvation  even  after  they  are  sup] josed  and  required 
to  have  it  already  gotten.  It  is  merely  a  friendly 
way  of  reminding  them  of  the  proper  way  of  ob- 
taining the  needed  aud  precious  article,  with  a  cer- 
tain reflection  on  them  for  having  it  now  to  seek. 
Also,  when  the  parable  speaks  of  "  selling"  and 
"buying"  that  valuable  article,  it  means  simply, 
'Go,  get  it  in  the  only  legitimate  way.'  And  yet 
the  word  "buy"  is  significant;  for  we  are  else- 
where bidden  "  buy  wine  and  milk  \\'ithout  money 
and  Avithout  price,"  and  "buy  of  Clmst  gold  tried 
in  the  fire,"  &c.  (Isa.  Iv.  1 ;  Eev.  iii.  18).  Now, 
since  what  we  pay  the  demanded  price  for  becomes 
thereby  our  oicn  property,  the  salvation  which  we 
thus  take  gratuitously  at  God's  hands,  being  bought 
in  His  own  sense  of  that  word,  becomes  oiu's  there- 
by in  inalienable  possession.  (Comxiare,  for  the 
language,  Prov.  xxiii.  23  ;  Matt.  xiii.  44. )  10.  And 
while  they  went  to  buy,  the  bridegroom  came; 
and  they  that  were  ready  went  in  with  him 
to  the  marriage :  and  the  door  was  shut. 
They  are  sensible  of  their  pa.st  folly;  they  have 
taken  good  advice :  they  are  in  the  act  of  getting 


the  prophet  is  expressly  told  that  it  was  to  pro- 
claim the  great  truth,  "  Not  by  might,  nor  by 
power,  but  by  My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts 
[shall  this  temple  be  built].  Who  art  thou,  0 
great  mountain  [of  oi^position  to  this  issue]?  Be- 
fore Zerubbabel  thou  shalt  become  a  plain  [or,  be 
swept  out  of  the  way],  and  he  shall  bring  forth 
the  head-stone  [of  the  temple],  with  shoutings 
[crying],  Grace,  grace  unto  it."  This  suxiply  of 
oil,  then,  representing  that  inward  grace  which 
distinguishes  the  wise,  must  denote,  more  particu- 
larly, tliat  "  supply  of  the  Sjiirit  of  Jesiis  Christ," 
wliich,  as  it  is  the  source  of  the  new  spiritual  life 
at  the  first,  is  the  secret  of  its  enc/wringr. character. 
Everything  sliort  of  this  may  be  possessed  by 
"the  foolish;"  while  it  is  the  possession  of  this 
that  makes  "the  wise"  to  be  "ready"  when 
the  Bridegroom  appears,  and  fit  to  "go  in  with 
Him  to  the  marriage."  Just  so  in  the  parable 
of  the  Sower,  the  stony  ground  hearers,  "having 
no  deejpness  of  earth"  and  "no  root  in  them- 
selves," though  they  spring  up  and  get  even  into 
ear,  never  ripen,  while  they  in  the  good  ground 
bear  the  precious  grain.  5.  While  the  bride- 
groom tarried.  So  in  ch.  xxiv.  48,  "My  Lord 
delayeth  His  coming ;"  and  so  Peter  says  sublimely 
of  the  ascended  Saviour,  "Whom  the  heaven 
must  receive  until  the  times  of  restitution  of  all 
things"  (Acts  iii.  21,  and  compare  Luke  xix.  11, 
12).  Christ  "  tarries,"  among  other  reasons,  to 
try  the  faith  and  patience  of  His  people,  they 
all  slumbered  and  slept — the  wise  as  well  as 
the  foolish.  The  word  "slumbered"  [ei/ucrTagai/] 
signifies,  simply,  'nodded  '  or,  'became  drowsy;' 
while  the  word  "slept"  [kKadevouv]  is  the  usual 
word  for  '  lying  down  to  sleep :'  denoting  two 
stages  of  spiritual  declension — first,  that  half-in- 
voluntary lethargy  or  drowsiness  which  is  apt  to 
steal  over  one  who  falls  into  inactivity ;  and  then 
a  conscious,  deliberate  yielding  to  it,  after  a  little 
vain  resistance.  Such  was  the  state  alike  of  the 
wise  and  the  foolish  virgins,  even  till  the  cry  of 
the  Bridegroom's  approach  awoke  them.  So  like- 
wise in  the  parable  of  the  Importunate  Widow : 
"  When  the  Son  of  man  cometh,  shall  He  find 
faith  on  the  earth?"  (Luke  xviii.  8).  6.  And  at 
midnight — that  is,  the  time  when  the  Bridegroom 
will  be  least  expected ;  for  "the  day  of  the  Lord  so 
cometh  as  a  thief  in  the  night"  (1  Thes.  v.  2),  there 
was  a  cry  made,  Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh ; 
go  ye  out  to  meet  him— that  is,  '  Be  ready  to 
welcome  Him.'  7.  Then  all  those  virgins  arose, 
and  trimmed  their  lamps — the  foolish  virgins  as 
well  as  the  wise.  How  very  long  do  both  parties 
sesm  the  same — almost  to  the  moment  of  decision ! 
Looking  at  the  mere  form  of  the  parable,  it  is 
evident  that  the  folly  of  "the  foolisui"  consisted 
not  in  having  no  oil  at  all ;  for  they  must  have  had 
oil  enough  in  their  lamps  to  keep  them  burning 
up  to  this  moment :  their  folly  consisted  in  not 
maldng  pl•o^^sion  against  its  ejcnaustion,  by  taking 
with  their  lamp  an  oil-vessel  wherewith  to  replenish 
their  lamp  from  time  to  time,  and  so  have  it  bui-n- 
iug  until  the  bridegroom  should  come.  Are  we, 
then — with  some  even  sui^erior  expositors — to 
116 


Parable  of 


MATTHEW  XXV. 


the  Ten  Virgins. 


11  tlie  marriage:  and  the  ^ door  was  shut.     Afterward  came  also  the  other 

12  virgins,  saying,  *Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us.     But  he  answered  and  said, 

13  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  'I  know  you  not.     Watch  •'therefore;  for  ye  know 
neither  the  day  nor  the  hour  wherein  the  Son  of  man  cometh. 


A.  D.  S3. 

"  Lwke  13.  25. 
*  ch.  7.  21. 
<  Ps.  5.  5. 
3  ch.   24.  42. 


what  aloue  tliey  lacked :  a  very  little  more,  and 
they  also  ai'e  ready.  But  the  Bridegi'oom  comes  ; 
the  ready  are  admitted;  "the  door  is  shut,"  and 
they  are  iindone.  How  graphic  and  api:)alling  this 
picture  of  cue  almost  sared — but  lost  J  11.  After- 
ward came  also  tbe  other  virgins,  sasang,  Lord, 
Lord,  open  to  us.  In  ck  vii.  22  this  reiteration 
of  the  name  was  an  exclamation  rather  of  surprise: 
here  it  is  a  ijiteous  cry  of  urgency,  bordering  on  de- 
spair. Ah!  now  at  leng-th  their  eyes  are  wide  open, 
and  they  realize  all  the  consequences  of  their  past 
folly.  12.  But  he  answered  and  said,  Verily  I 
say  unto  you,  I  know  you  not.  The  attempt  to 
establish  a  difference  between  "I  know  you  not" 
here,  and  "I  never  knew  you"  in  ch.  vii.  23 — as 
if  this  were  gentler,  and  so  rinplied  a  milder  fate, 
reserved  for  "the  foolish"  of  this  parable— is  to 
be  resisted,  thoxigh  advocated  by  such  critics  as 
Olshaii-sen,  Stier,  and  Altord.  Besides  being  in- 
consistent with  the  general  tenor  of  such  langiiage, 
and  particularly  the  solemn  moral  of  the  whole 
(r\  13),  it  is  a  kind  of  criticism  which  tampers  with 
some  of  the  most  awful  warnings  regarding  the 
future.  If  it  be  asked  why  unworthy  guests  were 
admitted  to  the  marriage  of  the  King's  Son,  in  a 
former  parable,  and  the  foolish  virgins  are  excluded 
in  this  one,  we  may  answer,  in  the  admirable  words 
of  Gerhard,  quoted  by  Trench,  that  those  festivi- 
ties are  celebrated  in  this  life,  in  the  Church 
militant ;  these  at  the  last  day,  in  the  Church 
triumphant :  to  those,  even  they  are  admitted 
who  are  not  adoi-ned  with  the  wedding-garment ; 
but  to  these,  only  they  to  whom  it  is  granted  to  be 
arrayed  in  fine  linen  clean  and  white,  which  is  the 
righteousness  of  saints  (Rev.  xix.  8) :  to  those, 
men  are  called  by  the  trumpet  of  the  Gospel ;  to 
these  by  the  trumx^et  of  the  Archangel:  to  those, 
who  enters  may  go  out  from  them,  or  be.  cast  out ; 
who  is  once  introduced  to  these  never  goes  out, 
nor  is  cast  out,  from  them  any  more  :  wherefore  it 
is  said,  " The  door  is  shut."  13.  Watch  therefore ; 
for  ye  know  neither  the  day  nor  the  hour 
[wherein  the  Son  of  man  cometh.]  This,  the 
moral  or  practical  lesson  of  the  whole  parable, 
needs  no  comment.  [The  evidence  against  the 
genuineness,  in  this  verse,  of  the  words  enclosed 
in  brackets  is  decisive.  They  seem  to  have  been 
first  copied,  exactly  as  they  stand  in  ch.  xxiv. 
44,  into  what  are  called  Lectionaries,  or  portions  of 
Scrii:itm-e  transcribed  to  be  read  as  Church  Les- 
sons— in  all  of  which  these  words  are  found — in 
order  to  avoid  the  apparent  abruptness  with  which 
the  verse  otherwise  closes,  and  then  to  have  found 
their  way  into  a  tolerable  number  of  MSS.  and  ver- 
sions. But  the  abruptness  is  more  apparent  than 
real;  and  the  event  itself  being  supposed,  the 
uncertainty  ascribed  simply  to  "  the  day  and  the 
hour "  has  something  striking  and  emphatic  in 
it.] 

Bemarks. — 1.  So  essential  a  feature  of  the  Chris- 
tian character,  according  to  the  New  Testament, 
is  looking  for  Christ's  Second  Appearing,  that  both 
real  and  apparent  disciples  are  here  described  as 
"  going  forth  to  meet  Him.",  And  so  everywhere. 
It  is  to  them  that  look  for  Him"  that  "  He  will 
aiipear  the  second  tunc,  without  sin,  unto  salvation" 
(Heb.  ix.  28) ;  it  is  to  "  them  that  love  His  appear- 
ing" that  "He  will  give  a  crown  of  righteousness 
at  that  day"  (2  Tim.  iv.  8) ;  to  His  servants.  His 
parting  word,  on  "going  to  the  far  country,"  is, 

Occupy  till  I  come'"  (Luke  xix.  13) ;  communicants 
117 


at  His  table,  "  as  often  as  they  eat  this  bread  and 
cb-ink  this  cup,  do  show  forth  the  Lord's  death  till 
He  come"  (1  Cor.  xi.  26);  and  when  the  Thessa- 
lonians  turned  to  God  from  idols,  it  was.  on  the 
one  hand,  "  to  serve  the  living  God,  and,  on  the 
other,  "  to  wait  for  His  Son  from  heaven"  (1  Thess. 
i.  9,  10).  No  expectation  of  the  Latter-Day  glory 
— no,  nor  preparedness  to  die,  ought  to  take  the 
place,  or  is  htted  to  produce  the  eilects.  of  this 
love  of  Christ's  appearing  and  waiting  for  Him 
from  heaven,  which  lifts  the  soul  into  its  highest 
attitude  and  dress  for  heaven,  carrying  every  other 
scriptural  expectation  along  with  it.  But  2.  It 
should  be  carefully  observed  that  it  was  not  the 
want  of  expectation  that  the  bridegroom  would 
come  that  constituted  the  folly  of  "  the  foolish," 
but  their  not  having  any  provision  for  meeting  him 
in  case  he  should  tarry.  The  burning  lamp  re])re- 
sents  the  state  of  readiness.  But  whereas  the 
lamps  of  the  foolish,  though  burning  at  the  first, 
went  out  ere  the  bridegroom  came,  this  is  to  signify 
that  the  class  intended  are  such  as  have  no  real 
preparedness  to  meet  Christ  at  all.  On  the  other 
liandj  lively  expectation  of  Christ's  corning,  up  to 
the  time  of  His  arrival,  is  so  far  from  being  the  dis- 
tinguishing mark  of  the  wise,  that  even  these 
wise  virgins,  as  well  as  the  foolish,  first  sank  into  a 
lethargic  state,  and  then  yielded  themselves  up  to 
sleep.  Were  they  shut  out,  then?  Nay.  At  the 
time  of  deepest  sleep,  a  warning  cry  was  kindly 
sent  them,  loud  enough  to  rouse  the  foolish  and 
the  wise  alike ;  both  now  set  themselves  to  meet 
the  bridegroom ;  and  then  did  it  become  manifest 
that  the  wisdom  of  the  wise  and  the  folly  of  the 
foolish  lay,  not  in  the  one  expecting  the  coming 
which  the  other  did  not,  but  in  the  one  having 
from  the  very  outset  a  provision  for  meeting  the 
bridegroom,  hoioever  long  he  might  tari-y,  while  the 
provision  of  the  other  was  but  temporary,  and  so 
tailed  in  the  time  of  need.  We  make  these  obser- 
vations because  those  who  expect  the  Second 
Coming  of  Christ  before  the  Millennium  have 
made  a  use  of  this  parable,  against  such  as  think 
this  expectation  unscriptural,  which  appears  to 
us  to  distort  its  proper  teaching.  The  love  of 
their  Lord's  appearing  is  certainly  not  confined 
to  those  who  take  the  former  of  these  views ; 
and  perhaps  they  might  do  well  to  consider 
whether  it  be  not  possible  to  substitute  this 
expectation  for  that  enduring  jjrinciple  of  spirit- 
ual life  in  Christ  Jesus  which  is  the  grand  and 
never- wanting  preparation  for  meeting  Him,  how- 
ever long  He  may  tarry.  But  we  deprecate  con- 
troversy here  among  the  loving  exiiectants  of  a 
common  Lord.  Our  sole  object  is  to  get  at  the 
actual  teaching  of  our  blessed  Master,  and  gently 
to  brush  away  what  we  think  has  been  ob- 
truded upon  it.  3.  How  appalling  it  is  to  think 
of  the  nearness  to  final  salvation  and  heaven's 
fruition  in  the  presence  of  Christ  to  which  some 
may  attain  and  yet  miss  it!  But  see  on  ch. 
vii.  13-29,  Remark  5,  at  the  close  of  that  Sec- 
tion, 4.  The  way  to  secure  ourselves  against 
being  found  wrong  at  the  last  is  to  get  right  at 
the  first.  The  wisdom  of  the  wise  virgins  lay 
in  their  taking  along  with  their  lamps,  from  the 
time  they  first  went  forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom, 
a  supply  of  oil  that  should  keep  their  lamps  bm-n- 
ing  however  long  he  might  tarry :  the  foolish  vir- 
gins, by  their  not  doing  so,  showed  that  they  hegoM 
with  inadequate  preparation   against   the  future. 


Parable  of 


MATTHEW  XXV. 


the  Talents. 


14  For  '^the  kingdom  oj  heaven  is  'as  a  man  travelling  into  a  far  country, 

15  tcho  called  his  own  servants,  and  delivered  unto  them  his  goods.  And 
unto  one  he  gave  five  ^talents,  to  another  two,  and  to  another  one;  ™to 
every  man  according  to  his  several  ability;    and  straightway  took  his 

16  journey.     Then  he  that  had  received  the  five  talents  went  and  "traded 

17  with  the  same,  and  made  them  other  five  talents.     And  likewise  he  that 

18  had  deceived  two,  he  also  gained  other  two.     But  he  that  had  received 

19  one  went  and  digged  in  the  earth,  and  "hid  his  lord's  money.  After  a 
long  time  the  lord  of  those  servants  cometh,  and  reckoneth  with  them. 

20  And  so  he  that  had  received  five  talents  came  and  brought  other  five 
talents,  sajdng,  Lord,  thou  deliveredst  unto  me  five  talents:  behold,  I 


A.  D.  33. 


Luke  19.  \% 
ch.  21.  S3. 
Marki3..)4. 
Luke  19. 1 2, 

13. 

A  talent  ia 
1S77.  lOS. 
'  Rom.  11  6. 
1  Cor.  12.  7. 
Eph.  4.  n. 
Pro.  3.  14. 
1  Pet.  4.  10. 
Phil.  2.  21. 


They  never  were  right,  and  the  issue  only  brought 
out  what  was  their  radical  mistake  all  along. 
5.  Nothing  will  avail  for  meeting  Christ  in  peace 
but  that  unction  from  the  Holy  One,  of  which  it 
is  said,  "  If  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ, 
he  is  none  of  His"  (ilom.  viii  9):  "But  the 
anointing  which  ye  have  received  of  Him  abideth 
in  you,  and  ye  need  not  that  any  man  teach  you : 
but  as  the  same  anointing  teacheth  you  all 
things,  and  is  truth,  and  ia  no  lie,  and  even  as  it 
hath  taught  you,  ye  shall  abide  in  Him"  (1  John 
ii.  27).  6.  We  have  here  a  lively  illustration 
of  the  great  truth,  that  what  is  saving  can- 
not be  imparted  by  one  man  to  another  (n  9). 
"The  just  shall  live  by  his  (own)  faith"  (Hab. 
ii.  4).  "If  thou  be  wise,  says  the  wisest  of  men, 
"thou  shalt  be  wise  for  thyself;  but  if  thou 
scornest,  thou  alone  shalt  bear  it"  (Pro.  is.  12). 
"Let  every  man  prove  his  own  work,  and  then 
shall  he  have  rejoicing  in  himself,  and  not  in 
another  :  for  every  man  shall  bear  his  own  burden" 
(Gal.  vi.  4,  5).  7.  Though  such  as  love  their  Lord's 
appearing— when  through  His  long  tarrying  they 
have  suiik  into  a  lethargic  state,  and  even  surren- 
dered themselves  to  sleep — may  have  only  to  "trim 
their  lamps"  when  the  cry  of  His  coming  is  heard, 
there  being  a  supply  of  oil  within  them  sufficient 
to  brighten  them  up,  it  is  a  sad  and  shameful 
thing  they  should  have  this  to  do.  As  these  slum- 
bers are  dishonouring  to  the  heavenly  Bridegroom, 
so  they  are  the  bane  of  the  soul,  paralyzing  it  for 
all  good.  "  Therefore,  let  us  not  sleep,  as  do  others, 
but  let  us  watch  and  be  sober;  putting  on  the 
breast-plate  of  faith  and  hope,  and  for  an  helmet 
the  hope  of  salvation."  And  as  for  others,  when 
they  shall  be  saying,  Peace  and  safety,  then  sudden 
destruction  shall  come  upon  them,  as  travail  upon 
a  woman  with  child,  and  they  shall  not  escape. 

14-30. — Parable  of  the  Talents.  This  par- 
able, while  closely  resembling  it,  is  yet  a  different 
one  from  that  of  The  Pounds,  in  Liike  xix.  11-27; 
though  Calvin,  Olshmisen,  Meyer,  &c.,  identify 
them— but  not  de  Wette  and  Neander.  For  the 
difference  between  the  two  parables,  see  the  open- 
ing remarks  on  that  of  The  Pounds.  While— as 
Trench  observes  with  his  usual  felicity — 'the  vir- 
gins were  represented  as  ivaiting  for  their  Lord, 
we  have  the  servants  xvorhing  for  Him :  there  the 
inward  spiritual  life  of  the  faithful  was  describ- 
ed; here  his  external  activity.  It  is  not,  there- 
fore, without  good  reason  that  they  appear  in 
their  actual  order  —  that  of  the  Virgins  first, 
and  of  the  Talents  follo\ving — since  it  is  the 
sole  condition  of  a  profitable  outward  activity 
for  the  Kingdom  of  God,  that  the  life  of  God 
be  diligently  maintained  within  the  heart,' 

14.  For  [the  kingdom  of  heaven  is]  as  a  man. 
The  ellipsis  is  better  supplied  by  our  translators 
in  the  corresponding  passage  of  Mark  (xiii.  34), 
"  [For  the  Son  of  man  is]  as  a  man,"  &c.,  travel- 
ling into  a  far  country  [(iTro5i//iuJuJ— or  more  sim- 
118 


ply, 'going  abroad.'  The  idea  of  long  "tarrying" 
IS  certainly  implied  here,  since  it  is  expressect  in  v. 

19.  who  called  his  own  servants,  and  delivered 
unto  them  his  goods.  Between  master  and  slaves 
this  was  not  imcommon  in  ancient  times.  Christ's 
"  servants"  here  mean  all  who,  by  their  Christian 
profession,  stand  in  the  relation  to  Him  of  entire 
subjection.  His  "goods"  mean  all  their  gifts 
and  endowments,  whether  original  or  acquired, 
natural  or  spiritual.  As  all  that  slaves  have  be- 
longs to  their  master,  so  Christ  has  a  claim  to  every- 
thing which  belongs  to  His  people,  everything 
which  may  be  turned  to  good,  and  He  demands 
its  appropriation  to  His  service ;  or,  viewing  it 
otherwise,  they  first  offer  it  up  to  Him,  as  being 
"  not  their  own,  but  bought  with  a  price"  (1  Cor. 
vi.  19,  20),  and  He  "  delivers  it  to  them"  again  to 
be  put  to  use  in  His  sei-vice.  15.  And  unto  one 
he  gave  five  talents,  to  another  two,  and  to 
another  one.  While  the  proportion  of  gifts  is  dif- 
ferent in  each,  the  same  fidelity  is  required  of  all, 
and  equally  rewarded.  And  thus  there  is  perfect 
equity,  to  every  man  according  to  his  several 
ability — his  natural  capacity  as  enlisted  in  Christ's 
service,  and  his  opportunities  in  providence  for  em- 
ploying the  gifts  bestowed  on  him.  and  straight- 
way took  his  journey.  Compare  ch.  xxi.  33,  where 
the  same  departure  is  ascribed  to  God,  after  set- 
ting up  the  ancient  economy.  In  both  cases,  it 
denotes  the  leaving  of  men  to  the  action  of  all 
those  spiritual  laws  and  influences  of  Heaven 
under  which  they  have  been  graciously  placed  for 
their  own  salvation  and  the  advancement  of  their 
Lord's  kingdom.  16.  Then  he  that  had  received 
the  five  talents  went  and  traded  with  the  same 
[ei'/oyacra-ro]  —  expressive  of  the  activity  which 
he  put  forth,  and  the  labour  he  bestowed,  and 
made  them  other  five  talents.  17.  And  likewise 
he  that  had  received  two  [to.  5i5o] — rather,  'the 
two' — he  also  gained  other  two — each  doubling 
what  he  received,  and  therefore  both  equally  faith- 
ful. 18.  But  he  that  had  received  one  went  and 
digged  in  the  earth,  and  hid  his  lord's  money — 
not  misspending,  but  simply  making  no  use  of  it. 
Nay,  his  action  seems  that  of  one  anxious  that 
the  gift  should  not  be  misused  or  lost,  but  ready 
to  be  returned,  just  as  he  got  it.  19.  After  a  long 
time  the  lord  of  those  servants  cometh  and 
reckoneth  with  them.  That  any  one— within  the 
life-time  of  the  apostles  at  least — M^th  such  words 
before  them,  should  think  that  Jesus  had  given 
any  reason  to  ex]")ect  His  Second  Appearing  within 
that  period,  would  seem  strange,  did  we  not 
know  the  tendency  of  enthusiastic,  ill-regulated 
love  of    His  appearing  ever  to  take  this  turn. 

20.  And  so  he  that  had  received  five  talents 
came  and  brought  other  five  talents,  sashing, 
Lord,  thou  deliveredst  unto  me  five  talents: 
behold,  I  have  gained  besides  them  five  talents 
more.  How  beautifully  does  this  illustrate  what 
the  beloved   discixile  says   of    "  boldness   in  the 


Parable  of 


MATTHEW  XXV. 


tJiP  Talents. 


21  have  gained  besides  them  five  talents  more.  His  lord  said  unto  him, 
Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant :  thou  hast  been  faithful  over 
a  few  things,  ''I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things:  enter  thou  into 

22  'the  joy  of  thy  lord.  He  also  that  had  received  two  talents  came  and 
said.  Lord,  thou  deliveredst  unto  me  two  talents :  behold,  I  have  gained 

23  two  other  talents  besides  them.  His  lord  said  unto  him.  Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant :  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I 
will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things :  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 

24  lord.  Then  he  which  had  received  the  one  talent  came  and  said.  Lord,  I 
knew  thee  that  thou  art  an  hard  man,  reaping  where  thou  hast  not  sown, 

25  and  gathering  where  thou  hast  not  strawed:  and  I  was  afraid,  and  went 

26  and  hid  thy  talent  in  the  earth:  lo,  there  thou  hast  that  is  thine.  His 
lord  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Thou  wicked  and  slothful  servant, 
thou  knewest  that  I  reap  where  I  sowed  not,  and  gather  where  I  have 

27  not  strawed;  thou  oughtest  therefore  to  have  put  my  money  to  the 
exchangers,  and  then  at  my  coming  I  should  have  received  mine  own 

2S  with  usury.     Take  therefore  the  talent  from  him,  and  give  it  unto  him 

29  which  hath  ten  talents.  For  ''unto  every  one  that  hath  shall  be  given, 
and  he  shall  have  abundance :  but  from  him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken 

30  away  even  that  which  he  hath.  And  cast  ye  the  unprofitable  servant 
into  outer  darkness :  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 


A   D.  33. 


P  ch.  10.   40, 
42. 

ch.  24.  VT.  ! 
ch.  25.  34. 
40. 

Mark  8.  35. 
Mark  13.13. 
Luke  12.44. 
Luke  22.29, 

30. 

John  12. 25. 
2  Tim.  4.  7. 

8. 

Eev.  2.  10. 

26-28. 

Eev.  3.  21. 

Eev.  21.  7. 
«  Acts  2.  28. 

Heb.  12.  2. 

2  Tim.  2.12. 

1  Pet  1.  8. 
•■  luke  8.  13. 

John  15.  2. 

1  Cor.  15.10. 

2  Cor.  6. 1. 


day  of  judgment,"  and  his  desire  that  "when  He 
shall  appear  we  may  have  confidence,  and  not  be 
ashamed  before  Him  at  His  coming"  !  (1  John  iv. 
17 ;  il  28).  21.  His  lord  said  unto  Mm,  Well  done 
[ED] — a  single  word,  not  of  bare  satisfaction,  but 
of  warm  and  delighted  commendation.  And  from 
what  Lips  !  good  and  faithful  servant :  thou 
hast  heen  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  make 
thee  ruler  over  many  things :  enter  thou  into  the 
joy  of  thy  lord.  22.  He  also  that  had  received 
two  talents  came  and  said,  Lord,  thou  deliveredst 
unto  me  two  talents :  behold,  I  have  gained  two 
other  talents  besides  them.  23.  His  lord  said  unto 
him.  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant: 
thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I 
will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things.  Both 
are  commended  in  the  name  terms,  and  the  re- 
icard  of  both  is  precisely  the  same.  (See  on  v. 
15. )  Observe  also  the  contrasts :  '  Thou  hast 
been  faithful  as  a  servant;  now  be  a  ruler — 
thou  hast  been  entrusted  with  a  few  things  ;  now 
Lave  dominion  over  many  things.'  enter  thou  into 
the  Joy  of  thy  lord— thy  Lord's  own  joy.  (See  John 
XV.  11;  Heb.  xiL  2.)  24.  Then  he  which  had 
received  the  one  talent  came  and  said.  Lord,  I 
knew  thee  that  thou  art  an  hard — or  '  harsh, ' 
man  [o-hXijiOos].  The  word  in  Luke  (xix.  21)  is 
"austere"  \ah<JT^p6^i\.  reaping  where  thou  hast 
not  sown,  and  gathering  where  thou  hast  not 
strawed.  The  sense  is  obvious :  '  I  knew  thou 
wast  one  whom  it  was  impossible  to  serve,  one 
whom  nothing  would  please ;  exacting  what  was 
impracticable,  and  dissatisfied  with  what  was 
attainable.'  Thus  do  men  secretly  think  of  God 
as  a  hard  Master,  and  virtually  throw  on  Htni 
the  blame  of  their  fruitlessness.  25.  And  I  was 
afraid  —  of  making  matters  worse  by  meddling 
with  it  at  all.  and  went  and  hid  thy  talent  in 
the  earth.  This  depicts  the  conduct  of  all  those 
who  shut  up  their  gifts  from  the  active  se^^'ice  of 
Christ,  without  actually  prostituting  them  to  un- 
worthy uses.  Fitly,  tlierefore,  may  it,  at  least,  com- 
prehend those,  to  whom  Trench  refers,  who,  in  tlie 
early  Church,  pleaded  that  they  had  enough  to  do 
with  their  own  souls,  and  were  afraid  oi  losing 
them  in  trying  to  save  others ;  and  so,  instead  of 
being  the  sait  of  the  earth,  thought  rather  of 
119 


keeping  their  own  saltness,  by  withdrawing  some- 
times into  caves  and  wildernesses,  from  all  those 
active  ministries  of  love  by  which  they  might 
have  served  their  brethren,  lo,  there  thou  hast 
that  is  thine.  26.  His  lord  answered  and  said 
unto  him.  Thou  wicked  and  slothful  servant. 
"Wicked"  or  "bad"  \J\.ovr\pe\  means  'false- 
hearted,' as  opposed  to  the  others,  who  are  em- 
phatically styled  "good  servants."  The  addition 
of  "slothful"  [oKi/rjpe]  is  to  mark  the  precise 
nature  of  his  wickedness :  it  consisted,  it  seems, 
not  in  his  doing  anything  against,  but  simply 
nothing /or  his  master.  Thou  knewest  that  I  reap 
where  I  sowed  not,  and  gather  where  I  have  not 
strawed.  He  takes  the  servant's  own  account  of 
his  demands,  as  expressing  graphically  enough,  not 
the ''^ hardness"  which  he  had  basely  imputed  to 
him,  but  simply  his  demand  of  '  a  profitaJde  return 
for  the  gift  entrusted.'  27.  thou  oughtest  there- 
fore to  have  put  my  money  to  the  exchangers 
[toIs  T|0a-7r(r$iTais] — or,  'the  bankers,'  and  then 
at  my  coming  I  should  have  received  mine 
own  with  usury  [toV-o)]— or  'interest.'  28.  Take 
therefore  the  talent '  from  him,  and  give  it 
unto  him  which  hath  ten  talents.  29.  For  unto 
every  one  that  hath  shall  be  given,  &c.  See  on 
ch.  xiii.  12.  30.  And  cast  ye —  'cast  ye  out' 
[iKfiaWe-Te,  but  the  true  reading  is  eK^aXe-re]. 
the  unprofitable  servant  [a.xpeiov\ — 'the  useless 
servant,'  that  does  his  Master  no  service,  into 
outer  darkness — '  the  darkness  which  is  outside.' 
On  this  expi'ession  see  on  ch.  xxii.  13.  there  shall 
be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  See  on  ch. 
xiii.  42. 

Remarks. — 1.  Christ's  voice  in  this  parable  is 
not,  as  in  the  former  one,  '  Wait  for  your  Lord'— 
'Love  His  appearing' — but,  as  in  that  of  the 
Pounds  (Luke  xix.  13),  "  Occupy  till  I  come." 
Blessed  is  that  servant  whom  His  Lord,  when  He 
Cometh,  shall  find— not  watching,  as  in  the  former 
parable— but  working.  2.  How  interesting  is  the 
view  here  given  of  the  relation  in  which  every 
Christian  stands  to  Christ.  Not  only  are  they  all 
"servants  of  Jesus  Christ,"  but  all  that  distio- 
guishes  each  of  them  from  all  the  rest— in  natural 
capacity  and  in  acquirements,  in  providential 
position,  influence,  means,  and  opportunities— all 


The  Last 


MATTHEW  XXV. 


Judgment. 


31  Wlien  Hlie  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels 

32  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory:  and  *  before  him 
shall  be  gathered  all  nations:   and  "he  shall  separate  them   one  from 

33  another,  as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats :  and  he  shall 
set  the  sheep  on  his  right  hand,  but  the  goats  on  the  left. 

34  Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand,  Come,  ye  blessed 
of  my  Father,  "inherit  the  kingdom  '"prepared  for  you  from  the  founda- 


A.  D.  33. 


'  Zee.  14.  5. 

Acts  1.  11. 
«  Eom.  14.10. 

2  Cor.  5.  10. 
"  E2ek.20  3S. 

Ch.  13.  49. 

"  Eom.  8.  17. 
^  1  Cor.  2.  9. 


are  Christ's ;  rendered  up  to  Him  by  them  first, 
with  their  body  and  their  spirit,  which  are  His  by 
purchase  (1  Cor.  vi.  19,  20),  and  then  given  back  by 
Him  to  them  to  be  employed  in  His  service. 
Hence  that  diversity  in  the  proportion  of  talents 
which  this  parable  represents  the  Master  as  com- 
mitting respectively  to  each  of  His  servants.  But 
3.  Since  it  is  neither  the  amount  nor  the  nature  of 
the  work  done  which  this  parable  represents  as 
rewarded,  but  the  fidelity  shown  in  the  doing  of  it, 
the  possessor  of  two  talents  has  an  equal  reward — 
proportionably  to  what  was  committed  to  him^ 
with  the  possessor  of  five.  And  thus  it  is  that  the 
most  exalted  in  intellectual  gifts,  or  wealth,  or 
opportunity — though  consecrating  all  these  in 
beautiful  fidelity  to  Christ — may  be  found  occupy- 
ing no  higher  jiosition  in  the  kingdom  above  than 
the  lowest  in  all  these  respects,  who  have  shown 
equal  fidelity  to  the  common  Master.  And  thus 
may  we  use  the  language  of  an  apostle  in  a  wider 
sense  than  that  more  immediately  intended — "  Let 
the  brother  of  low  degree  rejoice  in  that  he  is 
exalted,  but  the  rich  in  that  he  is  made  low; 
because  as  the  flower  of  the  grass  he  shall  pass 
away"  (Jas.  i.  9,  10).  4.  To  be  "cast  out  at 
the  great  day,  it  is  not  necessary  that  we  pros- 
titute our  powers  to  a  life  of  positive  wicked- 
ness :  it  is  enough  that  our  Christianity  be  merely 
negative,  that  we  do  nothing  for  Christ,  that 
we  are  found  to  have  been  unprofitable,  or  use- 
less servants  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  feut,  ah!  is  it 
indeed  so?  Then  what  numbers  are  there  within 
the  Christian  pale  whose  doom  this  seals — their 
life  perfectly  unexceptionable,  and  their  frame 
ax>parently  devout,  yet  negative  Christians,  and 
nothing  more!  But  is  not  the  principle  on  which 
such  shall  be  condemned  most  reasonable?  If 
Jesus  has  a  people  upon  earth  whom  He  deigns 
to  call  His  "mothers  and  sisters  and  brothers," 
and  those  who  claim  the  Christian  name  know 
them  not  and  treat  them  with  cold  indiffer- 
ence; if  He  has  a  cause  upon  earth  which  is 
dear  to  Him,  requiring  the  services  of  all  His 
people,  and  such  persons  ignore  it,  and  never 
lend  a  helping-hand  to  it — how  should  they 
expect  Him  to  recognize  and  reward  them  at  the 
great  day?  But  there  is  something  more  than 
righteous  disavowal  and  rejection  here.  There  is 
"indignation  and  wrath,  tribulation  and  anguish," 
in  the  treatment  here  awarded  to  the  profitless 
servant.  "  Cast  ye— thrust  ye — fling  ye  out  the 
useless  servant  into  outer  darkness;  there  shall 
be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth."  5.  The  truth 
expressed  in  the  taking  of  the  talent  from  the 
unprofitable  servant  and  giving  it  to  him  that 
had  the  ten  talents — if  we  are  to  view  it,  as  it 
would  seem  we  should,  with  reference  to  the 
future  state — is  somewhat  difficult  to  conceive. 
But  as  it  is  just  as  difficult  to  conceive  of  it  in 
relation  even  to  the  present  state,  perhaps  no- 
thing more  is  meant  by  it  than  this,  that  while 
the  useless  servants  shall  be  judicially  incapaci- 
tated from  ever  rendering  that  service  to  Christ 
which  once  thev  might  have  done,  the  faithful 
servants  of  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  richly  "supply 
their  lack  of  service." 

120 


31-46.  The  Last  Judgment.  The  close  con- 
nection between  this  sublime  scene — peculiar  to 
Matthew — and  the  two  preceding  parables  is  too 
obvious  to  need  pointing  out. 

31.  When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his 
glory — His  personal  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels 
with  him.  See  Deut.  xxxiii.  2;  Dan.  vii.  9,  10; 
Jude  14 ;  with  Heb.  i.  6 ;  1  Pet.  iii.  22.  {Lachmann, 
Tischendorf,  and  Tregelles  omit  the  word  07101 — 
"holy" — but,  as  we  read  the  authorities,  it  is  to 
be  retained  as  genuine.]  then  shall  he  sit  upon 
the  throne  of  his  glory— the  glory  of  His  judicial 
authority.  32.  And  before  him  shall  be  gathered 
all  nations  {-KavTa  xd  eOia)] — or,  '  all  the  nations.' 
That  this  should  be  understood  to  mean  the  hea- 
then nations,  or  all  except  believers  in  Christ,  will 
seem  amazing  to  any  simple  reader.  Yet  this  is 
the  exposition  of  Olshauseti,  Stier,  Keil,  Alford 
(though  latterly  with  some  diffidence),  and  of  a 
number,  though  not  all,  of  those  who  hold  that 
Christ  will  come  the  Second  Time  before  the  Mil- 
lennium, and  that  the  saints  will  be  caught  up  to 
meet  Him  in  the  air  before  His  Appearing.  Tlieir 
chief  argument  is,  the  impossibility  of  any  that 
ever  knew  the  Lord  Jesus  wondering,  at  the  Judg- 
ment Day,  that  they  should  be  thought  to  have 
done — or  left  undone — anything  "unto  Christ." 
To  that  we  shall  advert  when  we  come  to  it.  But 
here  we  may  just  say,  that  if  this  scene  do  not 
describe  a  personal,  public,  final  judgment  on  men, 
according  to  the  treatment  they  have  given  to 
Christ — and  consequently  men  within  the  Chris- 
tian pale — we  shall  have  to  consider  again  whether 
our  Lord's  teaching  on  the  greatest  themes  of 
human  interest  does  indeed  possess  that  incom- 
parable simplicity  and  transparency  of  meaning 
which,  by  universal  consent,  has  been  ascribed 
to  it.  If  it  be  said.  But  how  can  this  be  tlie 
General  Judgment,  if  only  those  within  the 
Christian  pale  be  embraced  by  it? — we  answer. 
What  is  here  described,  as  it  certainly  does  not 
meet  the  case  of  all  the  family  of  Adam,  is  of 
course  so  far  not  general.  But  we  have  no  right 
to  conclude  that  the  whole  "Judgment  of  the 
great  day"  will  be  limited  to  the  points  of  view 
here  presented.  Other  ex]ilanations  will  come  up 
in  the  course  of  our  exposition  and  following  Re- 
marks, and  he  shall  separate  them — now  for  the 
first  time ;  the  two  classes  having  been  mingled  all 
along  up  to  this  awful  moment — as  a  shepherd 
divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats  (see  Ezek. 
xxxiv.  17.)  33.  And  he  shall  set  the  sheep  on  his 
right  hand— the  side  of  honour  (1  Ki.  ii.  19;  Ps. 
xlv.  9;  ex.  1,  &c.)— hut  the  goats  on  the  left — the 
side  consequently  of  dishonour. 

34.  Then  shall  the  King.  Magnificent  title,  here 
for  the  first  and  only  time,  save  in  parabolical  lan- 
guage, given  to  Himself  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
that  on  the  eve  of  his  deepest  hxmiiliation !  It  is 
to  intimate  that  in  then  addressing  the  heirs  of  the 
kingdom  He  will  put  on  all  His  rerial  majesty. 
say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand,  Come  [AeDre] 
— the  same  sweet  word  with  which  He  had  so 
long  invited  all  the  weary  and  heavy  laden  to 
come  unto  Him  for  rest.  Now  it  is  addressed 
exclusively  to   such   as   ?iave   come    and   found 


The  Lad 


MATTHEW  XXV. 


Judgment, 


35  tion  of  the  world:  for  ""I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat:  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink:  ^I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in: 

36  naked,  ^and  ye  clothed  me:  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me:  "I  was  in 

37  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me.  Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him, 
saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  and  fed  thee  ?  or  thirsty,  and 

38  gave  thee  drink  ?    When  saw  we  thee  a  stranger,  and  took  thee  in  ?  or 

39  naked,  and  clothed  thee'^    Or  when  saw  we  thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and 

40  came  unto  thee  ?  And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them,  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  *  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of 
these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me. 

41  Then  shall  he  say  also  unto  them  on  the  left  hand,  '"Depart  from  me, 
ye  cursed,  into  '^everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  *the  devil  and  his  angels: 


A.  D.  33. 


*  Isa.  58.  7. 
Ezek.  18.  T. 

2  Tim.  1.16. 
Jas.  1.  £T. 

*  Heb.  la  a 

3  John  5. 
'  Jas.  2.  15. 

"  2  Tim.  1.1  a 
«>  Pro  14  SI. 

Pro.  19.  17. 

Heb.  c.  10. 
«  Ps.  6.  s. 

i  ch  13. 4a 

«  2  Pet.  2.  4. 
Jade  6. 


rest,     rt  is  still  "Come,"  and  to  "rest"  too;  but 
to  rest  in  a  higher  style,  and  in  another  region. 
ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom 
prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation   of   the 
world.    The  whole  story  of  this  their  blessedness 
is  given  by  the  apostle,  in  words  which  seem  but 
an  expansion  of  these:  "Blessed  be  the  God  and 
Father   of    our    Lord    Jesus    Christ,    who   hath 
blessed  us  with  all  siiiritual  blessings  in  heavenly 
places   in  Christ ;    according  as  He  hath   chosen 
ns  in  Him  before  the  foimdation  of  the  world, 
that    we    should    be    holy    and    without    blame 
before  Him  in  love."     They  were  chosen  from 
everlasting  to  the  possession  and  enjoyment  of 
all  spiritual  blessings  in  Christ,  and  so  chosen  in 
order  to  be  holy  and  blameless  in  love.     This  is 
the  holy  love  whose  practical  manifestations  the 
King  is  about  to  recount  in  detail ;  and  thus  we 
see  that  their  whole  life  of  love  to  Christ  is  the 
fruit   of   an   eternal  Xjurjiosc  of   love  to  them  in 
Christ.    35.  For  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave 
me  meat:  .  .  .  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink: 
...  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in :    3S.  Naked, 
and  ye  clothed  me :  .  .  .  sick,  and  ye  visited  me : 
.  .  .  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me.    37-39.  Then 
shall  the  righteous   answer  him,  saying,  Lord, 
when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  and  fed  thee?  &c. 
40.  And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto 
them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,   Inasmuch  as  ye 
have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my 
brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me.    Astonishing 
dialogue  this  between  the  King,  from  the  Throne  of 
His  glory,  and  His  wondering  people !     "  I  was  an 
hungered,  and  ye  gave  ^Me  meat,'  &c. — '  Not  we,' 
they  reply,  '  We  never  did  that,  Lord :  We  were 
born  out  of  due  time,  and  enjoyed  not  the  privi- 
lege of  ministering  unto  Thee.'     '  But  ye  did  it  to 
these  My  brethren,   now  beside  you,  when   cast 
upon  your  love. '     '  Truth,   Lord,   but  was  that 
doing  it  to  Thee?    Thy  name  was  indeed  dear  to 
xis,  and  we  thought  it  an  honour  too  great  to  sufl'er 
shame  for  it.      When   among  the   destitute  and 
distressed  we  discerned  any  of  the  household  of 
faith  J   we  will   not   deny  that    our  hearts  leapt 
within  us  at  the  discovery,  and  when  their  knock 
came  to  our  dwelling,  "our  bowels  were  moved," 
as  though  "otu-  Beloved  Himself  had  put  in  His 
hand  by  the  hole  of  the  door."_  Sweet  was  the 
fellowship  we  had  with  them,  as  if  we  had  "enter- 
tained angels   unawares ;"  all  difference  between 
giver  and  receiver  somehow  melted  away  under 
the  beams  of  that  love  of  Thine  which  knit  us 
together ;  nay  rather,  as  they  left  us  with  grati- 
tude for  our  poor  givings,  we  seemed  the  debtors— 
not  they.     But,  Lord,  were  we  all  that  time  in 
company  with  Thee?'     'Yes,  that  scene  was  all 
with  Me,'  replies  the  King—'  Me  in  the  dispiise 
of  My  poor  ones.     The  door  shut  against  Me  by 
others  was  opened  by  you'—"  Ye  took  Me  in, ' 
121 


Apprehended  and  imprisoned  by  the  enemies  of 
the  truth,  ye  whom   the  truth  had  made  free 
sought  Me  out  diligently  and  found  Me;  visiting 
Me  in  My  lonely  cell  at  the  risk  of  your  own 
lives,  and  cheering  My  solitude:  ye  gave  JNle  a 
coat,  for  I  shivered  ;  and  then  I  felt  warm.     Witli 
cups  of  cold  water  ye  moistened  My  parched  lips  ; 
when  famished  with  hunger  ye  supplied  Me  "with 
crusts,  and  My  spirit  revived—"  Ye  did  it  'Unto 
Me."     What  thoughts  crowd  upon  us  as  we  listen 
to  such  a  description  of  the  scenes  of  the  Last 
Judgment !     And  in  the  light  of  tliis  view  of  the 
heavenly  Dialogue,  how  bald  and  wretched,  not 
to  say  unscriptural,  is  that  view  of  it  to  which  we 
referred  at  the  outset,  which  makes  it  a  Dialogue 
between  Christ  and  heathens  who  never  heard  of 
His  namOj  and  of  course  never  felt  any  stirrings  of 
His  love  in  their  hearts !     To  us  it  seems  a  poor, 
superficial  objection  to  the  Christian  \ie\y  of  thi.g 
scene,  that  Christians  could  never  be  supjiosed  to 
ask  such  questions   as  the   "  blessed  of  Christ's 
Father"   are  made  to  ask  here.     If  there  were 
any  difficulty  in  explaining  this,  the  difficulty  of 
the  other  view  is  such  as  to  make  it,  at  least, 
insufferaVjle.     But  there  is  no  real  difficulty.     The 
surprise  expressed  is  not  at  their  being  told  that 
they  acted  from  love  to  Christ,  but  that  Chri.st 
Himself  was    the  Personal     Ohject  of    all   their 
deeds :  —  that  they  found  Htm  hungry,  and  sup- 
plied Him  with  food ;  that  they  brought  water  to 
Him,   and  slaked  His  thirst;  that   seeing  Him 
naked    and   shivering,    they   put  wai-m   clothing 
upon  Him,  paid  Him  visits  when  lying  in  prison 
for  the  truth,  and  sat  by  His  bedside  when  laid 
down  with  sickness.     This,  this  is  the  astonishing 
interpretation  which  Jesus  says  "  the  King"  will 
give  to  them  of  their  own  actions  here  below. 
And  will  any  Christian  reply,   '  How  could  tliis 
astonish  them?     Does  not  every  Christian  know 
that  He  does  these  very  things,  when  He  does 
them  at  all,  just  as  they  are  here  represented? 
Nay,   rather,  is   it   conceivable  that  they  shouUl 
7iot  be  astonished,   and  almost  doubt  their  own 
ears,  to  hear  such  an  account  of  their  own  actions 
upon  earth  from  tlie  lips   of  the  Judge?    And  re- 
member, that  Judge  has  come  in  His  glory,  and  now 
sits  upon  the  Throne  of  His  gloi-y,  and  all  the  holy 
angels  are  with  Him;  and  that  it  is  from  those 
glorified  Lips  that  the  words  come  forth,  '  Ye  did 
all  this    unto  ^Me.'     0   can  we  imagine  such   a 
word  addressed  to  ourselves,  and  then  fancy  our- 
selves replying,  '  Of  course  we  did— To  whom  else 
did  we  anything?    It  must  be  others  than  we  that 
are  addressed,  who  never  knew,  in  all  their  good 
deeds,  what  they  were  about'?    Bather,  can  we 
imagine  ourselves  not  overpowered  with  astonish- 
ment, and  scarcely  able  to  credit  the  testimony 
borne  to  us  by  the  King? 
41.  Then  shall  he  say  also  unto  them  on  tha 


The  Last 


MATTHEW  XXV. 


Judgment. 


42  for  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  no  meat :  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye 

43  gave  me  no  drink :  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  not  in :  naked,  and 

44  ye  clothed  me  not :  sick,  and  in  prison,  and  ye  visited  me  not.  Then  shall 
they  also  answer  him,  saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  or 
athirst,  or  a  stranger,  or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  did  not  minister 
unto  thee  ?  Then  shall  he  answer  them,  saying,  Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
•^Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  not  to 
me.  And  ^ these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment:  but  the 
risrhteous  into  life  ''eternal. 


45 


46 


A.  D.  33. 


/ 

Fro. 

11.  31 . 

Pro. 

ir.  5. 

Zee. 

2.8. 

Acts  9.  5. 

V 

Dan 

12.  2. 

John  6. 29. 

Rom 

.  2.7. 

Eev. 

20.  10, 

15. 

h 

Eev. 

3.  21. 

Eev. 

7.  l.i. 

left  hand,  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  ever- 
lasting fire,  prepared  for  tlie  devil  and  his  angels : 
42,  43.  For  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  no 
meat,  &c.  44.  Then  shall  they  also  answer  him, 
saying.  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  &c., 
and  did  not  minister  unto  thee  ?  45.  Then  shall 
he  answer  them,  saying,  Verily  I  say  unto  you. 
Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of  the  least  of 
these,  ye  did  it  not  to  me.  '  As  for  you  on  the 
left  hand,  ye  did  nothing  for  Me.  I  came  to  you 
also,  but  ye  knew  Me  not ;  ye  had  neither  warm 
atfections  nor  kind  deeds  to  bestow  upon  Me :  I 
was  as  one  despised  in  your  eyes.'  '  In  our  eyes, 
Lord?  We  never  saw  Thee  before,  and  never, 
sure,  behaved  we  so  to  Thee.'  '  But  thus  ye 
treated  these  Httle  ones  that  believe  in  Me  and 
now  stand  on  My  right  hand.  In  the  disguise 
of  these  poor  members  of  Mine  I  came  solicit- 
ing your  pity,  but  ye  shut  up  your  bowels  of 
compassion  from  Me:  I  asked  relief,  but  ye 
had  none  to  give  Ale.  Take  back  therefore 
your  own  coldness,  your  own  contemptuous 
distance:  Ye  bid  Me  away  from  your  presence, 
and  now  I  hid  you  from  Mine — Depart  from  Me, 
ye.  cursed!''  46.  And  these  shall  go  away— these 
"cursed"  ones.  Sentence,  it  should  seem,  was 
first  pronounced — in  the  hearing  of  the  wicked — 
upon  the  righteous,  who  thereupon  sit  as  assessors 
in  the  judgment  upon  the  wicked  (I  Cor.  vi.  2); 
but  sentence  is  first  executed,  it  should  seem,  upon 
the  wicked,  in  the  sight  of  the  righteous — whose 
glory  will  thus  not  be  beheld  by  the  wicked,  while 
their  descent  into  "  their  own  place"  will  be  wit- 
nessed by  the  righteous,  as  Bengel  notes,  into 
everlasting  punishment  [NoXao-tv  alwviov] — or,  as 
in  V.  41,  "  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil 
and  his  angels."  Compare  ch.  xiii.  42;  2  Thes.  i. 
9,  &c.  This  is  said  to  be  "  prepared  for  the  de\dl 
and  his  angels,"  because  they  were  "first  in  trans- 
gression." But  both  have  one  doom,  because  one 
unholy  character.  See  on  Mark  L  21-39,  Eemark 
I.  but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal  [$a)?';i/ 
aid)VLov\ — 'life  everlasting.'  The  word  in  both 
clauses,  being  in  the  original  the  same,  should 
have  been  the  same  in  the  translation  also.  Thus 
the  decisions  of  this  awfid  day  wiU  be  final,  ir- 
reversible, unending.  "  The  Lord  grant,"  to  both 
the  writer  and  his  readers,  "that  they  may  find 
mercy  of  the  Lord  in  that  day  ! "  (2  Tim.i.  18). 

Remarks. — 1.  What  claims  does  "  the  Son  of 
Man"  here  put  forward  for  HimseK!  He  is  to 
come  in  His  own  glory ;  all  the  holy  angels  are  to 
come  with  Him;  He  is  to  take  his  seat  on  the 
Throne,  and  that  the  Throne  of  His  own  glory;  all 
nations  are  to  be  gathered  before  Him ;  tlie  awfiil 
separation  of  the  two  gi-eat  classes  is  to  be  His 
doing ;  the  word  of  decision  on  both — "  Ye  blessed ! " 
"Ye  cursed!"  and  the  word  of  command  to  the 
one,  "Come!"  to  the  other,  "Depart!" — 'To  the 
Kingdom ! '  'To  the  flames ! ' — all  this  is  to  be  Hw 
doing.  But  most  astonishing  of  all.  The  blissfid 
or  btighted  eternity  of  each  one  of  both  classes  is 
suspended  upon  his  treatment  of  Ilim—is  made  to 
122 


turn  upon  those  mysterious  ministrations  from  age 
to  age  to  the  Lord  of  glory,  disguised  in  the  persons 
of  those  who  love  His  Name :  '  Ye  did  thus  and 
thus  unto  Me — Come,  ye  blessed !  Ye  did  it  not 
to  Me — Depart,  ye  cursed ! '  In  that  "  me"  lies  an 
emphasis,  the  strength  of  which  only  the  scene 
itself  and  its  everlasting  issues  wiU.  disclose. 
Verily,  "God  is  Judge  Himself"  (Ps.  1.  6);  but 
it  is  God  in  flesh,  God  in  One  who  is  "  not  ashamed 
to  call  us  Brethren."  2.  What  a  practical  char- 
acter is  here  stamped  upon  Christ's  service!  It 
is  not,  'Ye  had  it  m  your  hearts,'  but  'Ye  did  it 
with  your  hands.'  It  is  the  love  of  Christ  in  the 
heart  rushing  to  the  eyes,  ears,  hands,  feet— going 
in  search  of  Him,  hastening  to  embrace  and  to 
cherish  Him,  as  He  wanders  through  this  bleak 
and  cheerless  world  in  His  persecuted  cause  and 
needy  people.  O  what  has  this  done,  and  wbac 
will  it  yet  do,  to  bless  and  to  beautify  this  fallen 
world !  Lo !  He  casts  His  entire  cause  in  the  earth 
upon  the  love  of  His  people.  His  own  poverty  was 
to  have  an  end,  but  His  Church  in  its  poverty  was 
to  take  His  place.  His  Personal  conflict  "  finisned," 
that  of  His  cause  was  then  only  to  begin.  The 
whole  Story  of  His  necessities  and  endurances  from 
the  world  was  to  he  repeated  in  the  Church,  which 
was  to  "  fill  up  that  which  was  behind  of  the  afflic- 
tions of  Christ"  (Col.  i  24).  And  what  conde- 
scension is  there  in  identifying  Himself  with  "  thk 
LEAST  of  His  brethren,"  holding  Himself  to  be  the 
Person  to  whom  anything  whatever  is  done  that  is 
done  to  the  humblest  and  the  meanest  of  them. 
Nor  let  it  be  overlooked,  as  Webster  and  Wilkinson 
beautifully  remark,  that  the  assistance  to  the 
sick  and  imprisoned  here  is  not  healing  and 
release,  which  only  few  could  render,  but  just 
that  which  all  could  bestow — visitation,  sympathy, 
attention.  (See  Exod.  ii.  11 ;  1  Ki.  xvii.  10-15;  Jer. 
XXX.  7-13 ;  Acts  xvi.  15 ;  2  Tim.  i.  16-18 ;  3  J  ohn 
5-8.)  3.  Here  also,  as  in  the  former  parable,  we 
are  taught  that  a  life  of  positive  wickedness  is  not 
necessary  to  rejection  at  the  gi-eat  day.  It  is 
enough  that,  according  to  the  former  parable, 
we  do  nothing  for  Christ ;  and  according  to  the 
present  one,  that  we  recognize  Him  not  in  His 
cause  and  people,  and  do  not  to  them  as  would 
be  due  to  Himself,  if  Personally  present,  sufiering 
and  dependent.  And  will  not  this  set  the  eyes 
and  ears  of  those  who  love  Him  astir  to  seek 
Him  out,  and  catch  His  tones — in  the  thin  dis- 
guises in  which  He  still  deigns  to  walk  amongst 
us — and  make  us  tremble  at  the  thought  of  turn- 
ing Him  away  from  our  door,  or  passing  Him  by 
on  the  other  side?  Perhaps  James  Montgomery  s 
charming  comment  on  this  scene  may  help  ua 
here : — 

A  poor  wayfaring  man  of  grief 
Hath  often  crossed  me  in  my  way. 
Who  asked  so  humbly  for  relief 
That  I  could  never  answer,  "  Nay  :" 
1  had  not  power  to  ask  Ills  name, 
Wlilther  he  went  or  whence  ho  came. 
Yet  was  tliere  something  in  his  eye 
Tliat  won  my  love,  I  knew  not  wiiy. 


Chrisf  s  final 


MATTHEW  XXVI. 


amwiincement  of  his  death. 


26     AND  it  came  to  pass,  wlieii  Jesus  had  finished  all  these  sajdngs,  he 

2  said  unto  his  disciples,  ye  "know  that  after  two  days  is  the  feast  of  the 
passover,  and  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  to  be  crucified. 

3  Then  ^assembled  together  the  chief  priests,  and  the  scribes,  and  the 
elders  of  the  people,  unto  the  palace  of  the  high  priest,  who  was  called 
Caiaphas,  and  consulted  that  they  might  take  Jesus  by  subtilty,  and 
kill  him.  But  they  said,  Not  on  the  feast  day,  lest  there  be  an  uproar 
among  the  people. 

Now  'when  Jesus  was  in  ''Bethany,  in  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper, 
there  came  unto  him  a  woman  having  an  alabaster  box  of  very  precious 
ointment,  and  poured  it  on  his  head,  as  he  sat  at  meat.  But  Svhen  his 
disciples  saw  it,  they  had  indignation,  saying.  To  what  purpose  is  this 
waste  ?     For  this  ointment  might  have  been  sold  for  much,  and  given  to 

10  the  poor.     When  Jesus  understood  it,  he  said  unto  them.  Why  trouble 

1 1  ye  the  woman  ?  for  she  hath  wrought  a  good  work  upon  me.     For  •'^ye 

12  have  the  poor  always  with  you  ;  but  ^me  ye  have  not  always.  For  in 
that  she  hath  poured  this  ointment  on  my  body,  she  did  it  for  my 
burial.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  ''Wheresoever  this  gospel  shall  be 
preached  in  the  whole  world,  there  shall  also  this,  that  this  woman  hath 
done,  be  told  for  a  memorial  of  her. 

Then  ^ one  of  the  twelve,  called  Judas  •'Iscariot,  went  unto  the  chief 
priests,  and  said  unto  them,  *^What  will  ye  give  me,  and  I  will  deliver 
him  unto  you?  And  they  covenanted  with  him  for  thirty  pieces  of 
silver.     And  from  that  time  he  sought  opportunity  to  betray  him. 

Now  Hhe  first  day  of  iho.  feast  of  unleavened  bread  the  disciples  came 
to  Jesus,  saying  unto  him,  Where  wilt  thou  that  we  prepare  for  thee  to 

18  eat  the  passover?  And  he  said.  Go  into  the  city  to  such  a  man,  and  say 
unto  him.  The  Master  saith.  My  time  is  at  hand ;  I  will  keep  the  passover 

19  at  thy  house  with  my  disciples.  And  the  disciples  did  as  Jesus  had 
appointed  them ;  and  they  made  ready  the  passover. 

20  Now  when   the    even   was    come,   he    sat    down   with    the   twelve. 

2 1  And  as  they  did  eat,  he  said.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  That  one  of  you 

22  shall  betray  me.     And  they  were  exceeding  sorrowful,  and  began  every 

23  one  of  them  to  say  unto  him.  Lord,  is  it  I?  And  he  answered  and  said, 
'"He  that  dippeth  his  hand  with  me  in  the  dish,  the  same  shall  betray 


13 


14 
15 

16 
17 


A.  D.  33. 


CHAP.  2fi. 
"  Mark  14  I 

Luke  22.  1. 

John  13.  1. 
6  Ps.  2.  2. 

John  11.  47. 

Acts  4.  25. 
0  Mark  14.  3. 

John  11.  1, 
2 

John  12.  3. 
d  ch.  21.  ir. 
°  John  12.  4. 
/  Deut.  15.11. 

Pro  22.  2. 

Mark  14.  7. 

John  12.  8. 
^  ch.  18.  211. 

John  8.  21. 

John  13.  Z\ 

John  14.  in. 

John  10.  5, 

28. 

John  17  II. 
Acts  3.  2i. 
Acts  19.  11. 

*  Mark  13.10. 
Luke  24.47. 
Kom.  1.  8, 
Eom.  10.13. 
CoL  1.  G. 

23. 

1  Tim.  2  6. 
'■  Mark  14. 111. 

Luke  22.  3. 

John  13  2. 
J  ch.  10.  4. 

*  Zee.  U.  12. 
ch.  27.  3 

'  Ex.  12   6. 
Lev.  23.  5. 
6. 
™  Ps.  41.  9. 

Luke  22.  21. 
John  .3. 18. 


Once,  when  my  scanty  meal  was  spread, 
He  entered  ;— not  a  word  he  spake; — 
Just  perishing  for  want  of  breail ; 
'  UCNORT,  AND      I  gave  Iiim  all ;  he  blest  it,  bral<e, 
TK  FED  lu;.''      And  ate,— but  gave  me  part  agnin 
Mine  was  an  angel's  portion  tlicn. 
For  while  1  fed  with  eager  haste 
That  crust  was  manna  to  my  taste. 

I  spied  him  where  a  fountain  burst 
Clear  from  the  rock ;  his  strength  was  gone ; 
The  heedless  water  mocked  his  thirst, 
'TninsTT,  Axn      He  heard  it,  saw  it  hurrying  on : 
YF.  GAVK  MU      I  ran  to  raise  the  suftererup; 
DEiMt."  Thrice  fnini  the  stream  lie  drained  my  cup, 

Dipt,  and  returned  it  running  o'er: 
1  drank,  and  never  thirsted  more. 

'A  Str.wger,      Twas  night;  the  floods  were  out;  it  blew 
AKD  YE  TOOK      A  winter  hurricane  aloof; 
MK  IN."  I  lieard  his  voice  abroad,  and  flew 

To  bid  him  welcome  to  my  roof 
'Naked,    and      I  warm'd,  I  cloth'd,  I  cheer'd  my  euest ; 
YE  CLOTHED      Laid  him  on  my  own  coucli  to  rest; 
iiK."  Tlien  made  the  hearth  my  bed,  and  seem'd 

In  Eden's  garden  while  I  dream'd. 

Stript,  wounded,  beaten,  nigh  to  deatli, 
I  found  liim  by  the  highway-side; 
'  Sick,  and  tr     Kevived  liis  spirit,  and  supplied 
visiTLDME."      Wine,  til,  refreshment :  he  was  heal'd. 
I  liad  myself  a  wound  conceal'd. 
Bui  from  that  hour  forgot  the  smart, 
And  peace  bound  up  my  broken  lieart. 

123 


In  prison  I  saw  him  next,  condemn'd 
To  meet  a  traitor's  doom  at  morn  ; 
The  tide  of  lying  tongues  I  stemm'd, 
"  In       Pr'sov,      And  honour'd  him  'midst  shame  and  scorn; 
AND  Yi-  <AMB      5Iy  friendship's  utmost  zeal  to  try, 
DMo  HE."  He  ask'd  if  I  for  Him  would  die : 

The  flesh  was  weak,  my  blood  ran  chill, 
But  the  free  spirit  cried,  "  I  will." 

Then  in  a  moment  to  my  view 
The  stranger  darted  from  disguise 
The  tokens  in  his  hands  I  knew. 
My  Saviour  stood  before  mine  eyes : 
He  spake,  and  my  poor  name  He  nam'd ; 
"  Of  Jle  thou  hast  not  been  asham'd 
These  deeds  shall  thy  memorial  be; 
Fear  not,  thou  didst  them  unto  Me." 

4  If  the  concluding  words  of  this  chapter,  ex- 
pressly intended  to  teach  the  duration  of  future 
bliss  and  future  woe — personal  and  conscious— do 
not  proclaim  them  to  be  both  alike  unending, 
what  words,  supposing  our  Lord  meant  to  teacli 
this,  could  possibly  do  it?  And  shall  we  venture — 
on  the  strength  of  our  own  notions  of  what  is  just 
or  worthy  of  God — to  tamper  with  His  teaching  of 
Whom  the  Father  hath  said,  "This  is  My  Beloved 
Son,  in  Whom  I  am  well  pleased  :  Hear  Him"? 
CHAP.    XXVI.    1-16.— Christ's    Final    An- 

NOUNCEMENT    OF    HlS    DeATH,     AS    NOW    "WITHIN- 

Two  Days,  and  the  simultaneous  Conspiracy 


The  agony  hi 


MATTHEW  XXVI. 


the  garden. 


26 


30 
31 


me.  The  Son  of  man  goetli  "as  it  is  written  of  him :  but  "woe  unto  that 
man  by  whom  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed !  it  had  been  good  for  that 
man  if  he  had  not  been  born.  Then  Judas,  which  betrayed  him,  answered 
and  said,  Master,  is  it  I  ?     He  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast  said. 

And  as  they  were  eating,  ''Jesus  took  bread,  and  ^blessed  it,  and  brake 
it,  and  gave  2^^  to  tlie  disciples,   and  said,  Take,  eat;  this  *  is  my  body. 

27  And  he  took  the  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and  gave  it  to  them,  saying, 

28  Drink  ye  all  of  it;  for  ''this  is  my  blood  "of  the  new  testament,  which  is 

29  shed  'for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins.  But  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not 
drink  henceforth  of  this  fruit  of  the  \'ine,  "until  that  day  when  I  drink  it 
new  with  you  in  my  Father's  kingdom. 

And  ^when  they  had  sung  an  -h}Tnn,  they  went  out  into  the  mount 
of  Olives.  Then  saith  Jesus  unto  them,  '"All  ye  shall  ""be  offended 
because  of  me  this  night:  for  it  is  written,  ^ I  will  smite  the  Shepherd, 

32  and  the  sheep  of  the  Sock  shall  be  scattered  abroad.     But  after  I  am 

33  risen  again,  "'I  will  go  before  5^ou  into  Galilee.  Peter  answered  and  said 
unto  him,  Though  all  men  shall  be  offended  because  of  thee,  yet  will  I 

34  never  be  offended.     Jesus  said  unto  him,  "Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  That 

35  this  night,  before  the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice.  Peter  said 
unto  him.  Though  I  should  die  with  thee,  yet  will  I  not  deny  thee. 
Likewise  also  said  all  the  disciples. 

Then  *cometh  Jesus  with  them  unto  a  place  called  Gethsemane,  and 
saith  unto  the  disciples.  Sit  ye  here,  while  I  go  and  pray  yonder.  And 
he  took  with  him  Peter  and  '^the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  began  to  be 
sorrowful  and  very  heavy.  Then  saith  he  unto  them,  '^My  soul  is 
exceeding  sorro^vful,  even  unto  death:  tarry  ye  here,  and  Vatch  with 
me.  And  he  went  a  little  farther,  and  fell  on  his  face,  and -Sprayed, 
saying,  ^0  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  ''let  this  cup  pass  from  me: 

40  nevertheless  'not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt.  And  he  cometh'  unto  the 
disciples,  and  findeth  them  asleep,  and  saith  unto  Peter,  \^liat !  could  ye 

41  not  watch  with  me  one  hour?    Watch  •'and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into 

42  temptation :  the  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak.  He  went 
away  again  the  second  time,  and  prayed,  saying,  0  my  Father,  if  this 
cup  may  not  pass  away  from  me,  except  I  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done. 

43  And  he  came  and  found  them  asleep  again :  for  their  eyes  were  heavy. 

44  And  he  left  them,  and  went  away  again,  and  prayed  the  third  time, 

45  saying  the  same  words.  Then  cometh  he  to  his  disciples,  and  saith  unto 
them,  Sleep  on  now,  and  take  your  rest :  behold,  the  hour  is  at  hand, 

46  and  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  sinners.  Bise,  let  us 
be  going :  behold,  he  is  at  hand  that  doth  betray  me. 

47  And  ^' while  he  yet  spake,  lo,  Judas,  one  of  the  twelve,  came,  and  with 
him  a  great  multitude  with  swords  and  staves,  from  the  chief  priests  and 

48  elders  of  the  people.     Now  he  that  betrayed  him  gave  them  a  sign,  say- 

49  ing,  \Vliomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  that  same  is  he:  hold  him  fast.  And 
forthwith  he  came  to  Jesus,  and  said,  Hail,  Master!  'and  kissed  him. 

50  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  ^  Friend,  wherefore  art  thou  come  ?    Then  came 

51  they,  and  laid  hands  on  Jesus,  and  took  him.     And,  behold,  '"^one  of 


36 
37 

38 

39 


A.  D.  33. 


"  Gen.  3.  15. 

Ps.  22.  1. 

Isa.  63.  I. 

Dan.  9  2(1. 

Acts  26.  22. 

1  Cor.  15.  3. 
°  John  17.12. 
P  1  Cor.  11.23. 
1  Many 

Greek 

copies 

have,  gave 

thanks. 

Mark  6  41. 

1  Or,  repre- 
sents. 

1  Cor.  10.  4. 

iCor.  10.16. 
^  Ex.  24.  8. 

Lev.  17.  It. 
"  Jer.  31.  31. 
<  Eom.  5.  15. 

Heb  9.  22. 
«  Acts  10.  41. 
«  Mark  14.26. 

2  Or,  psalm. 
""  John  16  32. 
*  oh.  11.  6. 

y  Zee.  13.  r. 
»  ch  2?.  7. 

Mark  16.  7. 
"■  Luke  22.34. 

John  13.  3S. 
b  John  18.  1. 
"  ch.  4.  21. 
ri  John  12  27. 
"  1  Pet.  5.  S. 
/  Mark  14  36. 

Luke  22  42. 

Heb.  5.  7. 
"  John  12.  27. 
''  ch.  20.  22. 

John  18. 11. 
i  2Sani.l5.26. 

John  5.  30. 

John  6.  33. 

Phil  2.  8. 
J  Mark  13  33. 

Mark  14.38. 

Luke  22. 40. 

1  Cor.  16.13. 
k  Mark  14.  4.''. 

Luke  22.47. 

John  18.  3. 

Acts  1.  16. 
'  2  Sam.  ro.  9. 

3  Compan- 
ion. 

Ps.  41.  9. 

Ps.  55.  13. 
""John  18.10. 


OF  THE  jEv/i.sn  Authorities  to  compass  it — 
The  Anointing  at  Bethany— Judas  agrees 
WITH  the  Chief  Priests  to  Betray  His  Lord. 
(=  Mark  xiv.  1-11;  Liike  xxii.  1-6;  John  xii.  1-11.) 
For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  xiv.  1-11. 

17-30. — Preparation  for  and  Last  Celebra- 
tion OF  THE  Passover,  Announcement  of  the 
Traitor,  and  Institution  of  the  Supper.  (= 
Mark  xiv.  12-26;  Luke  xxii.  7-23;  John  xiii.  1-3, 
10,  11,  18-30.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Luke 
xxii.  7-23. 

12i 


31-35. — The  Desertion  of  Jesus  by  His  Dis- 
ciples, and  the  Fall  of  Peter  foretold. 
(  =  Mark  xiv.  27-31;  Luke  xxii.  31-46;  John  xiii. 
36-38. )    For  the  exposition,  see  on  Luke  xxiL  31-38. 

36-46. — The  Agony  in  the  Garden.  (=  Mark 
xiv.  32-42 ;  Luke  xxii.  39-46. )  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Luke  xxii.  39-46. 

47-56. — Betrayal  and  Apprehension  of  Jesus 
— Flight  of  His  Disciples.  ( =  Mark  xiv.  43-52; 
Luke  xxii.  47-54 ;  John  x^dii.  1-12. )  For  the  ex- 
position, see  on  John  xviii  1-12. 


Jesus  arraigned 


MATTHEW  XXVII. 


before  the  Sanhedrim. 


53 


GO 
61 

62 


64 


them  which  were  with  Jesus  stretched  out  his  hand,  and  drew  his  sword, 
and  stiaick  a  servant  of  the  high  priest,  and  smote  off  his  ear.  Then 
said  Jesus  unto  him,  '^Put  up  again  thy  sword  into  his  place:  "for  all 
they  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the  sword.  Thinkest  thou  that 
I  cannot  now  pray  to  my  Father,  and  he  shall  presently  give  me  ''more 

54  than  twelve  legions  of  angels?  But  how  then  shall  *the  Scriptures  be 
fulfilled,  that  thus  it  musb  be? 

55  In  that  same  hour  said  Jesus  to  the  multitudes,  Are  ye  come  out  as 
against  a  thief  with  swords  and  staves  for  to  take  me?     I  sat  daily  with 

56  you  teaching  in  the  temple,  and  ye  laid  no  hold  on  me.  But  all  this  was 
done,  that  the  'scriptures  of  the  prophets  might  be  fulfilled.  Then  ''all 
the  disciples  forsook  him,  and  fled. 

57  And  Hhey  that  had  laid  hold  on  Jesus  led  him  away  to  Caiaphas  the 

58  high  priest,  where  the  scribes  and  the  elders  were  assembled.  But  Peter 
followed  him  afar  off  unto  the  high  priest's  palace,  and  went  in,  and  sat 

59  with  the  servants,  to  see  the  end.  Now  the  chief  priests,  and  elders,  and 
all  the  council,  sought  false  witness  against  Jesus,  to  put  him  to  death; 
but  found  none:  yea,  though  "many  false  witnesses  came,  yet  found  they 
none.  At  the  last  came  ^two  false  witnesses,  and  said,  'Y\\mJeUoic  said, 
'"I  am  able  to  destroy  the  temple  of  God,  and  to  build  it  in  three  daj's. 
And  the  high  priest  arose,  and  said  unto  him,  Answerest  thou  nothing? 

63  what  is  it  xfhich  these  witness  against  thee?  But  ^ Jesus  held  his  peace. 
And  the  high  priest  answered  and  said  unto  him,  ^I  adjure  thee  by  the 
living  God,  that  thou  tell  us  whether  thou  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God. 
Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Thou  hast  said:  nevertheless,  I  say  unto  you, 
^Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of  man  "sitting  on  the  right  hand  of 

65  power,  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven.  Then  the  high  priest  ''rent 
his  clothes,  saying,  He  hath  spoken  blasphemy ;  what  further  need  have 

66  we  of  witnesses?  behold,  now  ye  have  heard  his  blasphemy.     Wliat  tliink 

67  ye?  They  answered  and  said,  "^He  is  guilty  of  death.  Then  ''did  they 
spit  in  his  face,  and  buffeted  him;  and  *  others  smote  him  with  ^tlie 

68  palms  of  their  hands,  saying,  -^Prophesy  unto  us,  thou  Christ,  Who  is  he 
that  smote  thee  ? 

69  Now  Peter  sat  without  in  the  palace :  and  a  damsel  came  unto  him, 

70  saying,  Thou  also  wast  with  Jesus    of  Galilee.     But  he  denied  before 

71  them  all,  saying,  I  know  not  what  thou  sayest.  And  when  he  was  gone 
out  into  the  porch,  another  maid  saw  him,  and  said  unto  them  that 

72  were  there,  This  fellow  was  also  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth.     And  again  he 

73  denied  with  an  oath,  I  do  not  know  the  man.  And  after  a  while  came 
unto  him  they  that  stood  by,  and  said  to  Peter,  Surely  thou  also  art  one 

74  of  them;  for  thy  speech  bewray eth  thee.  Then  began  he  to  curse  and  to 
swear,  saying,  I  know  not  the  man.  And  immediately  the  cock  crew. 
And  Peter  remembered  the  word  of  Jesus,  which  said  unto  him,  Before 
the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice.  And  he  went  out,  and  "wept 
bitterly. 

WHEN  the  morning  was  come,  "all  the  chief  priests  and  ciders  of 
the  people  took  counsel  against  Jesus  to  put  him  to  death :  and  when 
they  had  bound  him,  they  led  him  away,  and  ''delivered  him  to  Pontius 
Pilate  the  governor. 

Then  "^Judas,  which  had  betrayed  him,  when   he  saw  that   he 


75 


27 

2 


was 


A.  D.  33. 

"  1  Cor  4.  12. 
0  Gen  9.  C. 

Eev.  13.  10 
P  2  Ki.  6.  17. 

Ps.  91.  11. 

Dan.  7.  10. 
9  Isa.  63.  7. 

Dan.  9.  26. 
»■  Lam.  4.  20. 

*  John  18.  15. 
«  Mark  14.13. 

Luke  22. 54. 

"  1  Ki.  21.  10. 

Ps.  27.  12. 

"  Deut.  19. :  5. 
*"  ch.  27.  40. 
Jolin  2.  19. 

*  Isa.  53.  7. 
ch.  27.  12. 

y  Lev.  5.  1. 

1  Sam.  14.24. 
'  Ps.  110.  1. 

Dan.  7.  13. 

John  1.  51. 

Pom.  14  10. 

lThes4.l6. 

Pev.  1.  7. 
"  Ps.  110.  1. 

Acts  7.  55. 
>>  2  Ki.  18.  o7. 

2  Ki.  19.  1. 
"  Lev.  24.  10. 

John  19.  7. 
d  Isa.  5U.  e. 

Isa.  53.  3. 

ch.  27.  30. 

Mark  14.6.5. 

Luke  18.32. 
'  Wic.  5.  1. 

Luke  22.63. 

*  Or,  rods. 

/  Mark  14.65. 
0  2Sam.  12  13. 

Zee  12.  10. 

Pom.  7.  18- 
20. 

1  Cor.  4.  7. 

2  Cor.  7.  10. 
Gal.  6.  1. 


CHAP.  27. 
"  Ps.  2.  2. 

Mark  15.  1. 

Luke  22.06. 

Luke  23.  1. 

John  18.28. 
b  ch,  20.  19. 

Acts  3.  13. 

lTbes.2.14. 
"  Job  20.  5. 

ch.  21).  14. 

Mark  14.10, 
11,  43-40. 

Luke  22.  2- 
6,  47.  48. 

2  Cor  7.  10. 


57-75.— Jesus  Arraigned  before  the  Sanhe- 
drim, Condemned  to  Die,  and  Shamefully 
Entreated — The  Fall  of  Peter.  (  =  Mark 
xiv.  53-72;  Luke  xxii.  54-71;  John  xviii.  13-18, 
24-27. )    For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  xiv.  63-72. 

CHAP.  XXVIL     1-10.— Jesus  led   away  to 
Pilate- Eemorse  and  Suicide  of  Judas.    ( = 
Mark  sv.  1;  Luke  x-s.iii.  1;  Jolin  x>-iii.  23.) 
125 


_  Jesus  Led  Away  to  Pilate  (1-2).     For  the  exposi- 
tion of  tliis  portion,  see  on  John  xviii.  2S,  &c. 

Eemorse  and  Suicide  of  Judas  (3-10).  This  por- 
tion is  peculiar  to  Matthew.  On  the  progress  of 
guilt  in  the  traitor,  see  on  Mark  xiv.  1-11,  Kemaik 
8 ;  and  on  John  xiii.  21-30. 

3.  Tlien  Judas,  wMeh  had  betrayed  him,  when 
he  saw  that  he  was  ccndemned.    The  coudeimia- 


Vemorse  and 


MATTHEW  XXVII. 


suicide  of  Judas. 


condemned,  repented  himself,  and  brought  again  the  thirty  pieces  of 

4  silver  to  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  saying,  I  have  sinned  in  that  I  have 
betrayed  the  innocent  blood.     And  they  said,  ^Vliat  is  that  to  us?  see 

5  thou  to  that.     And  he  cast  down  the  pieces  of  silver  in  the  temple,  ''and 
G  departed,  and  went  and  hanged  himself.     And  the  chief  priests  took  the 

silver  pieces,  and  said,  It  is  not  lawful  for  to  put  them  into  the  treasury, 

7  because  it  is  the  price  of  blood.     And  they  took  counsel,  and  bought 

8  with  them  the  potter's  field,  to  bury  strangers  in.     Wherefore  that  field 

9  was  called,  The  field  of  blood,  unto  this  day.  Then  was  fulfilled  that 
which  was  spoken  by  Jeremy  the  prophet,  saying,  *And  they  took  the 
thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the  price  of  him  that  was  valued,  ^  whom  they  of 

10  the  children  of  Israel  did  value,  and  gave  them  for  the  potter's  field, 
as  the  Lord  appointed  me. 


A.  D  3f 

d  1  Sam.  31. 
4,  5. 
2f=am.l7  'IS. 
Job   2.  a 
Job.  7.  15. 
I'S.  55,  2H. 

Acts  1.  18. 

"  Zee.  11.  12, 
13. 
Ch,  26.  15. 

1  Or,  whom 
they 

bought  of 
the  chil- 
dren of 
Israel. 


tion,  even  thougli  Dot  unexpected,  miglit  well  fill 
him  with  horror.  But  i^erhaps  this  unhappy  man 
expected  that,  while  he  got  the  bribe,  the  Lord 
would  miraculously  escape,  as  He  had  once  and 
again  done  before,  out  of  His  enemies'  power ;  and 
if  so,  his  remorse  would  come  upon  him  with  all 
the  greater  keenness,  repented  Mmself — but,  as 
the  issue  too  sadly  showed,  it  was  "  the  sorrow  of 
the  world,  which  worketh  death"  (2  Cor.  vii.  10). 
and  brouglit  again  tlie  thirty  pieces  of  silver  to 
the  chief  priests  and  elders.  A  remarkable  illus- 
tration of  the  power  of  an  awakened  conscience. 
A  short  time  before,  the  promise  of  this  sordid  pelf 
was  temptation  enough  to  his  covetous  heart  to 
outweigh  the  most  overwhelming  obligations  of 
duty  and  love ;  now,  the  possession  of  it  so  lashes 
him  that  he  cannot  use  it,  cannot  even  keep  it! 

4.  Saying,  I  have  sinned  in  that  I  have  betrayed 
the  innocent  blood.  What  a  testimony  this  to 
Jesus !  Judas  had  been  with  Him  in  all  circum- 
stances for  three  years ;  his  post,  as  treasurer  to 
Him  and  the  Twelve  (John  xii  6),  gave  him  peculiar 
opportunity  of  watching  the  spirit,  disposition,  and 
habits  of  his  Master ;  while  his  covetous  nature  and 
thievish  practices  would  incline  him  to  dark  and 
suspicious,  rather  than  frank  and  generous,  inter- 
pretations of  all  that  He  said  and  did.  Ii,  then, 
he  could  have  fastened  on  one  questionable  feature 
in  all  that  he  had  so  long  witnessed,  we  may  be 
sure  that  no  such  speech  as  this  would  ever  have 
escaped  his  lips,  nor  would  he  have  been  so  stung 
with  remorse  as  not  to  be  able  to  keep  the  money 
and  survive  his  crime.  And  they  said,  What  is 
that  to  us?  see  thou  to  that: — 'Guilty  or  in- 
nocent is  nothing  to  us:  We  have  him  now — 
begone!'    Was  ever  speech  more  hellish  uttered? 

5.  And  he  cast  down  the  pieces  of  silver.  The 
sarcastic,  diabolical  reply  which  he  had  got,  in 
l)lace  of  the  sympathy  which  perhaps  he  expected, 
would  deepen  his  remorse  into  an  agony,  in  the 
temple  {kv  tw  vaw] — the  temple  proper,  commonly 
called  'the  sanctviary,'  or  'the  holy  place,'  into 
which  only  the  priests  might  enter.  How  is 
this  to  be  explained?  Perhaps  he  flung  the 
money  in  after  them.  But  thus  were  fulfilled 
the  words  of  the  prophet — "I  cast  them  to 
the  potter  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  "  (Zee.  xi.  13). 
and  departed,  and  went  and  hanged  himself. 
See,  for  the  details,  on  Acts  L  IS.  6.  And  the 
chief  priests  took  the  silver  pieces,  and  said, 
It  is  not  lawful  for  to  put  them  into  the 
treasury  ^Kopfiuvdv] — 'the  Corhan,^  or  chest  con- 
taining the  money  dedicated  to  sacred  piu'iDOses 
(see  on  ch.  xv.  5) — because  it  is  the  price  of 
blood.  How  scrupulous  now!  But  those  punc- 
tilious scruples  made  them  unconsciously  fulfil  the 
Scripture.  7.  And  they  took  counsel,  and  bought 
with  them  the  potter's  field,  to  bury  strangers  in. 

12o 


8.  Wherefore  that  field  was  called,  The  field  of 
blood,  unto  this  day.  9.  Then  was  fulfilled  that 
which  was  spoken  by  Jeremy  the  prophet,  saying 
(Zee.  xi.  12,  13),  And  they  took  the  thirty  pieces 
of  silver,  the  price  of  him  that  was  valued,  whom 
they  of  the  children  of  Israel  did  value,  10.  And 
gave  them  for  the  potter's  field,  as  the  Lord  ap- 
pointed me.  Never  was  a  comj^licated  prophecy, 
otherwise  hopelessly  dark,  more  marvellously  fnl- 
filled.  Various  conjectui'es  have  been  formed  to 
account  for  Matthew's  ascribing  to  Jeremiah  a 
prophecy  found  in  the  book  of  Zechariah.  But 
since  with  this  book  he  was  plainly  familiar,  hav- 
ing quoted  one  of  its  most  remarkable  prophecies 
of  Christ  but  a  few  chapters  before  (ch.  xxi.  4,  5), 
the  question  is  one  more  of  critical  interest  than 
real  importance.  Perhaps  the  true  explanation  is 
the  foUowiug,  from  Lightfoot: — 'Jeremiah  of  old 
had  the  first  place  among  the  proi^hets,  and  hereby 
he  comes  to  be  mentioned  above  all  the  rest  in  ch. 
xvi.  14 ;  because  he  stood  first  in  the  volume  of  the 
prophets  (as  he  proves  from  the  learned  David 
Kimchi)  therefore  he  is  first  named.  When,  there- 
fore, Matthew  produceth  a  text  of  Zechariah  under 
the  name  of  Jeremy,  he  only  cites  the  words  of  the 
volume  of  the  prophets  under  his  name  who  stood 
first  in  the  volume  of  the  prophets.  Of  which  sort 
is  that  also  of  our  Saviour  (Luke  xxiv.  44),  "All 
things  must  be  fulfilled  which  are  written  of  me 
in  the  Law,  and  the  Prophets,  and  the  Psalms," 
or  the  Book  of  Hagiograpna,  in  which  the  Psalms 
were  placed  first. ' 

Remarks. — 1.  The  mastery  acquired  by  the  pas- 
sions is,  probably  in  every  case,  gradual.  In  the 
case  of  Judas — the  most  appalling  on  record — it 
must  have  been  very  gradual ;  otherwise  it  is  incred- 
ible that  he  should  have  been  such  a  constant  and 
E remising  follower  of  our  Lord  as  to  be  admitted 
y  Him  mto  the  number  of  the  Twelve,  and  that 
he  should  not  only  have  been  allowed  to  remain 
within  that  sacred  circle  to  the  last,  but  have 
remained  undiscovered  in  his  true  character  to 
the  Eleven  till  after  he  had  sold  his  Master,  and 
even  within  an  hour  of  his  consummated  treason. 
What  a  lesson  does  this  read  to  the  self-confident, 
to  resist  the  beginnings  of  sinful  indulgence!  2. 
"The  love  of  money,  when  it  becomes  the  ruling  pas- 
sion, blinds — as  does  every  other  passion — the  mind 
of  its  victim,  which  is  only  to  be  opened  by  some 
unexpected  and  disappointing  event.  3.  The  true 
character  of  repentance  is  determined  neither  by 
its  sincerity  nor  by  its  bitterness,  but  by  the  views 
under  which  it  is  wrought.  Judas  and  Peter  re- 
pented, it  should  seem,  with  equal  sincerity  and 
equal  pungency,  of  what  they  had  done.  But  the 
one  "went  and  hanged  himself;"  the  other  "went 
out  and  wept  bitterly."  Whence  this  difference? 
The  one,  under  the  sense  of  his  guilt,  had  nothing 


Jesiis  again 


MATTHEW  XXVII. 


hejore  Pilate. 


11 


12 
13 
U 

15 
16 
17 

18 

19 


20 


And  Jesus  stood  before  the  governor:  and  -^the  governor  asked  him, 
saying,  Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  ^Thou 
sayest.  And  when  he  was  accused  of  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  ''he 
answered  nothing.  Then  said  Pilate  xiuto  him,  'Hearest  thou  not  how 
many  things  they  witness  against  thee?  And  he  answered  him  to  never 
a  word ;  insomuch  that  the  governor  marvelled  greatly. 

Now  ■'at  that  feast  the  governor  was  wont  to  release  unto  the  people  a 
prisoner,  whom  they  would.  And  they  had  then  a  notable  prisoner, 
called  Barabbas.  Therefore,  when  they  were  gathered  together,  Pilate 
said  unto  them,  Whom  will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you  ?  Barabbas,  or 
Jesus  which  is  called  Christ?  For  he  knew  that  for  *enyy  they  had 
delivered  him. 

When  he  was  set  down  on  the  judgment  seat,  his  wife  sent  unto  him, 
saying,  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  just  man :  for  I  have  suffered 
many  things  this  day  in  'a  dream  because  of  him. 

But '"  the  chief  priests  and  elders  persuaded  the  multitude  that  they 

21  should  ask  Barabbas,  and  destroy  Jesus.  The  governor  answered  and 
said  unto  them,  Whether  of  the  twain  will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you  ? 

22  They  said,  Barabbas.  Pilate  saith  unto  them,  What  shall  I  do  then  ^vith 
Jesus  which  is  called  Chinst  ?     They  all  say  unto  him.  Let  him  be  cruci- 

23  fied.     And  the  governor  said.  Why,  what  evil  hath  he  done?    But  they 

24  cried  out  the  more,  saying,  Let  him  be  crucified.  When  Pilate  saw  that 
he  could  prevail  nothing,  but  that  rather  a  tumult  was  made,  he  "took 
water,  and  washed  his  hands  before  the  multitude,  saying,  I  am  innocent 

25  of  the  blood  of  this  just  person :  see  ye  to  it.     Then  answered  all  the 

26  people,  and  said,  "His  blood  be  on  us,  and  on  our  children.  Then 
released  he  Barabbas  unto  them:  and  when  ^he  had  scourged  Jesus, 
he  delivered  him  to  be  crucified. 

27  Then  the  soldiers  of  the  governor  took  Jesus  into  the  ^common  hall, 

28  and  gathered  unto  him  the  whole  band  of  soldiers.     And  they  stripped 

29  him,  and  *put  on  him  a  scarlet  robe.  And  '^when  they  had  platted  a 
crown  of  thorns,  they  put  it  upon  his  head,  and  a  reed  in  his  right  hand : 
and  they  bowed  the  knee  before  him,  and  mocked  him,  saying,  Hail, 

30  King  of  the  Jews!     And  *they  spit  upon  him,  and  took  the  reed,  and 


A.  D.  33. 

/  Mark  15.  2. 

Luke  :;3.  3. 

John  18.  33. 
"  John  18  3/. 

1  Tim.  6  13. 
ft  Isa.  53.  7. 

Ch.  26.  03. 

John  19.  9. 

1  Pet  2.  23. 
<■   ch.  26.  62. 

John  19  10. 
;'  Mark  16.  0^ 

Luke  23. 17* 

John  18.  39. 
*  Acts  7.  9. 

1  Job  33.  16. 

'"Mark  I5.il. 

Luke  23.  18. 

John  18.40. 

Acts  3.  14. 
"  Deut.  21.  0. 
°  Deut.  19.10. 

Jos.  2.  19. 

1  Ki.  2.  32. 

2  Sam.  1  IG. 
P  Isa.  63.  5. 

Mark  15. 15. 
John  19.  1. 

2  Or, 
governor's 
housC. 

8  Luke  2.3. 11. 
"■  P».  35.15,10. 

Ps.  69.  19. 

Isa.  49.  7. 

Isa.  53.  3. 

Jer.  20.  7. 

Heb.  12.2  3. 
'  Job  30.  10. 

Isa.  50.  6. 

Isa.  52.  14. 

Mark  15. 19. 

Luke  18.32, 
33. 


to  fall  back  upon ;  and  deeming  pardon  for  such  a 
wretcli  utterly  hopeless,  and  unable  to  live  with- 
out it,  he  hasted  to  tei-minate  with  his  own  hand 
a  life  of  insupportable  misery.  The  other,  having 
done  a  deed  which  might  well  have  made  him 
incapable  of  ever  again  looking  his  Lord  in  the 
face,  nevertheless  turned  toward  Him  his  giulty 
eyes,  when,  lo !  the  Eye  of  his  wounded  Lord, 
glancing  from  the  hall  of  judgment  full  down  upon 
himself,  with  a  giief  and  a  tenderness  that  told 
their  own  tale,  shot  right  into  his  heart,  and 
brought  from  it  a  flood  of  jienitential  tears!  In 
the  one  case  we  have  natural  principles  working 
themselves  out  to  deadly  efiect ;  in  tlie  other,  we 
see  grace  working  repentance  unto  salvation,  not 
to  be  repented  of.  4  What  a  vivid  illustration 
have  we  nere  of  the  reality  of  supernatural  iUumi- 
nation  and  the  divine  truth  of  the  Scriptures,  as 
also  of  the  consistency  of  the  divine  arrangements 
with  the  liberty  of  the  himian  will  in  executing 
them!  Here  we  have  a  prophet,  five  centuries 
before  the  bii'th  of  Christ,  personating  Messiah, 
in  bidding  the  Jewish  authorities  give  him  his 
price,  if  they  thought  good,  and  if  not,  to  forbear ; 
whereupon  they  weigh  him  for  his  pi-ice  the  exact 
sum  agreed  upon  between  Judas  and  the  chief 
priests  for  the  sale  of  his  Lord — thii-ty  pieces  of 
silver.  Then,  the  Lord  bids  him  cast  this  to  the 
potter;  adding,  with  sublime  satire,  "  A  goodly 
price  that  I  was  prized  at  of  them!"  "Whereupon 
127 


he  takes  the  'thirty  pieces  of  silver,  and  casts  them 
to  the  potter  in  tlie  house  of  the  Lord'  (Zee.  xi. 
12,  13).  Now,  each  of  these  acts  was  so  unessen- 
tial to  the  main  bxisiness,  that  they  might  have 
been  quite  different  from  what  they  were,  without 
in  the  least  affecting  it.  Our  Lord  might  have 
been  identified  and  apprehended  without  being 
betrayed  by  one  of  His  apostles ;  for  the  plan  was 
first  suggested  to  the  authorities  by  Judas  offer- 
ing, for  a  consideration,  to  do  it.  And  when 
agreed  to,  the  sum  offered  and  accepted  might 
have  been  more  or  less  than  that  actually  agreed 
on.  But  so  it  was,  that  of  their  own  accord  they 
bargained  with  Judas  for  jjrecisely  the  j)redicted 
thirty  pieces  of  silver.  Nor  was  this  all.  For,  as 
the  consciences  of  those  holy  hypocrites  M'ould 
have  been  hurt  by  putting  the  price  of  blood  into 
the  treasury,  and  therefore  it  must  be  put  to  some 
pious  use,  they  resolve  to  buy  with  it '  the  potter's 
field"  as  a  burial -gi'ound  for  strangers— thus  again 
imconsciously,  and  with  marvellous  minuteness, 
fulfilling  a  prediction  five  centuries  old,  and  so 
setting  a  double  seal  on  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus ! 

11-26.— Jesus  again  before  Pilate— He  seeks 
TO  Release  Him,  but  at  length  delivers  Him 
TO  be  Crucified.  (  =  Markxv.  1-15;  Lukexxiii. 
1-25;  Johnxviii  28-40.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on 
Luke  xxiii.  1-25,  and  on  John  xviii.  28-40. 

27-33.— Jesus,  ScoRNruLLy  and  Cruelly  En- 
treated OF  the    SoLDIEIiS,  IS    LED  AWAY  TO  BE 


Crucifixion  and  death 


MATTHEW  XXVII. 


of  the  Lord  Jesus. 


31  *  smote  him  ou  the  head.  And  after  that  they  had  mocked  him,  they 
took  the  robe  off  from  him,  and  jmt  his  own  raiment  on  him,  ''and  led 
him  away  to  crucify  him. 

32  And  ^as  they  came  out,  ''they  found  a  man  of  C3Tene,  Simon  by  name : 

33  him  they  compelled  to  bear  his  cross.     And  when  they  were  come  unto 

34  a  place  called  Golgotha,  that  is  to  say,  A  place  of  a  skull,  they  ^gave 
him  vinegar  to  drink  mingled  with  gall :  and  when  he  had  tasted  thereof, 

35  he  would  not  drink.  And  they  crucified  him,  and  parted  his  gar- 
ments, casting  lots:  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by 
the  prophet,  They  ^parted  my  garments  among  them,  and  upon   my 

36  vesture  did  they  cast  lots.     And  sitting  down  they  watched  him  there ; 

37  and  set  up  over  his  head  his  accusation  written,  THIS  IS  JESUS  THE 

38  KING  OF  THE  JEWS.  Then  Svere  there  two  thieves  crucified  with 
him ;  one  on  the  right  hand,  and  another  on  the  left. 

39,      And  "they  that  passed  by  reviled    him,  wagging  their  heads,  and 

40  saying,  ^Thou  that  destroyest  the  temple,  and  bulkiest  it  in  three  days, 
save  thyself.     If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  come  down  from  the  cross. 

41  Likewise  also  the  chief  priests,  mocking  him,  with  the  scribes  and  elders, 

42  said,  He  saved  others ;  himself  he  cannot  save.  If  he  be  the  King  of 
Israel,  let  him  now  come  down  from  tlie  cross,  and  we  will  believe  him. 

43  He  trusted  in  God;  let  him  deliver  him  now,  if  he  will  have  him:  for 

44  he  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God.  The  '^thieves  also,  which  were  crucified 
with  him,  cast  the  same  in  his  teeth. 

45  Now  ^from  the  sixth  hour  there  was  darkness  over  all  the  land  unto 

46  the  ninth  hour.  And  about  the  ninth  hour  ■''Jesus  cried  with  a  loud 
voice,  saying,  Eli!  Eli!  lama  sabachthani?  that  is  to  say,  ^My  God!  My 

47  God!  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?    Some  of  them  that  stood  there,  when 

48  they  heard  that,  said.  This  m,an  calleth  for  Elias.  And  straightway  one 
of  them  ran,  and  took  a  sponge,  ''and  filled  it  with  vinegar,  and  put  it  on 

49  a  reed,  and  gave  him  to  drink.  The  rest  said.  Let  be,  let  us  see  whether 
Ehas  will  come  to  save  him. 

50  Jesus,  when  he  had  cried  again  with  a  loud  voice,  yielded  up  the 
ghost. 

51  And,  behold,  Hhe  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  in  twain  from  the  top 


A.  D.  33. 


«  Mic.  5.  1. 

Mark  15. 19. 

Luke  22.63, 
"  Isa.  63.  7. 

ch.  20.  19. 

Ch   21.  39. 

John  19. 16, 
17. 
"  Num.  15. 35. 

1  Ki.  21.  13. 
Acts  7.  58. 
Heb.  13.  12. 

*"  Jlark  15.21. 

*  Ps.  22.  18. 
Ps.  69.  21. 

Mark  15. 23. 
John  19.  28 
30. 
V  Ps.  22.  18. 

*  Isa.  63.  12. 
Mark  15.27. 
Luke  23.32. 
John  19.18. 

"  Ps.  22.  7. 

Ps.  109.  25. 
6  ch.  26.  61. 

John  2.  19. 
°  Ps.  22.  8. 
d  Luke  23.39. 
'  Isa.  60.  3. 

Amos  8.  9. 
/  Heb.  5.  7. 
'  Ps.  22.  1. 
A  Ps.  69.  21. 

John  19.  29. 
i  Ex.  26.  31. 

2  Ohr.  3.  14. 
Mark  15.38. 
Luke  23. 45. 
Eph.  2.  14. 

18. 

Heb  6.  19. 
Heb.  10. 19. 

20. 


Crucified.  (  =  Mark  xv.  16-22 ;  Luke  xxiii.  26-31 ; 
Jokn  xix.  2,  17. )  For  the  exposition,  see  oil  Mark 
XV.  16-22. 

34-50.— Crucifixion  and  Death  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  (  =  Mark  xv.  2o-37;  Luke  xxiii.  33-46; 
John  xix.  18-30.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on  John 
xix.  18-30. 

51-66.— Signs  and  Circumstances  following 
THE  Death  of  the  Lord  Jesus— He  is  taken 
LowN  from  the  Cross,  and  Buried  —  The 
Sepulchre  is  Guarded.  (  =  Mark  xv.  3S-47 ; 
Luke  xxiiL  47-56;  John  xix.  31-42.) 

The  Veil  Bent  (51).  51.  And,  beliold,  the  veU  of 
the  temple  was  rent  in  twain  from  the  top  to 
the  feottom.  This  was  tlie  thick  and  gorgeously 
■wrought  veil  which  was  hung  between  the  "holy 
|ilace"  and  the  "holiest  of  all,"  shutting  out  all 
access  to  the  i)resence  of  God  as  manifested  "  from 
above  the  mercyseat  and  from  between  the  cheru- 
bim:"— "the  Holy  Ghost  this  signifying,  that 
the  way  into  the  holiest  of  all  was  not  yet  made 
manifest"  (Heb.  ix.  8).  Into  this  holiest  of  all 
none  might  enter,  not  even  the  high  priest,  save 
once  a  year,  on  the  gi-eat  day  of  atonenient,  and  then 
only  with  the  blood  of  atonement  in  his  hands, 
which  he  sprinkled  "upon  and  before  the  mercy- 
seat  seven  times"  (Lev.  xvi  14) — to  signify  that 
access  for  sinners  to  a  holy  God  is  only  through 
atonimj  blood.  But  as  they  had  only  the  blood 
of  bulls  and  of  goats,  which  could  not  take  away 
12S 


sins  (Heb.  x.  4),  during  all  the  long  ages  that 
preceded  the  death  of  Christ,  the  thick  veil  re- 
mained ;  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  continued 
to  be  shed  and  sprinkled ;  and  once  a  year  access 
to  God  thi'ough  an  atoning  sacritice  was  vouch- 
safed— hi  a  picture,  or  rather,  was  dramatically 
represented,  in  those  symbolical  actions — nothing 
more.  But  noiv,  the  one  atoning  Sacrifice  being  pro- 
vided in  the  precious  bl  od  of  Christ,  access  to 
this  holy  God  could  no  longer  be  denied ;  and  so  the 
moment  the  Victim  expired  on  the  altar,  that 
thick  veU  which  for  so  many  ages  had  been  the 
dread  symbol  of  separation  between  God  and  guilty 
men  was,  ■\\athout  a  hand  touching  it,  mysteriously 
"  rent  in  twain  fi-om  top  to  bottom : " — "  the  Holy 
Ghost  this  signifying,  that  the  way  into  the  holiest 
of  all  was  now  made  manifest ! "  How  emphatic 
the  statement,  "from  top  to  bottom;"  as  if  to  say, 
Come  boldly  now  to  the  Throne  of  Grace ;  the  veil 
is  clean  gone;  the  Mercyseat  stands  open  to  the 
gaze  of  sinners,  and  the  Avay  to  it  is  sprinkled  with 
the  blood  of  Him — "who  through  the  eternal 
Spirit  hath  offered  Himself  without  spot  to  God  "! 
Before,  it  was  death  to  go  in,  now  it  is  death  to 
stay  out.  See  more  on  this  glorious  subject  on 
Heb.  X.  19-22. 

An  Earthqualce — The  Bochs  Rent — The  Graves 
Opened,  that  the  Saints  which  slept  in  them  might 
Come  Forth  after  their  Lord!s  Resurrection  (51-53). 
51.  and  the  earth  did  quake.    From  what  follows 


The  taking  dotni 


MATTHEW  XXVII. 


jrom  the  Cross. 


52  to  the  bottom;  and  •'the  eai-th  did  quake,  and  the  rocks  rent;  and  the 
gi'aves  were  opened;  ^aud  many  bodies  of  the  saints  which  slept  arose, 

53  And  came  out  of  the  graves  after  his  resurrection,  and  went  into  the  holy 
city,  and  appeared  unto  many. 

f)'k  Now  'when  the  centurion,  and  they  that  were  with  him  watching 
Jesus,  saw  the  earthquake,  and  those  things  that  were  done,  they  feared 
greatly,  saying,  Truly  this  was  the  Son  of  God. 

55  And  many  women  were   there   beholding  afar  off,  '"wliich  followed 

56  Jesus  from  Galilee,  ministering  unto  him:  among  "which  was  Mary 
Magdalene,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  and  Joses,  and  the  mother 
of  Zebedee's  children. 

57  When  "the  even  was  come,  there  came  a  rich  man  of  Ai'imathea,  named 

58  Joseph,  who  also  himself  was  Jesus'  disciple:  he  went  to  Pilate,  and 
begged  the  body  of  Jesus.     Then  Pilate  commanded  the  body  to  be 

59  delivered.     And  when  Joseph  had  taken  the  body,  he  wTapped  it  in  a 

60  clean  linen  cloth,  and  ^laid  it  in  liis  own  new  tomb,  which  he  had  hewn 
out  in  the  rock :  and  he  rolled  a  great  stone  to  the  door  of  the  sepulchre. 


A.  D.  33. 


i  Ex.  19.  18. 

Ps.  18.  7. 

]VEc.  1.  3,  4. 

Nah.  1.  5. 

Hab.  3. 10. 
fc  Ps.  08.  20. 

Dan.  12.  2. 

1  Cor.  11.30. 

1  Cor.  15  57. 
I  £x.  20.18,19. 

Deut.  22.31. 

Mark  16.39. 

Luke  23.  47. 
""Lukes.  2. 

Luke  23. 27, 

28,  48,  49. 

"  Mark  15.  40. 

"  Mark  15.42. 

Luke  23.  50. 

John  19.  38. 
P  Isa.  53.  9. 


it  would  seem  that  this  earthquake  was  local, 
having  for  its  object  the  rending  of  the  rocks  and 
the  opening  of  the  graves,  and  the  rocks  rent 
('  were  rent  ) — the  physical  creation  thus  sublimely 
proclaiming,  at  the  bidding  of  its  Maker,  the  con- 
cussion which  at  that  moment  was  taking  place  in 
the  moral  world  at  the  most  critical  moment  of  its 
history.  Extraordinary  rents  and  fissures  have 
been  observ^ed  in  the  rocks  near  this  spot.  52.  And 
the  graves  were  opened;  and  many  bodies  of  the 
saints  which  slept  arose,  53.  And  came  out  of 
the  graves  after  his  resurrection.  These  sleep- 
ing saints  (see  on  1  Thes.  iv.  14)  were  Old  Testa- 
ment believers,  who  —  according  to  the  usual 
punctuation  in  our  version — were  quickened  into 
resuiTcction-life  at  the  moment  of  their  Lord's 
death,  but  lay  in  their  graves  till  His  resurrection, 
when  they  came  forth.  But  it  is  far  more  natural, 
as  we  think,  and  consonant  with  other  scriptui-es, 
to  understand  that  only  the  graves  were  opened, 
probably  by  the  earthquake,  at  our  Lord's  death, 
and  this  only  in  preparation  for  the  subsequent 
exit  of  those  who  slept  in  them,  when  the 
Spirit  of  hfe  shoiUd  enter  into  them  fi-om  their 
risen  Lord,  and  along  with  Him  they  should 
come  forth,  trophies  of  His  victory  over  the 
grave.  Thus,  in  the  opening  of  the  gi'aves  at  the 
moment  of  the  Redeemer's  expiring,  there  was  a 
glorious  symbohcal  proclamation  that  the  Death 
which  had  just  taken  place  liad  "  swallowed  up 
death  in  factory;"  and  whereas  the  saints  that 
slept  in  them  were  awakened  only  by  their  risen 
Lord,  to  accompany  Him  out  of  the  tomb,  it  was 
fitting  that  "the  JPrince  of  Life"  " should  be  ^Ae 
First  that  shoxild  rise  from  the  dead "  (Acts  xxvi. 
23 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  20,  23 ;  CoL  i  18 ;  Rev.  i  5).  and 
went  into  the  holy  city— that  city  where  He,  in 
vii-tue  of  whose  resiu-rection  they  were  now  alive, 
had  been  condemned,  and  appeared  unto  many— 
that  there  might  be  undeniable  evidence  of  their 
own  resurrection  hrst,  and  through  it  of  their 
Lord's.  Thus,  while  it  was  not  deemed  fitting  that 
He  Himself  should  appear  again  in  Jerusalem,  save 
to  the  disciples,  proAision  was  made  that  the  fact 
of  His  resm-rection  should  be  left  in  no  doubt.  It 
must  be  observed,  however,  that  the  resurrection 
of  these  sleeping  satuts  was  not  like  those  of  the 
widow  of  !Nain's  son,  of  Jairus'  daughter,  of 
Lazarus,  and  of  the  man  who  "  ^e^dved  and  stood 
upon  his  feet,"  on  his  dead  body  touching  the 
bones  of  Elisha  (2  Ki.  xiiL  21) — which  were  mere 
temporary  recalliugs  of  the  departed  spirit  to  the 
mortal  body,  to  be  followed  by  a  final  aepartiu'e  of 
VOL.    V.  129 


it  "till  the  trumijet  shall  sound."  But  this  was 
a  resurrection  once  for  all,  to  life  everlasting;  and 
so  there  is  no  room  to  doubt  that  they  went  to 
glory  with  their  Lord,  as  bright  trophies  of  His 
victoiy  over  death. 

The  Centurion's  Testimony  (54).  54.  Now  when 
the  centurion — the  military  superintendent  of  the 
execution,  and  they  that  were  with  him  watch- 
ing Jesus,  saw  the  earthquake— or  felt  it  and 
witnessed  its  effects,  and  those  things  that  were 
done  —  reHecting  upon  the  entire  transaction, 
they  feared  greatly — convinced  of  the  presence 
of  a  Divine  Hand,  sajdng,  Truly  this  was  the  Son 
of  God.  There  cannot  be  a  reasonable  doubt  that 
this  expression  was  used  in  the  Jewish  sense,  and 
that  it  points  to  the  claim  which  Jesus  made  to 
be  the  Son  of  God,  and  on  which  His  condemna- 
tion expressly  turned.  The  meaning,  then,  clearly 
is,  that  He  must  have  been  what  He  professed 
to  be ;  in  other  words,  that  He  was  no  impostor. 
There  was  no  medium  between  those  two.  See, 
on  the  similar  testimony  of  the  penitent  thief — 
"This  man  hath  done  nothing  amiss" — on  Luke 
xxiiL  41. 

The  Galilean  Women  (55,  56).  55.  And  many 
women  were  there  beholding  afar  off,  which 
fo. lowed  Jesus  [i]Ko\o()Qi]arav\.  The  sense  here 
would  be  better  brought  out  by  the  use  of  the 
pluperfect,  '  which  had  followed  Jesus,'  from 
Galilee,  ministering  unto  him.  As  these  dear 
women  had  ministered  to  Him  duriag  His  glorious 
missionaiT  tours  in  Gahlee  (see  on  Luke  viii.  1-3), 
so  from  this  statement  it  should  seem  that  they 
accompanied  Him  and  ministered  to  His  wants 
from  Galilee  on  His  final  journey  to  Jerusalem. 
56.  Among  which  was  Mary  Magdalene  (see  on 
Luke  viii.  2),  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James 
and  Joses— the  wife  of  Cleophas,  or  rather  Clopas, 
and  sister  of  the  Virgin  (John  xix.  25).  See  on  ch. 
xiiL  55,  56.  and  the  mother  of  Zebedee's  chil- 
dren— that  is,  Salome :  comi^are  Mark  xv.  40. 
All  this  about  the  women  is  mentioned  for  the 
sake  of  what  is  after^^•ards  to  be  related  of  their 
purchasing  spices  to  anoint  theu-  Lord's  body. 

The  Talcing  Down  from  the  Cross  and  the  Burial 
(57-60).  For  the  exposition  of  this  portion,  see  on 
John  xix.  38-42. 

The  Women  mark  the  Sacred  Spot,  that  they 
might  recognize  it  on  coming  thither  to  Anoint  the 
Body  (61).  61.  And  there  was  Mary  Magdalene, 
and  the  other  Mary — "the  mother  of  James 
and  Joses,"  mentioned  before  {v.  56),  sitting  over 
against  the  sepulchre.    See  on  Majrk  xvi.  1. 


Ths  Sepulchre 


MATTHEW  XXVII. 


guarded. 


61  and  departed.  And  there  was  A'ary  Magdalene,  and  the  other  Mary, 
sitting  over  against  the  sepulchre. 

62  Now  the  next  day,  that  followed  the  day  of  the  preparation,  the  chief 
(jd  priests  and  Pharisees  came  together  unto  Pilate,  saying,  Sir,  we  remem- 
ber that  ^that  deceiver  said,  while  he  was  yet  alive.  After  '"three  days 

64  I  will  rise  again.  Command  therefore  that  the  sepulchre  be  made  sure 
until  the  third  day,  lest  Iiis  disciples  come  by  night,  and  steal  him  away, 
and  say  unto  the  people,   He  is  risen  from  the  dead :  so  the  last  error 

65  shall  be  worse  than  the  first.     Pilate  said  unto  them,  Ye  have  a  watch : 

66  go  your  way,  make  it  as  sure  as  ye  can.  So  they  went,  and  made  the 
sepulchre  sure,  ''sealing  the  stone,  and  setting  a  watch. 


»  fs.  2    l-G. 

Acts  4.  -n, 

28. 

•2  Cor.  0.  8. 
'  ch.  16.  21. 
Ch  17.  2!. 
ch.  20.  19. 
ch    26.  CI. 

JJark  8  31. 
Mark  10.31. 
Luke  9.  22. 
Luke  IS.  .S3. 
Dan.  6.  17. 


The   Sepulchre  Guarded   (62-66).      62.  Now  the 
next  day,  that  followed  the  day  of  the  prepara- 
tion—that is,   after  six  o'clock  of  oiir  Saturday 
evening.     The  crucifixion  took  place  on  the  Friday, 
and  all  was  not  over    till  shortly  before  sunset, 
when  the  Jewish  Sabbath  commenced;  and  "that 
sabbath  day  was  an  high  day"  (John  xix.  31),  being 
the  first  day  of   the  feast   of  Unleavened  Bread. 
That  day  being  over  at  six  on  Saturday  evening, 
they  hastened  to  take  their  measures,     the  chief 
priests  and  Pharisees  came  together  unto  Pilate, 
63.  Saying,  Sir,  we  remember  that  that  deceiver 
■ — Never,  remarks  Bengel,  will  yon  find  the  heads 
of  the  people    calling  Jesus  by  His  own  name. 
And  yet  here  there  is  betrayed  a  certain  imeasi- 
ness,  which  one  almost  fancies  they  only  tried  to 
stifle  in  their  own  minds,   as  well  as  crush  in 
Pilate's,  in  case  he  should  have  any  lurking  sus- 
picion that  he  had  done   wrong   in  jrielding  to 
them,     said,  while  he  was  yet  alive.    Important 
testimony  this,  from  the  lips  of  His  bitterest  ene- 
mies, to  the  reality  of  Chrl^fs  death;  the  corner- 
stone of  the  whole  Christian  rehgion.     After  three 
days — which,  according  to  the  customary  Jewash 
way  of    reckoning,   need    signify   no    more    than 
'after  the  commencement  of  the  third   day.'    I 
will  rise  again  [eyeipo/jiai] — '  I  rise,'  in  the  present 
tense,   thus    reporting    not    only    the  fact    that 
this   prediction   of  His  had  reached  their   ears, 
but  that  they  understood  Him  to  look  forward 
confidently   to    its    occurring    on    the    very    day 
named.      64.  Command  therefore  that  the  sepul- 
chre be  made  sure— by  a  Roman  guard,  until 
the  third  day-— after  which,   if  He    still  lay  in 
the  grave,  the  imposture  of  His  claims  would  be 
manifest  to  all.     lest  his  disciples  come  by  night, 
and  steal  him  away,  and  say  unto  the  people. 
He  is  risen  from  the  dead.    [The  word  wktoi, 
'  by   night,'   appears   by  the    authorities   not    to 
belong  to  the  genuine  text  here,  and  was  i^rob- 
ably  introduced   from   ch,  xxviii.  13.]     Did  they 
really  fear  this?    so  the  last  error  shall  be  worse 
than   the  first— the   imposture  of  His  pretended 
lesurrection  worse   than   that    of   His  j^retended 
Messiahship.     65.  Pilate  said  unto  them,  Ye  have 
a  watch.     The  guards   had  akeady  acted  under 
orders  of  the   Sanhedrim,  with    Pilate's  consent; 
but  probably  they  were  not  clear  about  employ- 
ing tnem  as  a  night-watch  without  Pilate's  exjjress 
authority,    go  your  way,  make  it  as  sure  as  ye 
can  [ois  otoa-re]- 'as  ye  know  how,'  or  in  the  way 
I    ye  deem  seciu-est.     Though  there  may  be  no  irony 
in  this  speech,  it  evidently  insinuated  that  i/ the 
event  should  be  contrary  to  their  \\dsh,  it  would 
not  be  for  want  of  sufficient  human  appliances  to 
])revent  it.     66.  So   they   went,    and   made    the 
sepulchre  sure,  sealing  the  stone— which  Mark 
(xvi.   4)   says  was   "  very  great,"    and  setting  a 
watch— to  guard  it.     What  more  could  man  do? 
Pnt  while  they  are  trjdng  to  prevent  the  resurrec- 
tion of   the  Prince   of   Life,   God  makes  use  of 
13i) 


their  precautions  for  His  own  ends.  Their  stone- 
covered,  seal-secured  sepulchre  shall  i)reserve  the 
sleeping  dust  of  the  Son  of  God  free  from  all 
indignities,  in  undisturbed,  sublime  repose ;  while 
their  watch  shall  be  His  guard  of  honour  until 
the  angels  shall  come  to  take  their  i^lace! 

Bemcirks. — 1.  How  grandly  was  the  true  nature 
of  Christ's   death   proclaimed  by  the   rending  of 
the  veil  at  the  moment  when  it  took  place!    He 
was  "by  Avicked  hands,"  indeed,  "crucified  and 
slain."    He  died,  it  is  true,  a  glorious  example  of 
suffering  "  for  righteousness'  sake."    Yet  not  these, 
nor  any  other  ex^ilanations  of  His  death,  however 
correct  in  themselves,  furnish  the  true  key  to  the 
divine  intent  of  it.     But  if  the  temple  and  its  ser- 
vices were  the   centre  and   soul  of  the  Church's 
instituted  worship   under  the  ancient  economy; 
if  that   portion    of  the  temjile    which    Avas    the 
holiest  of  all,  and  the   symbol  of  God's  dwelling 
place  among  men,  was  shut  to  every  Israelite  by 
a  thick  veil  through  which  it  was  death  to  pass, 
and  was  accessible  to  His  high-priestly  reinesen- 
tative  9nly  on  that   one  day  of  the   year  when 
he  carried  within  the  veil  tlie  blood  of  atonement, 
and  sprinkled  it  upon  and  before  that  mercyscat 
which  represented  the  Throne  of  God ;  if  on  that 
one  occasion,  and  upon  that  one  action,  in  all  the 
year,  Jehovah  manifested  Himself  in  visible  gloiy, 
as   a    God  graciously  jiresent    with    sinful   men, 
and  accepting  the  persons  and  services  of  sinful 
worshii"ipers — thus   symbolically  proclaiming  that 
without  the  shedding  of  blood  tliere  was  no  re- 
mission, and  without  remission,  no  access  to  God, 
and    no    acceptable   v.'orship— while    yet    it    was 
manifest   that   the   only   blood   which    ever  was 
shed  upon  the  Je^vish   altar,  and  sprinkled  upcm 
the  mercyseat  had  no  atoning  A-irtue  in  it  at  all, 
and  so  could  not,  and  never  did  take  away  sin ; 
and   finally,   if  after    all    this    teaching    of  the 
ancient   economy  up  to  the   moment   of  Christ's 
death,  as  to   the  necessity  and  yet  the  absence  of 
atonin";  blood,  it  came  to  pass  that  at  the  moment 
when  Christ  died— without  a  hand  touching  it — 
the  thick  veil  of  the  Temple  was   rent  in  twain 
from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  and  so  the  holiest  was 
thrown  open:    who  can  fail  to  see  that  this  was 
done  bv  a  Divine  Hand,  in  order  to  teach,  even  by 
the  naked  eye,  that  the  true  atoning  Victim  had 
now  been  slain,  and  that,  liaving  iiut  away  sin 
by  the  sacrifice  of  Himself— having  finished  the 
transgression,  and  made  an  end  of  sins,  and  made 
reconciliation  for  iniquity,  and  brought  in  everlast- 
ing righteousness,  and  sealed  up  the  vision  and  pro- 
phecy, He  had  anointed  the  holy  of  holies  (Da:i. 
IX.  24),  in  order  that  not  the  high  priest  only,  but 
every  believer,  not  once  a  year,  but  at  all  times, 
might  have  boldness  to  enter  by  the  blood  of  Jesus, 
by  the  new  and  living  way  which  He  hath  conse- 
crated for  us  through  the  veil,  that  is  to  say.  His 
own  flesh"  (Heb.  x.  19,  20).     Nor  is  it  possible  to 
give  any  tolerable  explanation  of  this  lending  of 


Angelic  announcement 


MATTHEV/  XXVIII. 


that  Chrid  is  risen. 


28      IN  the  "end  of  the  sabbath,  as  it  began  to  dawn  toward  the  first  day 

of  the  week,  came  Mary  Magdalene  *and  the  other  Mary  to  see  the 

2  sepulchre.     And,  behold,  there  ^was  a  great  earthquake:  for  Hhe  angel 

of  the  Lord  descended  from  heaven,  and  came  and  rolled  back  the  stone 


A.  D.  33. 


"  Mark  16.  i. 
^  ch.  27.  5G. 
1  had  been. 
"  Mark  10  5. 


tlie  veil  at  Christ's  death,  if  its  sacrificial,  atoning 
character  be  denied  or  explained  away.  To  talk 
of  its  signifying  the  breaking  down  of  the  wall  of 
partition  between  Jew  and  Gentile,  as  some  do, 
IS  altogether  wide  of  the  mark.  For  the  veil  was 
intended  to  shut  out,  not  Gentiles,  but  Jews  them- 
selves, fi'om  the  presence  of  God ;  and  the  liberfcjr  to 
pass  through  it  once,  but  once  only,  with  atoning 
blood,  both  showed  what  alone  would  remove  that 
veil  for  any  worshipper,  and  the  absence  of  that 
one  thing  so  long  as  the  veil  remained.  And  thus 
the  great  doctrine  of  the  sacrificial  design  and 
atoning  efficacy  of  the  death  of  Christ  was  pro- 
claimed in  the  most  expressive  symbalical  language 
at  the  moment  when  it  took  place.  2.  Do  Christians 
sufficiently  recognize  the  fact,  that  sin  is  "put 
away  "  as  a  ground  of  exclusion  from  the  favour  of 
God ;  so  that  the  most  guilty  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,  believing  this,  has  "boldness  to  enter  in 
by  the  blood  of  Jesus  "  to  -perfect  reconciliation.  As 
no  worshijiper  was  holy  enough  to  have  right  to 
go  within  that  veil  which  shut  out  the  guilty  under 
the  law,  so  no  worshipi^er  is  sinful  enough  to  be 
shut  out  from  the  holiest  of  all  who  will  enter  it 
by  the  blood  of  Jesus.  As  all  were  shut  out  alike 
under  the  law,  so  all  are  alike  free  to  enter  under 
the  Gospel  This  is  that  present  salvation  which 
Christ's  servants  are  honoured  to  preach  to  every 
sinner,  the  faith  of  which  sets  the  conscience  free, 
and  overcomes  the  world ;  but  want  of  the  clear 
apprehension  of  which  keeps  multitudes  of  sincere 
Christians  all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage. 
3.  What  a  grand  testimony  did  the  rending  of  the 
rocks  and  the  opening  of  the  graves  at  the  moment 
of  Christ's  death  bear  to  the  subsei-viency  of  all 
nature  to  the  purposes  of  Redemption !  As  when 
He  walked  the  eai-th  all  nature  was  at  His  bidding, 
so  now  at  His  Death — which  was  the  reconcilia- 
tion of  Heaven,  the  life  of  the  dead,  the  knell  of 
the  kingdom  of  darkness,  and  Paradise  regained — 
Nature  felt  the  deed,  and  heaved  sympathetic. 
4  How  beautifully  does  the  resuiTCction  of 
those  sleeping  saints  of  the  Old  Testament,  by 
virtue  of  Christ's  resurrection — that  thev  might 
grace  with  their  presence  His  exit  from  the  tomb 
— proclaim  the  unity  of  the  Church  of  the  re- 
deemed under  every  economy,  and  the  fact  that, 
whether  they  lived  before  or  live  after  Christ, 
it  is  '  because  He  lives  that  they  live  also ! '  5. 
How  remarkable  is  it  to  find  a  heathen  officer — 
who  probably  knew  little  or  nothing  of  Christ  save 
the  charge  on  which  He  was  condemned  to  die, 
that  "He  made  Himself  the  Son  of  God" — unable 
to  resist  the  evidence  which  the  scenes  of  Calvaiy 
furnished  of  His  innocence,  and  consequently  of 
the  truth  of  His  claims,  little  as  he  would  under- 
stand what  they  were ;  while  those  who  had  been 
trained  to  the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  and  had 
been  favoured  with  overpowering  evidence  of  the 
claims  of  Jesus  to  be  the  Hope  of  Israel,  were  His 
bloody  murderers !  6.  How  precious  to  Chris- 
tians should  be  those  testimonies  to  the  reality  of 
Christ's  death  which  even  His  enemies  uncon- 
sciously bore,  since  on  this  depends  the  reality  of 
His  resurrection,  and  on  both  of  these  hang  aU 
that  is  dear  to  God's  children !  So  little  did  they 
doubt  of  His  death,  that  their  only  fear— whether 
real  or  pretended— was  that  His  disciples  would 
come  and  steal  away  His  dead  body,  and  pretend 
that  He  had  risen  from  the  dead.  Then,  having 
131 


got  what  they  wanted  from  Pilate — full  power  to 
see  to  the  sealing  of  the  stone  and  the  placing 
of  a  military  guard  to  watch  it  till  the  thu-d  day 
—  they  thus  themselves  unconsciously  attested 
the  reality  of  the  resurrection  whicn,  on  the 
morning  of  the  third  day  took  place,  when,  in 
spite  of  all  their  precautions,  the  sepulchre  was 
found  empty,  and  the  grave-clothes  lying  dis- 
posed in  grand  orderliness,  as  they  had  been 
laid  calmly  aside  when  no  longer  needed !  7. 
Have  we  not  here  one  of  the  most  striking 
commentaries  imaginable  on  those  words  of  the 
Psalmist,  "  Surely  the  wrath  of  man  shall  i^raise 
thee :  the  remainder  of  wrath  shalt  thou  restrain"  ? 
(Ps.  Ixxvi.  10).  For  as  the  death  of  Christ,  which 
the  wrath  of  man  procured,  was  infinitely  to  the 
praise  of  God,  and  the  "remainder  of  that  wrath" 
might  have  extended  to  the  infliction  of  indigni- 
ties even  ivpon  the  dead  body,  had  it  been  exposed, 
it  pleased  God  to  put  it  into  the  heart  of  Pilate  to 
give  the  body  for  intei-ment  into  the  hands  of 
Jesus'  friends,  and  so  to  "restrain  the  remainder" 
of  His  enemies'  wratli  that  they  themselves  sealed 
up  the  grave  and  set  the  military  guard  over  it — 
thus  securing  its  sacred  repose  till  the  apjjoiuted 
hour  of  release.  0  the  depth  of  the  riches,  both  of 
the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God!  How  un- 
searchable are  His  judgments,  and  His  ways  past 
finding  out !  8.  How  sweet  should  be  the  grave 
to  Christ's  sleeping  saints!  Might  we  not  hear 
Him  sayinw  to  them  beforehand,  "Fear  not  to  go 
down  into  Egypt ;  for  I  will  go  down  with  you,  and 
I  will  surely  bring  you  up  again "  ?  And  indeed 
He  has  gone  down,  and  lain  in  as  cold,  and  dark, 
and  narrow,  and  repulsive  a  bed  as  any  of  you, 
O  believers,  will  ever  be  called  to  lie  down  in ; 
and  has  He  not  sweetened  the  clods  of  the  valley 
— or  haply,  the  great  deep— as  a  perfumed  bed  for 
you  to  lie  down  in? 

CHAP.  XXVHI.  145.— Glorious  Angelio 
Announcement  on  the  First  Day  of  the 
Week,  that  Christ  is  Risen— His  Appear- 
ance to  the  Women — The  Guards  Bribed  to 
give  a  False  Account  op  the  Resurrection. 
(=  Mark  xvi  1-8;  Luke  xxiv,  1-8;  John  xx.  i.) 

The  Resurrection  Announced  to  the  Women  (1-8). 
1.  In  tbe  end  of  the  sabbath,  as  it  began  to 

dawn  [oxj/e  ^e  orafipaTMv,  eTrKpoocTKoiirif] — '  After 
the  Sabbath,  as  it  grew  toward  day  fight.'  to- 
ward the  first  day  of  the  week.  Luke  (xxiv.  1) 
has  it,  "  very  early  in  the  morning"  [opQfiov  (iadeos, 
but  the  true  reading  is  ^aOt'tosl^properly,  '  at  the 
first  appearance  of  day-break ;  and  corresponding 
with  this,  John  (xx.  1)  says,  "when  it  Wfts  yet 
dark."  See  on  Mark  xvi,  2.  Not;  an  hour,  it 
would  seem,  was  lost  by  those  dear  lovers  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  came  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  other 
Mary—"  the  mother  of  James  and  Joses  "  (see  on 
ch.  xxvii.  56, 61 ),  to  see  the  sepulchre — with  a  view 
to  the  anointing  of  the  body,  for  which  they 
had  made  all  their  prejiarations.  See  on  Mark 
xvi.  1.  2.  And,  behold,  there  was— that  is,  there 
had  been,  before  the  arrival  of  the  women,  a  great 
earthquake :  for  the  angel  of  the  Lord  descended 
from  heaven,  and  came  and  rolled  back  the 
stone  from  the  door,  and  sat  upon  it.  And  this 
was  the  state  of  things  when  the  women  drew 
near.  Some  judicious  critics  think  all  this  was 
transacted  while  the  women  were  approaching; 
but  the  view  we  have  given,  which  is  the  prevalent 


Chrisfs  appearance 


MATTHEW  XXVIII. 


to  his  disci^yles. 


from  the  door,  and  sat  upon  it. 
and  his  raiment  white  as  snow: 
shake,  and  became  as  dead  men. 
the  women,  *  P'ear  not  ye ;   for  I 


His  ''countenance  was  like  lightning, 

and  for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did 

And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto 

know  that  ye  seek  Jesus,  which  was 

6  crucified.     He  is  not  here ;  for  he  is  risen,  -^as  he  said.     Come,  see  the 

7  place  where  the  Lord  lay :  and  go  quickly,  and  tell  his  disciples  that  he 
is  risen  from  the  dead;  and,  behold,  he  ^goeth  before  you  into  Galilee; 

8  there  shall  ye  see  him :  lo,  I  have  told  you.  And  they  departed  quickly 
from  the  sepulchre  with  fear  and  great  joy,  and  did  run  to  bring  his 
disciples  word. 

9  And  as  they  went  to  tell  his  disciples,  behold,  ''Jesus  met  them,  saying, 
All  hail !     And  they  came  and  held  him  by  the  feet,  and  worshippecl 

10  him.     Then  said  Jesus  unto  them.  Be  not  afraid:  go  tell  ^ my  brethren 
that  they  go  into  Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  me. 

11  Now  when  they  were  going,  behold,  some  of  the  watch  came  into  the 
city,  and  showed  unto  the  chief  priests  all  the  things  that  were  done. 

12  And  when  they  were  assembled  with  the  elders,  and  had  taken  counsel, 

13  they  gave  large  money  unto  the  soldiers,  sa5ang.  Say  ye,  His  disciples 

14  came  by  night,  and  stole  him  aioay  while  we  slept.     And  if  this  come  to 


A.  D.  33. 


d  Dan.  10  6. 

ch.  ir.  2. 

Kev.  10.  1. 

Eev.  18.  1. 
'  Isa.  35.  4. 

Dan.  10. 12. 

Mark  16.  6. 

Luke  1.  12. 

Heb.  1.  14. 

Kev  1. 17. 
/  ch  12.  40. 

ch.  16.  21. 

ch.  17.  23. 

ch.  iO.  19. 

Mark  8.  31. 

B  ch.  1:6.  32. 

Mark  16  7. 
'i  Mark  16.  9. 

John  20. 14. 

Eev.  1.  17, 
18. 
»  Eom.  8.  29. 

Heb.  2.  n. 


one,  seems  the  more  natural.  All  this  august 
preparation — recorded  by  Matthew  alone — bespoke 
the  grandeur  of  the  exit  which  was  to  follow.  The 
angel  sat  upon  the  huge  stone,  to  overawe,  with 
the  lightning-lustre  that  dai-ted  from  him,  the 
Roman  guard,  and  do  honour  to  his  rising  Lord. 
3.  His  countenance  [15ea]— or,  '  appearance,'  was 
like  lightning,  and  his  raiment  white  as  snow — 
the  one  expressing  the  glory,  the  other  the  jjurlty 
oi  the  celestial  abode  from  which  he  came.  4.  And 
for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  shake,  and  became 
as  dead  men.  Is  the  sepulchi-e  "sure"  now,  0 
ye  chief  priests  ?  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens 
doth  laugh  at  you.  5.  And  the  angel  answered 
and  said  unto  the  women.  Fear  not  ye  [Mj; 
(pofielcT^e  iinel-i].  The  "ye"  here  is  emphatic,  to 
contrast  their  case  with  that  of  the  guards.  '  Let 
those  puny  creatures,  sent  to  keep  the  Living  One 
among  the  dead,  for  fear  of  Me  shake  and  become 
as  dead  men  {v.  4) ;  but  ye  that  have  come  hither 
on  another  errand,  fear  not  ye.'  for  I  know 
that  ye  seek  Jesus,  which  was  crucified  [xov 
e(TTavpwit.evov\ — '  Jesus  the  Crucified.'  6.  He  is 
not  here ;  for  he  is  risen,  as  he  said.  See  on  Luke 
xxiv.  5-7.  Come  fAeu-re],  as  in  ch.  xi.  28,  see 
the  place  where  the  Lord  lay.  Charming  invita- 
tion !  '  Come,  see  the  spot  where  the  Lord  of  glory 
lay :  now  it  is  an  empty  grave :  He  lies  not,  but 
He  lay  there.  Come,  feast  your  eyes  on  it ! '  But 
see  on  John  xx.  12 ;  and  Remarks  below.  7.  And  go 
quickly,  and  tell  his  disciples.  For  a  precious 
addition  to  this,  see  on  Mark  s.-vi.  7.  that  he  Is 
risen  from  the  dead;  and,  toehold,  he  goeth  toefore 
you  into  Galilee — to  Avhich  those  women  belonged 
(ch.  xxvii.  55).  there  shall  ye  see  him.  This  must 
refer  to  those  more  public  manifestations  of  Him- 
self to  large  numbers  of  disciples  at  once,  which 
He  vouchsafed  only  in  Galilee;  for  individually 
He  was  seen  of  some  of  those  very  women  almost 
immediately  after  this  (v.  9,  10).  lo,  I  have  told 
you.  Behold,  ye  have  this  word  from  the  world 
of  light !  8.  And  they  departed  quickly.  Mark 
(xvi.  8)  says  "  they  fled"  from  the  sepulchre  with 
fear  and  great  joy.  How  natural  this  combina- 
tion of  feelings !  See  on  a  similar  statement  of 
Mark  xvi.  11.  and  did  run  to  bring  his  disciples 
word.  "  Neither  said  they  anything  to  any  man 
[by  the  way] ;  for  they  were  afraid  "  (Mark  xvi.  8). 
A  ppearance  to  the  Women  (9,  10).  This  appear- 
ance is  recorded  only  by  Matthew.  9.  And  as  they 
132 


went  to  tell  his  disciples,  behold,  Jesus  met  them, 
saying,  All  hail !  [Xai/ocxe]— the  usual  salute,  but 
from  the  lips  of  Jesus  bearing  a  higher  significa- 
tion. And  they  came  and  held  him  by  the  feet. 
How  truly  womanly !  and  worshipped  him.  10. 
Then  said  Jesus  unto  them.  Be  not  afraid.  What 
dear  associations  would  these  familiar  words  —now 
uttered  in  a  higher  style,  but  by  the  same  Lips — 
bring  rushing  back  to  their  recollection !  go  tell 
my  brethren  that  they  go  into  Galilee,  and  there 
shall  they  see  me.  The  brethren  here  meant  must 
have  been  His  brethren  after  the  flesh  (ch.  xiii.  55) ; 
for  His  brethren  in  the  higher  sense  (see  on  John 
XX.  17)  had  several  meetings  with  Him  at  Jeru- 
salem before  he  went  to  Galilee,  which  they  would 
have  inissed  if  they  had  been  the  persons  ordered 
to  Galilee  to  meet  Him. 

The  Guards  Bribed  (11-15).  The  whole  of  this 
important  poi-tion  is  peculiar  to  Matthew.  11. 
Now  when  they  were  going — while  the  women 
were  on  their  way  to  deliver  to  His  brethren  the 
message  of  their  risen  Lord,  behold,  some  of  the 
watch  came  into  the  city,  and  showed  unto  the 
chief  priests  all  the  things  that  were  done. 
Simple,  unsophisticated  soldiers!  How  could  ye 
imagine  that  such  a  tale  as  ye  had  to  tell  would 
not  at  once  commend  itself  to  your  sacred  em- 
ployers? Had  they  doubted  this  for  a  moment, 
would  they  have  ventm-ed  to  go  near  them, 
knowing  it  was  death  to  a  Roman  soldier  to  be 
proved  asleep  when  on  guard  ?  and  of  course  that 
was  the  only  other  exi^lanation  of  the  ease.  12. 
And  when  they  were  assembled  with  the  elders. 
But  Joseph  at  least  was  absent;  Gamaliel  prob- 
ably also ;  and  perhaps  others,  and  had  taken 
counsel,  they  gave  large  money  unto  the  soldiers. 
It  would  need  a  good  deal ;  but  the  whole  case  of 
the  Jewish  authorities  was  now  at  stake.  With 
what  contempt  must  these  soldiers  have  re- 
garded the  Jewish  ecclesiastics !  13.  Saying,  Say 
ye.  His  disciples  came  by  night,  and  stole  him 
away  while  we  slept — which,  as  we  have  ob- 
served, was  a  capital  offence  for  soldiers  on  guai'd. 
14.  And  if  this  come  to  the  governor's  ears  \eav 

aKova-Orj  tovto  eirl  tov  TJye/xoi/os] — rather,  'If 
this  come  before  the  governor ;'  that  is,  not  in  the 
way  of  mere  report,  but  for  judicial  investigation, 
we  will  persuade   him,   and  secure   you   [ijfjLei^ 

ireL<Toixev  aiiTov,  KOL  vfjLai  d/iepi/ivov^ironia-o/iiev].    The 

"we"  and  the  "you"  are  emphatic  here — 'Wq 


The  guards  bribed 


MATTHEW  XXVIII. 


15  the  governor's  ears,  we  will  persuade  him,  and  secure  you.  So  they  took 
the  money,  and  did  as  they  were  taught :  and  this  saying  is  commonly 
reported  among  the  Jews  until  this  day. 

16  Then  the  •'eleven  disciples  went  away  into  Galilee,  into  a  mountain 


by  the  chief  priests. 


A.  p.  33. 

Mark  16. 14, 
John  6.  70. 
Acts  1.  13. 
1  Cor.  15.  6. 


shall  [take  care  to]  persuade  liim  and  keep  you 
.from  trouble,'  or  '  save  you  harmless.'  The  gi-am- 
matical  form  of  this  clause  \ka.v  aKov(y^'\)  .  .  -n-ei- 
trofkevX  imphes  that  the  thmg  supposed  was  ex- 
pected to  Jiappen.  The  meaning  then  is,  '  If  this 
come  before  the  governor — as  it  likely  will — we 
shall  see  to  it  that,'  &c.  The  "  persuasion"  of 
Pilate  meant,  doubtless,  quieting  him  by  a  bribe, 
which  we  know  otherwise  he  was  by  no  means 
above  taking  (like  Fehx  afterwards.  Acts  xxiv.  26). 
15.  So  they  took  the  money,  and  did  as  they  were 
taught — thus  consenting  to  brand  themselves  with 
infamy — and  this  saying  is  commonly  reported 
among  the  Jews  until  this  day— to  the  date  of  the 
publication  of  this  Gospel.  The  wonder  is  that 
so  clumsy  and  incredible  a  story  lasted  so  long. 
But  those  who  are  resolved  not  to  come  to  the 
light  will  catch  at  straws.  Justin  Martyr,  who 
flourished  about  A.  D.  170,  says,  in  his  '  Dialogue 
with  Tryijho  the  Jew,'  that  the  Jews  dispersed 
the  story  by  means  of  special  messengers  sent  to 
every  country. 

Remarks. — 1.  If  the  Crucifixion  and  Burial  of 
the  Son  of  God  were  the  most  stupendous  mani- 
festations of  self-sacrifice.  His  Resurrection  was 
no  less  grand  a  vindication  of  His  character 
and  claims  —  rolling  away  the  reproach  of  the 
Cross,  revealing  His  Personal  dignity,  and  putting 
the  crown  upon  His  whole  claims.  (See  Rom.  i. 
4).  As  His  own  Self  bare  our  sins  in  His  own 
body  on  the  tree  (1  Pet.  ii.  24),  and  so  was  "  made 
a  curse  for  us "  (Gal.  iii.  13),  His  resurrection  was 
a  public  proclamation  that  He  had  now  made  an 
end  of  sin,  and  bi-ought  in  everlasting  righteous- 
ness (Dan.  ix.  24).  And  how  august  was  this 
proclamation!  While  His  enemies  were  watch- 
ing the  hoiirs,  in  hope  that  the  third  day  might 
see  Him  still  in  the  tomb,  and  His  loving  dis- 
ciples were  almost  in  despair  of  ever  beholding 
Him  again,  lo!  the  ground  heaves  sublime,  an 
angel,  bright  as  lightning  and  clad  in  raiment  of 
snowy  white,  descends  fi-om  heaven,  rolls  the 
huge  sealed  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre, 
and  takes  his  seat  upon  it  as  a  guard  of  honour 
from  heaven;  while  the  keepers  for  fear  of  him 
are  shaking  and  crouching  as  dead  men.  What 
then  took  place,  none  of  uie  Four  sacred  Narra- 
tors has  dared  to  describe,  or  rather,  none  of 
them  knew.  All  that  we  need  to  know  they  do 
record — that  when  the  women  arrived,  the  grave 
was  empty,  and  speedily  Jesus  Himself  stood 
before  them  in  resurrection-life  and  love  !  What 
a  glorious  Gospel-voice  issues  from  these  facts! 
O,  if  even  the  guiltiest  sinner  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  would  but  draw  near,  might  he  not  hear  a 
voice  saying  to  him,  "He  is  not  here;  for  He  has 
risen,  as  He  said.  Come,  see  the  place  where  the 
Lord  lay;"  and  as  he  looks  into  this  open  grave, 
shall  he  not  hear  the  Risen  One  Himself  whisper- 
ing to  him,  "  Peace  be  unto  thee,"  and  as  He  says 
this  "showing  him  His  hands  and  His  side,"  in 
evidence  of  the  price  paid  for  the  remission  of 
sins?  3.  How  delightfiu  a  subject  of  contempla- 
tion is  the  ministry  of  angels,  especially  in  connec- 
tion with  Christ  Himself,  and  most  of  all  in 
connection  with  this  scene  of  His  resurrection; 
where  we  not  only  find  them  hovering  around  the 
Person  of  Jesus,  as  their  own  adored  Lord,  but 
showing  the  liveliest  interest  in  every  detail,  and 
the  tenderest  care  for  the  disciples  oi  their  Lord ! 
133 


And  what  is  this  but  a  specimen  of  what  they  feel 
and  do  towards  "the  heirs  of  salvation"  of  every 
quality,  every  age,  every  clime?  4.  If  anything 
were  needed  to  complete  the  proof  of  the  reality  of 
Christ's  resurrection,  it  would  be  the  silliness  of 
the  exiplanation  which  the  guards  were  bribed  to 
give  of  it.  That  a  whole  guard  should  go  to  sleep 
on  their  watch  at  all,  was  not  very  likely;  that 
they  should  do  it  in  a  case  like  this,  where  there 
was  such  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  authorities 
that  the  grave  should  remain  undisturbed,  was  in 
the  last  degree  improbable ;  but— even  if  it  could 
be  supposed  that  so  many  disciples  should  come  to 
the  grave  as  would  suffice  to  break  the  seal,  roll 
back  the  huge  stone,  and  carry  off  the  body — that 
the  guards  should  all  sleep  soundly  enough  and 
long  enough  to  admit  of  all  this  tedious  and  noisy 
work  being  gone  through  at  their  very  side  without 
being  awoKe,  and  done  too  so  leisurely,  that  the 
very  grave  clothes— which  would  naturally  have 
been  kept  upon  the  body,  if  only  to  aid  them  in 
bearing  the  neavy  burden — should  be  found  care^ 
fully  folded  and  orderly  disposed  within  the 
tomb : — all  this  loill  not  believe  even  by  credulity 
itselfj  and  could  not  have  been  credited  even  at 
the  first,  though  it  might  suit  those  who  were 
determined  to  resist  the  Redeemer's  claims  to 
pretend  that  they  believed  it.  And  the  best  proof 
that  it  was  not  believed  is,  that  within  a  few 
weeks  of  this  time,  and  in  the  very  place  where 
the  imposture  of  a  pretended  resurrection — if  it 
really  was  such — could  most  easily  have  been  de- 
tected, thousands  upon  thousands,  many  of  whom 
had  been  implicated  in  His  death,  came  trooping 
into  the  ranks  of  the  risen  Saviour,  resting  their 
whole  salvation  upon  the  belief  of  His  Resurrec- 
tion. Now,  therefore,  is  Christ  risen  from  the 
dead,  and  become  the  First-Fruits  of  His  sleeping 
people !  5.  Let  behevers  take  the  full  comfort  of 
that  blessed  assurance,  that  "as  Jesus  died  and 
rose  again,  even  so  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus 
will  God  bring  with  Him  "  (1  Thes.  iv.  14).  "  But 
each  [e/cao-ros]  in  his  own  order,  Christ  the  first- 
fruits,  afterwards  they  that  are  Christ's  at  His 
coming"  (1  Cor.  xv.  23).  6.  The  Resurrection  of 
Christ — as  it  brought  resiu-rection-hfe  not  only 
to  believers  in  their  persons,  but  to  the  cause  of 
truth  and  righteousness  in  the  earth — should  ani- 
mate the  Church,  in  its  seasons  of  deepest  depres- 
sion, ^yith  assurances  of  resurrection,  and  encoiu-age 
it  to  sing  such  "songs  in  the  night"  as  these:  "After 
two  days  will  He  revive  us;  in  the  third  day  He  ivill 
raise  ics  up,  and  we  shall  live  in  His  sight."  "7 
shall  not  die,  but  live,  and  declare  the  works  of 
the  Lord "  (Hos.  vi.  2 ;  Ps.  cxviii.  17). 

16-20.— Jesus  Meets  with  the  Disciples  on  a 
Mountain  in  Galilee,  and  gives  forth  the 
Great  Commission.  16.  Then  the  eleven  dis- 
ciples went  away  into  Galilee  —  but  certainly 
not  before  the  second  week  after  the  resurrection, 
and  probably  somewhat  later,  into  a  mountain 
[to  oposl,  where  Jesus  had  appointed  them.  It 
should  have  been  rendered  '  the  mountain,'  mean- 
ing some  certain  mountain  which  He  had  named 
to  them— probably  the  night  before  He  suffered, 
when  He  said,  "  After  I  am  risen,  I  will  go  before 
you  into  Galilee"  (ch.  xxvi.  32;  Mark  xiv.  28). 
What  it  was  can  only  be  conjectured ;  but  of  the 
two  between  which  opinions  are  divided — the  Mount 
of  the  Beatitudes  or  Moimt  Tabor— the  former  13 


MATTHEW  XXVIII. 


Chrisis  commission  

17  where  Jesus    had   appointed  them.      And   when   they   saw   him,   they 
worshipped  him:  but  some  doubted. 

18  And  Jesus  came  and  spake  unto  them,  saying,  ^ All  power  is  given  unto 


to  His  disciples. 


A.  D.  33. 

*  Dan  7.  13. 
Kev.  19.  IG. 


mucli  the  more  probable,  from  its  nearness  to  tlie 
sea  of  Tiberias,  where  last  before  this  the  Narrative 
tells  us  that  He  met  and  dined  with  seven  of  them. 
(John  xxi.  1,  &c.)  That  the  interview  here  re- 
corded was  the  same  with  that  referred  to  in  one 
place  only— 1  Cor.  xv.  6— when  "He  was  seen  of 
above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once;  of  whom  the 
greater  part  remained  unto  that  day,  though  some 
were  fallen  asleep,"  is  now  the  opinion  of  the  ablest 
students  of  the  Evangelical  Historv.  Nothing  can 
account  for  such  a  number  as  five  hundred  assem- 
bling at  one  spot  but  the  expectation  of  some 
promised  manifestation  of  their  risen  Lord;  and 
the  promise  before  His  resurrection,  twice  repeated 
after  it,  best  explains  this  immense  gathering. 
17.  And  wlien  they  saw  him,  they  worshipped 
him:  hut  some  doubted — certainly  none  of  "the 
Eleven,"  after  what  took  place  at  previous  inter- 
views in  Jerusalem.  But  if  the  five  hundred  were 
now  present,  we  may  well  believe  this  of  some  of 
them. 

18.  And  Jesus  came  and  spake  unto  them,  say- 
ing, All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in 
earth.  19.  Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  na- 
tions [/iaejjTeuo-aTe]— rather,  '  make  disciples  of  all 
nations;'  for  "teaching,"  in  the  more  usual  sense 
of  that  word,  comes  in  afterwards,  and  is  expressed 
by  a  different  term,  baptizing  them  in  the  name 
[els  TO  ovoixa].  It  should  be,  'into  the  name:' as 
in  1  Cor.  x.  2,  "And  were  all  baptized  unto  (or 
rather  ^ into'')  Moses"  [eii  t6v  Moxj^v];  and  GaL 
iii.  27,  "  For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized 
into  Christ"  [eis  Xpio-Toy].  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  20.  Teaching 
them  [Ai^do-Koi/xes].  This  is  teaching  in  the  more 
usual  sense  of  the  term ;  or  instructing  the  con- 
verted and  baptized  disciples,  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you :  and, 
lo,  I.  The  "/"  [Eyoj]  here  is  emphatic.  It  is 
enough  that  /  am  with  you  alway  [Trao-as  xds 
i;/iejjas] — 'all  the  days;'  that  is,  till  making  con- 
verts, baptizing,  and  bvulding  them  up  by  Christian 
instruction,  shall  be  no  more,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world  [alwvo's].  Amen.  [On  the  difference 
between  the  words  alwv  and  Koa-fxos,  see  on  Heb. 
i.  2.]  This  glorious  Commission  embraces  two 
Ijrimary  departments,  the  Missionary  and  the 
Pastoral,  with  two  sublime  and  comprehensive 
Encouragemeiits  to  undtrtake  and  go  through  with 
them. 

First,  The  Missionary  department  (v.  18) :  "Go, 
make  disciples  of  all  nations."  In  the  correspond- 
ing passage  of  Mark  (xvi  15)  it  is,  "  Go  ye  into  aU 
the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature. " 
The  only  difference  is,  that  in  this  passage  the 
sphere,  in  its  world-wide  compass  and  its  universal- 
ity of  objects,  is  more  fully  and  definitely  expressed; 
while  in  the  former  the  great  aim  and  certain  result 
is  delightfully  expressed  in  the  command  to  "make 
disciples  of  all  nations."  '  Go,  conquer  the  world 
for  Me ;  carry  the  glad  tidings  into  all  lands  and 
to  every  ear,  and  deem  not  this  work  at  an  end  till 
all  nations  shall  have  embraced  the  Gospel  and 
enrolled  themselves  My  disciples.'  Now,  Was  all 
this  meant  to  be  done  ny  the  Eleven  men  nearest 
to  Him  of  the  multitude  then  crowding  around 
the  risen  Redeemer?  Impossible.  Was  it  to  be 
done  even  in  their  lifetime  ?  Surely  not.  In  that 
little  band  Jesus  virtually  addressed  Himself  to 
all  who,  in  every  age,  shoidd  take  up  from  them 
the  same  work.  Before  the  eyes  of  the  Church's 
tisen  Head  were  spread  out,  in  those  Eleven  men, 
134 


all  His  servants  of  every  age;  and  one  and  all  of 
them  received  His  commission  at  that  moment. 
Well,  what  next  ?  Set  the  seal  of  visible  disciple- 
shij)  upon  the  converts,  by  "  baptizin"  them  into 
the  name,"  that  is,  into  the  whole  fulness  of  the 

gace  "of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
oly  Ghost,"  as  belonging  to  them  who  believe. 
(See  on  2  Cor.  xiiL  14.)  This  donCj  the  Mission- 
ary department  of  your  work,  which  in  its  own 
nature  is  temporary,  must  merge  in  another, 
which  is  permanent.     This  is. 

Second,  The  Pastoral  department  (v.  20) : 
"Teach  them" — teach  these  baptized  members 
of  the  Church  visible^"  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you,"  My  apostles, 
during  the  three  years  ye  have  been  with  Me. 

What  must  have  been  the  feelings  which  such  a 
Commission  awakened  !  'We  conquer  the  world 
for  Thee,  Lord,  who  have  scarce  conquered  our 
own  misgivings — we,  fishermen  of  Galilee,  with  no 
letters,  no  means,  no  influence  over  the  humblest 
creature?  Nay,  Lord,  do  not  mock  us.'  'I  mock 
you  not,  nor  send  you  a  warfare  on  your  own 
charges.     For ' — Here  we  are  brought  to 

Third,  The  Encouragements  to  undertake  and 
go  through  with  this  work.  These  are  two  ;  one 
m  the  van,  the  other  in  the  rear  of  the  Commis- 
sion itself. 

First  Encouragement :  "All  power  in  heaven"— 
the  whole  power  of  Heaven's  love  and  msdom  and 
strength,  "and  all  power  in  earth'" — i^ower  over 
aU  persons,  all  passions,  all  principles,  all  move- 
ments— to  bend  them  to  this  one  high  object,  the 
evangelization  of  the  world :  All  this  "  is  given  unto 
Me,"  as  the  risen  Lord  of  all,  to  be  by  Me  placed 
at  your  command— ^''Gq  ye  therefore."  But  there 
remains  a 

Second  Encouragement — which  will  be  best  taken 
up  in  the  Remarks  below — "  And  lo!  I  am  ^^dth  you 
all  the  days" — not  only  to  perpetuity,  but  without 
one  day's  interruption,  "  even  to  the  end  of  the 
world.  The  "Amen"  is  of  doubtful  genuineness 
in  this  place.  If.  however,  it  belongs  to  the  text  it 
is  the  Evangelist  s  own  closing  word. 

Remarks. — 1.  In  this  Great  Commission  we  have 
the  permanent  institution  of  the  Gospel  Ministry, 
in  both  its  departments,  the  Missionary  and  the 
Pastoral — the  one  for  fetching  in,  the  other  for 
building  up — together  with  Baptism,  the  link  of 
connection  and  point  of  transition  from  the  one  to 
the  other.  The  Missionary  department,  it  is  true, 
merges  in  every  case  in  the  Pastoral,  as  soon  as  the 
converts  are  baptized  into  visible  discipleship ;  yet 
since  the  servants  of  Christ  are  commanded  to 
"go  into  all  the  world,  and  jireach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature,"  it  follows  that  so  long  as  there  is 
an  inhabited  spot  unreached,  or  a  human  being 
outside  the  pale  of  visible  discipleship,  so  long  will 
the  Missionary  de]>artment  of  the  Christian  minis- 
try abide  in  the  Church  as  a  divine  institution. 
As  for  the  Pastoral  office,  it  is  manifest  that  as 
the  children  of  believers  will  require  to  be  trained 
in  the  truth,  and  the  members  of  the  Church  to 
be  taught,  not  only  to  know,  but  to  observe,  all 
that  Christ  commanded,  there  can  be  no  cessation 
of  it  so  long  as  the  Church  itseK  continues  in  the 
flesh,  or  before  Christ  comes  in  glory.  2.  But  we 
have  here  also  something  for  the  Church's  private 
members  as  well  as  for  its  ministers.  Ai'e  they  to 
deem  themselves  exempt  from  all  concern  in  this 
matter?  Nay,  is  it  not  certain  that  just  as  all  min- 
isters are  to  trace  their  commission  to  this  Great 


C'lrist's  commission 


MATTHEW  XXVIII. 


to  Tils  disciples. 


19  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.     Go  ye  therefore,  and  -teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 


2  Or.  make 
disciples. 


Commission,  so  the  whole  Chiirch,  from  age  to  age, 
should  regard  itself  as  here  virtually  addressed 
in  its  own  sphere,  and  summoned  forth  to  co-oper- 
ate with  its  ministers,  to  aid  its  ministers,  to  en- 
courar/eits  ministers  in  the  doing  of  this  missionary 
and  pastoral  work  to  the  world's  end?  3.  We  must 
have  a  care  not  unduly  to  narrow  that  direction 
rerardin^  the  Pastoral  instruction  of  the  disciples 
—  '  Teach  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  commanded  you,"  the  Twelve.  For  some 
ta'k  of  Clirist  as  the  only  Lawgiver  of  Christians, 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  Old  Testament,  as  authori- 
tative for  Christians;  while  some  would  exclude, 
in  this  sense,  all  the  New  Testament  save  the 
Evangelical  Records  of  our  Lord's  own  teaching. 
But  does  not  our  Lord  Himself  set  His  seal  on 
tiie  Old  Testament  Scriptures  at  large  as  the  Word 
of  God  and  the  Record  of  eternal  life?  And  what 
are  all  the  subsequent  portions  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment but  the  development  of  Christ's  own  teaching 
by  those  on  whom,  for  that  very  end,  He  set  the 
seal  of  His  own  authority?  Thus  may  our  Lord 
be  said  virtually  to  have  referred  His  servants  to 
the  entii'e  Scripture  as  their  body  of  instructions. 
Still  it  may  be  asked,  Is  there  nothing  peculiar  in 
all  those  things  whatsoever  Christ  commanded 
the  Twelve,  that  He  should  refer  the  pastors  of 
the  flock  for  their  instructions  in  every  age  speci- 
fically to  that  as  their  grand  repository?  Un- 
doubtedly there  is ;  for  as  all  that  preceded  Christ 
pointed  forward  to  Him,  and  all  that  follows  His 
teaching  refers  back  to  it,  so  His  personal  teaching 
is  the  incarnation  and  vitalization,  the  maturity 
and  perfection  of  all  divine  teaching,  to  which  all 
else  in  Scripture  is  to  be  referred,  and  in  the  light 
of  which  all  else  is  to  be  studied  and  apprehended. 
4.  What  an  all-comprehensive  encouragement  to 
the  continued  discharge  of  even  the  most  difficult 
and  trying  duties  embraced  in  this  Commission  is 
found  in  tne  closing  words  of  it !     Thus  :— 

'Feel  ye  your  utter  incompetency  to  xmdertake 
the  work?  Lo !  I  am  with  you,  to  furnish  you  for 
it ;  for  all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth  is  Mine. 
Fear  ye  for  the  safety  of  the  cause,  amidst  the  in- 
difference and  the  hatred  of  a  world  that  crucified 
your  Lord?  Be  of  good  cheer :  /  am  loith  you,  who 
nave  overcome  the  world.  Dare  ye  not  to  hope 
that  the  world  will  fall  before  you?  It  is  Mine  by 
promise — the  heathen  for  My  inheritance,  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  My  possession;  and 
to  conquer  and  to  keep  it  by  your  agency,  all 
power  in  heaven  and  in  earth  is  given  unto  Me  and 
by  Me  made  over  to  you. 

'  Dread  ye  the  exhaustion  of  My  patience  or 
)iower,  amidst  oft-recurring  seasons  of  difficulty, 
despondency  and  danger,  and  the  dreary  length  of 
time  it  will  take  to  bring  all  nations  to  the  obedi- 
ence of  faith,  and  to  build  them  up  unto  life  eter- 
nal? Lo!  I  am  with  you  always,  to  whom  all 
power  in  heaven  and  in  earth  is  given  for  your 
behoof.' 

'Truth,  Lord' — perhaps  ye  will  still  say — 'this 
pledge  to  be  with  us  to  perpetuity  is  indeed  cheer- 
ing; but  may  there  not  oe  intervals  of  withdrawal, 
to  be  followed,  no  doubt,  by  seasons  of  certain 
return,  but  enough,  in  the  meantime,  to  fill  us  with 
anxiety,  on  whose  shoulders  Thou  art  laying  the 
whole  weight  of  Thy  cause  in  the  earth?'  'Nay, 
have  ye  not  marked  those  words  of  Mine,  "  Lo !  I 
am  with  you,"  not  only  to  perpetuity,  but  "  all  the 
days" — without  any  break — "  even  unto  the  end  of 
the  world. " '  What  more  could  they,  or  the  servants 
of  Christ  in  any  age,  desire  or  imagine  of  eucourage- 
135 


ment  to  fulfil  this  blessed  Commission?    5.  Is  it 
necessary  to  ask  any  intelligent   reader  whether 
such  a  Commission  could  have  issued  from  the  lips 
of  one  who  knew  himself  to  be  a  mere  creature  ? 
Would  "all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth"  be 
given  aioay  to  a  creature,  by  Him  who  will  not  give 
His  glory  to  another?  or  if  this  were  conceivable, 
could  it  be  lodged  in  a  creature,  or  wielded  by  a 
creature?     And  whereas    it  is  here  said    to    be 
given  to  Christ,  that  is  only  in  conformity  with  the 
whole  economy  of  Redemption  and  the  uniform 
language  of  the  New  Testament,  which  represents 
the  Son  as  sent  and  furnished  by  the  Father,  iu 
order  to  brin^  men  back,  as  prodigal  children,  to 
their  Fathers    love.      But  while    the  Son  thtts 
honours  the  Father,  the  Father  requires,  in  re- 
turn, "that  all  men  should  honour  the  Son  even 
as  they  honour  the  Father."     6.  If  there  is  one 
inference  from  the  language  of  this  Great  Com- 
mission more  obvious  than  another,  it  is  this,  that 
Jesus  would  have  Himself  regarded  by  His  ser- 
vants in  every  a^e  as  sole  Master  in  His  own  Hou«e. 
Are  they  to  make  disciples  of  all  nations?    It  is 
disciples  to  /iTJm.     Are  they  to  set  the  seal  of 
visible  discipleship  upon  them?     It  is    to  bind 
them  over  only  the  more  effectually  to  Him.     Are 
they  to  teach  the  converts  thus  made  and  thus 
sealed?    It  is  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
He  has  comma7ided  them.     Want  they  support 
and  encouragement  in   all  the  branches  of  this 
work  ?    They  are  to  derive  it  from  this  twofold 
consideration,  that  all  the  resources  of  heaven  and 
earth  are,  for  their  benefit,  given  unto  Him,  and 
that  He  is  with  them  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of 
the  world.     Thus  are  they  to  transact,  each  with 
the  other — no  other  third  party  coming  in  between 
them.    Hence,  whatever  understanding  or  arrange- 
ment they  may  deem  it  lawful  and  expedient  to 
come  to  with  tne  civil  powers  in  matters  ecclesias- 
tical, they  are  to  stipulate  for  perfect  freedom  to 
carry  out  all  their  Master's  requirements-  nor  dare 
they  abridge  themselves  of  one  iota  of  this  liberty 
for  any  temporal  consideration  whatever.     7.  We 
have  here  the  secret   of   the  Church's    poverty 
during  long  ages  of  its  past   history,  and  of  the 
world  s  present  condition,   to  so  appalling  an  ex- 
tent estranged    from    the   Christian    pale.      The 
Church  has  neglected  the  Missionary,   and   cor- 
rupted  the    Pastoral,    department    of    its    great 
Commission.     For  long  ages  the  missionary  energy 
of  the  Church  had  either  ceased,  or  expended  itself 
chiefiy  on  efforts  to  extend  the  ghostly  authority 
of  Papal  Rome ;    and  when  at  the  Reformation- 
jieriod  it  sprang  forth  in  such  glorious  rejuvenes- 
cence, instead  of  sending  forth  its  healing  waters 
into  the  vast  deserts  of  heathenism,  making  the 
wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  to  rejoice,  it  kei)t 
them  pent  up  within  its  own  narrow  boundaries 
till  they  stank  and  bred  the  pestilence  of  rancor- 
ous controversy  and  deadly  heresy  and  every  eviL 
And  then  did  the  Pastoral  work  languish,  thou- 
sands upon  thousands  fell  away  from  all  observance 
of  Christian  ordinances,  and  within  the  bosom  of 
Christendom  infidelity  and  irreligion  spread  apace, 
while  real  Christianity  came  to  a  very  low  ebb. 
Nor  could  aught  else  be  expected  of  such  unfaith- 
fulness to  the  Church's  Head.     Neglecting  either 
branch  of  this  great  Commission,  neither  the  Power 
nor  the  Presence  promised  dare  be  expected.     But 
going  forth  in  faith  to  both  alike,  the  conquest  of 
the  world  to  Christ — as  it  might  have  been  achieved 
long  ago,  but  for  the  Church  s  unbelief,  selfishness, 
apathy,  corruption,  division — so  it  will  be  achieved, 


Christ's  commission 


MATTHEW  XXVIII. 


20  Ghost;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  com- 
manded yon  :  and,  lo,  'I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world.     Amen. 


to  His  disciples. 


A,  D.  33. 

*  Acts  18.  19. 
Rev.  22.  21. 


■when,  through  the  Spirit  x>o\ired  upen  it  from  oil 
high,  it  shall  become  "  fair  as  the  moon,  clear  as 
the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners " 
(Song  vi.  10).  8.  In  concluding  this  First  Portion 
of  our  Fourfold  Gospel,  who  that  has  followed  our 
humble  efforts  to  display  a  little  of  its  riches  does 
136 


not  feel  it  to  be  as  treasure  hid  in  a  field,  the 
which,  when  a  man  hath  found,  he  hideth,  and  for 
|oy  thereof  goeth  and  selleth  all  that  he  hath  and 
buyeth  that  field  ?  The  good  Lord  lodge  its  con- 
tents in  the  hearts  both  of  the  writer  and  his 
readers ! 


THE    GOSPEL    ACCORDING    TO 

ST.  MARK. 


n 


1  HE    beginning   of  tlie    gospel  of  Jesus  Clirist,  "the  Son  of  God; 
as  it  is  wi'itten  in  the  Prophets,  ^Behold,  I  send  my  messenger  before 

3  thy  face,  which  shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee.     The  *^  voice  of  one 
crying  in  the  wilderness.  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  his  paths 

4  straight,     John  did  baptize  in  the  wilderness,  and  preach  the  baptism  of 

5  repentance  ^for  the  remission  of  sins.     And  there  went  out  unto  him  all 
the  land  of  Judea,  and  they  of  Jerusalem,  and  were  all  baptized  of  him 

6  in  the  river  of  Jordan,  confessing  their  sins.     And  John  was  clothed  with 
camel's  hair,  and  with  a  girdle  of  a  skin  about  his  loins ;  and  he  did  eat 

7  ''locusts  and  wild  honey;    and  preached,    saying,    'There   cometh  one 
mightier  than  I  after  me,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to 

8  stoop  down  and  unloose.     I  •'^indeed  have  baptized  you  with  water;  but 
he  shall  baptize  you  ^witli  the  Holy  Ghost. 

9  And  '4t  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  that  Jesus  came  from  Nazareth 

10  of  Galilee,  and  was  baptized  of  John  in  Jordan.     And  *  straightway  com- 
ing up  out  of  the  water,  he  saw  the  heavens  ^  opened,  and  the  Spirit  like 

11  a  dove  descending  upon  him:  and  there  came  a  voice  from  heaven,  say- 
ing, ■^Thou  art  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased. 

12  And    *  immediately    the    Spirit    driveth    him    into    the    wilderness. 


ending. 


CHAP.  1. 

"  Ps.  2.  7. 

Luke  1.  35, 

John  1  34. 

Eom.  8.  3. 

lJohn4.16. 
i>  Mai.  3.  1. 
'  Isa  40.  3. 

Luke  3.  4. 

John  1.  15, 
23. 

1  Or,  unto. 

d  Lev.  11.  22. 
'  Aets  13.  25, 
/  Acts  11.  16, 

Acts  19.  4. 
<>  Isa.  44.  3. 
"  Matt.  3.  la 
>  John  1.  32. 

2  Or,  cloven, 
or.  rent. 

j  Ps.  2.  7. 
*  Matt.  4.  1, 


CHAP.  I.  1-8. — The  Preaching  and  Baptism 
OF  John.     (=  Mcatt.  iii.  1-12;  Liike  iii.  MS.) 

1.  The  beginning  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God.  By  the  "Gospel"  of  Jesus  Christ 
here  is  evidently  meant  the  blessed  Story  which 
our  Evangelist  is  about  to  tell  of  His  Life,  Minis- 
try, Death,  Resurrection  and  Glorification,  and  of 
the  begun  Gathering  of  Believers  in  His  Name.  The 
abruptness  with  "nTiich  he  announces  his  subject, 
and  the  energetic  brevity  with  which,  passing  by 
all  preceding  events,  he  hastens  over  the  ministry 
of  John  and  records  the  Baptism  and  Temptation 
of  Jesus — as  if  impatient  to  come  to  the  Public 
Life  of  the  Lord  of  glory — have  often  been  noticed 
as  characteristic  of  this  Gospel ;  a  Gospel  whose 
direct,  practical  power  and  singularly  vivid  setting 
impart  to  it  a  preciousness  peculiar  to  itself. 
What  strikes  every  one  is,  that  though  the  briefest 
of  all  the  Gospels,  this  is  in  some  of  the  principal 
scenes  of  our  Lord's  history  the  fullest.  But  what 
is  not  so  obvious  is,  that  wherever  the  finer  and 
subtler  feelings  of  humanity,  or  the  deeper  and 
more  peculiar  hues  of  oui-  Lord's  character  were 
brought  out,  these,  though  they  should  be  lightly 
passed  over  by  all  the  other  Evangelists,  are  sure 
to  be  found  here,  and  in  touches  of  such  quiet 
delicacy  and  power,  that  though  scarce  observed 
by  the  cursory  reader,  they  leave  indelible  impres- 
sions upon  all  the  thoughtful,  and  furnish  a  key  to 
much  that  is  in  the  other  Gospels. 

These  few  opening  words  of  the  Second  Gos- 
pel are  enough  to  show,  that  though  it  was  the 
purpose  of  this  Evangelist  to  record  chiefly  the 
outward  and  palpable  facts  of  our  Lord's  public 
life,  he  recognized  in  Him,  in  common  with  the 
Fourth  Evangelist,  the  glory  of  the  Only  be- 
gotten of  the  Father,  2.  As  it  is  written  in 
137 


the  Prophets  (Mai.  iii.  1;  and  Isa.  xl.  3),  Be- 
hold, I  send  my  messenger  hefore  thy  face, 
which  shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee.  3, 
The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Pre- 
pare ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  his  paths 
straight.  The  second  of  these  quotations  is  given 
by  Matthew  and  Luke  in  the  same  connection,  but 
they  reserve  the  former  quotation  till  they  have 
occasion  to  return  to  the  Baptist,  after  his  im- 
prisonment (Matt,  xi,  10  J  Luke  vii.  27).  [Instead 
of  the  words,  "as  it  is  written  in  the  Prophets," 
there  is  weighty  evidence  in  favour  of  the  following 
reading:  'As  it  is  written  in  Isaiah  the  projjhet,' 
This  reading  is  adojited  by  all  the  latest  critical 
editors.  If  it  be  the  true  one,  it  is  to  be  explained 
thus — that  of  the  two  quotations,  the  one  from 
Malachi  is  but  a  later  development  of  the  great 
primary  one  in  Isaiah,  from  which  the  whole  pro- 
phetical matter  here  quoted  takes  its  name.  But 
the  received  text  is  quoted  by  Irenaus,  before  the 
end  of  the  second  century,  and  the  evidence  in  its 
favour  is  greater  in  amount,  if  not  in  weight.  The 
chief  objection  to  it  is,  that  if  this  was  the  true 
reading,  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  the  other  one 
could  have  got  in  at  all ;  whereas,  if  it  be  not  the 
true  reading,  it  is  veiy  easy  to  see  how  it  found  its 
way  into  the  text,  as  it  removes  the  startling  diffi- 
culty of  a  prophecy  beginning  with  the  words 
of  Malachi  oeing  ascribed  to  Isaiah.]  For  the 
exjiosition,  see  on  Matt.  iii.  1-6,  11. 

9-11.— Baptism  op  Christ,  and  Descent  of 
THE  Spirit  upon  Him  immediately  there- 
after. (  =  Matt.  iii.  13-17;  Luke  iii.  21,  22.)  For 
the  exposition,  see  on  Matt.  iii.  13-17. 

12, 13.— Temptation  of  Christ.  (  =  Matt.  iv. 
1-11 ;  Luke  iv.  1-13.)  For  the  exposition,  see  ou 
Matt,  iv,  1-11. 


Christ  begins  his 


MARK  I. 


Galilean  ministry. 


1 3  And  be  was  there  in  the  wilderness  forty  days,  tempted  of  Satan ;  and 
was  with  the  wild  beasts;  'and  the  angels  ministered  unto  him. 

14  Now  after  that  John  was   put   in  prison,  Jesus  came  into  Galilee, 

15  ™preacbing  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  saying,  "The  time  is 
fulfilled,  and  tlie  kingdom  of  God  is  at  band :  repent  ye,  and  believe  the 
Gospel. 

16  Now  "as  he  walked  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  he  saw  Simon,  and  Andrew 

1 7  his  brother  casting  a  net  into  the  sea :  for  they  were  fishers.  And  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  Come  ye  after  me,  and  I  will  make  you  to  become  fishers 

18  of  men.     And  straightway  ^ they  forsook  their  nets,  and  followed  him. 

19  And  *when  he  had  gone  a  little  farther  thence,  be  saw  James  the  son  of 
Zebedee,  and  John  his  brother,  who  also  were  in  the  ship  mending  their 

20  nets.  And  straightway  he  called  them:  and  they  left  their  father 
Zebedee  in  the  ship  with  the  hired  servants,  and  went  after  him. 

21  And  '^they  went  into  Capernaum;  and  straightway  on  the  sabbath  day 

22  he  entered  into  the  synagogue,  and  taught.  And  *they  were  astonished 
at  his  doctrine :  for  he  taught  them  as  one  that  bad  authority,  and  not 

23  as  the  scribes.     And  Hhere  was  in  their  synagogue  a  man  with  an  unclean 

24  spirit;  and  be  cried  out,  saying,  Let  tis  alone;  "what  have  we  to  do 
with  thee,  thou  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ?  art  thou  come  to  destroy  us  ?  I  know 

25  thee  who  thou  art,  the  ^Holy  One  of  God.     And  Jesus  rebuked  him, 

26  sajang.  Hold  thy  peace,  and  come  out  of  him.  And  when  the  unclean 
spirit  ^had  torn  him,  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  he  came  out  of  him. 


A.  D.  31 

'  Matt.  4.  11. 

1  Tim.  3. 16. 
"•Matt.  4.  23. 
"  Is.  110.  3. 

Ian.  2.  44. 

Dan.  9.  25. 

Gal.  4.  4. 

Eph  1.  10. 
"  Alatt.  4.  18. 

Luke  5.  4 

John  1.  35- 

44. 

P  Matt.  19.27. 
Luke  5.  11. 

9  Katt.  4.  2L 

"  Matt.  4.  13. 

Luke  4  31. 
'  Matt.  7.  28. 
«  Luke  4.  33. 
"  Matt.  8.  29. 

ch  5.  7. 

Luke  4.  34. 

Luke  8.  28. 

John  2.  4. 
"  Ps.  16.  10. 

Luke  4.  34. 

Acts  2.  31. 

Jas.  2. 19. 

•"  ch.  9.  20. 


14-20.— Christ  begins  His  Galilean  Ministry 
—Calling  of  Simon  and  Andrew,  James' and 
John.     See  on  Matt.  iv.  12-22. 

21-39. — Healing  of  a  Demoniac  in  the  Syna- 
gogue OF  Capernaitm,  and  thereafter  of 
Simon's  Mother-in-law  and  many  others — 
Jesus,  next  day,  is  found  in  a  Solitary  Place 
AT  Morning  Prayers,  and  is  entreated  to 

RETURN,   BUT   DECLINES,  AND  GOES  FORTH  ON   HiS 

First  Missionary  Circuit.     (=  Luke  iv.  31-44; 
Matt.  viii.  14-17;  iv.  23-25.) 

21.  And  they  went  into  Capernaum— see  on  Matt, 
iv.  13— and  straightway  on  the  sabbath  day  he 
entered  into  the  synagogue,  and  taught  [to is 
(7a/3/i«(T:i/].  This  should  have  been  rendered, 
'straightway  on  the  sabbaths  He  entered  into 
the  synagogue  and  taught,'  or  'continued  to 
teach.  Tlie  meaning  is,  that  as  He  began  this 
practice  on  the  very  first  Sabbath  after  coining 
to  settle  at  Capernaum,  so  He  continued  it  regu- 
larly thereafter.  22.  And  they  were  astonished 
at  his  doctrine — or  '  teaching'  [5i5ax^l  —refer- 
ring quite  as  much  to  the  manner  as  the  matter 
of  it.  for  he  taught  them  as  one  that  had  au- 
thority, and  not  as  the  scribes.  See  on  Matt, 
vii.  28,  29.  23.  And  there  was  in  their  syna- 
gogue a  man  with  (lit.,  'in')  an  unclean  spirit — 
that  is,  so  entii-ely  under  demoniacal  power  that 
his  personality  was  sunk  for  the  time  in  that  of 
the  spirit.  The  frequency  with  which  this  charac- 
ter of  '  impurity'  is  ascribed  to  evil  spirits— some 
twenty  times  in  the  Gospels — is  not  to  be  over- 
J coked.  For  more  on  this  subject,  see  on  Matt, 
iv.  12-25,  Remark  4  and  he  cried  out,  24.  Say- 
ing, Let  [us]  alone — or  rather,  perhaps,  'ah!'  ex- 
pressive of  mingled  astonishment  and  terror.  [The 
exclamation  "Ea  is  probably  not  here  the  imperative 
of  the  verb  eav,  to  'permit' — as  the  Vulgate  in 
Luke  iv.  34,  Luther,  and  our  own  version  take  it, 
or,  at  least,  had  ceased  to  be  so  regarded — but  an 
interjection=nn«^  Jud.  vi.  22,  &c.]  what  have 
we  to  do  with  thee  [Ti  vii-tv  koI  <Toi='nSi  'Vnp] 
— an  expression  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  Old 
Testament,  (1  Ki.  xvii.  18;  2  KL  iii.  13:  2  Chr, 
138 


XXXV.  21,  &c.)  It  denotes  ^entire  sejMration  of 
interests-^ — q.  d.,  'Thou  and  we  have  nothing  in 
common :  we  want  not  Thee ;  what  wouldst  tnou 
with  us?'  For  the  analogous  application  of  it  by 
our  Lord  to  His  mother,  see  on  John  ii.  4  [thou] 
Jesusof  Nazareth?— 'Jesus,  Nazarene!'  an  epithet 
originally  given  to  express  contempt,  but  soon 
adopted  as  the  current  designation  by  those  who 
held  our  Lord  in  honour  (Luke  xviii.  37;  Mark 
xvi  6 ;  Acts  ii.  22) — art  thou  come  to  destroy  us  ? 
In  the  case  of  the  Gadarene  demoniac  the  ques- 
tion was,  "Art  thou  come  hither  to  torment  us 
before  the  time?"  (Matt.  viii.  29).  Themselves  tor- 
mentors and  destroyers  of  their  victims,  they  dis- 
cern in  Jesus  their  own  destined  Tormentor  and 
Destroyer,  anticipating  and  dreading  what  they 
know  and  feel  to  be  awaiting  them!  Conscious, 
too,  that  their  power  was  but  permitted  and  tem- 
porary, and  perceiving  in  Him,  perhaps,  the  Wo- 
man's Seed  that  was  to  bruise  the  head  and  destroy 
the  works  of  the  devil,  they  regai-d  His  approach 
to  them  on  this  occasion  as  a  signal  to  let  go  their 
grasp  of  this  miserable  victim.  I  know  thee  who 
thou  art,  the  Holy  One  of  God.  This  and  other 
even  more  glorious  testimonies  to  our  Lord  were 
given,  as  we  know,  -w-ith  no  good  will,  but  in  hojie 
that  by  the  acceptance  of  them  He  might  appear  to 
the  people  to  be  in  league  with  evil  spirits — a 
calumny  which  His  enemies  were  ready  enough  to 
throw  out  against  Him.  But  a  Wiser  than  either 
was  here,  who  invariably  rejected  and  silenced  the 
testimonies  that  came  to  Him  fi-om  beneath,  and 
thus  was  able  to  rebut  the  imputations  of  His 
enemies  against  Him  (Matt.  xii.  24-30).  The  ex- 
pression, "  Holy  One  of  God, "  seems  evidently 
taken  from  that  Messianic  Psalm  (xvi.  10),  in 
which  He  is  styled  "Thine  Holy  One"  [tov  ooio'i/ 
GOV,  ?p!'Dn_iii  np]_  25.  And  Jesus  rebuked  him, 
saying.  Hold  thy  peace,  and  come  out  of  him. 
A  glorious  word  of  command.  Bengel  remarks 
that  it  was  only  the  testimony  borne  to  Himself 
which  our  Lord  meant  to  silence.  That  he  should 
afterwards  cry  out  for  fear  or  rage  (v.  26)  He  would 
right  willingly  permit.    26.  And  when  the  unclean 


Christ  heals  Simon  s 


MAKK  I. 


mother -ill-law  and  others. 


28 


29 


27  And  they  were  all  amazed,  insomuch  that  they  questioned  among  theui- 
selves,  saying,  What  thing  is  this  ?  what  new  doctrine  is  this  ?  for  with 
authority  commandeth  he  even  the  unclean  spirits,  and  they  do  obey 
him.  And  immediately  his  fame  spread  abroad  throughout  all  the 
region  round  about  Galilee. 

And  "^forthwith,  when  they  were  come  out  of  the  synagogue,  they 
entered  into  the  house  of  Simon  and  Andrew,  with  James  and  John. 

30  But  Simon's  wife's  mother  lay  sick  of  a  fever,  and  anon  they  tell  him  of 

31  her.  And  he  came  and  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  lifted  her  up;  and 
^immediately  the  fever  left  her,  and  she  ministered  unto  them. 

32  And  ^at  even,  when  the  sun  did  set,  they  brought  unto  him  all  that 

33  were  diseased,  and  them  that  were  possessed  with  devils.     And  all  the 

34  city  was  gathered  together  at  the  door.  And  he  healed  many  that  were 
sick  of  divers  diseases,  and  cast  out  many  devils;  and  "suffered  not  the 
devils  ^  to  speak,  because  they  knew  him. 

35  And  ''in  the  morning,  rising  up  a  great  while  before  day,  he  went  out, 


A.  D.  31. 


^  Matt.  8.  n. 

Luke  4  38. 
y  Ps.  103.  3. 
^  Luke  4.  40. 
"  Matt.  8. 15. 

ch.  3,  12. 

Luke  4.  41. 

Acts  16.  17, 
18. 
3  Or,  to  say- 
that  they 

knew  him. 
<>  Ps.  5.  3. 

Ps.  109.  4. 

ch.  C.  4G. 

Luke  4.  42. 

John  4.  34. 

Eph.  C.  18. 

Heb.  5.  7. 


spirit  had  torn  him.  Luke  (iv.  35)  says,  "  When 
he  had  thrown  him  in  the  midst."  Malignant 
cruelty — ^just  showing  what  he  ivould  have  done, 
if  permitted  to  go  fiu-ther :  it  was  a  last  fling !  and 
cried  with  a  loud  voice — the  voice  of  enforced 
submission  and  despair — he  came  out  of  Mm. 
Luke  (iv.  35)  adds,  "  and  hurt  him  not."  Thus 
impotent  were  the  malignity  and  rage  of  the  im- 
piu-e  spirit  when  under  the  restraint  of  "the 
Stronger  than  the  strong  one  armed"  (Luke 
xi.  21,  22).  27.  And  they  were  all  amazed,  inso- 
much that  they  questioned  among  themselves, 
saying,  What  thing  is  this  ?  what  new  doctrine 
('teaching')  is  this?  for  with  authority  command- 
eth he  even  the  unclean  spirits,  and  they  do  obey 
him.  The  audience,  rightly  apprehending  that 
the  miracle  was  wrought  to  illustrate  the  teaching 
and  display  the  character  and  glory  of  the  Teacher, 
begin  by  asking  what  novel  kind  of  teaching  this 
could  be,  which  was  so  marvellously  attested. 
[The  various  reading  which  the  latest  editors  prefer 
here — tI  {(ttiv  tovto  ;  ^iSaxi)  Kawij  /cax'  e^ovaiav 
Kal  TOis  TTvevfjiacriv  ,  .  .  ait-rdo  ;  k.  t.  X, — has  too 
slender  support,  we  think,  and  is  harsh.]  28.  And 
immediately  his  fame  spread  abroad  throughout 
all  the  region  round  about  Galilee  [oXrji;  t-jV 
irepiYMpov  T»)s  r.] — rather,  'the  whole  region  of 
GaUlee ;'  though  some,  as  Meyer  and  EUicott,  ex- 
Ijlain  it  of  the  country  surrounding  Galilee. 

29.  And  forthwith,  when  they  were  come  out 
of  the  synagogue — so  also  in  Luke  iv.  2S,  they 
entered  into  the  house  of  Simon  and  Andrew, 
with  James  and  John.  The  mention  of  these 
four — which  is  peculiar  to  Mark — is  the  first  of 
those  traces  of  Peter's  hand  in  this  Gospel,  of 
wliich  we  shall  come  to  many  more.  (See  Intro- 
duction.) The  house  being  his,  and  the  disease 
and  cure  so  nearly  affecting  himself,  it  is  interest- 
ing to  observe  this  minute  specification  of  the 
number  and  names  of  the  witnesses;  interesting 
also  as  the  first  occasion  on  which  the  sacred 
triumvirate  of  Peter  and  James  and  John  are 
selected  from  amongst  the  rest,  to  be  a  threefold 
cord  of  testimony  to  certain  events  in  their  Lord's 
life  (see  on  ch.  v.  37)— Andrew  being  present  on 
this  occasion,  as  the  occurrence  took  place  in 
his  own  house.  30.  But  Simon's  wife's  mother 
lay  sick  of  a  fever,  Luke,  as  was  natural  in 
"the  beloved  physician"  (Col.  iv,  14),  describes  it 
professionally;  calling  it  a  "great  fever"  [irupeTM 
fxeyaXio]  and  thus  distingmshing  it  from  that 
lighter  kind  which  the  Greek  physicians  were 
wont  to  call  "  small  fevers,"  as  Galen,  quoted  by 
Wetstein,  telb  us.    and  anon— or  'immediately' 


they  tell  him  of  her— natm-ally  hoping  that  His 
compassion  and  power  towards  one  of  His  own 
disciples  would  not  be  less  signally  displayed 
than  towards  the  demonized  stranger  in  the 
synagogue.  31.  And  he  came  and  took  her  by 
the  hand— rather,  'And  advancing,  He  took  her,' 
&c. — [Trpo(re\Ou)v  k.  t.  X].  The  beloved  physician 
again  is  very  specific :  'And  He  stood  over  her" 
[e-Tno-T-as  eTrdvw  aurrjv,  Luke  iv.  39].  and  lifted 
her  up.  This  act  of  condescension,  much  felt 
doubtless  by  Peter,  is  recorded  only  by  Mark. 
and  immediately  the  fever  left  her,  and  she 
ministered  unto  them — preparing  their  Sabbath- 
meal;  in  token  both  of  the  perfectness  and  im- 
mediateness  of  the  cure,  and  of  her  gratitude  to 
the  glorious  Healer. 

32.  And  at  even,  when  the  sun  did  set— so 
Matt.  viiL  16.  Luke  (iv.  40)  says  it  was  setting 
[Svi/oirroi].  they  brought  unto  him  all  that  were 
diseased,  and  them  that  were  possessed  with 
devils — 'the  demonized.'  From  Luke  xiii.  14 
we  see  how  unlawfid  they  would  liave  deemed 
it  to  bring  their  sick  to  Jesus  for  a  cure  during 
the  Sabbath  hours.  They  waited,  therefore,  till 
these  were  over,  and  then  brought  them  in  crowds. 
Our  Lord  afterwards  took  repeated  occasion  to 
teach  the  people  by  example,  even  at  the  risk 
of  His  own  life,  how  superstitious  a  straining  of 
the  Sabbath-rest  this  was.  33.  And  all  the  city 
was  gathered  together  at  the  door — of  Peter's 
house;  that  is,  the  sick  and  those  who  brought 
them,  and  the  wondering  spectators.  This  be- 
speaks the  presence  of  an  eye-witness,  and  is  one 
01  those  lively  specimens  of  word-painting  so 
frequent  in  this  Gospel.  34.  And  he  healed  many 
that  were  sick  of  divers  diseases,  and  cast  out 
many  devils.  In  Matt.  viii.  10  it  is  said,  "He 
cast  out  the  spirits  with  His  word;"  or  rather, 
'  with  a  word '  [Xo>  to' — a  word  of  command,  and 
suffered  not  the  devils  to  speak,  because  they 
knew  him.  Evidently  they  would  have  spoken, 
if  permitted,  proclaiming  His  Messiahship  in  such 
terms  as  in  the  synagogue ;  but  once  in  one  day, 
and  that  testimony  immediately  silenced,  was 
enough.  See  on  v.  24.  After  this  account  of  His 
miracles  of  healing,  we  have  in  Matt.  viii.  17  this 
pregnant  quotation,  "  That  it  might  be  fulfilled 
which  was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  prophet,  say- 
ing (liii.  4),  Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and  bare 
ovir  sicknesses."  On  this  pregnant  quotation,  see 
Remark  2  below.  . 

35.  And  in  the  morning— that  is,  of  the  day 
after  this  remarkable  Sabbath ;  or,  on  the  First 
day  of  the  week.  His  choosing  this  day  to  inauguiate 


Christ  commencetJi 


MARK  T. 


His  ministry. 


36  and  departed  into  a  solitary  place,  and  Hhere  prayed.     And  Simon  and 

37  tliey  that  were  with  him  followed  after  liim.     And  when  they  had  found 

38  him,  they  said  unto  him,  All  men  seek  for  thee.    And  he  said  unto  them, 
'^Let  us  go  into  the  next  towns,  that  I  may  preach  there  also :  for  *there- 

39  fore  came  I  forth.     And  •'"he  preached  in  their  synagogues  throughout  all 
Galilee,  and  ^cast  out  devils. 


A.  D.  31. 

"  Heb.  5.  7. 
d  Luke  4.  43. 
•  Isa.  61.  1. 

John  16. 23. 
/  Matt.  4.  23. 
"  Gen.  3.  15. 


a  new  and  glorious  stage  of  His  public  work, 
should  be  noted  by  the  reader,  rising  up  a  great 
■while  before  day  [Trpwl  evuvxov  or  ivwya  \iuv\ — 
'  while  it  was  yet  night,'  or  long  before  day- 
break, he  went  out — from  Peter's  house,  where 
He  slept,  all  unperceived,  and  departed  into  a 
solitary  place,  and  there  prayed  [Tr/aoo-ijuxeTo}— 
or,  'continued  in  prayer.'  He  was  about  to  begin 
His  first  preaching  and  healing  Circuit ;  and  as  on 
similar  solemn  occasions  (Luke  v.  16;  vi.  12;  ix. 
18,  28,  29 ;  Mark  vi.  46),  He  spends  some  time  in 
special  prayer,  doubtless  with  a  view  to  it.  What 
would  one  not  give  to  have  been,  during  the  still- 
ness of  those  grey  morning-hours,  within  hearing — 
not  of  His  "strong  crying  and  tears,"  for  He  had 
scarce  arrived  at  the  stage  for  that — but  of  His 
calm,  exalted  anticipations  of  the  work  which  lay 
immediately  before  Him,  and  the  outpourings  of 
His  soul  about  it  into  the  bosom  of  Him  that  sent 
Him !  '  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  Me, 
because  the  Lord  hath  anointed  Me  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  the  poor;  and  I  am  going  to  heal  the 
broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the  cap- 
tives, and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set 
at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the 
acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.  Now,  Lord,  let  it  be 
seen  that  grace  is  poured  into  These  lips,  and  that 
God  hath  blessed  Me  for  ever:  Here  am  I,  send 
Me :  I  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that  sent  Me 
whUe  it  is  day ;  and,  lo,  I  come !  I  delight  to  do 
Thy  will,  0  My  God:  yea.  Thy  law  is  withia  My 
heart.'  He  had  doubtless  enjoyed  some  uninterrup- 
ted hours  of  such  communings  with  His  heavenly 
Father  ere  His  friends  from  Capernaum  arrived 
in  search  of  Him.  As  for  them,  they  doubtless 
expected,  after  such  a  day  of  miracles,  that  the 
next  day  would  witness  similar  manifestations. 
When  morning  came,  Peter,  loath  to  break  in  upon 
the  repose  of  his  glorious  Guest,  would  await  His 
appearance  beyond  the  usual  hour;  but  at  length, 
wondering  at  the  stillness,  and  gently  coming  to 
see  where  the  Lord  lay,  he  finds  it  —  like  the 
sepulchre  afterwards — empty !  Speedily  a  party  is 
made  up  to  go  in  search  of  Him,  Peter  naturally 
leading  the  way.  36.  And  Simon  and  they  that 
were  with  him  followed  after  him  {KaTe^lw^au] 
— rather,  'pressed  after  Him.'  Luke  (iv.  42)  says, 
"The  multitudes  sought  after  Him"  [oi  byXoi 
eTreX.VTovv  ai/To'i/] :  but  this  Would  be  a  party  from 
the  town.  Mark,  having  his  information  from 
Peter  himself,  speaks  only  of  what  related  directly 
to  him.  "They  that  were  with  him"  would 
probably  be  Ajidrew  his  brother,  James  and 
John,  with  a  few  other  choice  brethren.  37.  And 
when  they  had  found  him — evidently  after  some 
search.  [The  reading  adopted  here  by  Tischen- 
dorf  and  TregeUes — kol  evpov  avTov  Kat  \iyovaiv, 
'  And  they  found  Him  and  said' — seems  to  us 
without  suiEcient  evidence.]  they  said  unto  him, 
AU  men  seek  for  thee.  By  this  time,  "  the  multi- 
tudes" who,  according  to  Luke,  "  sought  after  Him" 
— and  who,  on  going  to  Peter's  house,  and  there 
learning  that  Peter  and  a  few  more  were  gone  in 
search  of  Him,  had  set  out  on  the  same  errand — 
would  have  arrived,  and  "  came  unto  Him  and 
stayed  Him,  that  He  should  not  depart  from 
them"  (Luke  iv.  42);  all  now  urging  His  return 
to  their  imiDatient  to"\vnsmen.  38.  And  he  said 
140 


unto  them,  Let  us  go — or,  according  to  another 
reading,  '  Let  us  go  elsewhere'  [though  the  word 
aWaxov,  added  by  T'lschendorf  and  TregeUes,  has 
scarcely  sufficient  authority],  into  the  next  towns 
[ets  Tas  eyofJ^eva^  /coi^oTroXei?] — rather,  '  Unto  the 
neighbouring  village-towns;'  meaning  those  places 
intermediate  between  towns  and  villages,  with 
which  the  western  side  of  the  sea  of  Galilee  was 
studded,  that  I  may  preach  there  also:  for 
therefore  came  I  forth — not  from  Capernaum, 
as  De   Wette  miserably  interprets,   nor  from  His 

Erivacy  in  the  desert  place,  as  Meyer,  no  better; 
ut  from  the  Father.  Compare  John  xvi.  28, 
"  I  came  forth  from  the  Father,  and  am  come 
into  the  world,"  &c. — another  proof,  by  the  way, 
that  the  lofty  phraseology  of  the  Fourth  Gospel 
was  not  unknown  to  the  authors  of  the  others, 
though  their  design  and  point  of  view  are  different. 
The  language  in  which  our  Lord's  reply  is  given 
by  Luke  (iv.  43)  expresses  the  high  necessity 
under  which,  in  this  as  in  every  other  step  of 
His  work.  He  acted — "  I  must  preach  the  king- 
dom of  God  to  other  cities  also;  for  therefore" 
[ets  TovTo] — or,  'to  this  end' — "ami  sent."  An 
act  of  self-denial  it  doubtless  was,  to  resist  such 
pleadings  to  return  to  Caperna^im.  But  there 
were  overmastering  considerations  on  the  other 
side. 

Remarhs.—l.  How  terrific  is  the  consciousness 
in  evil  spirits,  when  brought  into  the  presence  of 
Christ,  of  a  total  opposition  of  feelings  and  separa- 
tion of  interests  between  them  and  Him!  But 
how  grand  is  their  sense  of  impotence  and  subjec- 
tion, and  the  expression  of  this^  which  His  pres- 
ence wrings  out  from  them !  Knowing  full  well 
that  He  and  they  cannot  dwell  together,  they  ex- 
pect, on  His  approach  to  them,  a  summons  to  quit, 
and,  haunted  by  their  guilty  fears,  they  wonder  if 
the  judgment  of  the  great  day  be  coming  on  them 
before  its  time.  How  analogous  is  this  to  the  feel- 
ings of  the  wicked  and  ungodly  among  men — open- 
ing up  glimpses  of  that  dreadful  oneness  in  funda- 
mental character  between  the  two  jiarties,  which 
explains  the  final  sentence,  "Depart  from  Me,  ye 
cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil 
and  his  angels"/  (Matt.  xxv.  41).  2.  The  remark- 
able words  which  the  first  Evangelist  quotes  from 
Isa.  hii.  4r— "Himself  took  our  infirmities  and 
BARE  OUR  sicknesses" — involve  two  difficiilties, 
the  patient  study  of  which,  however,  will  be  re- 
warded by  deeper  conceptions  of  the  work  of 
Christ.  Firstj  the  prediction  is  applied,  in  1  Pet. 
ii.  24,  to  Christ's  bearing  our  sins  in  His  own 
body  on  the  tree,"  whereas  here  it  is  applied  to  the 
removal  of  hodily  vuiJadies.  Again,  the  Evangehst 
seems  to  \'iew  the  diseases  which  oiu-  Lord  cured 
as  only  transferred  from  the  patients  to  Himself. 
But  both  difficulties  find  their  explanation  in  that 
profound  and  comprehensive  view  of  our  Lord's 
redeeming  work  which  a  careful  study  of  Scrip- 
ture reveals.  When  He  took  oiu-  nature  upon 
Him  and  made  it  His  own.  He  identified  Himself 
with  its  sin  and  curse  that  He  might  roll  them 
away  on  the  cross  (2  Cor.  v.  21),  and  felt  all  the 
maladies  and  ills  that  sin  had  inflicted  on  humanity 
as  His  own;  His  great  conscience  di'inking  in  the 
sense  of  that  sin  of  which  Himself  knew  none, 
and  His  mighty  heart  feeling  aU  the  ills  He  saw 


Christ  cleanseth 


MARK  II. 


a  leper. 


40  And  ^  there  came  a  leper  to  him,  beseeching  him,  and  kneeHug  down 
to  him,  and  saying  unto  him,  If  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  'make  me  clean. 

41  And  Jesus,  •'moved  with  compassion,  put  forth  Ms  hand,  and  touched 

42  him,  and  saith  unto  him,  I  will ;  be  thou  clean.  And  as  soon  as  he  had 
spoken,    immediately   the    leprosy   departed    from    him,    and    he  was 

43  cleansed.     And  he  straitly  charged  him,  and  forthwith  sent  him  away ; 

44  And  saith  unto  him.  See  thou  say  nothing  to  any  man :  but  go  thy  way, 
show  thyself  to  the  priest,  and  offer  for  thy  cleansing  those  things  ^'wliich 

45  Moses  commanded,  for  a  testimony  unto  them.  But  'he  went  out,  and 
began  to  publish  xt  much,  and  to  blaze  abroad  the  matter,  insomuch  that 
Jesus  could  no  more  openly  enter  into  the  city,  but  was  without  in  desert 
places:  '"and  they  came  to  him  from  every  quarter. 

2      AND  again  "he  entered  into  Capernaum  after  some  days;  and  it  was 

2  noised  that  he  was  in  the  house.     And  straightway  many  were  gathered 
together,  insomuch  that  there  was  no  room  to  receive  them,  no,  not  so 

3  much  as  about  the  door:  and  he  ^preached  the  word  unto  them.     And 
they  come  unto  him,  bringing  one  sick  of  the  palsy,  which  was  borne  of 

4  four.     And  when  they  could  not  come  nigh  unto  bim  for  the  press,  they 


A.  D.  31. 

''  Matt  8.  2. 

Luke  5.  12. 
■  Gen.  18.  14. 

Jer.  32.  17. 
3  Heb.  2.  17. 

Heb.  4.  15. 
fc  Lev.  14. 3, 4, 
10. 

Luke  5  14. 
'  Luke  5.  15. 
'"ch.  2.  13. 


CHAP.  2. 

"  Matt.  9.  1. 

Luke  5.  18. 
6  Isa.  61.  1. 

Matt.  5.  2. 

ch   6.  34. 

Luke  8.  1. 

Acts  8.  25. 

Eom.  10.  8. 

Eph,  2.  17. 

Heb.  2.  3. 


aroimd  Him  as  attaching  to  Himself.  And  as  we 
have  ah-eady  seen  that  His  whole  miuistry  of  heal- 
ing, as  respects  the  body,  was  but  a  visible  exhi- 
bition and  illustration  of  His  mission  "  to  destroy 
the  works  of  the  devil,"  so  the  eye  which  rightly 
apprehends  the  visible  miracle,  piercing  down- 
wards, will  discover  the  deeper  and  more  spiritual 
aspect  of  it  as  a  portion  of  tlie  Redeemer's  work, 
and  see  the  sin-bearing  Lamb  of  God  Himself,  the 
Bearer,  in  this  sense,  of  every  ill  of  sinful  hu- 
manity that  He  curecL  But  the  subject  is  fitter 
for  devout  thought  than  adequate  expression.  3. 
Did  Jesus,  ere  He  started  ou  His  first  missionary 
tour,  "  rising  u]3  a  great  while  before  it  was  day," 
steal  away  tmperceived  even  by  those  under  whose 
roof  He  slept,  and  hieing  Him  to  a  solitary  spot, 
there  spend  the  morning  hours  in  still  communion 
with  His  Father,  no  doubt  about  the  work  that 
lay  before  Him  ?  And  will  not  His  servants  learn 
of  Him  not  only  to  sanctify  their  whole  work  by 
prayer,  but  to  set  apart  special  seasons  of  com- 
munion with  God  before  enterinjj  on  its  greater 
stages,  or  any  important  step  of  it,  and  for  this 
end  to  withdraw  as  much  as  ])0ssible  into  undis- 
turl^ed  solitude  ?  4.  When  we  find  our  Lord,  from 
the  very  outset  of  His  ministry,  acting  on  that 
great  principle  enunciated  by  Himself,  "I  must 
work  the  -works  of  Him  that  sent  me  while  it  is 
day :  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work" 
(John  ix.  4) ;  and  actuated  by  this  iirinciijle,  dis- 
regarding the  demands  of  wearied  nature  and  the 
solicitations  of  friends,  what  an  example  is  thus 
furnished  to  His  ministers  in  every  age,  of  self- 
denial  and  devotion  to  their  woi-k!  Oh,  if  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest  ■would  but  thrust  foi-th  such 
labourers  into  his  harvest,  what  work  might  we 
not  see  done  !  5.  What  an  affecting  contrast  does 
Oapernauni  here  present  to  its  final  condition ! 
Bavished  with  the  wonderful  works  and  the 
matchless  teaching  of  Him  who  had  taken  up  His 
abode  amongst  them,  they  are  loath  to  part  with 
Him ;  and  while  the  Gadareues  prayed  Him  to 
depart  out  of  their  coasts,  they  are  fain  to  stay 
Him,  that  He  should  not  depart  from  them.  And 
if  our  Lord  declined  to  settle  in  Nazareth,  and  even 
to  do  there  the  mighty  works  which  He  did  at  Ca- 
pernaum, because  of  the  disrespect  with  which  He 
was  regarded  in  the  jjlace  where  He  had  been 
brought  up,  how  grateful  to  His  feelings  would  be 
this  early  welcome  at  Capernaum !  But,  alas  !  in 
them  was  fulfilled  that  great  law  of  the  divine 
141 


kingdom,    "Many  that  are  fii'st  shall  be  last." 
What  a  warning  is  this  to  similarly  favoured  spots  ! 

40-45. — Healing  of  a  Leper.  ( =  Matt.  viii.  1-4 ; 
Luke  V.  12-16.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Matt, 
viii.  1-4 

CHAP.  II.  1-12. — Healing  of  a  Paralytic. 
(=  Matt.  ix.  1-8;  Luke  v.  17-26.)  This  incident, 
as  remarked  on  Matt.  ix.  1,  appears  to  follow  next 
in  order  of  time  after  the  ciu-e  of  the  Leper  (ch.  L 
40-45). 

1.  And  again  he  entered  into  Capernaum— 
"His  own  city"  (Matt.  ix.  1),  and  it  was  noised 
that  he  was  in  the  house — no  doubt  of  Simon 
Peter  (ch.  i.  29).  2.  And  straightway  many  were 
gathered  together,  insomuch  that  there  was  no 
room  to  receive  them,  no,  not  so  much  as  about 
the  door.  This  is  one  of  ilark's  graphic  touches. 
No  doubt  in  this  case,  as  the  scene  occm-red  at  his 
informant's  own  door,  these  details  are  the  vivid 
recollections  of  that  houom-ed  disciple,  and  he 
preached  the  word  unto  them— that  is,  in-doore ; 
but  in  the  hearing,  doubtless,  of  the  multitude 
that  pressed  around.  Had  He  gone  forth,  as  He 
naturally  would,  the  paralytic's  faith  would  have 
had  no  such  opiiortunity  to  display  itself.  Luke 
(v.  17)  furnishes  an  additional  and  very  important 
incident  in  the  scene — as  follows:  "  And  it  came 
to  pass  on  a  certain  day,  as  He  was  teaching,  that 
there  were  Pharisees  and  doctors  of  the  law  sitting 
by,  which  were  come  out  of  evei-ytowai,"  or  'village' 
[/cai/x7;s],"  of  Galilee,  and  Judea,  and  Jerusalem." 
This  was  the  highest  testimony  yet  borne  to  oiir 
Lord's  growing  infiuence,  and  the  necessity  in- 
creasingly felt  by  the  ecclesiastics  throughout  the 
country  of  coming  to  some  definite  judgment  re- 
garding Him.  "And  the  power  of  the  Lord  was 
[present]  to  heal  them"  [iji/  eis  to  \d(y%ai  auToui] 
—or,  '  was  [efficacious]  to  heal  them,'  that  is,  the 
sick  that  were  brought  before  Him.  So  that  tlie 
miracle  that  is  now  to  be  described  was  only  the 
most  glorious  and  worthy  to  be  recorded  of 
many  then  performed ;  and  what  made  it  so  was 
doubtless  the  faith  which  was  manifested  in  con- 
nection with  it,  and  the  proclamation  of  the  for- 
giveness of  the  patient's  sins  that  immediately 
preceded  it.  3.  And  they  come  unto  him— that  is, 
towards  the  house  where  He  was,  bringing  one 
sick  of  the  palsy— "lying  on  a  bed"  (Matt.  ix.  2), 
which  was  borne  of  four— a  grai)hic  particular  of 
Mark  only.  4.  And  when  they  could  not  come 
nigh  unto  him  for  the  press— or,  as  in  Liike, 


Christ  liealeth 


MARK  II. 


a  'paralytic. 


uncovered  the  roof  where  he  was :  and  when  they  had  broken  it  up,  they 
h  let  down  the  bed  wherein  the  sick  of  the  palsy  lay.     When  Jesus  ^saw 

their  faith,  he  said  unto  the  sick  of  the  palsy,  ''Son,  thy  sins  be  forgiven 
C  thee.     But  there  were  certain  of  the  scribes  sitting  there,  and  reasoning 

7  in  their  hearts,  AYliy  doth  this  man  thus  speak  blasphemies?  Vho  can 

8  forgive  sins  but  God  only?     And  immediately -^ when  Jesus  perceived  in 
his  spirit  that  they  so  reasoned  within  themselves,  he  said  unto  them, 

9  Why  reason  ye  these  things  in  your  hearts?    Whether  ^is  it  easier  to  say 
to  the  sick  of  the  palsy,  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee ;  or  to  say.  Arise,  and 

10  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk?  But  that  ye  may  know  that  ^the  Son  of 
man  hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins,   (lie  saith  to  the  sick  of  the 

1 1  palsy,)  I  say  unto  thee.  Arise,  and  take  up  thy  bed,  and  go  thy  way  into 

12  thine  house.  And  *  immediately  he  arose,  took  up  the  bed,  and  went 
forth  before  them  all ;  insomuch  that  they  were  all  amazed,  and  glorified 
God,  saying,  We  never  saw  it  on  this  fashion. 


A.  D.  31. 

"  Gen.  It.  vi. 
Heb.  4.  13. 
<i  Ps.  103   3. 

Isa.  53  n. 

'  Job  14.  4. 

Ps.  130.  4. 

Isa.  43.  25. 

Rom.  8.  33. 
/  1  Sam  16  7. 

1  Chr.29.17. 

Ps.  7.  9. 

Ps.  139.  1. 

Jer.  17.  10. 

Matt.  9.  4. 

Heb.  4.  13. 
'■I  Matt.  9.  5. 
A  Isa.  53.  IL 

Dan.  7.  13. 
i  Ps    33.  9. 


"  when  tliey  could  not  find  by  what  way  they 
might  bring  him  in  because  of  the  multitude, ' 
they  "went  upon  the  house-top"  —  the  flat  or 
terrace-roof,  universal  in  eastern  houses  —  and 
uncovered  the  roof  where  he  was:  and  when 
they  had  broken  it  up,  they  let  down  the  bed 
[K-p«/3/3a-roi/]— or  portable  couch,  wherein  the  sick 
of  the  palsy  lay.  Luke  says,  they  "  let  him  down 
through  the  tiling  with  his  couch  into  the  midst 
before  Jesus."  Their  whole  object  was  to  hr'ing 
the  patient  info  the  presence  of  Jestis;  and  this 
not  being  iiossible  in  the  ordinary  way,  for  the 
multitude  that  surroiinded  Him,  they  took  the 
very  iinusual  method  here  described  of  accom- 
plisiiing  their  object,  and  succeeded.  _  Several 
explanations  have  been  given  of  the  way  in  which 
this  was  done ;  but  unless  we  knew  tne  precise 
plan  of  the  house,  and  the  part  of  it  from  which 
Jesus  taught— which  may  have  been  a  quadrangle 
or  open  court,  within  the  buildings  of  which  Peter's 
house  was  one,  or  a  gallery  covered  by  a  verandah 
— it  is  impossible  to  determine  precisely  how  the 
thing  was  done.  One  thing,  however,  is  clear, 
that  we  have  both  the  accounts  from  an  eye- 
witness. 5.  When  Jesus  saw  their  faith.  It  is 
remarkable  that  all  the  three  narratives  call  it 
"  their  faith"  which  Jesus  saw.  That  the  patient 
himself  had  faith,  we  know  from  the  proclamation 
of  his  forgiA^eness,  which  Jesus  made  before  all ; 
and  we  should  have  been  apt  to  conclude  that  his 
four  friends  bore  him  to  Jesus  merely  out  of  bene- 
volent compliance  with  the  urgent  entreaties  of 
the  poor  sufferer.  But  here  we  learn,  not  only 
that  his  bearers  had  the  same  faith  with  him- 
self, but  that  Jesus  marked  it  as  a  faith 
which  was  not  to  be  defeated — a  faith  vic- 
torious over  all  difhculties.  This  was  the 
faith  for  which  He  was  ever  on  the  watch,  and 
which  He  never  saw  without  marking,  and, 
in  those  who  needed  anything  from  Him,  richly 
rewarding,  he  said  unto  the  sick  of  the  palsy, 
Son,  "be  of  good  cheer"  (Matt.  ix.  2),  thy  sins 
be  forgiven  thee  [^(peMVTaL  rrol  «!  nfJiapTlai].  By 
the  word  "be,"  our  translators  i)erhaps  meant 
"  are,"  as  in  Luke  (v.  20).  For  it  is  not  a  com- 
mand to  his  sins  to  depart,  but  an  authoritative 
proclamation  of  the  man's  pardoned  state  as  a  be- 
liever. And  yet,  as  the  Pharisees  understood  our 
Lord  to  be  dispensing  pardon  by  this  saying,  and 
Jesus  not  only  acknowledges  that  they  were  right, 
but  founds  His  whole  argument  upon  the  corre.t- 
uess  of  it,  we  must  regard  the  saying  as  a  royal 
jiroclamation  of  the  man's  forgiveness  by  Him  to 
whom  it  belonged  to  dispense  it ;  nor  could  such  a 
etvle  of  address  be  jiistihed  on  any  lower  supposi- 
tion. (Seeon  Lukevii.  41.&C.)  6.  But  there  were 
142 


certain  of  the  scribes — "  and  the  Pharisees"  (Luke 
V.  21),  sitting  there  —  those  Jewish  ecclesiastics 
who,  as  Luke  told  us,  "  were  come  out  of  every 
village  of  Galilee,  and  Judea,  and  Jerusalem,"  to 
make  their  observations  upon  this  wonderful  Per- 
son, in  anything  but  a  teachable  spirit,  though 
as  yet  their  venomous  and  murderous  feeling 
had  not  showed  itself;  and  reasoning  in  their 
hearts,  7.  Why  doth  this  man  thus  speak  blas- 
phemies? who  can  forgive  sins  but  God  only? 
In  this  second  question  they  expressed  a  great 
truth.  (See  Isa.  xliii.  25;  Mic.  vii.  IS;  Exod. 
xxxiv.  G,  7,  &c.)  Nor  was  their  first  question 
altogether  unnatural,  though  in  our  Lord's  sole 
case  it  was  unfounded.  That  a  man,  to  all  ap- 
pearance lilve  one  of  themselves,  should  claim 
authority  and  power  to  forgive  sins,  they  coidd 
not,  on  the  first  blush  of  it,  but  regard  as  in  the 
last  degree  startling ;  nor  were  they  entitled  even 
to  weigh  such  a  claim,  as  worthy  of  a  hearing,  save 
on  supposition  of  resistless  CAidence  afforded  by 
Him  m  support  of  the  claim.  Accordingly,  our 
Lord  deals  with  them  as  men  entitled  to  such 
evidence,  and  supplies  it ;  at  the  same  time  chiding 
them  for  rashness,  in  drawing  harsh  conclusions 
regarding  Himself.  8.  And  immediately  when 
Jesus  perceived  in  his  spirit  that  they  so  rea- 
soned within  themselves,  he  said  unto  them, 
Whv  reason  ye  these  things — or,  as  in  Matthew, 
"Wherefore  think  ye  evil"  in  your  hearts? 
9.  Whether  is  it  easier  to  say  to  the  sick  of  the 
palsy,  Thy  sins  be  (or  'are')  forgiven  thee;  or  to 
say,  Arise,  and  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk? 
'  Is  it  easier  to  command  away  disease  than  to  bid 
away  sin?  If,  then,  I  do  the  one,  which  you  can- 
see,  know  thus  that  I  have  done  the  other,  which 
you  cannot  see.'  10.  But'that  ye  may  know  that 
the  Son  of  man  hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive 
sins — 'that  forgiving  power  dwells  in  the  Person 
of  this  Man,  and  is  exercised  by  Him  while  on 
this  earth  and  going  out  and  in  with  you' — (he 
saith  to  the  sick  of  the  palsy,)  11.  I  say  unto 
thee,  Arise,  and  take  up  thy  bed,  and  go  thy  way 
into  thine  house.  This  taking  up  the  portable 
couch,  and  walking  home  with  it,  was  designed 
to  prove  the  comi^eteness  of  the  cure.  12.  And 
immediately  he  arose,  took  up  the  bed.  'Sweet 
saying!'  says  Bengel:  'The  bed  had  borne  the 
man:  now  the  man  bore  the  bed.'  and  went 
forth  before  them  all — proclaiming  by  that  act 
to  the  multitude,  whose  wondering  eyes  would 
follow  Him  as  He  jiressed  through  them,  that  He 
who  could  work  such  a  glorious  miracle  of  heal- 
ing, must  indeed  "  have  power  on  earth  to  forgive 
sins."  insomuch  that  they  were  all  amazed,  and 
glorified  God,  saying,  We  never  saw  it  on  this 


Mat 


t'teic  s  ca 


11 


MAEK  III. 


15 


13  And  ■'he  went  fortli  again  by  tlie  sea-side;    and   all  the  multitude 

14  resorted  unto  him,  and  he  taught  them.  And  *'as  he  passed  by,  he 
saw  Levi  the  son  of  Alpheus  sitting  ^at  the  receipt  of  custom,  and  said 
unto  him,  Follow  me.  And  he  arose  and  followed  him.  And  4t  came 
to  jjass,  that,  as  Jesus  sat  at  meat  in  his  house,  many  publicans  and 
sinners  sat  also  together  with  Jesus  and  his  disciples:   for  there  were 

16  many,_and  they  followed  him.  And  when  '"the  scribes  and  Pharisees 
saw  him  eat  with  publicans  and  sinners,  they  said  unto  his  disciples, 
How  is  it  that   he  eateth  and  drinketh  with  publicans  and  sinners? 

17  When  Jesus  heard  it,  he  saith  unto  them,  "They  that  are  whole  have 
no  need  of  the  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick :  I  came  not  to  call 
the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance. 

18  And  "the  disciples  of  John  and  of  the  Pharisees  used  to  fast:  and 
they  come  and  say  unto  him,  Why  do  the  disciples  of  John  and  of  the 

19  Pharisees  fast,  but  thy  disciples  fast  not?  And  Jesus  said  unto  them, 
Can  the  children  of  ^the  bride-chamber  fast  while  the  bridegroom  is 
with  them?    as   long  as  they  have  ^the  bridegroom   with   them,   they 

20  cannot  fast.     But  the  days  will  come,  when  the   bridegroom  shall  be 

21  taken  away  from  them,  and  then  shall  they  fast  in  those  days.  No 
man  also  seweth  a  j^iece  of  ^new  cloth  on  an  old  garment;  else  the  new 
piece  that  filled  it  up  taketli  away  from  the  old,  and  the  rent  is  made 
worse.  And  no  man  putteth  new  wine  into  old  bottles;  else  the  new 
wine  doth  burst  the  bottles,  and  the  wine  is  spilled,  and  the  bottles  will 
be  marred:  but  new  wine  must  be  put  into  new  bottles. 

And  '"it  came  to  pass,  that  he  went  through  the  corn  fields  on  the 
sabbath  day;  and  his  disciples  began,  as  they  went,  *to  pluck  the  ears  of 

24  corn.     And  the  Pharisees  said  unto  him,  Behold,  why  do  they  on  the 

25  sabbath  day  that  which  is  not  lawful?  And  he  said  unto  them.  Have  ye 
never  read  *what  David  did,  when  he  had  need,  and  was  an  hungered, 

26  he,  and  they  that  were  with  him?  How  he  went  into  the  house  of  God 
in  the  days  of  Abiathar  the  high  priest,  and  did  eat  the  showbread, 
"which  is  not  lawful  to  eat  but  for  the  priests,  and  gave  also  to  them 

27  which  were  with  him?     And  he  said  unto  them.  The  sabbath  was  made 

28  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  sabbath :  therefore  'the  Son  of  man  is  Lord 
also  of  the  sabbath. 

3      AND  "he  entered  again  into  the  synagogue;  and  there  was  a  man 

2  there  which  had  a  withered  hand.     And  tliey  watched  him,  whether  he 

3  would  heal  him  on  the  sabbath  day ;  that  they  might  accuse  him.     And 


and  feast. 


A.  D.  SI. 


22 


23 


j  Matt,  n  9. 
*  Luke  5.  27. 

1  Or,  at  tlie 
place 
where  the 
custom 
was  re- 
ceived. 

!  Matt.  0  10. 
"'Isa.  C5.  h. 
"  Matt.  9.  12, 
13. 
Matt.  IS.  IL 
Luke  5.  3J, 
32. 
Luke  15.  7, 

1:9. 

luke  16  15. 
Luke  19. 10. 

1  Tim.  1. 15. 
"  Matt.  9.  14. 

Luke  5  3.3. 
P  Song  1.  4. 
9  Ps.  45. 

Isa  54.  5. 

Matt  22  2. 

John  3.  2a. 

2  Cor.  11.  2. 

Eph.  6.  25, 
32. 

rev.  19.  7. 
Kev.  21.  1. 

2  Or,  raw, 
or,  un- 
wrought. 

""  Matt  12.  1. 

Luke  0.  1. 
'  Dent  23.25. 
«  l?am.  21  G. 
"  Ex.  25   30. 

Ex.  29.  32, 
33. 
«  Matt  12.  8. 

Eph.  1.  20, 
21. 

1  Pet.  3.  22. 


CHAP.  3. 

"■  Matt.  12  9. 
Luke  6.  6. 


fasMon.  [oUtois] — '  never  saw  it  thus,'  or,as  we  say, 
'  never  saw  the  like.'  In  Luke  (v.  26)  it  is,  "We 
have  seen  strange  (or  _ '  unexijected ')  things 
[TrapaSoga]  to-day" — referring  both  to  the  miracles 
wrought  and  the  forgiveness  of  sins  pronounced 
Ly  Human  Lips.  In  Matthew  (ix.  8)  it  is,  "They 
marvelled,  and  glorified  God,  which  had  given  such 
power  unto  men."  At  forgiving  power  they  won- 
dered not,  but  that  a  man,  to  all  appearance  like 
one  of  themselves,  should  possess  it ! 

Remarks. — 1.  Was  it  not  a  blessed  deed  those 
four  did,  to  bring  a  patient  to  the  Great  Physi- 
cian ?  But  may  not  this  be  done  many  ways  still  ? 
And  how  encom-aging  is  the  notice  which  Jesus 
took,  not  only  of  the  patient's,  but  of  his  bearers' 
faith!  2.  What  a  lesson  does  the  extraordinary 
determination  of  these  belieAang  bearers  of  the 
jiaralytic  teach  us,  to  let  no  obstacles  stand  in  the 
way  of  oiu-  reaching  Jesus,  either  for  ourselves  or 
for  those  dear  to  us  !  3.  How  does  the  supreme 
Divinity  of  the  Lord  Jesus  shine  forth  here,  m  the 
.authority  and  power  to  forgive  sins,  even  as  the 
Son  of  Man  upon  earth,  which  He  hrst  put  forth 
nud  then  demonstrated  that  He  iiossessed !  and  the 
143 


half-suppressed  horror  which  filled  those  ecclesi- 
astics who  were  spectators  of  the  scene,  as  they 
heard  from  Human  Lips  what  it  was  the  sole  pre- 
rogative of  God  to  utter,  when  we  connect  with_  it 
the  evidence  which  Jesus  gave  them  of  the  justice 
of  His  claim,  only  crowns  the  ijroof  which  this 
scene  furnishes  of  the  Divine  glory  of  Christ.  4.  If 
even  on  earth,  or  in  the  depth  of  His  humiliation, 
the  Son  of  Man  had  power  to  forgive  sins,  shall  we 
doubt  His  "ability  to  save  to  the  uttermost,"  now 
that  He  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand  of  tho 
Majesty  on  high? 

13-17.  —  Levi's  (or  Matthew's)  Call  a:v"d 
Feast.  (==  Matt.  ix.  9-13;  Luke  v.  27-32.)  For 
the  exposition,  see  on  Matt.  ix.  9-13. 

18-22. — Discourse  on  Fasting.  (=Matt.  ix. 
14-17;  Luke  v.  33-39.)  For  the  exposition,  see 
on  Luke  v.  33-39. 

23-28.— Plucking  Corn-ears  on  the  Sabbath 
DAY.  (  =  Matt.  xii.  1-8;  Luke  vi.  1-5.)  For  the  ex- 
position  see  on  Matt.  xii.  1-8. 

CHAP.  IIL  1-12.— The  Healing  of  a  With- 
ered Hand  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  retire- 
ment OF  Jesus  to  avoid  danger.    (=Matt.  xii. 


The  twelve 


MARK  III. 


apostles  chosen. 


he  saith  unto  the  man  which  had  the  withered  hand,  ^  Stand  forth.  And 
he  saith  unto  them,  Is  it  lawful  to  do  good  on  the  sabbath  days,  or  to  do 
evil  ?  to  save  life,  or  to  kill  ?  But  they  held  their  peace.  And  when  he 
had  looked  round  about  on  them  with  ^  anger,  being  grieved  for  the 
-hardness  of  their  hearts,  he  saith  unto  the  man,  Stretch  forth  thine 
hand.  And  he  stretched  it  out :  and  his  hand  was  restored  whole  as  the 
other.  And  "^the  Pharisees  went  forth,  and  straightway  took  counsel 
with  '^the  Herodians  against  him,  how  they  might  destroy  him. 

But  Jesus  withdrew  himself  with  his  disciples  to  the  sea :  and  a  great 
multitude  from  Galilee  followed  him,  ^and  from  Judea,  and  from  Jerusa- 
lem, and  from  Idumea,  and  from  beyond  Jordan ;  and  they  about  Tyre 
and  Sidon,  a  great  multitude,  when  they  had  heard  what  great  things 
9  he  did,  came  unto  him.  And  he  spake  to  his  disciples,  that  a  small 
ship  should  wait  on  him  because  of  the  multitude,  lest  they  should 

10  throng  him:  for  he  had  healed  many;  insomuch  that  they  ^pressed  upon 

11  him  for  to  touch  him,  as  many  as  had  plagues.  And -^unclean  spirits, 
when  they  saw  him,  fell  down  before  him,  and  cried,  saying,  ^Thou  art 

12  the  Son  of  God.  And  ''he  straitly  charged  them  that  they  should  not 
make  him  known. 

13  And  ^he  goeth  up  into  a  mountain,  and  calleth  nnto  him  whom  he 

14  would:  and  they  came  unto  him.     And  he  ordained  twelve,  that  they 

15  should  be  with  him,  and  that  he  might  send  them  forth  to  preach,  and 

16  to  have  power  to  heal  sicknesses,  and  to  cast  out  devils.     And  Simon  •'he 

1 7  surnamed  Peter ;  and  James  the  so)i  of  Zebedee,  and  John  the  brother  of 
James;  (and  he  surnamed  them  Boanerges,  which  is,  ^'The  sons  of 
thunder ;)  and  Andrew,  and  Philip,  and  Bartholomew,  and  Matthew,  and 
Thomas,  and  James  the  son  of  Alpheus,  and  'Thaddeus,  and  Simon  the 
Canaanite,  and  Judas  Iscariot,  which  also  betrayed  him.  And  they  went 
*into  an  house. 

And  the  multitude  cometh  together  again,  ™so  that  they  could  not  so 
much  as  eat  bread.  And  when  his  ^  friends  heard  of  it,  they  went  out  to 
lay  hold  on  him :  for  they  said.  He  is  beside  himself.  And  the  scribes 
which  came  down  from  Jerusalem  said,  "He  hath  Beelzebub,  and  by  the 
prince  of  the  devils  casteth  he  out  devils.  And  "he  called  them  unto 
him,  and  said  unto  them  in  parables.  How  can  Satan  cast  out  Satan? 
And  if  a  kingdom  be  divided  against  itself,  that  kingdom  cannot 
stand.    And  if  a  house  be  divided  against  itself,  that  house  cannot  stand. 

And  if  Satan  rise  up  against  himself,  and  be  divided,  he  cannot  stand, 
but  hath  an  end.  No  ^man  can  enter  into  a  strong  man's  house,  and 
spoil  his  goods,  except  he  will  first  bind  the  strong  man;  and  then 
he  will  spoil  his  house.  Verily  ^I  say  unto  you,  All  sins  shall  be 
forgiven  unto  the  sons  of  men,  and  blasphemies  wherewith  soever  they 

29  shall  blaspheme ;  but  he  that  shall  blaspheme  against  the  Holy  Ghost 

30  hath  'never  forgiveness,  but  is  in  danger  of  eternal  damnation:  because 
they  said,  He  hath  an  unclean  spirit. 

There  *came  then  his  brethren  and  his  mother,  and,  standing  without, 
sent  unto  him,  calling  him.  And  the  multitude  sat  about  him ;  and 
they  said  unto  him.  Behold,  'thy  mother  and  thy  bretln-en  without  seek 

33  for  thee.     And  he  answered  them,  saying,  ^Vlio  is  my  mother,  or  my 

34  brethren?     And  he  looked  round  about  on  them  which  sat  about  him, 

35  and  said,  ^Behold  my  mother  and  my  brethren !  For  whosoever  shall 
do  the  will  of  God,  the  same  is  my  brother,  and  my  sister,  and  mother. 


18 

19 

20 
21 
22 

23 

24 

25 
26 
27 

28 


31 


A.  D.  31. 

1  Arise, 
stand  forth 
in  the 
midst. 
Dan.  6.  10. 
Phil  1.  14. 

*  Ps,  69.  9. 

Ps.  119. 139. 

2  Or.  blind- 
ness. 

"  Matt  12.11 
d  Matt.  22  16. 

*  Luke  6.  ir. 

3  Or,  rushed. 
/  ch.  1.  23. 

Luke  4.  41. 
^  Acts  16.  ir. 

Matt.  14.33. 

ch.  1.  1. 
''  ch.  1.  25,34. 

Matt.  12.16. 

*  Matt.  10.  L 
Luke  6.  12. 
Luke  9.  1. 

i  John  1.  42. 

*  Isa.  58.  1. 
'  Jude  1. 

*  Or,  home, 
'"ch.  6.  31. 

'  Or,  kins- 
men. 

John  7.  5. 

John  10.  20. 
"  Matt.  9.  34. 

Matt.  10.25. 

Luke  11. 15. 

John  T.  20. 

John  8.  48, 
62. 

John  10.  22. 
°  Matt  12.25. 

Luke  U.  17- 
23. 
^  Isa.  49.  24. 

Matt.  12.29. 
8  Matt.  12.31. 

Luke  12.10. 

Heb.  6.  4-8. 

Heb.  10.  26- 
31. 

1  John  5.16. 
■■  Matt  25.46. 

ch.  12.  40. 
Acts  7.  51. 

2  Thes.  1.  9. 
Heb.  6.  4. 
Jude  7.  13. 

»  Matt.  12.46. 

Luke  8.  19. 
<  Matt.  13.55. 

ch.  6.  3. 

John  7.  3 
"  Deut.  33.  9. 

Song  4.9,10. 

Matt.  25.40- 
45. 

Eom.  8.  29. 

Heb.  2. 11. 


9-21;  Luke  vL  6-11.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on 
INIatt.  xii.  9-21. 

13-19.— The  Twelve  Apostles  Chosen.  For 
the  exposition,  see  on  Luke  vi.  12-19. 

20-30. —Jjiijus  IS  Charged  with  Madness  and 


Demoniacal  Possession— His  Reply.  (=Matt. 
xii.  22-37 ;  Luke  xi.  14-26. )  For  the  exposition,  see 
on  Matt.  xiL  22-37,  and  on  Luke  xi.  21-26. 

31-35.— His  Mother  and  Brethren  seek  to 
Speak  with  Him,  and  the  Eeply.     (=Matt. 


The  Parable 


MAEK  IV. 


of  the  Sower. 


4  ANP  "he  began  again  to  teach  by  the  sea-side :  and  there  was  gathered 
nnto  him  a  great  multitude,  so  that  he  entered  into  a  ship,  and  sat  in 

2  the  sea;  and  the  whole  multitude  was  by  the  sea  on  the  land.  And 
he    taught    them    many   things    by    parables,    and   said    unto    them 

3  in   his   doctrine,    ^Hearken;    Behold,  there   went   out  a  sower  to  sow: 

4  and  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  sowed,  some  fell  by  the  way-side,  and  the  fowls 

5  of  the  air  came  and  devoured  it  up.  And  some  fell  on  stony  ground, 
where  it  had  not  much  earth ;   and  immediately  it  sprang  up,  because  it 

6  had  no  depth  of  earth :  but  when  the  sun  was  up,  it  was  scorched ;  and 

7  because  it  had  no  root,  it  withered  away.     And  some  *^fell  among  thorns, 

8  and  the  thorns  grew  up,  and  choked  it,  and  it  yielded  no  fmit.  And 
other  fell  on  good  ground,  and  did  yield  fruit  that  sprang  up  and 
increased;  and  brought  forth,  some  thirty,  and  some  sixty,  and  some  an 

9  hundred.  And  he  said  unto  them,  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him 
hear. 


A.  D.  31. 


CHAP.  4. 
"  Matt.  13. 1. 

ch.  2.  13. 

Luke  8.  4. 
6  Deut.  4.  1. 

Ps,  34. 11. 

Ps   45.  10. 

Pro.  7.  24. 

Pro.  8.  Zi. 

Isa.  55.  1. 

Acts  2.  14. 

Jas  2.  5. 
"=  Gen.  3.  18. 

Jer.  4.  3. 

Luke  8.  7. 

John  15.  6. 

1  Tim.  6.  9. 

Col.  1.  6. 


xii.  46-50;  Luke  viiL  19-21.)    For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Matt,  xii,  46-50. 

CHAP.  IV.  1-29.— Parable  of  the  Sower— 
PtEASON  FOR  Teaching  in  Parables— Parables 
OF  THE  Seed  Growing  we  Know  Not  How, 
AND  OF  THE  MusTARD  Seed.  (  =  Matt.  xiii.  1-23, 
31,  32;  Luke  viiL  4-18.) 

1.  And  lie  began  again  to  teach  by  tlie  sea-side : 
and  there  was  gathered  unto  him  a  great  multi- 
tude— or,  according  to  another  well-supported 
reading,  'a mighty,'  or  'immense  multitude 'jox^os 
irXe'idToi],  so  that  he  entered  into  a  ship  [eis 
TO  -irXolov] — rather,  'into  the  shiji,'  meaning  the 
one  mentioned  in  ch.  iii.  9.  (See  on  Matt.  xii. 
15.)  and  sat  in  the  sea;  and  the  whole 
multitude  was  by  the  sea  on  the  land — crowded 
on  the  sea-shore  to  listen  to  Him.  See  on  Matt, 
xiii.  1,2.  2.  And  he  taught  them  many  things  by 
parables,  and  said  unto  them  in  his  doctrine 
[oioax')] — or  'teaching." 

Parable  of  the  Sower  (3-9,  13-20).  After  this 
parable  is  recorded,  the  Evangelist  says,  v.  10.  And 
when  he  was  alone,  they  that  were  about  him 
with  the  twelve — probably  those  who  followed 
Him  most  closely  and  were  firmest  in  discipleship, 
next  to  the  Twelve,  asked  of  him  the  parable. 
The  reply  would  seem  to  intimate  that  this  parable 
of  the  Sower  was  of  that  fundamental,  comprehen- 
sive, and  introductory  character  which  we  have 
assigned  to  it  (see  on  Matt.  xiii.  1).  13.  And  he 
said  unto  them,  Know  ye  not  this  parable? 
and  how  then  will  ye  know  all  parables? 
Probably  this  was  said  not  so  much  in  the  spiiit 
of  rebuke,  as  to  call  their  attention  to  the  exposi- 
tion of  it  which  He  was  about  to  give,  and  so  train 
them  to  the  right  apprehension  of  His  future 
parables.  As  in  the  parables  which  we  have 
endeavoured  to  explain  in  Matt,  xiii.,  we  shall 
take  this  parable  and  the  Lord's  own  exposition  of 
the  difterent  parts  of  it  together. 

The  Sower,  the  Seed,  and  the  Soil.  3. 
Hearken ;  Behold,  there  went  out  a  sower  to  sow. 
What  means  this?  14.  The  sower  soweth  the 
word — or,  as  in  Luke  (viii.  11),  "  Now  the  parable 
is  this :  The  seed  is  the  word  of  God."  But  who  is 
"  the  sower?"  This  is  not  expressed  here,  l^ecause 
if  "'the  word  of  God"  be  the  seed,  every  scatterer 
of  that  precious  seed  must  be  regarded  as  a  sower. 
It  is  true  that  in  the  jiarable  of  the  Tares  it  is  said, 
"  He  that  soweth  the  good  seed  is  the  Son  of  Man," 
as  "He  that  soweth  the  tares  is  the  devil"(Matt. 
xiii.  37,  38).  But  these  are  only  the  great  unseen 
parties,  struggling  in  this  world  for  the  posses- 
sion of  man.  Each  of  these  has  his  agents  among 
men  themselves ;  and  Christ's  agents  in  the  sow- 
ing of  the  good  seed  are  the  preachers  of  the 

vol.    v.  145 


word.  Thus,  as  in  all  the  cases  about  to  be  de- 
scribed, tlie  Sower  is  the  same,  and  the  seed  is  the 
same,  while  the  result  is  entirely  different,  the 
whole  difference  must  lie  in  the  soilii,  which  mean 
the  different  states  of  the  human  heart.  And  sc), 
the  great  general  lesson  held  forth  in  this  parable 
of  the  Sower  is.  That  however  faithful  the  preachei-, 
and  how  pure  soever  his  message,  the  effect  of  tlie. 
'preaching  of  the  word  depends  upon  tlie  state  of  the 
hearei-'s  heart.     Now  follow  the  cases. 

First  Case :  The  Way-side.  4.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  as  he  sowed,  some  fell  by  the  way-side— 
by  the  side  of  the  hard  path  through  the  field, 
where  the  soil  was  not  broken  up :  and  the  fowls 
[of  the  air]  came  and  devoured  it  up  {tov  ovpa- 
vov  is  wanting  in  support].  Not  only  could  the 
seed  not  get  beueatli  the  surface,  but  "  it  was 
trodden  down"  (Luke  viii.  5),  and  afterwards 
picked  up  and  devoured  by  the  fowls.  What 
means  this?  15.  And  these  are  they  by  the 
way-side,  where  the  word  is  sown;  but,  when 
they  have  heard,  Satan  cometh  immediately, 
and  taketh  away  the  word  that  was  sown  in 
their  hearts  —  or,  more  fuUy,  ISIatt.  xiii.  19, 
"  When  any  one  heareth  the  word  of  the  king- 
dom, and  understandeth  it  not,  then  cometh  the 
wicked  one,  and  catcheth  away  that  which  was 
sown  in  his  heart."  The  great  truth  here  taught 
is,  that  Hearts^  all  unhroken  and  hard  are  no  fit 
soil  for  saving  truth.  They  apprehend  it  not  (Matt. 
xiiL  19),  as  God's  means  of  restoring  them  to  Him- 
self ;  it  jienetrates  not,  makes  no  impression,  but 
lies  loosely  on  the  surface  of  the  heart,  till  the 
wicked  one  —  afraid  of  losing  a  victim  by  his 
"believing  to  salvation,"  Luke  viii.  12)^ — finds 
some  frivolous  subject  by  whose  greater  attrac- 
tions to  draw  off  the  attention,  and  straightway 
it  is  gone.  Of  how  many  hearers  of  the  woi  d  is 
this  the  graphic  but  painful  history ! 

Second  Case:  The  Stony,  or  rather,  Eocky 
Ground.  6.  And  some  fell  on  stony  ground, 
where  it  had  not  much  earth  [to  Tre-rpMSe-;] — 
'the  rocky  ground;'  in  Matthew  (xiii.  5),  'the 
rocky  places  [tii  -Tre-rpooSti];  in  Luke,  'the  rock' 
[T);y  irerpav].  Tte  thing  intended  is,  not  ground 
with  stones  in  it,  which  would  not  prevent  the 
roots  stiiking  downward,  but  ground  where  a  quite 
thin  surface  of  earth  covers  a  rock.  What  means 
this?  16.  And  these  are  they  likewise  which 
are  sown  on  stony  ground;  who,  when  they 
have  heard  the  word,  Immediately  receive  it 
with  gladness;  17.  And  have  no  root  in  them- 
selves, and  so  endure  but  for  a  time :  afterward, 
when  affliction  or  persecution  ariseth  for  the 
word's  sake,  immediately  they  are  offended. 
"Immediately"  the  seed   in   such  case  "springs 


Reason  for 


MARK  IV. 


teaching  in  parables. 


10  And  '^when  he  was  alone,  they  that  were  about  him  \vith  the  twelve      -*•  ^-  ^^• 

1 1  asked  of  him  the  parable.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Unto  you  it  is  given 
to  know  Hhe  mystery  of  the  kingdom  of  God:  but  unto -'them  that  are 

12  without,  all  these  things  are  done  in  parables:  that  ^seeing  they  may  see, 
and  not  perceive ;  and  hearing  they  may  hear,  and  not  understand ;  lest 
at  any  time  they  should  be  converted,  and  their  sins  should  be  forgiven 

13  them.     And   he   said   unto   them.    Know    ye    not    this   parable?   and 

14  how  then  will  ye  know  all  parables?     The  ''sower  soweth  the  word. 

15  And  these  are  they  by  the  way-side,  where  the  word  is  sown;  but,  when 
they  have  heard,  *  Satan  cometh  immediately,  and  taketh  away  the  word 

16  that  was  sown  in  their  hearts.  And  these  are  they  likewise  which  are 
sown  on  stony  ground ;  Avho,  when  they  have  heard  the  word,  immediately 

17  receive  it  with  gladness;  and  have  ■'no  root  in  themselves,  and  so  endure 
but  for  a  time :  afterward,  when  affliction  or  persecution  ariseth  for  the 

18  word's  sake,  immediately  they  are  offended.     And  these  are  they  which 

19  are  sown  among  thorns;  such  as  hear  the  word,  and  the  cares  of  this 


<i  Pro.  2.  1. 

Pro.  4.  r. 

Pro.  13.  20. 

Matt.  13.10. 

Luke  8.  9. 
•  1  Cor.  2. 10. 
/  1  Cor.  1.  18. 

1  Cor.  6. 12. 
»  Isa.  6.  9. 

Isa.  44.  18. 

Jer.  5.  21. 

Matt.  13. 14. 
"  Matt.  13.19. 

Eph.  3.  8. 

1  Pet.  1.  23, 
26. 

»  2  Cor.  2.  11. 

2  Cor.  4.  4. 
1  Fet.  5.  8. 

}  Job  27.  10 


up" — all  the  quicker  from  the  shallowness  of 
the  soil — "because  it  has  no  depth  of  earth." 
But  the  sun,  beating  on  it,  as  quickly  scorches  and 
withers  it  up,  "  because  it  has  no  root"  (v.  6),  and 
"lacks  moisture"  (Luke  viii.  6).  The  great  truth 
here  taught  is  that  Hearts  superficially  imjjressed 
are  apt  to  receive  the  truth  with  readiyiess,  and 
even  with  joy  (Luke  viii.  13);  but  the  heat  of 
tribulation  or  persecution  because  of  the  word,  or 
the  trials  which  their  new  profession  brings  upon 
them  quickly  dries  up  their  relish  for  the  truth, 
and  withers  all  the  hasty  promise  of  fruit  which  they 
showed.  Such  disappointing  issues  of  a  faithful 
and  awakening  ministry — alas,  how  frequent  are 
they! 

Third  Case:  The  Thorny  Ground.  7.  And 
some  fell  among  thorns,  and  the  thorns  grew 
up,  and  choked  it,  and  it  yielded  no  fruit.  This 
case  is  that  of  ground  not  thoroughly  cleaned  of 
the  thistles,  &c. ;  which,  rising  above  the  good 
seed,  "choke"  or  "smother"  it,  excluding  light 
and  air,  and  drawing  away  the  moisture  and 
richness  of  the  soil.  Hence  it  "  becomes  un- 
fruitful" (Matt.  xiu.  22) ;  it  grows,  but  its  growth 
is  checked,  and  it  never  ripens.  The  evil  here 
is  neither  a  hard  nor  a  shallow  soil — there  is 
softness  enough,  and  depth  enough ;  but  it  is  the 
existence  in  it  of  what  draws  aU  the  moisture 
and  richness  of  the  soil  away  to  itself,  and  so 
starves  the  plant.  What  now  are  these  "thorns?"' 
18.  And  these  are  they  which  are  sown  among 
thorns;  such  as  hear  the  word,  19.  And  the 
cares  of  this  world,  and  the  deceitfulness  of 
riches,  and  the  lusts  of  other  things  enter- 
ing in — or  "the  pleasm-es  of  this  life"  (Luke 
viii.  14),  choke  the  word,  and  it  becometh 
unfruitful.  First,  "The  cares  of  this  world"— 
anxious,  unrelaxing  attention  to  the  busiaess 
of  this  present  life;  second,  "The  deceitfulness 
of  riches" — of  those  riches  which  are  the  fruit 
of  this  worldly  "care;"  third,  "The  pleasures  of 
this  hfe,"  or  "  the  lusts  of  other  things  entering  in" 
— the  enjoyments,  in  themselves  it  may  be  inno- 
cent, which  worldly  prosperity  enables  one  to 
indulge.  These  "  choke"  or  "  smother"  the  word; 
drawing  off  so  much  of  one's  attention,  absorb- 
ing so  much  of  one's  interest,  and  using  up  so 
much  of  one's  time,  that  only  the  dregs  of  these 
remain  for  spiritual  things,  and  a  fagged,  hurried, 
and  heartless  formalism  is  at  length  all  the  re- 
ligion of  such  persons.  What  a  vivid  picture  is 
this  of  the  mournful  condition  of  many,  especially 
in  great  commercial  countries,  who  once  promised 
much  fruit!  "They  bring  no  fruit  to  perfection" 
146 


(Luke  viii.  14) ;  indicating  how  much  growth  there 
may  be,  in  the  early  stages  of  such  a  case,  and 
promise  of  fruit — which  after  all  never  ripens. 

Fourth  Case:  The  Good  Ground.  8.  And 
ether  fell  on  good  ground,  and  did  yield  fruit 
that  sprang  up  and  increased;  and  brought 
forth,  some  thirty,  and  some  sixty,  and  some 
an  hundred.  The  goodness  of  this  last  soil  con- 
sists in  its  qualities  being  precisely  the  reverse  of 
the  other  three  soils :  from  its  softness  and  tender- 
ness, receiving  and  cherishing  the  seed;  from  its 
depth,  allowing  it  to  take  firm  root,  and  not 
quickly  losing  its  moisture;  and  from  its  clean- 
ness, giving  its  whole  vigour  and  sap  to  the  plant. 
In  such  a  soil  the  seed  "brings  forth  fruit,"  in 
all  diS'erent  degrees  of  profusion,  according  to 
the  measure  in  which  the  soil  possesses  those 
quahties.  So  20.  And  these  are  they  which 
are  sown  on  good  ground;  such  as  hear  the 
word,  and  receive  it,  and  bring  forth  fruit, 
some  thirty-fold,  some  sixty,  and  some  an  hun- 
dred. A  heart  soft  and  tender,  stirred  to  its 
depths  on  the  great  things  of  eternity,  and  jeal- 
ously guarded  from  worldly  engrossments,  such 
only  is  the  "  honest  and  good  heart"  (Luke  viii. 
15),  which  ''' keeps"  [KaTe)(ov<Ti\ — that  isj  ''^retains'" 
the  seed  of  the  word,  and  bears  fruit  just  in  pro- 
portion as  it  is  such  a  heart.  Such  "  bring  forth 
fruit  with  patience"  {v.  15),  or  continuance,  '  en- 
during to  the  end;'  in  contrast  with  those  in 
whom  the  word  is  "choked"  and  brings  no  fruit 
to  perfection.  The  "thirty-fold"  is  designed  to 
express  the  lowest  degree  of  fruitfulness ;  the 
"hundred-fold"  the  highest;  and  the  "sixty- 
fold"  the  intermediate  degrees  of  fruitfulness.  As 
'  a  hundi-ed-fold,'  though  not  unexami^led  (Gen. 
xxvi  12),  is  a  rare  return  in  the  natural  hus- 
bandry, so  the  highest  degrees  of  spiritual  fruit- 
fulness are  too  seldom  witnessed.  The  closing 
words  of  this  introductoiy  parable  seem  designed 
to  call  attention  to  the  fundamental  and  universal 
character  of  it.  9.  And  he  said  unto  them.  He 
that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

Reason  for  Teaching  in  Parables  (11,  12).  11, 12. 
And  he  said  unto  them,  Unto  you  it  is  given  to 
know  the  mystery  of  the  kingdom  of  God:  but 
unto  them,  &c.  See  on  Matt.  xiii.  10-17.  21. 
And  he  said  unto  them.  Is  a  candle— or  'lamp,' 
[o  Xux^o*! — brought  to  be  put  under  a  bushel, 
or  under  a  bed?  and  not  to  be  set  on  a  candle- 
stick?— "that  they  which  enter  in  may  see  the 
light"  (Luke  viii,  16).  See  on  Matt.  v.  15,  of 
which  this  is  nearly  a  repetition.  22.  For  there 
Is  nothing  hid,  which  shall  not  be  manifested; 


Parable  of  the 


MARK  IV. 


Mustard  Seed. 


world,  ^'and  the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  and  the  lusts  of  other  things 

20  entering  in,  choke  the  word,  and  it  beoometh  vinfniitful.  And  these  are 
they  which  are  sown  on  good  'ground;  such  as  hear  the  word,  and  receive 
it,  and  bring  forth  fruit,  some  thirty-fold,  some  sixty,  and  some  an 
hundred. 

21  And  ™he   said  unto  them,  Is  a  candle  brought  to  be  put  under  a 

22  ^bushel,  or  under  a  bed?  and  not  to  be  set  on  a  candlestick?  For  "there 
is  nothing  hid,  which  shall  not  be  manifested ;  neither  was  any  thing  kept 

23  secret,  but  that  it  should  come  abroad.     If  "any  man  have  ears  to  hear, 

24  let  him  hear.  And  he  saith  unto  them,  ^Take  heed  what  ye  hear:  ^with 
what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you ;  and  unto  you  that 

25  hear  shall  more  be  given.  For  ''he  that  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given;  and 
he  that  hath  not,  from  him  shall  be  taken  even  that  which  he  hath. 

26  And  he  said,  *So  is  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  if  a  man  should  cast  seed 

27  into  the  ground;  and  should  sleep,  and  rise  night  and  day,  and  the  seed 

28  should  spring  and  grow  up,  he  knoweth  not  how.  For  the  earth  bringeth 
forth  fruit  of  himself ;  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  after  that  the  full 

29  corn  in  the  ear.  But  when  the  fruit  is  ^brought  forth,  immediately  'he 
putteth  in  the  sickle,  because  the  harvest  is  come. 

30  And  he  said,  "Whereunto  shall  we  liken  the  kingdom  of  God?  or  with 

31  what  comparison  shall  we  compare  it?  It  is  like  a  grain  of  mustard  seed, 
which,  when  it  is  sown  in  the  earth,  is  less  than  all  the  seeds  that  be  in 

32  the  earth :  but  when  it  is  sown,  it  "groweth  up,  and  becometh  greater 
than  all  herbs,  and  shooteth  out  great  branches ;  so  that  the  fowls  of  the 
air  may  lodge  under  the  shadow  of  it. 

33  And  ^  with  many  such  parables  spake  he  the  word  unto  them,  as  they 

34  were  able  to  hear  it.  But  without  a  parable  spake  he  not  unto  them : 
and  when  they  were  alone,  he  expounded  all  things  to  his  disciples. 


A.  D.  31. 


fc  Pa.  52.  r. 

Pro.  23.  5. 

Eccl.  5. 13. 
I  Eom.  7.  4. 

2  Cor.  5. 17. 

2  Pet.  1..  4. 

'"Matt.  5. 15. 
Luke  8. 16. 
Luke  11.33. 

1  The  word 
in  the 
original 
signifieth 

a  less  mea- 
sure, as 
Matt.  5.  15. 

"  Matt.  10.26. 

0  Matt.  11.15. 

P  1  John  4. 1. 

«  Matt.  7.  2. 

"■  Matt.  13.12. 

»   Matt.  13.24. 

2  Or,  ripe. 
Eph,  4.  13. 

«  Kev.  14.  15. 
»  Matt.  13.31. 

Luke  13.18. 

Acts  2.  41. 

Acts  4.  4. 

Acts  5.  14. 

Acts  19.  20. 
"  Mai.  1.  11. 

Eev.  11.  15. 
""Matt.  13.34. 

John  16.12. 


Heither  was  any  tMng  kept  secret,  but  that 
it  sliould  come  abroad.  See  on  Matt.  x.  26,  27; 
but  the  connection  there  and  here  is  slightly 
different.  Here  the  idea  seems  to  be  this: — 
'I  have  privately  expounded  to  you  these  great 
truths,  but  only  that  ye  may  proclaim  them 
Ijublicly;  and  if  ye  will  not,  others  wilL  For 
these  are  not  designed  for  secrecy.  They  are  im- 
parted to  be  diffused  abroad,  and  they  shall  be  so ; 
'  yea,  a  time  is  coming  when  the  most  hidden  things 
shall  be  brought  to'  light.'  23.  If  any  man  have 
ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear.  This  for  the  second 
time  on  the  same  subject  (see  on  v.  9).  24.  And  he 
saith  unto  them,  Take  heed  what  ye  hear  [t/]. 
In  Luke  (viiL  18)  it  is,  "  Take  heed  how  ye  hear" 
[ttois].  The  one  implies  the  other,  but  both  pre- 
cepts are  very  weighty,  with  what  measure  ye 
mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you.  See  on  Matt, 
vii.  2.  and  unto  you  that  hear—that  is,  thank- 
fully, teachably,  profitably,  shall  more  be  given. 
25.  For  he  that  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given ;  and 
he  that  hath  not,  from  him  shall  be  taken  even 
that  which  he  hath — or  "seemeth  to  have,"  or 
' think eth  he  hath'  ['6  SoKel  ex^iv].  See  on  Matt. 
xiii.  12.  This  "having"  and  "thinking  he  hath" 
are  not  different ;  for  when  it  hangs  loosely  upon 
him,  and  is  not  appropriated  to  its  proper  ends 
and  uses,  it  both  is  and  is  not  his. 

Parable  of  the  Seed  Growing  We  Know  Not  How 
(26-29).  This  beautiful  parable  is  peculiar  to  Mark. 
Its  design  is  to  teach  the  Imperceptible  Growth  of 
the  word  sown  in  the  heart,  from  its  earliest  stage 
of  development  to  the  ripest  fniits  of  practical 
righteousness.  26.  And  he  said.  So  is  the  kingdom 
of  God,  as  if  a  man  should  cast  seed  into  the 
ground ;  27.  And  should  sleep,  and  rise  night  and 
day— go  about  his  other  ordinary  occupations, 
lea\'iug  it  to  the  well-known  laws  of  vegetation 
147 


under  the  genial  influences  of  heaven.  This 
is  the  sense  of  "the  earth  bringing  forth  fruit 
of  herself,^^  in  the  next  verse,  and  the  seed 
should  spring  and  grow  up,  he  knoweth  not 
how.  28.  For  the  earth  bringeth  forth  fruit 
of  herself;  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  after 
that  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  Beautiful  allusion 
to  the  succession  of  similar  stages,  though  not 
definitely-marked  periods,  in  the  Christian  life, 
and  generally  in  tne  kingdom  of  God.  29.  But 
when  the  fruit  is  brought  forth — to  matiu-ity, 
immediately  he  putteth  in  the  sickle,  because  the 
harvest  is  come.  This  charmingly  points  to  the 
transition  from  the  earthly  to  the  heavenly  condi- 
tion of  the  Christian  and  the  Church. 

Parable  of  the  Mustard  Seed  (30-32).  For  the 
exposition  of  this  Portion,  see  on  Matt,  xiii,  SI,  32. 

33.  And  with  many  such  parables  spake  he 
the  word  unto  them,  as  they  were  able  to  hear 
it.  Had  this  been  said  in  the  coiTesponding  pas- 
sage of  Matthew,  we  should  have  concluded  that 
what  that  Evangelist  recorded  was  but  a  specimen 
of  other  parables  spoken  on  the  same  occasion. 
But  Matthew  (xiii.  34)  says,  "All  these  things 
spake  Jesus  imto  the  multitude  in  parables ;"  and 
as  Mark  records  only  some  of  the  parables  which 
Matthew  gives,  we  are  warranted  to  infer  that 
the  "many  such  jiarables"  alluded  to  here  mean 
no  more  than  the  full  complement  of  them  which 
we  find  in  Matthew.  34.  But  without  a  parable 
spake  he  not  unto  them.  See  on  Matt.  xiii.  34. 
and  when  they  were  alone,  he  expounded  all 
things  to  his  disciples.    See  on  v.  22. 

Remarks. — 1.  In  the  parable  of  the  Sower,  we 
have  an  illustration  of  the  principle  that  our 
Lord's  parables  illustrate  only  certam  features  of 
a  subject,  and  that  though  others  may  be  added 
as  accessory  and  subsidiary,  no  conclusions  are  to 


Christ  crosseth 


MARK  IV. 


the  sea  of  Galilee. 


35  And  ''the  same  day,  when  the  even  was  come,  he  saith  unto  them, 

36  Let  us  pass  over  unto  the  other  side.     And  when  they  had  sent  away 


A.  D.  31. 
*  Isa.  42.  4. 


be  drawn  as  to  those  features  of  the  subject  which 
are  not  in  the  parable  at  all.    (See  on  Matt.  xxii.  2, 
&c.,  XXV.  1,  where,  though  the  subject  in  both  is 
a  marriage,  the  Bride  appears  in  neither. )    Thus, 
the  one  point  in  this  parable  is  the  diversity  of 
the  soils,  as  affecting  the  result  of  the  sowing. 
To  make  this  the  clearer,  the  sower  and  the  seed 
are  here  supposed  to  be  the  same  in  all.     But 
were  one  to  infer  from  this  that  the    preacher 
and  his  doctrine  are  of  no  importance,  or  of  less 
moment  than  the  state  of  the  heart  on  which 
the  word  Lights,  he  would  fall  into  that  spurious 
style  of  interpretation  which  has  misled    not  a 
few.     2.    Perhaps  our  Lord's  own  ministry  fur- 
nishes   the    most    striking   illustration    of    this 
Parable  of  the  Sower.     Look  first  at  Chorazin, 
Bethsaida,  Capernaum,  Jerusalem — what  a  hard 
Way-side  did  they  present  to  the  precious  seed 
that    fell    upon    it — yielding,    with    few    excep- 
tions, not  only  no  fruit,  but  not  so  much  as  one 
freen  blade!     Turn  next  to  him  who    said  to 
[im,    "Lord,   I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever 
thou  goest,"  and  the  crowds  that  followed  Him 
with  wonder  and  heard  Him  with  joy,  and  cast  in 
their  lot   with    Him— until  the  uncompromising 
severity  of  His  teaching,  or  the  privations  and  the 
obloquy  they  had  to  suffer,  or  the  prospect  of  a 
deadly  conflict  with  the  world,  stumbled  them, 
and  then  they  went  back,  and  walked  no  more 
with    Him:    this    was    the  Rocky   Ground.     As 
for  the  Thorny  Ground— not  hard,  like  the  way- 
side ;  nor  shallow,  like  the  rocky  ground ;  but  soft 
enough  and  deep  enough ;  in  which,  therefore  the 
good  seed  sprang  up,    and  promised   fruit,  and 
■would  have  ripened  but  for  the  thorns  which  were 
allowed  to  sjjring  up  and  choke  the  plant— this 
kind  of  hearers  had  scarcely  time  to  develop  them- 
selves ere  the  Lord  Himself  was  taken  from  them. 
But  Judas— in  so  far  as  he  bade  so  fair  as  a  dis- 
ciple as  to  be  taken  into  the  number  of  the  Twelve, 
and  went  forth  with  the  rest  of  the  apostles  on 
their    preaching-tour,   and  in  every  other  thing 
acted  so  faithfully  to  all  appearance  as  to  inspire 
no  suspicion  of  his  false-heartedness  up  to  the  very 
night  of  his  treason— perhaps  he  may  be  taken  as 
one  of  a  class  which,  but  for  one  or  more  predomi- 
nant sins,  cherished  till  they  become    resistless, 
tvould  have  home  fruit  unto  life  eternal.     Of  honest 
and  good  hearts  there  were  but  too  few  to  cheer 
the  heart  of  the  Great  Sower.      But  the  Eleven 
certainly  were  such,  and  "as  many  as   received 
Him,  to  whom  He  gave  power  to  become  sons  of 
God;"  and  them  He  deigned  to  call  "  His  brother, 
and    sister,    and    mother."      As    to    the  varying 
I'ruitfulness  of  these,  Peter  and  John  might  per- 
haps be  takeu  as  examples  of  the   "some  who 
brought  forth  an  hundreci-fold ;"  Andrew,  and  Na- 
thauael    (or    Bartholomew),   and    Matthew,    and 
Thomas,  and  it  may  be  others,  sixty-fold;  and  the 
rest  thirty.     But  from  age  to  age  these  diversified 
characters  are  developed ;  and  some  more  in  one, 
some   in  another.      There    are    periods    of    such 
spiritual  death  in  the  Church,  that  its  whole  ter- 
ritory presents  to  the  spiritual  eye  the  aspect  of 
one  vast  Way -side,  with  but  here  and  there,  at 
■\\  ide  distances,  a  green  spot.     There  are  periods 
i)f  intense  religious  excitement,   in  which,  as  if 
all    were  Rocky  gi'ound,    the    sower's    heart  is 
gladdened  by  the  quick  up-springing  of  an  im- 
mense breadth   of  beautiful  green    '  blade,"  as 
if  the  Latter  Day  of  universal  turning  to  the 
Lord  were  about  to  dawn ;  and  a  goodly  portion 
of  it  conies  into  "ear;"  but  of  "the  full  corn 
148 


in  the   ear,"  scarce  any  is  there  to   reward  the 
reaper's  toil.     And  there  are  ijeriods  of  high  or- 
thodox belief,  fair  religious  profession,  and  uni- 
versally proper  outward  Christianity,  in  which  the 
all-engrossing  pursuit  of  wealth  in  the  walks  of 
untiring  industry,  and  the  carnal  indulgences  to 
which    outward  prosperity  ministers,   stai-ve  the 
soul  and  suffer  no  spiritual  fruit  to  come  "to  per- 
fection. "    These  are  the  Thorny-ground  periods. 
Of  Good^ground  periods   have  there   been  any? 
In  a  partial  sense  there  certainly  have ;  but  on  any 
great  scale  it  is  rather  to  be  expected  in  the  Times  of 
Refreshing  which  are  comin;^  upon  the  earth,  than 
referred  to  as  an  experienced  fact.     Perhaps  every 
congregation  furnishes  some  of  all  these  classes ; 
but  would  to  God  we  could  see  more  of  the  last ! 
3.  What  encouragement  may  not  be  fetched  from 
the  parable  of  the  imperceptible  groivth  of  the  good 
seed!      It  is  slow;    it  is  gradual;    it  is  unseen — 
alike  in  the  natural  and  the  spiritual   kingdom. 
Hence  the  wi.sdom  of  early  sowing,  and  long  pa- 
tience, and  cheerful   expectancy.     4.  Illustrative 
preaching   has    here  the  highest  example.      Not 
more  attractive  than  instructive   is  this  style  of 
preaching;  and  the  parables  of  our  Lord  are  in- 
comparable models  of  both.     If  there  be  such  a 
thing  in  perfection  as  "apples  of  gold  in  a  frame- 
work of  silver,"  these  are  they.     It  is  true  that  to 
excel  in  this  style  requires  an  original  capacity, 
with  which  every  preacher  is  not  gifted.     But  the 
systematic  observation  of  natui-e  and  of  human  life, 
with  continual  reference  to  spiritual  things,  will 
do  a  good  deal  to  aid  the  most  unapt,  while  lux- 
uriant fancies,  which  are  apt  to  overi>ower  with 
their    illustrations    the    thing    illusti-ated,    have 
quite  as  much  need  of  pruning.     For  both  classes 
of  mind  the  careful  study  of  that  grand  simxDlicity 
and  freedom,  and    freshness    and   elegance,  and 
whatever  else  there  be,  which  combine  to  render 
our  Lord's  parables  indescribably  perfect,  both  in 
the  truths  they  convey  and  the  mode  of  conveying 
them,  would  be  a  fi-uitful  exercise.     5.  The  com- 
mand to  take  heed  what  we  hear  is  to  be  taken  as 
a  hint  supplementary  to  the  parable  of  the  Sower, 
and  is  just  on  that  account  the  more  worthy  of 
attention.     For  since  the  quality  of  the  seed  sown 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  design  of  that  parable 
— it  being  supix>sed  in  all  the  cases  to  be  good 
seed — a  supplementary  caution  to  look  well  to 
"what"  we  hear,  as  well  as  "how,"  must  have 
been  intended  to  teach  us  that,  in  ix)int  of  fact, 
the  doctrine  taught  requires  as  much  attention  as 
the  right  frame  of  mind  in  listening  to  it.     For  in 
respect  of  both,   "the  word  which  we  hear,  the 
same  shall  jud^e  us  at  the  last  day. " 

35— V.  20. — Jesus,  Crossing  the  Sea  of  Gali- 
lee,    MIRACULOUSLY     StILLS    A    TeMFEST  —  He 

Cures  the  Demoniac  of  Gadara.  ( --  Matt, 
viii.  23-34 ;  Luke  viii.  22-39.) 

The  time  of  this  Section  is  very  definitely 
marked  by  our  Evangelist,  and  by  him  alone,  in 
the  opening  words. 

Jesiis  Stills  a  Tempest  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee  {Z5- 
41).  35.  And  the  same  day— on  which  He  spoke 
the  memorable  parables  of  the  preceding  Section, 
and  of  Matt,  xiii.,  when  the  even  was  come. 
See  on  cli.  vi.  35.  This  must  have  been  the  earlier 
evening — what  we  should  call  the  afternoon — since 
after  all  that  passed  on  the  other  side,  when  He 
returned  to  the  west  side,  the  people  were  waiting 
for  Him  in  great  numbers  (r.  21 ;  Luke  viiL  40). 
he  saith  unto  them,  Let  us  pass  over  unto  the 
other  side— to  the  east  side  of  the  Lake,  to  grapple 


I 


Christ  stilleth 


MARK  IV. 


a  tempest. 


the  multitude,  they  took  him  even  as  he  was  in  the  ship.     And  there 

37  were  also  with  him  other  little  shii)S.     And  there  arose  a  great  storm  of 

38  wind,  and  the  waves  beat  into  the  ship,  so  that  it  was  now  full.  And  he 
was  in  the  hinder  part  of  the  ship,  asleep  on  a  pillow :  and  they  awake 

39  him,  and  say  unto  him,  Master,  carest  thou  not  that  we  perish?  And 
he  arose,  and  ^rebuked  the  wind,  and  said  unto  the  sea.  Peace,  be  still. 

40  And  the  wind  ceased,  and  there  was  a  great  calm.     And  he  said  unto 

41  them,  Wliy  are  ye  so  fearful?  how  is  it  that  ye  have  no  faith?  And 
they  ^feared  exceedingly,  and  said  one  to  another,  What  manner  of  man 
is  this,  that  even  the  wind  and  the  sea  obey  him  ? 

5       AND  ""they  came  over  unto  the  other  side  of  the  sea,  into  the  country 
2  of  the  Gadarenes.     And  when  he  was  come  out  of  the  ship,  immediately 


A.  D.  31. 


"  Job  28.  n. 

JobSS.  11. 

Ps.  29.  10. 

Ps.  65.  5,  7. 

Ps.  89.  9. 

Ps.  93.  4. 

Ps.  107.  23- 
29. 

Ps.  135.  6,  6. 

Kah.  1.  4. 
'  Ps.  33.  8,  U. 


CHAP.  5. 

"  Matt.  8.  28. 

Luke  8,  20. 


with  a  desperate  case  of  possession,  and  set  the 
captive  free,  and  to  give  the  Gadarenes  an  opj)or- 
tunity  of  hearing  the  message  of  salvation,  amid 
the  wonder  which  that  marvellous  cure  was  fitted 
to  awaken  and  the  awe  which  the  subsequent 
events  could  not  but  strike  into  them.  36.  And 
when  they  had  sent  away  the  multitude,  they 
took  him  even  as  he  was  in  the  ship— that  is, 
without  any  preparation,  and  without  so  much  as 
leaving  the  vessel,  out  of  which  He  had  been  all 
day  teaching.  And  there  were  also  with  him 
other  little  ships  —  with  passengers,  probably, 
wishing  to  accompany  Him.  37.  And  there  arose 
a  great  storm  of  wind  \\uX\a\lf  i.vifjLov'\ — '  a  tem- 
pest of  wind. '  To  such  sudden  squalls  the  sea  of 
(^alilee  is  very  liable  from  its  position,  in  a  deep 
basin,  skirted  on  the  east  by  lofty  mountain- 
ranges,  while  on  the  west  the  hills  are  intersected 
by  narrow  gorges  through  which  the  wind  sweeps 
across  the  lake,  and  raises  its  waters  with  gi-eat 
rapidity  into  a  storm,  and  the  waves  beat  into 
the  ship  [eTre'/JaXXei/  eis  to  irXoXovl — ■'  kept  beat- 
ing' or  'pitching  on  the  ship,'  so  that  it  was 
now  full  [tocTTe  aiiTO  jioi;  ye/ui'^ecrOat] — rather,  '  SO 
that  it  was  already  falling.'  In  Matt.  (viii.  24), 
"  insomuch  that  the  ship  was  covered  with  the 
waves  ; "  biit  this  is  too  strong.  It  should  be,  '  so 
that  the  ship  was  getting  covered  by  the  waves ' 

i(o(TX6  TO  TrXotoi'  K:aXu7rT6cr6ui].  So  we  must  trans- 
ate  the  word  used  in  Luke  (viii.  23) — not  as  in  our 
version — "And  there  came  down  a  storm  on  the 
lake,  and  they  were  tilled  [with  water]" — but 
' they  were  getting  filled'  {aweirXripovvToX  that  is, 
those  who  sailed ;  meaning,  of  course,  that  their 
ship  was  so.  38.  And  he  was  in  the  hinder— or 
stern,  part  of  the  ship,  asleep  on  a  pillow  [eTri 
TO  'jrpoci-K£(pciXaiov]  —  either  a  place  in  the  vessel 
made  to  receive  the  head,  or  a  cushion  for  the 
head  to  rest  on.  It  was  evening ;  and  after  the 
fatigues  of  a  busy  day  of  teaching  under  the  hot 
Sim,  having  nothing  to  do  while  crossing  the  lake, 
He  sinks  into  a  deep  sleep,  which  even  this  tempest 
raging  around  and  tossing  the  little  vessel  did  not 
disturb,  and  they  awake  him,  and  say  unto 
him,  Master  [Ai5rto-K-aXe]— or  '  Teacher.'  In  Luke 
(viii.  24)  this  is  doubled  —  in  token  of  their  life- 
and-death-earnestness — "Master,  Master"  ['E-n-t- 
o-TaTa,  'ETTio-TaTrt].  caxest  thou  not  that  we 
perish?  Unbelief  and  fear  made  them  sadly  for- 
get their  place,  to  speak  so.  Luke  has  it,  "  Lord, 
save  us,  we  perish.  When  those  accustomed  to 
fish  upon  that  deep  thus  spake,  the  danger  must 
have  been  imminent.  They  say  nothing  of  what 
would  become  of  Him,  if  they  perished;  nor 
think  whether,  if  He  could  not  perish,  it  was 
likely  He  would  let  this  happen  to  them :  but 
they  hardly  knew  what  they  said.  39.  And  he 
arose,  and  rebuked  the  wind — "  and  the  raging  of 
the  water"  (Luke  viii.  24),  and  said  unto  the 
eea,  Peace,  be  still— two  sublime  words  of  com- 


mand,  from  a  Master  to  His  servants,  the  ele- 
ments [Sionra,  irecpiixuKTo].  And  the  Wind  ceased, 
and  there  was  a  great  calm.  The  sudden  hushing 
of  the  wind  woiild  not  at  once  have  calmed  the  sea, 
whose  commotion  would  have  settled  only  after 
a  considerable  time.  But  the  word  of  command 
was  given  to  both  elements  at  once.  40.  And  he 
said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  so  fearful?  There 
is  a  natural  apprehension  under  danger ;  but  there 
was  unbelief  in  their  fear.  It  is  worthy  of  notice 
how  considerately  the  Lord  defers  this  rebuke  till 
He  had  first  removed  the  danger,  in  the  midst  of 
which  they  would  not  have  been  in  a  state  to  listen 
to  anything,  how  is  it  that  ye  have  no  faith? 
— next  to  none,  or  none  in  present  exercise.  In 
Liike  it  is,  "  Why  are  ye  fearful,  0  ye  of  little 
faith  ?''  Faith  they  had,  for  they  applied  to  Christ 
for  ielief;  but  little,  for  they  were  afraid,  though 
Christ  was  in  the  ship.  Faith  dispels  fear,  but 
only  in  proportion  to  its  strength.  41.  And  they 
feared  exceedingly — were  struck  with  deep  awe, 
and  said  one  to  another,  What  manner  of  man 
is  this,  that  even  the  wind  and  the  sea  obey 
him  ?  —  '  "What  is  this  ?  Israel  has  all  along 
been  singing  of  Jehovah,  "Thou  rulest  the 
raging  or  the  sea :  when  the  waves  thereof 
arise,  Thou  stillest  them  " !  "  The  Lord  on  high  is 
mightier  than  the  noise  of  many  waters,  yea, 
than  the  mighty  waves  of  the  sea " !  (Ps.  Ixxxix. 
9;  xciii.  4).  But,  lo,  in  this  very  boat  of  ours 
is  One  of  our  own  flesh  and  blood,  who  with 
His  word  of  command  hath  done  the  same !  Ex- 
hausted with  the  fatigues  of  the  day,  He  was 
but  a  moment  ago  in  a  deep  sleep,  imdisturbed  by 
the  howling  tempest,  and  we  had  to  awake  Him 
with  the  cry  of  our  terror ;  but  rising  at  our  call. 
His  majesty  was  felt  by  the  raging  elements,  for 
they  were  instantly  hushed — "What  Manner 
OF  Man  is  this?"' 

CHAP.  V.  Glorioiis  Cure  of  the  Gadarene  De- 
moniac (1-20).  1.  And  they  came  over  unto  the 
other  side  of  the  sea,  Into  the  country  of  the 
Gadarenes.  [Lachmann,  Tischendorf,  and  Tregellefi 
read  here  and  in  the  corresponding  i^assage  of  Lulve 
(viiL  26)  "Gerasenes"  —  Tepatrrivwv  —  on  ancient, 
but  not,  as  we  think,  sufficient  authority  to  dis- 
place the  received  reading.  In  Matthew  (viii  28) 
the  received  reading,  "  Gergesenes, "  would  seem 
the  true  one,  and  not  "  Gerasenes  "  with  Lach- 
mann, nor  "Gadarenes  "  with  Jischendorf  and 
Tregelles.  While  the  MS.  evidence  for  it  is  satis- 
factory, some  recent  geographical  discoveries  seem 
to  favour  it.  Gadara  perha]is  denoted  the  general 
locality.  Josephus  (Antt.  xvii.  11.  4)  speaks  of  it  as 
the  chief  city  of  Perea,  and  a  Greek  city.  It  or  its 
suburbs  lay  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  lake  on 
the  east  side.  Possibly  the  reading  "Gergesenes," 
which  seems  a  corriipted  fonn  of  "  Gadarenes," 
originated  in  that  tract  of  country  being  still  called 
after  the   "Girgashites"  of  ancient  Canaan. j    2, 


Christ  cureth  the 


MARK  V. 


demoniac  of  Gadara. 


3  there  met  him  out  of  the  tombs  a  man  with  an  unclean  spirit,  who  had 
his  dwelling  among  the  tombs;    and  no  man  could  bind  him,  no,  not 

4  with  chains:  because  that  he  had  been  often  bound  with  fetters  and 
chains,   and  the  chains  had  been   plucked  asunder  by  him,  and  the 

5  fetters  broken  in  pieces :  neither  could  any  man  tame  him.    And  always, 
night  and  day,  he  was  in  the  mountains,  and  in  the  tombs,  crying,  and 

6  cutting  himself  with  stones.     But  when  he  saw  Jesus  afar  otf,  he  ran  and 

7  ^worshipped  him,  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  and  said.  What  have  I  to 
do  with  thee,  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  the  most  high  God?    I  adjure  thee  by 

8  God,  that  thou  torment  me  not.     (For  he  said  unto  him,  Come  out  of 

9  the  man,  thou  unclean  spirit.)     And  he  asked  him.  What  is  thy  name? 

10  And  he  answered,  saying,  My  name  is  Legion :  for  we  are  many.     And 
he  besought  him  much  that  he  would  not  send  them  away  out  of  the 

1 1  country.     Now  there  was  there,  nigh  unto  the  mountains,  a  great  herd 

12  of  ''swine  feeding.     And  all  the  devils  besought  him,  saying.  Send  us 

13  into  the  swine,  that  we  may  enter  into  them.      And  forthwith  Jesus 
'^gave  them  leave.     And  the  unclean  spirits  went  out,  and  entered  into 


A.  D.  31. 


b  Ps.  66.  3. 

Acts  16.  ir. 

Phil.  2.  10, 
11. 

Jas.  2.  19. 
"  Lev.  11.  r. 

Deut.  14.  8. 

Isa.  65.  4. 

Isa.  6).  3. 

Matt.  8.  30. 

Luke  8.  32. 
d  1  Ki.  22.  22. 

Job  1.  12. 

Job  2.  6. 

Job  12.  16 

Matt.28.i«. 

Luke  4.  36. 

Eph.  1.  20, 
23. 

Col.  2.  10. 

Heb.  2.  8. 


And  when  he  was  come  out  of  the  ship,  im- 
mediately (see  V.  G)  there  met  him  a  man  with  an 
unclean  spirit — "  which  had  devils  (or  'demons') 
long  time"  (Luke  viii.  27).  In  Matthew  (viii.  28), 
"  there  met  Him  two  men  possessed  with  devils." 
Though  there  be  no  discrepancy  between  these  two 
statements — more  than  between  two  witnesses, 
one  of  whom  testifies  to  something  done  by  one 
person,  while  the  other  affirms  that  there  were 
two— it  is  difficult  to  see  how  the  principal  de- 
tails here  given  could  apply  to  more  than  one 
case.  3.  Who  had  his  dwelling  among  the  tombs. 
Luke  says,  "  He  ware  no  clothes,  neither  abode  in 
any  house."  These  tombs  were  hewn  out  of  the 
rocky  caves  of  the  locality,  and  served  for  shelters 
and  lurking-places  (Luke  viii.  26).  and  no  man 
could  bind  him,  no,  not  with  chains :  4.  Because 
that  he  had  been  often  bound  with  fetters  and 
chains,  and  the  chains  had  been  plucked  asunder 
by  him,  and  the  fetters  broken  in  pieces.  Luke 
says  (viii.  29)  that  "  often  times  it  (the  unclean 
spirit)  had  caught  him ;"  and  after  mentioning  how 
they  had  vainly  tried  to  bind  him  with  chains  and 
fetters,  because  "he  brake  the  bands, "  he  adds, 
"and  was  driven  of  the  devil  (or  '  demon')  into  the 
wilderness. "  The  dark  tyrant-power  by  which  he 
was  held  clothed  him  with  superhuman  strength, 
and  made  him  scorn  restraint.  Matthew  (viii.  28) 
says  he  was  "exceeding  fierce,  so  that  no  man 
might  pass  by  that  way. "  He  was  the  terror  of  the 
whole  locality,  5.  And  always,  night  and  day,  he 
was  in  the  mountains,  and  in  the  tombs,  cryms, 
and  cutting  himself  with  stones.  Terrible  as 
he  was  to  othei-s,  he  himself  endured  untold 
misery,  which  sought  relief  in  tears  and  self-in- 
fiicted  torture.  6.  But  when  he  saw  Jesus  afar 
off,  he  ran  and  worshipped  him— not  with  the 
spontaneous  alacrity  which  says  to  Jesus,  "Draw 
me,  we  will  ?im  after  thee,"  but  inwardly  com- 
pelled, with  terrific  rapidity,  before  the  Judge, 
to  receive  sentence  of  expulsion.  7.  And  cried 
with  a  loud  voice.  What  have  I  to  do  with  thee, 
Jesus,  Son  of  the  most  high  God?  I  adjure 
thee  by  God,  that  thou  torment  me  not — or,  as  in 
Matt.  viii.  29,  *'Ai-t  thou  come  to  torment  us  before 
the  time?"  See  on  ch.  i.  24.  Behold  the  tormentor 
anticipating,  dreading,  and  entreating  exemption 
from  torment!  In  Christ  they  discern  their 
destined  Tormentor;  the  time,  they  know,  is 
fixed,  and  they  feel  as  if  it  were  come  already! 
(Jas.  ii.  19).  8.  (For  he  said  unto  him— that  is, 
before  the  unclean  spirit  cried  out.  Come  out  of 
the  man,  unclean  spirit!)  Ordinarily,  obedi- 
15U 


ence  to  a  command  of  this  nature  was  immediate. 
But  here,  a  certain  delay  is  permitted,  the  more 
signally  to  manifest  the  jjower  of  Christ  and 
accomplish  his  purposes.  9.  And  he  asked  him, 
What  is  thy  name?  The  object  of  this  question 
was  to  extort  an  acknowledgment  of  the  vii'ulence 
of  demoniacal  power  by  which  this  victim  was 
enthralled.  And  he  answered,  saying,  My  name 
is  Legion:  for  we  are  many — or,  as  in  Luke, 
"  because  many  devils  (or  '  demons '')  were  entered 
into  him. "  A  legion,  in  the  Roman  army,  amount- 
ed, at  its  full  complement,  to  six  thousand;  but 
here  the  word  is  used,  as  such  words  with  us,  and 
even  this  one,  for  an  indefinitely  large  number- 
large  enough  however  to  rush,  as  soon  as  permission 
was  given,  into  two  thousand  swine  and  destroy 
them.  10.  And  he  besought  him  much  that  he 
would  not  send  them  away  out  of  the  country. 
The  entreaty,  it  will  be  observed,  was  made  'hyone 
spirit,  but  in  behalf  of  many — "  Ae  besought  Him 
not  to  send  tliem"  &c. — ^jiist  as  in  the  fonner  verse, 
"  Ae  answered  ^ve  are  many."  But  what  do  they 
mean  by  entreating  so  earnestly  not  to  be  ordered 
out  of  the  country?  Their  next  petition  (v.  12) 
will  make  that  clear  enough,  11.  Now  there  was 
there,  nigh  unto  the  mountains  [irpo^  to.  O|0>jJ — 
rather,  'to  the  momitain'  \Trp6-s  tw  opei],  according 
to  what  is  clearly  the  true  reading.  In  Matt, 
viii.  30  they  are  said  to  have  been  "a  good  way 
off."  But  these  expressions,  far  from  being  in- 
consistent, only  confir-m,  by  their  iirecision,  the 
minute  accuracy  of  the  narrative,  a  great  herd 
of  swine  feeding.  There  can  hardly  be  any  doubt 
that  the  owners  of  these  were  Jews,  since  to 
them  our  Lord  had  now  come  to  proffer  His 
services.  This  will  explain  what  follows.  12. 
And  all  the  devils  besought  him,  saying — "if 
thou  cast  us  out"  (Matt.  viii.  31),  Send  us  into 
the  swine,  that  we  m-ay  enter  into  them.  Had 
they  spoken  out  all  theii-  mind,  pei-haps  this 
would  have  been  it:  'If  we  must  quit  our  hold 
of  this  man,  suffer  us  to  continue  our  work  of 
mischief  in  another  form,  that  by  entermg  these 
swine  and  thus  destroying  the  people's  property, 
we  may  steel  their  hearts  against  Thee !'  13.  And 
forthwith  Jesus  gave  them  leave.  In  Matthew 
this  is  given  with  majestic  brevity — "Go!"  The 
owners,  if  Jews,  drove  an  illegal  trade ;  if  heathens, 
they  insulted  the  national  religion  :  in  either  case 
the  permission  was  just.  And  the  unclean  spirits 
went  out  (of  the  man),  and  entered  into  the  swine : 
and  the  herd  ran  violently — or  'rushed'  [wp/arjo-ew] 
down  a  steep  place— 'down  the  hanging  cliff'  [naTct 


Christ  casteth 


MARK  V. 


otit  devils. 


the  swine :  and  the  herd  ran  violently  down  a  steep  place  into  the  sea, 

14  (they  were  about  two  thousand,)  and  were  choked  in  the  sea.  And 
they  that  fed  the  swine  fled,  and  told  it  in  the  city,  and  in  the  country. 

15  And  they  went  out  to  see  what  it  was  that  was  done.  And  they  come 
to  Jesus,  and  see  him  that  was  possessed  with  the  devil,  and  had  the 
legion,  sitting,  and  clothed,  and  *in  his  right  mind:  and  they  were  afraid. 

16  And  they  that  saw  it  told  them  how  it  befell  to  him  that  was  possessed 

17  with  the  devil,  and  also  concerning  the  swine.  And  •''they  began  to  pray 
him  to  depart  out  of  their  coasts.  And  when  he  was  come  into  the 
ship,  he  ^that  had  been  possessed  with  the  devil  prayed  liim  that  he 
might  be  with  him.  Howbeit  Jesus  suffered  him  not,  but  saith  unto 
him.   Go  home  to  thy  friends,   and  tell  them  how  great  things  the 


18 


19 


A.  D.  31. 

"  Eom.  16.20. 

1  John  3. 8. 
/  Gen.  26. 16. 

Deut.  5. 25. 

1  Ki.  ir.  IS. 

Job  21.  14. 

Matt.  8.  34. 

ch.  1.  24. 

Acts  16.  39. 

1  Cor.  2.  14. 
0  Ps.  116.  12. 

Luke  8.  38. 

Luke  17.15, 

ir. 


Tov  K(>t?/xi/on],  into  tlie  sea  (they  were  atoout  two 
thousand.)    The  number  of  them  is  given  by  cm- 
graphic  Evangelist  alone,    and  were  choked  in  the 
sea — or  "perished  in  the  waters"  (Matt.  viii.  32). 
14.  And  they  that  fed  the  swine  fled,  and  told  it — 
"told  everything,  and  what  was  befallen  to  the  pos- 
sessed of  the  devils"  (Matt.  viiL  33),  in  the  city, 
and  in  the  country.     And  they  went  out  to  see 
what  it  was  that  was  done.     Thus  had  they  the 
evidence  both  of  the  herdsmen  and  of  their  own 
senses  to  the  reality  of  both  mu-acles.      15.  And 
they  come  to  Jesus.    Matthew  (viii.  34)  says,  "Be- 
hold, the  whole  city  came  out  to  meet  Jesus." 
and  see  him  that  was  possessed  with  the  devil 
— 'the  demonized  person'  [tov  Sai/xovL'^o/jLevov],  and 
had  the  legion,  sitting — "  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,   adds 
Luke  (viii.  35) ;  in  contrast  with  his  former  luUd 
and  loandermg  habits,  and  clothed.    As  our  Evan- 
gelist had  not  told  us  that  he  "ware  no  clothes," 
the  meaning  of  this  statement  could  only  have 
been  conjectured   but    for    "the   beloved  physi- 
cian" (Luke  viii.  27),  who  sm)plies  the  missing 
piece  of  information  here.      This    is    a   striking 
case  of  what  are  called  Unde-ngned  Coincidences 
amongst  the  different  Evangelists ;  one  of  them 
taking  a  thing  for  granted,  as  familiarly  known  at 
the  time,  but  which  we  should  never  have  known 
but  for  one  or  more  of  the  others,  and  without  the 
knowledge  of  which  some    of   their   statements 
would  be  unintelligible.     The  clothing  which  the 
poor  man  would  feel  the  want  of,  the  moment 
his  consciousness  returned  to  him,  was  doubtless 
supplied  to  him  by  some   of   the  Twelve,      and 
in  his  right  mind — but  now,  0  in  what  a  lofty 
sense!    (Compare  an  analogous,  though  a  differ- 
ent   kind    of    case,  Dan.   iv.   34-37.)      and    they 
were  afraid.     Had  this  been  aioe  only,  it  had 
been    natural  enough ;  but  other   feelings,    alas ! 
of    a    darker    kind,    soon    showed    themselves. 
16.   And    they   that    saw    it    told    them    how 
it  befell  to  him  that  was  possessed  with  the 
devil  ('the  demonized  person')  and  also  concern- 
ing the  swine.    Thus  had  they  the  double  testi- 
mony of  the  herdsmen  and  their  own  senses.     17. 
And  they  began  to  pray  him  to  depart  out  of 
their   coasts.     Was   it   the  owners   only  of  the 
valuable    property   now   lost    to    them  that  did 
this?    Alas,  no!    For  Luke  (viii.  37)  says,  "Then 
the    whole    multitude    of    the    country    of    the 
Gadarenes   round    about    besought    Him  to  de- 
part from  them;  for  they  were  taken  [or  'seized' 
— <TuveLxovTo\  with  great  fear,"    The  evil  spii-its 
had    thus,    alas!    their   object.       Irritated,    the 
people  could  not  suffer  His  presence;   yet   awe- 
struck, they  dared  not   order  Him  off:    so  they 
entreat  Him  to  withcb-aw,  and — He  takes  them 
at  their  word.     18.  And  when  he  was  come  into 
the   ship,   he   that    had    been    possessed   with 
the   devil  ['he  that  had   been  demonized' — the 
word  is  not  now  oaiaoviX^ofievo'S,  but  ^atuoi/taOels] 
15J 


prayed  him  that  he  might  be  with  him— the 
grateful  heart,  fresh  from  the  hands  of  demons, 
clinging  to  its  wondrous  Benefactor.  How  ex- 
quisitely natiu-al!  19.  Howbeit  Jesus  suffered 
him  not,  but  saith  unto  him,  Go  home  to  thy 
friends,  and  tell  them  how  great  things  the  Lord 
hath  done  for  thee,  and  hath  had  compassion  on 
thee.  To  be  a  missionary  for  Christ,  in  the  i-egion 
where  he  was  so  well  known  and  so  lon^  dreaded, 
was  a  far  nobler  calling  than  to  follow  Him  where 
nobody  had  ever  heard  of  Him,  and  where  other 
trophies  not  less  illustrious  could  be  raised  by  the 
same  power  and  grace.  20.  And  he  departed,  and 
began  to  publish — not  only  among  his  friends,  to 
whom  Jesus  more  immediately  sent  him,  but  in 
Decapolis— so  called,  as  being  a  region  of  ten 
cities.  (See  on  Matt.  iv.  25.)  how  great  things 
Jesus  had  done  for  him:  and  all  men  did  marvel. 
Throughout  that  considerable  region  did  this 
monument  of  mercy  proclaim  his  new-found 
Lord;  and  some,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  did  more 
than  "  marvel." 

Remarks — 1.  Nowhere,  perhaps,  in  all  the  Gos- 
pel History  does  the  true  Humanity  and  proper 
Divinity  of  the  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ  come  out 
in  sharper,  brighter,  and,  if  we  might  so  say,  more 
pre-raphaelite  outline  than  in  this  Section.  Be- 
hold here  the  Prince  of  preachers.  He  has 
finished  those  glorious  parables  which  He  spoke 
from  His  boat  to  the  midtitudes  that  lined 
the  shore.  The  people  are  dismissed;  but 
though  early  evening  has  come.  He  rests  not, 
but  bids  the  Twelve  put  out  to  sea,  as  He  has 
work  to  do  on  the  other  side.  They  push  off, 
accordingly,  for  the  eastern  side;  but  have  not 
gone  very  far  when  one  of  those  storms  to  which 
the  lake  is  subject,  but  of  more  than  usual  vio- 
lence, arises ;  and  the  fishermen,  who  knew  well 
the  element  they  were  on,  exiiecting  that  their 
little  wherry  would  upset  and  send  them  to 
the  bottom,  hasten  to  their  Master.  As  for 
Him,  the  fatigues  of  the  day  have  come  upon 
Him;  and  having  other  occupation  awaiting 
Him  at  Gadara,  He  has  retired  to  the  stern-end  of 
the  vessel,  to  give  HimseK  up,  during  the  jjas- 
sage  across,  to  balmy  sleep.  So  deep  is  that  sleep, 
that  neither  howling  winds  nor  dashing  waves 
break  in  upon  it ;  and  in  this  profound  repose  the 
disciples  find  Him,  when  in  their  extremity  they 
come  to  Him  for  help.  What  a  picture  of  innocent 
Humanity !  Why  did  they  disturb  Him  ?  Why- 
were  they  so  fearfid?  Was  it  possible  that  He 
should  perish?  or — "with  Christ  in  the  vessel" — 
could  thev?  How  was  it  that  they  had  no  faith? 
They  were  but  training.  Their  faith  as  yet  was 
but  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed.  But  He  shall  do 
a  thing  now  that  will  help  it  forward.  He  wakens 
up  at  their  call;  and  He  who  but  a  moment  be- 
fore was  in  profound  unconsciousness,  under  the 
care  of  His  Father,  looks  around  Him  and  just 


The  liberated  captive 


MARK  V. 


a  missionary  for  Christ. 


20  Lord  hath  done  for  thee,  and  hath  had  compassion  on  thee.  And  he 
departed,  and  ''began  to  publish  in  Decapolis  how  great  things  Jesus 
had  done  for  him:  and  all  men  did  marvel. 


A.  D.  31. 


ft  Ex.  16.  2. 
Isa.  63.  7. 


gives  the  word  of  con  mand,  and  tlie  raging  ele- 
ments are  hushed  into  an  immediate  calm.     This 
sleeping  and  waking  Man,  it  seems,  is  the  Lord  of 
nature.     It   feels   its   Mak3r's   presence,  it  hears 
His  voice,  it  bows  instant  submission!    The  men 
marvel,  but  He  does  not.     He  is  walking  amongst 
His  own  works,  and  in  commanding  them  He  is 
breathing  His  proper  element.  '  What  aileth  you?' 
He  exclaims,  with  sublime  placidity  amidst  their 
perturbation :  '  Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you, 
and  yet  ye  have  not  known  Me?    I  have  stilled 
this  tempest  with  a  word  :  Doth  that  amaze  you? 
Ye  shall  see  greater  things  than  these.'     And  now 
they  are  at  the  eastern  side.     But  who  is  that  who, 
descrying  Him  from  a  distance  as  He  steps  ashore, 
runs  to  Him,  as  if  eager  to  embrace  Him?    It  is  a 
poor  victim  of  Demoniacal  malignity.     The  case  is 
one  of  unusual  virulence  and  protracted  suffering. 
But  the  hour  of  deliverance  has  at  length  arrived. 
Demons,  in  frightful  number,  yet  all  marshalled 
obediently  \inder    one    master-spirit,  combine  to 
inflict  upon   their  victim   all  the   evil  he  seems 
capable  of  suffering,  in  mind  and  in  body.     But 
the    Lord    of    devils,   stepping    forth    from    that 
boat,  has  summoned  them  to  His  presence,  and  in 
their  human  victim  they  stand  before  Him.     Ere 
they  are  made  to  quit  their  hold,  they  are  forced 
to  tell  their  number,  and  while  uttering  a  reluc- 
tant testimony  to  the  glory  of  their  destined  Tor- 
mentor whom  they  see  before  them,  they  are  con- 
strained to  avow  that  they  have  not  a  spark  of 
s\Tnj)athy  Avith  Him,  and  utter  forth  their  dread  of 
ttim,  as  if  the  day  of  their  final  doom  had  come. 
But  with  all  this — the  malignity  of  their  nature 
nothing  abated — they  ask  iiermission,  if  they  must 
quit  the  higher  victim,  to  take  possession  of  vic- 
tims of   another  kind,  thereby   to  gain  the  same 
end  on  even  a  larger  scale  and  to  more  fatal  pur- 
pose.   What  a  spectacle  is  this !    That  legion  of 
spirits  that  were  able  to  defy  all  the  power  of  men 
to    restrain    and   to    tame    their   victim,   behold 
them  now  crouching  before  one  Man,  who  had 
never  been  in  that  region  liefore,  trembling  as  in 
the  presence  of  their  Judge,  conscious  that  His 
word,  whatever  it  be,  must  be  law  to  them,  and 
meekly  petitioning,  as  servants  of  a  master,   to 
be  allowed  to  enter  a  lower  class  of  victims  on 
letting  go  their  long- secure  prey!     But  the  ma- 
jesty of  that  word  "  Go  !" — w'liat  conscious  power 
over  the  whole  kingdom  of  darkness  does  it  dis- 
play !     Then  their  instant  obedience,  the  perfect 
liberation  of  the   poor  demoniac,   and  the  rage 
and    rout    with    which    they    rushed    upon    the 
creatures  they  had  selected  to  destroy — all  at  the 
word  of  this  Man,   newly  arrived  on  the  shores 
of   Gadara !    But  this  display  of  power  and  ma- 
jesty Divine  was  crowned  and  irradiated  by  the 
grace  which  brought  the  grateful  captive,  now  set 
free,  to  the  feet  of  his  Deliverer.     What  a  spec- 
tacle was  that,  on  which  the  eye  of  all  heaven 
might  have  rested  with  wonder—  the  wild  creature, 
"  driven  of  the  de\'il  into  the  wilderness, "  whom 
no  man  could  tame,  "  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  ;" 
the  man  who  walked  naked,  and  was  not  ashamed 
— like  our  first  parents  in  Paradise,  but,  ah !  for 
l:ow  different  a  reason — now  "clothed ;"  the  fright- 
ful maniac,  now  "  in  his  right  mind,"  and  in  an 
attitude  oi  mute  admiration  and  gratitude  and 
love,  at  his  great  Deliverer's  feet !    Blessed  Saviour 
— faii-er  than  tlie  children  of  men,  yet  ThyseK  the 
Son  of  Man — we  worship  Thee,  and  yet  are  not 
afraid  to  come  near  unto  Thee:  wefali.dowjj  be- 
152 


fore  Thee    yet  we  embrace  Thee.     The  Word  is 
God,  but  the  Word  has  been  made  flesh  and  dwells, 
and  will  for  ever  dwell,  among  us;  and  of  Tliy 
fulness  have    all  we   received,  who  have  tasted 
that  Thou  art  gracious,  and  grace  for  grace!    2. 
Observe  the  complicated  evil  which  the  powers  of 
darkness  inflicted  on  their  victim.     They  deprived 
him  of  the  exercise  of  his  rational  powers ;  they  so 
lashed  his  spirit  that  he  could  not  suffer  even  a 
garment  upon  his  body,  but  went  naked,  and  could 
not  endure  the  sight  of  living  men  and  social  com- 
fort, but  dwelt  among  the  tombs,  as  if  the  sei)ul- 
chral  gloom  had  a  mysterious  congeniality  with  the 
wretchedness  of  his  s]:)irit ;  they  allowed  him  not  a 
moment's  repose  even  there,  for  "  always,  night  and 
day,  he  was  in  the  mountains  and  in  the  tombs, 
crying" — his  ceaseless  misery  venting  itself  in  wild 
wailing  cries ;  nay,  so  intolerable  was  his  mental 
torture,    that    he    "kept    cutting    himself    with 
stones ! " — the  natural  explanation  of  which  seems 
to  be,  that  one  in  this  state  is  fain  to  draw  off  his 
feelings  from  the  mind,  when  its  anguish  grows  un- 
endurable, by  trying  to  make  the  body,  thus  lacer- 
ated and  smarting,  to  bear  its  own  share      One 
other  feature  of  the  evil,  thus  diabolically  inflicted, 
is  very  significant — "No  man  could  tame  him;  for 
he  had  been  often  boimd  with  fetters  and  chains, 
and  the  chains  had  been  plucked  asunder  by  him, 
and  the  fetters  broken  in  pieces  ! "    And  now,  sup- 
pose ye  that  this  man  was  a  sinner  above  all  sin- 
ners, because  he  suffered  such  things?    Nay  (see 
Luke  xiii.  2,  3);   but  thus  was  it   designed  that 
on  the  theatre  of  the  hody  we  should  see  aS'ect- 
ingly  exhibited  what  the  powers  of  darkn'  ss  are, 
when  uncontrolled,  and  what  men  have  to  ex- 
pect from  them  when  once  given  into  their  hand ! 
Human  reason  they  cannot  abide,  for  it  is  a  light 
shining  full   upon  their  own  darkness.      Human 
liberty,  which  is  one  with  law,  in  its  highest  state — 
"  the  perfect  laio  of  liberty  " — this  they  hate,  substi- 
tuting for  it  a  wild  anarchy,  that  can  submit  to  no 
rational  control.     Human  peace  they  cannot  en- 
dure, for  they  have  lost  their  own — "There  is  no 
peace  to  the  wicked. "    For  the  same  reason,  human 
comfort^  in  any  the  least  and  lowest  of  its  forms, 
they  will  never  leave,  if  they  can  take  it  away. 
And  over  the  bowlings  and  self-inflicted  tortures 
of  their  maddened  victims  they  sing  the  dance  of 
death,  saying  to  all  their  complaints  and  appeals 
for  symjiatliy,  with  the  chief   priests  to   Judas, 
"What  is  that  to  us?  see  thou  to  that!"    3.  Is  it 
so?    Then,  0  the  blessecbiess  of  being  delivered 
from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  "  translated  into 
the  Kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son" !  (Col.  i.  13).     Till 
then  we  are  as  helpless  captives  of  "  the  rulers  of 
the  darkness  of  tms  world,  the  spirit  that  now 
worketh  in  the  children  of  disobedience,"  as  was 
this  poor  demoniac   before  Jesus  came  to  him. 
The    strong    man    armed    guard eth    his    palace, 
and  his  goods   are    in   j)eace,  until  the  Stronger 
than  he  doth  come  upon  him,  and  taketh  from 
him  all  his  armour,  dividing  his  spoil  (Luke  xi. 
21,  22).    It  is  a  deadly  struggle  between  Heaven 
and  Hell  for  the  possession  of  man.     Only,  since 
Demoniacal  possession  deprives  its  victims  of  their 
personal  consciousness,  rational  considerations  are 
not  in  the  least  instrumental  to  their  dehverance, 
which  must  come  by  a  sheer  act  of  divine  power ; 
whereas  the  soul  is  rescued  from  the  tyranny  of 
Satan  by  the  eyes   of    the   understanding  being 
divinely   opened   to   see   its    wretched    condition 
and  descry  the  remedy,  and  the  heart  being  drawn 


The  woman  with  an 


MARK  V. 


issue  of  blood  healed. 


21  And  *when  Jesus  was  passed  over  again  by  ship  unto  the  other  side, 

22  much  people  gathered  unto  him :  and  he  was  nigh  unto  the  sea.  And, 
•'behold,  there  cometh  one  of  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue,  Jairus  by  name; 

23  and  when  he  saw  him,  he  fell  at  his  feet,  and  besought  him  gi'eatly,  saying, 
My  little  daughter  lietli  at  the  point  of  death:  I  pray  thee,  come  and 

24  lay  thy  hands  on  her,  that  she  may  be  healed ;  and  she  shall  live.  And 
Jesus  went  with  him;  and  much  people  followed  him,  and  thronged 
him. 

25  And  a  certain  woman,  *' which  had  an  issue  of  blood  twelve  years, 

26  and  had  suffered  many  things  of  many  physicians,  and  had  spent  all  that 

27  she  had,  and  'was  nothing  bettered,  but  rather  grew  worse,  when  she  had 


A.  D.  31. 

i  Gen.  49. 10 

Matt.  9.  1. 

Luke  8.  37. 
i  Matt.  9.  IS. 

Luke  8.  40. 

Luke  13.14. 

Acts  13.  15. 

Acts  18.  8, 

17. 
*  Lev.  15.  25. 

Matt.  9.  20. 

Luke  8.  43. 
'  Ps.  108.  12. 


•willingly  to  embrace  it.  "  The  God  of  this  world 
hath  blinded  the  minds  of  them  that  believe  not, 
lest  the  light  of  the  glorious  Gospel  of  Christ,  who 
is  the  image  of  God,  should  shine  unto  them.  But 
God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of 
darkness,  shines  in  our  hearts,  to  give  the  light  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of 
Jesus  Christ  (2  Cor.  iv,  4,  6).  Thus  are  we,  in 
our  deliverance  from  the  power  of  Satan  and.  of 
sin,  sweetly  voluntary,  while  the  deliverance  it- 
self is  as  truly  divine  as  when  Jesus  uttered  His 
majestic  "  Go"  to  the  demons  of  darkness  and  the 
demoniac  was  freed.  4.  In  this  grateful  soul's 
petition  to  be  with  Jesus,  we  see  the  clinging  feel- 
ing of  all  Christ's  freed-men  towards  Himself ; 
while  in  his  departure,  when  Jesus  suggested 
something  better,  and  in  his  itineracy  through  De- 
capolis  with  the  story  of  his  deliverance,  himself 
a  living  story  of  the  grace  and  power  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  we  may  read  these  words  : —  The  liberated 
believer  a  missionary  for  Christ!  5.  As  Christ 
took  those  wretched  Gadarenes  at  their  word, 
when  they  besought  Him  to  depart  out  of  their 
coasts,  so  it  is  to  be  feared  He  still  does  to  not 
a  few  who,  when  He  comes  to  them  in  mercy, 
bid  Him  away.  Will  not  awakened  sinners  dread 
this,  and  welcome  Him  whilst  it  is  called  To-day  ? 

21-43. — The  Daughter  of  Jairus  Raised  to 
Life— The  Woman  with  an  Issue  of  Blood 
Healed.  (  =  Matt.  ix.  18-26;  Luke  viii.  41-50.) 
The  occasion  of  this  scene  will  appear  presently. 

Jairus'  Daughter  (21-24).  21.  And  when  Jesus 
was  passed  over  again  by  ship  unto  tlie  other 
side — from  the  Gadarene  side  of  the  lake,  where 
He  had  parted  with  the  healed  demoniac,  to 
the  west  side,  at  Caijernaum  —  much  people 
gathered  unto  Mm  —  who  "  gladly  received 
Him;  for  they  were  all  waiting  for  Him"  (Luke 
^^iL  40).  The  alnindant  teaching  of  that  day 
(ch.  iv.  1,  &c.,  and  Matt,  xiii, )  had  only  whetted 
the  people's  appetite ;  and  disappointed,  as  would 
seem,  that  He  had  left  them  in  the  evening  to  cross 
the  lake,  they  remain  hanging  about  the  beach, 
having  got  a  hint,  probably  through  some  of  His 
discii)Tes,  that  He  would  be  back  the  same  evening. 
Perhaps  tliey  witnessed  at  a  distance  the  sudden 
calming  of  the  tempest.  The  tide  of  our  Lord's 
Xiopularity  was  now  fast  rising,  and  he  was  nigh 
unto  the  sea.  22.  And,  behold,  there  cometh 
one  of  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue— of  which 
class  there  were  but  few  who  believed  in  Jesus 
(John  vii.  48).  One  would  suppose  from  this  that 
tlie  rider  had  been  with  the  multitude  on  the 
shore,  anxiously  awaitiag  the  return  of  Jesus,  and 
immediately  on  His  arrival  had  accosted  Him  as 
here  related.  But  Matthew  (ix.  18)  tells  us  that 
the  ruler  came  to  Him  while  He  was  in  the  act  of 
speaking  at  his  own  table  on  the  subject  of  fasting ; 
and  as  we  must  suppose  that  this  converted  publi- 
can ought  to  know  what  took  place  on  that 
memorable  occasion  when  he  made  a  feast  to  his 
153 


Lord,  we  conclude  that  here  the  right  order  is 
indicated  by  the  First  Evangelist  alone.  Jairus 
by  name  ['IdeiposJ — or  'Jaeirus.'  It  is  the  same 
name  as  Jair,  in  the  Old  Testament  (Num.  xxxii. 
41;  Jud.  X.  3;  Esth.  ii.  5).  and  when  he  saw 
him,  he  fell  at  his  feet  — in  Matthew  (ix.  IS), 
"  worshipped  Him."  The  meaning  is  the  same  in 
both.  23.  And  besought  him  greatly,  saying,  My 
little  daughter  [S-uydrfuoi/].  Luke  (viii.  42)  says, 
"He  had  one  only  daughter,  about  twelve  years  of 
age."  According  to  a  well-known  rabbin,  quoted  by 
Lightfoot,  a  daughter,  till  she  had  completed  her 
twelfth  year,  was  called  '  little,'  or  '  a  little  maid ; ' 
after  that,  '  a  young  woman.'  lieth  at  the  point  of 
death.  Matthew  gives  it  thus:  "Mydaughteiiseveu 
now  dead"  {iipTi  eTeKeCT-ijaev] — '  lias  just  expired.' 
The  news  of  her  death  reached  the  father  after  tlie 
cure  of  the  woman  with  the  issue  of  blood;  but 
Matthew's  brief  account  gives  only  the  result,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  centurion's  servant,  (Matt.  viii.  5, 
&c.)  come  and  lay  thy  hands  on  her,  that  she 
may  be  healed;  and  she  shall  live  [^ijcr£T«t] — or, 
'that  she  may  be  healed  and  live'  [^';cr»;J,  according 
to  a  fully  ]>referable  reading.  In  one  of  the  class 
to  which  this  man  belonged,  so  steeped  in  preju- 
dice, such  faith  would  imjily  more  than  in  otheis. 
The  Woman  with  an  Issue  of  Blood  Healed 
(24-34).  24.  And  Jesus  went  with  him;  and 
much  people  followed  him,  and  thronged  him 
[(Tvve^\Lftov\.  The  word  in  Luke  is  stronger 
[(TwiTTVLyov] — 'choked,'  'stifled  Him.'  25.  And 
a  certain  woman,  which  had  an  issue  of  blood 
twelve  years,  26.  And  had  suffered  many  things 
of  many  physicians  [TroWd  7rat)oOo-a].  The  ex- 
pression perhaps  does  not  necessaiily  refer  to  the 
suffering  she  endured  under  medical  treatment,  but 
to  the  much  varied  treatment  which  she  under- 
went, and  had  spent  all  that  she  had,  and  was 
nothing  bettered,  but  rather  grew  worse.  Pitiable 
case,  and  afFectingly  aggravated;  emblem  of  our 
natural  state  as  fallen  creatures  (Ezek.  xvi.  5,  6), 
and  illustrating  the  worse  than  vanity  of  all  human 
remedies  for  spiritual  maladies  (Hos.  v.  13).  The 
higher  design  of  all  our  Lord's  miracles  of  healing 
irresistibly  suggests  this  way  of  viewing  the  pres- 
ent case,  the  propriety  of  which  will  still  more 
appear  as  we  proceed.  27.  When  she  had  heard 
of  Jesus,  came.  This  was  the  right  experiment 
at  last.  What  had  she  "heard  of  Jesus"?  No 
doubt  it  was  His  marvellous  cures  she  had  heard 
of;  and  the  hearing  of  these,  in  connection  with 
her  bitter  experience  of  the  vanity  of  applying 
to  any  other,  had  been  blessed  to  the  kindling 
in  her  soul  of  a  fii-m  confidence  that  He  who  had 
so  willingly  wrought  such  cures  on  others  was 
able  and  would  not  refuse  to  heal  her  also,  in 
the  press  behind  —  shrinking,  yet  seeking,  and 
touched  his  garment.  According  to  the  cere- 
monial law,  the  touch  of  any  one  having  the 
disease  which  this  woman  liad  would  have  de- 
filed the  person  touched.     Some  think  that  th< 


Jairus  daughter 


IMARK  V. 


restored  to  life. 


28  heard  of  Jesus,  came  in  the  press  behind,  and  "'^  touched  liis  garment.    For 

29  she  said.  If  I  may  touch  but  his  clothes,  I  shall  be  whole.  And  "straight- 
way the  fountain  of  her  blood  was  dried  up ;  and  she  felt  in  her  body  that 

30  she  was  healed  of  that  plague.  And  Jesus,  immediately  knowing  in 
himself  that  "virtue  had  gone  out  of  him,  turned  him  about  in  the  press, 

31  and  said.  Who  touched  my  clothes?  And  his  disciples  said  unto  him. 
Thou  seest  the  multitude  thronging  thee,  and  sayest  thou,  Who  touched 

32  me  ?    And  he  looked  round  about  to  see  her  that  had  done  this  thing. 

33  But  the  woman,  fearing  and  trembling,  knowing  what  was  done  in  her, 

34  came  and  fell  down  before  him,  and  told  him  all  the  truth.  And  he  said 
unto  her.  Daughter,  ^thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole;  go  in  peace,  and 
be  whole  of  thy  plague. 

35  While  *he  yet  spake,  there  came  from  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue's 
house  certain  which  said.  Thy  daughter  is  dead :  why  troublest  thou  the 

36  Master  any  further?  As  soon  as  Jesus  heard  the  word  that  was  spoken, 
he  saith  unto  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  '"Be  not  afraid,  only  believe. 

37  And  he  suffered  no  man  to  follow  him,  save  Peter,  and  James,  and  John 

38  the  brother  of  James.  And  he  cometh  to  the  house  of  the  ruler  of  the 
synagogue,  and  seeth  the  tumult,  and  them  that  wept  and  wailed  greatly. 


A.  D.  31. 


"» ch.  3.  10. 

Acts  5.  15. 

Acts  19.  12. 
"  Ex.  15.  26. 

Luke  6.  19. 

Luke  8.  46. 
°  Luke  6. 19. 

Luke  8.  46. 
P  Matt.  9.  22. 

ch.  10.  52. 

Luke  7.  £0. 

Luke  8.  43. 

Luke  17.19. 

Luke  18. 42. 

Acts  14.  9. 
«  Luke  8.  49. 
■■  2Chr.20.20. 

Ps.  103.  13. 

Matt.  9.  28, 
29. 

Matt.  17.  ""0. 

Luke  8.  JO. 

John  11.  25, 
40. 


recollection  of  this  may  account  for  her  stealthily 
approaching  Him  in  the  crowd  behind,  and  touch- 
ing but  the  hem  of  His  garment.  But  there  was 
an  instinct  in  the  faith  which  brought  her  to  Jesus, 
which  taught  her,  that  if  that  touch  could  set  her 
free  from  the  defiUng  disease  itself,  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  communicate  cletilemeut  to  Him,  and  that 
this  wondrous  Healer  must  be  above  such  laws. 
28.  For  she  said— "within  herself "  (Mate.  ix.  21), 
If  I  may  touch  but  his  clotlies,  I  shall  be  whole — 
that  is,  if  I  may  but  come,  in  contact  with  this 
glorious  Healer  at  all.  Eemarkable  faith  this! 
2D.  And  straightway  the  fountain  of  her  blood 
was  dried  up.  Not  only  was  "her  issue  of  blood 
stanched  "  (Luke  viiL  44),  but  the  cause  of  it  was 
thoroughly  removed,  insomuch  that  by  her  bodily 
sensations  she  immediately  knew  herself  perfectly 
cured.  and  she  felt  in  her  body  that  she 
was  healed  of  that  plague.  30.  And  Jesus,  im- 
mediately knowing  in  himself  that  virtue — or 
'efficacy'  [oura/xii-]— had  gone  out  of  him.  He 
was  conscious  of  the  forth-going  of  His  healing 
power,  which  was  not — ^as  in  prophets  and  apos- 
tles— something  foreign  to  Himself  and  imparted 
merely,  but  what  He  had  dwelling  within  Him  as 
"  His  own  fulness."  turned  him  about  in  the 
press  —  ' .  r  crowd '  [ev  tm  ox^w]  —  and  said, 
Who  touched  my  clothes  ?  '  31.  And  his  disciples 
said  unto  him.  Luke  says  (viii.  45),  "  When  all 
denied,  Peter  and  they  that  were  with  Him,  said. 
Master"  ['ETno-T-axa],  Thou  seest  the  multitude 
thronging  thee,  and  sayest  thou,  Who  touched 
me?  'Askest  thou.  Lord,  who  touched  Thee? 
Rather  ask  who  touched  Thee  not  in  such  a  throng.' 
"And  Jesus  said.  Somebody  hath  touched  me" — 
'a  certain  person  hath  touched  Me  ["Hi//aTo /uou 
Tts],  "for  I  pei-ceive  that  virtue  is  gone  out  of  Me" 
(Luke  viii.  -fe).  Yes,  the  multitude  "  thronged  and 
pressed  Him" — they  joMed  against  Him,  but  all 
involuntarily ;  they  were  merely  carried  along; 
but  one,  one  only — "a  certain  person — touched 
Him,"  with  the  conscious,  voluntary,  dependent 
touch  of  faith,  reaching  forth  its  hand  expressly 
to  have  contact  with  Him.  This  and  this  only 
Jesus  acknowledges  and  seeks  out.  Even  so,  as 
Augustin  long  ago  said,  multiiudes  still  come  simi- 
larly close  to  Christ  in  the  means  of  grace,  hut  all  to 
no  purpose,  Leing  only  sucked  into  the  crowd.  The 
voluntary,  living  contact  of  faith  is  that  electric 
conductor  which  alone  draws  vii-tue  out  of  Him. 
154 


32.  And  he  looked  round  about  to  see  her  that  had 
done  this  thing — not  for  the  purpose  of  summoning 
forth  a  culprit,  but,  as  we  shall  presently  see, 
to  obtain  from  the  healed  one  a  testimony  to  what 
He  had  done  for  her.  33.  But  the  woman,  fearing 
and  trembling,  knowing  what  was  done  in  her— 
alarmed,  as  a  humble,  shrinking  female  would  na- 
turally be,  at  the  necessity  of  so  public  an  exposure 
of  herself,  yet  conscious  that  she  had  a  tale  to  tell 
which  would  speak  for  her.  came  and  fell  down 
before  him,  and  told  him  all  the  truth.  In  Luke 
(viii.  47)  it  is,  "When  the  woman  saw  that  she 
was  not  hid,  she  came  trembling,  and  falling  down 
before  Him,  she  declared  unto  Him  before  all  the 
people  for  what  cause  she  had  touched  Him,  and 
how  she  was  healed  immediately."  This,  though 
it  tried  the  modesty  of  the  believing  woman,  was 
just  what  Christ  wanted  in  dragging  her  forth, 
her  public  testimony  to  the  facts  of  her  case — the 
disease  with  her  abortive  efforts  at  a  cure,  and 
the  instantaneous  and  perfect  relief  whicu  her 
touching  the  Great  Healer  had  brought  her.  34. 
And  he  said  unto  her,  Daughter — "be  of  good 
comfort"  (Lidvc  viii.  48),  thy  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole;  go  in  peace,  and  be  whole  of  thy 
plague.  Though  healed  as  soon  as  she  believed,  it 
seemed  to  her  a  stolen  cure — she  feared  to  ac- 
knowledge it.  Jesus  therefore  sets  His  royal  seal 
upon  it.  But  what  a  glorious  dismissal  from  the 
lips  of  Him  who  is  "om*  Peace"  is  that,  "Go  in 
peace!  " 

Jairus'  Daughter  Raised  to  Life  (35-43).  35. 
While  he  yet  spake,  there  came  from  the  ruler  of 
the  synagogue's  house  certain  which  said,  Thy 
daughter  is  dead :  why  troublest  thou  the  Master 
— 'the  Teacher'  [t6v  Ai&a(TKa\ov\ — any  further? 
36.  As  soon  as  Jesus  heard  the  word  that  was 
spoken,  he  saith  unto  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue, 
Be  not  afraid,  only  believe.  Jesus  knowing  how 
the  heart  of  the  agonized  father  would  sink  at  the 
tidings,  and  the  reflections  at  the  d<lay  which 
would  be  apt  to  rise  in  his  mind,  hastens  to  re- 
assure him,  and  in  His  accustomed  style  ;  "  Be  not 
afraid,  only  believe" — words  of  unchanging  preci- 
ousness  and  jjower!  How  vividly  do  such  inci- 
dents bring  out  Christ's  knowledge  of  the  human 
heart  and  tender  sympathy!  (Heb.  iv.  15).  37. 
And  he  suffered  no  man  to  follow  him,  save  Peter, 
and  James,  and  John  the  brother  of  James.  See 
on  ch.  i.   29.     38.  And  he  cometh— rather  'they 


Jairus'  daughter 


MARK  V. 


restored  to  life. 


39  And  when  he  was  come  in,  he  saith  unto  them,  Why  make  ye  this  ado, 

40  and  weep?  the  damsel  is  not  dead,  but  'sleepeth.  And  tliey  laughed 
him  to  scorn.  'But  when  he  had  put  them  all  out,  he  taketh  the  father 
and  the  mother  of  the  damsel,  and  them  that  were  with  him,  and  entereth 

41  in  where  the  damsel  was  lying.  And  he  took  the  damsel  by  the  hand, 
and  said  unto  her,  Talitha  oumi ;  which  is,  being  interpreted.  Damsel,  I 

42  say  unto  thee,  arise.  And  "straightway  the  damsel  arose,  and  walked^ 
for  she  was  of  the  age  of  twelve  years.     And  they  were  astonished  with  a 

43  great  astonishment.  And  ''he  charged  them  straitly  that  no  man  should 
know  it ;  and  commanded  that  something  should  be  given  her  to  eat. 


A   D.  31. 


John  11.11. 
Acts  20.  10. 
1  Cor.  li. 
SO. 

lThes.4.H. 
lThes.5.10. 
Acts  9.  40. 
'  Ps.  33.  <). 

'  Matt.  I2i(i. 
Matt.  ir.  9. 
oh  3.  12. 
Luke  5.  14. 


come'  [epxovTaL  lias  much  better  support  tlian 
epxeTai\—to  the  house  of  the  ruler  of  the  syna- 
gogue, and  seeth  the  tumult,  and  them  that  wept 
and  wailed  greatly — "tlie  minstrels  and  the  people 
making^a  noise"  (Matt.  ix.  23)— lamenting  for  the 
dead,  (feee  2  Chr.  xxxv.  25 ;  Jer.  ix.  20 ;  Am.  v.  16. ) 
39.  And  when  he  was  come  in,  he  saith  unto  them. 
Why  make  ye  this  ado,  and  weep  ?  the  damsel  is 
not  dead,  but  sleepeth— so  brief  her  state  of  death 
-as  to  be  more  like  a  short  sleep.  40.  And  they 
laughed  him  to  acom^KUTeyeXwv  av-roC] — rather, 
simply,  'laughed  at  Him' — "knowing  that  she  was 
dead  (Liike  viii.  53) ;  an  imiiortant  testimony  this 
to  the  reality  ef  her  death.  But  when  he  had  put 
them  all  out.  The  word  is  strong  [e/c/JaXAf] — 
'when  he  had  put,'  or  'turned  them  all  out;' 
meaning  all  those  who  were  making  this  noise, 
and  any  others  that  may  have  been  there  from 
sympathy,  that  only  those  might  be  present  who 
were  most  nearly  concerned,  and  those  whom  He 
had  Himself  brought  as  ^^^tnesses  of  the  great  act 
about  to  be  done,  he  taketh  the  father  and  the 
mother  of  the  damsel,  and  them  that  were  with 
him  (Peter,  and  James,  and  John),  and  entereth  in 
where  the  damsel  was  lying.  41.  And  he  took  the 
damsel  by  the  hand— as  He  did  Peter's  mother-in- 
law  (ch.  i.  31) — and  said  unto  her,  Talitha  cumi. 
The  words  are  Aramaic,  or  Syro-Chaldaic,  the  then 
language  of  Palestine.  Mark  loves  to  give  such 
■wonderful  werds  just  as  they  were  si>oken.  See  ch. 
vii.  34 ;  xiv.  33.  ['  CSm'  is  evidently  the  true  read- 
ing, being  the  popular  form  of  the  other,  to  which 
it  has  been  corrected  as  the  more  accurate  form 
='0^  Nn'Vi].  42.  And  straightway  the  damsel 
[to  Kopacnov\  The  word  here  is  different  from 
that  in  vv.  39,  40,  41  [to  Traiciov],  and  signifies 
^  young  maiden,'  or '  little  girl.'  arose,  and  walked 
— a  vivid  touch  evidently  from  an  eye-witness — 
for  she  was  of  the  age  of  twelve  years.  And  they 
were  astonished  with  a  great  astonishment 
[egeo-Tijo-ay  kiccTTaa-ei  /xeyaXjj].  The  language  here 
is  the  strongest.  43.  And  he  charged  them  straitly 
— or  strictly,  that  no  man  should  know  it.  The 
only  reason  we  can  assign  for  this  is  His  desire  not 
to  let  the  public  feeling  regarding  Him  come  too 
precipitately  to  a  crisis,  and  commanded  that 
something  should  be  given  her  to  eat^n  tokea 
of  perfect  restoration. 

Reynarks. — 1.  Burdened  soul,  wearied  and  wasted 
with  an  inward  malady  which  has  baffled  every 
human  specific,  and  forced  thee  to  say  from  bit- 
ter experience  of  those  who  have  recommended 
change  of  air  and  scene,  business,  pleasure,  travel, 
and  the  like — '  Miserable  comforters  are  ye  all,  for- 
gers of  lies,  physicians  of  no  value ! '  bast  thou 
not  "heard  of  Jesus" — what  miracles  of  healing, 
what  wonders  of  transformation  He  has  wrought 
in  some  of  the  most  obstinate  and  hopeless  cases; 
opening  blind  eyes,  casting  out  devils,  cleansing 
lepers,  making  the  lame  man  to  leap  as  an  hart, 
and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  to  sing?  Bring  thy 
case  to  Him  at  last,  and  doubt  not  His  power  to 
155 


bring  thee  a,  perfect  cure  who  said  to  such  as  Thou, 
"  They  that  be  whole  need  not  a  physician :  I  came 
not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners."  But  thou 
art  afraid  to  show  thyself,  lest  they  who  knew  thy 
reckless  life  shoidd  say  of  thee  jeeringly,  Is  Saul 
also  among  the  prophets?  Come,  then,  in  the 
press  behind,  and  do  but  touch  Him,  and  thou 
shalt  instantly  feel  the  virtue  that  has  gone  out 
of  Him.  It  needeth  not  a  close  embrace,  or  vehe- 
ment handling,  or  much  ado.  It  is  living  contact, 
the  simple  touch  of  faith,  that  fetches  out  the  healing 
virtue.  And  it  will  tell  its  OAvn  tale.  Thou  shalt 
know  the  difference  between  Christ  and  all  other 
healers ;  and  when  Jesus  calls  for  thy  testimony 
to  His  power  and  grace,  thou  shalt  have  some- 
thing to  say,  thou  shalt  have  a  tale  to  tell,  which 
will  glorify  His  name  and  be  His  desired  reward; 
thou  shalt  be  fain  to  say,  ' '  Come,  all  ye  that  fear 
God,  and  I  will  declare  what  He  hath  done  for  my 
soul."  2.  Dumb  debtors  to  healing  mercy,  be 
rebuked  by  the  narrative  of  the  Lord's  procedure 
towards  this  healed  woman.  He  suffei'ed  her  not, 
as  doubtless  she  would  have  preferred,  to  depart 
in  silence,  to  poiu*  out  her  secret  thanksgivings,  or 
at  some  private  meeting  to  testify  her  love  to 
Jesus.  He  would  have  her,  in  spite  of  her  shrink- 
ing modesty,  to  come  forward  before  all  and  declare 
what  she  had  done  and  how  she  had  sped.  Thus,  in 
her  own  way,  was  she  a  preacher  of  Christ.  And 
such  witness  will  He  have  from  all  His  saved  ones, 
"If  thou  shalt  confess  vjiih  thy  mouth  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God  hath 
raised  Him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved." 
3.  Amidst  the  multitudes  who  crowd — with  no 
spuitual  desires  and  to  no  sa^sdng  purpose — around 
the  Saviour,  in  the  services  of  His  house  and  the 
profession  of  His  name,  He  discerns  the  timid, 
tremulous  touch  of  faith  in  even  one  believing 
soul,  and  is  conscious  of  the  healing  virtue  which 
that  touch  has  drawn  resistlessly  forth  from  Him. 
What  encouragement  this  to  such  as  fear  that 
their  worthless  feelings  and  poor  exercises  will 
have  no  interest  for  Him ;  and  what  a  warning  to 
those  who,  without  wanting  anything  from  Him, 
suffer  themselves  to  be  sucked  into  the  current  of 
those  who  follow  Him  and  crowd  about  Him— 
not  to  set  any  store  by  this,  as  if  it  would  di'aw 
more  of  Christ's  regard  towards  them  at  the  great 
day  than  if  they  had  never  heard  of  His  name. 
(See  on  Luke  xiii.  26,  27.)  For  see  how,  takini^ 
no  notice  of  all  that  throned  Him  and  pressed 
upon  Him  on  this  occasion,  He  exclaimed  of  this 
humble,  believing  woman,  "Some  one  hath  touched 
Me."  4  If  the  Lord  Jesus  was  so  tender  and  con- 
siderate of  human  feelings  as  to  anticipate  this 
believing  ruler's  regret  that  by  being  so  slow  of 
coming  to  him  his  darUng  child  had  been  allowed 
to  die— bidding  him,  "Fear  not,  only  believe" — 
just  as  He  had  before  quelled  the  storm  ere  He 
rebuked  the  unbelief  of  His  disciples  in  the  view 
of  it  (see  on  v.  24)— we  may  rest  well  assured  that 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  in  the  heavens 


Mission  of  the 


MARK  VI. 


twelve  apostles. 


6      AND  "  he  went  out  from  thence,  and  came  into  his  own  country ;  and 

2  his  disciples  follow  him.  And  when  the  sabbath  day  was  come,  he  began 
to  teach  in  the  synagogue:  and  many  hearing  him  were  astonished, 
saying,  ^From  whence  hath  this  man  these  things?  and  what  wisdom  is 
this  which  is  given  unto  him,  that  even  such  mighty  works  are  wrought 

3  by  his  hands?  Is  "not  this  the  carpenter,  the  son  of  Mary,  ''the  brother 
of  James,  and  Joses,   and  of  Juda,  and  Simon  ?  and  are  not  his  sisters 

4  here  with  us?  And  they  'were  offended  at  him.  But  Jesus  said  unto 
them,  -^  A  prophet  is  not  without  honour,   but  in  his  own  country,  and 

5  among  his  own  kin,  and  in  his  own  house.  And  -"he  could  there  do  no 
mighty  work,  save  that  he  laid  his  hands  upon  a  few  sick  folk,  and  healed 

6  them.  And  ''he  marvelled  because  of  their  unbelief.  *And  he  went 
round  about  the  villages,  teaching. 

7  And  -^he  called  unto  him  the  twelve,  and  began  to  send  them  forth  by 

8  two  and  two ;  and  gave  them  power  over  unclean  spirits;  and  commanded 
them  that  they  should  take  nothing  for  their  journey,  save  a  staff  only; 

9  no  scrip,  no  bread,  no  ^ money  in  their  purse:  but  ^be  shod  with  sandals; 

10  and  not  put  on  two  coats.    And  'he  said  unto  them.  In  what  place  soever 

1 1  ye  enter  into  an  house,  there  abide  till  ye  depart  from  that  place.  And 
™ whosoever  shall  not  receive  you,  nor  hear  you,  when  ye  depart  thence, 
shake  "off  the  dust  under  your  feet  for  a  testimony  against  them.  "Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  It  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  Sodom  ^and  Gomorrha  in 

12  the  day  of  judgment,  than  for  that  city.     And  they  went  out,   and 

13  preached  that  men  should  repent.  And  they  cast  out  many  devils,  ^and 
anointed  with  oil  many  that  were  sick,  and  healed  them. 

14  And  *king  Herod  heard  of  him;  (for  liis  name  was  spread  abroad :)  and 
he  said,  That  John  the  Baptist  was  risen  from  the  dead,  and  therefore 

15  mighty  works  do  show  forth  themselves  in  him.  Others  ''said,  That  it  is 
Elias.     And  others  said.  That  it  is  a  prophet,  or  as  one  of  the  prophets. 

16  But  *when  Herod  heard  thereof,  he  said,  It  is  John,  whom  I  beheaded: 
he  is  risen  from  the  dead. 

17  For   Herod  himself  had  sent  forth  and  laid  hold  upon  John,  and 


A.  D.  31. 


CHAP.  6. 
"  Matt.  13  54. 
!>  John  6  42. 

"  Isa.  53.  2,  3. 
<*Matt  12.46. 

*  Matt.  n.  fi. 
/  Matt.  13.57. 
"  Gen.  19  22. 
<»  Isa.  59. 1, 2, 

16. 

i  Matt.  9.  35. 

j  Matt  10.  1. 

1  The  word 
gignifieth 
a  piece  of 
brass 
money,  in 
value 
somewhat 
less  than  a 
farthing, 
Matt.  10.9; 
but  here  it 
is  taken  in 
general  for 
money. 
Luke  9.  3. 

*  Acts  12.  8. 

1  Matt.  10.11. 
Luke  9.  4. 

"Matt.  10.14. 

Luke  10. 10. 

"  Acts  13.  .'.1. 

"  Heb.  10.  31. 

2  or. 

P  Jas  5.  14. 
8  Matt.  14.  1. 

Luke  9.  7. 
>■  Matt  16.14. 

ch  8.  28. 

*  Luke  3.  19. 


"we  have  not  an  Higli  Priest  whicli  cannot  be 
touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,"  and 
that  still,  as  in  the  daj^s  of  His  flesh,  "He  will 
not  break  the  bruised  reed."  5.  Of  the  three 
resuscitations  to  life,  recorded  in  the  Gospel 
History,  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  one  was 
newly  dead — .Tairus'  daughter;  another,  on  his 
way  to  the  grave — the  widow  of  Nain's  son;  and 
the  third — Lazarus — was  dead  four  days^  was  in 
his  grave,  insomuch  that  his  sister  said,  "By 
this  time  he  stinketh:"  as  if  to  teach  us  that 
it  matters  not  how  long  we  have  lain  in  the  state 
of  death — whether  three  or  four  score  years  in 
spiritual  death,  or  thousands  of  years  in  death 
temporal — the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  is  as 
able  to  quicken  us  at  one  stage  as  at  another. 
"  Said  I  not  unto  thee,  that,  if  thou  wouldest  be- 
lieve, thou  shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God?  I  am 
the  Resurrection  and  the  Life :  he  that  believeth 
in  Me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live :  and 
he  that  livcth  and  believeth  in  Me  shall  never  die." 
G.  Though  when  the  classical  writers  (euphemisti- 
cally) liken  death  to  a  sleep,  we  may  please  our- 
selves with  the  hope  that  the  gleams  of  a  futm-e 
state  were  never  quite  extinguislied  in  the  heathen 
mind,  it  is  only  in  the  light  of  this  incomparable 
Gospel  History,  interpreted  by  the  teaching  of  the 
Pentecostal  Gift,  that  faith  hears  Jesus  saying  of 
every  dead  believer  of  the  one  sex,  "The  dainsel 
is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth,"  and  of  the  other,  "  Our 
friend  Lazarus  sleepeth;  but  I  go,  that  I  may  awake 
Lim  out  of  sleep,'' 

^  156 


CHAP.  VL  1-6.— Christ  Re.jected  at  Nazak- 
ETH.  (=  Matt.  xiii.  54-58;  Luke  iv.  16-30.)  For 
the  exposition,  see  on  Luke  iv.  16-30. 

7-13.— Mission  of  the  Tm^elve  Apostles. 
(  =  Matt.  X.  1,  5-15;  Luke  ix.  1-6.)  For  the  exposi- 
tion, see  on  Matt.  x.  1,  5-15. 

14-29.— Herod  thinks  Jesus  a  Resurrection 
OF  THE  Murdered  Baptist — Account  of  His 
Death.     (=  Matt.  xiv.  L12 ;  Luke  ix.  7-9.) 

Herod^s  View  of  Christ  (14-15).  14.  And  king 
Herod— that  is,  Herod  Antipas,  one  of  the  three  sons 
of  Herod  the  Great,  and  own  brother  of  Archelaus 
(Matt.  ii.  22),  who  ruled  as  Eth  narch  over  Galilee 
and  Perea.  heard  of  him;  (for  Ms  name  was 
spread  abroad :)  and  he  said — "unto  his  servants" 
(Matt.  xiv.  2),  his  councillors  or  court-ministers. 
That  John  the  Baptist  was  risen  from  the  dead, 
and  therefore  mighty  works  do  show  forth  them- 
selves in  him.  The  murdered  prophet  haunted 
his  guilty  breast  like  a  spectre,  and  seemed  to 
him  alive  again  and  clothed  with  unearthly  powers, 
in  the  person  of  Jesus.  15.  Others  said,  That  it  is 
Ellas.  And  others,  That  it  is  a  prophet,  or  as  one 
of  the  prophets,  See  on  Matt.  xvi.  14.  16.  But 
when  Herod  heard  thereof,  he  said,  It  is  John, 
whom  I  beheaded  •  he  is  risen  from  the  dead. 
[aiirds] — 'Himself  has  risen;'  as  if  the  innocence 
and  sanctity  of  his  faithful  reprover  had  not  suf- 
fered that  he  should  lie  long  dead. 

Account  of  the  Baptist's  Iviprisonme^\t  and 
Death  (17-29).  17.  For  Herod  himself  had  sent 
forth,  and  laid  hold  upQii  John,  and  hound  him 


A.  D. 


John's  imprisonment  MARK  VI.  and  death. 

bound  him   in    pi-ison   for   Herodias'   sake,   his   brother   Philip's  wife; 

18  for  he  had  married  her.     For  John  had  said   unto   Herod,  '  It  is  not 

19  lawful  for  thee  to  have  thy  brother's  wife.  Therefore  Herodias  had 
^a  quan-el  against  him,  and  would  have  killed  him;  but  she  could  not: 

20  for  Herod  "feared  John,  knowing  that  he  was  a  just  man  and  an  holy, 
and  ■* observed   him;    and  when  he  heard   him,   he  did  many  things, 

21  and  heard  him  gladly.  And  *'when  a  convenient  day  was  come,  that 
Herod,  ^on  his  birth  day,  made  a  supper  to  his  lords,  high  captains,  and 

22  chief  estates  of  Galilee;  and  when  ^the  daughter  of  the  said  Herodias 
came  in,  and  danced,  and  pleased  Herod  and  them  that  sat  with  him, 
the  king  said  unto  the  damsel,  Ask  of  me  whatsoever  thou  wilt,  and  I 

23  will  give  it  thee.     And  he  sware  unto  her,  ^Whatsoever  thou  shalt  ask 

24  of  me,  I  will  give  it  thee,  unto  the  half  of  my  kingdom.  And  she  went 
forth,  and  said  unto  her  mother,  What  shall  I  ask?     And  she  said,  The 

25  ^liead  of  John  the  Baptist.  And  she  came  in  straightway  with  haste 
unto  the  king,  and  asked,  saying,  I  will  that  thou  give  me  by  and  by  in 

26  a  charger  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist.  And  the  king  was  exceeding 
sorry ;  yet  for  his  oath's  sake,  and  for  their  sakes  which  sat  with  him,  he 

27  would  not  reject  her.     And  immediately  the  king  sent  ^an  executioner. 


<  Lev.  18.  16. 

Lev.  20.  21. 

2  Sam.  12.7. 

Dan.  5.  22, 
23. 

Eph.  5.  11. 

2  Tim.  4.  2. 

Heb  13.  4. 
3  Or,  an 

Inward 

grudge. 
"  Matt.  14.  5. 

Matt.  21.26. 
*  Or,  kept 

him,  or, 

saved  him. 
"  Matt.  14.  6. 
"  Gen.  40.  20. 
"  JEsth.  1.  II, 

12. 
y  Esth.  5.  3,6. 
'^  Pro.  12.  10. 
5  Or,  one  of 

his  guard . 


In  prison — in  the  castle  of  Machserus,  near  the 
southern  extremity  of  Herod's  dominions,  and 
adjoining  the  Dead  Sea.  (Joseph.  Antt.  xviii.  5,  2). 
for  Herodias'  sake.  She  was  the  grand-daughter 
of  Herod  the  Great.  Ms  brotlier  PhUip's  wife — 
and  therefore  the  niece  of  both  brothers.  This 
Philip,  however,  was  not  the  tetrarch  of  that 
name  mentioned  in  Luke  iii.  1  (see  there),  but 
one  whose  distinctive  name  was  'Herod  Philip,' 
another  son  of  Herod  the  Great,  who  was  dis- 
inherited by  his  father.  Herod  Antipas's  own 
wife  was  the  daughter  of  Aretas,  king  of  Arabia ; 
but  he  prevailed  on  Herodias,  his  half-brother 
Phdii^'s  wife,  to  forsake  her  husband  and  live  with 
him,  on  condition,  says  Josephus  (Antt.  xviii.  5, 1), 
that  he  should  put  away  his  own  wife.  This  in- 
volved him  afterwards  in  war  with  Aretas,  who 
totally  defeated  him  and  destroyed  his  army,  from 
the  enects  of  which  he  was  never  able  to  recover 
liunself.  18.  For  Jolin  had  said  unto  Herod,  It  is 
not  lawful  for  tliee  to  liave  thy  brother's  wife. 
Noble  fidelity !  It  was  not  lawful,  because  Herod's 
wife  and  Herodias'  husband  were  both  living ; 
and  further,  because  the  parties  were  within  the 
forbidden  degrees  of  consanguinity  (see  Lev.  xx. 
21) ;  Herodias  bein^  the  daughter  of  Aristobxdus, 
the  brother  of  both  Herod  and  Philip  (Joseph,  xviii. 
5,  4).  19.  Therefore  Herodias  had  a  quarrel  against 
him  [kveXx^v  avTw] — rather,  as  in  the  margin,  'had 
a  grudge  against  him.'  Probably  she  was  too  proud 
to  speak  to  him  :  still  less  would  she  quarrel  with 
him.  and  woiQd  have  killed  him ;  but  she  could 
not:  20  For  Herod  feared  John— but,  as  Bengel 
notes,  John  feared  not  Herod,  knowing  that  he 
was  a  Just  man  and  an  holy.  Compare  the  case 
of  Elijah  with  Ahab,  after  the  murder  of  Naboth 
(1  Ki.  xxi.  20).  and  observed  him  [o-ui/e-rjif-ei  av-rov] 
— rather,  as  in  the  margin,  'kept'  or  'saved  him: 
that  is,  from  the  wicked  designs  of  Herodias,  who 
had  been  watching  for  some  pretext  to  get  Herod 
entangled  and  committed  to  desjjatch  him.  and 
when  he  heard  him,  he  did  many  things— many 
good  things  under  the  influence  of  the  Baptist 
on  his  conscience ;  and  heard  him  gladly  —  a 
striking  statement  this,  for  which  we  are  in- 
debted to  om-  graphic  Evangelist  alone ;  illustrat- 
ing the  working  or  contrary  principles  in  the  slaves 
of  ijassion.  But  this  only  shows  how  far  Herodias 
must  have  wrought  upon  him,  as  Jezebel  ujion 
Ahab,  that  he  should  at  length  agree  to  what  his 
157 


awakened  conscience  kept  him  long  from  executing. 

21.  And  when  a  convenient  day  (for  the  purposes 
of  Herodias)  was  come,  that  Herod  [yevofxevn^  vfxe- 
pa9  euKuipov,  ore]- rather,  '  A  convenient  day  being 
come,  when  Herod,'  on  his  birth  day,  made  a  sup- 
per to  his  lords,  high  captains,  and  chief  [estates] 
of  Galilee.  This  graphic  minuteness  of  detail 
adds  much  to  the  interest  of  the  tragic  narrative. 

22.  And  when  the  daughter  of  the  said  Hero- 
dias—that  is,  her  daughter  by  her  proper  hus- 
band, Herod  Philip:  Her  name  was  Salome, 
(Joseph,  lb.)  came  in,  and  danced,  and  pleased 
Herod  and  them  that  sat  with  him,  the  king 
said  unto  the  damsel  [Kopacrlio]—'  tlie  girl.'  (See 
on  ch.  V.  42.)  Ask  of  me  whatsoever  thou  wilt, 
and  I  will  give  it  thee.  23.  And  ha— the  king,  so 
called,  but  only  by  courtesy  (see  on  i\  14) — sware 
unto  her,  Whatsoever  thoii  shalt  ask  of  me,  unto 
the  half  of  my  kingdom.  Those  in  whom  pas- 
sion and  luxuiy  have  destroyed  self-command 
will  in  a  capricious  moment  say  and  do  what  in 
their  cool  moments  they  bitterly  regret.  24.  And 
she  went  forth,  and  said  unto  her  mother,  What 
shall  I  ask?  And  she  said,  The  head  of  John 
the  Baptist.  Abandoned  women  are  more  shame- 
less and  heartless  than  men.  The  Baptist's  fidelity 
marred  the  jileasures  of  Herodias,  and  this  was 
too  good  an  opportunity  of  getting  rid  of  him  to 
let  slip.  25.  And  she  came  in  straightway  with 
haste  unto  the  king,  and  asked,  saying,  I  will 
that  thou  give  me  by  and  by  [e^  aux)!*]— rather, 
' at  once,'  in  a  charger— or  large  Hat  'trencher' 
[ttii/om] — the  head  of  John  the  Baptist.  26. 
And  the  king  was  exceeding  sorry.  With  his 
feelings  regarding  John,  and  the  truths  which  so 
told  upon  his  conscience  from  that  pr,  acher's  lips, 
and  after  so  often  and  carefully  saving  him  from 
his  paramour's  rage,  it  must  have  been  very  gall- 
ing to  find  himself  at  length  entrapped  by  his 
own  rash  folly,  yet  for  his  oath's  sake.  See 
how  men  of  no  principle,  but  troublesome  con- 
science, will  stick  at  breaking  a  rash  oath,  while 
yielding  to  the  commission  of  the  worst  crimes! 
and  for  their  sakes  which  sat  with  him— 
under  the  influence  of  that  false  shame,  which 
could  not  brook  being  thought  to  be  troubled 
with  religious  or  moral  scruples.  To  how  many 
has  this  proved  a  fatal  snare!  he  would  not 
reject  her.  27.  And  immediately  the  king 
sent   an    e::ecutioner    [a-ireKovXdTwpa—the    trr.e 


John's  imprisonment 


MARK  VI. 


and  death. 


and  commanded  liis  head  to  be  brought :  and  he  went  and  beheaded  him 

28  in  the  prison,  and  brought  his  head  in  a  charger,  and  gave  it  to_  the 

29  damsel :  and  the  damsel  gave  it  to  her  mother.     And  when  his  disciples 
heard  of  it,  they  came  and  "took  up  his  corpse,  and  laid  it  in  a  tomb. 


A.  D.  32 


Matt.  14.12. 
Matt.  2r.5T- 


ActS  8.  2. 


reading  is  evidently  o-TreKoyXaxopa]  —  one  of  the 
guards  in  attendance.  The  word  is  Roman,  de- 
noting one  of  the  Imperial  guard,  and  com- 
manded his  head  to  be  brought:  and  he  went 
and  beheaded  him  in  the  prison— after,  it  would 
seem,  more  than  twelve  months'  imprisonment. 
Blessed  martyr!  Dark  and  cheerless  was  the 
end  reserved  for  thee;  but  now  thou  hast  thy 
ISIaster's  benediction,  "Blessed  is  he  whosoever 
shall  not  be  offended  in  Me"  (Matt.  xi.  6),  and 
liast  found  the  life  thou  gavest  away  (Matt.  x. 
30).  But  where  are  they  in  whose  skirts  is 
found  thy  blood?  28.  And  brought  his  head 
in  a  charger,  and  gave  it  to  the  damsel:  and 
the  damsel  gave  it  to  her  mother.  Herodias 
did  not  shed  the  blood  of  the  stern  reprover; 
she  only  got  it  done,  and  then  gloated  over  it, 
as  it  streamed  from  the  trunkless  head.  The 
striking  analogy  to  this  in  the  Church  of  Rome 
will  be  noticed  in  Remark  3,  below.  29.  And 
when  his  disciples  heard  of  it— that  is,  the 
Baptist's  own  disciples,  they  came  and  took 
up  his  corpse,  and  laid  it  in  a  tomb — "  and 
went  and  told  Jesus"  (Matt.  xiv.  12).  If 
these  disciples  had,  up  to  this  time,  stood  apart 
from  Him,  as  adlierents  of  John  (Matt.  xi.  2), 
perhaps  they  now  came  to  Jesus,  not  without 
some  secret  reflection  on  Him  for  His  seeming 
neglect  of  their  master ;  but  j)erhaps,  too,  as 
orphans,  to  cast  in  their  lot  henceforth  with  the 
Lord's  disciples.  How  Jesus  felt,  or  what  He 
said,  on  receiving  this  intelligence,  is  not  recorded; 
but  He  of  whom  it  was  said,  as  He  stood  by  the 
grave  of  His  friend  Lazarus,  "Jesus  wept,"  was 
not  likely  to  receive  such  intelligence  Avithout 
deep  emotion.  And  one  reason  why  He  might 
not  be  unwilling  that  a  small  body  of  John's  dis- 
ciples should  cling  to  him  to  the  last,  might  be  to 
provide  some  attached  friends  who  should  do  for 
his  precious  body,  on  a  small  scale,  what  was 
afterwards  to  be  done  for  His  own. 

Remarks — 1.  The  truth  of  the  Gospel  History  is 
strikingly  illustrated  in  this  Section.  Had  the 
Life  of  Christ  which  it  C9ntains  been  a  literary  in- 
vention, instead  of  a  historical  reality,  the  last 
thing  probably  which  the  writers  would  have 
thought  of  would  have  been  to  terminate  the 
life  of  His  honoured  forerunner  in  the  way 
here  recorded.  When  we  read  it,  we  at  once  feel 
that,  to  be  written,  it  must  have  been  real.  But 
we  turn  to  the  Jewish  historian,  and  in  his  An- 
tiquities of  his  nation  we  find  precisely  the  same 
account  of  the  Baptist's  character,  his  fidelity  to 
Herod,  and  his  death,  which  is  here  given — with  just 
this  difference,  that  Josephus,  as  might  be  expected, 
presents  rather  the  pubKc  bearings  of  this  event, 
while  our  Evangelists  treat  it  solely  with  reference 
to  the  Baptist's  connection  with  his  blessed  Master. 
Thus  each  throws  light  upon  the  other.  2.  When 
men  in  power  connect  themselves,  whether  by 
marriage  or  otherwise,  with  unprincipled  women, 
they  usually  become  their  tools,  and  are  not  im- 
frequeutly  dragged  by  them  to  ruin.  Illustrations 
of  this  are  furnished  by  history,  from  the  days  of 
that  accursed  Jezebel,  who  first  drew  Ahab  into 
the  commission  of  treason  against  the  God  of  Israel 
and  the  murder  of  his  own  subjects,  and  then 
hurried  him  to  destruction ;  and  of  Herodias,  who 
was  the  means  of  imbruing  the  hands  of  Herod 
Antipas  in  the  blood  of  the  saintly  Baptist,  and 
158 


was  the  occasion  of  that  war  which  proved  so 
fatal  to  him,  down  to  pretty  modem  times. 
And  might  not  the  working  of  the  same  pas- 
sions to  similar  issues  be  seen  in  the  history  of 
less  exalted  persons,  if  only  it  were  wi-itten?  A 
warning  this,  surely,  against  such  unhallowed 
unions.  3.  When  we  read  of  Herodias,  how  she 
shed,  not  with  her  own  hand  nor  by  her  own  im- 
mediate order,  the  blood  of  this  faithful  witness  for 
the  truth,  but  only  got  it  done  by  the  secular  arm, 
and  how  she  then  gloated  over  it — we  can  hardly 
help  thinking  that,  when  the  harlot-Church  was 
depicted  by  the  apocalyirtic  seer,  as  a  "woman 
drunken  with  the  blood  of  the  saints,  and  with  the 
blood  of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus"  (Rev.  xvii.  6),  this 
•bloody  adulteress,  Herodias,  must  have  sat  for  her 
picture.  For  the  apocalyptic  woman  does  not 
herself  shed  the  blood  of  saints  or  martyrs,  nor 
order  them  to  be  slain;  it  is  "the  beast" — the 
secular  power  of  apostate  Christendom  —  that 
makes  war  against  the  saints,  the  faithful  wit- 
nesses for  the  truth,  and  overcomes  them,  and 
kills  them  (Rev.  xi.  7;  xiii.  7).  But  yet  the 
"woman"  rides  this  beast,  seen  as  a  scarlet- 
coloured,  or  bloody,  beast  (P^ev.  xvii.  6);  the  secu- 
lar ]iower  acting  according  to  her  dictates,  in 
ridding  her  of  those  hateful  witnesses  against 
her  abominations  as  a  horse  obeys  his  rider ; 
while  she  herself  is  represented  as  drunken 
with  their  blood — revelling  in  her  freedom  from 
their  withering  rebukes.  Can  so  vivid  and 
deep  an  analogy  be  quite  accidental?  4  Fi- 
delity in  testifying  against  sin,  though  some- 
times rewarded  here,  is  not  unfreqiiently  allowed 
to  be  borne  at  the  cost  of  temporal  interests, 
liberty,  and  even  life  itself.  How  easily  could  He 
who  healed  the  sick,  cleansed  the  lepers,  opened 
blind  eyes,  and  raised  even  the  dead  to  life,  have 
interposed  for  the  rescue  of  His  true-hearted  ser- 
vant from  the  rage  of  Herodias,  that  he  should 
not  have  been  deprived  of  his  liberty,  and  at  least 
that  his  precious  Life  should  be  spared !  But  He 
did  not  do  it.  Instead  of  this  He  suffered  His 
public  career  to  be  closed  by  arrest  and  imprison- 
ment ;  and  after  lying  long  m  prison,  and  without 
any  light  as  to  his  prospects — in  answer  to  a  de- 
putation which  he  sent  expressly  from  his  prison 
— He  allowed  him  to  seal  his  testimony  with  his 
blood  in  that  gloomy  cell,  Avith  none  to  comfort 
him,  and  none  to  witness  the  deed  but  the  bloody 
executioner,  as  if  to  proclaim  to  his  servants  in 
all  time  what  He  had  bidden  the  messengers  say 
to  himself,  "  Blessed  is  he  whosoever  shall  not  be 
offended  in  Me."  How  noble  was  the  answer  of 
the  three  Hebrew  yoiiths  to  King  Nebuchadnezzar, 
when  he  threatened  them  Avith  the  burning  fiery 
furnace  if  they  Avould  not  fall  down  and  worship 
the  golden  image  which  he  had  set  up — "If  it  be  so, 
our  God  whom  we  serve  is  able  to  deliver  us  from 
the  burning  fiery  furnace ;  and  he  will  deliver  us 
out  of  thine  hand,  0  king.  But  if  not,  be  it  known 
unto  thee,  O  king,  that  we  Avill  not  serve  thy 
gods,"  &c.  (Dan.  iii.  17,  IS).  They  had  full  con- 
fidence that  deliverance  would  be  vouchsafed  f9r 
the  honour  of  Jehovah's  name.  But  they  might  in 
that  be  mistaken ;  He  might  not  see  it  fit  to  mter- 
pose;  and  ''if  not"  then  they  were  prepared  to 
burn  for  Him :  but,  deliverance  or  none,  they  were 
resolved  not  to  sin.  And  that  is  the  spirit  in 
which  all  Christ's  servants  should  take  up  their 


Report  of  the  twelve 


MARK  VT. 


on  their  mission. 


30  And  Hhe  apostles  gathered  themselves  together  unto  Jesus,  and  told 
him  all  things,  both  what  they  had  done,  and  what  they  had  taught. 

31  And  "he  said  unto  them.  Come  ye  yourselves  apart  into  a  desert  place, 
and  rest  a  while :  for  "  there  were  many  coming  and  going,  and  they  liad 

32  no  leisure  so  much  as  to  eat.  And  they  departed  into  a  desert  place  by 
ship  privately. 

33  And  the  people  saw  them  departing,  and  many  knew  him,  and  ran 
afoot  thither  out  of  all  cities,  and  outwent  them,  and  came  together 

34  unto  him.  And  'Jesus,  when  he  came  out,  saw  much  people,  and  was 
moved  with  compassion  toward  them,  because  they  were  as  sheep  not 
having  a  shepherd :  and  -^  he  began  to  teach  them  many  things. 

35  And  ^when  the  day  was  now  far  spent,  his  disciples  came  unto  him, 

36  and  said.  This  is  a  desert  place,  and  now  the  time  is  far  passed:  send 


A.  D.  32. 


fr  Luke  9.  10. 
"  Matt.  14.  IS. 

John  6. 1. 
<*  ch.  3.  20. 
'  Pa.  66.  15. 

Ps   111.  4. 

Ps.  145.  6. 

Matt.  9.  :,e. 

Matt.  14, 14. 

Heb.  4.  i6. 

Heb.  5  2. 
/  Isa.  54. 13. 

Isa.  61.  1. 

Luke  9.  11. 
»  Matt.  14.15. 

Luke  9.  12: 


cross ;  prepared  to  be  nailed  to  it,  if  necessary, 
which  it  may  or  may  not  be— they  cannot  tell — 
rather  than  prove  faithless  to  the  Lord  Jesus, 

30-56. — The  Twelve,  on  their  Return,  hav- 
ing   REPORTED    THE  SUCCESS    OF  THEIR  MISSION, 

Jesus  Crosses  the  Sea  of  Galilee  with  them, 
Teaches  the  People,  and  miraculously  Feeds 

THEM  TO   the   NUMBER  OF    FiVE  THOUSAND — He 

SENDS  His  Disciples  by  Ship  again  to  the  Wes- 
tern SIDE,  while  Himself  returns  after- 
wards Walking  on  the  Sea — Incidents  on 
Landing.  (=Matt.  xiv.  13-36;  Luke  ix.  10-17; 
John  ^^.  1-24.) 

Here,  for  the  first  tiine,all  the  four  streams  of  sa- 
cred text  rim  parallel.  The  occasion,  and  all  the  cir- 
cumstances of  this  grand  Section  are  thus  brought 
before  us  with  a  vividness  quite  remarkable. 

Five  Thousand  Miraculously  Fed  (30-44).  30. 
And  tlie  apostles  gathered  themselves  together 
— probabljr  at  Capernaum,  on  returning  from 
their  mission  (vv.  7-13)— and  told  him.  all  things, 
both  what  they  had  done,  and  what  they  had 
taught.  31.  And  he  said.  Come  ye  yourselves 
apart  into  a  desert  place,  and  rest  a  while :  for 
there  were  many  coming  and  going,  and  they  had 
no  leisure  so  much  as  to  eat.  Obsei-ve  the  various 
reasons  He  had  for  crossing  to  the  other  side. 
First,  Matthew  (xiv.  13)  says,  that  "when  Jesus 
heard"  of  the  murder  of  His  faithful  foreninuer — 
from  those  attached  disciples  of  his  who  had  taken 
up  his  body  and  laid  it  in  a  sepidchre  (see  on  v.  29) — 
"He  departed  by  ship  into  a  desert  place  apart ;" 
either  to  avoid  some  apprehended  consequences  to 
Himself,  arising  from  the  Baptist's  death  (Matt. 
X.  23),  or  more  probably  to  be  able  to  indiilge  in 
those  feelings  which  that  affecting  event  had 
doubtless  awakened,  and  to  which  the  bustle  of 
the  multitude  around  Him  was  very  unfavourable. 
Next,  since  He  must  have  heard  the  report  of  the 
Twelve  with  the  deepest  interest,  and  probably 
with  something  of  the  emotion  which  He  experi- 
enced on  the  return  of  the  Seventy  (see  on  Luke 
X.  17-22),  He  sought  privacy  for  undisturbed 
reflection  on  this  begun  preaching  and  progi-ess 
of  His  kingdom.  Once  more.  He  was  wearied  ■with 
the  multitude  of  "comers  and  goers"— depriving 
Him  even  of  leisure  enough  to  take  His  food — 
and  wanted  rest:  "  Come  ye  yourselves  apart  into  a 
desert  place,  and  rest  a  while,"  &c.  Under  the  com- 
bined influence  of  all  these  considerations,  our  Lord 
sought  this  change.  32.  And  they  departed  into 
a  desert  place  by  ship  privately — "over  the  sea 
of  Galilee,  which  is  the  sea  of  Tiberias,"  says  John 
(vi.  1),  the  only  one  of  the  Evangelists  who  so  fully 
describes  it ;  the  others  having  written  when  their 
readers  were  supposed  to  know  something  of  it, 
while  the  last  wrote  for  those  at  a  greater  distance 
of  time  and  place.  This  "desert  place"  is  more 
159 


definitely  described  by  Luke  (ix.  10)  as  "belonging 
to  the  city  called  Bethsaida."  This  must  not 
be  confounded  with  the  town  so  called  on  the 
western  side  of  the  lake  (see  on  Matt.  xi.  21). 
This  town  lay  on  its  north-eastern  side,  near  where 
the  Jordan  empties  itself  into  it ;  in  Gaulouitis,  out 
of  the  dominions  of  Herod  Antipas  and  within  the 
dominions  of  Philip  theTetrarch  (Luke  iii.  1),  who 
raised  it  from  a  village  to  a  city,  and  called  it 
Julias,  in  honour  of  Julia,  the  daughter  of  Augus- 
tus (Joseph.  Antt.  xviii.  2,  1). 

33,  And  the  people—'  the  multitudes'  [ol  ovXot] 
saw  them  departing,  and  many  knew  him.  The 
true  reading  would  seem  to  be:  'And  many  saw 
them  departing,  and  knew  or  recognized  [them]' — • 
[Kai  elSov  aiiTovi  vTrdyovras  Kai  eTreyvtocrav  TroXXot], 

and  ran  afoot  [-Tre^jjJ.  Here,  perhaps,  it  should  be 
rendered  'by  land' — running  round  by  the  head 
of  the  lake,  and  taking  one  of  the  fords  of  the 
river,  so  as  to  meet  Jesus,  who  was  crossing  with 
the  Twelve  by  ship,  thither  out  of  all  cities, 
and  outwent  them — ^ot  before  them,  and  came 
together  unto  him.  How  exceedingly  graphic  is 
this !  every  touch  of  it  betokening  the  presence 
of  an  eye-witness.  John  (vi.  3)  says,  that  "Jesus 
went  up  into  a  mountain" — somewhere  in  that 
hilly  range,  the  green  table-land  which  skirts 
the  eastern  side  of  the  lake.  34.  And  Jesus,  when 
he  came  out  of  the  ship  [eJeXOwv] — 'having  gone 
on  shore.'  saw  much  people—'  a  great  multitude' 
[troXvv  o^ov],  and  was  moved  with  compassion 
toward  them,  because  they  were  as  sheep  not 
having  a  shepherd :  and  he  began  to  teach  them 
many  things.  At  the  sight  of  the  multitudes 
who  had  followed  Him  by  laud  and  even  got 
before  Him,  He  was  so  moved,  as  was  His  wont 
in  such  cases,  with  compassion,  because  they  were 
like  shepherclless  sheep,  as  to  forego  both  privacy 
and  rest  that  He  might  minister  to  them.  Here 
we  have  an  important  piece  of  information  from 
the  Foxu-th  Evangelist  (John  vi.  4),  "  And  the 
passover,  a  feast  of  the  Jews,  was  nigh" — rather. 
Now  the  passover,  the  feast  of  the  Jews  [h 
60/0-7-);],  was  nigh.'  This  accounts  for  the  multi- 
tudes that  now  crowded  around  Him.  They 
were  on  their  way  to  keep  that  festival  at 
Jerusalem.  But  Jesus  did  not  go  up  to  this 
festival,  as  John  expressly  tells  us  (ch.  vii.  1) — 
remaining  in  Galilee,  because  the  ruling  Jews 
sought  to  kill  Him. 

35.  And  when  the  day  was  now  far  spent— "be- 
gan to  wear  away"  or  'decline,'  says  Luke  (ix.  12), 
{K\iveLv\.  Matthew  (xiv.  15)  says,  "when  it  was 
evening ;"  and  yet  he  mentions  a  later  evening  of 
the  same  day  (v.  23),  This  earlier  evening  began 
at  three  o'clock  p.m.  ;  the  later  began  at  sunset. 
his  disciples  came  unto  him,  and  said,  This  is  a 
desert  place,  and  now  the  time  is  far  passed; 


Christ  miraculously 


MARK  VI. 


feeds  five  thousand. 


them  away,  that  they  may  go  into  the  country  round  about,  and  into 
the  villages,  and  buy  themselves  bread :  for  they  have  nothing  to  eat. 

37  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Give  ye  them  to  eat.     And  they  say 
unto  him,  *  Shall  we  go  and  buy  two  hundred  ^pennyworth  of  bread,  and 

38  give  them  to  eat?     He  saith  unto  them.  How  many  loaves  have  ye?  go 

39  and  see.     And  when  they  knew,  they  say,  ^Five,  and  two  fishes.     And 
he   commanded  them  to  make  all  sit  down  '''by  companies   upon   the 

40  green  grass.     And  they  sat  down  in  ranks,  by  hundreds,  and  by  fifties. 

41  And  when  he  had  taken  the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fishes,  he  looked  up  to 
heaven,  and  ■^blessed,  and  brake  the  loaves,  and  gave  them  to  his  disciples 

42  to  set  before  them  ;  and  the  two  fishes  divided  he  among  them  all.     And 

43  they  did  all  eat,  and  were  filled.     And  they  took  up  twelve  baskets  full  of 

44  the  fragments,  and  of  the  fishes.     And  they  that  did  eat  of  the  loaves 
were  about  five  thousand  men. 

45  And  ^'straightway  he  constrained  his  disciples  to  get  into  the  ship,  and 
to  go  to  the  other  side  before  ^unto  Bethsaida,  while  he  sent  away  the 


A  Num.  U.  13, 
22. 

6  The  Ro- 
man penny 
is  seven- 
pence 
halfpenny. 
Matt.  18  28. 

•  Matt.  14.17. 
Matt.  1.5  3t. 

7  banquets, 
banquets. 
1  Cor.  14.40. 

}  1  Sam.  9.  IS. 

Matt  26  26. 
k  Matt.  14  22. 

John  6.  17. 

8  Or,  over 
against 
Bethsaida. 


36.  Send  them  .away,  tliat  they  may  go  into  the 
country  round  about,  and  into  the  villages,  and 
buy  themselves  bread:  for  they  have  nothing 
to  eat.  John  tells  us  (vi.  5,  6)  that  "  Jesus  said 
to  Philip,  Whence  shall  we  buy  bread,  that 
these  may  eat?  (And  this  He  said  to  prove 
him:  for  He  Himself  knew  what  He  would 
do.)"  The  subiect  may  have  been  introduced 
by  some  remark  of  the  disciples ;  but  the  pre- 
cise order  and  form  of  what  was  said  by  each 
can  hardly  be  gathered  with  precision,  nor  is 
it  of  any  importance.  37.  He  answered  and 
said  unto  them,  "They  need  not  depart"  (Matt, 
xiv.  16),  Give  ye  them  to  eat— doubtless  said  to 
l>repare  them  for  what  was  to  follow.  And  they 
say  unto  him,  Shall  we  go  and  buy  two  hundred 
pennyworth  of  bread,  and  give  them  to  eat? 
"  Phihp  answered  Him,  Two  hundred  pennyworth 
of  bread  is  not  sufficient  for  them,  that  every  one 
of  them  may  take  a  little"  (John  vi.  7).  38.  He 
saith  unto  them,  How  many  loaves  have  ye  ?  go 
and  see.  And  when  they  knew,  they  say.  Five, 
and  two  fishes.  John  is  more  precise  and  fulL 
"  One  of  his  disciples,  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's 
brother,  saith  unto  Him,  There  is  a  lad  here 
which  hath  five  barley  loaves  and  two  small 
fislies:  but  what  are  thejr  among  so  many?" 
(.John  vi.  8,  9).  Probably  this  was  the  whole  stock 
of  provisions  then  at  the  command  of  the  disciples 
— no  more  than  enough  for  one  meal  to  them — and 
entrusted  for  the  time  to  this  lad.  "  He  said, 
Bring  them  hither  to  me"  (Matt.  xiv.  18).  39. 
And  he  commanded  them  to  make  all  sit  down 
by  companies  upon  the  green  grass  [tTrl  -roi 
X\wf><Ji  x°P''"'!'l — or  'green  hay;'  the  rank  grass 
of  those  bushy  wastes.  For,  as  John  (vi.  10) 
notes,  "  there  was  much  grass  [x^P^o^]  in  the 
lilace."  40.  And  they  sat  down  in  ranks,  by  hun- 
dreds, and  by  fifties.  Doubtless  this  was  to  show 
at  a  glance  the  number  fed,  and  to  enable  all  to 
witness  in  an  orderly  manner  this  glorious  miracle. 
41.  And  when  he  had  taken  the  five  loaves  and 
the  two  fishes,  he  looked  up  to  heaven.  Thus 
would  the  most  distant  of  them  see  distinctly 
what  He  was  doino;.  and  blessed  [ei/Xoyijo-eJ. 
John  says,  "  And  when  He  had  given  thanks  " 
|tuxa/oto'T/;a-as].  The  sense  is  the  same.  This 
thanksgiving  for  the  meat,  and  benediction  of  it 
as  the  food  of  thousands,  was  the  crisis  of  the 
imracle.  and  brake  the  loaves,  and  gave  them 
to  his  disciples  to  set  before  them — thus  virtu- 
ally holding  forth  these  men  as  His  future  minis- 
ters, and  the  two  fishes  divided  he  among 
them  all.  42.  And  they  did  all  eat,  and  were 
160 


filled.  All  the  four  Evangelists  mention  this ; 
and  John  (vi.  11)  adds,  "  and  likewise  of  the  fishes, 
as  much  as  they  would" — to  show  that  vast  as 
was  the  multitude,  and  scanty  the  provisions, 
the  meal  to  each  and  all  of  them  was  a  plentiful 
one.  "When  they  were  filled,  He  said  unto  His 
disciples,  Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain, 
that  nothing  be  lost"  (John  Vi.  12).  This  was 
designed  to  bring  out  the  whole  extent  of  the 
miracle.  43.  And  they  took  up  twelve  baskets 
full  of  the  fragments,  and  of  the  fishes.  "  There- 
fore (says  John  "vi.  13),  they  gathered  them  to- 
gether, and  filled  twelve  baskets  with  the  fragments 
of  the  five  barley  loaves,  which  remained  over  and 
above  unto  them  that  had  eaten."  The  article  here 
rendered  " baskets"  [Ko<^ii/ot]  in  all  the  four  narra- 
tives was  pai-t  of  the  luggage  taken  by  Jews  on 
a  journey — to  carry,  it  is  said,  both  their  provisions 
and  hay  to  sleep  on,  that  they  might  not  have  to 
depend  on  Gentiles,  and  so  run  the  risk  of  cere- 
monial pollution.  In  this  we  have  a  striking  cor- 
roboration of  the  truth  of  the  four  narratives. 
Internal  evidence  renders  it  clear,  we  think,  that 
the  first  three  Evangelists  wrote  independently  of 
each  other,  though  the  fourth  must  have  seen  all 
the  others.  But  here,  each  of  the  first  three  Evan- 
gelists iises  the  same  word  to  express  the  appar- 
ently insignificant  circumstance,  tliat  the  baskets 
employed  to  gather  up  the  fragments  were  of  the 
kind  which  even  the  Roman  satirist,  Juraial, 
knew  by  the  name  of  cophinus;  while  in  both  the 
narratives  of  the  feeding  of  the  Four  Thousand 
the  baskets  used  are  expressly  said  to  have  been 
of  the  kind  called  spur  is.  (See  on  ch.  viii.  19, 
20.)  44.  And  they  that  did  eat  of  the  loaves 
were  [about]  five  thousand  men — "  besides  women 
and  children"  (Matt.  xiv.  21).  Of  these,  however, 
there  would  probably  not  be  many;  as  only  the 
males  were  obliged  to  go  to  the  approaching  festi- 
vaL  [The  word  "about" — dxrel — should  be  omitted 
here,  as  quite  void  of  authority ;  but  in  the  other 
three  Gospels  it  certainly  belongs  to  the  genuine 
text,] 

Jesus  Re-crosses  to  the  Western  side  of  the  Lake, 
Walking  on  the  *Sea  (45-56).  One  very  important 
jiarticular  given  by  John  alone  (vi.  15)  introduces 
this  portion:  "When  Jesus  therefore  perceived 
that  they  woidd  take  Him  by  force,  to  make  Him 
a  king,  He  departed  again  into  a  mountain  Himself 
alone."  45.  And  straightway  he  constrained  his 
disciples  to  get  into  the  ship,  and  to  go  to  the  other 
side  before — Him— unto  Bethsaida— Bethsaida  of 
Galilee  (John  xii.  21).  John  says  they  "  went  over 
the  sea  towards  Caijernaum"— the  wind,  probably. 


Christ  walketh 


MARK  VI. 


on  the  sea. 


46  people.  And  when  he  had  sent  them  away,  'he  departed  into  a  mountain 
to  pray. 

47  And  when  even  was  come,  the  ship  was  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  and 

48  he  alone  on  the  land.  And  he  saw  them  toiling  in  rowing;  for  the  wind 
was  contrary  unto  them :  and  about  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night  he 
Cometh  unto  them,  walking  upon  the  sea,  and  would  have  passed  by 

40  them.     But  when  they  saw  him  walking  upon  the  sea,  they  supposed  it 
50  had  been  a  spirit,  and  cried  out :  for  they  all  saw  him,  and  were  troubled. 

And  immediately  he  talked  with  them,  and  saith  unto  them,  ™Be  of  good 

cheer :  it  is  I ;  be  not  afraid. 


A.  D.  32. 

ch.  1.  35. 
Matt.  6.  6. 
Matt.  14.23. 
Luke  6.  12. 
John  6. 15. 
1  Pet.  2.  21. 
» Ps.  23.  4. 
Isa    43.  2. 
Matt.  14.27. 
Luke  20.19. 
Luke  24. 38. 
John  6.  19. 


occasioning  this  slight  deviation  from  the  direc- 
tion of  Betnsaida.  while  lie  sent  away  tlie  people 
\t6v  o'x^-oj/] — 'the  multitude.'  His  object  in  this 
was  to  put  an  end  to  the  misdirected  excitement 
in  His  favour  (John  vi.  15),  into  which  the  dis- 
ciples themselves  may  have  been  somewhat  drawn. 
The  word  "constrained"  [ijudyKar^ev]  implies  re- 
luctance on  their  part,  perhaps  from  unwilling- 
ness to  part  with  their  Master  and  embark  at 
night,  leaving  Him  alone  on  the  mountain.  46. 
And  when  he  had  sent  them  away,  he  departed 
into  a  mountain  to  pray— thus  at  length  getting 
that  privacy  and  rest  which  He  had  vainly  sought 
during  the  earlier  part  of  the  day;  opportunity 
also  to  pour  out  His  soul  in  connection  with  the 
extraordinary  excitement  in  His  favour  that  even- 
ing— which  appears  to  have  marked  the  zenith  of 
His  reputation,  for  it  began  to  decline  the  very 
next  day;  and  a  place  whence  He  might  watch 
the  disciples  on  the  lake,  pray  for  them  in  their 
extremity,  and  observe  the  right  time  for  coming 
to  them,  in  a  new  manifestation  of  His  glory,  on 
the  sea. 

47.  And  when  even  was  come— the  later  even- 
ing (see  on  v.  35).  It  had  come  even  when  the  dis- 
ciples embarked  (Matt.  xiv.  2.3  ;  John  vi.  16).  the 
ship  was  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  and  he  alone  on 
the  land.  John  says  (vi.  17),  "  It  was  now  dark, 
and  Jesus  was  not  come  to  them."  Perhaps 
they  made  no  ^eat  effort  to  push  across  at  first, 
having  a  lingering  hope  that  their  Master  would 
yet  join  them,  and  so  allowed  the  darkness  to 
come  on.  "And  the  sea  arose  (adds  the  beloved 
disciple,  vi.  18),  by  reason  of  a  great  wind  that 
blew."  48.  And  he  saw  them  toUing  in  rowing; 
for  the  wind  was  contrary  unto  them— putting 
forth  all  their  strength  to  buffet  the  waves  and 
bear  on  against  a  head-wind,  but  to  little  effect. 
He  "saw"  this  from  His  mountain-top,  and  through 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  for  His  heart  was  all 
with  them :  yet  would  He  not  go  to  their  relief 
till  His  own  time  came,  and  about  the  fourth 
watch  of  the  night.  The  Jews,  who  used  to  di- 
vide the  night  into  three  watches,  latterly  adopted 
the  Roman  division  into  four  watches,  as  here. 
So  that,  at  the  rate  of  three  hours  to  each,  the 
fourth  watch,  reckoning  from  six  P.M.,  would  be 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  "  So  when  they  had 
rowed  about  five  and  twenty  or  thirty  furlongs  " 
(John  vi.  19) — rather  more  than  half-way  across. 
The  lake  is  about  seven  miles  broad  at  its  widest 
part.  So  that  in  eight  or  nine  hours  they  had  only 
made  some  three  and  a-half  miles.  By  this  time, 
therefore,  they  miist  have  been  in  a  state  of  ex- 
haustion and  despondency  bordering  on  despair; 
and  now  at  length,  having  tried  them  long 
enough,  he  cometh  unto  them,  walking  upon 
the  sea — "  and  drawing  nigh  unto  the  ship"  (John 
vi.  19),  and  would  have  passed  by  them — but 
only  in  the  sense  of  Luke  xxiv.  28 ;  Gen.  xxxii.  26 : 
compare  Gen.  xviii.  3,  5;  xlii.  7.  49.  But  when 
they  saw  him  walking  upon  the  sea,  they  sup- 
\0L.  V.  IGl 


posed  it  had  been  a  spirit,  and  cried  out — "  for 

fear"  (Matt.  xiv.  26).  He  would  appear  to  them 
at  first  like  a  dark  moving  speck  ujion  the  waters  ; 
then  as  a  human  figure ;  but  in  the  dark  tempestuous 
sky,  and  not  dreaming  that  it  could  be  their  Lord, 
they  take  it  for  a  spirit.  Compare  Luke  xxiv.  37. 
50.  For  they  aU  saw  him,  and  were  troubled. 
And  immediately  he  talked  with  them,  and  saith 
unto  them.  Be  of  good  cheer:  It  is  I;  be  not 
afraid.  There  is  something  in  these  two  httle 
words — given  by  Matthew,  Mark,  and  John — "'Tis 
I "  ['Eyto  elfiL — '  I  Am  '],  which  from  the  mouth 
that  spake  it  and  the  circumstances  in  which  it 
was  uttered,  passes  the  power  of  language  to  ex- 
press. Here  were  they  in  the  midst  of  a  ragino- 
sea,  their  httle  bark  the  sport  of  the  elements,  and 
with  just  enough  of  light  to  descry  an  object  on  the 
waters  which  only  aggravated  their  fears.  But 
Jesus  deems  it  enough  to  dispel  all  apiDrehension 
to  let  them  know  that  He  was  there.  From  other 
lips  that  "lam"  would  have  merely  meant  that 
the  person  speaking  was  such  a  one  and  not  another 
person.  That,  surely,  would  have  done  little  to 
calm  the  fears  of  men  expecting  every  minute,  it 
may  be,  to  go  to  the  bottom.  But  spoken  by  One 
who  at  that  moment  was  ' '  treading  upon  the  waves 
of  the  sea,"  and  was  about  to  hush  the  raging  ele- 
ments with  His  word,  what  was  it  but  the  Voice 
which  cried  of  old  in  the  ears  of  Israel,  even  from 
the  days  of  Moses,  "I  am  ;"  " Ij  even  I,  am  He  ! " 
Compare  John  xviii.  5,  6;  viii.  58.  Now,  that 
word  is  "  made  flesh,  and  dwells  among  us,"  utter- 
ing itself  from  beside  us  in  dear  familiar  tones — "It 
is  the  Voice  of  my  Beloved ! "  How  far  was  this 
apprehended  by  these  frightened  disciples  ?  There 
was  one,  we  know,  in  the  boat  who  outstripped  all 
the  rest  in  susceptibility  to  such  sublime  appeals. 
It  was  not  the  deep-toned  writer  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel,  who,  though  he  lived  to  soar  beyond  all 
the  apostles,  was  as  yet  too  young  for  prominence, 
and  all  unripe.     It  was  Simon-Barjonas. 

Here  follows  a  very  remarkable  and  instructive 
episode,  recorded  by  Matthew  alone  :— 

Peter  ventures  to  Walk  upon  the  Sea  (Matt, 
xiv.  28-32).  28.  "And  Peter  answered  Him,  and 
said,  Lord,  If  it  be  Thou  [el  2i-  el- 'If  Thou 
art '—responding  to  his  Lord's  "I  am"],  bid  me 
come  unto  thee  on  the  water;"  not  ^let  me.' 
but  'give  me  the  word  of  command'  [KeXeva-oi; 
fxe  TTjOos  Se  eXQelp  e-rrl  to.  vSaTa] — '  command,'  or 
'  order  me  to  come  unto  Thee  upon  the  waters.' 
29.  "And  He  said,  Come."  Sublime  word,  is- 
suing from  One  conscious  of  power  over  the 
raging  element,  to  bid  it  serve  both  Himself 
and  whomsoever  else  He  pleased!  "And  when 
Peter  was  come  down  out  of  the  ship,  he  walked 
upon  the  water "—' waters '  [lifiaTa] — "to  come  to 
Jesus."  'It  was  a  bold  spirit '  says  Bp.  HaV, 
'that  could  wish  it;  more  bold  that  could  act 
it — not  fearing  either  the  softness  or  the  rough- 
ness of  that  uncouth  passage.'  30.  "But  when 
he  saw  the-  wind  boisterous,  he  was  afraid ;  and 


Christ  walketh 


MARK  VI. 


on  the  sea. 


51  And  he  went  up  unto  them  into  the  ship;  and  the  wind  ceased:  and 
they  were  sore  amazed  in  themselves  beyond  measure,  and  wondered. 

52  For '^ they  considered  not  the  miracle  of  the  loaves:    for  their  "heart 
was  hardened. 

53  And  ^  when  they  had  passed  over,  they  came  into  the  land  of  Genne- 

54  saret,  and  drew  to  the  shore.    And  when  they  were  come  out  of  the  shij), 

55  straightway  they  knew  him,  and  ran  through  that  whole  region  round 
about,  and  began  to  carry  about  in  beds  those  that  were  sick,  where  they 


A.  D.  32. 

"  ch.  8.  17. 

Luke  24.25. 
"  Jer.  17.  9. 

ch.  3.  6. 

ch.  16.  14. 

Eom.  8.  7. 
P  Matt.  14.34. 

Luke  5.  1. 

John  6.  24. 


begiuning  to  sink,  he  cried,  saying,  Lorcl,  save 
me."  Tne  wind  was  as  boisterous  before,  but 
Peter  "saw"  it  not;  seeing  only_  the  power  of 
Christ,  in  the  lively  exercise  of  faith.  Now  he 
"sees"  the  fury  of  the  elements,  and  immediately 
tlie  power  of  Christ  to  bear  him  up  fades  before 
his  view,  and  this  makes  him  "afraid" — as  how 
could  he  be  otherwise,  without  any  felt  power  to 
keep  him  up?  He  then  "begins  to  sirik;"  and 
finally,  conscious  that  his  experiment  had  failed, 
he  casts  himself,  in  a  sort  of  desperate  confidence, 
upon  his  "Lord"  for  deliverance!  31.  "And 
immediately  Jesus  stretched  forth  His  hand,  and 
caught  him,  and  said  unto  him,  O  thou  of  little 
faith,  wherefore  didst  thou  doubt  ?"  This  rebuke 
was  not  administered  ivhile  Peter  was  sinlcing,  nor  till 
Christ  had  him  by  the  hand;  first  re-invigorating  his 
faith  and  then  mth  it  enabling  him  again  to  walk 
upon  the  crested  wave.  Bootless  else  had  been 
this  loving  reproof,  which  owns  the  faith  that  had 
ventured  on  the  deep  upon  the  bare  word  of  Christ, 
but  asks  why  that  distrust  which  so  quickly  marred 
it  ?  32.  "  And  when  they  were  come  into  the  ship 
(Jesus  and  Peter),  the  wind  ceased." 

61.  And  he  went  up  unto  them  into  the  ship. 
John  (vi.  21)  says,  "  Then  they  willingly  received 
him  into  the  ship"  ["H6e\o2/  ovi>  Xafie'iv  avToi/] — or 
rather,  'Then  were  they  wHling  to  receive  Him' 
(with  reference  to  their  previous  terror) ;  but 
implying  also  a  glad  welcome,  their  first  fears  now 
converted  into  wonder  and  delight.  "And  im- 
mediately," adds  the  beloved  disciple,  "they  were 
at  the  land  whither  they  went"  [eis  vv  uTTTjyov],  or 
_'  were  bound.'  This  additional  miracle,  for  as  such 
it  is  manifestly  related,  is  recorded  by  the  Fourth 
Evangelist  alone.  As  the  storm  was  suddenly 
calmed,  so  the  little  bark — propelled  by  the  secret 
power  of  the  Lord  of  nature  now  sailing  in  it — 
glided  through  the  now  unruffled  waters,  and, 
while  they  were  wrapt  in  wonder  at  what  had 
happened,  not  heeding  their  rax)id  motion,  was 
found  at  port,  to  their  still  further  sm-prise. 

"  Then  are  they  glad,  because  at  rest 
And  quiet  now  they  be; 
So  10  the  liaven  He  them  brings 
Which  they  desired  to  see." 

Matthew  (xiv.  33)  says,  "Then  they  that  were  in 
the  ship  came  (that  is,  ere  they  got  to  land)  and 
worshipped  him,  saying,  Of  a  truth  Thou  art  the 
Son  of  God."  But  our  Evangelist  is  wonderfully 
striking,  and  the  wind  ceased:  and  they  were 
sore  amazed  in  themselves  beyond  measure,  and 
■wondered.  The  Evangelist  seems  hardly  to  find 
language  strong  enough  to  express  their  astonish- 
ment. [Tregelle^%  on  too  slight  authority,  omits 
altogether  the  clause,  Kal  eQaOfxaX^ov — "and  won- 
dered"— and  brackets  the  phrase,  e/c  Trepio-o-oD — 
"  beyond  measure,"as  of  doubtful  genuineness  ;  but 
Tischendorf  does  neither.  ]  52.  For  they  considered 
not  the  miracle  of  the  loaves :  for  their  heart 
was  hardened.  "What  a  singular  statement !  The 
meaning  seems  to  be  that  if  they  had  but  "con- 
sidered (or  reflected  upon)  the  miracle  of  the 
loaves,"  "wrought  but  a  few  hours  before,  they  would 
162 


have  wondered   at  nothing   which  He  might  do 
within  the  whole  circle  of  jjower  and  grace. 

Incidents  on  Landing  (53-56).  The  details  here 
are  given  with  a  rich  vividness  quite  peculiar  to 
this  charming  Gospel.  53.  And  when  they  had 
passed  over,  they  came  into  the  land  of  Gen- 
nesaret — from  which  the  lake  sometimes  takes  its 
name,  stretching  along  its  western  shore.  Caper- 
naum was  their  landing-place  (John  vi.  24,  25). 
and  drew  to  the  shore  [irpoawpfjLlardria-av] — a 
nautical  phrase,  nowhere  else  used  in  the  New 
Testament.  64.  And  when  they  were  come  out 
of  tlie  ship,  straightway  they  knew  him — "imme- 
diately they  recognized  Him;"  that  is,  the  people 
did.  55.  And  ran  through  that  whole  region 
round  about,  and  began  to  carry  about  in  beds 
those  that  were  sick,  where  they  heard  he  was. 
At  this  period  of  our  Lord's  ministry  the  popular 
enthusiasm  in  His  favour  was  at  its  height.  56. 
And  whithersoever  he  entered,  into  villages,  or 
cities,  or  country,  they  laid  the  sick  in  the  streets, 
and  besought  him  that  they  might  touch  if  it 
were  but  the  border  of  his  garment — having 
heard,  no  doubt,  of  what  the  woman  with  the 
issue  of  blood  experienced  on  doing  so  (ch.  v.  25-29), 
and  perhaps  of  other  unrecorded  cases  of  the  same 
nature,  and  as  many  as  touched  [him] — or  '  it ' — 
the  border  of  His  garment,  were  made  whole. 
AU  this  they  continued  to  do  and  to  experience 
while  our  Lord  was  in  that  region  [as  is  implied 
in  the  imperfect  tenses  here  employed — eio-e-n-op- 
eveTO,  stlGovv,  irapeKoXouv,  ecr6i\ovTo\  The  time 
corresponds  to  that  mentioned  (John  vii.  1), 
when  He  "walked  in  Galilee,"  instead  of  appearing 
in  Jerusalem  at  the  Passover,  "because  the  Jews," 
that  is,  the  rulers,  "sought  to  kiU  Him" — while 
the  people  sought  to  enthrone  Him ! 

Remarks.  —  1.  What  devout  and  thoughtfid 
reader  can  have  followed  the  graphic  details  of 
this  wonderful  Section  without  nearing  the  tread 
of  Divinity  in  the  footstep  and  voice,  and  behold- 
ing it  in  tlie  hands  and  eyes  of  that  warm,  living, 
tender  Humanity  whose  movements  are  here  re- 
corded ?  While  yet  on  the  western  side  of  the 
lake,  the  Twelve  return  to  Him  and  report  the 
success  of  their  missionary  tour.  Almost  simul- 
taneously with  this,  tidings  reach  Him  of  the  foul 
murder  and  decent  burial  of  His  loving  and  faith- 
ful forerunner.  He  would  fain  get  alone  with  the 
Twelve,  after  such  moving  events,  but  cannot, 
for  the  crowds  that  kept  moving  about  Him. 
So  He  bids  the  Twelve  put  across  to  the  eastern 
side,  to  "rest  a  while."  But  the  people,  dismayed 
at  the  sight  of  His  departure,  and  having  no  boats, 
rtm  round  by  the  head  of  the  lake,  hastily  cross 
the  river,  and  observing  the  direction  in  which 
His  boat  made  for  the  land,  were  there  before 
Him._  He  pities  them  as  shepherdless  sheep, 
and  instead  of  putting  them  away,  preaches 
to  them,  until  the  decline  of  the  day  warns 
Him  to  think  of  the  meat  that  perisheth  as 
now  needful  for  them.  The  Twelve  were  for 
dispersing  them  in  search  of  victuals,  but  He  bids 
them  supply  them  with  these  themselves.  But 
how  can  thev?     Let   them  see  what  they  can 


Incidents  on  landing 


MARK  VI. 


at  Gennesaret, 


66  heard  lie  was.  And  whithersoever  he  entered,  into  villages,  or  cities,  or 
country,  they  laid  the  sick  in  the  streets,  and  besought  him  that  they 
^  might  touch  if  it  were  but  the  border  of  his  garment :  and  as  many  as 
touched  ^him  were  made  whole. 


A.  D  32. 

«  Matt  9.  20. 

Luke  8.  44. 

Acts  5.  15. 

»  Or,  it 

muster.  The  exact  quantity  in  hand  is  given  with 
precision  by  all  the  four  Evangelists.  The  barley 
loaves — they  are  five;  and  the  small  fishes,  two. 
Butwhat  will  these  do?  They  will  suffice.  Direc- 
tion is  given  to  make  the  vast  multitude  sit  down  on 
the  rank  green  grass  in  orderly  form,  by  hundreds 
and  by  fifties.  It  is  done,  and  He  stands  forth,  we 
might  conceive,  within  an  outer  semicircle  of  thirty 
hundreds,  and  an  inner  semicircle  of  forty  fifties ; 
the  women  and  children  by  themselves,  it  may  be 
in  groups,  stiU  nearer  the  glorious  Provider.  All 
eyes  are  now  fastened  upon  Him  as  He  took  up 
the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fishes,  and  looking  up 
to  heaven,  blessed  them  as  Heaven's  bountiful  pro- 
A-ision  for  that  whole  multitude,  and  then  gave 
them  to  the  Twelve  to  distribute  amongst  them. 
Who  can  imagine  the  wonder  that  would  sit  upon 
every  countenance,  as  the  thought  shot  across 
them,  How  is  this  handful  to  feed  even  one  of  the 
fifties,  not  to  speak  of  the  hundreds?  But  as  they 
found  it  passed  by  the  Twelve  from  rank  to  rank  un- 
exhausted, and  the  last  man,  and  woman,  and  child 
of  them  fed  to  the  full,  and  the  leavings,  both  of 
the  loaves  and  of  the  fishes,  greatly  more  than  the 
whole  provision  at  the  first— the  baskets  filled  with 
these  being  twelve,  and  the  number  fed  five  thou- 
sand, besides  women  and  children — what  must 
they  have  thought,  if  they  thought  at  all?  It  is 
true,  we  have  faint  precursors  of  this  glorious 
miracle  in  the  doings  of  Elijah  (1  KL  xvii.  14-16), 
and  still  more  of  Elkha  (2  KL  iv.  1-7,  42-44) ;  but 
besides  the  inferiority  of  the  things  done,  those 
V»rophets  acted  ever  as  servants,  saying,  "Thus 
saitn  the  Lord,"  when  they  announced  the  miracles 
they  were  to  perform ;  whereas,  the  one  feature 
which  most  struck  all  who  came  in  contact  with 
Jesus  was  the  aii-  of  Personal  authority  with  which 
He  ever  taught  and  wrought  His  miracles,  thus 
standing  confessed  before  the  devout  and  pene- 
trating eye  as  the  Incarnate  Lord  of  Nature : 

'  Here  may  we  sit  and  dream 

Over  the  heavenly  theme, 
Till  to  our  soul  the  former  days  return; 

Till  on  the  grassy  bed 

M'here  thousands  once  He  fed, 
The  world's  incarnate  Maker  we  discern."— Keble 

But  the  scene  changes.  The  transported  multi- 
tude, in  a  frenzy  of  enthusiasm,  are  consulting  to- 
gether how  they  are  to  hasten  His  Installation  in 
the  regal  rights  of  "the  King  of  Israel,"  which 
they  now  plainly  saw  Him  to  be.  (What  a  testi- 
mony, by  the  way,  is  this  to  the  reality  of  the 
miracle — the  testimony  of  five  thousand  partici- 
pants of  the  fruit  of  the  miracle !)  They  have 
taken  no  action,  but  "knowing  their  thoughts," 
He  quickly  disperses  them;  and  retiring  for  the 
night  to  a  solitaiy  mountain-top,  overlooking  the 
sea,  He  there  pours  out  His  great  soul  in  prayer, 
watching  at  the  same  time  the  gathering  tempest 
and  the  weary  struggle  of  the  disciples— M'hom  He 
made  to  put  out  reluctantly  to  sea  without  Him — 
with  the  contrary  -wind  and  the  beating  waves;  un- 
til, after  some  eight  hours'  trial  of  them  in  these 
perilous  circumstances,  He  rises,  descends  to  the 
sea,  and  walks  to  them,  cresting  the  roaring  bil- 
lows; and  when  the  sight  of  His  dim  figure  only 
aggravates  their  terror  and  makes  them  cry  out  for 
fear,  He  bids  them  be  calm  and  confident,  for  it  was 
//e— Himself  as  unmoved  as  on  dry  land  and  under 
a  serene  sky.  This  reassures  them ;  insomuch  that 
Peter  thinks  even  he  would  be  safe  upon  the 
163 


great  deep  if  only  Je.sus  would  order  him  to  come 
to  Him  upon  it.  He  does  it;  and  for  a  moment— as 
he  looks  to  Him  only— the  watery  element,  obedi- 
ent to  its  Lord,  bears  him  up.  But  looking  to  the 
an^ry  roar  of  the  wind,  as  it  whisked  up  the  sea, 
he  is  ready  to  be  swallowed  up,  and  cries  for  help 
to  the  mighty  Lord  of  the  deep,  who  gives  him 
His  hand  and  steps  with  him  into  the  ship,  when 
at  His  presence  the  storm  immediately  ceases,  and 
ere  they  have  time  to  pour  forth  their  astonish- 
ment they  are  in  port.  The  thing  which  is  so 
amazing  here  is  scarcely  so  much  the  absolute 
command  which  Jesus  shows  over  the  elements  of 
nature  in  all  their  rage,  as  His  own  perfect  ease, 
whether  in  riding  upon  them  or  keeping  His 
poor  disciple  from  being  swallowed  up  of  them, 
and  gently  chiding  him  for  having  any  fear  of  the 
elements  so  long  as  He  was  with  him.  Not  all 
the  chanting  of  the  Old  Testament  over  Jehovah's 
power  to  "raise  the  stormy  wind  which  hfteth  up 
the  waves,"  and  then  to  "  make  the  storm  a  calm, 
so  that  the  waves  thereof  are  stiU  "  (Ps.  cvii.  25-29, 
&c. )  makes  such  an  impression  upon  the  mind,  as 
the  concrete  manifestation  of  it  in  this  sublime  nar- 
rative. In  the  one,  we  hear  of  Him  by  the  hearing 
of  the  ear;  in  the  other,  our  eye  seeth  Him.  It  is 
like  the  difference  between  shadow  and  substance. 
Indeed,  the  one  may  be  regarded  as  the  incarnation 
of  the  other.  2.  Since  all  Christ's  miracles  had  a 
deeper  significance  than  that  which  appears  on  the 
surface  of  them,  we  cannot  doubt  that  the  multi- 
plication of  the  loaves,  which  was  one  of  the  most 
stupendous,  has  its  profound  meaning  also.  We 
may  say,  indeed,  that  as  this  multitude  had  made 
such  exertions  and  sacrifices  to  be  with  Jesus  and 
drink  in  His  wonderfid  teaching,  and  were  not  sent 
empty  away,  but  got  more  than  they  expected— 
even  the  meat  that  perisheth,  when  they  seemed  to 
look  only  for  that  which  endureth  to  everlasting 
life— so  if  we  "  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
His  righteousness,  all  these  things  will  be  added 
unto  us."  But  this  and  similar  lessons  hardly  reach 
the  depth  of  this  subject,  much  less  exhaust  it. 
As  the  Lord  Jesus  multiplied  on  this  occasion  the 
meat  that  perisheth,  so  is  the  meat  that  endm-eth 
to  everlasting  Hfe  capable  of  indefinite  multipli- 
cation. Look  at  the  Scriptures  at  large;  look 
at  the  glorious  Gospel  History;  look  at  this  one 
stupendous  Section  of  it.  In  bulk,  how  little 
is  it— like  the  five  barley  loaves  and  the  two 
small  fishes  it  tells  of.  But  what  thousands 
upon  thousands  has  it  fed,  and  will  it  feed, 
in  every  age,  in  every  land  of  Christendom, 
to  the  woi-Id's  end !  And  is  this  true  only 
of  inspired  Scripture?  There,  we  may  say, 
it  is  Clirist  Himself  that  ministers  the  bread  of 
life.  But  just  as  Elijah  and  EHsha  did  some- 
thing of  the  same  kind— though  on  a  small  scale, 
and  with  a  humble  acknowledgment  that  tliey 
were  but  servants,  or  instruments  in  the  hand  of 
the  Lord— so  have  the  ministers  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
been  privileged,  from  a  little  portion  of  "the 
oracles  of  God,"  to  feed  the  souls  of  thousands, 
and  that  so  richly  as  to  leave  baskets  of  frag- 
ments unconsumed.  Nor  can  the  writer  refrain 
from  testifying;  to  all  who  read  these  lines,  what  a 
feast  of  fat  things  he  has  found  daily  for  himself 
as  he  passed  from  Section  to  Section  of  this  won- 
derful History,  exhilarating  him  amidst  the  con- 
siderable labour  which  this  work  involves;  nor 
can  he  wish  anything  better  for  his  readers  than 


Discourse  on 


MARK  VII. 


ceremonial  2^olhition, 


7      THEN  "came  together  unto  him  the  Pharisees,  and  certain  of  the 

2  scribes,  which  came  from  Jerusalem.  And  when  they  saw  some  of  his 
disciples  eat  bread  with  ^  defiled  (that  is  to  say,  with  unwashen)  hands, 

3  they  found  fault.    (For  the  Pharisees,  and  all  the  Jews,  except  they  wash 

4  their  hands  "^oft,  eat  not,  holding  the  tradition  of  the  elders.  And  whe7i 
they  come  from  the  market,  except  they  wash,  they  eat  not.  And  many 
other  things  there  be  which  they  have  received  to  hold,  as  the  washing  of 

5  cups,  and  ^pots,  brasen  vessels,  and  of  *  tables.)  Then  ^the  Pharisees 
and  scribes  asked  him,  "Why  walk  not  thy  disciples  according  to  the 

6  tradition  of  the  elders,  but  eat  bread  with  unwashen  hands  ?  He  answered 
and  said  unto  them,  Well  hath  Esaias  prophesied  of  you  hypocrites,  as  it 
is  written,  '^This  people  honoui-eth  me  with  their  lips,  but  their  heart  is 

7  far  from  me.    Howbeit  in  vain  do  they  worship  me,  teaching  ybr  doctrines 

8  the  commandments  of  men.  For,  laying  aside  the  commandment  of  God, 
ye  hold  the  tradition  of  men,  as  the  washing  of  pots  and  cups :  and  many 

9  other  such  like  things  ye  do.  And  he  said  unto  them.  Full  well  ye 
^reject  the  commandment  of  God,  that  ye  may  keep  your  own  tradition. 

10  For  Moses  said,  **  Hon  our  thy  father  and  thy  mother ;   and,  ^  Whoso 

1 1  curseth  father  or  mother,  let  him  die  the  death :  but  ye  say.  If  a  man 
shall  say  to  his  father  or  mother.  It  is  -^Corban,  (that  is  to  say,  a  gift,) 

12  by  whatsoever  thou  mightest  be  profited  by  me;  he  shall  be  free.     And 

13  ye  suffer  him  no  more  to  do  ought  for  his  father  or  his  mother;  making 


A.  T>.  32. 


CHAP.  7. 
"  Matt.  15.  1. 

1  Or, 
common. 

2  with  the 
fist,  or, 
diligently. 
Theophy- 
lact,  up  to 
the  elbow. 

3  Sextarius 
is  about  a 
pint  and  a 
half. 

*  Or,  beds. 
b  Matt.  15.  2. 
'■  Isa.  29.  13. 

Matt.  15.  ?. 
5  Or.  frus- 
trate, 
ri  Ex.  20.  12. 

Deut.  5  16. 
"  Ex.  21.  17. 

Lev.  20.  9. 

Pro  20.  10. 
/  IMatt.  15.  5. 

Matt.  23.  IS. 

1  Tim.  5.  8. 


that  they  also  may  have  fellowship  with  him,  for 
truly  his  fellowship  in  this  bread  of  life  has  been 
with  the  Father  and  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ. 
3.  In  these  poor  disciples,  after  this  day  of  won- 
ders, we  have  a  picture  of  the  blindness  of  the  best 
of  us  ofttiines  to  the  divine  purjioses  and  our  own 
mercies.  How  reluctant  were  they  to  put  out  to 
sea  without  their  Master ;  but  had  He  not  stayed 
behind,  they  had  missed — and  along  with  them  the 
Church  in  all  time  had  missed — the  one  manifesta- 
tion of  His  glory  which  He  saw  fit  to  give  in  that 
majestic  form,  of  walking  upon  the  sea,  and  that 
too  when  the  waves  thereof  roared  by  reason  of  a 
mighty  wind.  Doubtless,  when  they  urged  Him  to 
come  with  them  if  He  would  not  let  them  spend 
the  night  with  Him  on  the  eastern  side,  He  would 
assure  them  that  He  was  coming  after  them.  But 
how  httle  would  they  cb-eam  of  what  He  meant ! 
Anxiously  and  often  would  they  look  back,  to  see 
if  they  could  descry  any  other  wherry  by  which 
He  might  have  set  sail  at  a  later  hour ;  and  when, 
after  eight  hours'  beating  against  the  storm,  they 
found  themselves,  ere  the  morning  light  dawned 
on  them,  alone  and  helpless  in  the  midst  of  the  sea, 
how  would  they  say  one  to  another,  '  0  that  we 
had  not  parted  from  Him !  Would  that  He  were 
here !  When  that  storm  arose  as  we  crossed  with 
Him  to  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes,  though  He 
was  fast  asleep  in  the  stern-end  of  the  ship,  how 
quickly,  on  our  awaking  Him,  did  He  hush  the 
winds  and  calm  the  sea,  even  with  one  word  of 
command ;  but  now,  alas,  we  are  alone ! '  At 
length  they  descry  a  dark  object.  What  can  it  be? 
It  draws  nearer  and  nearer  them;  their  fears 
arise;  now  it  is  near  enough  to  convince  them  that 
it  is  a  living  form,  in  quest  of  the7n.  And  what 
can  a  living,  moving  form  upon  the  waters  be  but 
a  spectre?  and  what  can  a  spectre  want  with  them  ? 
At  length,  as  it  approaches  them,  they  shriek  out 
for  fear.  And  yet  this  is  their  Beloved,  and  this 
is  their  Friend — so  eagerly  longed  for,  but  at 
length  despaired  of!  Thus  do  we  often  miscall 
our  chiefest  mercies ;  not  only  thinking  them  dis- 
tant when  they  are  near,  but  thinking  the  best  the 
Worst.  Yes,  Jesus  was  with  them  all  the  while, 
though  they  knew  it  not.  His  heart  followed 
1G4 


them  with  His  eye,  as  the  storm  gathered ;  though 
in  body  far  away,  in  spii-it  He  was  with  them,  giv- 
ing command  to  the  furious  elements  to  be  to  them 
as  was  the  burning  fiery  furnace  to  the  Hebrew 
youths  when  they  were  in  it,  and  the  lions  when 
Daniel  was  in  theii-  den — to  do  them  no  hurt.  He 
pitied  them  as  He  "saw  them  toiling  in  rowing," 
but  for  their  own  sake  He  would  not  come  to  them 
till  the  right  time.  But  0  what  words  were  those 
with  which  He  calmed  their  fears — "Be  of  good 
cheer:  it  is  I;  be  not  afraid"!  The  re-assuring 
word  was  that  central  one  "/"  ['Eyti] ;  and  after 
what  they  had  seen  of  His  glory  but  a  few  hours  be- 
fore, in  addition  to  all  their  past  experience,  what 
a  fulness  of  relief  would  be  to  them  wrapt  up  in 
that  one  little  word  "/.'"  And  what  else  need  even 
we,  tossed,  and  0  how  often !  upon  a  tempestuous 
sea — at  one  time  of  doubts  and  fears,  at  another,  of 
difficulties  and  wants,  at  another,  of  sorrows  and 
sufferings — "toiling  in  rowing"  to  beat  our  way 
out  of  them :  What  need  we,  to  stay  our  souls 
when  all  these  waves  and  billows  are  going  over  us, 
and  to  cheer  us  with  songs  in  the  night,  but  to  hear 
that  Voice  so  loving,  so  divine,  "Be  of  good  cheer: 
IT  IS  I ;  be  not  afraid" !  4.  When  sm-e  of  a  divine 
warrant,  what  may  not  faith  venture  on,  and  so 
long  as  our  eye  is  directed  to  a  present  Saviour, 
Avhat  dangers  may  we  not  surmount?  But  when, 
like  Peter,  we  direct  our  eye  to  the  raging  element, 
and  "see  the  wind  boisterous,"  fear  takes  the  place 
of  faith ;  and  beginning  to  sink,  our  only  safety  lies 
in  casting  our  critical  case  upon  Him  whose  are  all 
the  elements  of  nature  and  providence  and  grace. 
Happy  then  are  we,  if  we  can  feel  that  wami 
fleshly  Hand  which  caught  sinking  Peter  and 
immediately  ascended  with  him  into  the  ship! 
For  then  are  we  at  once  in  the  haven  of  rest. 

'  Thou  Fiamer  of  the  light  and  dark. 
Steer  through  the  tempest tliine  own  ark; 
Amid  the  howling  whitiy  sea 
We  are  in  port  if  we  have  Thee ! '— Keble. 

CHAP.  YII.  1-23. — Discourse  on  Ceremonial 
Pollution.  (=  Matt.  xv.  1-20.)  For  the  exposi- 
tion, see  on  Matt.  xv.  1-20. 

24-37.— The  Syrophenician  Woman  and  uer 


Tlie  Syroplienic'tan 


MARK  VII. 


woman  and  her  daughter. 


the  word  of  God  of  none  effect  through  your  tradition,  which  ye  have 
delivered :  and  many  such  like  things  do  ye. 

1 4  And  when  he  had  called  all  the  people  tmto  him,  he  said  unto  them, 

15  Hearken  unto  me  every  one  of  you,  and  understand:  there  is  ^nothing 
from  without  a  man,  that  entering  into  him  can  defile  him :  but  the 

16  things  which  come  out  of  him,  those  are  they  that  defile  the  man.  If 
''any  man  have  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

17  And  *when  he  was  entered  into  the  house  from  the  people,  his  disciples 

1 8  asked  him  concerning  the  parable.  And  he  saith  unto  them.  Are  ye  so 
without  understanding  also?    Do  ye  not  perceive,  that  whatsoever  thing 

19  from  without  entereth  into  the  man,  it  cannot  defile  him;  because  it 
entereth  not  into  his  heart,  but  into  the  belly,  and  goeth  out  into  the 

20  draught,  purging  all  meats?    And  he  said.  That  which  cometh  out  of 

21  the  man,  that  defileth  the  man.     For  ■''from  within,  out  of  the  heart  of 

22  men,  proceed  evil  thoughts,  adulteries,  fornications,  murders,  thefts, 
^covetousness,  wickedness,  deceit,  lasciviousness,  an  evil  eye,  blasphemy, 

23  pride,  foolishness:  all  these  evil  things  come  from  within,  and  defile  the 
man. 

24  And  ^'from  thence  he  arose,  and  went  into  the  borders  of  Tyre  and 
Sidon,  and  entered  into  an  house,  and  would  have  no  man  know  it:  but 

25  he  could  not  be  hid.     For  a  certain  woman,  whose  young  daughter  had 

26  an  unclean  spirit,  heard  of  him,  and  came  and  fell  at  his  feet:  the  woman 
was  a  '^  Greek,  a  Syrophenician  by  nation ;  and  she  besought  him  that  he 
would  cast  forth  the  devil  out  of  her  daughter. 

27  But  Jesus  said  unto  her.  Let  Hhe  children  first  be  filled:  for  it  is  not 


A.  D.  32. 


9  Acts  10.  14, 

15. 
Eom  14.17. 

1  Cor.  8.  8. 

1  Tim.  4.  4. 

Titus  1.  15. 
ft  Matt  11.15. 
t"  Matt  15.15. 
3  Gen.  6.  5. 

Gen.  8.  21. 

Matt  15  19. 

Acts  8.  22. 

Gal.  5.  19. 
6  covetous- 

nesses, 

wicked- 
nesses 
fc  Matt.  15.21. 
1  Or, 

Gentile 

Isa.  49.  12. 

Gal.  3  28. 

Col.  3.  11. 
'  Matt  7.  6. 

Matt.  10.  5. 
6. 

Matt.  15.23- 
28. 

Acts  13.  46. 

Acts  22.  21. 

Eom.  9.  4. 

Eph.  2.  12. 


Daughter— A  Deaf  and  Dumb  Man  Healed. 
(  =  Matt.  XV.  21-31.) 

The  Syrophenician  Woman  and  her  Daughter 
(24-30).  The  first  words  of  this  narrative  show 
that  the  incident  followed,  in  i)oint  of  time,  imme- 
diately on  what  precedes  it.  24.  And  from  thence 
he  arose,  and  went  into,  or  'unto'  the  borders 
of  Tyre  and  Sidon— the  two  great  Phenician  sea- 
ports, but  here  denoting  the  territory  generally, 
to  the  frontiers  of  which  Jesus  now  came.  But 
did  Jesus  actually  enter  this  heathen  territory? 
The  whole  narrative,  we  think,  proceeds  upon  the 
supposition  that  He  did.  His  immediate  object 
seems  to  have  been  to  avoid  the  WTath  of  the 
Pharisees  at  the  withering  exposure  He  had  just 
made  of  their  traditional  religion,  and  entered 
into  an  house,  and  would  have  no  man  know 
it — because  He  had  not  come  there  to  minister  to 
heathens.  But  though  not  "se?!<  but  to  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel"  (Matt.  xv.  24),  He 
hindered  not  the  lost  sheep  of  the  vast  Gentile 
world  from  coming  to  Him,  nor  put  them  away 
when  they  did  come — as  this  incident  was  designed 
to  show,  hut  he  could  not  he  hid.  Christ's  fame 
had  early  spread  from  Galilee  to  this  very  region 
(ch.  iii.  8 ;  Luke  vi.  17).  25.  For  a  certain  woman, 
whose  young  daughter  had  an  unclean  spirit — or, 
as  in  Matthew,  '  was  badly  demonized '  [icaKais 
f)aifjiovi%,e-rai\,  heard  Of  him — one  wonders  how; 
but  distress  is  quick  of  hearing ;  and  fell  at  his 
feet:  26.  The  woman  was  a  Greek  ['EWtjyts]— 
that  is,  'a  Gentile,'  as  in  the  margin;  a  Syrophe- 
nician by  natijn — so  called  as  inhabiting  the 
Phenician  tract  of  Syria.  Juvenal  iises  the  same 
term,  as  was  remarked  by  Justin  Martyr  and 
Tej-tullian.  Matthew  calls  her  "a  woman  of 
Canaan" — a  more  intelligible  descrix^tion  to  his 
Jewish  readers  (cf.  Jud.  i.  30,  32,  33).  and  she  be- 
sought him  that  he  would  cast  forth  the  devil  out 
of  her  daughter — "She  cried  unto  him,  saying, 
Have  mercy  on  me,  0  Lord,  Son  of  David ;  my 
daughter  is" grievously  vexed  with  a  devil"  (Matt. 
165 


XV.  22).      Thus,  though  no  Israelite  herself,  she 
salutes  Him  as  Israel's  promised  Messiah. 

Here  we  must  go  to  Matt.  xv.  23-25,  for  some 
important  links  in  the  dialogue  omitted  by  our 
Evangelist.  23.  "But  He  answered  her  not  a 
word.""  The  design  of  this  was  first,  perhaps,  to 
show  that  He  was  not  se72t  to  such  as  she.  He 
had  said  expressly  to  the  Twelve,  "Go  not  into 
the  way  of  the  Gentiles"  (Matt.  x.  5) ;  and  being 
now  amongst  them  Himself,  He  would,  for  con- 
sistency's sake,  let  it  be  seen  that  He  had  not  gone 
thither  for  missionary  purposes.  Therefore  He 
not  only  kept  silence,  but  had  actvially  left  the 
house  and — as  will  ]iresently  appear — was  pro- 
ceeding on  His  way  back,  when  this  woman  ac- 
costed Him.  But  another  reason  for  keeping 
silence  plainly  was  to  try  and  to  whet  her  faith, 
patience,  and  perseverance.  And  it  had  the  desired 
effect:  "She  cried  after  ^7; em,"  which  shows  that 
He  was  already  on  His  way  from  the  place.  "And 
His  disciples  came  and  besought  Him,  saying,  Send 
her  away;  for  she  crieth  after  us. "  They  thoiight 
her  troublesome  with  her  importunate  cries,  just 
as  they  did  the  people  who  brought  young  children 
to  be  blessed  of  Him,  and  they  ask  their  Lord  to 
"  send  her  away,"  that  is,  to  grant  her  request  and 
be  rid  of  her ;  for  we  gather  from  His  reply  that 
they  meant  to  solicit  favour  for  her,  though  not 
for  her  sake  so  much  as  their  own.  24  "  But 
He  answered  and  said,  I  am  not  sent  but  unto  the 
lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel "  —  a  speech 
evidently  intended  for  the  disciples  themselves,  to 
satisfy  them  that,  though  the  grace  He  was  about 
to  show  to  this  Gentile  believer  was  beyond  His 
strict  commission,  He  had  not  gone  spontaneously  to 
dispense  it.  Yet  did  even  this  speech  open  a 
gleam  of  hope,  could  she  have  discerned  it.  F9r 
thus  might  she  have  spoken :  'I  am  not  sent,  did 
He  say?  Tnath,  Lord,  Thou  comest  not  hither  m 
quest  of  M5,  but  I  come  in  quest  of  Thee;  and  must 
1  go  empty  away?  So  did  not  the  woman  of  Sa- 
maria, whom  when  Thou  foundest  her  on  Thy  way 


Jesus  departs  from  the 


MARK  VII. 


coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon. 


28  meet  to  take  the  children's  bread,  and  to  cast  it  unto  the  dogs.  And 
she  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Yes,  Lord:  yet  the  dogs  under  the 
table  eat  of  the  children's  crumbs.  And  he  said  unto  her,  For  this 
saying  go  thy  way;  the  devil  is  gone  out  of  thy  daughter.  And  when 
she  was  come  to  her  house,  she  found  '"the  devil  gone  out,  and  her 
daughter  laid  upon  the  bed. 

And  "again,  departing  from  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  he  came 
\into  the  sea  of  Galilee,  through  the  midst  of  the  coasts  of  Decapolis. 

32  And  they  bring  unto  him  one  that  was  deaf,  and  had  an  impediment 

33  in  his  speech;  and  they  beseech  him  to  put  his  hand  upon  him.  And  "he 
took  him  aside  from  the  multitude,  and  put  his  fingers  into  his  ears,  and 


29 
30 


31 


A.  D.  32. 


*Jos.  21.  4.5. 

Matt.  9.  23. 

Ch.  9.  23. 

1  John  3.  8. 
■Matt.  15.20. 

1  Ki  17.  19- 
22. 

2  Ki.  4.  4-6. 
2  Kl  11.  21 
Matt.  4.  25. 
Cli.  6.  20. 
ch.  5.  40. 
ch.  8.  23. 


to  Galilee,  Thou  sentest  away  to  make  many  ricli !' 
But  this  our  poor  Syrophenician  could  not  attain 
to.  What,  then,  can  she  answer  to  such  a  speech? 
Nothing.  She  has  reached  her  lowest  depth,  her 
darkest  moment ;  she  will  just  utter  her  last  cry : 
25.  "Then  came  she  and  worshipped  Him,  Say- 
ing, Lord,  help  me!"  This  appeal,  so  artless^ 
wrung  from  the  depths  of  a  believing  heart,  and 
reminding  us  of  the  Publican's  "  God  be  merciful 
to  me  a  sinner,"  moved  thfe  Redeemer  at  last  to 
break  silence — but  in  what  style  ? 

Here  we  return  to  our  own  Evangelist.  27.  But 
Jesus  said  unto  lier,  Let  the  children  first  be  filled. 
'Is  there  hope  for  me  here?'  'FiUed  first?' 
'Then  my  turn,  it  seems,  is  coming! — but  then, 
"The  CHILDREN  first?"  Ah!  when,  on  that  rule, 
shall  my  turn  ever  come?'  But  ere  she  has  time 
for  these  ponderings  of  His  word,  another  word 
comes  to  supplement  it.  for  it  is  not  meet  to 
take  the  children's  bread,  and  to  cast  it  unto  the 
dogs.  Is  this  the  death  of  her  hopes  ?  Nay,  but 
it  is  life  from  the  dead.  Out  of  the  eater  shall 
come  forth  meat  (Jud.  xiv.  14).  At  evening  time 
it  shall  be  light  (Zee.  xiv.  7).  'Ha !  I  have  it  now. 
Had  He  kept  silence,  what  could  I  have  done 
but  go  unblest?  but  He  hath  spoken,  and  the 
victory  is  mine. '  28.  And  she  answered  and  said 
unto  him,  Yes,  Lord — or,  as  the  same  word  [N«t]  is 
rendered  in  Matt.  xv.  27,  "Truth,  Lord,"  yet  the 
dogs  eat  of  the  children's  crumbs— "which  fall 
from  their  master's  table"  (Matt.)  'I  thank  Thee, 
O  blessed  One,  for  that  word!  That's  my  whole 
case.  Not  of  the  children ?  True.  A  dog?  True 
also :  Yet  the  dogs  under  the  table  are  allowed  to 
eat  of  the  children's  crumbs— the  droppings  from 
their  master's  full  table  :  Give  me  that,  and  I  am 
content :  One  cnimb  of  power  and  grace  from  Thy 
table  shall  cast  the  devil  out  of  my  daughter.'  0 
what  lightning-quickness,  what  reach  of  instinc- 
tive ingenuity,  do  we  behold  in  this  heathen  wo- 
man !  29.  And  he  said  unto  her—"  0  woman,  great 
is  thy  faith"  (Matt.  xv.  28.)  As  ^engrei beautSuUy 
remarks,  Jesus  "marvelled"  only  at  two  things — 
faith  and  unbelief  (see  on  Luke  vii.  9).  For  this 
saying  go  thy  way ;  the  devil  is  gone  out  of  thy 
daughter.  That  moment  the  deed  was  done.  30. 
And  when  she  was  come  to  her  house,  she  found 
the  devil  gone  out,  and  her  daughter  laid  upon 
the  bed.  But  Matthew  is  more  specific:  "And 
her  daughter  was  made  whole  from  that  very 
horn-."  The  wonderfnlness  of  this  case  in  all  its 
features  has  been  felt  in  every  age  of  the  Church, 
and  the  balm  it  has  administered,  and  will  yet 
administer,  to  millions  will  be  known  only  in  that 
day  that  shall  reveal  the  secrets  of  all  hearts. 

Deaf  and  Dumb  Man  Healed  (31-37).  31.  And 
again,  departing  from  the  coasts  of  Tjrre  and 
Sidon,  he  came  unto  the  sea  of  Galilee — or,  accord- 
ing to  what  has  very  strong  claims  to  be  regarded 
as  the  true  text  here^'  And  again,  departing  from 
the  coasts  of  Tyre,  He  came  through  Sidon  [Sta 
166 


SlSwvo^]  to  the  sea  of  Galilee.'  The  MSS.  in 
favour  of  this  reading,  though  not  the  most  numer- 
ous, are  weighty,  while  the  versions  agreeing  with 
it  are  among  the  most  ancient;  and  all  the  best 
critical  editors  and  commentators  adopt  it.  In 
this  case  we  must  understand  that  our  Lord, 
having  once  gone  out  of  the  Holy  Land  the  length 
of  Tyre,  proceeded  as  far  north  as  Sidon,  though 
without  ministering,  so  far  as  appears,  in  those 
parts,  and  then  bent  His  steps  in  a  south-easterly 
direction.  There  is  certainly  a  difficulty  in  the 
supposition  of  so  long  a  detour  without  any  mission- 
ary object;  and  some  may  think  this  sufficient  to 
cast  the  balance  in  favour  of  the  received  reading. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  on  returning  from  these  coasts 
of  Tyre,  He  passed  through  the  midst  of  the 
coasts — or  frontiers — of  Decapolis — crossing  the 
Jordan,  therefore,  and  approaching  the  lake  on  its 
east  side.  Here  Matthew,  who  omits  the  details 
of  the  cure  of  this  deaf  and  dumb  man,  introduces 
some  particulars,  from  which  we  learn  that  it 
was  only  one  of  a  great  nimiber.  "And  Jesus," 
says  that  Evangelist  (xv.  29-31),  "departed  from 
thence,  and  came  nigh  unto  the  sea  of  Gali- 
lee, and  went  up  into  a  mountain" — the  moiui- 
tain-range  bounding  the  lake  on  the  north-east, 
in  Decapolis:  "And  great  multitudes  came 
unto  Hini,  having  with  them  lame,  blind,  dumb, 
maimed"  [jctiWousJ — not  'mutilated,'  which  is  but 
a  secondary  sense  of  the  word,  but  'deformed' — 
"and  many  others,  and  cast  them  down  at  Jesus' 
feet ;  and  he  healed  them :  insomuch  that  the 
multitude  "  — '  the  multitudes '  [tovs  oyXovs  ]  — 
"  wondered,  when  they  saw  the  dumb  to  speak, 
the  maimed  to  be  whole,  the  lame  to  walk,  and 
the  blind  to  see:  and  they  glorified  the  God  of 
Israel" — who,  after  so  long  and  dreaiy  an  absence 
of  visible  manifestation,  had  retui-ned  to  bless  His 
people  as  of  old  (compare  Luke  vii.  16).  Bej^ond 
this  it  is  not  clear  from  the  Evangelist's  language 
that  the  people  saw  into  the  claims  of  Jesus.  Well, 
of  these  cases  Mark  here  singles  out  one,  whose 
cure  had  something  peculiar  in  it,  32.  And  they 
bring  unto  him  one  that  was  deaf,  and  had  an  im- 
pediment in  his  speech ;  and  they  beseech  him  to 
put  his  hand  upon  him.  In  their  eagerness  they  ap- 
pear to  have  been  somewhat  too  officious.  Thougli 
usually  doing  as  here  suggested,  He  vdW  deal 
with  this  case  in  His  own  way.  33.  And  he  took  him 
aside  from  the  multitude— as  in  another  case  He 
"took  the  blind  man  by  the  hand  and  led  him  out 
of  the  to-wn"  (ch.  viii.  23),  probably  to  fix  his  un- 
distracted  attention  on  Himself  and,  by  means  of 
certain  actions  He  was  about  to  do,  to  awaken  and 
direct  his  attention  to  the  proj)er  source  of  relief. 
and  put  his  fingers  into  his  ears.  As  his  indis- 
tinct articulation  arose  from  his  deafness,  our  Lord 
addresses  Himself  to  this  first.  To  the  impotent 
man  He  said,  "Wilt  thou  be  made  whole?"  to  the 
blind^  men,  "  'W  hat  will  ye  that  I  shall  do  unto 
you?"  and  "  Believe  ye  that  I  am  able  to  do  tliis  ? " 


A  deaf  and 


MARK  VII. 


dumb  man  healed. 


34  he  ^spit,  and  touched  his  tongue;  and,  *  looking  up  to  heaven,  ''he  sighed, 

35  and  saith  unto  him,  Ephphatha,  that  is,  Be  opened.     And  *  straightway 
his  ears  were  opened,  and  the  string  of  his  tongue  was  loosed,  and  he 

36  spake  plain.     And  'he  charged  them  that  they  should  tell  no  man:  but 
the  more  he  charged  them,  so  much  the  more  a  great  deal  they  published 

37  it;  and  were  beyond  measure  astonished,  saying,  He  hath  done  all  things 
well :  he  maketh  both  the  deaf  to  hear,  and  the  dumb  to  speak. 


A.  D.  32. 


P  ch.  8.  23. 

John  9.  6. 
«  ch.  6.  4L 

John  11. 41. 
*■  John  11.33. 

38. 
'  Ps.  33.  9. 
t  Isa.  42.  2. 


(John  V.  6;  Matt.  xx.  32;  ix.  28).  But  as  this 
patient  could  hear  nothing,  our  Lord  substitutes 
symbolical  actions  upon  eacn  of  the  organs  affected. 
and  he  spit  and  touched  his  tongue— moistening 
the  man's  parched  tongue  with  saliva  from  His  own 
mouth,  as  if  to  lubricate  the  organ  or  facilitate  its 
free  motion;  thus  indicating  the  source  of  the  heal- 
ing virtue  to  be  His  own  person.  (For  similar 
actions,  see  ch.  viii.  23;  John  ix.  6.)  34.  And  look- 
ing up  to  heaven — ever  acknowledging  His  Father, 
even  while  the  Healing  was  seen  to  flow  from  Him- 
self (see  on  John  v.  19),  he  sighed — 'over  the 
wreck,' says  Trench,  '  which  sin  had  brought  about, 
and  the  malice  of  the  devil  in  deforming  the  fair 
features  of  God's  original  creation.'  But,  we  take 
it,  there  was  a  yet  more  painful  impression  of  that 
"evil  thing  and  bitter"  whence  all  our  ills  have 
sprung,  and  which,  when  Himself  took  our  infirmi- 
ties and  bare  our  sicknesses"  (Matt.  viiL  17),  be- 
came mysteriously  His  own. 

'  In  thought  of  these  His  brows  benign, 
Not  even  in  healing,  cloudless  shine.'— Keble. 

and  saith  unto  him.  Ephphatha,  that  is,  Be 
opened.  Our  Evangelist,  as  remarked  on  ch.  v. 
41,  loves  to  give  such  wonderful  words  just  as 
they  were  spoken.  35.  And  straightway  his  ears 
were  opened.  This  is  mentioned  first,  as  the 
source  of  the  other  derangement,  and  the  string 
of  his  tongue  was  loosed,  and  he  spake  plain. 
The  cure  was  thus  alike  instantaneous  and  per- 
fect. 36.  And  he  charged  them  that  they  should 
tell  no  man.  Into  this  very  region  He  had  sent 
the  man  out  of  whom  had  been  cast  the  legion  of 
devils,  to  proclaim  "what  the  Lord  had  done  for 
him"  (ch.  V.  19).  Now  He  will  have  them  "tell 
no  man."  But  in  the  former  case  there  was  no 
danger  of  obstructing  His  ministry  by  "blazing 
the  matter"  (ch.  L  45),  as  He  Himself  had  left  the 
region ;  whereas  now  He  was  sojourning  in  it. 
but  the  more  he  charged  them,  so  much  the 
more  a  great  deal  they  published  it.  They  could 
not  be  restrained;  nay,  the  prohibition  seemed 
only  to  whet  their  determination  to  publish  His 
fame.  37.  And  were  toeyond  measure  astonished, 
saying,  He  hath  done  all  things  well — reminding 
us,  says  Trench,  of  the  words  of  the  first  creation 
(Gen.  i.  31,  LXX.),  upon  which  we  are  thus  not 
unsuitably  thrown  back,  for  Christ's  work  is  in 
the  truest  sense  "a  new  creation."  he  maketh 
both  the  deaf  to  hear,  and  the  dumb  to  speak— 
"and  they  glorified  the  God  of  Israel"  (Matt.  xv. 
31).     See  on  v.  31  of  this  chapter. 

Bemarlcs. — 1.  The  Syrophenician  woman  had 
never  witnessed  any  of  Cm-ist's  miracles,  nor  seen 
His  face,  but  she  had  "heard  of  Him-"  Like  the 
woman  with  the  issue  of  blood  (ch.  v.  27),  she 
had  heard  of  His  wondrous  cures,  particularly 
how  He  cast  out  devils ;  and  she  probably  said 
within  herself,  O  that  He  would  but  come  hither, 
or  I  could  come  to  Him — which  her  circumstances 
did  not  permit.  But  now  He  is  within  reach,  and 
though  aesiring  concealment,  she  finds  Him  out, 
and  implores  a  cure  for  her  grievously  demonized 
daughter.  Instead  of  immediately  meeting  her 
faith,  He  keeiis  a  mysterious  silence ;  nay,  leaves 
•  107 


her,  and  suffers  her  to  cry  after  Him  without 
uttering  a  word.  Does  she  now  give  it  up,  mut- 
tering to  herself  as  she  leaves  Him,  'It's  a  false 
report — He  can't  do  rt?'  Nay,  His  silence  only 
redoubles  her  entreati^  and  His  withdrawal  does 
but  draw  her  after  Him.  The  disciples — ever 
studying  their  Master's  ease,  rather  than  pene- 
trating into  His  deep  designs —suggest  whether, 
as  she  was  "troubling  Him,"  it  might  not  be 
better  to  throw  a  cure  to  her,  so  to  speak,  and 
get  rid  of  her,  lest,  like  the  importunate  widow, 
"by  her  continual  coming  she  weary"  Him.  His 
reply  seemed  to  extinguish  all  hope.  "I  am  not 
sent  but  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel." 
Is  not  this  very  like  breaking  the  bruised  reed, 
and  quenching  the  smoking  flax?  But  the  bruised 
reed  shall  not  break,  the  smoking  flax  shall  not 
go  out.  There  is  a  tenacity  in  her  faith  which 
refuses  to  give  up.  It  seems  to  hear  a  voice  saying 
to  her — 

'  Know  the  darkest  part  of  night 
Is  before  the  dawn  of  light ; 
Press  along,  you're  going  right, 
'iry,  try  again. ' 

At  His  feet  she  casts  herself,  with  a  despairing 
cry,  "Lord,  help  me!" — as  strong  in  the  confidence 
of  His  power,  as  now,  at  the  very  weakest,  of  His 
luiUingness,  to  give  relief.  But  even  as  to  that 
willingness,  while  she  clings  to  hope  against 
hope,  what  a  word  does  He  at  length  utter — 
"Let  the  children  first  be  filled:  for  it  is  not 
meet  to  take  the  children's  bread,  and  to  cast  it 
unto  the  dogs."  Worse  and  worse.  But  her  faith 
is  too  keen  not  to  see  her  advantage.  That  faith 
of  hers  is  ingenious.  'The  children's  bread!  Ah, 
yes!  that  is  too  good  for  me.  Thou  art  right. 
Lord.  To  take  the  children's  bread,  and  cast  it  to 
a  heathen  dog  like  me,  is  what  I  dare  not  ask.  It 
is  the  dogs'  portion  only  that  I  ask — the  crumbs 
that  fall  from  the  Master's  table — from  Thy  ful- 
ness even  a  crumb  is  more  than  sufficient.'  Who 
can  wonder  at  the  wonder  even  of  Jesus  at  this, 
and  His  inability  any  longer  to  hold  out  against 
her?  The  woman  with  the  issue  of  blood  heard 
of  Jesus,  as  did  this  Syroiihenician  woman,  and 
from  the  mere  report  conceived  a  noble  faith  in 
His  power  to  heal  her.  But  that  woman  was  a 
Jewess,  nursed  amid  religious  opportunities  and 
fed  on  the  oracles  of  God.  This  woman  was 
born  a  heathen,  and  reared  under  all  the  disad- 
vantages of  a  pagan  creed.  With  that  woman  it 
was  short  work :  with  this  one  it  was  tough  and 
trying.  Like  Jacob  of  old,  she  wept  and  made 
supplication  unto  Him ;  yea,  she  had  power  over 
the  Angel,  and  i>revailed.  And  this  has  been 
written  for  the  generations  following,  that  men 
may  say,  "I  will  not  let  Thee  go  except  Thou 
bless  me."  2.  We  have  in  this  case  an  example 
of  that  cross  procedure  which  Jesus  was  wont  to 
observe  when  He  only  wished  to  train  and  draw 
forth  and  be  gained  over  by  persevering  faith. 
And  certainly,  never  was  the  invincible  tenacity 
of  living  faith  more  touchingly  and  beautifully 
educed  than  here.  But  for  His  knowledge  wliere 
it  would  all  end,  that  tender,  great  Heart  would 


The  four  thousand 


MARK  VIII. 


miraculously  fed. 


8      IN  those  days  "the  multitude  being  very  great,  and  having  nothing  to 

2  eat,  Jesus  called  his  disciples  unto  him,  and  saith  unto  them,  I  have 
*  compassion  on  the  multitude,  because  they  have  now  been  with  me 

3  tliree  days,  and  have  nothing  to  eat :  and  if  I  send  them  away  fasting  to 
their  own  houses,  they  will  faint  by  the  way:  for  divers  of  them  came 

4  from  far.     And  his  _  disciples  answered  him.  From  whence  "^can  a  man 

5  satisfy  these  men  with  bread  here  in  the  wilderness?    And  "^he  asked 

6  them,  How  many  loaves  have  ye?  And  they  said.  Seven.  And  he  com- 
manded the  people  to  sit  down  on  the  ground :  and  he  took  the  seven 
loaves,  and  'gave  thanks,  and  brake,  and  gave  to  his  disciples  to  set 

7  before  them;  and  they  did  set  them  before  the  people.  And  they  had  a 
few  small  fishes :  and  he  •''blessed,  and  commanded  to  set  them  also  before 

8  them.     So  they  did  eat,  and  were  filled :  and  they  took  up  of  the  broken 

9  meat  that  was  left  seven  baskets.  And  they  that  had  eaten  were  about 
four  thousand :  and  he  sent  them  away. 


A.  D.  32. 

CHAP.  8.~~ 
"  Matt.  15. 3i 
*  Ps  145.  9. 

Heb.  2.  17. 

Heb  4.  15. 
"  Num.  11. 21, 
22. 

2  Kt  4.  42, 
43. 

2  Ki.  7.  2. 

Ch.  G.  52. 
d  Matt.  15.34. 

ch  6.  38. 
°  Deut.  8. 10. 

cb.  6.  41-.4. 

1  Tim.  4.  4, 
5. 
/  Matt.  14.  ID. 

ch  fi  41 


never  have  stood  such,  a  melting  importunity  of 
true  faith,  nor  have  endured  to  speak  to  her  as 
He  did-  And  shall  we  not  learn  from  such  cases 
how  to  interpret  His  procedure,  M'hen  our  Joseph 
"speaks  roughly"  to  His  brethren,  and  seems  to 
treat  them  so,  and  yet  all  the  while  it  is  if  He 
would  seek  where  to  weep,  and  He  only  waits  for 
the  right  moment  for  making  Himself  known  unto 
them  ?  3.  When  we  read  that  Jesus  sighed  over 
the  case  of  this  deaf  and  dumb  man,  and  groaned 
and  wept  over  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  Ave  have 
faint  glimpses  of  feelings  the  depth  of  which  we 
shall  never  fathom,  and  the  whole  meaning  of 
which  it  is  hard  to  take  in,  but  of  which  we  know 
enough  to  assure  us  that  all  the  ills  that  flesh 
is  heir  to,  and  the  one  root  of  them — sin — He  made 
His  own.  And  now  that  He  has  put  away  sin  by 
the  sacrifice  of  Himself,  and  so  provided  for  the 
rolling  away  of  the  comiilicated  ills  that  have 
come  in  its  train,  He  sits  in  heaven  to  reap  the 
fruits  of  Redemption,  with  all  His  rich  experience 
of  human  ilL  Shall  we  not,  then,  "  come  boldly  to 
the  throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mercy, 
and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need?  For 
we  have  not  an  Hi^h  Priest  which  cannot  be 
touched  by  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  but 
was  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet 
without  sin. 

CHAP.  VIIL  1-26.— Four  Thousand  Mira- 
culously Fed — A  Sign  from  Heaven  Sought 

AND  PvEFUSED — ThE   LeAVEN    OF   THE  PHARISEES 

AND  Sadducees — A  Blind  Man  at  Bethsaida 
Restored  to  Sight.  (=  Matt.  xv.  32— xvi.  12.) 
This  Section  of  miscellaneous  matter  evidently 
follows  the  preceding  one  in  point  of  time,  as  will 
be  seen  by  observing  how  it  is  introduced  by 
Matthew. 

Feeding  of  the  Four  Thousand  (1-9).  1.  In  those 
days  the  multitude  being  very  great,  and  having 
nothing  to  eat,  Jesus  called  his  disciples  unto 
him,  and  saith  unto  them,  2.  I  have  compassion 
on  the  multitude  —  an  expression  of  that  deep 
emotion  in  the  Redeemer's  heart  which  always 

f)receded  some  remarkable  interposition  for  i-elief. 
See  Matt.  xiv.  14 ;  xx.  34 ;  Mark  L  41 ;  Luke  ^di. 
13 ;  also  Matt.  ix.  36,  before  the  mission  of  the 
Twelve:  compare  Jud.  ii.  18;  x.  16.)  hecause 
they  have  now  been  with  me,  in  constant  attend- 
ance, three  days,  and  have  nothing  to  eat;  3. 
And  if  I  send  them  away  fasting  to  their  own 
houses,  they  will  faint  Taj  the  way:  for  divers 
of  them  came  from  far.  In  itheir  eagerness  they 
seem  not  to  have  thought  of  the  need  of  provisions 
for  such  a  length  of  time ;  but  the  Lord  thought  of 
it.  In  Matt.  (xv.  32)  it  is,  "I  will  not  send  them 
away  fasting"   [dTroXOo-ai  outous   v^o-reis  oh  6e\tt>] 

168 


■ — or  rather,  '  To  send  them  away  fastiug  1  am  un- 
willing.' 4.  And  his  disciples  answered  him, 
From  whence  can  a  man  satisfy  these  men 
with  bread  here  in  the  wilderness?  Though 
the  question  here  is  the  same  as  when  He  fed  the 
five  thousand,  they  evidently  now  meant  no  more 
by  it  than  that  they  had  not  the  means  of  feeding 
the  multitude;  modestly  leaving  the  Lord  to 
decide  what  was  to  be  done.  And  this  -nill  the 
more  appear  from  His  not  now  trying  them, 
as  before,  by  saying,  "  They  need  not  depart,  give 
ye  them  to  eat;"  but  simply  asking  what  they 
had,  and  then  giving  His  directions.  5.  And  he 
asked  them,  How  many  loaves  have  ye?  And 
they  said,  Seven.  It  was  important  in  this  case, 
as  in  the  former,  that  the  precise  number  of  the 
loaves  shoidd  be  brought  out.  Thus  also  does  the 
distinctness  of  the  two  miracles  apjiear.  6.  And  he 
commanded  the  people  to  sit  down  on  the  ground : 
and  he  took  the  seven  loaves,  and  gave  thanks, 
and  brake,  and  gave  to  his  disciples  to  set  before 
them;  and  they  did  set  them  before  the  people 
[xaj  oy\iio_ — '  the  multitude.'  7.  And  they  had  a 
few  small  fishes:  and  lie  blessed,  and  com- 
manded to  set  them  also  before  them.  8.  So  they 
did  eat,  and  were  filled:  and  they  took  up  of 
the  broken  meat — or  '  fragments'  [^KKacrixaTwv],  that 
was  left  seven  baskets.  9.  And  they  that  had 
eaten  were  about  four  thousand :  and  he  sent  them 
away.  Had  not  our  Lord  distinctly  referred,  in  this 
very  chapter  and  in  two  successive  sentences  to 
the  feeding  of  the  Five  and  of  the  Four  Thousand, 
as  two  distinct  mii-acles,  many  critics  would  have 
insisted  that  they  were  but  two  different  represen- 
tations of  one  and  the  same  miracle,  as  tjiey  do  of 
the  two  expulsions  of  the  buyers  and  sellers  from 
the  temple,  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  our  Lord's 
ministry.  But  even  in  spite  of  what  our  Lord 
says,  it  is  ijainful  to  find  such  men  as  Neander 
endeavouring  to  identify  the  two  miracles.  The 
localities,  though  both  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
lake,  were  different :  the  time  was  different :  the 
preceding  and  following  circumstances  were  differ- 
ent: the  period  during  which  the  people  continued 
fasting  was  different — in  the  one  case  not  one  en- 
tire day,  in  the  other  three  days :  the  number  fed 
was  different — five  thousand  in  the  one  case,  in 
the  other  four  thousand:  the  number  of  the  loaves 
was  different — five  in  the  one  case,  in  the  other 
seven :  the  number  of  the  fishes  in  the  one  case  is 
definitely  stated  by  all  the  four  Evangelists — tM'o ; 
in  the  other  case  both  give  them  indefinitely — "a 
few  small  fishes"  [IxSv^ta  oXiya]:  in  the  one  case 
the  multitude  were  commanded  to  sit  down  "upon 
the  green  grass;"  in  the  other,  "on  the  ground" 
[6Tri  TTJs  yi'i'i] :  in  the  one  case  the  number  of  the 


The  leaven  of  the 


MARK  VIII. 


Pharisees  and  Sadducees. 


10  And  ^straightway  he  entered  into  a  ship  with  his  disciples,  and  came 

11  into  the  parts  of  Dahnanutha.    And  ''the  Pharisees  came  forth,  and  began 
to  question  with  him,  seeking  of  him  a  sign  from  heaven,  tempting  him. 

12  And  he  sighed  deeply  in  his  spirit,  and  saith.  Why  doth  this  generation 
seek  after  a  sign?    Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  shall  no  sign  be  given 

13  unto  this  generation.     And  he  left  them,  and,  entering  into  the  ship 
again,  departed  to  the  other  side. 

14  Now  ^the  disciples  had  forgotten  to  take  bread,  neither  had  they  in  the 

15  ship  with  them  more  than  one  loaf     And  •'he  charged  them,  saying,  Take 
heed,  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees,  and  of  the  leaven  of  Herod. 

16  And  they  reasoned  among  themselves,  saying.  It  is  ^because  we  have  no 


A.  D.  32. 

"  Matt.  15  39. 
fc  Matt  12.38. 

Matt.  10.  1. 

Matt.  19.  3. 

ch  2.  16. 

Luke  11. 63. 

John  6.  30. 
i  :Matt.  16.  5. 
i  Num.  27. 19. 

1  Chr.  28.  9. 

Luke  12.  1. 

1  Cor.  6.  7. 
*  Matt.  16.  7. 


baskets  taken  up  filled  with  the  fragments  was 
twelve ;  in  the  other  seven :  but  more  than  all, 
perhaps,  because  apparently  quite  incidental,  in 
the  one  case  the  name  given  to  the  kind  of  bas- 
kets used  is  the  same  in  all  the  four  narratives — 
the  cophinus  (see  on  ch.  vi.  43) ;  in  the  other  case 
the  name  given  to  the  kind  of  baskets  used, 
while  it  is  the  same  in  both  the  narratives,  is 
quite  different — the  spuris  [cTrup/s],  a  basket  large 
enough  to  hold  a  man's  body,  for  Paul  was  let 
down  in  one  of  these  from  the  wall  of  Damascus 
[ev  <xirv(>i&i\,  (Acts  ix.  25).  It  might  be  added,  that 
in  the  one  case  the  people,  in  a  frenzy  of  enthusi- 
asm, would  have  taken  Him  by  force  to  make  Him 
a  king ;  in  the  other  case  no  such  excitement  is 
recorded.  In  view  of  these  things,  who  could  have 
believed  that  these  were  one  and  the  same  miracle, 
even  if  the  Lord  Himself  had  not  expressly  distin- 
guished them? 

Sign  from  Heaven  Sought  (10-13).  10.  And 
straightway  he  entered  into  a  ship  [eis  t-6  -ttXoToi/] 
— 'into  the  ship,'  or  'embarked,'  with  his  dis- 
ciples, and  came  into  the  parts  of  Dalmanutha. 
In  Matthew  (xv.  39)  it  is  "  the  coasts  of  Magdala." 
[For  this  word  Tiscliendorf,  Tregelles,  and  others 
read  '  Magadan ' — Maya&dv — on  weighty,  but  not,  as 
we  think,  preponderating  authority.  It  is  indeed 
easier  to  see  how  "  Magadan" — a  place  of  which  no- 
body seems  ever  to  have  known  anything — should 
have  been  changed  into  the  now  pretty  well  iden- 
hed  "  Magdala,"  than  how  the  known  place  should 
have  been  changed  into  one  totally  unknown. 
But  the  authorities  do  not  seem  to  authorize 
this  change  in  the  text.]  Magdala  and  Dal- 
manutha were  both  on  the  western  shore  of  the 
lake,  and  probably  not  far  ajiart.  From  the 
former  the  surname  "Magdalene"  was  probably 
taken,  to  denote  the  residence  of  one  of  the  Maries. 
Dalmanutha  may  have  been  a  village,  but  it  can- 
not now  be  identified  with  certainty.  11.  And  the 
Pharisees  came  forth,  and  began  to  question  with 
him,  seeking  of  him  a  sign  from  heaven,  tempt- 
ing him — not_  in  the  least  desiring  evidence  for 
their  conviction,  but  hoping  to  entrap  Him. 
The  first  part  of  the  answer  is  given  in  Matthew 
alone  (xvi.  2,  3):_"He  answered  and  said  unto 
them.  When  it  is  evening,  ye  say,  It  will  be 
fair  weather :  for  the  sky  is  red.  And  in  the 
morning,  It  will  be  foul  weather  to-day :  for  the 
sky  is  red  and  lowTing" — 'sullen'  or  'gloomy' 
[(TTvyvaX^wv].  "Hypocrites!  ye  can  discern  the 
face  of  the  sky ;  but  can  ye  not  discern  the  signs 
of  the  times?  The  same  simplicity  of  purpose 
and  carefid  observation  of  the  symptoms  of  ap- 
proaching events  which  they  showed  in  common 
things  would  enable  them  to  "discern  the  signs 
of  the  times  "^or  rather  "  seasons, "  to  which  the 
prophets  pointed  for  the  manifestation  of  the  Mes- 
siah. The  scejitre  had  departed  from  Judah ; 
Daniel's  seventy  weeks  were  expiring,  &c. ;  and 
many  other  significant  indications  of  the  close  of 
169 


the  old  economy,  and  preparations  for  a  freer  and 
more  comprehensive  one,  might  have  been  dis- 
cerned. But  all  was  lost  upon  them.  12.  And  he 
sighed  deeply  in  his  spirit  [diiao-Tej/dgas  tw  irvev- 
yua-rt  avTov].  The  language  is  very  strong.  These 
glimpses  into  the  interior  of  the  Itedeemer's  heart, 
in  which  our  Evangelist  abounds,  are  more  pre- 
cious than  rubies.  The  state  of  the  Pharisaic  heart, 
which  prompted  this  desire  for  a  fresh  sign,  went 
to  His  very  souL  and  saith,  Why  doth  this  gen- 
eration— "  this  wicked  and  adulterous  generation  " 
(Matt.  xvi.  4),  seek  after  a  sign?  —  when  tliey 
have  had  such  abundant  evidence  already?  There 
shall  no  sign  be  given  unto  this  generation  [tl 
do6va€Tcu] — lit.,  'If  there  shall  be  given  to_  this 
generation  a  sign;'  a  Jewish  way  of  expressing  a 
solemn  and  peremptory  determination  to  the  con- 
trary, (compare  Heb.  iv.  5;  Ps.  xcv.  11,  marg.)  'A 
generation  incapable  of  appreciating  such  demon- 
strations shall  not  lie  gi-atified  with  them.'  In 
Matt,  xvi  4,  He  added,  "  but  the  sign  of  the 
prophet  Jonas."  See  on  Matt.  xii.  39, 40.  13.  And 
he  left  them— no  doubt  with  tokens  of  displeasure, 
and  entering  into  the  ship  again,  departed  to  the 
other  side. 

The  Leaven  of  (he  Pharisees  and  Saddvcees 
(14-21).  14.  Now  the  disciples  had  forgotten  to  take 
bread,  neither  had  they  in  the  ship  with  them 
more  than  one  loaf.  This  is  another  examjJe  of 
that  graphic  circumstantiality  which  gives  such  a 
charm  to  this  briefest  of  the  four  Gospels.  The 
circumstance  of  the  "  one  loaf"  only  remaining,  as 
Webster  and  Wilkinson  remark,  was  more  sugges- 
tive of  their  Master's  recent  miracles  than  the 
entire  absence  of  provisions.  15.  And  he  charged 
them,  saying,  Take  heed,  beware  of  the  leaven  of 
the  Pharisees — "and  of  the  Sadducees"  (Matt. 
xvi.  6),  and  of  the  leaven  of  Herod.  The  teach- 
ing or  "  doctrine"  (Matt.  xvi.  12)  of  the  Pharisees 
and  of  the  Sadducees  was  quite  different,  but 
both  were  equally  pernicious ;  and  the  Herodians, 
though  rather  a  political  party,  were  equally  en- 
venomed against  our  Lord's  sjiiritual  teaching.  See 
on  Matt.  xii.  14.  The  penetrating  and  diffusive  qual- 
ity of  leaven,  for  good  or  bad,  is  the  ground  of  the 
comparison.  16.  And  they  reasoned  among  them- 
selves, saying.  It  is  because  we  have  no  bread. 
But  a  little  ago  He  was  tried  with  the  obduracy  of 
the  Pharisees ;  now  He  is  tried  with  the  obtuse- 
ness  of  His  own  disciples.  The  nine  questions 
following  each  other  in  rapid  succession  {vv.  17-21), 
show  how  deeply  He  was  hurt  at  this  want  of 
spiritual  apprehension,  and  worse  still,  their  low 
thoughts  of  Him,  as  if  He  would  utter  so  solemn 
a  warning  on  so  petty  a  subject.  It  will  be  seen, 
however — from  the  very  form  of  their  conjecture, 
"  It  is  because  we  have  no  bread,"  and  our  Lord's 
astonishment  that  they  should  not  by  that  time 
have  known  better  what  He  took  up  His  attention 
with — that  He  ever  left  the  whole  care  for  His  ow7i 
I  temporal  wants  to  the  2'welve :  that  He  did  this  so 


A  blind  man 


MARK  VIII. 


restored  to  sight. 


17  bread.     And  when  Jesus  knew  it,  he  saith  unto  them,  Why  reason  ye 
because  ye  have  no  bread?  ^perceive  ye  not  yet,  neither  understand? 

18  have  ye  your  heart  yet  hardened?     Having  eyes,  see  ye  not?  and  having 

19  ears,  hear  ye  not?  and  do  ye  not  remember?    When  ™I  brake  the  five 
loaves  among  five  thousand,  how  many  baskets  full  of  fragments  took  ye 

20  up?     They  say  unto  him.  Twelve.     And  "when  the  seven  among  four 
thousand,  how  many  baskets  fuU  of  fragments  took  ye  up?    And  they  said, 

21  Seven.     And  he  said  unto  them.  How  is  it  "that  ye  do  not  understand? 

22  And  he  cometh  to  Bethsaida;  and  they  bring  a  blind  man  unto  him, 

23  and  besought  him  to  touch  him.     And  he  took  the  blind  man  by  the 
hand,  and  led  him  out  of  the  town;  and  when  ^he  had  sjDit  on  his  eyes, 

24  and  put  his  hands  upon  him,  he  asked  him  if  he  saw  ought.     And  he 

25  looked  up,  and  said,  I  see  men  as  trees,  walking.     After  that  he  put  his 
hands  again  upon  his  eyes,  and  made  him  look  up :  and  he  was  restored, 

26  and  saw  every  man  clearly.     And  he  sent  him  away  to  his  house,  sayiug. 
Neither  go  into  the  town,  ^nor  teE.  it  to  any  in  the  town. 


A.  D.  32. 


«  Isa.  63.  ir. 
Matt.  15. 17. 
Matt.  16.  8, 
9. 

ch.  6.  52. 
ch.  16.  14. 
Luke  24. 25 
Heb.  5.  11. 

12. 
"'Matt.  24.20. 

ch.  6.  43. 

Luke  9.  17. 

John  6. 13. 
"  Matt.  15.37. 
0  Ps.  94.  8. 

ch.  6.  62. 

John  14.  9. 
*  ch.  7.  33. 
«  Matt.  8.  4. 

ch  5.  43. 


entirely,  that  finding  they  were  reduced  to  their 
last  loar  they  felt  as  if  unworthy  of  such  a  trust, 
and  could  not  think  but  that  the  same  thought  was 
in  their  Lord's  mind  which  was  pressing  upon  their 
own;  but  that  in  this  they  were  so  far  wrong 
that  it  hurt  His  feelings — sharp  just  in  proportion 
to  His  love— that  such  a  thought  of  Him  should 
have  entered  their  minds !  Who  that,  like  angels, 
"desii-e  to  look  into  these  things"  will  not  prize 
such  glimpses  above  gold?  17.  And  when  Jesus 
knew  it,  he  saith  unto  them,  Why  reason  ye  be- 
cause ye  have  no  toread?  perceive  ye  not  yet, 
neither  understand?  have  ye  your  heart  yet 
hardened?  How  strong  an  expression  to  use  of 
true-hearted  disciples !  See  on  ch.  vL  52.  18. 
Having  eyes,  see  ye  not?  and  having  ears,  hear 
ye  not?  See  on  Matt.  xiii.  13.  and  do  ye  not 
remember?  19.  When  I  brake  the  five  loaves 
among—'  the'— five  thousand,  how  many  baskets 
YKocpivox)^]  full  of  fragments  took  ye  up?  They 
say  unto  him.  Twelve.  20.  And  when  the  seven 
among — '  the' — four  thousand,  how  many  baskets 
[<nrvf)i&u)v\  full  of  fragments  took  ye  up?  And 
they  said.  Seven.  21.  And  he  said  unto  them. 
How  is  it  that  ye  do  not  understand? — 'do  not 
understand  that  the  warning  I  gave  you  could  not 
have  been  prompted  by  any  such  petty  considera- 
tion as  the  want  of  loaves  in  your  scrip?'  Pr9- 
fuse  as  were  our  Lord's  miracles,  we  see  from  this 
that  they  were  not  wrought  at  random,  but  that 
He  carefully  noted  their  minutest  details,  and 
desired  that  this  should  be  done  by  those  who 
witnessed,  as  doubtless  by  all  who  read  the  record 
of  them.  Even  the  different  kind  of  baskets  used 
at  the  two  miraculous  feedings,  so  carefully  noted 
in  the  two  narratives,  are  here  also  referred  to; 
the  one  smaller,  of  which  there  were  twelve,  the 
other  much  larger,  of  which  there  were  seven. 

Blind  Man  at  Bethsaida  Eestored  to  Siciht 
(22-26).  22.  And  he  cometh  to  Bethsaida— Beth- 
saida-Julias,  on  the  north-east  side  of  the  lake, 
whence  after  this  He  proceeded  to  Cesarea 
Philippi  (y.  27)— and  they  bring  a  blind  man  unto 
him,  and  besought  him  to  touch  him.  See  on  ch. 
vii.  32.  23.  And  he  took  the  blind  man  by  the 
hand,  and  led  him  out  of  the  town.  Of  the  deaf 
and  dumb  man  it  is  merely  said  that  "  He  took 
him  aside"  (ch.  vii.  33);  but  this  blind  man  He 
led  by  the  hand  out  of  the  town,  doing  it  Himself 
rather  than  employing  another  —  great  humility, 
exclaims  Bengel! — that  He  might  gain  his  confi- 
dence and  raise  his  expectation,  and  when  he 
had  spit  on  his  eyes— the  organ  affected.  See 
oa  ch.  viL  33.  and  put  his  hands  upon  him, 
170 


he  asked  him  if  he  saw  ought.  24.  And  he  looked 
up,  and  said,  I  see  men  as  trees,  walking.  This 
is  one  of  the  cases  in  which  one  edition  of  what  is 
called  the  received  text  differs  from  another. 
That  which  is  decidedly  the  best  supported,  and 
has  also  internal  evidence  on  its  side  is  this :  '  I 
see  men ;  for  I  see  [them]  as  trees  walking'  [ySXeVa) 
Toiis  avQpunrovs,  oVt  (is  Sei'Opa  bpui  TreptTruxoCiixas] — - 
that  is,  he  could  distinguish  them  from  trees 
only  by  their  motion;  a  minute  mark  of  truth 
in  the  narrative,  as  A I  ford  observes,  describing 
how  human  objects  had  appeared  to  him 
during  that  gradual  failing  of  sight  which  had 
ended  in  blindness.  25.  After  that  he  put  his 
hands  again  upon  his  eyes,  and  made  him  look 
up :  and  he  was  restored,  and  saw  every  man 
clearly.  Perhaps  the  one  operation  perfectly 
restored  the  eyes,  while  the  other  imparted  im- 
mediately the  faculty  of  using  them.  It  is  the 
only  recorded  example  of  a  2}>'0(/ressii:e  cure,  and 
it  certainly  illustrates  similar  methods  in  the 
spiritual  kingdom.  Of  the  four  recorded  cases  of 
sight  restored,  all  the  patients  save  one  either 
ca7ne  or  were  brought  to  the  Physician.  In  the 
case  of  the  man  born  blind,  the  Physician  came 
to  the  patient.  So  some  seek  and  find  Christ ; 
of  others  He  is  found  who  seek  Him  not.  See 
on  Matt.  xiii.  44-4(5,  Remark  L  26.  And  he  sent 
him  away  to  his  house,  saying.  Neither  go  into 
the  town,  nor  tell  it  to  any  in  the  town.  Besides 
the  usual  reasons  against  going  about  "  blazing 
the  matter, "_  retirement  in  this  case  woidd  be 
salutary  to  himself. 

Remarks. — 1.  When  oiu-  Lord  was  about  to  open 
the  ears  and  loose  the  tongue  of  the  deaf  man  who 
had  an  impediment  in  liis  speech,  oiu-  Evangehst 
says  that  He  looked  up  to  heaven  and  sighed  (ch. 
vii.  34) ;  but  when  He  had  to  reply  to  the  captious 
petulance  which  sought  of  Him,  amidst  a  profu- 
sion of  signs,  a  sign  from  heaven,  he  says  He  sighed, 
deeply  in  His  spirit.  Nor  can  we  wonder.  For  if 
the  spectacle  of  what  sin  had  done  affected  Him 
deeply,  how  much  more  deeply  would  sin  itself 
affect  Hun,  when  exhibited  in  so  trying  a  form! 
And  occurring,  as  such  things  now  did,  almost 
daily,  what  a  touching  commentary  do  they  fur- 
nish on  the  prophetic  account  of  Him  as  "a  Man 
of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief" !  2.  When 
men  apply  to  religion  none  of  the  ordinary  prin- 
ciples of  judgment  and  action,  it  shows  itself  to  be 
with  them  but  an  empty  creed  or  an  outward 
ritual,  neither  accei3table  to  God  nor  profitable  to 
themselves.  But  when  it  becomes  a  nature  and  a 
life,  we  learn  to  bring  all  oui*  natural  judgment, 


Peter's  noble  confession. 


MARK  IX. 


The  transfiguration. 


31 


34 


27  And  ''Jesus  went  out,  and  his  disciples,  into  the  towns  of  Cesarea 
Philippi:    and  by  the  way  he  asked  his  disciples,  saying  unto  them, 

28  Whom  do  men  say  that  I  am?     And  they  answered,  *John  the  Baptist: 

29  but  some  say,  Elias;  and  others.  One  of  the  prophets.  And  he  saith  unto 
them,  But  whom  say  ye  that  I  am?    And  Peter  answereth  and  saith 

30  unto  him,  *Thou  art  the  Christ.  And  "he  charged  them  that  they  should 
tell  no  man  of  him. 

And  ^he  began  to  teach  them,  that  the  Son  of  man  must  suffer  many 
things,  and  be  rejected  of  the  elders,  and  o/the  chief  priests,  and  scribes, 
and  be  killed,  and  after  three  days  rise  again.  And  he  spake  that  saying 
openly.  And  Peter  took  him,  and  began  to  rebuke  him.  But  when  he 
had  turned  about,  and  looked  on  his  disciples,  he  rebuked  Peter,  saying. 
Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan:  '^for  thou  savourest  not  the  things  that  be 
of  God,  but  the  things  that  be  of  men. 

And  when  he  had  called  the  people  unto  him,  with  his  disciples  also,  ho 
said  unto  them,  ^Whosoever  will  come  after  me,  let  liim  deny  himself, 

35  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me.  For  ^whosoever  will  save  his  life 
shall  lose  it;    but  whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for  my  sake  and  the 

36  Gospel's,  the  same  shall  save  it.     For  what  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he 

37  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul?     Or  what  shall  a  man 

38  give  in  exchange  for  liis  soul?  Whosoever  ^therefore  shall  be  ashamed  of 
me  and  of  my  words  in  this  adulterous  and  sinful  generation,  of  him  also 
shall  the  Son  of  man  be  ashamed,  when  he  cometh  in  the  glory  of  his 
Father  with  the  holy  angels. 

9  AND  he  said  unto  them,  '"Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Tliat  there  be  some 
of  them  that  stand  here,  which  shall  not  taste  of  death,  till  they  have 
seen  ''the  kingdom  of  God  come  with  power. 

2  And  'after  six  days  Jesus  taketh  with  him  Peter^  and  James,  and  John, 
and  leadeth  them  up  into  an  high  mountain  apart  by  themselves :  and  he 

3  was  transfigured  before  them.    And  his  raiment  became  shining,  exceeding 

4  '^ white  as  snow;  so  as  no  fuller  on  earth  can  wliite  them.  And  there 
appeared  unto  them  Elias  with  Moses :  and  they  were  talking  with  Jesus. 

5  And  Peter  answered  and  said  to  Jesus,  Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 
here :  and  let  us  make  three  tabernacles ;  one  for  thee,  and  one  for  Moses, 

6  and  one  for  Elias.    For  he  wist  not  what  to  say ;  for  they  were  sore  afraid. 

7  And  there  was  *a  cloud  that  overshadowed  them:  and  a  voice  came  out 

8  of  the  cloud,  saying.  This  is  my  beloved  Son :  hear  -'him.  And  suddenly, 
when  they  had  looked  round  about,  they  saw  no  man  any  more,  save 
Jesus  only  with  themselves. 


A.  D.  32. 


•■  ]Matt,16.13. 
Luke  9.  18. 

•  Matt  14.  2. 
«  Matt.  16. 6. 

John  1.  41. 
49. 

John  6.  69. 

John  11.27. 

Acts  8.  37. 

Acts  9.  20. 

1  John  4. 15. 
"  Matt.  16.20. 
"  Matt  16.21. 

Matt.  17.22. 

Lixke  9.  52. 
""  Kom.  8.  7. 

1  Cor.  2.  14. 
"  Matt.  10.38. 

Matt.  16. 2t. 
Luke  9.  23. 
Luke  14.27. 
Gal.  5.  21 
Gal.  6.  14. 
V  John  12.25. 
Eev.  12.  11. 

*  Matt.  10.33. 
Luke  9.  26. 
Luke  12.  9. 
Eom.  1.  IC. 

2  Tim.  1.  8. 
2  Tim.  2.12. 

1  John  2.23. 

CHAP.  9. 
"  Matt  16.28. 

Luke  9.  2i. 
t  Matt.  24.30. 

Matt.  25.31. 

Luke  22. 18. 

Heb.  2.  8,  9. 
=  Matt.  17.  1. 

Luke  9.  28. 
d  Dan.  7.  9. 

Matt.  28.  3. 
'  Ex.  40.  34. 

Isa.  42.  1. 

2  Pet.  1.  17. 
/  Heb.  1. 1,  2. 

Heb.  2.  3. 
Heb.  12. 25, 

26. 


worldly  sagacity,  ordinaiy  shrewdness,  and  grow- 
ing experience  to  bear  upon  religious  matters ;  and 
thus  our  entire  life  acquires  a  unity — having  to  do 
now  with  things  temporal,  and  now  with  things 
spiritual  and  eternal,  but  in  both  cases  alike 
governed  by  the  same  principles  and  directed  to 
the  same  ends.  And  yet,  how  often  do  even 
the  children  of  God  incur  that  rebuke  of  their 
Lord,  that  they  can  discern  the  signs  of  change 
in  the  material,  mercantile,  or  political  atmosphere, 
but  are  dull  in  tlieir  perceptions  of  what  is  passing, 
and  in  their  ability  to  forecast  what  is  coming,  iu 
the  moral,  religious,  or  spiritual  worlds  3.  lithe 
Redeemer  was  tried  with  enemies,  He  had  not  a 
little  to  bear  from  time  to  time  even  from  His  own 
chosen  Twelve.  How  little  did  they  comprehend 
much  that  He  said  to  them;  how  unworthy  of 
Him  were  many  of  the  thoughts  which  they 
imagined  to  be  passing  through  His  mind;  and 
how  petty  the  motives  by  which  they  supposed 
Him  to  be  actuated !  How  admirable  is  the  long- 
suffering  patience  which  bore  with  both !  But  is 
the  need  for  this  patience  vet  ended?  Not  to  speak 
171 


of  the  world's  entaity  to  Him,  His  truth,  His  cause, 
His  people,  which  time  certainly  has  not  changed, 
is  there  not  much  still  in  His  own  people,  the 
endurance  of  which,  when  rightly  apprehended,  is 
matter  of  wonder?  4.  As  our  Lord  seems  purposely 
to  have  varied  His  mode  of  healing  the  maladies 
that  came  before  Him — having  respect,  doubtless, 
to  the  nature  of  each  case — so  is  the  history  of 
every  soul  that  is  healed  of  its  deadly  malady  by 
the  Great  Physician  different,  probably,  from  that 
of  every  other :  some,  in  particular,  being  healed 
quickly,  others  slowly;  some  apparently  by  one 
word,  others  by  successive  ste]5s.  But  as  in  all  the 
result  is  one,  so  the  hand  of  one  mighty,  gracious 
Healer  is  to  be  seen  alike  in  all. 

27-38. — Peter' .s  noble  Confession  or  Christ 
—Our  Lord's  First  explicit  Announcement 
OP  His  Approaching-  Sufferings,  Death,  and 
Resurrection — His  Rebuke  of  Peter,  and 
Warning  to  all  the  Twelve.  (=Matt.  xvi. 
13-27 ;  Luke  ix.  18-26. )  For  the  exposition,  see  on 
Matt.  xvi.  13-28. 

CHAP.  IX.    1-13.— Jesus  is  Transfigured— 


The  scribes  question 


MARK  IX. 


the  disciples. 


9 


And  %s  they  came  down  from  the  mountain,  he  charged  them  that 
they  should  tell  no  man  what  things  they  had  seen,  till  the  Son  of  man 
were  risen  from  the  dead.  And  they  kept  that  saying  with  themselves, 
questioning  one  with  another  what  the  rising  from  the  dead  should 
mean.  And  they  asked  him,  saying.  Why  say  the  scribes  ''that  Elias 
must  first  come  ?  And  he  answered  and  told  them,  Elias  verily  cometh 
first,  and  restoreth  all  things;  and  *how  it  is  written  of  the  Son  of  man, 

13  that  he  must  suffer  many  things,  and  •'be  set  at  nought.  But  I  say  unto 
you.  That  ^' Elias  is  indeed  come,  and  they  have  done  unto  him  whatso- 
ever they  listed,  as  it  is  wTitten  of  him. 

And  'when  he  came  to  his  disciples,  he  saw  a  great  multitude  about 
them,  and  the  scribes  questioning  with  them.  And  straightway  all  the 
people,  when  they  beheld  him,  were  greatly  amazed,  and  running  to  him 
saluted  him.  And  he  asked  the  scribes,  What  question  ye  ^  with  them  ? 
And  ™one  of  the  multitude  answered  and  said.  Master,  I  have  brought 
unto  thee  my  son,  which  hath  a  dumb  spirit :  and  wheresoever  he  taketh 
him,  he  ^teareth  him;  and  he  foameth,  and  gnasheth  with  his  teeth,  and 
pineth  away :  and  I  spake  to  thy  disciples  that  they  should  cast  him  out ; 

19  and  they  could  not.  He  answereth  him,  and  saith,  0  faithless  generation, 
how  long  shall  I  be  wdth  you  ?  how  long  shall  I  suffer  you  ?    Bring  him 


10 

11 
12 


14 
15 

16 
17 
18 


A.  D.  3-2. 


s  Matt.  17.  9. 
k  Mai.  4.  5. 

Matt.  17.10. 
«  Gen.  3.  15. 

Num.  21.  9. 

Ps.  22.  6. 

Isa  £0.  6. 

Isa  53.  2. 

Dan  9.  26. 

Zee  13.  7. 

John  3.  14. 
3  Luke  23.11. 

PhU.  2.  7. 
i  Matt  11.14. 

Matt.  17. 12. 

Luke  1.  17. 
I  Matt.  17.14. 

Luke  9.  37. 

1  Or.  among 
yoiir- 
selves? 

'"Matt  17  14. 
Luke  9.  3S. 

2  Or, 
dasheth 
him. 


Conversation  about  Elias.  ( =  Matt.  xvi.  28 — 
xvii.  13;  Luke  ix,  27-36.)  For  the  exposition,  see 
oil  Luke  ix.  27-36. 

14-32.— Healing  of  a  Demoniac  Boy— Second 
Explicit  Announcement  of  His  approaching 
Death  and  Resurrection.  (=Matt.  xvii.  14-23; 
Luke  ix.  37-45. ) 

Healing  of  the  Demoniac  Boy  (14-29).  l*.  And 
when  lie  came  to  Ms  disciples,  he  saw  a  great 
multitude  about  them,  and  the  scribes  question- 
ing with  them.  This  was  "  on  tlie  next  clay^  when 
they  were  come  down  from  the  hill"  (Luke  ix.  37). 
The  Transfigm-ation  appears  to  have  taken  place  at 
night.  In  the  morning,  as  He  came  do-wn  from 
the  hill  on  which  it  took  place — with  Peter,  and 
James,  and  John— on  approaching  the  other  nine. 
He  found  them  surrounded  by  a  great  multitude, 
and  the  scribes  disputing  or  discussing  -ndth  them. 
No  doubt  these  cavillers  were  twitting  the  apostles 
of  Jesus  with  their  inability  to  cure  the  demoniac 
boy  of  whom  we  are  presently  to  hear,  and  in- 
sinuating doubts  even  of  their  Master's  ability  to 
do  it ;  while  they,  zealous  for  their  Master's  honour, 
would  no  doubt  refer  to  His  past  miracles  in  proof 
of  the  contrary.  15.  And  straightway  all  the 
people—'  the  multitude'  [o  ox\oi\,  when  they  be- 
held him,  were  greatly  amazed  {k^edajxPndn'] — or 
'  were  astounded'— and  running  to  him  saluted 
him.  The  singularly  strong  expression  of  surprise, 
the  sudden  arrest  of  the  discussion,  and  the  rush 
of  the  multitude  towards  Him,  can  be  accounted 
for  by  nothing  less  than  something  amazing  in  His 
appearance.  There  can  hardly  be  any  doubt  that 
His  countenance  still  retained  traces  of  His  transfigu- 
ration-glory. (SeeExod.  xxxiv.  29, 30.)  So  Bengel, 
De  Wette,  Meyer,  Trench,  Alford.  No  wonder,  if 
this  was  the  case,  that  they  not  only  ran  to  Him, 
but  saluted  Him.  Our  Lord,  however,  takes  no 
notice  of  what  had  attracted  them,  and  probably 
it  gradually  faded  away  as  He  drew  near ;  but  ad- 
dressing Himself  to  the  scribes.  He  demands  the 
subject  of  their  discussion,  ready  to  meet  them 
where  they  had  pressed  hard  upon  His  half-in- 
structed, and  as  yet  timid  apostles.  16.  And  he 
asked  the  scribes,  What  question  ye  with  them? 
Ere  they  had  time  to  reply,  the  father  of  the  boy, 
whose  case  had  occasioned  the  dispute,  himseK 
steps  forward  and  answers  the  question ;  telling  a 
piteous  tale  of  deafness,  and  dumbness,  and  fits  of 
172 


epilepsy — ending  with  this,  that  the  disciples, 
though  entreated,  could  not  perform  the  cure. 
17.  And  one  of  the  multitude  answered  and  said, 
Master,  I  have  brought  unto  thee  my  son — "  mine 
only  child"  (Luke  ix.  38),  which  hath  a  dumb 
spiirit — a  spirit  whose  operation  had  the  effect  of 
rendering  his  victim  speechless,  and  deaf  also 
{v.  25).  In  Matthew's  report  of  the  speech  (xvii. 
15),  the  father  says  "he  is  Ivmatic;"  this  being 
another  and  most  distress  ng  effect  of  the  pos- 
session. 18.  And  wheresoever  he  taketh  him, 
he  teareth  him;  and  he  foameth,  and  gnash- 
eth with  his  teeth,  and  pineth  away  [g^jpaiVe-rai] 
—  rather,  'becomes  withered,'  'dried  up,'  or 
'paralyzed;'  as  the  same  word  is  everywhere 
else  rendered  in  the  New  Testament.  Some 
additional  particulars  are  given  by  Luke,  and 
by  our  Evangelist  below.  "  Lo,"  says  he  in  Luke 
ix.  39,  "  a  spirit  taketh  him,  and  he  suddenly 
crieth  out ;  and  it  teareth  him  that  he  foameth 
again,  and  bruising  him  hardly  (or  with  difficulty) 
departeth  from  him."  and  I  spake  to  thy  dis- 
ciples that  they  should  cast  him  out;  and  they 
could  not.  Our  Lord  replies  to  the  father  by  a 
severe  rebuke  to  the  disciples.  As  if  wounded  at 
the  exposure  before  such  a  multitude,  of  the  weak- 
ness of  His  disciples'  faith,  which  doubtless  He 
felt  as  a  reflection  on  Himself,  He  jiuts  them  to 
the  blush  before  all,  but  in  language  htted  only  to 
raise  expectation  of  what  Himself  would  do.  19. 
He  answereth  him,  and  saith,  0  faithless  genera- 
tion— "and perverse," or  'perverted'  [StfaTpafxinemi] 
(Matt.  xvii.  17;  Luke  ix.  41),  how  long  shall  I  be 
with  you  ?  how  long  shall  I  suffer  you  ? — language 
implying  that  it  was  a  shame  to  them  to  want  the 
faith  necessary  to  perform  this  cure,  and  that  it 
needed  some  patience  to  put  tip  mtli  them.  It  is  to 
us  surprising  that  some  interpreters,  as  Chrysostom 
and  Calvin,  should  represent  this  rebuke  as  ad- 
dressed, not  to  the  disciples  at  all,  but  to  the 
scribes  who  disputed  with  them.  Nor  does  i 
much,  if  at  all,  mend  the  matter  to  view  it  as 
addressed  to  both,  as  most  expositors  seem  to  do. 
With  BengeL  de  Wette,  and  Meyer,  we  regard  it 
as  addressed  directly  to  the  nine  apostles  who 
were  unable  to  expel  this  evil  spirit.  And  though, 
in  ascribing  this  inability  to  their  '  want  of  faith ' 
and  the  '  perverted  turn  of  mind '  which  they  had 
drunk  in  with  their  early  training,  the  rebuke 


Jlealing  of  a 


MARK  IX. 


demoniac  hoy. 


20  unto  me.  And  they  brought  him  unto  him:  and  when  "he  saw  him, 
straightway  the  spirit  tare  him ;  and  he  fell  on  the  ground,  and  wallowed 

21  foaming.     And  he  asked  his  father,  How  long  is  it  ago  since  this  came 

22  unto  him  ?  And  he  said,  Of  a  child.  And  ofttimes  it  hath  cast  him 
into  the  fire,  and  into  the  waters,  to  destroy  him :  but  if  thou  canst  do 

23  any  thing,  have  compassion  on  us,  and  help  us.     Jesus  said  unto  him, 

24  °If  thou  canst  believe,  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that  believeth.  And 
straightway  the  father  of  the  child  cried  out,  and  said  with  tears.  Lord,  I 

25  believe;  ^'help  thou  mine  unbehef  When  Jesus  saw  that  the  people 
came  running  together,  he  *  rebuked  the  foul  spirit,  saying  unto  him. 
Thou  dumb  and  deaf  spirit,  I  charge  thee,  come  out  of  him,  and  enter  no 

26  more  into  him.     And  the  spirit  cried,  and  rent  him  sore,  and  came  out 


A.  D.  32. 


"  ch.  1.  26. 

Luke  9.  i1. 
"  2  Chr.  20  20. 

Matt.  17.20. 

ch.  U.  23. 

Luke  17.  ". 

John  11.40. 

Acts  14.  9. 
P  Phil.  1.  29. 

2The3.1.3, 
11. 

Heb.  12.  2. 
4  Acts  !0  35. 

1  John  3.  8. 


would  undoubtedly  apply,  with  vastly  greater  force, 
to  those  who  twitted  the  poor  disciples  with  their 
inability ;  it  would  be  to  change  the  whole  nature 
of  the  rebuke  to  suppose  it  addressed  to  those  who 
had  no  faith  at  all,  and  were  wholly  perverted.  It 
was  because  faith  suiJicient  for  curing  this  youth 
was  to  have  been  expected  of  the  disciples,  and 
because  they  should  by  that  time  have  got  rid  of 
the  perversity  in  which  they  had  been  reared,  that 
•lesus  exposes  them  thus  before  the  rest.  And 
who  does  not  see  that  this  was  fitted,  more  than 
anything  else,  to  impress  upon  the  bystanders  the 
severe  loftiness  of  the  training  He  was  giving  to 
the  Twelve,  and  the  unsophisticated  footing  He 
was  on  with  them?  Bring  him  unto  me.  The 
order  to  bring  the  patient  to  Him  was  instantly 
obeyed ;  when,  lo !  as  if  conscious  of  the  presence 
of  his  divine  Tormentor,  and  expecting  to  be  made 
to  quit,  the  foul  spirit  rages  and  is  furious,  deter- 
mined to  die  hard,  doing  all  the  mischief  he  can  to 
this  poor  child  while  yet  within  his  grasp.  20.  And 
they  brought  him  unto  him:  and  when  he  saw 
him,  straightway  the  spirit  tare  him.  Just  as 
the  man  with  the  legion  of  demons,  "  when  he  saw 
Jesus,  ran  and  worshipped  Him"  (ch.  v.  6),  so  this 
demon,  luheii  he saiuHim,  immediately  "tare him." 
The  feeling  of  terror  and  rage  was  the  same  in 
both  cases,  and  he  fell  on  the  ground,  and  wal- 
lowed foaming.  Still  Jesus  does  nothing,  but 
keeps  conversing  with  the  father  about  the  case — 
partly  to  have  its  desperate  features  told  out  by 
liim  who  knew  them  best,  in  the  hearing  of  the 
spectators ;  partly  to  let  its  virulence  have  time  to 
show  itself ;  and  partly  to  deepen  the  exercise  of 
the  father's  soul,  to  draw  out  his  faith,  and  thus  to 
prepare  both  him  and  the  bystanders  for  what  He 
Avas  to  do.  21.  And  he  asked  his  father,  How 
long  is  it  ago  since  this  came  unto  him  ?  And  he 
said,  Of  a  child.  22.  And  ofttimes  it  hath  cast 
him  into  the  fire,  and  into  the  waters,  to  destroy 
him.  Having  told  briefly  the  affecting  features  of 
the  case,  the  poor  father,  half  dispirited  by  the 
failure  of  the  disciples  and  the  aggravated  viru- 
lence of  the  malady  itself  in  presence  of  their 
Master,  yet  encouraged  too  by  what  he  had  heard 
of  Christ,  by  the  severe  rebuke  He  had  given  to 
His  disciples  for  not  having  faith  enough  to  cure 
the  boy,  and  by  the  dignity  with  which  He  had 
ordered  him  to  be  brought  to  Him— in  this  mixed 
state  of  mind,  he  closes  his  description  of  the  case 
with  these  touching  words:  but  if  thou  canst  do 
any  thing,  have  compassion  on  us,  and  help  us— 
"us,"  says  the  father;  for  it  was  a  sore  family 
affliction.  Compare  the  language  of  the  Syrophe- 
nician  woman  regarding  her  daughter,  "  Lord,  help 
tne."  Still,  nothiag  is  done;  the  man  is  but 
struggling  into  faith  ;  it  must  come  a  step  farther. 
But  he  had  to  do  with  Him  who  breaks  not  the 
bruised  reed,  and  who  knew  how  to  inspire  what 
He  demanded.  The  man  had  said  to  Him,  "  // 
173 


Thou  canst  doj"  23.  Jesus — retorting  upon  him, 
said  unto  him,  If  thou  canst  believe:  The  man 
had  said,  "  If  Thou  canst  do  am/  thing;"  Jesus  re- 
plies, all  things  are  possible  to  him  that  believ- 
eth—'My  doing  all  depends  on  thy  beheving.' 
To  impress  this  still  more,  He  redoubles  upon  the 
believing:  "If  thou  canst  believe,  all  things  are 
possible  to  him  that  believeth."  Thus  the  Lord 
helps  the  birth  of  faith  in  that  struggling  soul ; 
and  now,  though  with  pain  and  sore  travail,  it 
comes  to  the  birth,  as  Trench,  borrowing  from 
Olshausen,  expresses  it.  Seeing  the  case  stood 
still,  waiting  not  upon  the  Lord's  power  but 
his  own  faith,  the  man  becomes  immediately 
conscious  of  conflicting  principles,  and  rises  into 
one  of  the  noblest  utterances  on  record.  24. 
And  straightway  the  father  of  the  child  cried 
out,  and  said  with  tears,  Lord,  I  believe;  help 
thou  mine  unbelief.— g.  rf. ,  "Tis  useless  conceal- 
ing from  Thee,  0  Thou  mysterious,  mighty  Healer, 
the  unbelief  that  still  struggles  in  tliis  heart  of 
mine ;  but  that  heart  bears  me  witness  that  I  do 
believe  in  Thee ;  and  if  distrust  still  remains,  I 
disoAvn  it,  I  wrestle  with  it,  I  seek  help  from  Thee 
against  it.'  Two  things  are  very  remarkable  here : 
First,  The  felt  and  owned  presence  of  unbelief, 
which  only  the  strength  of  the  man's  faith  coulcl 
have  so  revealed  to  his  own  consciousness.  Second, 
His  appeal  to  Christ  for  help  against  his  felt  un- 
belief—a, feature  in  the  case  quite  unparalleled, 
and  showing,  more  than  all  protestations  could 
have  done,  the  insight  he  had  attained  into  the 
existence  of  a  power  in  Christ  more  glorious  than 
any  he  had  besought  for  his  poor  child.  The  work 
was  done;  and  as  the  commotion  and  confusion 
in  the  crowd  was  now  increasing,  Jesus  at  once, 
as  Lord  of  spirits,  gives  the  word  of  command 
to  the  dumb  and  deaf  spirit  to  be  gone,  never 
again  to  return  to  his  victim.  25.  When  Jesus 
saw  that  the  people  came  running  together,  he 
rebuked  the  foul  spirit,  sasdng  unto  him.  Dumb 
and  deaf  spirit,  I  charge  thee,  come  out  of 
him,  and  enter  no  more  into  him.  26.  And  the 
spirit  cried,  and  rent  him  sore,  and  came  out  of 
him:  and  he  was  as  one  dead;  insomuch  that 
many  said,  He  is  dead.  The  malignant,  cruel 
spirit,  now  conscious  that  his  time  was  come, 
gathers  up  his  whole  strength,  with  intent  by  a 
last  stroke  to  kill  his  victim,  and  had  nearly  suc- 
ceeded. But  the  Lord  of  life  was  there;  the 
Healer  of  all  maladies,  the  Friend  of  sinners,  the 
Seed  of  tlie  woman,  "the  Stronger  than  the 
strong  man  armed,"  was  there.  Tlie  very  faith 
which  Christ  declared  to  be  enough  for  every- 
thing being  now  found,  it  was  not  possible  that 
the  serpent  should  prevail.  Fearfully  is  he  per- 
mitted to  bruise  the  heel,  as  in  this  case ;  but 
his  own  head  shall  go  for  it— his  works  shall  be 
destroyed  (1  John  iii.  8).  27.  But  Jesus  took  him 
by  the  hani,  and  lifted  him  up;  and  he  arose. 


Jesus  again  announces 


MARK  IX. 


His  approaching  death. 


of  him:  and  he  was  as  one  dead;  insomuch  that  many  said,  He  is  dead. 

27  But  Jesus  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  lifted  him  up ;  and  he  arose. 

28  And  ''when  he  was   come   into  the  house,  his  disciples   asked  him 

29  privately.  Why  could  not  we  cast  him  out?  And  he  said  unto  them. 
This  kind  can  come  forth  by  nothing  but  by  prayer  and  fasting. 

30  And  they  departed  thence,  and  passed  through  Galilee ;  and  he  would 

31  not  that  any  man  should  know  it.  For  ^he  taught  his  disciples,  and  said 
unto  them,  The  Son  of  man  is  delivered  into  the  hands  of  men,  and  they 
shall  kill  him ;  and  after  that  he  is  killed,  he  shall  rise  the  third  day. 

32  But  they  understood  not  that  saying,  and  were  afraid  to  ask  him. 


A.  D.  32. 


•■  Matt.  17. 19. 
'  Matt.  17.22. 

ch  8.  31. 

Luke  9.  44. 

Luke  22  24, 
44,  46. 

John  2.  19. 

John  3.  14. 

John  10.18. 

Acts  2.  23, 
24. 

2  Tim.  2.  2. 


28.  And  -when  he  was  come  into  the  house, 
his  disciples  asked  him  privately,  Why  could 
not  we  cast  him  out?  29.  And  he  said  unto 
them,  This  kind  can  come  forth  by  nothing  but 
toy  prayer  and  fasting — that  is,  as  nearly  all  good 
interpreters  are  agi-eed,  'this  kind  of  evil  spirits 
cannot  be  expelledj'  or  'so  desperate  a  case  of 
demoniacal  possession  cannot  be  cured,  but  by 
prayer  and  fasting. '_  But  since  the  Lord  Himself 
says  that  His  disciples  could  not  fast  while  He 
was  with  them,  ijerhaps  this  was  designed,  as 
Alforcl  hints,  for  their  after  guidance  —  unless 
we  take  it  as  but  a  definite  way  of  expressing 
the  general  truth,  that  great  and  difficult  duties 
require  special  preparation  and  self-deniaL  But 
the  answer  to  their  question,  as  given  by  Matthew 
(xvii.),  is  more  full:  "And  Jesus  said  unto  them, 
Because  of  your  unbelief"  \&Tri<xTiav,  Tregelles, 
on  insufficient  authority,  as  we  think,  substitutes 
what  appears  to  be  a  mere  interi:)retation  — 
oXiyo'KKrTiav,  'because  of  your  little  faith.'  Ti- 
schendorf  adheres  to  the  received  text.]  "For 
verily  I  say  unto  you,  If  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of 
mustard  seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain, 
Remove  hence  to  yonder  place,  and  it  shall 
remove ;  and  nothing  shall  be  impossible  unto 
you "  (v.  20).  See  on  Mark  xL  23.  "  Howbeit 
this  kind  goeth  not  out  but  by  prayer  and  fast- 
ing" (w.  21) :  that  is,  though  nothing  is  impossible 
to  faith,  yet  such  a  height  of  faith  as  is  requisite 
for  such  triumphs  is  not  to  be  reached  either  in  a 
moment  or  without  effort — either  with  God  in 
prayer  or  with  ourselves  in  self-denying  exer- 
cises. Luke  (ix.  43)  adds,  "And  they  were  all 
amazed  at  the  mighty  power  of  God"  {e-wl  -rp 
/xeya\etoxi)T-i  too  Heou] — 'at  the  majesty'  or 
'mightiness  of  God,'  in  this  last  miracle,  in  the 
transfigiiration,  &c. ;  or,  at  the  divine  grandeur  of 
Christ  rising  upon  them  daily. 

Second  ExjMcit  Announcement  of  His  Approach- 
ing Death  and  Resurrection  (30-32).  30.  And  they 
departed  thence,  and  passed  [TrapcTropei/oi'To] — ■ 
'were  passing  along'  through  Galilee;  and  he 
would  not  that  any  man  should  know  it.  By  com- 
]  laring  Matt.  xvii.  22,  23,  and  Luke  ix.  43,  44,  with 
this,  we  gather,  that  as  our  Lord's  reason  for  going 
through  Galilee  more  privately  than  usual  on  this 
occasion,  was  to  reiterate  to  them  the  announce- 
ment which  had  so  shocked  them  at  the  first 
mention  of  it,  and  thus  familiarize  them  with  it 
by  little  and  little,  so  this  was  His  reason  for 
enjoining  silence  upon  them  as  to  their  present 
movements.  31.  For  he  taught  his  disciples,  and 
said  unto  them — "Let  these  sayings  sink  down 
into  your  ears "  (Luke  ix.  44) ;  not  what  had  been 
passing  between  them  as  to  His  grandeur,  but 
what  JHe  was  now  to  utter,  "  for"  The  Son  of  man 
is  delivered  \Trapahi5oTaL\.  The  use  of  the  present 
tense  expresses  how  near  at  hand  He  would  have 
them  to  consider  it.  As  Bengel  says,  steps  were 
already  in  course  of  being  taken  to  bring  it  about. 
into  the  hands  of  men.  This  remarkable  anti- 
174 


thesis — "the  Son  of  man  shall  be  delivered  into 
the  hands  of  men" — it  is  worthy  of  notice,  is  in 
all  the  three  Evangelists,  and  they  shall  kUl 
him: — q.  d.,  'Be  not  carried  off  your  feet  by  all 
that  grandeur  of  Mine  which  ye  have  lately  wit- 
nessed, but  bear  in  mind  what  I  have  already 
told  you  and  now  distinctly  repeat,  that  that 
Sun  in  whose  beams  ye  now  rejoice  is  soon  to 
set  in  midnight  gloom.'  and  after  he  is  killed, 
he  shall  rise  the  third  day.  32.  But  they  under- 
stood not  that  sajring— "and  it  was  hid  from 
them,  [so]  that  they  perceived  it  not"  (Luke  ix. 
45),  and  were  afraid  to  ask  him.  Their  most 
cherished  ideas  were  so  completely  dashed  by 
such  announcements,  that  they  were  afraid  of 
laying  themselves  open  to  rebute  by  asking  Him 
any  questions.  But  "they  were  exceeding  sorry" 
(Matt,  xvii  23).  While  the  other  Evangelists, 
as  Webster  and  Wilkinson  remark,  notice  their 
ignorance  and  their  fear,  St.  Matthew,  who  was 
one  of  them,  retains  a  vivid  recollection  of  their 
sorrow. 

Bemarhs.  —  \.  When  the  keen-edged  rebuke 
which  our  Lord  administers  to  his  apostles  (v.  19, 
and  Matt,  xvii  17)  is  compared  with  the  almost 
identical  language  of  Jehovah  Himself  to  His  an- 
cient peofile,  on  an  occasion  of  the  deepest  provoca- 
tion (Num.  xiv.  11,  27),  who  can  help  coming  to  the 
conclusion,  that  He  regarded  Himself  as  occupying 
the  same  position  towards  His  disciples  which  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel  did  towards  His  people  of  old? 
Let  this  be  weighed.  And  it  tends  greatly  to  con- 
firm this,  that  never  once  do  we  find  anything 
approaching  to  a  rebuke  of  them,  or  a  correction 
of  mistake  in  them  or  any  others,  for  attributi'^g 
too  Tnuch  to  Him  or  conceiving  of  Him  too  loftily. 
Here,  as  everywhere  else,  it  is  the  reverse.  He 
takes  with  every  charge  of  His  "making  Himself 
equal  with  God,"  and  what  He  says  in  reply  is  but 
designed  to  make  that  good.  Here,  He  is  hurt  at 
His  disciples  because  their  confidence  in  His  power 
to  aid  tnem,  even  when  at  a  distance  from  them, 
was  not  such  as  to  enable  them  to  grapple  success- 
fully even  with  one  of  the  most  desperate  manifes- 
tations of  diabolical  power.  2.  Our  Lord  thinks 
such  attachment  to  Him  and  confidence  in  Him  as 
is  found  in  all  genuine  disciples  from  the  first,  is 
not  enough.  As  there  are  degrees  in  this — from 
the  lowest  to  the  highest,  from  the  infancy  to  the 
manhood  of  faith — so  He  takes  it  ill  when  His 
people  either  make  no  progress,  or  inadequate  pro- 
gress; when,  "for  the  time  they  ought  to  be 
teachers,  they  have  need  that  one  teach  them" 
(Heb.  V.  12) ;  when  they  do  not  "  grow  in  grace,  and 
in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Sa%iour  Jesus 
Christ"  (2  Pet.  iii.  IS).  3.  How  often  have  we  to 
remark  that  distress  and  extremity  in  honest 
hearts  does  more  towards  a  right  appreciation  of 
the  glory  of  Christ  than  all  teaching  without  it ! 
(See,  for  example,  on  Luke  vii.  36-50;  xxiii.  39-43.) 
Here  is  a  man  who,  without  any  of  the  advantages 
of  the  Twelve,  but  out  of  the  depths  of  his  anguish, 


Strife  among 


MAUK  IX. 


33  And  'he  came  to  Capernaum :  and,  being  in  the  house,  he  asked  them, 

34  What  was  it  that  ye  disputed  among  yourselves  by  the  way?    But  they 
held  their  peace :  "for  by  the  way  they  had  disputed  among  themselves, 

35  who  should  be  the  gTeatest.    And  he  sat  down,  and  called  the  twelve,  and 
saith  unto  them,  ^If  any  man  desire  to  be  first,  the  same  shall  be  last  of 

36  all,  and  servant  of  all.     And  ^he  took  a  child,  and  set  him  in  the  midst 
of  them :  and  when  he  had  taken  him  in  his  arms,  he  said  unto  them, 

37  Whosoever  shall  receive  one  of  such  children  in  my  name,  receiveth  me : 
^and  whosoever  shall  receive  me,  receiveth  not  me,  but  him  that  sent  me. 

38  And  ^John  answered  him,  saying.  Master,  we  saw  one  casting  out 


tJie  hcehe. 

A.  D.  32. 

«  Matt.  18.  1. 

Luke  9.  4& 
"  Tro.  13.  10. 
"  Matt.  20.26, 
27. 

ch.  10.  43. 
"  Matt.  IS.  2. 

ch.  10.  10. 
*  Matt  10.40. 

Luke  9.  48. 
"  Num.  11. 28. 

Luke  9.  49. 


utters  a  speech  more  glorif  jdng  to  Christ  than  all 
which  they  ever  expressed  during  the  days  of  His 
flesh — protesting  his  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  but 
in  the  same  breath  beseeching  Him  for  help  against 
his  unbelief !  To  be  conscious  at  once  both  of  faith 
and  of  unbelief;  to  take  the  part  of  the  one  against 
the  other;  yet  to  feel  the  unbelief,  though  dis- 
owned and  struggled  against,  to  be  strong  and 
obstinate,  while  his  faith  was  feeble  and  ready  to 
be  overpowered,  and  so  to  "cry  out"  even  "with 
tears"  for  help  against  that  cursed  unbelief — this 
is  such  a  wonderful  speech,  that,  all  things  con- 
sidered, the  like  of  it  is  not  to  be  found.  The  near- 
est to  it  is  that  prayer  of  the  apostles  to  the  Lord, 
"Increase  our  faith"  (Luke  xvii.  5).  But  besides 
that  this  was  uttered  by  apostles,  whose  advantages 
were  vastly  greater  than  this  man's,  it  was  said  a 
good  while  after  the  scene  here  recorded,  and  was 
evidently  but  an  echo,  or  rather  an  adaptation  of 
it.  So  that  this  man's  cry  may  be  said  to  have 
supplied  the  apostles  themselves  with  a  new  idea, 
nay  perhaps  with  a  new  view  altogether  of  the 
jiower  of  Christ.  And  is  it  not  true  still,  that 
"there  are  last  which  shall  be  first"?  4  Signal 
triumphs  in  the  kingdom  of  grace  are  not  to  be 
won  by  an  easy  faith,  or  by  stationary,  slothful, 
self-indulgent  believers  :  they  are  to  be  achieved 
only  by  much  nearness  to  God  and  denial  of  our- 
selves. As  to  "fasting,"  if  the  question  be. 
Whether  and  how  far  is  it  an  evangelical  duty  ? 
there  is  a  preliminary  question.  What  is  its  proper 
object?  Evidently  the  mortiiication  of  the  flesh; 
and  generally,  the  counteracting  of  all  earthly, 
sensual,  grovelling  tendencies,  which  eat  out  the 
heart  of  our  spirituality.  Hence  it  follows,  that 
whatever  abstinence  from  food  is  observed  without 
any  reference  to  this  object,  and  for  its  own  sake,  is 
nothing  but  "bodily  exercise"  (1  Tim,  iv.  8);  and 
whatsoever  abstinence  is  found,  by  experience  to 
have  an  exhausting,  stupefying  effect  upon  the 
spirit  itself,  is,  so  far  as  it  is  so,  of  the  same  nature. 
The  true  fasting  is  the  opposite  of  "surfeiting" 
(Luke  xxi.  34),  which  destroys  all  elasticity  of 
spirit  and  all  vigour  of  thought  and  feeling.  And 
while  Clu'istians  should  habitually  keep  themselves 
far  from  this,  by  being  sparing  rather  than  other- 
wise in  the  satisfaction  of  their  aj^petites,  the 
lesson  hei-e  taught  us  is  that  there  are  sometimes 
duties  to  be  done  and  victories  to  be  achieved, 
which  demand  even  more  than  ordinary  nearness 
to  God  in  prayer,  and  more  than  ordinary  denial  of 
ourselves. 

33-50.  —  Strife  among  the  Twelve  who 
SHOULD  BE  Greatest  in  the  Kingdom  of. 
Heaven,  with  Relative  Teaching — Inciden- 
tal Eebuke  of  John  for  Exclusiveness. 
(=Matt.  xviii.  1-9;  Luke  ix.  46-50.) 

Strife  among  the  Twelve,  with  Relative  Teaching 
(.33-37).  33.  Aiid  he  came  to  Capernaum:  and, 
being  in  the  house,  he  asked  them,  What  was 
It  that  ye  disputed  among  yourselves  by  the  way? 
Frorn  this  we  gather  that  after  the  painful  commu- 
nication He  had  made  to  them,  the  Redeemer  had 
175 


allowed  them  to  travel  so  much  of  the  way  by  them- 
selves ;  partly,  no  doubt,  that  He  might  have  privacy 
for  Himself  to  dwell  on  what  lay  before  Him,  and 
partly  that  they  might  be  induced  to  weigh  to- 
gether and  prepare  themselves  for  the  terrible 
events  which  He  had  announced  to  them.  But  if 
so,  how  different  was  their  occupation !  34.  But 
they  held  their  peace :  for  by  the  way  they  had 
disputed  among  themselves,  who  should  be  the 
greatest.  From  Matt,  xviii.  1  we  should  infer 
that  the  subject  was  introduced,  not  by  our  Lord, 
but  by  the  disciples  themselves,  who  came  and 
asked  Jesus  who  should  be  greatest.  Perhaps  one 
or  two  of  them  first  referred  the  matter  to  Jesus, 
who  put  them  off  tiU  they  should  all  be  assembled 
together  at  Capernaum.  He  had  all  the  while 
"  perceived  the  thought  of  their  heart "  (Luke  ix. 
47) ;  but  now  that  they  were  all  together  "  in  the 
house,"  He  questions  them  about  it,  and  they  are 
put  to  the  blush,  conscious  of  the  temper  towards 
each  other  which  it  had  kindled.  This  raised  the 
whole  question  afresh,  and  at  this  point  our  Evan- 
gelist takes  it  up.  The  subject  was  suggested  by 
the  recent  announcement  of  the  Kingdom  (Matt, 
xvi.  19-28),  the  transfigm-ation  of  then-  Master,  and 
especially  the  preference  given  to  three  of  them  at 
that  scene.  35.  And  he  sat  down,  and  called  the 
twelve,  and  saith  unto  them,  If  any  man  desire 
to  be  first,  the  same  shall  be  last  of  all,  and  ser- 
vant of  all — that  is,  '  let  him  be'  such ;  he  must  be 
prepared  to  take  the  last  aud  lowest  place.  See 
on  ch.  X.  42-45.  36.  And  he  took  a  child  \Traihinv\ 
— 'a  little  child'  (Matt,  xviii.  2) ;  but  the  word  is 
the  same  in  both  places,  as  also  in  Luke  ix.  47. 
and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them  :  and  when  he 
had  taken  him  in  his  arms.  This  beautiful  trait 
is  mentioned  by  our  Evangelist  alone,  he  said 
unto  them.  Here  we  must  go  to  Matthew  (xviii. 
3,  4)  for  the  first  part  of  this  answer: — "Verily  I 
say  unto  you,  except  ye  be  converted,  and  become 
as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  Heaven:" — q.  d.,  'Conversion  must  be 
thorough;  not  only  must  the  heart  be  turned  to 
God  in  general,  and  from  earthly  to  heavenly 
things,  but  in  particular,  except  ye  be  converted 
from  that  carnal  ambition  which  still  rankles  within 
you,  into  that  freedom  from  all  such  feelings  whicli 
ye  see  in  this  child,  ye  have  neither  part  nor  lot 
m  the  kingdom  at  all ;  and  he  who  in  this  feature 
has  most  of  the  child,  is  highest  there.'  Who- 
soever, therefore,  shall  "humble  himself  as  this 
little  child,  the  same  is  gi-eatest  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven;"  "for  he  that  is  (willing  to  be)  least 
among  you  all,  the  same  shall  be  great"  (Luke 
ix.  48).  And  Whosoever  shall  receive  one  of  such 
children^so  manifesting  the  spirit  unconsciously 
displayed  by  this  child,  in  my  name — from  love  to 
Me,  receiveth  me;  and  whosoever  shall  receive 
me,  receiveth  not  me,  but  him  that  sent  me.  See 
on  Matt.  X.  40. 

Incidental  Rebuke  of  John  for  Exclusiveness 
(38-41).  38.  And  John  answered  him,  saying, 
Master,  we  saw  one  casting  out  devils  in.  thy 


Rehuhe  of  John 


MARK  IX. 


for  eTclusiveness. 


devils  in  thy  name,  and   he   followeth  not  us:    and  we  forbade  him, 

39  because  he  followeth  not  us.  But  Jesus  said,  Forbid  him  not:  ^for 
there  is  no  man  which  shall  do  a  miracle  in  my  name,  that  can  lightly 

40  speak   evil   of  me.      For   "he   that   is  not  against  us  is  on  our  part. 

41  For  *  whosoever  shall  give  you  a  cup  of  water  to  drink  in  my  name, 
because  ye  belong  to  Christ,  verily  I  say  unto  j^ou,  he  shall  not  lose  his 
reward. 

42  And  ''whosoever  shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones  that  believe  in  me, 
it  is  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  he 

43  were  cast  into  the  sea.  And  if  thy  hand  ^offend  thee,  cut  it  off:  it  is 
better  for  thee  to  enter  into  Kfe  maimed,  than  having  two  hands  to  go 

44  into  hell,  into  the  fire  that  never  shall  be  quenched;  where  '^ their  worm 

45  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched.  And  if  thy  foot  offend  thee,  cut 
it  off:  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  halt  into  life,  than  having  two  feet  to 

46  be  cast  into  hell,  into  the  fire  that  never  shall  be  quenched ;  where  their 

47  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched.  And  if  thine  eye  *  offend 
thee,  *  pluck  it  out:  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God 

48  with  one  eye,  than  having  two  eyes  to  be  cast  into  hell-fire ;  where  their 


A.  D.  32. 


*  1  Cor.  12.  3. 
"  Matt.  12.30. 

Luke  11.23. 
t>  Matt.  10.42. 

Matt  25  40. 
"  Matt.  18.  6. 

Luke  17.  1. 
3  Or,  cause 

thee  to 

offend. 

Deut.  13  6. 

Matt.  5.  29. 

Matt.  18.  8. 

Col.  3.  5. 

Heb.  12.  1. 

d  Isa.  66.  24. 

2  Thes.  1.  9. 

*  Or,  cause 
thee  to 
offend. 

^  Eom.  8.  13. 
Gal.  5.  24. 


name,  and  he  followeth  not  us :  and  we  forbade 
him,  because  he  followeth  not  us.  The  link  of 
connection  here  with  the  foregoing  context  lies,  we 
ai^prehend,  in  the  emphatic  words  which  our  Lord 
had  just  uttered,  "in  My  name."  '0,'  interposes 
John — young,  warm,  but  not  suiBciently  appre- 
hending Chi-ist's  teaching  in  these  matters —  that 
reminds  me  of  something  that  we  have  just  done, 
and  we  should  like  to  know  if  we  did  right.  We 
saw  one  casting  out  devils  "  m  Thy  name,"  and  we 
forljade  him,  because  he  followeth  not  us.  Were 
we  right,  or  were  we  wrong?'  Answer — 'Ye were 
wrong.'  'But  we  did  it  because  he  followeth  not 
us?'  'No  matter.'  39.  But  Jesus  said,  Forbid  him 
not :  for  there  is  no  man  which  shall  do  a  miracle 
in  my  name,  that  can  lightly  [tuxv] — or,  '  soon,' 
that  is,  '  readily,'  speak  evil  of  me.  40.  For  he 
that  is  not  against  us  is  on  our  part.  Two  prin- 
ciples of  immense  importance  are  here  laid  down : 
'  First^  No  one  will  readiljr  speak  evil  of  Me  who  has 
the  faith  to  do  a  miracle  in  My  name ;  and  Second, 
If  such  a  person  cannot  be  supposed  to  be  against 
us,  ye  are  to  hold  him  for  us.  Let  it  be  carefully 
observed  that  our  Lord  does  not  say  this  man 
should  not  have  "followed  them,"  nor  yet  that  it 
was  indifferent  whether  he  did  or  not ;  but  simply 
teaches  how  such  a  person  was  to  be  regarded, 
although  he  did  not — namely,  as  a  reverer  of  His 
name  and  a  promoter  of  His  cause.  41.  For  who- 
soever shall  give  you  a  cup  of  water  to  drink  in 
my  name,  because  ye  belong  to  Christ,  verily  I 
say  unto  you,  he  shall  not  lose  his  reward.  See 
on  Matt.  X.  42. 

C'ontinvMtion  of  Teaching  suggested  by  the  Dis- 
ciples'' Strife  (42-50).  What  follows  appears  to  have 
no  connection  with  the  incidental  reproof  of  John, 
immediately  preceding.  As  that  had  interrupted 
some  important  teaching,  our  Lord  hastens  back 
from  it,  as  if  no  such  interruption  had  occurred. 
42.  And  whosoever  shall  offend  [a/cay^aXio-?;]  one  of 
these  liWe  ones  that  believe  in  me — or,  shall  cause 
them  to  stumble ;  referring  probably  to  the  effect 
which  such  unsavoury  disputes  as  they  had  held 
would  have  upon  the  inquiring  and  hopeful  who 
came  in  contact  with  them,  leading  to  the  belief 
that  after  all  they  were  no  better  than  others,  it 
is  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck.  The  word  here  is  simply  'mill- 
stone' [Xi6os  /uuXiKos],  without  expressing  of  which 
kind.  But  in  Matt,  xviii.  6,  it  is  the  '  ass-turned ' 
kind  [/xiy\os  ovt/cos],  far  heavier  than  the  small 
176 


hand-mill  turned  by  female  slaves,  as  in  Luke  x-\ii. 
35.  It  is  of  course  the  same  which  is  meant  here. 
and  he  were  cast  into  the  sea — meaning,  that  if 
by  such  a  death  that  stumbling  were  prevented, 
and  so  its  eternal  consequences  averted,  it  would 
be  a  happy  thing  for  them.  Here  follows  a  striking 
verse  in  Matt,  xviii.  7,  "Woe  unto  the  world  be- 
cause of  offences ! " — 'There  will  be  stumblings  and 
falls  and  loss  of  souls  enough  from  the  world's 
treatment  of  disciples,  without  any  addition  from 
you:  dreadful  will  be  its  doom  iu  consequence; 
see  that  ye  share  not  in  it.'  "For  it  must  needs 
be  that  offences  come;  but  woe  to  that  man  by 
whom  the  offence  cometh ! "  '  The  struggle  between 
light  and  darkness  will  inevitably  cause  stumb- 
lings, but  not  less  guilty  is  he  who  wilfully  makes 
any  to  stumble.'  43.  And  if  thy  hand  offend  thee, 
cut  it  off:  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  into  life 
maimed,  than  having  two  hands  to  go  into  hell. 
See  on  Matt.  v.  29,  30,  and  Remark  8  on  that 
Section.  The  only  difference  between  the  words 
there  and  here  is,  that  there  they  refer  to  impure 
inclinations ;  here,  to  an  ambitious  disposition,  an 
irascible  or  quarrelsome  temper,  and  the  like :  and 
the  injunction  is,  to  strike  at  the  root  of  such 
dispositions  and  cut  off  the  occasions  of  them. 
into  the  fire  that  never  shall  be  quenched ;  44. 
Where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not 
quenched.  45.  And  if  thy  foot  offend  thee,  cut  it 
off :  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  halt  into  life, 
than  having  two  feet  to  be  cast  into  hell.  See,  as 
above,  on  Matt.  v.  29,  30,  and  Remark  8  there. 
into  the  fire  that  never  shall  be  quenched;  46. 
Where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not 
quenched.  47.  And  if  thine  eye  offend  thee, 
pluck  it  out :  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  with  one  eye,  than  having 
two  eyes  to  be  cast  into  hell-fire;  48.  Where 
their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not 
quenched.  [We  cannot  but  regret  that  the  words 
of  the  48th  verse — which  in  the  received  text  are 
thrice  repeated,  with  a  thrilling  and  deeply  rhyth- 
mical effect — are  in  Tisihenclorfs  text  excluded 
in  vv.  44  and  46,  as  being  genuine  only  in  v.  48 ; 
while  Tregelles  brackets  them,  as  of  doubtful 
genuineness.  The  MSS.  by  whose  authority  they 
are  guided  in  this  case  are  of  formidable  weight ; 
but  those  in  favour  of  the  received  text  are  far 
more  numerous,  and  one  (A)  equal  perhaps  in 
value  to  the  most  ancient;  while  the  authority 
of    the    most    ancient    and  best   versions  is  de- 


Teaching  suggested 


MARK  IX. 


by  the  disciples'  strife. 


49  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched.     For  every  one  shall  be 
salted  with  fire,  and  ■'^'every  sacrifice  shall  be  salted  with  salt. 

50  Salt  ^is  good;  but  if  the  salt  have  lost  his  saltness,  wherewith  will  ye 
season  it?     Have  ''salt  in  yourselves,  and  ^have  peace  one  with  another. 


A.  V.  12. 


/  Lev.  2.  13. 
^  Luke  14  34. 
*  Kph  4.  29. 
i  Rom.  12.18. 


ridedly  in  favour  of  the  received  text.  To  us  it 
seems  not  diificult  to  see  how,  though  Renuiue,  the 
repetition  should  have  been  exchided  by  copyists, 
to  avoid  an  apparent  tautolo.i^y  and  to  conform 
the  text  to  that  of  Matthew,  but  very  ditiicult  to 
see  how,  if  not  genuine,  it  should  liave  found  its 
way  into  so  many  ancient  MSS.  Lachmann  ad- 
heres to  the  received  text,  and  even  Fritzsche 
contends  for  it;  while  Al/ord  says  the  triple 
repetition  gives  sublimity,  and  leaves  no  doubt 
of  the  discourse  having  been  thus  uttered 
rerbatlm.]  See  on  Matt.  v.  30;  and  on  the  words 
"hell"  [yeei/ua]  and  "hell-fire,"  or  'the  hell 
of  lire'  [fl  yeevva  tou  iryposj:  see  OU  Matt. 
V.  22.  The  "unquenchableuess"  of  this  fire  has 
already  been  brought  before  us  (see  on  Matt.  iii. 
12) ;  and  the  awfully  vivid  idea  of  an  undying 
worm,  everlastingly  consuming  an  unconsumable 
body,  is  taken  from  the  closing  words  of  the  Evan- 
gelical prophet  (Isa.  Ixvi.  2-t),  which  seem  to  have 
furnished  the  later  Jewish  Cliurch  with  its  current 
phraseology  on  the  subject  of  future  ]ninishment 
(see  Lightfoot).  49.  For  every  one  shall  be  salted 
with  fire,  and  every  sacriflce  shall  be  salted 
with  salt.  [It  is  surprising  that  TregeUes  should 
Ijracket  the  last  clause,  as  doubtful— against  very 
preponderating  authority,  and  nearly  all  critics.  ] 
A  difficult  verse,  on  which  much  has  been  written 
^some  of  it  to  little  purpose.  "Every  one" 
proliably  means,  'Every  follower  of  mine;'  and 
the  "tire"  with  which  he  "must  be  salted" 
probably  means  'a  fiery  trial'  to  season  him, 
(Compare  Mai.  iii.  2,  &c.)  The  reference  to  salt- 
ing the  sacrifice  is  of  course  to  that  maxim  of  the 
Levitical  law,  that  every  acceptable  sacrifice  must 
be  sprinkled  with  salt,  to  express  symbolically  its 
soundness,  sweetness,  wholesomeness,  accepta- 
bility. But  as  it  had  to  be  roasted  first,  we  have 
here  the  further  idea  of  a  salting  with  fire.  In 
this  case,  "every  sacrifice,"  in  the  next  clause, 
will  mean,  '  Every  one  who  woukl  be  found  an 
acceptable  offering  to  God ; '  and  thus  the  whole 
verse  may  perhajis  be  jiara] ihrascd  as  follows : 
'  Every  disciple  of  Miue  shall  have  a  fiery  trial 
to  undergo,  and  every  one  wlio  would  be  found 
an  odour  of  a  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable 
and  well-pleasing  to  God,  must  have  such  a  salt- 
imi,  like  the  Levitical  sacrifices.'  Another,  but, 
as  it  seems  to  us,  far-fetched  as  well  as  harsh, 
interpretation  —  suggested  first,  we  l:)elieve,  by 
JSlkhaelis,  and  adopted  by  A le.'-ander — takes  the 
"every  sacrifice  which  must  be  salted  vntYi  fire'' 
to  mean  those  who  are  "  cast  into  hell,"  and  the 
preservative  effect  of  this  salting  to  refer  to  the 
preservation  of  the  lost  not  only  in  but  by  means 
of  the  fire  of  hell.  Their  reason  for  this  is  that 
the  other  interpretation  changes  the  meaning  of 
the  "  fii-e,"  and  the  characters  too,  from  the  lost 
to  the  saved,  in  these  verses.  But  as  our  Lord 
confessedly  ends  His  discourse  with  the  case  of 
His  own  true  disciples,  the  transition  to  them  in 
the  preceding  verse  is  perfectly  natural ;  whereas 
to  apply  the  i^reservative  salt  of  the  sacrifice  to 
the  preserving  quality  of  hell-fire,  is  equally  con- 
trary to  the  symbolical  sense  of  .salt  and  the 
Scripture  representations  of  future  torment.  Our 
Lord  has  still  in  His  eye  the  unseemly  jarrings 
which  had  arisen  among  the  Twelve,  the  peril 
to  themselves  of  allowing  any  indulgence  to  such 
passions,  and  the  severe  self-sacriiice  which  sal- 
vation would  cost  them. 
VOL,  v.  177 


50.  Salt  is  good ;  but  if  the  salt  have  lost  his 
saltness — its  power  to  season  what  it  is  brought 
into  contact  with,  wherewith  will  ye  season  it? 
How  is  this  jiroperty  to  bo  restored?  See  on 
Matt.  V.  13.  Have  salt  in  yourselves — 'See  to 
it  that  j"e  retain  in  yourselves  those  precious 
qualities  that  will  make  you  a  blessing  to  one 
another,  and  to  all  around  you;'  and — witli 
resjiect  to  the  miserable  strife  out  of  which  all 
this  discourse  has  sprung,  in  one  concluding 
word— have  peace  one  with  another.  This  is 
repeated  in  1  Thess.  v.  1.3. 

Bemarhs. — 1.  How  little  suffices  to  stir  un- 
holy jealousies  and  strifes,  even  in  genuine  dis- 
ciiiles  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  loving  friends  !  In 
the  present  case  they  were  occasioned,  it  would 
seem,  by  the  recent  extraordinary  manifestations 
of  their  Master's  glory,  opening  up  to  the  half- 
instructed  minds  of  tlie  Twelve  the  prospect  of 
earthly  elevation,  coupled  with  the  preference 
shown  to  three  of  them  on  several  occasions,  and 
particularly  to  one ;  stirring  the  jealousy  of  the 
rest,  and  leading  probably  to  insinuations  that 
they  were  taking  too  much  upon  them — which,  in 
the  case  of  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  was  probably 
not  quite  groundless.  The  traitor,  at  least,  though 
his  real  cliaracter  had  not  yet  come  out,  would 
probably  be  ready  eiiougli  to  resent  any  appear- 
ances of  presumption  among  the  rest.  The'ttame, 
thus  kindled,  would  soon  spread ;  and  this  journey 
to  Capernaum — probably  their  last  in  com])any 
with  their  blessed  Master,  who  left  them  to  tiaA'el 
part  of  the  way  by  themselves — was  embittered 
by  dissensions  which  would  leave  a  sting  behind 
them  for  many  a  day !  And  did  not  tiie  scene 
between  Paul  and  Barnaljas  at  Antioch,  though 
of  a  very  difi'erent  nature,  show  how  easily  the 
holiest  and  dearest  fellowships  may  be  inter- 
rupted by  miserable  misunderstandings?  See  on 
Acts  XV.  37-40;  and  on  Matt,  xviii.  10-3o,  Remark  1. 
2.  Of  all  the  forms  in  which  the  great  Evangeli- 
cal Lesson  is  taught  by  our  Lord — 'that  Humility 
is  the  entrance-gate  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
and  that  the  humblest  here  is  the  highest  there' — 
none  is  more  captivating  than  this,  under  the 
lowly  roof  in  Capernaum,  when,  siu-rounded  by 
the  Twelve  and  with  a  little  child  in  His  amis. 
He  answered  their  question.  Which  of  them 
should  be  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
by  saying,  '  He  that  is  likest  this  unassuming 
child.'  And  what  a  Religion  is  that,  at  the 
foundation  of  which  lies  this  divine  principle! 
What  a  contrast  to  all  that  Paganism  taught ! 
Some  bright  manifestations  were  given  of  it  under 
the  ancient  economy  (Gen.  xiii.  8,  9;  Num.  xii.  3; 
Ps.  cxxxi.  1,  2,  &c.),  and  some  sublime  exjires- 
sions  of  it  occur  in  the  Old  Testament,  (Ps. 
xviii.  27;  cxiii  5,  G;  cxhdi.  3-6;  Isa.  Ivii.  1.5; 
Isa.  Ixvi.  1,  2,  &c. )  Nor  could  it  well  be  other- 
wise, since  the  lleligion  of  Israel  was  that  of 
Christ  in  the  bud,  and  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures are  the  oracles  of  God  (Rom.  iii.  2).  But 
as  the  Son  of  God  Himself  was  the  Incarna- 
tion of  Humility,  so  it  was  reserved  for  Him 
to  teach  as  well  as  exemiilify  it  as  before  it  had 
never  been,  nor  ever  again  will  be.  See  on  ch. 
X.  42-4").  3.  Alas,  that  with  such  lessons  before 
them,  the  sjiirit  of  pride  should  have  such  free 
scope  among  the  followers  of  Christ ;  that  in 
particular  the  pride  ecclesiastic  should  have  be- 
come proverbial ;  and  that  so  few  who  uaiue  the 
N 


Discourse  vcitli  the 


MARK  X. 


Pharisees  touching  divorcement. 


10  AND  "lie  arose  from  tlience,  and  cometh  into  the  coasts  of  Judea  by 
the  farther  side  of  Jordau  :  and  the  people  resort  unto  him  again :  and, 
as  he  was  wont,  he  taught  them  again. 

2  And  '^the  Pharisees  came  to  him,  and  asked  him,  Is  it  lawful  for  a  man 

3  to  put  away /i/s  wife?  tempting  him.     And  he  answered  and  said  unto 

4  them.  What  did  Moses  command  you?     And  they  said,  "^ Moses  suffered 

5  to  write  a  bill  of  divorcement,  and  to  put  her  away.     And  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  them,  For  ''the  hardness  of  your  heart  he  ^vl■ote  you  this 

G  precept:  but  from  the  beginning  of  the  creation  God  'made  them  male 

7  and  female.     For  •'^this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother, 

8  and  cleave  to  his  wife ;  and  they  twain  shall  be  one  flesh :  so  then  they 

9  are  no  more  twain,  but  one  flesh.     What  therefore  God  hath  joined 
together,  let  no  man  p\it  asunder. 

10      And  in  the  house  his  disciples  asked  him  again  of  tlie  same  matter. 


A.  D.  33. 

CHAP.  10.  " 
"  Matt.  19.  1. 

John  10  40. 

John  11.  7. 
6  Matt  10.  3. 
'  Deut  24. 1. 

Matt  5.  31. 

JMatt  19.  7. 
<i  Deut.  y.  G. 

Acts  13.  18. 
'  CJen.  1.  V7. 


Gen. 
23. 
Gen. 


2.  20- 


5  2. 


/  Gen.  2.  24. 
1  Cor  6.  16. 

tph.  5.  31. 


name  of  Clirist  should  be  distinguished  for  lowli- 
ness of  mind  !  4.  The  disposition  which  prompted 
John  to  forbid  the  man  who  cast  out  devils  in 
Christ's  name  and  yet  followed  not  with  Him 
and  the  Twelve,  was  extremely  natural.  Whether 
he  was  one  of  that  small  band  of  John's  disciples 
M'ho  did  not  attach  themselves  to  Christ's  com- 
pany but  yet  seem  to  have  believed  in  Him,  or 
whether,  though  a  believer  in  Jesus,  he  had 
found  some  inconveniences  in  attending  him 
statedly  and  so  did  not  do  it,  we  cannot  tell. 
Though  it  is  likely  enough  that  he  ought  to 
have  joined  the  company  of  Christ,  the  man  had 
not  seen  his  way  to  that  himself.  But  the  first 
question  with  John  should  have  been.  Have 
I  any  right  to  decide  that  point  for  him,  or  to 
judge  him  by  my  standard?  'You  had  not,'  says 
our  Lord.  But  further,  'Supposing  the  man  does 
wi-ong  in  not  following  with  us,  is  it  right  in 
me  to  forbid  him,  on  that  account,  to  cast  out 
devils  in  my  Master's  name?'  'It  was  not,'  says 
Christ.  '  I'he  deed  itself  was  a  good  deed ;  it 
helped  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil ;  and  the 
Name  in  which  this  was  done  was  that  at  whioh 
devils  tremble.  Thus  far,  then,  the  man  was  My 
servant,  doing  My  work,  and  doing  it  not  the  less 
effectually  and  beueticiaUy  that  he  "  foUoweth  not 
us : "  that  is  a  question  between  him  and  Me ;  a 
question  involving  more  points  than  you  are 
aware  of  or  able  to  deal  with;  a  question  with 
which  you  have  nothing  to  do:  Let  such  alone.' 
How  instructive  is  this,  and  how  condemning ! 
Surely  it  condemus  not  only  those  horrible  at- 
tempts hy  fprce, to  shut  up  all  within  one  visible 
])ale  of  discipleship,  which  have  deluged  Christen- 
dom with  blood  in  Clirist's  name,  but  the  same 
spirit  in  its  milder  form  of  proud  ecclesiastic 
scowl  upon  all  who  "after  the  form  which  they 
call  'a  sejf  [a'Lpe(Tiv\  do  so  worship  the  God  of 
their  fathers"  (see  on  Acts  xxiv.  14).  Visible 
unity  in  Christ's  Church  is  indeed  devoutly  to  be 
wished,  and  the  want  of  it  is  cause  enough  of 
just  sorrow  and  humiliation.  But  this  is  not  the 
way  to  bring  it  about.  It  is  not  to  be  thought 
that  the  various  ranks  into  which  the  Chm-ch  of 
Christ  is  divided  are  all  equally  right  in  being 
what  and  where  they  are,  if  only  they  be  sincere 
in  their  own  convictions.  But,  right  or  wi'ong, 
they  are  as  much  entitled  to  exercise  and  act 
upon  their  conscientious  judgment  as  we  are,  and 
to  their  own  Master,  in  so  doing,  they  stand  or 
fall.  It  is  the  duty,  and  should  be  felt  as  the 
privilege,  of  all  Christ's  servants  to  rejoice  in  the 
promotion  of  His  kingdom  and  cause  by  those 
they  would  wish,  but  cannot  bring,  within  their 
own  pale.  Nor  wall  anything  contribute  so  much 
to  bring  Christians  \-isibly  together  as  just  this 
178 


joy  at  each  other's  success,  although  separate  in 
the  meantime ;  while  on  the  other  hand  rancor- 
ous jealousies  in  behalf  of  our  own  sectional  inter- 
ests are  the  very  thing  to  narrow  these  interests 
still  further,  and  to  shrivel  ourselves.  What  a 
noble  spirit  did  Moses  disiilay  when  the  Spirit  de- 
scended upon  the  seventy  elders,  and  they  prophe- 
sied and  did  not  cease.  Besides  these  the  Spirit 
had  come  upon  two  men,  who  remained  in  the 
camp  i)rophesying,  and  did  not  join  the  seventy. 
Whereupon  there  ran  a  zealous  youth  to  Moses, 
saying,  Eldadand  Medad  do  prophesy  in  the  cami>; 
and  even  Joshua  said.  My  lord  Moses,  forbid  them. 
But  what  was  the  reply  of  the  great  leader  of  Israel  ? 
" Enviest  thou  for  my  sake?  Would  God  that  all 
the  Lord's  people  were  i»rophets,  and  that  the 
Lord  would  pour  out  His  Spirit  uix>n  them !"  (Num. 
xi.  24-29).  5.  The  word  "  Ae« "  thrice  repeated 
here  in  the  same  breath  is  tremendous  enough  in 
itself;  but  how  awrful  does  it  sound  fi;om  the  lips 
of  Love  Incarnate !  And  when  to  this  He  adds, 
thrice  over  in  the  same  terms,  "  where  their  worm 
dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched" — words 
enough  to  make  both  the  ears  of  every  one  that  hear- 
eth  them  to  tingle — what  shall  be  thought  of  the 
mawkish  sentimentalism  which  condemns  all  such 
language  in  the  mouths  of  His  servants,  as  inconsis- 
tent with  what  they  presume  to  call  '  the  religdou 
of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus?'  Why,  it  is  just  the 
apostle  who  breathed  most  of  His  Mastei^'s  love 
whose  Epistles  express  what  would  be  thought  the 
harshest  things  against  vital  ei-ror  and  those  who 
hold  it.  It  is  love  to  men,  not  hatred,  that  prompts 
such  severity  against  what  will  inevitably  ruin 
them.  6.  Who  that  has  any  regard  for  the  teaching 
of  Christ  can  venture,  in  the  face  of  these  verses 
(42-48),  to  limit  the  duration  of  futm-e  torment? 
See  on  Matt.  xxv.  31-4t>,  llemark  4.  7.  As  Chris- 
tians are  to  present  themselves  a  living  sacrifice  to 
God,  so  when  the  sacrifice  has  had  the  tu-e  applied 
to  it,  and  stood  the  fire,  it  is  an  odour  of  a  sweet 
smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable  and  well-pleasing  to 
God.  But  let  them  not  think  that  the  only  fiery 
trial  they  have  to  stand  is  persecution /ro?tt  itvY/t- 
oiit.  The  numberless  thiugs  that  tend  to  stir  their 
corruj)tions,  even  in  their  intercourse  with  each 
other,  constitute  an  almost  daily  trial,  and  some- 
times fieiy  enough.  Then  it  is  that  a  living  Chris- 
tianity, subduing  corruption  and  overcommg  evil 
with  good,  shows  its  value.  This  is  the  true  salt 
of  the  sacrifice,  "Let  your  speech,"  says  the 
apostle— and  the  same  applies  to  every  other  fea- 
ture of  the  Christian  character — "  be  alway  with 
grace,^'  or  to  speak  sacrificially,  '^seasoned  with  salt 
that  ye  may  know  how  ye  ought  to  answer  eveiy 
man"  (Col.  iv.  6). 
CHAP.   X.     1-12.— Final   DEPARxrKE    from 


Little  cJdldren 


MAUK  X. 


hrought  to  Christ. 


15 
16 

17 


11  And  he  saitli  unto  them,  ^Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  and  many 

12  another,  committetli  adultery  against  her.  And  if  a  woman  shall  put 
away  her  husband,  and  be  married  to  another,  she  committeth  adultery. 

13  And  ''they  brought  young  children  to  him,  that  he  should  touch  them  : 

14  and  his  disciples  rebuked  those  that  brought  them.  But  when  Jesus  saw 
it,  he  was  much  displeased,  and  said  unto  them.  Suffer  the  little  children 
to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not :  for  ^of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  ■'Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God 
as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not  enter  therein.  And  he  ^took  them  up  in 
his  arms,  put  his  hands  upon  them,  and  blessed  them. 

And  'when  he  was  gone  forth  into  the  way,  there  came  one  running, 
and  kneeled  to  him,  and  asked  him.  Good  Master,  what  shall  I  do  that  I 

18  may  inherit  eternal  life?     And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Why  oallest  thou 

19  me  good?  there  is  wouq  goodi  but  one,  that  is,  God.  Thou  knowest  the 
commandments,  '"^Do  not  commit  adultery,  Do  not  kill.  Do  not  steal,  Do 

20  not  bear  false  witness,  Defraud  not,  Honour  thy  father  and  mother.  And 
he  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Master,  all  these  have  I  observed  from 

21  my  youth.  Then  Jesus,  beholding  him,  loved  him,  and  said  unto  him. 
One  thing  thou  lackest:  go  thy  way,  sell  **  whatsoever  thou  hast,  and  give 
to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  "in  heaven:  and  come,  take  up 

22  the  ^  cross,  and  follow  me.  And  he  was  sad  at  that  saying,  and  went 
away  grieved :  for  he  had  great  possessions. 

23  And  *Jesus  looked  round  about,  and  saith  unto  his  disciples.  How 

24  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God!  And 
the  disciples  were  astonished  at  his  words.  But  Jesus  answereth  again, 
and  saith  unto  them.  Children,  how  hard  is  it  for  them  'that  trust  in 
riches  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God !  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go 
through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God.     And  they  were  astonished  out  of  measure,  saying 

27  among  themselves.  Who  then  can  be  saved?  And  Jesus,  looking  upon 
them,  saith.  With  men  it  is  impossible,  but  not  with  God;  for  *with  God 
all  things  are  possible. 

Then  '■  Peter  began  to  say  unto  him,  Lo,  we  have  left  all,  and  have 
followed  thee.  And  Jesus  answered  and  said.  Verily  I  say  unto  you. 
There  is  no  man  that  hath  left  house,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or 

30  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my  sake,  and  the  Gospel's,  but 
"he  shall  receive  an  hundred-fold  now  in  this  time,  houses,  and  brethren, 
and  sisters,  and  mothers,  and  children,  and  lands,  ^with  persecutions; 
and  in  the  world  to  come  eternal  life.  But  ^''many  that  are  first  shall  be 
last ;  and  the  last  first. 

And  ^they  were  in  the  way  going  up  to  Jerusalem;  and  Jesus  went 
before  them:  and  they  were  amazed;  and  as  they  followed,  they  were 


25 


26 


28 
29 


32 


A.  D.  33. 

''  Matt.  5.  32. 

Matt  19.  9. 

Lvike  16.18. 

Rom.  7.  3. 
''  Matt.  19  13. 

Luke  18.15. 
■  1  Cor.  14.20. 
i  Matt.  18.  3, 
fc  Isa.  40. 11. 
'  Matt.  19.1(5. 

Luke  18.18. 
'«  Ex.  20. 

Rom.  13.  9. 

Jas.  2.  11. 
"  Acts  2.  44. 

1  Tim.  6. 18. 
°  Matt.  C.  19. 

20. 

Matt.  19.21. 

Luke  12.33. 

Luke  le.  9. 

P  Acts  14.  22. 

2  Tim.3.12. 
«  Matt.  19. 23. 

Luke  18.24. 

■"  Job  31.  24. 

Ps.  17.  14. 

PS.  52.  7. 

Ps.  62.  10. 

1  Tim.  6. 17. 
«  Jer.  32.  17. 

Matt.  19. 20. 

Luke  1.  37. 

Heb.  7.  25. 
«  Matt.  19.27. 

Luke  18.28. 
"  2  Chr.  25.  9. 

Ps.  19.  11. 

Luke  18.30. 
"  Matt.  S.  11, 
12. 

John  16. 22, 
23. 

Acts  14.  22. 

Rom.  5.  3. 

1  Thes.  3.3. 

2  Tim.  3.12. 
Heb.  12.  6. 
1  Pet.  4. 12- 

16. 
'"Matt.  19.30. 

Matt.  20.16. 

Luke  13.30. 
"  Matt.  20. 17. 

Luke  18.31. 


Galilee — Divorce.  (  =  Matt.  xix.  1-12  ;  Luke 
ix.  51.)    For  the  exposition,  see  on  Matt.  xix.  1-12. 

13-16.— Little  Children  Brought  to  Christ. 
(  -  Matt.  xix.  13-15  ;  Luke  xviii.  15-17.)  For  the 
exposition,  see  on  Luke  xviil  15-17. 

17-31. — The  Rich  Young  Ruler.  (  =  Matt. 
xix.  16-30;  Luke  xviii.  18-30.)  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Luke  xviii.  18-30. 

32-45. — Third  Explicit  and  still  Fuller 
Announcement  of  His  Approaching  Suffer- 
ings, Death,  and  Resurrection — The  Ambi- 
tious Request  op  James  and  John,  and  the 
Reply.     (^  Matt.  xx.  17-28;  Luke  xviii.  31-34.) 

Third  Announcement  of  His  approachi7iff  Suffer- 
ings, Death,  and  Resurrection  (32-34).  32.  And 
they  were  in  the  way— or  on  the  road,  going  up  to 
Jerusalem— in  Perea,  and  i^robably  somewhere 
between  Ephraiin  and  Jericho,  on  the  farther  side 
179 


of  the  Jordan,  and  to  the  north-east  of  Jerusalem. 
and.  Jesus  went  liefore  them— as  Grotlus  says,  in 
the  style  of  an  intrepid  Leader,  and  they  were 
amazed  [efla/x/SoCi/To] — or  '  struck  vfiih  astonish- 
ment' at  His  courage  in  advancing  to  certain 
death,  and  as  they  followed,  they  were  afraid — 
for  their  o^vn  safety.  These  artless,  Life-like 
touches — not  only  from  an  eye-witness,  but  one 
whom  the  noble  carriage  of  the  Master  struck  with 
wonder  and  awe — are  peculiar  to  Mark,  and  give 
the  second  Gospel  a  charm  all  its  own ;  making  us 
feel  as  if  we  ourselves  were  in  the  midst  of  the 
scenes  it  describes.     Well  might  the  ijoet  exclaim, 

'The  Saviour,  what  a  noble  flame 

Was  kindled  in  His  breast. 
When,  hastinfj  to  Jerusalem, 
He  march'd  before  the  rest! ' — Cowpeb. 

And  he  took  again  the  twelve— referring  to  His 


Christ's  explicit  announcement 


MARK  X. 


of  His  death  and  resurrectio7i. 


afraid.     ^And  he  took  again  the  twelve,  and  began  to  tell  them  what 

33  things  should  happen  unto  him,  saying,  Behold,  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem ; 
and  the  Son  of  man  shall  be  delivered  unto  the  chief  priests,  and  unto 
the  scribes ;  and  they  shall  condemn  him  to  death,  and  shall  deliver  him 

34  to  the  Gentiles:  and  they  shalP mock  him,  and  shall  scourge  him,  and 
shall  spit  upon  him,  and  shall  kill  him :  and  the  third  day  he  shall  rise 
again. 

35  And  James  and  John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  come  unto  him,  saying, 
Master,  we  would  that  thou  shouldest  do  for  us  whatsoever  we  shall 

36  desire.    And  he  said  unto  them.  What  would  ye  that  I  should  do  for  you  ? 

37  They  said  unto  him.  Grant  unto  us  that  we  may  sit,  one  on  thy  right 

38  hand,  and  the  other  on  thy  left  hand,  in  thy  glory.  But  Jesus  said  unto 
them.  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask :  can  ye  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  drink 

39  of?  and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I  am  baptized  with?  And 
they  said  unto  him.  We  can.  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  "Ye  shall 
indeed  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  drink  of;  and  with  the  baptism  that  I  am 


A.  D  33. 

y  Matt  luiis! 

Matt.  13.11. 

Ch.  4.  34. 

Ch.  8.  31. 

ch.  9.  31. 

Luke  9.  22. 

Luke  18  31. 
'  Ps.  22.  6-8. 

Isa.  53.  3. 

Matt  27. 2r. 

Luke  22.03. 

Luke  23. 11. 

John  19.  2. 
"Matt  10.25. 

ch  14.  3tt. 

John  15  29. 

John  17.14. 

Acts  12.  2. 

Col.  1.  24. 

Eev.  1.  9. 


previous  anuouncement.s  on  this  sad  subject,  and 
toesan  to  tell  tlieni  wiiat  things  should  happen 

unto  him  [ra  /xeWovra  avTco  <7Vfx(iaiv€iv] — '  were 
going  to  befall  Him.'  The  word  expresses  some- 
thing already  begun  but  not  brou,ght  to  a  head, 
rather  than  something  wholly  future.  33.  Say- 
ing.  Behold,  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem— for  the 
last  time,  and — "  all  things  that  are  written  by 
the  prophets  concerning  the  Son  of  man  shall  be 
accomplished"  (Luke  xviii.  31).  the  Son  of 
man  shall  be  delivered  unto  the  chief  priests, 
and  unto  the  scribes ;  and  they  shall  condemn 
him  to  death,  and  shall  deliver  him  to  the 
Gentiles.  This  is  the  first  express  statement  that 
the  Gentiles  would  combine  with  the  Jews  in  His 
death ;  the  two  grand  divisions  of  the  human  race 
for  whom  He  died  thus  taking  part  in  crucifying 
the  Lord  of  Grlory,  as  Webster  and  Wilkinson  ob- 
serve. 34.  And  they  shall  mock  him,  and  shall 
scourge  him,  and  shall  spit  upon  him,  and  shall 
kill  him :  and  the  third  day  he  shall  rise  again. 
8in.gularly  explicit  as  this  announcement  was,  Luke 
(xviii.  34)  says  "  they  understood  none  of  these 
things:  and  this  saying  was  hid  from  them,  neither 
knew  they  the  things  which  were  spoken."  The 
meaning  of  the  words  they  could  be  at  no  loss  to 
imderstand,  but  their  im^iort  in  relation  to  His 
Messianic  kingdom  they  could  not  penetrate ; 
the  whole  prediction  being  right  in  the  teeth 
of  their  preconceived  notions.  That  they  should 
have  clung  so  tenaciously  to  the  popular  notion  of 
an  t<nsufFering  Messiah,  may  surprise  us ;  but  it 
gives  inexpressible  weight  to  their  after-testimony 
to  a  suffering  and  dying  Saviour. 

Amhitious  Be<iuesl  of  James  and  John — The 
liepbf  (3.5-45).  35.  And  James  and  John,  the  sons 
of  Zebedee,  come  unto  him,  saying.  ALatthew 
(xx.  20)  says  their  "mother  came  to  Him  with 
her  sons,  worshipping  Him  and  desiring,"  &c. 
(Comxjare  Matt,  xxvii.  50,  with  Mark  xv.  4().) 
Salome  was  her  name  (ch.  xvi.  1).  We  cannot 
be  sure  with  which  of  the  ])arties  the  movement 
originated;  but  as  our  Lord,  even  in  Matthew's 
account,  addresses  Himself  to  James  and  John, 
making  no  accou.nt  of  the  mother,  it  is  likely  the 
mother  was  merely  set  on  by  them.  The  thought 
was  doubtless  suggested  to  her  sons  by  the  recent 
promise  to  the  Twelve  of  "thrones  to  sit  on, 
when  the  Son  of  man  should  sit  on  the  throne 
of  His  glory"  (Matt.  xix.  28);  but  after  the  rc- 
l)roof  so  lately  given  them  (ch.  ix.  33,  &c.),  they 
get  their  mother  to  speak  for  them.  Master,  we 
would  that  thou  shouldest  do  for  us  whatsoever 
we  shall  desire— thus  cautiously  approaching  the 
ISO 


subject.  36.  And  he  said  unto  them.  What  would 
ye  that  I  should  do  for  you  ?  Though  well  aware 
what  was  their  mind  and  their  mother's,  our 
Lord  will  have  the  unseemly  jietition  uttered 
before  all.  37.  They  said  unto  him,  Grant  unto 
us  that  we  may  sit,  one  on  thy  right  hand,  and 
the  other  on  thy  left  hand,  in  thy  glory — that 
is,  Assign  to  us  the  two  places  of  highest  honour 
in  the  coming  kingdom.  The  semblance  of  a  plea 
for  so  presumptuous  a  request  might  possibly  have 
been  drawn  from  the  fact  that  one  of  the  two 
usually  leaned  on  the  breast  of  Jesus,  or  sat  next 
Him  at  meals,  while  the  other  was  one  of  the 
favoured  three.  38.  But  Jesus  said  unto  them. 
Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.  How  gentle  the 
reply  to  such  a  request,  preferred  at  such  a 
time,  after  the  sad  announcement  just  made! 
can  ye  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  drink  of?  To 
'  drink  of  a  cup'  is  in  Scripture  a  figure  for  get- 
ting one's  fill  either  of  good  (Ps.  xvi.  5;  xxiii. 
5;  cxvi.  13;  Jer.  xvi.  7)  or  of  ill  (Ps.  Ixxv.  8; 
John  xviii.  11;  Rev.  xiv.  10).  Here  it  is  the  cup 
of  suffering,  and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism 
that  I  am  baptized  with  ?  (Compare,  for  the  lan- 
guage, Ps.  xlii.  7.)  The  object  of  this  question 
seems  to  have  been  to  try  how  far  those  two  men 
were  capab'e  of  the  dignity  to  Avhich  they  aspired ; 
and  this  on  the  principle  that  he  who  is  aole  to 
suffer  most  for  His  sake  will  be  the  nearest  to 
Him  in  His  kingdom.  39.  And  they  said  unto 
him,  We  can.  Here  wo  see  them  owning  their 
mother's  petition  for  them  as  their  own ;  and 
doubtless  they  were  perfectly  sincere  in  jirofess- 
ing  their  willingness  to  follow  their  Master  to 
any  suffering  He  might  have  to  endure.  Well, 
and  they  shall  have  to  do  it.  As  for  James,  he 
was  the  first  of  the  apostles  who  was  honoured, 
and  showed  himself  able,  to  be  baptized  \\dth  his 
Master's  bapti.sm  of  blood  (Acts  xii.  1,2);  while 
John,  after  going  through  all  the  persecutions  to 
which  the  infant  Church  was  exposed  from  the 
Jews,  and  sharing  in  the  struggles  and  sufferings 
occasioned  by  the  first  triumphs  of  the  Gospel 
among  the  Gentiles,  lived  to  be  the  victim,  after 
all  the  rest  had  got  to  glory,  of  a  bitter  persecu- 
tion in  the  evening  of  his  days,  for  the  word  of 
God  and  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ.  Yes, 
they  were  dear  believers  and  Ijlessed  men,  in  spite 
of  this  unworthy  ambition,  and  their  Lord  knew 
it ;  and  perhaps  the  foresight  of  what  they  would 
have  to  pass  through,  and  the  courageous  testi- 
mony He  would  yet  receive  from  them,  was 
the  cause  of  that  gentleness  which  we  cannot 
but  wonder  at  in  His  reproof.     And  Jesus  said 


The  amhitious  request 


MARK  X. 


of  James  and  John. 


40  baptized  withal  shall  ye  be  baptized :  but  to  sit  on  my  right  hand  and  on 
my  left  hand  is  not  mine  to  give;  but  It  shall  be  given  ^to  them  for 
whom  it  is  prepared. 

41  And  "^when  the  ten  heard  it,  they  began  to  be  much  displeased  with 

42  James  and  John.  But  Jesus  called  them  to  him,  and  saitli  unto  them,  '^Ye 
know  that  they  wdiich  ^are  accounted  to  rule  over  the  Gentiles  exercise 
lordship  over  them ;  and  their  great  ones  exercise  authority  upon  them. 

43  But  *so  shall  it  not  be  among  you :  but  whosoever  will  be  great  among 

44  you,  shall  be  your  minister;  and  whosoever  of  you  will  be  the  chiefest, 

45  shall  be  servant  of  all.  For  even  -^the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  ^give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many. 


A.  r>.  33. 


Jas.  4.  3. 
Watt  20  24. 
'  Luke  22. 25. 
Or,  think 
good, 
ch.  9.  35. 
Luke  9.  ■!?<. 
John  13.14. 
Phil.  2.  7. 
Ileb.  5.  8. 
Isa.  63.  10. 
Dan.  9.  24, 
20. 


unto  them,  Ye  shall  indeed  drink  of  the  cup  that 
I  drink  of;  and  with  the  haptism  that  I  am  bap- 
tized withal  shall  ye  toe  baptized.  No  doubt  this 
l)rediction,  when  their  sufferings  at  length  came 
upon  them,  cheered  them  with  the  assurance,  not 
that  they  would  sit  on  His  ri,G;ht  and  left  hand — 
for  of  that  thou  dit  they  would  be  heartily  ashamed 
— but  that  "  if  they  suffered  with  Him,  tliey  should 
be  also  glorified  together."  40.  But  to  sit  on  my 
right  hand  and  on  my  left  hand  is  not  mine 
to  give;  tout  [it  shall  toe  given  to  them]  for 
whom  [aW  oTs]  it  is  prepared — "of  my  Father" 
(Matt.  XX.  2.3).  The  supplement  which  our  trans- 
lators have  iuserted  is  ai^proved  by  some  good 
interpreters,  and  the  proper  sense  of  the  word 
rendered  "but"  [(iX/\n]  is  certainly  in  favour  of 
it.  But  besides  that  it  makes  the  statement  too 
elliptical — leaving  too  mauy  words  to  be  sui)plied 
— it  seems  to  make  our  Lord  rei)udiate  the  right 
to  assign  to  each  of  His  i^eople  his  x'lace  in  the 
kingdom  of  glory ;  a  thing  which  He  nowhere  else 
does,  but  rather  the  contraiy.  It  is  true  that  He 
says  their  place  is  "  prepared  for  them  by  His 
Father."  But  that  is  tme  of  their  admission  to 
heaven  at  all ;  and  yet  from  His  great  white  throne 
Jesus  will  Himself  adjudicate  the  kingdom,  and 
authoritatively  invite  into  it  those  on  His  right 
Land,  calling  them  the  "blessed  of  His  Father:" 
so  little  inconsistency  is  there  between  the  eternal 
choice  of  them  by  His  Father,  and  that  public 
adjudication  of  them,  not  only  to  heaven  in  gene- 
ral, but  each  to  his  own  position  in  it,  which  all 
Scriijture  assigns  to  Christ.  The  true  rendering, 
then,  of  this  clause,  we  take  it,  is  this:  'But  to 
sit  on  My  i;ight  hand  and  on  My  left  hand  is  not 
Mine  to  give,  save  to  them  for  whom  it  is  pre- 
pared,' [The  use  of  dWa  in  this  sense,  as  equival- 
ent to  €1  n>i,  occurs  in  ch.  ix.  8,  "They  saw  no 
man  anymore  save  Jesus  only" — aWa  t6v  lijaodv. 
And  the  very  words  of  our  Evangelist,  a\X'  oT?, 
occur  in  this  sense  in  Matt.  xix.  11].  When 
therefore  He  says,  "It  is  not  mine  to  give" 
the  meaning  is,  '  I  cannot  give  it  as  a  favour  to 
whornsoever  Ij-ilease,  or  on  a  i)rinciple  oi  favourit- 
ism: it  belongs  exclusively  to  those  for  whom  it  is 
prepared,'  &c.  And  if  this  be  His  meaning,  it  will 
be  seen  how  far  our  Lord  is  from  disclaiming  the 
ri,ght  to  assign  to  each  his  proj  ler  place  in  His  King- 
dom ;  that  on  the  contrary.  He  expressly  asserts 
it,  merely  announcing  that  the  principle  of  distri- 
bution is  quite  difierent  from  what  these  petition- 
ers supposed  Our  Lord,  it  will  be  observed,  does 
not  deny  the  petition  of  James  and  John,  or  say 
they  shall  not  occupy  the  place  in  His  kingdom 
which  they  now  improperly  sought :— for  aught  we 
know,  that  may  he  their  true  place.  All  we  are 
6ure  of  is,  that  their  asking  it  was  displeasing 
to  Him  "to  whom  all  judgment  is  committed," 
find  so  was  not  fitted  to  gain  their  object,  but 
just  the  reverse.  (See  what  is  tau.ght  in  Luke 
j^iv,  8-1 L)  One  at  least  of  these  brethren,  as 
ISl 


A  Iford  strikingly  remarks,  saw  on  the  right  and 
on  the  left  hand  of  their  Lord,  as  He  huu,^  upon 
the  tree,  the  crucified  thieves ;  and  bitter  indeed 
must  have  been  the  remembrance  of  this  ambitious 
prayer  at  that  moment. 

41.  And  when  the  ten  heard  it,  they  toegan 
to  toe  much  displeased  with  James  and  John— 
or  "were  moved  with  indignation,"  as  the  same 
word  [ayavaKTeiv]  is  rendered  in  Matt.  xx.  24 
The  expression  "  began  to  be,"  which  is  of  frequent 
occurrence  in  the  Gospels,  means  that  more 
passed  than  is  expressed,  and  that  we  have  but 
the  result.  And  can  we  blame  the  ten  for  the 
indignation  which  they  felt?  Yet  there  was 
probably  a  spice  of  the  old  spirit  of  rivalry  in 
it,  which  in  spite  of  our  Lord's  recent  lengiheued, 
diversified,  and  most  solemn  warnings  against  it, 
had  not  ceased  to  stir  in  their  breasts.  42.  But 
Jesus  called  them  to  him,  and  saith  unto  them, 
Ye  know  that  they  which  are  accounted  to 
rule — are  recognized  or  acknowledged  as  rulers, 
over  the  Gentiles  exercise  lordship  over  them; 
and  their  great  ones  exercise  authority  upon 
them — as  superiors  exercising  an  acknowledged 
authority  over  inferiors.  43.  But  so  shall  it  not 
toe  among  you:  butwhosoever  will  toe  great  among 
you,  shall  toe  your  minister  f^iajcoyos]— a  sub- 
ordinate servant.  44.  And  whosoever  of  you  will 
toe  the  chiefest— or  'fii-st'  [ttpojtos],  shall  toe — that 
is,  'let  him  be,'  or  'shall  be  he  who  is  prepared 
to  be'  servant  of  all  [^oCXos]  — one  in  the  low- 
est condition  of  service.  45.  For  even  the  Son  of 
man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  tout  to 
minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for — or, 
'instead  of — many  {Xinpov  dun  -noWiov]: — q.  d., 
'  In  the  kingdom  about  to  be  set  up  this  princii^le 
shall  have  no  i)lace.  All  my  servants  shall  there 
be  equal;  and  the  only  "greatness"  known  to  it 
shall  be  the  greatness  of  humility  and  devotedness 
to  the  service  of  others.  He  that  goes  down 
the  deepest  in  these  services  of  self-denying  hu- 
mility shall  rise  the  highest  and  hold  the  "  chief- 
est "  place  in  that  kingdom ;  even  as  the  Son  of 
man,  whose  abasement  and  self-sacrifice  for  others, 
transcending  all,  gives  Him  of  right  a  place  above 
all!  As  "the  Word  in  the  beginning  with  God," 
He  was  ministered  unto;  and  as  the  risen 
Redeemer  in  our  nature  He  now  is  ministered 
unto,  "angels  and  authorities  and  powers  being 
made  subject  unto  Him"  (I  Pet.  iii.  22);  but 
not  for  this  came  He  hither.  The  Served  of 
all  came  to  be  the  Servant  of  all ;  and  His 
last  act  was  the  grandest  Service  ever  beheld 
by  the  universe  of  God — "He  gave  His  Life  a 
Ransom  for  Many!"  "Many"  is  here  to  be 
taken,  not  in  contrast  with  fcvj  or  with  all,  but 
in  opjiosition  to  one — the  one  Son  of  man  for  the 
many  sinners. 

Hemar/is.—l.  When  we  read  of  Jesus,  on  His  last 
journey  from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem,  going  before 
the  Twelve,  with  a  courage  which  amazed  and 


Blind  Bartimeus 


MARK  XL 


healed. 


48 


49 


46  And  '^they  came  to  Jericho :  and  as  lie  went  out  of  Jericho  with  his 
disciples  and  a  great  number  of  people,  blind  Bartimeus,  the  son  of  Timeus, 

47  sat  by  the  highway-side  begging.  And  when  he  heard  that  it  was  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  he  began  to  cry  out,  and  say,  Jesus,  thou  ^son  of  David,  have 
mercy  on  me.  And  many  charged  him  that  he  should  hold  his  peace : 
but  he  cried  the  more  a  great  deal.  Thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy  on 
me.  And  Jesus  stood  still,  and  commanded  him  to  be  called.  And  they 
call  the  blind  man,  saying  unto  him.  Be  of  good  comfort,  rise ;  he  calleth 

50  thee.      And  he,   casting  away  his  garment,   rose,  and  came  to  Jesus. 

51  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him.  What  wilt  thou  that  I  should 
do  unto  thee?     The  blind  man  said  unto  him.  Lord,  that  I  might  receive 

52  my  sight.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Go  thy  way;  thy  faith  hath  ^made 
thee  whole.  And  immediately  ■'he  received  his  sight,  and  followed  Jesus 
in  the  way. 

AND   "when   they  came   nigh   to   Jerusalem,   unto   Bethphage   and 
Bethany,  at  the  mount  of  ''Olives,  he  sendeth  forth  two  of  his  disciples, 

2  and  saith  unto  them.  Go  your  way  into  the  village  over  against  you  :  and 
as  soon  as  ye  be  entered  into  it,  ye  shall  find  a  colt  tied,  whereon  never 

3  man  sat;  loose  him,  and  bring  him.  And  if  any  man  say  unto  you,  Why 
do  ye  this?  say  ye  that  "^the  Lord  hath  need  of  him;  and  straightway  he 

4  will  send  him  hither.  And  they  went  their  way,  and  found  the  colt  tied 
by  the  door  without  in  a  place  where  two  ways  met ;  and  they  loose  him. 

5  And  certain  of  them  that  stood  there  said  unto  them.  What  do  ye,  loosing 

6  the  colt?    And  they  said  unto  them  even  as  Jesus  had  commanded:  and 

7  they  let  them  go.     And  they  brought  the  colt  to  Jesus,  and  cast  their 

8  garments  on  him;  ''and  he  sat  upon  him.  And  'many  spread  their  gar- 
ments in  the  way;   and  others  cut  down  branches  off  the  trees,   and 

9  strawed  them  in  the  way.  And  they  that  went  before,  and  they  that 
followed,  cried,  saying,  -^Llosanna!     Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the 


11 


A.  D.  33. 

*  Matt.  20.29. 

Luke  18.35. 
'  Isa.  11.  1. 

Jer.  23.  5,  6. 

Kom.  1.  3. 

Kev.  22.  16. 
"  Or,  saved 

thee. 

Matt.  9.  22. 
;'  Isa.  29.  18. 

Isa.  32.  3. 

Isa.  35.  5. 

Isa.  42.  6,  7. 

Isa.  43.  8. 

Acts  26.  18. 

CHAP.  11. 

"  Matt.  21.  1. 

Luke  19.29. 

John  12.14. 
<■  Zee.  14.  4. 

Matt.  24.  3. 

John  8.  1. 

Acts  1.  12. 
"  Ps.  24.  1. 

Acts  10.  35. 

Heb.  1.  2. 

Heb.  2.  r-9. 
<*  1  Ki.  1.  33. 

Zee.  9.  9. 
'  Matt.  21.  8. 
/  Ps.  118.  26. 

Isa   62.  11. 

Matt.  21.  9. 
Matt.  2.';.  39. 
Luke  19, 37. 

38. 
John  12.13. 


terrified  them,  it  were  well  that  we  searched 
into  the  hidden  springs  of  this,  so  far  as  we  have 
scriptural  light  to  guide  us.  Turning  then  t) 
that  glorious  Messianic  prediction,  in  the  50th 
of  Isaiah,  we  find  Him  saying,  "The  Lord  God 
hath  given  me  the  tongue  of  the  learned,  that  I 
sliould  know  how  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to 
Him  that  is  weary :  He  wakeneth  morning  by 
morning ;  He  wakeneth  mine  ear  to  hear  as  the 
learned  (or  'as  an  instructed  person').  The  Lord 
God  hath  opened  mine  ear,  and  I  was  not  rebellious, 
neither  turned  away  back.  I  gave  my  back  to 
the  smiterSj  and  my  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked 
ofi'  the  hau":  I  hid  not  my  face  from  shame 
and  spitting.  For  the  Lord  God  will  help  me ; 
therefore  shall  I  not  be  confounded:  therefore 
have  I  set  my  face  like  a  flint,  and  I  know  that 
I  shall  not  be  ashamed,"  &c.  (vv.  4-7).  Here  He 
speaks  as  if  He  went  each  successive  morning 
to  His  Father,  to  receive  His  instructions  for  the 
work  of  each  day ;  so  that  when  He  either  spake 
a  word  in  season  to  a  weary  soul,  or  showed 
unflinching  courage  in  encountering  opposition, 
or,  as  here,  marched  to  the  rude  mockeries  and 
cruel  sufferings  which  awaited  Him,  with  His 
"face  set  like  a  flint,  knowing  that  He  should 
not  be  ashamed,"  it  was  not  mere  impassive  God- 
head that  did  it,  but  the  Son  of  man,  keenly 
sensitive  to  shame  and  suffering,  and  only  rising 
above  them  through  the  power  of  an  all-subduing 
devotion  to  the  great  end  of  His  mission  into 
the  world,  and  this,  too,  fed  by  daily  communion 
witlv  His  Father  in  heaven.  Thus  is  He  to  His 
people  the  perfect  Model  of  self-devotion  to  the 
woi-k  given  them  to  do.  2.  How  hard  it  is  for 
even  the  plainest  truths    to   penetrate    through 


prejudice,  we  see  once  and  again  in  these  disciples 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  third  Evangelist  seems 
unable  to  say  strongly  enough  how  entirely  hidden 
from  them  at  that  time  was  the  sense  of  those 
exceeding  plain  statements  in  which  our  Lord 
now,  for  the  third  time,  announced  what  lay  before 
Him.  And  though  this  added  prodigious,  and,  to 
the  simple-hearted,  irresistible  weight  to  their  sub- 
sequent testimony  in  behalf  of  a  suffering,  dying, 
and  rising  Messiah — now  so  incom]irehensibIe  to 
them — it  teaches  to  us  a  lesson,  of  which  we  have 
as  much  need  as  they,  to  guard  against  allowing 
prepossessions  and  prejudices  to  thicken  around 
us  and  shut  out  from  our  mind  the  clearest  truth. 

3.  When  the  indignation  of  the  ten  was  kindled 
against  James  and  John  for  their  offensive  petition, 
how  admirable  was  the  wisdom  of  their  Lord 
which  then  interj^osed,  checking  the  hot  quarrel 
which  doubtless  would  have  broken  out  at  that 
moment,  by  calling  them  all  equally  around  Him 
and  opening  to  them  calmly  the  relation  in  which 
they  were  to  stand,  and  the  spirit  they  were  to 
cherish  to  each  other  in  the  future  work  of  His 
kingdom,  holding  forth  Himself  as  the  sublime 
Model  both  for  their  feeling  and  for  their  acting ! 

4.  The  sacrificial  and  vicarious  nature  of  Christ's 
death  is  here  expressed  by  Himself  [v.  45)  as 
plainly  as  the  manner  of  His  death  is  foretold  a 
few  verses  before.  And  to  say  that  this  was  merely 
in  accomrnodation  to  Jewish  ideas,  is  to  dishonour 
the  teaching  of  our  Lord,  and  degrade  Judaism 
to  a  level  with  the  rites  of  Paganism, 

46-52.— Blind  Bartimeus  Healed.  {  =  Matt. 
XX.  29-34;  Luke  xviii.  35-43.)  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Luke  xviii.  35-43. 

CHAP.  XL    111.— Christ's  Triumphal  Entry 


The  barren 


MARK  XL 


fig  tree  curseii. 


10 


11 


12 


name  of  the  Lord!  Blessed  be  the  kingdom  of  our  father  David,  that 
Cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord !     ^  Hosanna  in  the  highest ! 

And  ^  Jesus  entered  into  Jerusalem,  and  into  the  temple :  and  when  he 
had  looked  round  ahout  upon  all  things,  and  now  the  even-tide  was  come, 
he  went  out  unto  Bethany  with  the  twelve. 

And  *on  the  morrow,  when  tliey  were  come  from  Bethany,  he  was 

13  hungiy:  and  •'seeing  a  fig  tree  afar  off  having  leaves,  he  came,  if  haply 
he  might  find  any  thing  thereon:  and  when  he  came  to  it,  he  found 

14  nothing  but  leaves;  for  the  time  of  figs  was  not  ?/^#.  And  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  it,  No  man  eat  fruit  of  thee  hereafter  for  ever. 
And  his  disciples  heard  it. 

And  ^"they  come  to  Jeitisalem :  and  Jesus  went  into  the  temple,  and 
began  to  cast  out  them  that  sold  and  boiight  in  the  temple,  and  over- 
threw the  tables  of  the  money-changers,  and  the  seats  of  them  that  sold 
doves;    and  would  not  suffer   that  any  man   should  carry  an]/  vessel 

17  through  the  temple.  And  he  taught,  saying  unto  them,  Is  it  not  TVTitten, 
'My  house  shall  be  called  -^of  all  nations  the  house  of  prayer?  but  ™ye 

18  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves.  And  "the  scribes  and  chief  priests  heard 
it,  and  sought  how  they  might  destroy  him :  for  they  feared  him,  because 

19  all  "the  people  was  astonished  at  his  doctrine.  And  when  even  was  come, 
he  went  out  of  the  city. 

20  And  ^in  the  morning,  as  they  passed  by,  they  saw  the  fig  tree  dried 


15 


16 


A.  D.  33. 


^  Ps    148.  1 
''  Matt. '21.12. 

•  Watt.  21. 18. 
J  Matt. 21.] 9. 

*  Matt. 21. 12. 
Luke  19.45. 
John  2. 14. 

«  Isa.  fiQ.  7. 

Isa.  CO.  r. 

Zee.  2.  11. 
1  Oi',  an 

house  of 

prayer 

for  aU 

nations? 
"■  Jer.  7.  11. 

Hos.  12.  7. 

John  2.  16. 
"  Matt. 21.45, 

46 

I  like  10.47. 
"  Matt.  7.  28. 

ch.  1.  22. 

Luke  4.  32. 
P  Matt. 2 1.19. 

John  15.  6. 

Heb.  6.  8. 

Jude  12. 


INTO  Jerusalem,  on  the  first  day  of  the  week. 
(  =  Matt,  xxl  1-9;  Luke  xix.  29-40;  John  xiL  12. 
19.)  For  tlie  exposition  of  this  majestic  scene^ 
recorded,  as  will  be  seen,  by  all  the  Evangelists — 
see  on  Luke  xix.  29-40. 

11-26.— The  Barren  Fig  Tree  Cursed,  with 
Lessons  from  it — Second  Cleansing  of  the 
Temple,  on  the  second  and  third  days  of 
THE  WEEK.  (  =  Matt.  xxL  12-22;  Luke  xix,  45- 
43.) 

11.  And  Jesus  entered  into  Jerusalem,  and 
into  the  temple :  and  tirhen  he  had  looked  round 
about  upon— or  'sm-veyed'  all  things,  and  now 
the  even-tide  was  come,  he  went  out  unto 
Bethany  with  the  twelve.  Thus  briefly  does  our 
Evangelist  dispose  of  this  His  first  day  in  Jerusa- 
lem, after  the  triumiihal  entry.  Nor  do  the  Third 
and  Fourth  Gospels  give  us  more  light.  But  from 
Matthew  (xxL  10,  11,  14-16)  we  learn  some  addi- 
tional and  precious  particulars,  for  which  see  on 
Luke  xix.  45-48.  It  was  not  now  safe  for  the 
Lord  to  sleep  in  the  City,  nor,  from  the  day  of  His 
Triumxihal  Entry,  did  He  pass  one  night  in  it, 
save  the  last  fatal  one. 

7Vie  Barren  Fig  Tree  Cursfd  (12-14).  12.  And  on 
the  morrow.  Tlie  Triumiihal  Entry  being  on  the 
First  day  of  the  week,  this  following  day  was 
Monday,  when  they  were  come  from  Bethany — 
"in  the  morning"  (Matt.  xxL  IS) — he  was  hungry. 
How  was  that?  Had  He  stolen  forth  from  that 
dear  roof  at  Bethany  to  the  "mountain  to  pray,  and 
continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God?"  (Luke  vi.  12); 
or,  "in  the  morning,"  as  on  a  former  occasion, 
"  risen  up  a  great  while  before  day,  and  departed 
into  a  solitary  place,  and  there  prayed"  (Mark  i.  35) ; 
not  breaking  His  fast  thereafter,  but  bending  His 
steps  straight  for  the  city,  that  He  might  "  work 
the  works  of  Him  that  sent  Him  while  it  was  day"  ? 
(John  ix.  4).  We  know  not,  though  one  lingers 
upon  and  loves  to  trace  out  the  every  movement 
of  that  life  of  wonders.  One  thing,  however,  we 
are  sure  of— it  was  real  hod'dy  hunger  which  He 
now  sought  to  allay  liy  the  fruit  of  this  fig  tree, 
"  if  haply  He  might  find  any  thing  thereon  ;"  not 
a  mere  scene  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  a  lesson, 
as  some  early  heretics  maintained,  and  some  still 
183 


seem  virtually  to  hold.  13.  And  seeing  a  fig  tree. 
(In  Matt.  xxi.  19,  it  is'one  fig  tree' [/.tt'ai'],  but  the 
sense  is  the  same  as  here,  '  a  certain  fig  tree'  [  =  Tii/a], 
as  in  Matt.  viii.  19,  &c.)  Bethphage,  which  adjoined 
Bethany,  derives  its  name  from  its  being  afiff-reriion 
pBiTa] — 'House  of  figs.'  afar  off  having  leaves 
— and  therefore  promising  fruit,  which  in  the 
case  of  figs  comes  before  the  leaves,  he  came,  if 
haply  he  might  find  any  thing  thereon :  and 
when  he  came  to  it,  he  found  nothing  hut 
leaves;  for  the  time  of  figs  was  not  [yet]. 
What  the  precise  import  of  this  explanation  is, 
interpreters  are  not  agreed.  Perhajis  all  that  is 
meant  is,  that  as  the  proper  fig  season  had  not 
arrived,  no  fruit  would  have  been  expected  even 
of  this  tree  but  for  the  leaves  which  it  had,  which 
were  in  this  case  prematurely  and  unnaturally 
developed.  14.  And  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  it,  No  man  eat  fruit  of  thee  hereafter  for 
ever.  That  word  did  not  v^ake  the  tree  barren, 
but  sealed  it  up  in  its  own  barrenness.  See  on 
Matt.  xiiL  13  15.  And  his  disciples  heard  it — 
and  marked  the  saying.  This  is  introduced  as  a 
connecting  link,  to  explain  what  was  afterwards 
to  be  said  on  the  subject,  as  the  narrative  has  to 
proceed  to  the  other  ti'ansactions  of  this  day. 

Second  Cleansing  of  the  Temple  (15-18).  _  For  the 
exposition  of  this  iwrtion,  see  on  Luke  xix.  45-48. 

Lessons  from  the  Cursing  of  the  Fig  Tree  (20-26). 
20.  And  in  the  morning— of  Tuesday,  the  third 
day  of  the  week :  He  had  slept,  as  during  all  this 
week,  at  Bethany,  as  they  passed  by — going 
into  Jerusalem  again,  they  saw  the  fig  tree  dried 
up  from  the  roots— no  partial  blight,  leaving  life 
in  the  root ;  but  it  was  now  dead,  root  and  branch. 
In  Matt.  xxL  19,  it  is  said  it  withered  away  as  soon 
as  it  was  cursed.  But  the  full  blight  had  not  ap- 
peared probably  at  once;  and  in  the  dusk  perhaps, 
as  they  returned  to  Bethany,  they  had  not  observed 
it.  The  precision  with  which  Mark  distinguishes 
the  days  is  not  observed  by  Matthew,  intent 
only  on  holding  up  the  truths  whicli  the  inci- 
dent was  designed  to  teach.  In  Matthew  the 
whole  is  represented  as  taking  place  at  once,  just 
as  the  two  stages  of  Jairus'  daughter — dying  and 
dead — are  represented  by  him  as  one.     The  only 


Faith  in  prayer. 


MARK  XI. 


The  duty  offorgixeness. 


21  up  from  the  roots.     And  Peter  calling  to  remembrance  saith  unto  him, 

22  Master,  behold,  the  fig  tree  -which  thou  cursedst  is  withered  away.     And 

23  Jesus  answering  saith  unto  them,  ^Have  faith  in  God.  For  ^verily  I  say 
unto  you,  That  whosoever  shall  say  unto  this  mountain,  Be  thou  removed, 
and  be  thou  cist  into  the  sea ;  and  shall  not  doubt  in  his  heart,  but  shall 
beheve  that  those  things  which  he  saith  shall  come  to  i)ass ;  he  shall  have 

24  whatsoever  he  saith.  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  ''What  things  soever  ye 
desire,  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  ye  receive  them,  and  ye  shall  have  them. 

25  And  when  ye  stand  praying,  *  forgive,  if  ye  have  ought  against  any;  that 
your  Father  also  which  is  in  heaven  may  forgive  you  your  trespasses. 

2G  But  'if  ye  do  not  forgive,  neither  will  your  lather  which  is  in  heaven 

forgive  your  tresi)asses. 
27       And  they  come  again  to  Jerusalem:  and  ''as  he  was  walking  in  the 

temple,  there  conne  to  him  the  chief  priests,  and  the  scribes,  and  the 


A.  D.  S3 

2  Or,  Have 

the  faith 

of  God. 
9  H!att.  17.20. 

JIatt.  21.21. 

Luke  17.  6. 
'■  Luke  11.  9. 

John  14.  vs. 

John  15  7. 

John  16  24. 

Jas  1.  6,  6. 
»  Matt.  C.  14. 

Col.  3.  13. 

Eph.  4.  32. 
t  Matt.18.3-1. 
"  Matt  21. 2i. 

Luke  20.  1. 


difference  is  between  a  more  summary  and  a  more 
detailed  narrative,  each  of  which  only  contirms  the 
other.  21.  And  Peter  calling  to  remembrance 
saith  unto  him— satisfied  that  a  miracle  so  very 
l)eculiar,  a  miracle,  not  of  hles-fing,  as  all  his  other 
miracles,  bnt  of  cursing,  could  not  have  been 
WTOught  but  with  some  higher  reference,  and 
fully  expecting  to  hear  sometliing  weighty  on  the 
subject :  Master,  behold,  the  fig  tree  which  thou 
cursedst  is  withered  away— so  connecting  the  two 
tilings  as  to  show  that  he  traced  the  death  of  the 
tree  entirely  to  the  curse  of  his  Lord.  Matthew 
(xxL  20)  gives  this  simply  as  a  general  exclamation 
of  surpi-ise  by  the  disciples  "  how  soon"  the  blight 
had  taken  elicct.  22.  And  Jesus  answering  saith 
iinto  them.  Have  faith  in  God.  23.  For  verily  I 
say  unto  you,  That  v;-hosoever  shall  say  unto 
this  mountain,  Be  thou  removed,  and  be  thou 
cast  into  the  sea ;  and  shall  not  doubt  in  Ms 
heart,  but  shall  believe  that  those  things  which 
he  saith  shall  come  to  pass ;  he  shall  have  what- 
soever he  saith.  Here  is  the  lesson  now.  From 
the  nai.ure  of  the  case  supjiosed — that  they  might 
wish  a  mountain  removed  and  cast  into  the  sea,  a 
thing  far  removed  from  anything  \\hich  they  could 
1)6  thought  actually  to  desire — it  is  jilain  that  not 
physical  but  moral  obstacles  to  the  iirogress  of  His 
kingdom  were  in  the  Kedeemer's  view,  and  that 
what  He  designed  to  teach  was  the  great  lesson, 
that  no  ohsta:le  should  be  able  to  stand  before  a 
conM'mi  faith  in  God.  24.  Therefore  I  say  unto 
yoii,  What  things  soever  ye  desire,  when  ye  pray, 
believe  that  ye  receive  them,  and  ye  shall  have 
them.  This  verse  only  generaliies  the  assurance 
of  the  former  verse ;  which  seems  to  show  that  it 
was  designed  for  the  special  encouragement  of 
erangelistic  and  missionary  efibrts,  while  this  is  a 
directory  for  prevailing  prayer  in  general.  25.  And 
when  ye  stand  praying,  forgive,  if  ye  have  aught 
against  any;  that  your  Father  also  which  is  in 
heaven  may  forgive  you  your  trespasses.  26.  But 
if  ye  do  not  forgive,  neither  will  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven  forgive  your  trespasses.  This 
is  repeated  from  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (see  on 
Matt.  vi.  14,  15) ;  to  remind  thorn  that  if  this  was 
necessary  to  the  acceptableness  of  all  virayer,  much 
more  when  great  things  were  to  be  asked  and  confi- 
deiithj  expected.  [Tischendorf  excludes  v.  26  from 
his  text,  on  what  appears  to  us  very  insutiicient 
evidence.  He  thinks  it  borrowed  from  Matt.  yi.  15. 
Tregelles aX&o  excludes  it;  \i\\t  Lachmannretixms,  it. 
Of  critical  commentators,  though  Fritzsche  brackets 
it  and  inchnes  against  it,  Meyer  and  Alford  defend 
it,  and  De  Wetle  is  in  favour  of  it.  ] 

Remarks. — 1.   Needless    difficulties    have   been 
raised   and  indifierent  solutions  oi  them  offered  on 
the  subject  of  o..r  Lords  expecting  Iruit  f.om  the 
1S4 


fig  tree  when  He  must  have  known  there  was  none. 
But  the  same  ditficulty  may  be  raised  about  the 
structure  of  the  parable  of  tne  Barren  Fig  Tree,  in 
which  it  is  said  that  the  great  Husbandman  "  came 
and  sought  fruit  thereon,  and  found  none"  (Luke 
xiii.  (3).  The  same  ditficulty  may  be  raised  about  al- 
most every  human  thought,  feeling,  and  action  of  our 
Lord — that  if  He  possessed  Divine  knowledge  and 
infinite  yiower,  such  thoughts,  feelings,  and  actions 
could  not  have  been  real.  Nay,  such  difficulties 
may  be  raised  about  tlie  reality  of  human  freedom 
and  responsibility,  if  it  be  true  that  everything  is 
under  the  supreme  direction  of  the  Lord  of  all. 
Let  us  have  done  A\ith  such  vain  siieculations, 
which  every  well-regulated  mind  sees  to  invohc 
no  difficulty  at  all,  though  the  principle  which  lies 
at  the  bottom  of  them  is  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
human  mind  at  present — jiossibly  beyond  all  finite 
comprehension.  2.  Was  there  not  another  fig  tree 
to  which  Christ  came — not  once  only,  but  "lo,  tliose 
three  years  —  seeking  fruit  and  linding  none ''  'i 
(See  on  Luke  xiii.  0-0.)  How  really,  how  continu- 
ously, how  keenly,  He  hungered  for  that  fruit,  is 
best  understood  by  His  lamentation  over  it — "How 
often  would  I  have  gathered  thee,  and  ye  would 
not!"  (Matt,  xxiii.  ,37).  And  is  not  this  repeated 
from  age  to  age?  A\  ell,  just  as  the  tig  tree  whicli 
Christ  ciu'sed  was  dried  iqi  from  the  roots  long  be- 
fore it  was  piulled  uji  by  the  roots,  so  was  it  with 
Israel,  of  whom  Jesus  said,  whilst  He  was  yet 
alive,  "but  now  the  things  that  belong  to  thy 
peace  are  hid  from  thine  eyes; "  and  yet  it  was  long 
after  that  before  "the  wrath  came  upon  them  to 
the  uttermost."  And  so  it  is  to  be  feared  that  many 
are  blighted  before  they  are  cut  down  and  cast 
into  the  fire,  and  that  theie  may  be  a  dehiute  tin.e 
when  the  curse  is  pronounced,  when  the  transition 
takes  place,  and  when  the  withering  process  begins, 
never  to  be  arrested.  (See  Ezek.  xvii.  24.)  0  that 
men  were  wise,  that  they  understood  these  things, 
that  they  would  consider  then-  latter  end !  3.  What 
glorious  encouragement  to  evangelistic  and  mis- 
sionary efibrt  is  here  lield  foi'th!  And  has  not  the 
promise  of  v.  2.3  been  so  abundantly  fulfilled  in 
past  history  as  to  put  to  flight  all  oiu-  fears  abor.t 
the  future ''.  Certainly  when  one  thinks  of  t\\e 
"mountains"  that  have  already  been  "  reiaoved 
and  cast  into  the  sea"  by  the  victorious  faith  of 
Chxist's  disciples — the  towering  paganisms  of  the 
old  world  which  have  fallen  before  the  Chui'ch  of 
Christ— we  may  well  exclaim  of  the  gigantic  Indian 
superstitions,  with  the  hoar  of  entire  millenniums 
upon  them,  and  of  all  other  obstacles  whatever  to 
the  triumphs  of  the  Cross,  "  Who  art  thou,  O 
great  mountain  ?  Before  Zericbbabel  thou  s/ialt  be- 
come a  plain"  (Zee.  iv.  7). 
27-3o.— The  AuTHuiaxY  of  Jescs  Questioned 


Parable  of  the 


MARK  XII. 


Wicked  Husbandmen. 


28  elders,  and  say  unto  him,  By  what  authority  doest  tliou  these  things? 

29  and  who  gave  thee  this  authority  to  do  these  things?  And  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  will  also  ask  of  you  one  ^question,  and 

oO  answer  me,  and  I  will  tell  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things.     The 

31  baptism  of  John,  was  it  from  heaven,  or  of  men?  answer  me.  And  they 
reasoned  with  themselves,  saying.  If  we  sliall  say.  From  heaven ;  he  will 

32  say,  Why  then  did  ye  not  believe  him  ?  But  if  we  shall  say,  Of  men ; 
they  feared  the  people:  for  ^'all  men  counted  John,  that  he  was  a  prophet 

33  indeed.  And  they  answered  and  said  unto  Jesus,  We  cannot  tell.  And 
Jesus  answering  saitli  unto  them,  ^"Neither  do  I  tell  you  by  what  authority 
I  do  these  things. 

12  AND  "he  began  to  speak  unto  them  by  parables.  A  certain  man 
planted  a  vineyard,  and  set  an  hedge  about  it,  and  digged  a  place  for 
the  winefat,  and  built  a  tower,  and  let  it  out  to  husbandmen,  and  went 

2  into  a  far  country.     And  at  the  season  he  sent  to  the  husbandmen  a 
servant,  that  he  might  receive  from  the  husbandmen  of  the  fruit  of  the 

3  vineyard.      And  they  caught  him,  and  beat  him,  and  sent  him  away 

4  empty.     And  again  he  sent  unto  them  another  servant;  and  at  him  they 
cast  stones,  and  wounded  him  in  the  head,  and  sent  him  away  shamefully 

5  handled.     And  again  he  sent  another;  and  him  they  killed,  and  many 
G  others;  beating  some,  and  ''killing  some.     Having  yet  therefore  one  son, 

'^^liis  well-beloved,  he  sent  him  also  last  unto  them,  saying.  They  will 

7  reverence  my  son.     But  those  husbandmen  said  among  themselves.  This 
is  ''the  heir;  come,  let  us  kill  him,  and  the  inheritance  shall  be  ours. 

8  And  they  took  him,  and  'killed  him,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  vineyard, 
y  What  sliall  therefore  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  do?     lie  will  come  and 

10  destroy  the  husbandmen,  and  •'will  give  the  vineyard  unto  others.  And 
have  ye  not  read  this  scripture;   The  ^stone  which  the  builders  rejected 

11  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner:  this  was  the  Lord's  doing,  and  ''it  is 
marvellous  in  our  eyes? 

12  And  Hhey  sought  to  lay  hold  on  him,  but  feared  the  people;  for  they 
knew  that  he  had  spoken  the  parable  against  them :  and  they  left  him, 
and  went  their  way. 

13  And  -^they  send  unto  him  certain  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the  Ilerodians, 
to  catch  him  in  his  words. 

14  And  when  they  were  come,  they  say  unto  him.  Master,  we  know 
that  thou  art  true,  and  carest  for  no  man ;  for  thou  regardest  not  the 
person  of  men,  but  teachest  the  way  of  God  in  truth :  Is  it  lawful  to  give 

15  tribute  to  Cesar,  or  not?  Shall  we  give,  or  shall  we  not  give?  But  he, 
knowing  their  hypocrisy,  said  unto  them.  Why  tempt  ye  me  ?  bring  me 


A.  D.  33. 


3  Or,  thins. 
"  Matt  3.  5. 

Matt.  14.  5. 

ch.  C.  20. 
•"  Job  5.  13. 

Ps.  9.  15. 

Ps   33.  10. 

Pro.  26.  4,5. 

Matt  16.  4. 

1  C'or  3.  19. 

CHAP.  12. 

"  Ps.  80.  8. 

Song  8.  11. 

Isa.  6.  1. 

Jer.  2.  21. 

Matt  2  .33. 

Luke  -0. 9. 
b  2  Chr.24.14. 

2Chr.36.16. 

Neh.  9.  25. 

Acts  7.  52. 

lThes.2.1o. 

Heb.  11.  36. 
<^  Ps.  2.  7. 

Matt.  1.  23. 

Pom.  8.  3. 

Gal.  4.  4. 

1  John  4.  9. 

lJohn.5.11, 
12. 
rf  Ps  2.  8. 

Heb.  1.  2. 

Acts  4.  27. 
'  Acts  2.  23. 
/  Acts  25.  23- 

2s. 
'J  Ps.  118.  22. 

Matt  21.42. 

Luke  20.17, 
1^. 

Rom.  9.  33. 

Eph.  2.  20. 

1  Pet.  2.7,  S. 
''  1  Tim.  3. 10. 
i  Matt.  21. i5, 

46. 

ell.  11.  18. 
John  7.  25, 
30,  44. 
i   Matt.  22. 15. 

Luke  20.20. 


—His  Reply.  (=Matt.  xxi.  23-27  ;.  Luke  xx.  1-8.) 
For  the  exposition,  see  on  Matt.  xxi.  23-27. 

CHAP.  All.  1-12. — Parable  of  the  Wicked 
Husbandmen.  (Matt.  xxi.  33-46;  Luke  xx.  9-18.) 
For  the  ex]jositioii,  see  on  Matt.  xxi.  33-46. 

1:3-40.— Entangling  Questions  about  Trib- 
ute, the  Pk-esurrection,  and  the  Great  Com- 
jiandment,  avith  the  Pieplies — Christ  baffles 
THE  Pharisees  by  a  Question  about  David,  and 
Denounces  the  Scribes.  (=Matt.  xxii.  15-48; 
Luke  XX.  20-47. )  The  time  of  this  Section  appears 
to  be  still  the  third  day  of  Christ's  last  week 
— Tuesday.  Matthew  introduces  the  subject  by 
saying  (xxii.  l.")),  "Then  went  the  Pharisees  and 
took  counsel  how  they  might  entangle  Him  in 
His  talk." 

13.  And  they  send  unto  him  certain  of  the 
Pharisees — "their  disciples,"  says  Matthew; 
]irobably  young  and  zealous  scholars  in  that  har- 
dening school,  and  of  the  Herodians.  See  on 
Matt.  xxii.  10.  In  Luke  xx.  20  these  willing  tools 
185 


are  called  "s])ies,  which  should  feign  themselves 
.just  (or  'righteous')  men,  that  they  might  take 
hold  of  His  words,  that  so  they  might  deliver  Him 
unto  the  power  and  authority  of  the  governor." 
Their  plan,  then,  was  to  entrap  Him  into  some 
expression  which  might  be  construed  into  dis- 
afl'ection  to  the  Roman  government;  the  Pharisees 
themselves  being  notoriously  discontented  with 
the  Roman  yoke. 

Tribute  to  Cemr  (14-17).  14.  And  when  they  were 
come,  they  say  unto  him,  Master— or  'teacher' 
[Aioao-fcaXe]— we  know  that  thou  art  true,  and 
carest  for  no  man;  for  thou  regardest  not  the 
person  of  men,  hut  teachest  the  way  of  God  In 
truth.  By  such  Hattery— though  tliey  said  only 
the  truth — they  hoped  to  thmw  Him  off  His 
guard.  Is  it  lawful  to  give  tribute  [Kfjiiaoi/',  to 
Cesar,  or  not?  It  was  the  civil  poll-tax  paid  by 
all  enrolled  in  the  'Census.'  See  on  Matt. 
xvii.  23.  15.  Shall  we  give,  or  shall  we  not 
give?    But  he,  knowinj   their  hypocrisy   [biro- 


Entangling  questions 


Mx\E,K  XII. 


about  the  resurrection. 


16  a  ^ penny  that  I  may  see  it.  And  they  brought  it.  And  he  saith  unto 
them,  "\Vliose  is  this  image  and  superscription  ?     And  they  said  unto  him, 

17  Cesar's.  And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  them,  Render  to  Cesar  the 
things  that  are  Cesar's,  and  to  God  the  things  that  are  God's.  And  they 
marvelled  at  him. 

18  Then  '^"come  unto  him  the  Sadducees,  which  ^say  there  is  no  resurrec- 

19  tion;  and  they  asked  him,  saying,  Master,  '"Moses  wrote  unto  us.  If  a 
man's  brother  die,  and  leave  his  wife  behind  him,  and  leave  no  cliildren, 
that  his  brother  should  take  his  wife,  and  raise  up  seed  unto  his  brother. 

20  Now  there  were  seven  brethren :  and  the  first  took  a  wife,  and  dying  left 

21  no  seed.     And  the  second  took  her,  and  died,  neither  left  he  any  seed: 

22  and  the  third  likewise.     And  the  seven  had  her,  and  left  no  seed :  last  of 

23  all  the  woman  died  also.     In  the  resurrection  therefore,  when  they  shall 

24  rise,  whose  wife  shall  she  be  of  them  ?  for  the  seven  had  her  to  wife.  And 
Jesus  answering  said  unto  them.  Do  ye  not  therefore  err,  because  ye  know 
not  ''the  Scriptures,  neither  "the  power  of  God?  For  when  they  shall 
rise  from  the  dead,  they  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage ;  but 
^are  as  the  angels  which  are  in  heaven.  And  as  touching  the  dead,  that 
they  rise ;  have  ye  not  read  in  the  book  of  Moses,  how  in  the  bush  God 
spake  unto  him,  saying,  ^I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of 

27  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob?  He  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  the 
God  of  the  living :  ye  therefore  do  greatly  err. 


25 


26 


A.  D.  33. 


1  In  value 

sevenpence 

haU'penny. 
«:  Matt.  22.23. 

Luke  20.27. 
f  Acts  23.  8. 

1  Cor.15.12. 
'"(^en.  38.  8. 

Peut  25.  5. 

Kuth  4.  5. 
"1  an.  12.  2. 

Hos.  6.  2. 

1  Tim.  1,  7. 

2  Pet.  1.  19. 
"  Luke  1.  37. 

Eom.  4.  17. 
Eph.  1.  19, 

20. 

Heb.  H.l". 

P  Matt.22.30. 

Luke  20.35, 

36. 

1  Cor.  7.  29. 
1  Cor.  15.42, 

49,  52. 

Heb.  12.  22, 
23. 
5  Ex.  3.  G. 


K^i<riv\ — "tlieir  wickedness"  \^ov>]pi.av\  Matt.  xxii. 
18;  "their  craftiness"  \Tvavo\)pyLav\  Luke  xx. 
23.  The  malignity  of  their  hearts  took  the 
form  of  craft,  pretending  what  they  did  not 
feel — an  anxious  desire  to  be  guided  aright  in  a 
matter  which  to  a  scrupulous  few  might  seem  a 
question  of  some  dithculty.  Seeing  perfectly 
through  this,  He  said  unto  them,  Why  tempt  ye 
me?— "hypocrites  !  "  bring  me  a  penny  \li]vapi.ov\ 
that  I  may  see  it— or  "the  tribute  money"  (Matt, 
xxii.  19).  16.  And  they  brought  it.  And  he  saith 
unto  them,  Whose  is  this  image  [elKuiv] — stamped 
upon  the  coin,  and  superscription?  [e7rtypa<^t;l — 
the  word.?  encircling  it  on  the  obverse  side. 
And  they  said  unto  him,  Cesar's.  17.  And  Jesus 
answering  said  unto  them,  Render  to  Cesar 
the  things  that  are  Cesar's.  Putting  it  in  this 
general  form,  it  was  impossible  *or  sedition  itself 
to  dispute  it,  aud  yet  it  dissolved  the  snare,  and 
to  God  the  thing's  that  are  God's.  How  much 
is  there  in  this  profound  but  to  them  startling  ad- 
d  tion  to  the  maxim,  and  how  incomparable  is  the 
whole  for  fulness,  l)revity,  clearness,  weight !  and 
they  marvelled  at  him—"  at  His  answer,  and  held 
their  peace"  (Luke  xx.  23),  "and  left  Him,  and 
went  their  way"  (Matt.  xxii.  22). 

The.  BeHurrection  (18-27).  18.  Then  come  unto 
him  the  Sadducees,  which  say  there  is  no  resur- 
rection— "  neither  angel  nor  spirit"  (Acts  xxiii.  7). 
They  were  the  materialists  of  the  day.  See  on 
^cts  xxiii.  7.  and  they  asked  him,  sajang,  19-22. 
Master,  Moses  wrote  unto  us  (Deut.  xxv.  5),  If 
a  man's  brother  die,  and  leave  his  wife  behind 
him,  &c.  .  .  .  And  the  seven  had  her,  and  left 
no  seed :  last  of  all  the  woman  died  also.  23. 
In  the  resurrection  therefore  [when  they  shall 
rise].  The  clause  in  brackets  is  of  doubtful 
authority,  and  Trer/elles  omits  it;  but  Lachmann 
and  Tiscliervlorf  retain  it.  whose  wife  shall  she 
ba  of  them?  for  the  seven  had  her  to  wife.  24. 
And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  them,  Do  ye  not 
therefore  err,  because  ye  know  not  the  Scriptures 
— regarding  the  future  state,  neither  the  power 
of  God?— before  which  a  thousand  such  difficulties 
vanish.  25.  For  when  they  shall  rise  from  the 
dead,  they  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  mar- 
ISG 


rlage — "neither  can  they  die  any  more"  (Luke 
XX.  33).  Marriage  is  ordained  to  peri3etuate  the 
human  family;  but  as  there  will  be  no  breaches 
by  death  in  the  future  state,  this  ordinance 
will  cease,  but  are  as  the  angels  which  are  in 
heaven.  In  Luke  it  is  "  equal  unto  the  angels" 
[io-ayyeXoi]:  but  as  the  subject  is  death  and  resur- 
rection, we  are  not  warranted  to  extend  the 
equality  here  taught  beyond  the  one  point — the 
immortality  of  their  nature.  A  beautiful  clause 
is  added  in  Luke — "  and  are  the  children  of  God" 
— not  in  respect  of  character,  which  is  not  here 
spoken  of,  but  of  ncdure — "being  the  children  of 
the  resurrection,"  as  rising  to  an  undecaying  exist- 
ence (Rom.  viii.  21,  2S),  aud  so  being  the  children 
of  their  Fathers  immortality  (I  Tim.  vi.  16).  26. 
And  as  touching  the  dead,  that  they  rise;  have 
ye  not  read  in  the  book  of  Moses — "  even  Moses" 
(Luke  XX.  37),  whom  they  had  just  quoted  for  the 
purpose  of  entangling  Him,  how  in  the  bush  God 
spake  unto  him  [tVi  tov  /Scixou]- either  '  at  the 
bush,'  as  the  same  expression  is  rendered  in  Luke 
XX.  37,  that  is,  when  he  was  there ;  or  '  in  the  (sec- 
tion of  his  history  regarding  the)  bush.'  The  struc- 
ture of  our  verse  suggests  the  latter  sense,  which 
is  not  unusual,  saying  (Exod.  iii.  6),  I  am  the  God 
of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of 
Jacob?    27.  He  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but 

[the  God]  of  the  living  [6  Oeos  veKpwv  aWa  Geos 
^oifTcoy] — not  'the  God  of  dead  but  [the  God]  of 
living  persons.'  The  word  in  brackets  is  almost 
certainly  an  addition  to  the  genuine  text,  and 
critical  editors  exclude  it.  "  For  all  live  unto 
Him"  [ai/xto]  Luke  xx.  .38 — 'in  His  view,'  or  'in 
His  estimation.'  This  last  statement — found  only 
in  Luke — though  adding  nothing  to  the  argument, 
is  an  important  additional  illustration.  It  is  true, 
indeed,  that  to  God  no  human  being  is  dead  or 
ever  will  be,  but  all  mankind  sustain  an  abiding 
conscious  relation  to  Him;  but  the  "all"  here 
mean  "those  who  shall  be  accounted  worthy  to 
obtain  that  world."  These  sustain  a  gracious 
covenant -relation  to  God  which  cannot  be  dis- 
solved. (Compare  Rom.  vi.  10,  11.)  In  this  sense 
our  Lord  affirms  that  for  Moses  to  call  the  Lord 
the  "God"  of  His  patriarchal  servants,  if  at  that 


WJiich  is  the 


MAUK  XII. 


great  coTumandment  ? 


28 


29 


And  '"one  of  the  scribes  came,  and  having  heard  them  reasoning 
together,  and  perceiving  that  he  had  answered  them  well,  asked  him, 
Which  is  the  first  commandment  of  all  ?  And  Jesus  answered  him,  The 
first  of  all  the  commandments  is,  ^Hear,  0  Israel;  The  Lord  our  God  is 

30  one  Lord :  and  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and 
wdth  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength.    This 

31  is  the  first  commandment.     And  the  second  is  like,  namely  this.  Thou 
'shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.     There  is  none  other  commandment 


A   D.  31. 


Matt  22.:5. 
Deut.  a  4. 
Pro.  23.  26. 
Luke  10  27. 
Lev.  19  IS. 
Eom.  13.  9. 
1  Cor.  13.  1. 
GaL  5.  14. 
Ja-s.  2.  8. 


moment  they  liad  no  existence,  would  be  un- 
worthy of  Him.  He  "would  be  ashmned  to  be 
called  their  God,  if  He  had  not  prepared  for  them 
a  city"  (Heb.  xi.  IG).  It  was  concluded  by  some 
of  the  early  Fathers,  from  our  Lord's  resting  His 
proof  of  the  Hesurrection  on  such  a  passage  as 
this,  instead  of  quoting  some  much  clearer  testi- 
monies of  the  Old  Testament,  that  the  Saddu- 
cees,  to  whom  this  was  addressed,  acknowledged 
the  authority  of  no  part  of  the  Old  Testament  but 
the  Pentateuch ;  and  this  opinion  has  held  its 
ground  even  till  now.  But  as  there  is  no  ground 
for  it  in  the  New  Testament,  so  Joseplius  is  silent 
ujion  it ;  merely  saying  that  they  rejected  the  Phari- 
saic traditions.  It  was  because  the  Pentateuch  was 
regarded  by  all  classes  as  the  fundamental  source 
of  the  Hebrew  lleligion,  an-d  all  the  succeeding 
books  ef  the  Old  Testament  but  as  developments 
of  it,  that  OTir  Lord  would  show  that  even  there 
the  doctrine  of  the  Resurrection  was  taught.  And 
all  the  rather  does  He  select  this  passage,  as  being 
not  a  bare  annunciation  of  the  doctrine  in  question, 
but  as  expressive  of  that  glorious  truth  out  of 
which  the  Resurrection  sprinns.  "And  when  the 
multitude  heard  this  (says  Matt.  xxii.  33),  they 
were  astonished  at  His  doctrine."  "Then  (adds 
Luke  XX.  39,  40)  certain  of  the  scribes  answering 
said,  Master "^ — 'Teacher'  [Aioao-zcaXe],  "tlwu  Im^ 
well  said" — enjoying  His  victory  over  the  Sad- 
ducees.  "And  after  that  they  durst  not  ask  Him 
any  [question  at  all]" — neither  i^arty  could;  both 
being  for  the  time  utterly  foiled. 

The  Great  Commandment  (28-34).  "But  when 
the  Pharisees  had  heard  that  He  had  put  the  Sad- 
ducees  to  silence,  they  were  gathered  together" 
(Matt.  xxii.  34).  28.  And  one  of  the  scribes  [ypafi.- 
/xaredju] — "  a  la^w^^r  "  [yoiaKo-i],  says  Matthew  (xxii. 
35) ;  that  is,  a  teacher  of  the  law,  came,  and  hav- 
ing heard  them  reasoning  together,  and  perceiv- 
ing that  he  had  answered  them  well,  asked  him — 
manifestly  in  no  bad  spirit.  When  Matthew 
therefore  says  he  came  "tempting,"  or  "trying 
him,"  as  one  of  the  Pharisaic  party  who  seemed 
to  enjoy  the  defeat  He  had  given  to  the  Sadducees, 
we  may  suppose  that  though  somewhat  i)riding 
himself  upon  his  insight  into  the  law,  and  not 
indisposed  to  measure  his  knowledge  with  One  in 
whom  he  had  not  yet  learned  to  believe,  he  was 
nevertheless  an  honest-hearted,  fair  disputant. 
Which  is  the  first  commandment  of  all  ? — first  in 
importance ;  the  primary,  leading  commandment, 
the  most  fundamental  one.  This  was  a  question 
which,  with  some  others,  divided  the  Jewish 
teachers  into  rival  schools.  Our  Lord's  answer  is 
in  a  strain  of  resyiect  very  different  from  M'hat  He 
showed  to  cavillers — ever  observing  His  own  direc- 
tion, "Give  not  that  which  is  holy  to  the  dogs, 
neither  cast  ye  your  pearls  before  swine ;  lest  they 
trample  them  under  their  feet,  and  turn  again  and 
rend  you"  (Matt.  vii.  6).  29.  And  Jesus  answered 
him,  The  first  of  all  the  commandments  is.  The 
readings  here  vary  considerably.  Tischendorf  ahA 
Tregeltes  read  simiily  [TT^wt))  h^n-lv\  'the  first  is  ;' 
and  they  are  followed  by  Meyer  and  A  Iford.  But 
though  the  authority  for  the  precise  form  of  the 
187 


received  text  is  slender,  a  form  almost  identical 
with  it  seems  to  have  most  weight  of  authority. 
Om-  Lord  here  gives  His  explicit  sanction  to  the  dis- 
tinction between  commandments  of  a  more  funda- 
inental  CLudprimary  character,  and  commandments 
of  a  more  dependent  and  sid)ordinate  nature;  a 
distinction  of  which  it  is  confidently  asserted  by  a 
certain  class  of  critics  th.at  the  Jews  knew  nothing, 
that  our  Lord  and  his  apostles  nowhere  lay  down, 
and  which  has  been  invented  by  Christian  divines. 
(Compare  Matt,  xxiii.  23.)  Hear,  O  Israel;  the 
Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord.  This  every  devout  Jew 
recited  twice  every  day,  and  the  Jews  do  it  to  this 
day;  thus  keei)ing  up  the  great  ancient  national 
protest  against  the  iiolytheisms  and  pantheisms  of 
the  heathen-world :  it  is  the  great  utterance  of  the 
national  faith  in  One  Living  and  Personal  God — 
"One  Jehovah!"  30.  And  thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  -with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy 
strength.  This  is  the  first  commandment.  31. 
And  the  second  is  like,  namely  this,  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.  There  is  none 
other  commandment  greater  than  these.  As 
every  word  here  is  of  the  deepest  and  most  pre- 
cious import,  we  mu.st  take  it  in  all  its  details. 
30.  And  thou  shalt.  We  have  here  the  language  of 
law,  expressive  of  God's  claims.  What  then  are 
we  here  bound  down  to  do?  One  word  is  made  to 
express  it.  And  what  a  word!  Had  the  essence 
of  the  divine  law  consisted  in  deeds,  it  could  not 
possibly  have  been  expressed  in  a  sinde  word ;  for 
no  one  deed  is  comprehensive  of  all  others  em- 
braced in  the  law.  But  as  it  consists  in  an  affec- 
tion of  the  sold,  one  word  suflices  to  express  it — but 
only  one.  Fear,  though  due  to  God  and  enjoined 
by  Him,  is  limited  in  its  sphere  and  distant  in  char- 
acter. Trvst,  Hope,  and  the  like,  though  essen- 
tial features  of  a  right  state  of  heai-t  towards  God, 
are  called  into  action  only  liy  jiersonal  necessity, 
and  so  are — in  a  good  sense,  it  is  true,  but  still  are 
proiierly— ^fc?jfoA  affections;  that  is  to  say,  they 
have  re.speet  to  our  own  well-being.  But  Love  is 
an  aU-inclusire  affection,  embracing  not  only  every 
other  affection  i^roper  to  its  Oly'ect,  but  all  that  is 
proj^er  to  be  done  to  its  Object ;  for  as  love  spon- 
taneously seeks  to  please  its  Object,  so,  in  the 
case  of  men  to  God,  it  is  the  native  well-spiing  of 
a  voluntary  obedience.  It  is,  besides,  the  most 
personal  of  all  affections.  One  may  fear  an  event, 
one  may  hope  for  an  c'-enf,  one  may  rejoice  in  an 
event;  but  one  can  love  only  a  Person.  _  It  is  the 
tenderest,  the  most  unselfish,  the  most  divine  of  all 
affections.  Such,  then,  is  the  affection  in  Mhich 
the  essence  of  the  divine  law  is  declared  to  con- 
sist—  ThOTi  shalt  love.  We  now  come  to  the 
glorious  Object  of  that  demanded  affection.  Thou 
shalt  lov«  the  Lord,  thy  God— that  is,  Jehovah,  the 
Self-Existent  One,  who  has  revealed  Himself  as 
th-e  "  I  Am,"  and  there  is  "??o«e  else;  "  who,  though 
by  his  name  Jehovah  aTi]>arently  at  an  unap- 
proachable distance  from  His  finite  creatures,  yet 
bears  to  Thee  a  real  and  definite  relationship,  out 
of  which  arises  His  claim  and  Thy  duty — of  Love. 
But  with  what  are  we  to  love  Him?    four  things 


Love  the 


MARK  XII. 


fulfilling  of  the  Law. 


32  greater  than  tliese.  And  the  scribe  said  unto  him,  Well,  Master,  thou 
hast  said  the  truth:  for  there  is  one  God;  "and  there  is  none  other  but 

33  he :  And  to  love  him  with  all  the  heart,  and  with  all  the  understanding, 
and  with  all  the  soul,  and  with  all  the  strength,  and  to  love  his  neighbour 

3i  as  himself,  "is  more  than  all  whole  burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices.  And 
when  Jesus  saw  that  he  answered  discreetly,  he  said  unto  him,  Thou  art 
not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God.  ^And  no  man  after  that  durst  ask 
him  any  question. 

35       And  "^  Jesus  answered  and  said,  while  he  taught  in  the  temple.  How  say 


A.  D.  33. 

"  Deut.  4.  39. 

Isa.  45.6,14. 

Isa.  46.  9. 

1  Cor.  8  4,6. 
"  1  Sam.  15. 

22. 

llos.  (i.  C. 

Wic.  6.  6. 
'"  Matt.-22.46. 
*  Luke  20.41. 


are  here  specified.    First, ' '  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
tliy  God  "  with  thy  heart.    This  sometimes  means 
'the  whole  inner  man'  (as  Prov.  \v.  23):  but  that  can- 
not be  meant  here  ;  for  then  the  other  three  jiarti- 
culars  would  be  suijertluous.     Very  often  it  means 
'our  emotional  nature' — the  seat  of  feeling  as  dis- 
tinguished from   our    intellectual   nature   or   the 
t-e.it  of  thought,  commonly  called  the  "mind"  (as 
in    Phil.    iv.    7).      But    neither    can   this  be   the 
t^euse    of    it    here;    for    here   the    hoart    is   dis- 
tinguished   both     from    the     "mind"    and    the 
"soul."    The   "heart,"  then,  must  here  mean  the 
sincerity  of  both  the  thoughts  and  the  feelings ; 
in   other   words,     ^uprightness'   or    '  triie-hearte  l- 
ness,'   as    ojiposed   to    a    hypocritical   or    divided 
affection.      [So  the  word— nb  and  KapSia — is  used 
in  Gen.  xx.  6;  Heb.  x.  22;   and  see  particularly 
Jer.  iii.  10.]    But  next,  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God"  with  thy  soul.    This  is  designed  to  com- 
mand our  emotional  nature:    'Thou    shalt    put 
feelinr/  or  warmth  into  thine  affection.'    Further, 
"'•Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God"  with  thy 
mind.      This  commands  our  intellectual  nature: 
'Thou  shalt  put  intelligence  into  thine  affection'  — 
in  opposition  to  a  blind  devotion,  or  mere  devotee- 
ism.    Lastly,  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God" 
with  thy  strength.      This  commands  our  ener- 
gies :    '  Thou  shalt  put  intensity  into  thine  affection' 
— "  Do  it  with  thy  might"  (Eccl.  ix.  10).     Taking 
these  four  tilings  together,  the  command  of  the 
Law  is,  'Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  poioers— with  a  sincere,  a  fervid,  an  intelli- 
f/ent,a,n  energetic  love.'    But  this  is  not  all  that 
the  Law  demands.     God  will  have  all  these  quali- 
ties in  their  most  perfect  exercise.     "Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God,"  says  the  Law,  "  with  all 
thy  heart,"  or,  with  perfect  sincerity  ;  "Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  soul,"  or,  with 
the  utmost  fervour;  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God  with  all  thy  mind,"  or,  in    the  fullest 
exercise  c^f   an    enlightened    reason;    and  "Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  tliy  God  with  all  thy  strength," 
or,  with  the  M'hole  energy  of  our  being !     So  much 
for  the  First  Commandment.     31.  And  the  second 
is  like— "unto  it"  (Matt.  xxii.  39);  as  demanding 
the  same  affection,  and  only  the  extension  of  it,  in 
its  proper  measure,  to  the  creatures  of  Him  whom 
we  thus  love—  oiu-  brethren  in  the  participation  of 
the  same  nature,   and  neighbours,   as   connected 
with  us  by  ties  that  render  each  dependent  upon 
and  necessary  to  the  other.     Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbour  as  thyself.    Now,  as  we  are  not  to  love 
oiu-selves  supremely,  this  is  virtuallj;  a  command, 
in  the  hrst  place,  not  to  love  our  neighbour  with 
aU  our  heart  and  soul    and  mind   and  strength. 
And  thus  it  is  a  condemnation  of  the  idolatry  of 
the  creatui-e.    Our  su])reme  and  uttermost  affection 
is  to  be  reserved  for  God.     But  as  sincerely  as  our- 
selves wo  are  to  love  all  mankind,  and  with  the  same 
readiness  to  do  and  suffer  for  them  as  we  should 
reasonnbly  desii'e  them  to  show  to  us.    The  golden 
rule  (Matt.  vii.  12)  is  here  our  best  interjireter  of 
the  natm-c  and  extent  of  these  claims.     There  is 
18S 


none  other  commandment  greater  than  these — 
or,  as  in  Matt.  xxii.  40,  "On  these  two  command- 
ments hang  all  the  Law  and  the  Prophets"  (see  on 
Matt.  V.  17).  It  is  as  if  He  had  said,  'This  is  all 
Scrijiture  in  a  nutshell ;  the  whole  law  of  human 
duty  in  a  portable,  pocket  form.'  Indeed,  it  is  so 
simple  that  a  child  may  imderstand  it,  so  brief  thixt 
all  may  remember  it,  so  comprehensive  as  to  em- 
brace all  jiossible  cases.  And  from  its  very  nature 
it  is  unchangeable.  It  is  inconceivable  that  God 
should  require  from  his  rational  creatures  anything 
less,  or  in  substance  anything  else,  under  any 
dispensation,  in  any  world,  at  any  2^e)-iod  through- 
out eternal  duration.  He  cannot  but  claim  this — all 
this— alike  in  heaven,  in  earth,  and  in  hell!  And  this 
incomparable  summary  of  the  Divine  Law  belonged 
to  the  Jeivish  Religion!  As  it  shines  in  its  own 
self-evidencing  splendour,  so  it  reveals  its  own 
true  source.  The  Beligion  from  which  the  world 
has  received  it  could  be  none  other  than  a  God- 
given  Religion.  32.  And  the  scribe  said  unto 
him,  Well,  Master  —  'Teacher'  [Awao-KaXel,  thou 
hast  said  the  truth :  for  there  is  one  [God] ;  and 
there  is  none  other  but  he.  The  genuine  text 
here  seems  clearly  to  have  been,  "  Tliere  is  one," 
without  the  word  [Geos]  "God;"  and  so  nearly 
all  critical  editors  and  expositors  read.  33.  And 
to  love  him  with  all  the  heart,  and  with  all  the 
understanding,  and  with  all  the  soul,  and  with 
all  the  strength,  and  to  love  his  neighbour  as 
himself,  is  more  than  all  whole  burnt  offerings 
and  sacrtaces — more,  that  is,  than  all  positive 
institutions ;  thereby  showing  insight  into  the 
essential  difference  between  what  is  ?no?-«^  and  in 
its  own  nature  uncliangecdde,  and  what  is  obligatory 
only  because  enjoined  and  only  .so  long  as  enjoined. 
34.  And  when  Jesus  saw  that  he  answered  dis- 
creetly [  vovuex'^^]  —  rather,  '  intelligently,'  or 
'sensibly;'  not  only  in  a  good  spirit,  but  with  a 
l>romising  measure  of  insiglit  into  spiritual  things, 
he  said  unto  him,  Thou  art  not  far  from  the 
kingdom  of  God  —  for  he  had  but  to  folloio  out 
a  little  further  what  he  seemed  sincerely  to  own, 
to  find  his  way  into  the  kingdom.  He  needed 
only  the  experience  of  another  eminent  scribe  who 
at  a  later  period  said,  "We  know  that  the  laiv  is 
spiritual,  but  /  am  carnal,  sold  under  sin;"  who 
exclaimed,  "0  WTetched  man  that  I  amt  Wha 
shall  deliver  me?"  but  who  added,  "I  thank  God 
through  Jesus  Christ!"  (Rom.  vii.  14,  24,  25). 
Perhaps  among  the  "great  company  of  the 
priests"  and  other  Jewish  ecclesiastics  who 
"were  obedient  to  the  faith,"  almost  immediately 
after  the  day  of  Pentecost  (Acts  -si.  7)  this  upright 
lawyer  was  one.  But  for  all  his  nearness  to  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  it  may  be  ho  never  entered  it. 
And  no  man  after  that  durst  ask  any  question- 
all  feeling  that  they  were  no  match  for  Him,  and 
that  it  was  vain  to  enter  the  lists  with  Him. 

Christ  Baffles  the  Pharisees  regarding  David 
(35-37).  35.  And  Jesus  answered  and  said,  while 
he  taught  in  the  temple— and  "  while  the  Phari- 
sees   were  gathered  together"   (Matt.   xxii.   41) 


The  Pharisees  baffled 


MARK  XII. 


hy  a  question  about  David. 


36  the  scribes  that  Christ  is  the  son  of  David?  For  David  himself  said  ^by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  ^The  Lord  said  to  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand, 

37  till  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool.  David  therefore  himself  calleth 
him  Lord;  and  "whence  is  he  then  his  son?  And  the  common  people 
heard  him  gladly. 

38  And  ^he  said  unto  them  in  his  doctrine,  "^Beware  of  the  scribes,  which 
love  to  go  in  long  clothing,  and  '^love  salutations  in  the  market-places, 

39  and  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  the  uppermost  rooms  at  feasts; 

40  which  *  devour  widows'  houses,  and  for  a  pretence  make  long  prayers: 
these  shall  receive  greater  damnation. 


A.  D.  33. 


y  2  Sara.  23.  i 

2  Tim.  3.1(1. 
'  Ps.  no.  1. 

1  Cor.  15. 2.1. 

Heb.  1.  13. 
"  Rom.  1.  3. 

Rom.  9.  5. 
!■  ch.  4  2. 
'  Matt.  23.1. 

Luke  20.4(5. 
d  Luke  II. M. 
«  Matt.23.1+. 


How  say  the  scribes  that  Clirist  is  the  son  of 
David? — How  come  they  to  give  it  out,  that  Mes- 
siah is  to  be  the  son  of  David  ?  In  Matthew, 
Jesus  asks  them,  "What  think  ye  of  Christ?"  or 
of  the  promised  and  expected  Messiah  ?  "Whose 
son  is  He  (to  be)?  They  say  unto  Him,  The  son 
of  David."  The  sense  is  the  same.  "He  saith 
unto  them,  How  then  doth  David  in  spirit  call 
Him  Lord?"  (Matt.  xxii.  42,  43).  36.  For  David 
himself  said  by  the  Holy  Ghost  (Ps.  ex.  1),  The 
Lord  said  to  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right 
hand,  till  I  malte  thine  enemies  thy  footstool. 
37.  David  therefore  himself  calleth  him  Lord; 
and  whence  is  he  then  his  son?  There  is  but 
one  sokition  of  this  difficulty.  Messiah  is  at  once 
inferior  to  David  as  his  son  according  to  the 
flesh,  and  superior  to  him  as  the  Lord  of  a  king- 
dom of  which  David  is  himself  a  subject,  not  the 
sovereign.  The  Hiunan  and  Divine  natures  of 
dhrist,  and  the  spirituality  of  His  kingdom — of 
which  the  highest  earthly  sovereigns  are  honoured 
if  they  be  counted  worthy  to  be  its  subjects — 
furuish  the  only  key  to  this  puzzle.  And  the 
common  people  [o  ttoXus  ox^os] — or,  'the  immense 
crowd,'  heard  him  gladly.  "And  no  man  was 
able  to  answer  Him  a  word ;  neither  durst  any 
man  from  tliat  day  forth  ask  Him  any  more  ques- 
tions" (Matt.  xxii.  46). 

7'he  ScriLes  Denounced  (38-40).  33.  And  he  said 
unto  them  in  his  doctrine  [en  Tfj  dioitxo  avTod] — 
rather,  'in  His  teaching;'  implying  that  this  was 
but  a  specimen  of  an  extended  Discourse,  which 
Matthew  gives  in  full  (ch.  xxiii.)  Luke  says 
(xx.  45)  this  was  "  in  the  audience  of  all  the  people 
said  unto  his  disciples."  [The  reading,  'unto 
them'  —  Trpds  ai'/xous — which  Tischendorf  adopts 
there  is  ill  supiiorted:  Lachmann  and  TregeUes 
take  the  received  text.l  Beware  of  the  scribes, 
which  love— or  'like'  [3'€\o'i;Twi/]  to  go  in  long 
clothing  (see  on  Maiit.  xxiii.  5),  and  [love]  salu- 
tations in  the  market-places,  39.  And  the 
chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  the  upper- 
most rooms,  or  positions,  at  feasts.  See  on  this 
love  of  distinction,  Luke  xiv.  7  ;  and  on  Matt.  vi.  5. 
40.  Which  devour  widows'  houses,  and  for  a 
pretence  make  long  prayers :  these  shall  receive 
greater  damnation.  They  took  advantage  of  their 
helpless  condition  and  confiding  character,  to 
obtain  possession  of  their  property,  while  by  their 
"long  prayers"  they  niade  them  believe  they  were 
raised  far  above  "lilthy  lucre."  So  much  the 
"greater  damnation"  awaited  them.  (Compare 
Matt,  xxiii.  33).  A  life-like  description  this  of 
the  Romish  clergy,  the  true  successors  of  "the 
scribes." 

Remarks. — 1.  What  an  exalted  illustration  docs 
our  Lord's  example  here  afford  of  His  own  direc- 
tion to  the  Twelve  and  His  servants  in  every  age, 
"  Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  among  wolves  : 
be  ye  therefore  wise  as  serpents  and  harmless  as 
doves"!  And  shall  not  we,  the  deeper  we  drink 
into  His  spirit,  aiiproach  the  nearer  to  that  match- 
189 


less  wisdom  with  which,  in  the  midst  of  "  wolves" 
hungry  for  their  pi'ey.  He  not  only  avoided  their 
snares  but  put  them  to  silence  and  shame ;  with 
wise  speecli,  even  as  by  well-doing,  putting  to  si- 
lence the  ignorance  of  foolish  men  ?  2.  The  things 
of  Cesar  and  the  things  of  God— or  things  civil  and 
things  sacred — are  essentially  distinct,  though  guite 
harmonious.  Neither  may  overlap  or  intrude  itself 
into  the  sphere  of  the  other.  In  the  things  of  God 
we  may  not  take  law  from  men  (Acts  iv.  19 ;  v.  29) ; 
while  in  honouring  and  obeying  Cesar  in  his  own 
sphere,  we  are  rendering  obedience  to  God  Him- 
self (Ivom.  xiii.  1,  2,  5).  3.  lu  matters  which  lie  en- 
tirely beyond  the  ]>resent  s^ihere — a.s  tlie  Resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead — the  authority  of  "the  Scriptures" 
must  decide  everything;  and  all  difficulties  arising 
out  of  their  teaching  on  this  and  kiudi-ed  subjects 
must  be  referred,  as  here,  to  "  the  power  of  God." 
A  seasonable  directory  this  in  our  day,  when  physi- 
cal difiiculties  in  tlie  way  of  any  cori)oreal  resur- 
rection of  the  dead  have  well-nigh  annihilated  the 
faith  of  it  in  the  minds  of  many  scientific  Chris- 
tians. While  "the  Scriptures"  must  be  the  sole 
rule  of  faith  with  Christians  on  this  subject,  let  us 
learn  to  refer  every  difficulty  in  the  way  of  believ- 
ing its  testimony  to  "the  power  of  God"  to 
accomplish  whatever  He  promises.  So  much  for 
the  doctrine  of  the  Resurrection  generally.  As  to 
the  difficulty  with  which  the  Sadducees  plied  our 
Lord — the  difficulty  of  adjusting,  in  the  resm-rcc- 
tion-state,  the  relationships  of  the  present  life 
— His  reply  not  only  dissolves  it,  but  opens  to  us 
some  beautiful  glimpses  into  the  heavenly  state. 
The  Sadducean  difficulty  proceeded  on  the  sup- 
position that  the  marriage-relations  of  the  present 
life  would  require  to  reaiipear  in  the  resurrectiou- 
state,  if  there  was  to  be  any.  This  was  but  one 
of  those  gross  conceptions  of  the  future  life  to 
which  some  minds  seem  prone.  As  marriage  is  de- 
signed to  supply  the  waste  of  human  life  here 
which  death  creates,  it  can  have  no  place  in  a  state 
where  there  is  no  death.  The  future  life  of  the 
children  of  God,  as  it  will  be  sinless,  so  it  ■wall  be 
deathless.  This  supposes  new  and  higher  laws 
stamped  upon  their  physical  system,  to  which  the 
purer  and  higher  element  in  which  they  are  to 
move  will  be  adapted.  In  respect  of  this  undecay- 
iug  life  they  will  oe  on  a  level  with  the  angels,  and 
a  taint  reflection  of  their  Father's  own  immortal- 
ity. Yet  there  is  an  extreme  on  the  other  side  to 
be  guarded  against,  of  so  attenuating  our  idea3  of 
the  resurrection-state  as  to  amount  to  scarcely 
more  than  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  Were  this 
all,  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  would  have  no 
meaning  at  all.  It  is  the  body  only  which  docs  or 
can  rise  from  the  dead;  and  however  "spiritual" 
the  resurrection-body  is  to  be  (1  Cor.  xv,  44),  it 
must  be  a  body  still,  and  therefore  possessed  of  all 
the  essential  characteristics  of  a  body.  Never  let 
us  lose  hold  of  this  truth,  one  of  the  brightest  and 
most  distingiiishing  of  the  Christian  verities.  3. 
What  a  light  is  here  thrown  upon  the  liistorical 


Jesus  sitting  over 


MARK  XII. 


against  the  treasury. 


41       And -^ Jesus  sat  over  against  the  treasury,  and  beheld  how  the  people 
cast  money  into  the  ^treasury:  and  many  that  were  rich  cast  in  much. 


A.  D.  33. 

/  Luke  21.  ) 
"2X1.  12.  9. 


trutli  and  inspiration  of  the  Pentateucla !  On  any 
lower  supposition,  it  is  incredible  that  om-  Lord 
should  have  rested  the  divine  authority  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  Resurrection  upon  such  words  as 
He  has  quoted  from  it ;  and  when,  in  His  subse- 
quent question  about  David,  He  quotes  the  110th 
Psalm  as  what  David  said  "  in  spirit"  or  "  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  and  throughout  all  His  teaching 
refers  to  every  portion  of  the  Old  Testament 
Sciiptures  as  of  equal  divine  authority,  we  must 
set  our  Siial  also  to  that  great  truth,  if  we  would 
not  charge  our  Lord  either  with  inability  to  rise 
above  the  errors  of  His  age  or  with  unwoi-thy  ac- 
commodation to  them,  knowing  them  to  be  errors. 
4.  Our  Lord's  selection  of  an  implied  evidence 
of  the  resurrection  in  the  Pentateuch,  in  prefer- 
ence to  a  direct  proof  which  He  might  have  found 
in  the  prophets,  is  worthy  of  note,  not  as  showing 
His  wish  to  confine  Himself  to  the  Pentateuch, 
but  as  encouraging  us  to  penetrate  beneath  the 
surface  of  Scripture,  and,  in  particular,  to  take 
God's  own  words  in  their  most  comprehensive 
sense.  When  the  Lord  said  to  Moses,  "  I  am  the 
God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the 
God  of  Jacob,"  He  might  seem  to  mean  no  more 
than  that  He  had  neither  forgotten  nor  grown  in- 
different to  the  promises  which  He  made,  some 
centuries  before,  to  those  patriarchs,  whose  God 
He  xoas  when  they  were  alive.  But  as  our  Lord 
read,  and  would  have  us  to  read,  those  words,  they 
were  an  assurance  to  Moses  that  He  and  the 
patriarchs,  dead  though  they  were,  sustained  the 
same  relation  still,  and  that  as  "  all  (of  them)  lived 
to  Him,"  He  held  Himself  under  pledge  to  them ; 
and  in  now  sending  Moses  to  redeem  their  children 
from  Egyjit  and  bring  tliem  to  the  promised  land, 
He  was  but  fulfilling  His  engagements  to  the  patri- 
archs themselves,  as  living  and  not  dead  men.  To 
superficial  readers  this  may  seem,  if  not  far-fetched, 
yet  not  the  most  cogent  reasoning.  But  the  views 
which  it  opens  up  of  the  indissoluble  relation  that 
God  sustains  to  His  redeemed — which  death  can- 
not for  a  moment  interrupt,  much  less  destroy  or 
impair  (John  xi.  25,  26) — as  they  necessarily  imply 
a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  will  be  deemed  by  all 
deeper  thinkers  to  be  as  cogent  in  point  of  argu- 
ment as  they  are  precious  in  themselves.  In  fact, 
the  strongest  arguments  for  a  Future  State  in  the 
Old  Testament  are  dei-ived,  not  so  much  from 
explicit  statements— which  however  are  not  want- 
ing—as from  the  essentially  indestructible  char- 
acter of  those  relations  and  intercourses  which 
.  the  saints  sustained  to  God,  and  the  consciousness 
of  this  which  the  saints  themselves  seemed  to  feel ; 
■s  if  they  took  it  for  granted  rather  than  reasoned 
it  out,  or  even  reflected  upon  it.  5.  The  intelli- 
gent reader  of  the  New  Testament  will  not  fail  to 
perceive  that  "  life"  in  the  future  world  is  never 
once  ascribed  to  the  wicked  as  their  portion,  even 
though  a  life  of  misery.  That  they  exist  for  ever 
is  but  too  clear.  That  they  will  '"  rise"  as  well  as 
the  righteous,  is  explicitly  declared;  but  never 
"from  the  dead"  [e^  veK(t(ov\ — as  if  they  would 
rise  to  lire:  They  "rise  to  the  resurrection  of 
damnation''''  (John  v.  29),  even  as  in  the  Old 
Testament  they  are  said  to  "awake  to  shame  and 
everlasting  contempt"  (Dan.  xii.  2).  But  the  word 
"  life,"  as  expressive  of  the  future  state,  is  invariably 
reserved  for  the  condition  of  the  saints.  Hence, 
when  our  Lord  here  says,  "For  all  live  unto  Him," 
we  might  conclude,  even  although  the  connection 
did  not  make  it  clear,  that  He  meant  '  all  His 
saints' — all  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord— and 
19U 


they  only.  6.  How  unscriptural  as  well  as  gloomv 
is  the  doctrine  of  the  sleep  of  the  soul  between  death 
and  the  resurrection  !  The  argument  of  our  Lord 
here  for  the  resurrection  of  the  patriarchs,  and 
consequently  of  the  saints  in  general,  is  founded 
on  their  being  even  noiv  alive,  x  es ;  and  not  only 
are  their  souls  in  conscious  life,  but  as  God  is  the 
God  of  themselves — the  embodied  Abraham  and 
Isaac  and  Jacob — "though  worms  have  destroyed 
their  bodies,  yet  in  their  Hesh  must  they  see  God,"* 
in  order  to  be  their  full  selves  again,  and  get  in  full 
the  i^romised  inheritance.  Sweet  consolation  this 
"concerning  them  which  are  asleep,  that  we  sor- 
row not,  even  as  others  which  liaA'e  no  hc>i)e." 
They  are  not  dead.  They  have  but  fallen  asleep. 
Their  souls  are  still  awake;  "for  all  live  unto 
Him."  And  as  to  their  sleeping  dust,  "  If  we 
believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  even  so 
them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with 
Him"  (1  Thess.  iv.  13,  14).  7.  In  the  light  of  the 
Great  Commandment,  what  shall  we  think  of 
those  who  talk  of  the  Pentateuch  as  but  fragments 
of  the  early  Jewish  literature,  and  this  as  em- 
bodying none  but  narrow  and  rude  ideas  of  Reli- 
gion, suited  to  a  gross  age  of  the  world,  but  not 
worthy  to  give  law  to  the  religious  thinking  of  all 
time?  Whether  we  compare  the  religious  and  ethi- 
cal idews  opened  up  in  that  Commandment  with 
the  best  religious  thinking  to  be  found  outside  the 
])ale  of  Judaism  during  any  period  Mdiatever  before 
Christ;  or  comjiare  it  with  the  light  which  the 
teaching  of  Christ  has  shed  upon  Religion,  and 
with  the  most  advanced  ideas  of  the  present  time — 
the  peerless  perfection  of  this  monument  of  the 
Mosaic  Religion  stands  equally  forth  before  the 
unsophisticated,  reflecting  mind,  as  evidence  of  its 
supernatural  origin  and  revealed  character.  And 
jiist  as  the  deeper  view  of  those  words  of  the 
Pentateuch,  "I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the 
God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,"  suggest  the 
continued  life  and  ultimate  resurrection  of  those 
patriarchs,  so  does  the  deejier  study  of  the  Great 
Commandment,  like  a  "  schoolmaster,  bring  ns 
unto  Christ,  that  we  may  be  justified  by  faith." 
For  who,  in  the  view  of  its  requirements,  must  not 
exclaim,  "By  the  deeds  of  the  law  there  shall  no 
flesh  be  .justified  in  His  sight;  for  by  the  law  is  the 
knowledge  of  sin;"  but  "Christ  hath  redeemed 
us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse 
for  us  ;"  and  this  redemption,  or  rather  "  the  love 
of  Christ"  which  prompted  it,  "  constraineth  us  to 
live  no  longer  to  ourselves,  but  to  Him  who  died 
for  us  and  rose  again."  And  thus  is  the  Law  rein- 
stated in  its  rightful  place  in  our  hearts;  and, 
despairing  of  life  through  the  Great  Command- 
ment, the  life  which  we  fetch  out  of  Christ's  death 
is  a  life  of  real,  loving,  acce] jtable  obedience  to  that 
Great  Commandment.  0  the  dejith  of  the  riches 
both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God,  in  that 
Avonderful  invention !  8.  The  doctrine  of  the  two 
natures — the  Divine  and  the  Human— in  the  one 
Person  of  Christ,  is  the  only  key  to  the  satisfac- 
tory solution  of  many  enigmas  in  Scripture,  of 
M'hich  that  which  our  Lord  ]iropouuded  to  the 
scribes  regarding  DaA^id  was  but  one.  Accordingly, 
none  who  repudiate  this  doctrine  have  been  able  to 
retain  their  hold  of  almost  any  of  the  cardinal 
doctrines  of  Scri];iture,  nor  have  held  firmly  even 
by  the  Scriptures  themselves,  of  which  this  may 
be  called  the  chief  corner  stone — elect,  precious. 

41-44.— The  Widow's  Two  Mites.  (=Luke 
xxi.  1-4.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Luke 
xxi.  1-4. 


Christ  foretelletJi  the 


MARK  XIII. 


destruction  of  Jerusalem. 


42  And  there  came  a  certain  poor  widow,  and  she  threw  in  two  ^  mites, 

43  which  make  a  farthing.  And  he  called  unto  him  his  disciples,  and  saith 
unto  them.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  That  ''this  poor  widow  hath  cast  more 

44  in  than  all  they  which  have  cast  into  tlie  treasury :  for  all  they  did  cast 
in  of  their  abundance ;  but  she  of  her  want  did  cast  in  all  that  she  had, 
^even  all  her  living. 

AND  "as  he  went  out  of  the  temple,  one  of  his  disciples  saith  unto 
him.  Master,  see  what  manner  of  stones  and  what  buildings  are  here! 
And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him,  Seest  thou  these  great  buildings? 
*  there  shall  not  be  left  one  stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not  be  thrown 
down. 

And  as  he  sat  upon  the  mount  of  Olives,  over  against  the  temple,  Peter 
and  James  and  John  and  Andrew  asked  him  privately.  Tell  'us,  when 
shall  these  things  be  ?  and  what  shall  be  the  sign  when  all  these  things 
shall  be  fulfilled? 

And  Jesus  answering  them  began  to  say,  ''Take  heed  lest  any  man 
deceive  you :  for  many  shall  come  in  my  name,  saying,  I  am  Christ; 
and  shall  deceive  many.  x\nd  when  ye  shall  hear  of  wars  and  rumours 
of  wars,   be   ye   not   troubled:    for  such   things   must   needs   be;    but 


13 


A.  D.  :  3. 


»  It  is  the 

seventh 

part  of  one 

piece  of 

that  brass 

money. 
*  2  Cor.  S  12. 
i  I  Johns.  17. 


CiiAP.  13. 
"  Watt  24.  1. 

Luke  2i.  1, 
!>  1  KL  9.  7. 

2Chr  7.  LO. 

Jer.  26.  18. 

Mic.  3.  i2. 

Lnke  19.44. 
"  Dan.  12.  6. 

Matt.  24,  3. 

Luke  21.  7. 

John  21.22. 
rf  Jer.  29.  &. 

Matt.  24.  5. 

Lnke  2i.  8. 

Fph.  f:.  0 


CHAP.  XIII.  1-37. — Christ's  Prophecy  of 
THE  Destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  Warn- 
ings    SUGGESTED    BY    IT     TO     PREPARE    FOR    HiS 

Second  Coming.  (  =  Matt.  xxiv.  1-51 ;  Luke 
xxi.  5-36.) 

Jesus  had  uttered  all  His  mind  against  the 
Jewish  ecclesiastics,  exposing  their  character  with 
withering  plainness,  and  denouncing,  in  language 
of  awful  severity,  the  judgments  of  God  against 
them  for  that  unfaithfulness  to  their  trust  which 
was  bringing  ruin  upon  the  nation.  He  had 
closed  this  His  last  public  Discourse  (Matt,  xxiii. ) 
by  a  passionate  Lamentation  over  Jerusalem,  and 
a  solemn  Farewell  to  the  Temple.  "  And  (says 
Matthew,  xxiv.  1)  Jesus  went  out,  and  depai'ted 
from  the  temple" — never  more  to  re-enter  its 
precincts,  or  open  His  mouth  in  public  teaching. 
With  this  act  ended  His  public  inini»try.  As  He 
witlnb-ew,  says  Olshausen,  the  gracious  presence 
of  God  left  the  sanctuary ;  and  the  Temple,  with 
all  its  ser^ce,  and  the  whole  theocratic  constitu- 
tion, was  given  over  to  destruction.  What  im- 
mediately followed  is,  as  usual,  most  minutely 
and  graphically  described  by  our  Evangelist. 

1.  And  as  tie  went  out  of  the  temple,  one  of 
his  disciples  saith  unto  him.  The  other  Evan- 
gelists are  less  definite.  "  As  some  spake,"  says 
Luke:  "His  disciples  came  to  Him,  says  Mat- 
thew. Doubtless  it  was  the  s]ieech  of  one,  the 
mouth -i)iece,  likely,  of  others.  Master — 'Teacher' 
[Atoacr/iaXe],  See  what  manner  of  stones  and 
what  buUdings  are  here !— wondering,  probably, 
how  so  massive  a  pile  could  be  overthrown,  as 
seemed  imi^lied  in  our  Lord's  last  words  regarding 
it.  Josephua,  who  gives  a  minute  account  of  the 
wonderful  structure,  speaks  of  stones  forty  cubits 
long  (Jewish  War,  v.  5.  1.),  and  says  the  pillars 
supporting  the  porches  were  tweuty-five  cubits 
high,  all  of  one  stone,  and  that  the  whitest  marble 
(lb. J  V.  5.  2).  Six  days'  batteiing  at  the  walls, 
during  the  siege,  made  no  impression  upon  them 
(lb.,  vi.  4.  1.)  Some  of  the  under-building,  yet 
remaining,  and  other  works,  are  probably  as  old 
as  the  first  temple.  2.  And  Jesus  answering  said 
unto  him,  Seest  thou  these  great  buildings? 
'  Ye  call  my  attention  to  these  things  ?  I  have 
seen  them.  Ye  point  to  theii-  massive  and  dura- 
ble ajipearance:  now  listen  to  their  fate.'  there 
shall  not  be  left— "left  here"  (Matt.  xxiv.  2). 
\^TregeUes  adds  <55c  —  "here"  —  in  Mai-k  also, 
191 


on  authority  of  some  weight;  but  we  think 
Tischcndorf  right  in  adhering  to  the  received 
text  here],  one  stone  upon  another,  that  shall 
not  be  thrown  down,  Titus  ordered  the  whole 
city  and  temple  to  be  demolished  {Joseph.  J.  W., 
vii.  1.  1. ) ;  Eleazar  wished  they  had  all  died  before 
seeing  that  holy  city  destroyed  by  enemies'  hands, 
and  before  the  temple  was  so  profanely  dua  up. 
(lb.  viL8.  7.) 

3,  And  as  he  sat  upon  the  mount  of  Olives,  over 
against  the  temple.  On  theii-  way  from  Jeru- 
salem to  Bethany  they  would  cross  mount  Olivet ; 
on  its  summit  He  seats  Himself,  over  against  the 
temple,  having  the  city  all  spread  out  under  His 
eye.  How  graphically  is  this  set  before  us  by  our 
Evangelist.  Peter  and  James  and  John  and 
Andrew  asked  him  privately.  The  other  Evan- 
gelists tell  us  merely  that  "the  disciples"  did 
so.  But  Mark  not  only  says  it  was  four  of 
them,  but  names  them;  and  they  were  the  first 
quaternion  of  the  Twelve.  See  on  Matt.  x.  1-5, 
Remarks  6  and  7.  4.  Tell  us,  when  shall  these 
things  be  ?  and  what  shall  be  the  sign  when  all 
these  things  shall  be  fulfilled?—"  and  what  shall 
be  the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  ead  of  the 
world?"  [(TvvTeXfiai  tou  uiojj/os].  They  no  doubt 
looked  upon  the  date  of  all  these  things  as  one  and 
the  same,  and  their  notions  of  the  things  themi- 
selves  were  as  confused  as  of  the  times  of  them. 
Our  Lord  takes  His  own  way  of  meeting  their 
questions. 

Prophecies  of  the  D est r7/xt ion  of  Jerusalem  (5-31). 
5.  And  Jesus  answering  them.  [The  words  anrroKpi- 
deU  auTois  are,  without  reason,  we  think,  excluded 
from  the  text  by  7Hschendorf  and  Trer/eUes.  Lach- 
mann  inserts  them.]  began  to  say,  Take  heed  lest 
any  man  deceive  you :  6.  For  many  shall  come 
in  my  name,  saying,  I  am  [Christ]  (see  Matt. 
xxiv.  5) — "and  the  time  draweth  nigh"  (Luke  xxi. 
8);  that  is,  the  time  of  the  kingdom  in  its  full 
splendour,  and  shall  deceive  many.  "  Go  ye  not 
therefore  after  them"  (Luke  xxL  8).  The  refer- 
ence here  seems  not  to  be  to  jiretended  Messiahs, 
deceiving  those  who  rejected  the  claims  of  Jesu.s, 
of  whom  indeed  there  were  plenty — for  our  Lord 
is  addressing  His  own  genuine  discijjles — but  to 
persons  pretending  to  be  Jesus  Himself,  returned 
in  gloi-y  to  take  possession  of  His  kingdom.  This 
gives  peculiar  force  to  the  words,  "  Go  ye  not  there- 
fore after  them."    7.  And  v.-iien  ye  shall  hear  ol 


Persecutions  for 


MARK  XIII. 


Chrlsfs  saJce. 


8  *the  end  shall  not  be  yet.  For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation,  and 
kingdom  against  kingdom;  and  there  shall  be  earthquakes  in  divers 
places,  and  there  shall  be  famines  and  troubles.  These  are  the  beginnings 
of  ^  sorrows. 

9  But  ■'^take  heed  to  yourselves :  for  they  shall  deliver  you  up  to  councils ; 
and  in  the  synagogues  ye  shall  be  beaten :  and  3'e  shall  be  brought  before 

10  rulers  and  kings  for  my  sake,  for  a  testimony  against  them.     And  ^"the 

11  gospel  must  first  be  published  among  all  nations.  But  ^when  they  shall 
lead  you,  and  deliver  you  uj),  take  no  thought  beforehand  what  ye  shall 
speak,  neither  do  ye  premeditate ;  but  whatsoever  shall  be  given  you  in 
that  hour,  that  speak  ye:  for  it  is  not  ye  that  speak,  *but  the  Holy 

12  Ghost.  Now  ^the  brother  shall  betray  the  brother  to  death,  and  the 
father  the  son ;  and  children  shall  rise  up  against  their  parents,  and  shall 

13  cause  them  to  be  put  to  death.  And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my 
name's  sake:  but  ^he  that  shall  endure  unto  the  end,  the  same  shall  be 
saved. 

14  But  'when  ye  shall  see  the  abomination  of  desolation,  '"spoken  of  by 
Daniel  the  prophet,  standing  where  it  ought  not,  (let  him  that  readeth 

15  understand,)  then  let  "them  that  be  in  Judea  flee  to  the  mountains:  and 


A.  D.  33. 

'  Jer.  4.  27. 
Jer  5.  10. 

1  1  he  word 
in  the 
original 
iniporteth 
the  pains 
of  a  woman 
in  travail. 

/  Matt.  10. '7. 
Eev.  2.  10. 

"  Matt  24.14. 
Rom.  10.  IS. 

''  Ex.  24  12. 
Luke  12. 11. 

'  A  cts  2.  4. 

Act3  4.8,Sl. 
;■  Mic.  7.  6. 

Luke21.lfi. 
*  Dan.  12. 12. 

2  Tim  4.7,8. 
i  Matt.  24.1.i. 
'"  Dan.  9.  '11. 
"  Luke  21.21. 


wars  and  rumours  of  wars,  be  ye  not  troubled — 
see  on  i".  13,  and  compare  Isa.  viii.  11-14,  for  sucli 
tilings  must  needs  be ;  but  the  end  shall  not  be 
yet.  In  Luke  (xxi.  9),  "  the  end  i.s  not  by  and  by" 
I  euOetos]  or  '  immediately. '  Worse  must  come  before 
all  is  over.  8.  For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation, 
and  kingdom  against  kingdom ;  and  there  shall 
be  earthquakes  in  divers  places,  and  there  shall  be 
famines  and  troubles.  These  are  the  beginnings 
of  sorrows  [woivo>v] — 'of  travail-pangs,'  to  which 
heavy  calamities  are  comx>ared.  (See  Jer.  iv.  31, 
&c.)  The  annals  of  Taritua  tell  us  \\ovf  the  Eoman 
world  was  convulsed,  before  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem, by  rival  claimants  of  the  imperial  purple. 

9.  But  take  heed  to  yourselves:  for — "before  all 
these  things"  (Luke  xxi.  12) ;  that  is,  before  these 
public  calamities  come,  they  shall  deliver  you  up 
to  councils ;  and  in  the  synagogues  ye  shall  be 
beaten.  These  refer  to  ecclesiastical  proceedings 
against  them,  and  ye  shall  be  brought  before 
rulers  and  kings — before  cirll  trilmnals  next,  for 
my  sake,  for  a  tesfmony  against  them — rather 
'  u'lto  them'  [eis  iLapTvpiov  nuiTois]— to  give  you  an 
opportunity  of  bearing  testimony  to  Me  before 
them.  In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  we  have  the 
best  commentary  on  this  announcement.  (Com- 
pare Matt.  X.  17,  IS.)  10.  And  the  gospel  must 
lirst  be  published  among  all  nations—"  for  a  wit- 
ness, and  then  shall  the  end  come"  (Matt.  xxiv. 
14).  God  never  sends  judgment  without  previous 
warning ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
Jews,  already  dispcrseil  over  most  known  countries, 
had  nearly  all  heard  the  Gospel  "as  a  witness," 
before  the  end  of  the  Jewish  state.  The  same 
principle  was  rejieated  and  will  repeat  itself  to 
"'the  end."  H.  But  when  they  shall  lead  you, 
and  deliver  you  up,  take  no  thought  beforehand 
[/i)';  ■wponepLfivd're\—''\ic  not  anxious  beforehand,' 
what  ye  shall  speak,  neither  do  ye  premeditate : 
'  Be  not  filled  with  apprehension,  in  the  prosjtcct 
of  such  public  ap])earances  for  Me,  lest  ye  should 
bring  discredit  upon  My  name,  nor  think  it  neces- 
sary to  prepare  beforehand  what  ye  are  to  say.' 
but  whatsoever  shall  be  given  you  in  that  hour, 
that  speak  ye :  for  it  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but 
the  Holy  Ghost.  See  on  Matt.  x.  19,  20.  12.  Now 
the  brother  shall  betray  the  brother  to  death,  and 
the  father  the  son;  and  children  shall  rise  up 
against  their  parents,  and  shall  cause  them  to  be 
put  to  death.  13.  And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all 
192 


men  for  my  name's  sake.  Matthew  (xxiv.  12) 
adds  this  inn~)ortant  intimation:  "And  because 
iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love  of  many"  [Ttuw 
TToXAoJi/] — '  of  the  many,'  or  '  of  the  most ;'  that  is, 
of  the  generality  of  professed  disciples— "  shall 
wax  cold."  Sad  illustrations  of  the  effect  of 
abounding  iniquity  in  cooling  the  love  even  of 
faithful  disciples  we  have  in  the  Epistle  of  James, 
■written  about  the  period  here  referred  to.  and  too 
frequently  ever  since,  but  he  that  shall  endure 
unto  the  end,  the  same  shall  be  saved.  See  on 
Matt.  X.  21,  22;  and  compare  Heb.  x.  38,  39,  which 
is  a  manifest  allusion  to  these  words  ot  Christ ; 
also  Ilev.  ii.  10.  Luke  adds  tliese  re-assuring 
words :  "  But  there  shall  not  an  hair  of  your  heads 
perish"  (xxi.  IS).  Our  Lord  had  just  said  (Luke 
xxi.  16)  that  they  should  be  put  to  death;  showing 
that  this  precious  promise  is  far  above  immunity 
from  mere  bodily  harm,  and  furnishing  a  key  to 
the  right  interpretation  of  Ps.  xci.,  and  such  like. 
14.  But  when  ye  shall  see— "Jerusalem  com- 
passed by  armies"  [(rxf)aTo7rt'5aii/] — '  by  encamped 
armies;'  in  other  words,  when  ye  shall  see  it  ^'C- 
siefjed,  and  the  abomination  of  desolation  [to 
Poe\vyp.a  tt/s  tpij/iMo-etos],  spoken  of  by  Daniel 
the  prophet,  standing  where  it  ought  not— tliat 
is,  as  explained  in  INIatthew  (xxiv.  1-")),  "standing 
in  the  holy  place."  (let  him  that  readeth— readeth 
that proiJiecy,  understand. )  That  "the  abomina- 
tion of  desolation"  here  alluded  to  was  intended 
to  point  to  the  Roman  ensigns,  as  the  symbols  of 
an  idolatrous,  and  so  unclean  Pagan  power,  may 
be  gathered  by  comparing  what  Luke  says  in  the 
corresponding  verse  (xxi.  20);  and  commentators 
are  agreed  on  it.  It  is  worthy  of  notice,  as  con- 
firming this  interpretation,  that  in  1  Mace.  i.  54  — 
which,  though  Apocr>7)hal  Scripture,  is  authentic 
history — the  expression  of  Daniel  is  applied  to  the 
idolatrous  profanation  of  the  Jewish  altar  by 
Antiochus  Epiphanes.  then  let  them  that  be  in 
Judea  flee  to  the  mountains.  The  ecclesiastical 
historian,  l-.'nsehius,  early  in  the  fonith  century, 
tells  us  that  tlie  Christians  fled  to  Fella,  at  the 
northern  extremity  of  Perea,  being  "  propheti- 
cally dii-ected" — perhaps  by  some  prophetic  inti- 
mation more  explicit  than  this,  which  would  be 
their  chart  —  and  that  thus  they  escaped  the 
predicted  calamities  by  whicli  the  nation  was 
overwhelmed.  15.  And"  let  him  that  is  on  the 
house-top  not  £0  down  into  the  house,  neithei' 


Calamities  connected  with 


MARK  XIII. 


the  destruction  oj  Jerusalem. 


let  him  that  is  on  the  house-top  not  go  down  into  the  house,  neither 

16  enter  therein,  to  take  any  thing  out  of  his  house:  and  let  him  that 
is   in   the  field    not    turn    back   again    for   to   take   up   his  garment. 

17  But  "woe  to  them  that  are  with  cliild,  and  to  them  that  give  suck, 

18  in  those  days!      And   pray  ye  that  your  fliglit  be  not  in  the  winter. 

19  For  ^'in  those  days  shall  be  affliction,  sucli  as  was  not  from  the  beginning 

20  of  the  creation  which  God  created  unto  tliis  time,  neither  shall  be.  And 
except  that  the  Lord  had  shortened  tliose  days,  no  flesh  should  be  saved; 
but  for  the  elect's  sake,  whom  he  hath  chosen,  he  hath  shortened  the 

21  days.     And  ^tlien,  if  any  man  shall  say  to  you,  Lo,  here  is  Christ;  or,  lo, 

22  he  is  i\\exe;  believe  him  not:  for  false  Christs  and  false  prophets  shall 
rise,  and  shall  show  signs  and  wonders,  to  seduce,  'if  it  icere  possible, 

23  even  the  elect.  But  *take  ye  heed:  behold,  I  have  foretold  you  all 
thinas. 


A.  D.  33 

"  Luke  IZ.'Vd. 
^  Dent  2S.  r.. 

Rvn  0.  2o. 

I'an.  12.  1. 

Joel  2,  2. 

Matt  24  21. 
'  Luke  17.2.t 

Luke  21.  8. 
"■  Koiii.  8.  28- 
.■9. 

1  Let   1.  5. 

1  John  2. 19, 
2(i,  27. 

'  Matt.  r.  1,^. 
Luke  21.  8, 
31. 

2  Let.  3.  17. 


enter  therein,  to  take  any  thing  out  of  his 
house: — that  is,  let  liim  take  the  outside  flight 
of  steps  from  the  roof  to  the  ground ;  a  gi-aphic 
way  of  denoting  the  extreme  urgency  of  the  case, 
and  the  danger  of  being  tempted,  by  the  desire 
to  save  his  property,  to  delay  till  escape  should 
become  impossible.  16.  And  let  him  that  is  in 
the  field  not  turn  back  again  for  to  take  up  his 
garment.  17.  But  woe  to  them— or,  '  alas  for 
tliem,'  that  are  with  child,  and  to  them  that 
give  suck  in  those  days— in  consequence  of  the 
aggravated  suffering  which  tliose  conditions  would 
involve.  18.  And  pray  ye  that  your  flight  be 
not  in  the  winter — making  escape  perilous,  or 
tempting  you  to  delay  your  liiglit.  Matthew  (xxiv. 
2J)  adds,  "neither  on  the  sabbath  day,"  when, 
from  fear  of  a  breach  of  its  sacred  rest,  they  might 
be  induced  to  remain.  19.  For  in  those  days  shall 
be  aflaiction,  such  as  was  not  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  creation  which  God  created  unto 
this  time,  neither  shall  be.  Such  language  is 
not  unusual  in  the  Old  Testament  with  reference 
to  tremendous  calamities.  But  it  is  matter  of 
literal  fact,  that  there  was  crowded  into  the  period 
of  the  Jewish  AVar  an  amount  and  complication  of 
suffering  perhaps  unparalleled ;  as  the  nanative  of 
Joseplms,  examined  closely  and  arranged  under 
different  heads,  would  show.  20.  And  except  that 
the  Lord  had  shortened  those  days,  no  flesh- 
that  is,  no  human  life— should  be  saved:  but  for 
the  elect's  sake,  whom  he  hath  chosen,  he  hath 
shortened  the  days.  But  for  this  merciful ' '  short- 
ening," brought  about  by  a  remarkable  concurrence 
of  causes,  the  whole  nation  would  have  perished, 
in  which  there  yet  remained  a  remnaut  to  be 
afterwards  gathered  out.  This  portion  of  the 
prophecy  closes,  in  Luke,  with  the  following  vivid 
and  impoi'tant  glance  at  the  subsequent  fortunes 
of  the  chosen  peoj)le:  "  And  they  shall  fall  by  the 
sword,  and  shall  be  led  away  cajitive  into  all 
nations :  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  trodden  dowu  of 
the  Gentiles,  until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be 
fulfilled"  (Luke  xxi.  24).  The  language  as  well  as 
the  idea  of  this  remarkable  statement  is  taken 
from  Dan.  viii.  10,  13.  What,  then,  is  its  impoi-t 
here  ?  It  implies,  first,  that  a  time  is  coining  when 
Jerusalem  shall  cease  to  be  "  trodden  dowu  of  the 
Gentiles;"  which  it  was  then  by  Pagan,  and  since 
and  till  now  is  by  Mohammedan  unbelievers :  and 
next,  it  implies  that  the  period  when  this  treading 
down  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Gentiles  is  to  cease  will 
be  when  "the  times  of  the  Gentiles  are  fulfilled" 
or  '  completed. '  But  what  does  this  mean  ?  We 
may  gather  the  meaning  of  it  from  Rom.  xi. ,  in 
which  the  divine  purposes  and  i)rocedure  towards 
the  chosen  jieople  from  first  to  last  are  treated  in 
detail.  In  v.  2.3  of  that  chapter,  these  words  of 
vou  V.  193 


our  Lord  are  thus  reproduced :  "  For  1  would  not, 
brethren,  that  ye  should  be  ignorant  of  this  mys- 
tery, lest  ye  should  be  wise  in  your  own  conceits  ; 
that  blindness  in  jiart  is  hajipened  to  Israel,  until 
the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in."  Seethe 
ex]iosition  of  that  verse,  from  which  it  will  appear 
that— "till  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in" 
— or,  in  our  Lord's  phraseology,  "  till  the  times  of 
the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled  "—does  not  mean  '  till  the 
general  conversion  of  the  world  to  Christ,'  but 
'  till  the  Gentiles  have  had  their  full  time  of  that 
place  in  the  Church  which  the  Jews  had  befoio 
them.'  After  tliat  period  of  GentUium,  as  befoie 
of  Judaism,  "  Jerusalem  "  and  Israel,  no  longer 
''trodden  down  by  the  Gentiles"  but  "grafted 
into  their  own  olive  tree,"  shall  constitute,  witli 
the  believing  Gentiles,  one  Church  of  God,  and  fill 
the  whole  earth.  What  a  bright  vista  does  this 
open  up!  21.  And  then,  if  any  man  shall  say 
to  you,  Lo,  here  is  Christ;  or,  lo,  [he  is]  there; 
believe  him  not.  So  Luke  xvii.  23.  22.  For  false 
Christs  and  false  prophets  shall  rise,  and  shall 
show  signs  and  wonders.  No  one  can  read  Josephiis' 
account  of  what  took  place  before  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  without  seeing  how  strikingly  this 
was  fulfilled,  to  seduce,  if  it  were  possible,  even 
the  elect— implying  that  this,  though  all  but  done, 
win  prove  impossible.  What  a  precious  assurance ! 
(Compare  2  Thess.  ii.  9-12.)  23.  But  take  ye  heed: 
behold,  I  have  foretold  you  all  things.  He  had 
just  told  them  that  the  seduction  of  the  elect 
would  prove  impossible;  but  since  this  would 
be  all  but  accomplished,  He  bids  them  be  on 
their  guard,  as  the  proper  means  of  averting  that 
catastrophe.  In  Mattliew  (xxiv.  2G-28)  we  have 
some  additional  i)articulars :  ' '  Wherefore,  if  they 
shall  say  unto  you,  Behold,  He  is  in  the  desert ; 
go  not  forth :  behold.  He  is  in  the  secret  cham- 
bers; believe  it  not.  For  as  the  lightning  cometh 
out  of  the  east,  and  shineth  even  unto  the  west ; 
so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Sou  of  man  be." 
See  on  Luke  xvii.  23,  24.  "  For  wheresoever  the 
carcase  is,  there  will  the  eagles  be  gathered  to- 
gether."   See  on  Luke  xvii.  37. 

The  preceding  portion  of  this  prophecy  is  by  all 
interpreters  applied  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
by  the  Romans.  But  on  the  portion  that  follows 
some  of  the  most  eminent  expositors  are  divided ; 
one  class  of  them  considering  that  our  Lord  here 
makes  an  abrupt  transition  to  the  period  and  the 
events  of  His  Second  Personal  Coming  and  the 
great  Day  of  Judgment ;  while  another  class  think 
there  is  no  evidence  of  such  transition,  and  that 
the  subject  is  still  the  judicial  vengeance  on  Jeru- 
salem, ending  not  only  in  the  destruction  of  the 
city  and  temple,  but  in  the  breaking  up  of  the  entire 
polity,  civil  and  ecclesiastical,  of  which  Jerusalem 
o 


Calamities  connected  with 


MARK  XIII. 


the  destruction  of  Jerumlem, 


24  But  4n  those  clays,  after  that  tribulation,  the  sun  shall  be  darkened,  and 

25  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  of  heaven  shall  fall,  and 

26  the  powers  that  are  in  heaven  shall  be  shaken.     And  "then  shall  they  see 


'  Dan.  7. 
"  Dan.  7. 


was  the  centre.  From  the  remarkable  analogy, 
however,  which  subsists  between  those  two  events, 
they  admit  that  the  language  gi-adually  swells  into 
what  is  much  more  descriptive  of  the  events  of 
Christ's  Personal  Coming  and  the  iiual  Judgment 
than  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem ;  and  in  the 
concluding  warnings  most  of  this  latter  class  see 
an  exclusive  reference  to  the  Personal  Coming  of 
the  Lord  to  judgment.  For  the  following  reasons 
we  judge  that  this  latter  is  the  correct  view  of  the 
Prophecy.  First,  the  connection  between  the 
two  parts  of  the  prophecy  is  that  of  immediate 
sequence  of  time.  In  Matt.  xxiv.  29  it  is  said, 
"  Immediately  after  [EuOeojs  ce  ixeTa\  the  tribula- 
tion of  those  days" — shall  all  the  following  things 
happen.  What  can  be  plainer  than  that  the  one 
set  of  events  was  to  hajipen  in  close  succession 
after  the  other  ?  Whereas,  on  the  other  supposi- 
tion, they  were  to  be  so  far  from  happening 
"  immediately"  after  the  others,  that  after  eighteen 
centuries  the  time  for  them  has  not  even  yet  come. 
The  iucouvenience  of  this  is  felt  to  be  so  great, 
that  "the  tribulation  of  those  days"  is  taken  to 
mean,  not  the  calamities  which  issued  in  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  at  all,  but  the  tribulation 
which  is  to  usher  in  the  Personal  Coming  of  Chi-ist 
and  the  Judgment  of  the  great  day.  But  though 
this  mhjht  do,  as  an  exposition  of  the  words  of 
Matthew,  the  words  of  Mark  (xiii.  24)  seem  in  flat 
contradiction  to  it:  "But  in  those  days,  after 
that  tribidation" -emiihatically  [^utTa  -ri'/u  ^Xixj/iu 
eKeiurju].  How  can  this  possibly  mean  any  tribu- 
lation but  the  one  just  described  ?  And  were  we 
to  try  the  other  sense  of  it,  how  very  unnatural  is 
it— after  reading  a  minute  account  of  the  tribula- 
tions which  were  to  bring  on  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem,  and  then  that  "  immediately  after  the 
tribuhition  of  those  days"  certain  other  events 
are  to  happen  —  to  understand  this  to  mean, 
'  Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  another 
and  far  distant  day,  a  ti'ibulation  not  here  to  be 
described  at  all,  shall  occur  the  following  events ! ' 
What  object  could  there  be  for  alluding  so  abruptly 
to  "the  tribulation  of  those  days,"  if  that  tribula- 
tion was  not  to  be  described  at  all,  btit  only 
something  which  was  to  hapjien  after  it?  But, 
SECONDLY,  at  the  conclusion  ot  the  second  part  of 
this  proythecy,  our  Lord  says  (v.  30),  "  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  that  this  generation  shall  not  pass  away 
till  all  these  things  be  done,"  or  "fulfilled"  (as  in 
Matt.  xxiv.  .31;  Luke  xxi.  32).  This,  on  the  face 
of  it,  is  so  decisive  that  those  who  think  the 
second  half  of  the  Prophecy  refers  to  the  Second 
Coming  of  Christ  and  the  Final  Judgment  are 
obliged  to  translate  the  words  [>)  7£i'ea  aiiTti].  '  This 
(Jewish)  nation,'  or  'This  (human)  race  shall  not 
pass  away,'  &c.  But  besides  that  this  is  quite 
contrary  to  the  usage  of  the  word — ^just  think  how 
inept  a  sense  is  brought  out  by  translating  '  this 
race;'  for  who  could  require  to  be  told  that  the 
human  family  would  not  nave  piassed  away  before 
certain  events  occurred  which  were  to  befall  the 
human  race  ?  and  how  pointless  is  the  other  sense, 
that  the  Jewish  nation  would  not  be  extinct  be- 
fore those  events  !  Whereas,  if  we  understand  the 
words  in  their  natural  sense — that  the  generation 
then  running  should  see  all  those  predictions  ful- 
lilled— all  is  intelligible,  deeply  important,  and 
according  '■">  literal  fact.  But  the  exposition  will 
throw  fur       \ light  upon  this  question. 

24.  BvL*'        mose  days,  after  that  tribulation— 
*'  ImmecLJtteiy  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days' 
194 


(Matt.  xxiv.  29) ;  see  introductory  remarks  on 
this  latter  portion  of  the  prophecy,  the  sun  shall 
he  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her 
light.  25.  And  the  stars  of  heaven  shall  fall— 
"and  upon  the  earth  distress  of  nations,  with 
perplexity;  the  sea  and  the  waves  roaring  ;  men's 
hearts  failing  them  for  fear,  and  for  looking  after 
those  things  which  are  coming  on  the  earth"  (Luke 
xxi.  25,  2G).  and  the  powers  that  are  in  heaven 
shall  he  shaken.  Though  the  grandeur  of  this 
language  carries  the  mind  over  the  head  of  all 
periods  but  that  of  Christ's  Second  Coming,  nearly 
every  ex])ression  will  be  found  used  of  the  Lord's 
coming  in  teriible  national  judgments :  as  of  Baby- 
lon (Isa.  xiii.  9-13)  ;  of  Idumea  (Isa.  xxxiv.  1,  2,  4, 
8  10) ;  of  Egypt  (Ezek.  xxxii.  7,  8) :  compare  also  Ps. 
xviii.  7-15;""lsa.  xxiv.  1,  17-19;  Joel  ii.  10,  11,  &c. 
We  cannot  therefore  consider  the  mere  strength 
of  this  language  a  proof  that  it  refers  exclusively 
or  primarily  to  the  precursors  of  the  hnal  day, 
though  of  course  in  ''that  dai/"  it  will  have  its 
most  awful  fultilment.  26.  And  then  shall  they 
see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds 
with  great  power  and  glory.  In  Matt.  xxiv. 
30,  this  is  given  most  fully:  "And  then  shall 
appear  the  sign  of  the  Sou  of  man  in  heaven; 
and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn, 
and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man,"  &c.  That  this 
language  finds  its  highest  interiiretation  in  the 
Second  Personal  Coming  of  Christ,  is  most  certain. 
But  the  questioTi  is,  whether  that  be  the  primary 
sense  of  it  as  it  stands  here?  ^Now,  if  the  reader 
will  turn  to  Dan.  vii.  13,  14,  and  connect  with  it 
the  preceding  verses,  he  will  find,  we  think,  the 
true  key  to  our  Lord's  meaning  here.  There  the 
powers  that  oppressed  the  Church-symbolized  by 
rapacious  wild  beasts— are  summoned  to  the  bar 
of  the  great  God,  who  as  the  Ancient  of  days  seats 
Himself,  with  His  asse^ors,  on  a  burning  Throne  ; 
thousand  thousands  mmistering  to  Him,  and  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand  standing  before  Him. 
"The  judgment  is  set,  and  the  books  are  opened." 
Who  that  is  guided  by  the  mere  words  would  doubt 
that  this  is  a  description  of  the  Final  Judgment  ? 
And  yet  nothing  is  clearer  than  that  it  is  nut,  but 
a  descrixition  of  a  vast  temporal  judgment,  upon 
organized  bodies  of  men,  for  their  incurable  lios- 
tility  to  the  kingdom  of  God  ujion  earth.  Well, 
after  the  doom  of  these  has  been  pronounced 
and  executed,  and  room  thus  prepared  for  the 
unobstructed  development  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
over  the  earth,  what  follows?  "I  saw  in  the 
night  visions,  and,  behold,  one  like  THE  Son  of 
Man  came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  came 
to  the  Ancient  of  days,  and  they  (the  angelic 
attendants)  bi-ought  Him  near  before  Him."  For 
what  purpose?  To  receive  investiture  in  tie 
kingdom,  which,  as  ^Messiah,  of  right  belonged  lo 
Him.  Accordingly,  it  is  added,  "And  there  was 
given  Him  dominion,  and  glory,  and  a  kingdom, 
that  all  peoples,  nations,  and  languages  snould 
serve  Him  :  His  dominion  is  an  everlasting  do- 
minion, which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  His 
kingdom  that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed." 
Comparing  this  with  our  Lord's  words,  He  seen.s 
to  xis,  by  "the  Son  of  man  (on  which  phrase,  see 
on  John  i.  51)  coming  in  the  clouds  with  great 
power  and  glory,"  to  mean,  that  when  judicial 
vengeance  shall  once  have  been  executed  upon 
Jeriisalem,  and  the  ground  thus  clea,red  for  the 
unobstructed  establishment  of  His  own  kingdom^ 
His  true  regal  claims  and  rights  would  be  visibly 


The  manner  of  Chrisfs 


MARK  XIII. 


coming  to  judg?nent. 


27  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  with  great  power  and  glory.  And 
then  shall  he  send  his  angels,  and  shall  gather  together  his  elect  from  the 
four  winds,  from  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth  to  the  uttermost  part  of 
heaven. 

28  Now  learn  a  parable  of  the  fig  tree ;  When  her  branch  is  yet  tender, 

29  and  putteth  forth  leaves,  ye  know  that  summer  is  near :  so  ye,  in  like 
manner,  when  ye  shall  see  these  things  come  to  pass,  know  that  it  is  nigh, 

30  even  at  the  doors.     Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  this  generation  shall  not 

31  pass,  till  all  these  things  be  done.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away ; 
but  my  ''words  shall  not  pass  away. 

32  But  of  that  day  and  t/tat  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  angels 
which  are  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but  the  Father. 


A.  D.  33. 

Kum.23.19. 
Jos.  23.  14, 

15. 
Ps.  19.  7. 
Ps.  102.  2S. 
Ps.  119.  89. 
Isa  40.  8. 
Isa.  46.  10. 
Isa.  51.  6. 
Zee.  1.  6. 
Luke  21.33, 
2  Tim.  2. 13. 
Titus  1.  2. 


and  gloriou.sly  asserted  and  manifested.  See  on 
Luke  ix.  28  (with  its  parallels  in  Matthew  and 
Mark),  in  which  nearly  the  same  language  is  em- 
ployed, and  where  it  can  hardly  be  understood  of 
anything  else  than  the  full  and  free  establishment 
of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem.  But  what  is  that  "sign  of  the  Sou  of 
man  in  heaven"?  Interpreters  are  not  agreed. 
But  as  before  Christ  came  to  destroy  Jerusalem 
some  appalling  i)ortents  were  seen  in  tlie  air,  so 
before  His  Personal  ajipearing  it  is  likely  that 
something  analogous  will  be  witnessed,  though  of 
what  nature  it  would  be  vain  to  conjecture. 
27.  And  then  shall  lie  send  Ms  angels — "with 
a  great  sound  of  a  trumpet"  (Matt.  xxiv.  31),  and 
shall  gather  together  his  elect  from  the  four 
winds,  from  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth 
to  the  uttermost  part  of  heaven.  A  s  the  tribes 
of  Israel  were  anciently  gathered  together  by 
sound  of  trumpet  (Exod.  xix.  13,  16,  19 ;  Lev. 
xxiii.  24;  Ps.  Ixxxi.  3-5),  so  any  mighty  gatliering  of 
God's  people,  by  divine  command,  is  re^jresented 
as  collected  by  sound  of  trumiiet  (Isa.  xxvii.  13; 
compare  Ptev.  xi.  15) ;  and  the  ministry  of  angels, 
emxuoyed  in  all  the  great  operations  of  Provi- 
dence, is  here  lield  forth  as  the  agency  by  which 
the  present  assembling  of  the  elect  is  to  be  ac- 
complished. Ll'jhtfoot  thus  explains  it:  'Wheu 
Jerusalem  shall  be  reduced  to  ashes,  and  that 
wicked  nation  cut  off  and  rejected,  then  shall 
the  Son  of  man  send  His  ministers  with  the 
trumpet  of  the  Gospel,  and  they  shall  gather 
His  elect  of  the  several  nations,  from  the  four 
corners  of  heaven :  so  that  God  shall  not  want  a 
Church,  although  that  ancient  peojile  of  His  be 
rejected  and  cast  off ;  but  that  ancient  Jewish 
Church  being  destroyed,  a  new  Church  shall  be 
called  out  of  the  Gentiles.'  But  though  some- 
thing like  this  apjiears  to  be  the  primary  sense  of 
the  verse,  in  relation  to  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem, no  one  can  fail  to  see  that  the  language 
swells  beyond  any  gathering  of  the  human  family 
into  a  Church  upon  earth,  and  forces  the  thoughts 
onward  to  that  gathering  of  the  Church  "at  the 
last  trump,"  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air,  which  is 
to  wind  up  the  jiresent  scene.  Still,  this  is  not, 
in  our  judgment,  the  direct  subject  of  the  predic- 
tion ;  for  the  next  verse  limits  the  whole  predic- 
tion to  the  generation  then  existing. 

28.  Now  learn  a  parable  of  the  fig  tree  [  'Atto  oe 
Tri-i  (JVKTi'i  jiMeTC  Tijv  TrapalioXi'ivl — 'Now  from  the 
lig  tree  leai-n  the  yiaral^le,'  or  the  high  lesson  which 
this  teaclies:  When  her  branch  is  yet  tender,  and 
putteth  forth  leaves  {ra  <p\i\\a\ — 'its  leaves,'  ye 
know  that  summer  is  near:  29.  So  ye,  in  like 
manner,  when  ye  shall  see  these  things  come  to 
pass  [yLv6neua'\ — rather,  '  coining  to  pass,'  know 
that  it — "the  kingdom  of  God"  (Luke  xxi.  31), 
is  nigh,  even  at  the  doors— that  is,  the  full  mani- 
festation of  it ;  for  till  then  it  admitted  of  no  full 
\% 


development.  In  Luke  (xxi.  28)  the  follo^ving 
words  precede  these:  "And  when  these  things 
begin  to  come  to  pass,  then  look  up,  and  lift  up 
your  heads;  for  your  redemption  draweth  nigh" — - 
their  redemption,  in  the  first  instance  certainly, 
from  Jewish  oppression  (1  Thess.  ii.  14-16;  Luke 
xi.  52) :  but  in  the  highest  sense  of  these  \yords,  re- 
demption from  all  the  oppressions  and  miseries  of 
the  present  state  at  the  Second  Appearing  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  30.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that 
this  generation  shall  not  pass  till  all  these 
things  toe  done— or  "fulfilled  "  (Alatt.  xxiv.  34; 
Luke  XXL  32).  See  introductory  remarks  on  this 
second  half  of  the  prophecy.  Whether  we  take 
this  to  mean  that  the  whole  would  be  fulfilled 
within  the  limits  of  the  generation  then  current, 
or,  according  to  a  usual  way  of  speaking,  that  the 
generation  then  existing  would  not  ])ass  away 
without  seeing  a  begun  fulfilment  of  this  predic- 
tion, the  facts  entirely  correspond.  For  either  the 
whole  was  fulfilled  in  the  destruction  accomjilished 
by  Titus,  as  many  think;  or  if  we  stretch  it  out, 
according  to  others,  till  the  thorough  dispersion  of 
the  Jews  a  little  later,  under  Adrian,  every  re- 
quirement of  our  Lord's  words  seems  to  be  met. 
31.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away ;  but  my 
words  shall  not  pass  away — the  strongest  possible 
exi^ression  of  the  divine  authority  by  which  He 
spake ;  not  as  Moses  or  Paul  might  have  said  of 
their  own  inspiration,  for  such  language  would  be 
unsuitable  in  any  merely  human  mouth. 

Warnings  to  Prepare  for  the  Coming  of  Christ 
Suggested  by  the  foregoing  Prophecy  (32-37).  It 
will  be  observed  that,  in  the  foregoing  prophecy, 
as  our  Lord  amiroaches  the  crisis  of  the  day  of 
vengeance  on  Jerusalem,  and  redemption  for  the 
Church — at  which  stage  the  analogy  between  that 
and  the  day  of  final  vengeance  and  redemption 
waxes  more  striking — His  language  rises  and  swells 
beyond  all  temporal  and  partial  vengeance,  beyond 
all  earthly  deliverances  and  enlargements,  and 
ushers  us  resistlessly  into  the  scenes  of  the  final 
day.  Accordingly,  in  these  six  concluding  verses 
it  is  manifest  that  preparation  for  "that  day" 
is  what  our  Lord  designs  to  inculcate, 

32.  But  of  that  day  and  that  hour — that  is,  the 
precise  time,  knoweth  no  man  [oyoeiv] — lit. ,  '  no 
one,'  no,  not  the  angels  which  are  in  heaven, 
neither  the  Son,  but  the  Father.  This  very  re- 
markable statement  regarding  "the  Son"  is  pecu- 
liar to  Mark.  Whether  it  means  that  the  Son  was 
not  at  that  time  in  possession  of  the  knoivledge  re- 
ferred to,  or  simply  that  it  was  not  among  the  tilings 
which  He  had  received  to  communicate — has  been 
matter  of  much  controversy  even  among.st  the  firm- 
est believers  in  the  proper  Divinity  of  Christ.  In 
the  latter  sense  it  was  taken  by  some  of  the  most 
eminent  of  the  ancient  Fathers,  a-  by  Luther, 
Melancthon,  and  most  of  the  elder  I  y  erajis  ;  and 
it  is  so  taken  by  Bemjel,  Lange,  WeboLtr  and  Wilkin- 


-4 


Lessons  connected 


MARK  XIII. 


with  Christ's  coming. 


33  Take  '^ye  lieed,  watch  and  pray:  for  ye  know  not  when  the  time  is. 

34  For  '^the  Son  oj  man  is  as  a  man  taking  a  far  journey,  who  left  his  house, 
and  gaye  authority  to  his  servants,  and  to  every  man  his  work,  and  com- 

35  manded  the  porter  to  watch.     Watch  ^ye  therefore;  for  ye  know  not 
when  the  master  of  the  house  cometh,  at  even,  or  at  midnight,  or  at  the 

36  cock-crowing,  or  in  the  morning;   lest,  coming   suddenly,  he  find  you 

37  sleeping.     And  what  I  say  unto  you  I  say  unto  all,  Watch. 


A.  D.  33. 


•"Matt.  24. 42. 

Luke  12.40. 

Lom.  13  n. 
"  Matt.  24.4.';. 

Matt  25  14. 
y  Matt  24.42, 
44. 

Eev.  3.  3. 


son.  Chrysostom  and  others  Understood  it  to 
mean  that  as  Man  our  Lord  was  ignorant  of  this. 
It  is  taken  literally  by  Calvin,  Grotius,  de  Wette, 
Mojer,  Fritzsche,  Stier,  Alford,  and  Alej:ander. 
Beyond  all  doubt,  as  the  word  "knoweth''  [olfiew]  in 
this  verse  is  the  well-known  word  for  the  knowledge 
of  any  fact,  this  latter  sense  is  the  one  we  should 
naturally  put  upon  the  statement;  namely,  that  our 
Lord  did  not  at  that  time  know  the  day  and  hour 
of  His  own  iSecond  Coming.  But  thenalure  of  the 
case — meaning  by  this  the  speaker,  His  subject, 
and  the  probable  design  of  the  statement  in  ques- 
tion-^is  always  allowed  to  have  its  weight  in  de- 
termining the  sense  of  any  doubtful  utterance. 
What,  then,  is  the  natiu'e  of  this  case?  First,  The 
Speaker  was  One  who,  from  the  time  when  He 
entered  on  His  jjublic  ministry,  spoke  ever,  acted 
ever,  as  One  frovi  ivhom  nothhig  was  hid;  and  to 
Whom  was  committed  the  whole  administration  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God  from  first  to  last ;  nor  when 
Peter  ascribed  omniscience  to  Him  (John  xxi.  17), 
can  He  be  supjwsed  to  have  pointed  to  any  enlarge- 
ment of  the  sphere  of  his  Lord's  knowledge  since 
His  resurrection,  or  to  au.ght  save  what  Le  had 
Avitnessed  of  Him  "in  the  days  of  His  flesh." 
Second,  There  seems  nothing  so  x^eciiliar  in  the 
knowledge  of  tlie  precise  time  of  His  Second  Coming, 
much  less  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.^  more  than 
of  other  things  which  we  are  certain  that  our  Lord 
knew  at  that  time,  that  it  should  be  kei^t  f  i  cm  Him, 
while  those  other  things  were  all  full  before  His 
view.  We  are  ill  judges  indeed  of  such  matters, 
l)ut  we  are  obliged  to  .give  this  consideration  some 
weight.  So  far  as  we  may  presume  to  judge,  there 
was  no  benefit  to  the  disciples  to  be  gained  by  the 
concealment  from  Him — as  certainly  there  could 
be  no  danger  to  Himself  from  tlie  knowledge — of 
the  precise  tirne  of  His  coming.  But,  Third,  When 
M^e  have  familiarized  ourselves  with  our  Lord's 
way  of  si^eaking  of  His  communications  to  men, 
we  shall  perhaps  obtain  a  key  to  this  remarkable 
saying  of  His.  Thus:  "And  what  He  hath  seen 
and  heard,  that  He  testifleth;"  "I  speak  to  the 
world  those  things  that  I  have  heard  of  Him;" 
"The  Father  which  sent  me,  He  gave  me  a  com- 
mandment what  I  should  say  and  what  I  should 
speak"  (John  iii  32;  \'iii.  26;  xii.  49).  And  in  a 
remarkable  prophecy  (Isa.  1.  4)  to  which  we  have 
already  adverted  (see  on  ch.  x.  32-45,  Eemark  1) — 
in  which  beyond  doubt  He  is  the  Sjjeaker— He  re- 
presents Himself  as  receiving  His  instructions 
daily,  being  each  morning  instructed  what  to  com- 
municate for  that  day.  In  this  view,  as  tlie  pre- 
cise time  of  His  coming  was  certainly  not  in  His 
instructions;  as  He  had  not  "see??  and /tparti"  it, 
and  so  could  not  "testify"  it;  as  He  had  no  com- 
munication from  His  Father  on  that  subject — 
might  He  not,  in  this  sense,  after  saying  that 
neither  men  nor  angels  knew  it,  add  that  Himself 
knew  it  not,  without  the  danger  of  lowering,  even 
in  the  minds  of  any  of  His  half-instructed  dis- 
ciples, the  impression  of  His  Omniscience,  which 
every  fresh  communication  to  them  only  tended 
to  deepen?  What  recommends  this  opinion  is 
not  any  inconsistency  in  the  opposite  view  with 
the  supreme  Divinity  of  Christ.     That  view  might 


quite  well  be  maintained,  if  only  there  appeared 
sufficient  ground  for  it.  But  while  the  one  argu- 
ment in  its  favour  is  the  natural  sense  of  tlie 
words  —  a  very  strong  argument,  however,  we 
are  constrained  to  admit — everything  else  which 
one  is  accustomed  to  take  into  account,  in  weigh- 
ing the  sense  of  a  doubtful  saying,  is  in  favour  of 
a  modijied  sense  of  the  words  in  question. 
_  Here  follow,  in  Matt.  xxiv.  37-41,  some  addi- 
tional particulars:  37.  "But  a,s  the  days  of  Noe 
were,  so  sliall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
man  be.  3S.  For  as  in  the  days  that  were  be- 
fore the  flood  they  were  eating  and  drinking, 
marrying  and  giving  in  marriage,  until  the  day 
that  Noe  entered  into  the  ark,  39.  And  knew  not 
until  the  flood  came,  and  took  them  all  away  ;  so 
shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be" 
(see  on  Luke  xvii.  2G,  27).  40.  "  Tlien  sliall  two 
(men)  be  in  the  field" — at  tlieir  ordinary  work — 
"the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left.  41. 
Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill  (see  on 
Mark  ix.  42) ;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the 
other  left" — the  children  of  this  world  and  tlie 
children  of  light  mingled  to  the  last.  See  ou 
Luke  xvii.  34-36. 

33.  Take  ye  heed,  watch  and  pray :  for  ye  know 
not  when  the  time  is.  34.  [For  the  Son  of  man 
is]  as  a  man  taking  a  far  journey,  who  left  his 
house,  and  gave  authority  to  his  servants,  and 
to  every  man  his  work.  The  idea  thus  far  is 
similar  to  that  in  the  ojiening  i)art  of  the  parable  of 
the  talents  (Matt.  xxv.  14, 15).  and  commanded  the 
porter  [tcS  dvpwpci] — or  'the  gate-keeper,'  to  watch 
— pointing  to  the  official  duty  of  the  ministers  of 
religion  to  give  warning  of  a])proaching  danger  to 
the  people.  35.  Watch  ye  therefore  ;  for  ye  know 
not  when  the  master  of  the  house  cometh,  at 
even,  or  at  midnight,  or  at  the  cock-crowing,  or 
in  the  morning — an  allusion  to  the  four  Roman 
M'atches  of  the  night.  36.  Lest,  coming  suddenly, 
he  find  you  sleeping.  See  on  Luke  xii.  35-40,  42- 
46.  37.  And  what  I  say  unto  you  — this  Dis- 
course, it  will  be  remembered,  was  delivered  ia 
private,  I  say  unto  all,  Watch — anticipating  and 
requiring  the  difl'usion  of  His  teaching  by  them 
amongst  all  His  disciples,  and  its  perpetuation 
through  all  tim& 

The  closing  words  of  the  Discourse,  as  given  by 
Luke,  xxi.  34-36,  are  remarkable.  "  And  take  heed 
to  yourselves,  lest  at  any  time  your  hearts  be  -over- 
charged" \fiapvv6iitcriu],  or  '  weighted  down,'  "with 
surfeiting"  [KpcuTrdXij] — '  debauchery,'  or  its  efl'ects ; 
"and  drunkenness" — meaning  all  animal  excesses, 
which  quench  sj)irituality  ;  "  and  cares  of  this 
life" — engrossing  the  interest,  absorbing  the  atten- 
tion, and  so  choking  spirituality:  "and  so  that 
day  come  u]ion  you  unawares.  For  a.s  a  snare " 
— a  trap  catchiug  them  when  least  expecting  it 
— "shall  it  come  on  all  them  that  dwell  on  the 
face  of  the  whole  earth.  Watch  ye  therefore, 
and  pray  always  " — the  two  great  duties  which,  in 
Iirospect  of  ia-ial,  are  always  enjoined — "that  ye 
may  be  accounted  worthy  to  escape  all  these  things 
that  shall  come  to  jiass,  and  to  stand  before  the 
Son  of  man."  These  warnings,  though  suggested 
by   th«   ueed   of   prejarednesa  for  the   treuicu- 


The  cliief  priests  conspire 


MAUK  XIV. 


to  put  Jesus  to  death. 


14      AFTER  "  two  days  was  the  feast  of  the  passover,  and  of  unleavened 
bread :  and  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  sought  how  they  might  take 


CHAP.  14 
'  Matt.  20.  2. 


<loiis  calamities  approaching,  and  the  total  wreck 
of  the  existius  state  of  things,  have  reference  to  a 
Coming  of  another  kind,  for  judicial  Vengeance  of 
another  natiire  and  on  a  grander  and  more  awful 
scale — not  ecclesiastical  or  political  but  jJ^t'sonal, 
not  temporal  but  etetmal — when  all  safety  and 
blessedness  will  be  found  to  lie  in  being  able  to 

"  STAND   BEFORE  THE   SoN  OF  MAN  "  in  the  glory  of 

His  Personal  appearing. 

The  nine  concluding  verses  of  Matthew's  ac- 
conut  (ch.  xxiv.  43-51)  are  peculiar  to  that  Gos- 
pel, but  are  in  the  same  strain  of  warning 
to  prepare  for  His  Second  Coming  and  the 
Final  Judgment.  "  But  know  this,  that  if  the 
goodman  of  the  house  had  known  in  what  watch 
the  thief  would  come,  he  would  have  watched,  and 
would  not  have  suffered  liis  house  to  be  broken 
np.  Therefore  be  ye  also  ready :  for  in  such  an 
Lour  as  ye  think  not  tlie  Son  of  man  cometh. 
Who  then  is  a  faithful  and  wise  servant,  whom  his 
lord  hath  made  ruler  over  his  household,  to  give 
them  meat  in  due  season  ?  Blessed  is  that  ser- 
vant whom  his  lord  when  he  cometh  shall  find  so 
«loing.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  That  he  shall  make 
him  ruler  over  all  his  goods.  But  and  if  that 
evil  servant  shall  say  in  his  heart,  My  lord  de- 
layeth  his  coming;  and  shall  begin  to  smite  his 
fellow-servants,  and  to  eat  and  drink  with  the 
drunken;  the  lord  of  tliat  servant  shall  come  in  a 
day  when  he  looketh  not  for  him,  and  in  an  hour 
that  he  is  not  aware  of.  And  shall  cut  him 
asxinder,  and  appoint  him  his  portion  with  the 
liyijocrites :  there  shall  be  weepmg  and  gnashing 
of  teeth."  On  this  whole  passage,  see  on  Luke 
xii.  35-40,  4'2-4G,  which  is  almost  identical  with 
it;  and  on  the  last  words,  see  on  Matt.  xiii.  42. 

In  Luke's  account  (xxi.  37,  38)  the  following 
brief  summary  is  given  of  our  Lord's  i)roceed- 
ings  until  the  fifth  day  (or  the  Thursday)  of  His 
last  week  :  "And  in  the  daytime"  [xas  v/xepa^] — 
'during  the  daj's' — "He  was  teaching  in  the 
temple;  and  at  night"  [ras  vu^Tas] — 'during  the 
nights' — "  He  went  out  and  abode  in  the  mount 
that  is  called  the  mount  of  Olives" — that  is,  at 
Bethany. 

Bemarlcs. — 1.  In  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
and  the  utter  extinction  of  all  that  the  Jews 
l)rided  themselves  in,  on  the  one  hand  ;  and  in  the 
l)reservation,  on  the  other,  of  the  little  flock  of 
Christ's  disciples,  and  their  secure  establishment 
and  gradual  diffusion,  as  now  the  only  visible 
kingdom  of  God  upon  earth — we  see  an  apjial- 
ling  illustration  of  those  great  iirinciples  of  the 
Divine  Government :  "  Yet  a  little  while,  and  the 
Avicked  shall  not  be:  yea,  thou  shall  diligently 
consider  his  place,  amt  it  shall  not  be.  But  the 
meek  shall  inherit  the  earth;  and  shall  delight 
themselves  in  the  abundance  of  peace."  "Behold, 
the  day  cometh  that  shall  burn  as  an  oven;  and 
all  the  proud,  yea,  and  all  that  do  wickedly,  shall  Ije 
stubble :  and  the  day  that  cometh  shall  liurn  them 
lip,  saitli  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  that  it  shall  leave 
them  neither  root  nor  branch.  But  unto  you  that 
fear  my  name  shall  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arise, 
with  healing  in  His  wings  ;  and  j'e  shall  go  forth, 
and  grow  up  as  calves  of  the  stall."  "Every 
l)lant  which  my  heavenly  Father  hath  not  planted 
shall  be  rooted  up."  (Ps.  xxxvii.  10,  11 ;  Mai.  iv. 
1,  2;  Matt.  xv.  13.)  Every  spiritual  edifice  that 
is  not  built  of  living  stones  has  the  rot  in  it, 
and  will  sooner  or  later  crumble  down.  Like  the 
house  built  upon  the  sand,  the  storm  of  divine  in- 
dignation will  sweeij  it  away.  lit  only  that  doeth 
197 


the.  %Lnll  of  God  ahideth  for  ever    (1  John  ii.  17). 
"  Well;  because  of  unbelief  they  were  liroken  oft', 
and  thou  standest  by  faith.     Be  not  high-minded, 
but    fear :   for    if   God  spared    not    the    natural 
branches,  take  heed  lest  He  also  spare  not  thee " 
(Rom.  xi.  20,  21).     2.  We  here  see  the  falsity  of 
that  shallow  view  of  prophecy  which  used  to  be 
so  generally  acce]ited,  and  even  yet  is  advocated 
by  too   many  who  speak  conteni|)tuously  of   all 
study  of  unfulfilled  prophecy — that  it  wasdesigncil 
exclusively  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  live  af/cr 
its  fulfilment,  to  confii-m  their  faith  in  the  inspira- 
tion by  which  it  was  uttered,  and  generally,  in  the 
Religion  of  which  it  forms  a  part.     Certainly  this 
was  not  the  primary  olyect  of  our  Lord's  prophecy 
of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem;  for  throughout 
He    gives   it    forth    expressly    as   a    directory   in 
prosjject    of  it,   for    the    guidance    of    those  who 
heard  it.      "Take   heed    lest    any  man  deceive 
you :    for    many    shall   come    in    pay    name,    &c. 
And  when  ye  shall  hear  of   wars   and  rumours 
of  wars,   be  not  troubled.      When  ye  shall  see 
the  abomination,   sijoken  of  hy  Daniel  the  pro- 
phet, standing  where  it  ought  «ot,  (let  him  that 
READETH  UNDERSTAND,)  then  let  them  which  be 
in  Jiidea  flee,  ^c.    False  Christs  and  false  prophets 
shall  rise,  and  shall  show  signs  and  wonders,  to  se- 
duce, if  it  were  possible,  even  the  elect.     But  take 
heed:  behold,  I  hare  foretold  you  all  tilings.     Now 
learn  a  parable  of  the  fig  tree  :    .     .    So  ye,  in  like 
manner,  lohen  ye  shall  see  these  things  come  to  pass, 
know  that  it  is  nigh,  even  at  the  doors."    And  if  this 
prophecy  was  intended  directly  for  those  who  lived 
before  its  fulfilment,  why  not  othei-s?    Even  the 
darkest  prophecy— the  Apocalyjise— bears  on  its 
face  throughout  a  reference  to  those  who  should 
live,  not  after,  but  before  its  accomplishment — to 
forewarn  them  of  coming  dangers,  to  indicate  at 
least  the  general  nature  of  them,  to  prepare  and 
animate  them  to  encounter  these,  and  to  assure 
them  of  the  ultimate  safety  and  triumph  of  Christ's 
cause  and  the  glorious  reward  awaiting  the  stead- 
fast followers  of  the  Lamb.      It  is  the  rashness 
and   dogmatism    of    the    students    of   prophecy, 
and  the  fantastic  principles  which    have    often 
been  api^lied  to  the   interpretation    of   it,    that 
have  scared  away  sensible  Christians  and  grave 
theologians  from  this  study,  despairing  of  success. 
But  let  us  take  heed  of  being  thus  spoiled  of  so 
precious  a  portion  of  our  Scripture  inheritance; 
missing  the  blessing  pronounced  on  those  who  read 
and  keep  what  is  WTitten  in  prophecy  (Rev.  i.  3), 
and  disobeying  our  Lord's  own  solemn  injunction : 
"  Whoso  readeth  let  him  understand" _  (r.  14).     3. 
As  temperance  in  animal  indulgences  is  indispen- 
sable to  that  wakefulness  and  elevation  of  spirit 
which    fits  us  for    welcoming   Christ   when   He 
comes,  so  that  spirit  of  excess  which  goes  to  the 
utmost  laM'ful  indulgence  wars  against  the  soul, 
leaving    it   a   prey  to  surprises    even   the    most 
fatal  (Luke  xxi.  34.36;  1  Cor.  ix.  27;  1  Pet.  ii.  11). 
4.   In  whatever  providential   events    Christ   may 
come  to  us  (Rev.  iii.  3 ;  xyi,  15)— even  in  the  sum- 
mons to  "  depart  and  be  with  Him,  which  is  far 
better" — it  is  to  His  Personal  Appearing  the  second 
time,  without  sin  unto  salvation,"  that  the  hearts 
of  believers  must  ever  suiiremely  rise ;  nor  is  it  a 
healthy  state  of  soul  to  stop  short  of  this — as  most 
certainly  it  is  not  scriptural.     Let  us,  then,  "  love 
His  appearing." 

CHAP.  XIV.  1-11.— The  Conspiracy  of  the 
Jewish  Authorities  to  Put  Jesus  to  Death— 
The  Suffer  and  the  Anointing  at  Bethany — 


The  chief  priests  conspire 


MARK  XIV. 


to  put  Jesus  to  death. 


2  liim  by  craft,  and  put  him  to  death.     But  tliey  said,  Not  on  the  feast 
day,  lest  there  be  an  uproar  of  the  people. 


A.  D.  33. 
Luke  22.  I. 


Judas  Agrees  wixn  the  Chief  Priests  to 
Betray  his  Lord.  (=  Matt.  xxvi.  1-16;  Luke 
xxii.  1-6;  John  xii.  1-11.)  The  events  of  this 
Section  ajipear  to  have  occnned  on  the  fourth 
day  of  the  Redeemer's  Last  Week — the  Wednes- 
day. 

Consp'u-acv  of  the  JeiDish  Authorities  to  Put 
Jesus  to  Death  {1,  2).  1.  After  two  days  was  the 
feast  of  the  passover,  and  of  unleavened  hread. 
The  meaning  is, that  two  days  after  what  is  about 
to  be  mentioned  the  Passover  would  arrive;  in 
other  words,  what  follows  occurred  two  days  before 
the  feast,  and  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes 
sought  how  they  might  take  him  by  craft,  and 
put  him  to  death.  From  Mattliew's  fuller  account 
(ch  xxvi. )  we  learn  that  our  Lord  announced  this 
to  the  Twelve  as  follows,  being  the  first  announce- 
ment to  them  of  the  precise  time:  "And  it  came 
to  pass,  when  Jesiis  had  finished  all  these  say- 
ings"—  referring  to  the  contents  of  ch.  xxiv., 
XXV.,  which  He  delivered  to  His  disciples ;  His 
l)ublic  ministi'y  being  now  closed  :  from  His  ^jro- 
phetlcal  He  is  now  passing  into  His  Priestly 
office,  although  all  along  Himself  took  our  in- 
firmities and  bare  our  sicknesses — "He  said  unto 
His  disciples,  Ye  know  that  after  two  days  is 
[the  feast  of]  the  Passover,  and  the  Son  of  man 
is  betrayed  to  be  crucified."  The  Jirst  and  the 
last  steps  of  his  final  suflFerings  are  brought  to- 
gether in  this  brief  announcement  of  all  that  was 
to  take  place.  The  Passover  [to  ■irdcrxa  =■  "^p^n] 
was  the  first  and  the  chief  of  the  three  great  an- 
nual festivals,  commemorative  of  the  redemjjtion 
of  Grod's  people  from  Egvirt,  through  the  sprink- 
ling of  the  blood  of  a  lamb  divinely  appointed 
to  be  slain  for  that  end;  the  destroying  angel, 
"when  he  saw  the  blood,  passing  over"  the  Israel- 
itish  houses,  on  which  that  blood  was  seen,  when 
he  came  to  destroy  all  the  first-born  in  the  land 
of  Egypt  (Exod.  xii.) — ^Ijright  tyjjical  foreshadowing 
of  the  gi-eat  Sacrifice,  and  the  Redemption  effected 
thereby.  Accordingly,  "  by  the  determinate  coun- 
sel and  foreknowledge  of  God,  who  is  wonderful 
in  counsel  and  excellent  in  working,"  it  was  so 
ordered  that  precisely  at  the  Passover-season, 
"Christ  our  Passover  should  be  sacrificed  for  us." 
On  the  day  following  the  Passover  commenced 
"the  feast  of  unleavened  bread"  [-ra  a^u/ua],  so 
called  because  for  seven  days  only  unleavened 
bread  was  to  be  eaten  (Exod.  xii.  18-20).  See  on 
1  Cor.  V.  6-8.  We  are  further  told  by  Matthew 
(xxvi.  .3)  that  the  consultation  was  held  in  the 
palace  of  Caiaphas  the  high  i>riest,  between  the 
chief  i^riests,  [the  scribes],  and  the  elders  of  the  peo- 
ple, how  "they  might  take  Jesus  by  subtlety  and 
kill  Him."  [The  words  kul  ol  ypafifxaTel-i  are  prob- 
ably not  genuine  here.  'J'iscJiendorf  and  Tregelles 
exclude  them.  It  is  likely  they  were  introduced 
from  Matthew  and  Luke.]  2.  But  they  said,  Not 
on  the  feast  [day] — rather,  'not  during  the  feast' 
[ev  TJ?  eopT^)\ ;  not  until  the  seven  days  of  un- 
leavened l;)read  should  be  over,  lest  there  be 
an  uproar  of  the  people.  In  consequence  of  the 
vast  influx  of  strangers,  embracing  all  the  male  po- 
pulation of  the  land  who  had  reached  a  certain  age, 
there  were  Avithin  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  at  this 
festival  some  two  millions  of  people ;  and  in  their 
excited  state,  the  danger  of  tumult  and  bloodshed 
among  "the  people,"  who  for  the  most  part  took 
Jesus  for  a  prophet,  was  extreme.  (See  Joseph. 
Antt.  XX.  5.  3.)  What  plan,  if  any,  these  ecclesi- 
astics fixed  Tipon  for  seizin,:^  o\ir  Lord,  does  not 
appear.  But  the  proposal  of  Judas  being  at  once 
19S 


and  eagerly  gone  into,  it  is  probable  they  were 
till  then  at  some  loss  for  a  plan  sufficiently  quiet 
and  yet  effectual.  So,  just  at  the  feast  time  shall 
it  be  done ;  the  unexpected  offer  of  Judas  relieving 
them  of  their  fears.  Thus,  as  Bemjel  remarks, 
did  the  divine  counsel  take  eifect. 

TheSupperandtlieAnoinVmgatBethanri  SixDays 
he  fore  the  Passover  (3  9).  The  time  of  this  part  of 
the  narrative,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  is  four  days 
Lefore  what  has  just  been  related.  Had  it  been 
part  of  the  regular  train  of  events  which  o\ir  Evan- 
gelist designed  to  record,  he  would  proljably  have 
inserted  it  in  its  proper  place,  before  the  conspiracy 
of  the  Jewish  authorities.  But  having  come  to  the 
treason  of  Judas,  he  seems  to  have  gone  back  upon 
this  scene  as  what  probably  gave  immediate  occa- 
sion to  the  awful  deed.  The  best  introduction  to 
it  we  have  in  the  Fourth  Gospel. 

John  xii.  1,  2. — "Then  Jesus,  six  days  before  the 
Passover,  came  to  Bethany"  (see  on  Lukexix.  29)— 
that  is,  on  the  sixth  day  iDefore  it ;  probably  after 
sunset  on  Friday  evening,  or  the  commencement 
of  the  Jewish  Sahhath  that  i)receded  the  Pass- 
over: "where  Lazarus  was  which  had  been  dead, 
whom  He  raised  from  the  dead.  There  they 
made  Him  a  supper" — in  what  house  is  not  here 
stated;  but  the  first  two  Evangelists  expressly 
tell  us  it  was  "in  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper" 
(Matt.  xxvi.  6;  Mark  xiv.  3).  But  for  this  state- 
ment, we  should  have  taken  it  for  granted  that 
the  scene  occurred  in  the  house  of  Lazarus.  At 
the  same  time,  as  Martha  served  (John  xii.  2),  he 
was  jirobably  some  near  relative  of  her  family. 
Who  this  "Simon  the  leper"  was,  is  qiiite  un- 
known. A  leper  at  that  time,  while  entertaining 
g'Tiests  at  his  own  table,  lie  could  not  have  been, 
as  this  would  have  been  contrary  to  the  Jewish 
law.  But  he  liad  been  one,  perhaps  long  one,  and 
so  came  to  be  best  known  by  his  old  iiame,  "Simon 
the  leper."  And  just  as  Slatthew,  long  after  he 
was  transformed  into  "  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ," 
continued  to  call  himself  what  none  of  the  other 
Evangelists  do,  "Matthew  the  publican;"  so, 
perhaps,  this  healed  leper,  after  the  Savioiir  had 
cleansed  him,  and  won  his  heart— healing  soul  and 
body  together— felt  it  pleasant  to  be  known  ever 
after  as  "  Simon  the  leper: "  and  just  as  Matthew, 
again,  "made  Him  a  great  feast  in  his  own  house," 
this  Simon,  out  of  the  fulness  of  a  gratefid  heart, 
made  Him  this  sujiper.  And  what  if  he  was  that 
very  leper  whose  case  is  the  first  recorded  in  the 
Gos]>el  History,  who,  immediately  after  the  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount,"  as  Jesus  descended  from 
the  hill  on  which  it  was  delivered,  came  running 
and  kneeling  to  Him,  saying,  "Lord,  if  thou  wilt, 
thou  canst  make  me  clean,"  and  whose  leprosy 
immediately  departed  from  him,  when  the  Lortl 
said,  "  I  will ;  be  thoix  clean"!  (See  on  Matt.  viii. 
1-4.)  The  time  when  this  supper  was  made  to 
Jesus  was  affecting.  As  it  Avas  His  last  visit  to 
His  quiet  and  loved  retreat  at  Bethany,  so  He 
honoured  it  by  making  it  His  longest.  He  made 
it  His  nightly  home  during  His  final  week ;  goiug 
thence  daily  into  the  city,  but  never  sleeping  there. 
And,  says  the  beloved  disciple,  "Martha  seiwed." 
Active,  busy,  but  true-heai'ted,  Martha  is  here  at 
her  proper  vocation — serving  her  Lord.  A  blessed 
emiiloyment.  She  got  a  gentle  cheek  once  when  so 
engaged,  thoiigh  not  for  so  doing.  But  there  is  no 
rebuke  here ;  nay,  it  seems  recorded  here  as  her 
privilege  that  she  serA'cd.  Service  to  Christ  there 
must  be ;  somebody  must  do  it ;  and  Martha  on 
this  occasion  was  the  honouied  servant;    "but 


The  Slipper  and 


MARK  XIV. 


anointing  at  Bethany, 


3  And  ''being  in  Bethany,  in  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper,  as  he  sat  at 
meat,  there  came  a  woman  having  an  alabaster  box  of  ointment  of 
^spikenard  very  precious;  and  she  brake  the  box,  and  poured  it  on  his 

4  head.     And  there  were  some  that  had  indignation  within  themselves,  and 

5  said,  Why  was  this  waste  of  the  ointment  made?  for  it  might  have  been 
sold  for  more  than  three  hundred  ''pence,   and  have  been  given  to  the 

6  poor.     And  the)^  murmured  against  her.     And  Jesus  said,  Ijet  her  alone; 

7  why  trouble  ye  her?  she  hath  wrought  a  good  work  on  me.  For  '^ye 
have  the  poor  with  you  always,  and  whensoever  5^e  will  ye  may  do  them 

8  good :  but  me  ye  have  not  always.     She  hath  done  what  she  could :  she 

9  is  come  aforehand  to  anoint  my  body  to  the  burying.  Verily  I  say  unto 
you.  Wheresoever  this  gospel  shall  be  preached  throughout  the  wliole 
world,  this  also  that  she  hath  done  shall  be  sjwken  of  for  a  memorial  of 
her. 

10      And  ^  Judas  Iscariot,  one  of  the  twelve,  went  unto  the  chief  priests,  to 


A.  D,  33. 


b  Matt.  26.  0. 

Luke  7.  37. 

Jolm  12.  1, 
3. 
1  Cr,  pure 

nard,  or, 

liquid 

nard. 
"  Matt  18  28. 

John  6.  7. 
d  Deut.lS.U. 

Tro.  22.  2. 

Matt.2G  11. 

Matt. 25  35. 

John  12.  8. 

2  Cor  9.  13. 
'   Matt  26.14. 

John  13.  2, 


Lazarus,"  says  Johrij  "  was  oue  of  them  that  sat 
at  the  table  with  him"— a  trophy  of  his  Master's 
resurrection  -power  and  glory.  So  much  for 
John's  introduction  to  the  scene.  Let  us  now 
letm'ii  to  our  own  narrative : 

3.  And  bsins  in  Bethany,  in  tlie  house  of 
Simon  the  leper,  as  he  sat  at  meat,  there  came 
a  woman.  It  was  "Mary,"  as  we  learn  from 
John  xii.  3.  having  an  alabaster  box  of  oint- 
ment of  spikenard  [vapfiov] — pure  nard,  a  cele- 
brated aromatic.  (See  Cant.  i.  12.)  very  precious 
^"very  costly"  (John  xii.  3),  and  she  brake 
the  box,  and  poured  it  on  his  head — "and 
anointed,"  adds  John,  "  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and 
wiped  His  feet  with  her  hair:  and  the  house  was 
filled  with  the  odour  of  the  ointment."  The  only 
use  of  this  was  to  refresh  and  exhilarate — a  grate- 
ful compliment  in  the  East,  amidst  the  closeness 
of  a  heated  atmosphere,  with  many  guests  at  a 
feast.  Such  was  the  form  in  which  Mary's  love  to 
Christ,  at  so  much  cost  to  herself,  poured  itself  out. 
4.  And  there  were  some  that  had  indignation 
within  themselves,  and  said.  Matthew  says 
(xxvi.  8),  "But  when  His  disciples  saw  it,  they 
had  indignation,  saying."  The  spokesman,  how- 
ever, was  none  of  the  true-hearted  Eleven — as  we 
learn  from  John  (xii.  4):  "Then  saith  one  of  His 
disciples,  Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's  son,  which 
should  betray  Him."  Doubtless  the  thought 
stirred  first  in  his  breast,  and  issued  from  his 
base  lips ;  and  some  of  the  rest,  ignorant  of  his 
true  character  and  feelings,  and  carried  away  by 
his  plausible  speech,  might  for  the  moment  feel 
some  chagrin  at  the  ajijiarent  waste.  Why  was 
this  waste  of  the  ointment  made?  5.  For  it 
might  have  been  sold  for  more  than  three  hun- 
dred pence — between  nine  and  ten  pounds  ster- 
ling, and  have  been  given  to  the  poor.  And  they 
murmured  against  her.  "This  he  said,"  remarks 
John,  and  the  remark  is  of  exceeding  importance, 
"not  that  he  cared  for  the  poor;  but  because  he 
was  a  thief,  and  had  the  bag"  [to  yAoxro-oVo/ioj'] — 
the  scrip  or  treasure-chest;  "and  bare  what  was 
put  therein"  [t/iao-xajey]  —  not  'bare  it  off'  by 
theft  as  some  understand  it.  It  is  true  that  he 
did  this ;  but  the  expression  means  simi)ly  that  lie 
had  charge  of  it  and  its  contents,  or  was  treasurer 
to  Jesus  and  the  Twelve.  What  a  remarkable  ar- 
rangement was  this,  by  which  an  avaricious  and 
dishonest  person  was  not  only  taken  into  the  num- 
ber of  the  Twelve,  but  entrusted  with  the  custody 
of  their  little  property !  The  purposes  which  this 
served  are  obvious  enough  ;  but  it  is  farther  notice- 
able, that  the  remotest  hint  was  never  given  to 
the  Eleven  of  his  true  character,  nor  did  the  dis- 
199 


ciples  most  favoured  with  the  intimacy  of  Jesus 
ever  suspect  him,  till  a  few  minutes  before  he 
voluntarily  separated  himself  from  their  company 
— for  ever !  6.  And  Jssus  said,  Let  her  alone ;  why 
trouble  ye  her?  she  hath  wrought  a  good  work  on 
me.  It  was  good  in  itself,  and  so  was  acceptable  to 
Christ ;  it  was  eminently  seasonable,  and  so  more 
acceptable  still ;  and  it  was  "  what  she  could,"  and 
so  most  accejitable  of  all.  7.  For  ye  have  the  poor 
with  you  always— referring  to  Deut.  xv.  11,  and 
whensoever  ye  will  ye  may  do  them  good:  but 
me  ye  have  not  always— a  gentle  hint  of  His  ap- 
proaching departure,  by  One  who  knew  the  worth 
of  His  own  presence.  8.  She  hath  done  what  she 
could — a  noble  testimony,  embodying  a  principle 
of  immense  importance,  she  is  come  aforehand 
to  anoint  my  body  to  the  burying— or,  as  in  John 
(xii.  7),  "  Against  the  day  of  my  burying  hath  she 
kept  thi.s."  Not  that  she,  dear  heart,  thought  of 
His  burial,  much  less  resented  any  of  her  nard  to 
anoint  her  dead  Lord.  But  as  the  time  was  so 
near  at  hand  when  that  office  would  have  to  be 
performed,  and  she  loas  not  to  have  that  ■privilege 
even  after  the  spices  were  brought  for  the  purpose 
(ch.  xvi.  1),  He  lovingly  regards  it  as  done  nov). 
9.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  Wheresoever  this  gospel 
shall  be  preached  throughout  the  whole  world, 
this  also  that  she  hath  done  shall  be  spoken  of 
for  a  memorial  of  her.  '  In  the  act  of  love  done 
to  Him,'  says  Olshaiisen  beautifully,  '  she  has 
erected  to  herself  an  eternal  monument,  as  lasting 
as  the  Gosjiel,  the  eternal  Word  of  God.  From 
generation  to  generation  this  remarkaljle  prophecy 
of  the  Lord  has  been  fulfilled;  and  even  we,  in 
explaining  this  saying  of  the  Redeemer,  of  neces- 
sity contribute  to  its  accomplishment.''  'Who 
but  Himself,'  asks  Stier,  'had  the  power  to  en- 
sure to  any  work  of  man,  even  if  resounding  in 
His  own  time  through  the  whole  earth,  an  im- 
perishable remembrance  in  the  stream  of  history? 
Behold  once  more  here  the  majesty  of  His  royal 
judicial  supremacy  in  the  government  of  the  world, 
in  this  "Verily  I  say  unto  you."' 

10.  And  Judas  Iscariot,  one  of  the  twelve, 
went  unto  the  chief  priests,  to  betray  him 
unto  them  —  that  is,  to  make  his  proposals, 
and  to  bargain  with  them,  as  ajjjiears  from 
Matthew's  fuller  statement  (ch.  xxvi. ),  which 
savs,  he  "went  unto  the  chief  priests,  and  said, 
W'liat  will  ye  give  me,  and  I  will  deliver  Him 
unto  you?  And  they  covenanted  with  him  for 
thirty  pieces  of  silver"  {v.  15).  The  thirty  pieces 
of  silver  were  thirty  shekels,  the  fine  paid  for  man 
or  maid-servant  a-ccidentally  killed  (Exod.  xxi.  32), 
and  equal  to  between  four  and  five  i^ounds  sterling 


Judas  agrees  to 


MARK  XIV. 


hetrny  his  Lord. 


11  betray  him  unto  tliem.  And  when  they  heard  it,  they  were  glad,  and 
liromised  to  give  him  •'money.  And  he  sought  how  he  might  conveniently 
betray  him. 


A.  D  33. 


/  Zee.  11.  12. 
iTim  O.iO. 


— "a  goodly  price  that  I  Avas  prized  at  of  them"  ! 
(Zee.  xi.  13).  11.  And  wlien  they  heard  it,  they 
virere  glad,  and  promised  to  give  him  money. 
Matthew  alone  records  the  precise  sum,  because 
a  remarkable  and  complicated  prophecy,  which  he 
was  afterwards  to  refer  to,  was  fulfilled  by  it.  And 
he  sought  how  he  might  conveniently  betray  him 
^or,  as  more  fully  given  in  Luke  (xxii.  6),  "And 
lie  promised,  and  sought  opportunity  to  betray 
Him  unto  them  in  the  absence  of  the  multitude. 
That  he  should  avoid  an  "ux^roar"  or  'riot'  among 
the  peoi)le,  which  probably  was  made  an  essen- 
tial conditiou  by  the  Jewish  authorities,  was  thus 
assented  to  by  the  traitor;  into  whom,  says  Luke 
(xxii.  3),  "  Satan  entered, "  to  put  him  ujjon  this 
hellish  deed. 

liemarks.  —  L  Among  the  '  undesigned  coinci- 
dences '  in  the  narratives  of  the  Four  Evangelists 
which  so  strongly  coutu-m  their  truth,  not  the  least 
striking  are  the  representations  given  of  the  re- 
spective characters  of  Martha  and  Maiy  by  the 
Third  and  Fourth  Evangelists.  While  in  Lidce  we 
have  a  scene  omitted  by  John,  in  which  the  active 
services  of  Martha  and  the  placid  affection,  the 
])assive  docility,  of  Mary  come  sti-ikingly  out  (see 
on  Luke  x.  38-42),  we  have  in  John  (xii.  1,  &o. )  a  very 
tliffereut  scene,  omitted  by  Luke,  in  which,  never- 
theless, the  same  characteristics  appeal'.  Martha 
serves,  while  Mary  diffuses  over  her  Lord  the 
odour  of  her  love,  in  the  costly  ointment  which 
she  spent  upon  Him.  "What  are  these  but  differ- 
ent rays  from  one  bright  historic  Reality?  2.  In 
this  feast,  beheld  in  its  inner  character,  may  we 
not  see  ou  a  small  scale  something  like  what  is 
from  age  to  age  realized  in  the  kingdom  of  grace  ? 
Here  is  the  iledeemer  surrounded  by  the  varied 
trophies  of  His  p-ace.  Fii'st,  we  liave  Simon 
the  leper — the  healed  man;  next,  Lazarus — the 
risen  man ;  and  here  is  the  man  that  leaned  on 
Jesus'  breast,  nearest  to  bis  Lord — tyi)e  of  serai)hic 
affection ;  and  that  other  "  son  of  thunder,"  James, 
the  brother  of  John,  who  was  h.onoured  to  di-ink  of 
his  Lord's  cuji,  and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism 
which  He  was  baptized  withal — the  man  of  impul- 
sive but  robust  devotion  to  Christ ;  and  here  was 
blessed  Simon  Bar-jona — the  mau  of  commanding 
energy — first  among  the  Twelve;  and  all  the 
diversified  types  of  Christian  character,  as  exem- 
plified in  the  rest :  But,  lo !  in  the  midst  of  these, 
and  one  of  their  number,  was  "a  devil" — type  of 
that  traitorous  spirit  from  which  probably  the 
Christian  Chm-ch  has  hardly  ever  V>een  quite 
free.  But  woman  also  is  here  represented — 
redeemed  womanhood ;  and  in  its  two  great 
tyi^es — active  and  iiassive,  or  doing  and  feeling. 
And  yet  there  was  doing  in  both,  and  feeling 
in  both;  although  the  hands  were  the  charac- 
teristic in  the  one  case,  the  heart  in  the 
other.  And  what  would  the  Church  and  the 
world  be  without  both  ?  Active  service  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  infant  Church,  and  has  ever 
since  diffused  and  yireservetl  it ;  active  service  has 
rolled  back  the  tide  of  corruption  when  it  had 
settled  over  the  Church,  aud  restored  its  evangelical 
character ;  and  the  active  services  of  woman  have 
been  in  every  age  of  quickened  Christianity  as 
precious  as  they  have  been  beautiful  But  it  is 
tlie  service  of  love  which  Christ  values.  Love  to 
Christ  transfigures  the  humblest  services.  All, 
indeed,  who  have  themselves  a  heart,  value  its 
least  outgoings  above  the  most  costly  mechanical 
performances ;  but  how  does  it  endear  the  Saviour 
200 


to  us  to  find  Himself  endorsing  that  principle,  as 
His  own  standard  in  judgingof  character  and  deeds ! 

'  What  tliongi)  in  poor  and  humble  puise 
Thou  here  diiist  sojourn  cottage-born? 
Yet  from  thy  glory  in  the  skies 

Our  earthly  gold  thou  dost  not  scorn. 
For  Love  delittlits  to  bring  her  best, 
Ar;d  where  Love  is,  that  offering  evermore  is  blest. 

'Love  on  the  Saviour's  dying  head 

Her  spikenard  drops  unblam'd  may  pour, 
Jlay  mount  His  cross  and  wrap  Him  ueail 
In  spices  from  the  golden  shore,'  <fec  — Kebi.e. 

3.  Works  of  ^UiUfijaxe  never  to  be  set  in  opposition 
to  the  prom]itiiigs  of  self-sacriticing  love,  aud  the 
sincerity  of  those  who  do  so  is  to  be  siispectcd. 
W  hat  a  number  of  starving  families  might  those 
"three  hundred  pence"  have  cheered  (would 
Judas  exclaim,  if  time  had  beeu  allowed  him  to 
enlarge  upon  this  waste) !  In  like  manner,  under 
the  mask  of  concern  for  the  poor  at  home,  how 
many  excuse  themselves  from  all  care  of  the 
perishing  heathen  abroatl !  The  bad  source  of  such 
comjilaints  and  the  insincerity  of  such  excuses  may 
reasonably  be  susjiected.  4.  Amidst  conflicting 
duties,  that  which  our  hand  presently  findeth  to 
do  is  to  be  preferred  to  that  which  can  be  done  at 
any  time.  "  Ye  have  the  poor  always  with  you  ; 
but  Me  ye  have  not  always."  5.  The  Lord  Jesus 
has  an  exalted  consciousness  of  the  worth  of  His 
own  presence  with  His  people,  and  will  have 
them  alive  to  it  too.  There  is,  indeed,  a  sense  iu 
which  He  is  with  them  always,  even  to  the  world's 
end  (Matt,  xxviii.  20).  But  there  are  special 
opportunities  of  which  it  may  be  said,  "Me  ye 
have  not  always;"  and  it  is  the  part  of  ^asdoiii 
to  avail  ourselves  of  these  Avhile  we  have  them, 
even  though  it  should  interfei^  with  duties,  which, 
however  important,  are  of  such  a  nature  that 
opportunities  for  doing  them  never  cease.  6.  To 
those  who  are  oppressed  with  the  little  they  cau 
do  for  Christ,  what  unsjieakable  consolation  is 
there  in  that  testimony  borne  to  Mary,  "She  hath 
done  what  she  could"!  JS'ot  the  poorest  and 
himiblest  of  Christ's  loving  followers  but  may,  on 
this  princiijle,  rise  as  high  in  the  esteem  of  Christ 
as  the  wealthiest  and  those  who  move  in  the 
widest  spheres  of  Christian  usefulness.  "If  there 
be  first  a  willing  mind,  it  is  accepted  according 
to  what  a  man  hath,  and  not  according  to  what 
he  hath  not"  (2  Cor.  viii.  12).  Ou  this  delightful 
suljject,  see  also  on  Luke  xxi.  1-4,  with  Eemarks 
at  the  close  of  that  Section.  7.  As  Jesus  beheld 
in  spirit  the  universal  diffusion  of  His  Gospel, 
while  His  lowest  depth  of  humiliation  was  only  ap- 
proaching, so  He  regarded  the  facts  of  His  earthly 
History  as  constituting  the  substance  of  "this 
Gosjiel,"  and  the  proclamation  of  them  as  just  the 
"preaching  of  this  Gospel."  Not  that  preachers 
are  to  conliue  themselves  to  a  bare  narration  of 
these  facts,  but  that  they  are  to  make  their  whole 
preaching  revolve  around  them  as  its  grand  centre, 
and  derive  from  them  its  proper  vitality ;  all  that 
goes  before  this  in  the  Bible  being  but  the  pre- 
paration for  them^  and  all  that  follows  but  the 
sequel.  8.  The  crime  of  Judas  is  too  apt  to  be 
viewed  as  something  exceptional  in  character  and 
atrocity.  But  the  study  of  its  different  stages  is 
fitted  to  dissipate  that  delusion.  First,  Covetous- 
ness  being  his  master-passion,  the  Lord  suffered 
it  to  reveal  itself  and  gather  strength,  by  entrust- 
ing him  with  "the  bag"  (John  xii.  G),  as  treasurer 
to  Himself  and  the  Twelve.     Next,   in  the  dis- 


TmtUution  of 


MARK  XIV. 


the  Lord's  Supper. 


12 


And  ^the  first  dcay  of  unleavened  bread,  when  they  ^killed  the  jiassover, 
his  disciples  said  unto  him,  Where  wilt  thou  that  we  go  and  prepare  that 
thou  mayest  eat  the  passover?  And  he  sendeth  forth  two  of  his  disciples, 
and  saith  unto  them.  Go  ye  into  the  city,  and  there  shall  meet  you  a  man 
bearing  a  pitcher  of  water :  follow  him.  And  wheresoever  he  shall  go  in, 
say  ye  to  the  g(3odman  of  the  house.  The  Master  saith,  Where  is  the 
g-uest-chamber,  where  I  shall  eat  ''the  passover  with  my  disciples?  And 
he  will  show  you  a  large  upper  room  furnished  and  prepared^  there  make 
ready  for  us.  And  his  disciples  went  forth,  and  came  into  the  city,  and 
found  as  he  had  said  unto  them :  and  they  made  ready  the  passover. 

And  ^in  the  evening  he  cometh  with  the  twelve.  And  as  they  s.at  and 
did  eat,  Jesus  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  One  of  you  which  eateth  with 
me  shall  betray  me.     And  they  began  to  be  sorrowful,  and  to  say  unto 

20  him  one  by  one,  Is  it  I?  and  another  said,  Is  it  I?  And  he  answered 
and  said  unto  them.  It  is  one  of  the  twelve,  that  dippeth  with  me  in  the 
dish.  The  •'Son  of  man  indeed  goeth,  as  it  is  written  of  him :  but  woe  to 
that  man  by  whom  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed !  good  were  it  for  that 
man  if  he  had  never  been  born. 

And  ^'as  they  did  eat,  Jesus  took  bread,  and  blessed,  and  brake  it,  and 

23  gave  to  them,  and  said,  Take,  eat:  this  ^is  my  body.  And  he  took  the 
cup,  and  when  he  had  given  thanks,  he  gave  it  to  them :  and  they  all 
drank  of  it.  And  he  said  unto  them,  This  is  'my  blood  of  the  new 
testament,  which  is  shed  for  many.  Verily  I  say  xmto  you,  I  will  drink 
no  more  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  until  that  day  that  I  drink  it  new  in  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

And  '"when  they  had  sung  an  ^hymn,  they  went  out  into  the  mount  of 
Olives.  And  "Jesus  saith  unto  them.  All  ye  shall  be  offended  because  of 
me  this  night :  for  it  is  written,  "I  will  smite  the  Shepherd,  and  the  sheep 


13 

U 

15 

16 

17 
18 
19 


21 


22 


24 
25 


26 

27 


A.  D.  ?,3 


8  Luke  2i  7. 

2  Or, 
sacrificed 

><■  Ex.  12.  6. 
Ley.  23.  5. 
i   Matt.  26. 2  >. 

Luke  22  14. 
John  13  21. 
i  Gen.  23.  lo. 
Isa.  63.1-'2. 
Dan.  9.  2G. 
Zee.  13.  7. 
Matt,2i;.24. 
Luke  22  22. 

h  Matt  20.26. 

Luke  22  19. 
iCor.n  23. 

3  Or, 
represents. 
1  Cor.  10.  4, 

16. 
'  Ex.  24.  8. 

Zee.  y.  11. 

1  Cor  11  -'5. 

Heb   9.  14. 
"■Matt  2 -.30. 

4  Or,  psalm. 
"  Matt.26  .Jl. 

Luke  22  31, 

32. 
John  16.SI, 

32. 

1  Tim  4.16, 

"  I»3   53.2-10, 

Dan.  9.  20. 

Zee  13  7. 


charge  of  that  most  sacred  trust,  he  began  to  pilfer, 
and  became   "a  thief,"    appropriating  the  store 
from  time  to  time  to  his  own  use.     Then  Satan, 
"walking  about  seeking  whom   he  might  devour, 
and  seeing  this  door  standing  wide  open,  deter- 
mined to  enter  by  it;  but  cautiously  (2  Cor.  ii.  11)— 
at  first  merely  "putting  it  into  his  heart  to  betray 
him"   (John  xiii.    2),  or  whispering    to    him   the 
thought  that  by  this  means  he  might  enrich  him- 
self, and  that  possibly,  when  the  danger  became 
extreme.  He  who  had  wrought  so  many  miracles, 
might  miraculously  extricate  Himself.     The  next 
stage  was  the  conversion  of    that  thought  into 
the  settled  purpose  to  do  it;  to  which  we  may  well 
suppose  he  would  be  loath  to  come  till  something 
occurred  to  fix  it.    That  something,  we  a])prehend, 
was  what  took  place  at  the  house  of  8imon  the 
leper;  from  which  he  probably  withdrew  with  a 
chagrin    which    was   perhaps  all    that  was  now 
wanted  to  decide  him.     Still  starting  back,  how- 
ever, or  mercifully  held  back  for  some  time,  the 
determination  to  carry  it  into  immediate  effect 
was    not    consummated,    it    would    appear,    till, 
sitting  at  the  Paschal  supper,  '''' Satcm  entered  into 
him,"  John  xiii,  27 ;  and  conscience,  now  effectu- 
ally stifled,  only  rose,  after  the  deed,  to  drive  him 
to    desi.)air.     0,   what  warnings  do   these    facts 
sound  forth  to  every  one !    Could  the  traitor  but 
be  permitted  to  send  a  messenger  from  "his  own 
place"  (Acts  i,  23)  to  warn  the  living — as  the  rich 
man  in  the  parable  wished  that  Lazarus  might 
be  to  his  five   brethren — with  what   a   piercing 
cry  would   he    utter   these    words,    "They  that 
will  be  rich  fall  into  temi>tatiou  and  a  snare,  and 
into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  which  drown 
men  in  destruction  and  perdition.     For  the  love 
of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil ;  which  while  some 
coveted  after,  they  have  erred  from  the  faith,  and 
201 


pierced  themselves  through  with  many  sorrows," 
Your  adversary  the  devil,  as  a  roaring  lion, 
walketh  about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour: 
whom  resist  stjadfast  in  the  faith."  "Resist  the 
devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  you."  (1  Tim.  vi. 
9,  10;  1  Pet.  V.  S,  9;  Jas.  iv.  7.)  ,9.  How  sublime 
is  the  self-possession  with  which  Jesus,  four 
days  after  this  scene  at  Bethany,  announced  to 
the  Twelve  that  in  two  days  more  He  should  be 
betrayed  to  be  crucified !  At  that  very  moment, 
perhaps,  the  .Jewish  authorities  were  assembled 
in  the  palace  of  the  high  priest,  consulting 
together  how  they  might  do  it ;  and  Judas,  wlu; 
had  stolen  away  from  the  rest  of  the  Twelve,  and 
got  admission  to  the  Council,  was  just  concluding 
his  bargain,  ])erliaps,  when  He  to  whose  niiml 
every  step  of  the  i>rocess  lay  open,  disclosed  to 
His  true-hearted  ones  the  near-api)roaching  con- 
summation. What  a  study  have  we  here:  on  the 
one  hand,  of  incomparable  ]ilacidity  in  One  of 
acutest  sensibility ;  and  on  the  other,  of  the  har- 
monious working  of  man's  perfectly  free  will,  and 
the  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God 
that  what  men  freely  resolve  on  and  do  shall  come 
to  pass  for  His  own  high  ends!  "For  o/Him,  and 
through  Him,  and  to  Him,  are  all  things :  to 
Whom  be  glory  for  ever.  Amen."  (See  on  E.om. 
xi.  'S6.) 

12-26.— Preparation  for,  and  Last  Celebra- 
tion OF,  the  Passover — Announcement  of  the 
Traitor— Institution  of  the  Supper.  (=  Matt. 
xxvi.  17-30;  Lake  xxii.  7-2.3,  39;  John  xiii,  21-30.) 
For  the  exposition,  see  on  Luke  xxii.  7-23,  39;  and 
on  John  xiii.  10,  11,  18,  19,  21-30. 

27-31.— The  Desertion  of  Jesus  by  His  Dis- 
ciples, AND  the  Fall  of  Peter,  Foretold. 
(  =  Matt.  xxvi.  31-35;  Luke  xxii.  31-3S;  Jolin  xiii. 
36-38.)    For  the  exposition,  see  on  Luke  xxii.  31-46. 


The  Agony 


MARK  XIV. 


in  the  garden. 


28  shall  be  scattered.     But  ^after  that  I  am  risen,  I  will  go  before  you  into 

29  Galilee.     But  ^  Peter  said  unto  him,  Although  all  shall  be  offended,  yet 

30  will  not  I.     And  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  That  this 
day,  even  in  this  night,  before  the  cock  crow  twice,  thou  shalt  deny  me 

3 1  thrice.     But  he  spake  the  more  vehemently.  If  I  should  die  with  thee,  I 
will  not  deny  thee  in  any  wise.     Likewise  also  said  they  all. 

32  And  '^they  came  to  a  place  which  was  named  Gethsemanc:  and  he 

33  saith  to  his  disciples.  Sit  ye  here,  while  ^I  shall  pray.     And  he  taketh 
with  him  Peter  and  James  and  John,  and  began  to  be  sore  amazed,  and 

oi  to  be  very  heaAy ;  and  saith  unto  them,  '^My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful 

35  unto  death :  tarry  ye  here,  and  watch.     And  he  went  forAvard  a  little, 
and  fell  on  the  ground,  and  prayed  that,  if  it  were  possible,  the  hour 

36  might  pass  from  him.      And  he  said,  '"Abba,   Father,  'all  things  a7-e 
possible  unto  thee;  take  away  this  cup  from  me:  '"nevertheless  not  what 

37  I  will,  but  what  thou  wilt.     And  he  cometh,  and  findeth  them  sleeping, 
and  saith  unto  Peter,  Simon,  sleepest  thou  ?  couldest  not  thou  watch  one 

38  hour?     Watch  ye  and  pray,  lest  ye  enter  into  temptation.     ^The  spirit 

39  truly  is  ready,  but  the  flesh  is  weak.     And  again  he  went  away,  and 

40  prayed,  and  spake  the  same  words.     And  when  he  returned,  he  found 
them  asleep  again,  (for  their  eyes  were  heavy,)  neither  wist  they  what  to 

41  answer  him.     And  he  cometh  the  third  time,  and  saith  unto  them.  Sleep 
on  now,  and  take  your  rest:  it  is  enough,  ^the  hour  is  come;  behold,  the 

42  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  sinners.     Rise  'up,  let  us  go ; 
lo,  he  that  betrayeth  me  is  at  hand. 

43  And  "immediately,  while   he   yet  spake,   cometh  Judas,  one  of  the 
twelve,  and  with  him  a  gi-eat  multitude  with  swords  and  staves,  from  the 

44  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  and  the  elders.     And  he  that  betrayed  him 
had  given  them  a  token,  saying,  Whomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  that  same  is  he ; 

45  take  him,  and  lead  him  away  safely.     And  as  soon  as  he  was  come,  he 
goeth  straightway  to  him,  and  saith,  ^Master,  master;  and  ''kissed  him. 

46  And  they  laid  their  hands  on  him,  and  took  him. 

47  And  one  of  them  that  stood  by  drew  a  sword,  and  smote  a  servant  of 

48  the  high  priest,  and  cut  off  his  ear.     And  Vesus  answered  and  said  unto 
them,  Are  ye  come  out,  as  against  a  thief,  with  swords  and  icith  staves  to 

49  take  me?     I  was  daily  with  you  in  the  temple  teaching,  and  ye  took  me 

50  not:  but  ''the  Scriptures  must  be  fulfilled.     And  'they  all  forsook  him, 

51  and  fled.     And  there  followed  him  a  certain  young  man,  having  a  linen 
cloth  cast  about  his  naked  body ;  and  the  young  men  laid  hold  on  him  : 

52  And  he  left  the  linen  cloth,  and  fled  from  them  naked. 


A.  D.  33. 


P  Matt  16.21. 
Matt  26.32. 
Matt.  28  r, 

10-16. 
ch.  16.  r. 
John  21.  L 
1  Cor.  15.  4- 

6. 
1  Matt.26.33, 

31. 

Luke  22.  as, 
34. 

John  13.37, 
38. 
'■  Matt.  26  36. 

Luke  22.39. 

John  18.  1. 
^  Heb  6.  7. 
«  John  12.27. 
"  Kom.  8.  15. 

Gal.  4  6. 
"  Heb  5.  7. 
■"  John  5.  ;  0. 

John  6.  38. 
"  Rom  7.  2!. 

Gal.  5.  17. 
y  John  13.  1. 
'  Matt  26.46. 

John  18.  1, 
2. 
"  Matt. 26.47. 

Luke  22.47. 

John  18.  3. 

5  Rabbi, 
Rabbi. 
JSIatt  23  10. 
John  20  16. 

6  2  Sam  20.0. 
"  Matt  26.55. 

Luke  22  52. 
•'  Fs.  22.  6. 

Isa  53.  7. 

Dan.  9.  26. 

Luke  22  37. 

Luke  24.44. 
^  Job  19.  13, 
14. 

Ps.  38.  U. 

Ps.  88.  8. 

John  16.32. 


32-42.— The  Agony  in  the  Garden.  (  =  Matt. 
xxvi.  36-46 ;  Luke  xxii.  39-46.)  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Luke  xxii.  39-46. 

4.3-52.— Betrayal  AND  Apprehension  of  Jesus 
—Flight  of  His  Disciples.  (  =■■  Matt.  xxvi. 
47-56 ;  Luke  xxii.  47-53 ;  John  xviii.  1-12. )  For  the 
exposition,  see  on  John  x\-iii.  1-12. 

53-72. — Jesus  Arraigned  before  the  Sanhe- 
drim, Condemned  to  Die,  and  Shamefully  En- 
treated—The Fall  of  Peter.  (  =  Matt.  xxvL 
57-75;  Luke  xxii.  54-71 ;  John  xviii.  13-18,  24-27.) 

Had  we  only  the  first  three  Gospels,  we  should 
liave  concluded  that  our  Lord  was  led  immedi- 
ately to  Caiaphas,  and  had  before  the  Council. 
But  as  the  Sanhedrim  could  hardly  have  been 
l)rovight  together  at  the  dead  hour  of  night — by 
which  time  our  Lord  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
officers  sent  to  take  Him— and  as  it  was  only  "as 
.soon  as  it  was  day"  that  the  Council  met  "(Luke 
xxii.  66),  we  should  have  had  some  difficulty  in 
knowing  what  M-as  done  with  Him  during  those 
intervening  hours.  In  the  fourth  Gosjiel,  however, 
all  this  is  cleared  up,  and  a  very  imi)ortaut  addi- 
202 


tion  to  our  information  is  made  (John  xviii. 
13,  14,  19-24).  Let  us  endeavour  to  trace  the  events 
in  the  true  order  of  succession,  and  in  the  detail 
supplied  by  a  comjiarison  of  all  the  four  streams 
of  text. 

Jesus  is  broiKjJd  priratrhj  before  Avvas,  the 
Father -m-laio  of  Caiaphas  (John  xviii.  13,  14)  13. 
"And  they  led  Him  away  to  Annas  first;  for  he 
was  father-in-law  to  Caiaphas,  which  was  the  high 
priest  that  same  year."  This  successful  Annas, 
as  EUicott  remarks,  was  appointed  high  priest 
by  Quirinus  a.d.  12,  and  after  holding  the  office 
for  several  years,  was  deposed  by  Valerius  Gratus, 
Pilate's  predecessor  in  the  i")rocuratorship  of  Judea, 
(Joseph.  Antt.  xviii.  2.  1,  &c.)  He  appears,  how- 
ever, to  have  possessed  vast  influence,  having  ob- 
tained the  high  priesthood,  not  only  for  his  son 
Eleazar,  and  his  son-in-law  Caiaphas.  but  subse- 
quently for  four  other  sons,  under  the  last  of  whom 
James,  the  brother  of  our  I.iord,  was  T>ut  to  death 
(lb.  XX.  9.  1).  It  is  thus  highly  probable  that,  be- 
sides haA-ing  the  title  of  "high  priest  "merely  as 
one  who  had  filled  the  office,  he  to  a  great  degrco 


Peter  folloics  Jesus  to 


MARK  XIV. 


the  //igh  ^yriesfs  residence. 


53  And  •''they  led  Jesus  away  to  the  high  priest :    and  with  him  were 

54  assembled  all  the  chief  priests  aiid  the  elders  and  the  scribes.  And  Peter 
followed  him  afar  off,  even  into  the  palace  of  the  high  priest:  and  he  sat 
with  the  servants,  and  wanned  himself  at  the  fire. 


A.  D.  33. 

Matt.  26, 67. 
Luke  22.54. 
John  18.13. 


retained  the  powers  he  had  formerly  exercised, 
and  came  to  be  regarded  practically  as  a  kind  of 
rightful  high  priest.  14.  "  Now  Caiaphas  was  he 
which  gave  counsel  to  the  Jews,  tliat  it  was  expe- 
dient that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people."  See 
on  John  xi.  50.  What  passed  between  Annas  and 
our  Lord  during  this  interval  the  beloved  disciple 
reserves  till  he  has  related  the  beginning  of  Peter's 
fall.  To  this,  then,  as  recorded  by  our  own  Evan- 
gelist, let  us  meanwhile  listen. 

Peter  obtains  Access  ivithin  the  Quadrangle  of  the 
High  Priest's  Residence,  and  Warns  /Jimself  at 
the  Fire  (53,  54).  5.3.  And  they  led  Jesus  away 
to  tlie  high  priest :  and  with  him  were  assembled 
[o-iii/e'/ixoi'Tai  auTto] — or  rather,  '  there  gathered  to- 
gether unto  him,'  all  the  chief  priests  and  the 
elders  and  the  scribes.  It  was  then  a  fall  and  for- 
mal meeting  of  the  Sanhedrim.  Now,  as  the  first 
three  Evan^jelists  place  all  Peter's  denials  of  his 
Lord  after  this,  we  should  naturally  conclude  that 
they  tookplace  irhile  our  Lord  stood  before  the  San- 
hedrim. But  besides  that  the  natural  impression  is 
that  the  scene  around  the  tire  took  place  orer-night, 
the  second  crowing  of  the  cock,  if  we  are  to  credit 
ancient  writers,  would  occur  about  the  beginning 
of  the  fourth  watch,  or  between  three  and  four  in 
the  morning.  By  that  time,  however,  the  Council 
had  probably  conveued,  bein^  warned,  perhaps, 
that  they  were  to  prepare  for  being  called  at  any 
hour  of  the  morning,  should  the  Prisoner  be  suc- 
cessfully secured.  If  this  be  correct,  it  is  pretty  cer- 
tain that  only  tlie  last  of  Peter's  three  denials  would 
take  place  while  our  Lord  was  under  trial  before 
the  Sanhedrim.  One  thing  more  may  require  ex- 
planation. If  our  Lord  had  to  be  transferred  from 
the  residence  of  Annas  to  that  of  Caiaphas,  one 
is  apt  to  wonder  that  there  is  no  mention  of  His 
bein^  marched  from  the  one  to  the  other.  But  the 
building,  in  all  likelihood,  was  one  and  the  same ; 
in  which  case  He  would  merely  have  to  be  taken, 
perhaps  across  the  court,  from  one  chamber  to 
another.  54.  And  Peter  followed  him  afar  off, 
even  into  [arro  fianpodev  'iwi  e<Tt»\ — or  '  from  afar, 
even  to  the  interior  of,'  the  palace  of  the  high 
priest  [eis  Tijv  av\i]v\.  'An  Oriental  house,'  says 
Pobin.son,  '  is  usually  built  around  a  quadrangular 
interior  court;  into  which  there  is  a  passage 
(sometimes  arched)  through  the  front  part  of  the 
house,  closed  next  the  street  by  a  hea\'y  folding 
gate,  with  a  smaller  wicket  for  single  persons,  kept 
by  a  porter.  The  interior  court,  often  paved  or 
flagged,  and  open  to  the  sky,  is  the  hall  [nuXr'i], 
which  our  translators  have  rendered  "  palace," 
where  the  attendants  made  a  fire;  and  the  passage 
beneath  the  front  of  the  house,  from  the  street  to 
this  court,  is  the  porch  [-TrpnavXiov,  Mark  xiv.  68, 
or  TTvXioi/,  Matt.  xxvi.  71].  The  place  where  Jesus 
stood  before  the  high  priest  may  have  been  an  open 
room,  or  jilace  of  audience  on  the  ground-floor,  in 
the  rear  or  on  one  side  of  the  court ;  such  rooms, 
open  in  front,  being  customary.  It  was  close  upon 
the  court,  for  Jesus  heard  all  that  was  going 
on  around  the  fire,  and  turned  and  looked  upon 
Peter  (Luke  xxii.  61).' 

In  the  fourth  Gospel  we  have  an  extremely 
graphic  description  of  the  way  in  which  Peter 
obtained  access  within  the  court  or  hall  of  the 
high  priest  (John  xviii.  15,  16) :  "  And  Simon 
Peter  followed  Jesus."  Natural  though  this  was, 
and  safe  enough  had  he  only  "watched  and  prayed 
203 


that  he  might  not  enter  into  temptation"  as  his 
Master  bade  him  (Matt.  xxvi.  41)— it  Avas  in  his 
case  a  fatal  step.  "And  so  did  another  (rather 
'the  other')  disciple."  This  was  the  beloved  discii)le 
himself,  no  doubt.  "That  disciple  was  known  unto 
the  high  priest  (see  on  John  xviii.  15),  and  went  in 
with  Jesus  into  the  palace  of  the  high  priest.  But 
Peter  stood  at  the  door  without" — by  a  precon- 
certed arrangement  with  his  friend,  till  he  should 
procure  access  for  him.  "Then  went  out  that 
other  disciple,  which  was  known  unto  the  high 
priest,  and  spake  unto  her  that  kept  the  door,  and 
brought  in  Peter."  The  naturalness  of  these  small 
details  is  not  unworthy  of  notice.  This  other 
disciple  liaAin^  first  made  good  his  own  entrance, 
on  the  score  ot  acquaintance  with  the  High  Priest, 
goes  forth  again,  now  as  a  privileged  person,"  to 
make  interest  for  Peter's  admission.  But  thus 
our  poor  disciple  is  in  the  coils  of  the  seri>ent. 

54.  And  he  sat  with  the  servants,  and  warmed 
himself  at  the  fire.  The  graiihic  details,  here 
omitted,  are  supplied  in  the  other  Gospels. 
John  xviii.  IS,  "And  the  servants  and  ofticcrs 
stood  there  (that  is,  in  the  hall,  within  the 
quadrangle,  open  to  the  sky),  who  had  made  a  fire 
of  coals  [dvdp UK ii':v],  or  charcoal'  (in  a  brazier 
probably),  "for  it  was  cold."  John  alone  of  all 
the  Evangelists  mentions  the  material,  and  the 
coldness  of  the  night,  as  Webster  and  Wilkinson 
remark.  The  elevated  situation  of  Jerusalem, 
observes  Tholuck,  renders  it  so  cold  about 
Easter,  as  to  make  a  watch-fire  at  night  indis- 
pensable. "And  Peter  stood  with  them  and 
warmed  himself."  "  He  went  in  (says  Matt.  xxvi. 
58),  and  sat  with  the  servants  to  see  the  end." 
These  two  minute  statements  throw  an  interesting 
light  on  each  other.  His  wishing  to  "  see  the 
end,"  or  issue  of  these  proceedings,  was  what  led 
him  into  the  jialace,  for  he  evidently  feared  the 
worst.  But  once  in,  the  serpent-coil  is  drawn 
closer ;  it  is  a  cold  night,  and  why  should  not  he 
take  advantage  of  the  fire  as  well  as  others?  Be- 
sides, in  the  talk  of  the  crowd  about  the  all- 
engrossing  topic,  he  may  i)ick  up  something 
which  he  would  like  to  hear.  Poor  Peter !  But 
now,  let  us  leave  him  warming  himself  at  the  fire, 
and  listening  to  the  hum  of  talk  about  this  strange 
case  by  which  the  subordinate  officials,  jiassing  to 
and  fro  and  crowding  around  the  fire  in  this  open 
court,  would  while  away  the  time ;  and,  following 
what  appears  the  order  of  the  Evangelical  Narra- 
tive, let  us  turn  to  Peter's  Lord. 

Jesus  is  Interrogated  by  Annas — His  Dignified 
Reply — Is  Treated  ivith  Indignity  by  one  of  the  'Offi- 
cials— His  Meek  Rebuke  (John  xviii.  19-23).  We 
have  seen  that  it  is  only  the  Fourth  Evangelist  who 
tells  us  that  our  Lord  was  sent  to  Annas  first,  over- 
night, until  the  Sanhedrim  could  be  got  together 
at  earliest  dawn.  We  have  now,  in  the  same 
Gosjiel,  the  deeply  instructive  scene  that  passed 
during  this  non-otficial  interview.  19.  "The  high 
priest  [Annasl  then  asked  Jesus  of  His  dis- 
cijiles  and  of  His  doctrine" — probably  to  entrap 
Him  into  some  statements  which  might  be  used 
against  Him  at  the  trial.  From  our  Ijord's  answer 
it  would  seem  that  "His  disciples"  were  under- 
stood to  be  some  secret  party.  20.  "Jesus answered 
him,  I  spake  openly  to  the  world " — compare  ch. 
vii.  4.  He  speaks  of  His  public  teaching  as  now  a 
liast  thing- as  now  all  over  [eXaXijo-a].     "I  ever 


The  judicial  trial 


MAUK  XIV. 


of  the  Lord  Jesus. 


i5      And  ^the  chief  priests  and  all  the  council  sought  for  witness  against !     ^-  P-  ^^ 
56  Jesus  to  put  him  to  death ;  and  ''found  none :  for  many  bare  'false  witness  ! "  ^**"  -6  ^^• 


57  against  him,  but  their  witness  agreed  not  together.     And  there  arose  cer- 


Ps.  35.  11. 


taught  in  the  synagogue  and  iu  the  temple,  whither 
the  Jews  always  resort,"  courting  publicity, 
though  with  sublime  noiselessness,  "and  in  secret 
liave  I  said  nothing"  [eXa/Vi/o-a  oyoei/]  — rather, 
'  spake  I  nothing ; '  that  is,  nothing  different  from 
what  He  taught  in  public;  all  His  private  com- 
munications with  the  Twelve  being  but  explana- 
tions and  developments  of  His  public  teaching. 
(Comi)are  Isa.  xlv.  19;  xlviii.  1(5).  21.  "Whyaskest 
thou  Me?  ask  them  which  heard  Me  what  I  have 
said  to  them"  [eXaXiio-a] — rather,  '  what  I  said  unto 
them:'  "behold,  they  know  what  I  said."  From 
this  mode  of  rejilying.  it  is  evident  that  our  Lord 
saw  the  attemjjt  to  draw  Him  into  self-crimina- 
tion, and  resented  it  by  falling  back  upon  the  right 
of  every  accused  party  to  have  some  charge  laid 
against  Him  by  competent  witnesses.  22.  "  And 
when  He  had  thus  spoken,  one  of  the  officers 
which  stood  by  struck  Jesus  with  the  palm  of  his 
hand,  saying  Answerest  thou  the  high  priest  so?" 
(see  Isa.  1.  6).  It  would  seem,  from  Acts  xxiiL  2, 
that  this  summary  and  undignified  way  of  punish- 
ing what  was  deemed  insolence  in  the  accused  had 
the  sanction  even  of  the  high  jiriests  themselves. 
2.3.  "Jesus  answered  him,  if  I  have  spoken  evil" 
[t\a\»)<7a]— rather,  'If  I  spoke  evil,'  in  reply  to 
the  high  jiriest,  "  bear  witness  of  the  evil ;  but 
if  well,  why  smitest  thou  Me?"  He  does  not 
say,  '  if  not  evil,'  as  if  His  reply  had  been  merely 
unobjectionable;  but  "if  tvell"  which  seems  to 
challenge  something  altogether  fitting  in  the  re- 
monstrance He  had  addressed  to  the  high  priest. 
From  our  Lord's  procedure  here,  by  the  way,  it  is 
evident  enough  that  His  own  jirecept  in  the  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount— that  when  smitten  ou  the  one 
cheek  we  are  to  turn  to  the  smiter  the  other  also 
(Matt.  V.  39) — is  not  to  be  taken  to  the  letter. 

A  nnas  Sends  Jesus  to  Oaiaphas  (24).  24.  "  [Now] 
Annas  had  sent  Him  bound  unto  Caiaphas  the 
high  priest."  [The  pai'ticle  "Now" — oDi/— though 
in  the  Ekevir,  is  not  in  the  Stephanie  form  of  the 
received  text,  and  is  rejected  by  most  critics  as 
wanting  authority,  and  even  by  those  wlio  under- 
stand the  verse  as  our  translators  did :  the  evidence 
for  it  is  considerable  ;  but  it  is  rather  stronger 
against  it.  Lachmann  prints  it  in  his  text ;  Tre- 
(je.lles  brackets  it;  but  Tischendorf  excludes  it,  and 
A  Iford  follows  him  —  concluding,  as  we  think, 
rightly  from  the  variations  between  olv  and  ie  in 
the  MSS.  that  it  crept  in  as  a  connecting  jjar- 
ticle.]  On  the  meaning  of  this  verse  there  is  much 
diversity  of  opinion ;  and  according  as  we  under- 
stand it  will  be  the  conclusion  we  come  to,  whether 
there  was  but  one  liearing  of  our  Lord  before 
Annas  and  Caia])has  together,  or  whether,  accord- 
ing to  the  view  we  have  given  above,  there  were 
two  hearimjs — a  jireliminary  and  informal  one  be- 
fore Annas,  and  a  formal  and  official  one  before 
Caiaphas  and  the  Sanhedrim.  If  our  translators 
have  given  the  right  sense  of  the  verse,  there 
was  but  one  hearing  before  Caiaphas ;  and  then 
this  24th  verse  is  to  be  read  as  a  jjareidhesis, 
merely  supplementing  what  was  said  in  ?■.  13. 
"^Cliis  is  the  view  of  C'ulcin,  Jiezo,  Grotlus,  Bengel, 
de  Wette,  Me//er,  Lucke,  Tholuck.  But  there 
are  decided  objections  to  this  view.  First,  We 
cannot  but  think  that  the  natwal  sense  of  the 
whole  passage,  embracing  vv.  13,  14  and  19-24, 
is  that  of  a  preliminary  non-official  hearing  be- 
fore "Annas  first,"  the  particulars  of  which  are 
accordingly  recorded ;  and  then  of  a  transference 
of  our  Lord  from  Annas  to  Caiaphas.  Second,  Ou 
204 


the  other  view,  it  is  not  easy  to  see  why  the  Evan- 
gelist should  not  have  inserted  r.  24  immediately 
after  v.  13 ;  or  rather,  how  he  could  well  have  doiie 
otherwise.  As  it  stands,  it  is  not  only  quite  out 
of  its  i)roper  i)lace,  but  comes  in  most  perplexingly. 
Whereas,  if  we  take  it  as  a  simple  statement  of 
fact,  that  after  Annas  had  tiuished  his  interview 
with  Jesus,  as  recorded  in  vv.  19-2;i,  he  transferred 
Him  to  Caiaj^has  to  be  formally  tried,  all  is  clear 
and  natural.  Third,  The  pluperfect  sense  '''had 
sent"  is  in  the  translation  only;  the  sense  of  the 
original  word  [d7reo-T6t.\ei/]  being  simply  'sent.' 
And  though  there  are  cases  where  the  aorist  here 
used  has  the  sense  of  an  English  pluperfect,  this 
sense  is  not  to  be  put  upon  it  unless  it  be  obvious 
and  indisputable.  Here  that  is  so  far  from  being 
the  case,  that  the  pluperfect  'had  sent'  is  rather 
an  unwarrantable  interpretation  than  a  simple 
translation  of  the  word ;  informing  the  reader  that, 
according  to  the  view  of  our  translators,  our  Lord 
"  had  been"  sent  to  Caiaphas  before  the  interview 
just  recorded  by  the  Evangelist;  whereas,  if  we 
translate  the  verse  literally — "Annas  sent  Him 
bound  unto  Caiaphas  the  high  priest" — we  get  just 
the  information  we  expect,  that  Annas,  liaving 
merely  ' precognosced'  the  prisoner,  hoping  to  draw 
something  out  of  Him,  "sent  Him  to  Caiaphas" 
to  be  formally  tried  before  the  projier  tribunal. 
This  is  the  A^iew  of  Chrysostom  and  A  ugustin  among 
the  Fathers ;  and  of  the  moderns,  of  Olshausen, 
Schleiermacher,  Keander,  Ehrard,  Wieseler,  Lange, 
Luthardt,  This  brings  us  back  to  the  text  of  our 
second  Gospel,  and  in  it  to — 

The  Judicial  Trial  and  Condemnation  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  hy  the  Sanhedrim  (55-64).  But  let  the 
reader  observe,  that  though  this  is  introduced  by 
the  Evangelist  before  any  of  the  denials  of  Peter 
are  recorded,  we  have  given  reasons  for  concluding 
that  probably  the  first  two  denials  took  jilace  while 
our  Lord  was  with  Annas,  and  the  last  only  during 
the  trial  before  the  Sanhedrim. 

55.  And  the  chief  priests  and  all  the  council 
sought  for  witness  against  Jesus  to  put  him  to 
death:  Matthew  (xxvi.  59)  says  they  "sought 
false  witness."  They  knew  they  could  find  noth- 
ing valid ;  but  having  their  Prisoner  to  bring 
befoi'c  Pilate,  they  behoved  to  make  a  case,  and 
found  none — none  that  would  suit  their  purpose, 
or  make  a  decent  ground  of  charge  before  Pilate. 
56.  For  many  bare  false  witness  against  him. 
From  their  debasing  themselves  to  ''sei-k"  them, 
we  are  led  to  infer  that  they  were  bribed  to  bear 
false  witness;  though  there  are  never  wanting 
sycojihants  enough,  ready  to  sell  themselves 
for  nought,  if  they  may  but  get  a  smile  from 
those  above  them :  see  a  similar  scene  in  Acts  vi. 
11-14.  How  is  one  reminded  here  of  that  com- 
plaint, "False  witnesses  did  rise  up:  they  laid  to 
my  charge  things  that  I  knew  not ! "  (Ps.  xxxv.  11). 
but  their  witness  agreed  not  together.  If  even 
two  of  them  had  been  agreed,  it  would  have  been 
greedily  enough  laid  hold  of,  as  all  that  the  law 
insisted  upon  even  iu  capital  cases  (Deut.  xvii.  6). 
But  even  in  this  they  failed.  One  cannot  but 
admire  the  piovideiice  which  secured  this  result ; 
since,  on  the  one  hand,  it  seems  astonishing  that 
those  unscrupulous  prosecutors  and  their  ready 
tools  should  so  bungle  a  business  in  which  they 
felt  theii'  whole  interests  bound  up,  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  if  they  hail  succeeded  in  making  even 
a  plausible  case,  the  effect  on  the  progress  of  the 
Gospel  might  for  a  time  have  been  injurious.    But 


Jesus  is  interrogated 


MARK  XIV. 


by  the  high  priest. 


58  tain,  and  bare  false  witness  against  him,  saying,  We  licard  him  say,  •'I  will 
destroy  this  temple  that  is  made  with  hands,  and  witliin  three  days  I  will 

59  build  another  made  without  hands.    But  neither  so  did  their  witness  agree 
GO  together.     And  ^the  high  priest  stood  up  in  the  midst,  and  asked  Jesus, 

saying,  Answerest  thou  nothing?  what  is  it  which  these  witness  against 
Gl  thee?     But 'he  held  his  peace,  and  answered  nothing.     '"Again  the  high 

priest  asked  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
G2  the  Blessed?     And  Jesus  said,  I  am:   "and  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man 

sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power,  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven. 


A.  D.  3i. 


J   Ch.  15.  29. 

Jolin  2.  10. 
k  Matt.l!0.(:2. 
'  Isa  53.  7. 

1  Pet.  2.  23. 
'"Matt.  26.  r3. 
"  Matt  24  30. 

Matt  26fi4, 

Luke  -22. CO. 

Acts  1.  11. 


at  the  very  time  when  His  enemies  were  saying, 
"God  hath  forsaken  Him;  persecnte  and  take 
Him;  for  there  is  none  to  deliver  Him"  (Ps.  Ixxi. 
11),  He  whose  Witness  He  was  and  whose  work 
He  was  doing  was  keeping  Him  as  the  apple  of 
His  eye,  and  while  He  was  making  the  wrath  of 
man  to  praise  Him,  was  restraining  the  remainder 
of  that  wrath  (Ps.  Ixxvi.  10).  57.  And  there  arose 
certain,  and  iDare  false  witness  against  him. 
Matthew  (xxvi.  GO)  is  more  precise  here:  "^if  tlie 
last  came  two  false  witnesses."  As  no  two  had 
before  agreed  in  anj-thing,  they  felt  it  necessary  to 
secure  a  duplicate  testimony  to  something,  but 
they  were  long  of  succeeding.  And  what  was  it, 
when  at  length  it  was  brouglit  forward  ?  saying, 
58.  We  heard  him  say,  I  will  destroy  this  tem- 
ple that  is  made  with  hands,  and  within  three 
days  I  will  build  another  made  without  hands. 
On  this  charge,  observe,  first,  that  eager  as  His 
enemies  were  to  find  criminal  matter  against  our 
Lord,  they  had  to  go  back  to  the  outset  of  His 
ministry,  His  iirst  visit  to  Jerusalem,  more  than 
three  years  before  this.  In  all  that  He  said  and 
did  after  that,  though  ever  increasing  in  boldness, 
they  could  hud  nothing:  Next,  that  even  then, 
they  fix  only  on  one  speech,  of  two  or  three  woi'ds, 
which  they  dared  to  adduce  against  Him  :  Fur- 
ther, they  most  manifestly  ijervert  the  sj)eech  of 
our  Lord.  "We  say  not  this  because  in  Mark's 
form  of  it,  it  differs  from  the  reiiort  of  the  words 
given  by  the  Fourth  Evangelist  (Johnii.  18-22) — the 
only  one  of  the  Evangelists  who  reports  it  at  all, 
or  mentions  even  any  visit  paid  by  our  Lord  to 
Jerusalem  before  his  last  —  but  because  the  one 
report  bears  truth,  and  the  other  falsehood,  on 
its  face.  When  our  Lord  said  on  that  occasion, 
"Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will 
raise  it  up,"  they  might,  for  a  moment,  have  undei'- 
stood  Him  to  refer  to  the  temjile  out  of  whose 
courts  He  had  swept  the  buyers  and  sellers.  But 
after  ihcy  had  expressed  their  astonishment  at  His 
\vords,  in  that  sense  of  them,  and  reasoned  upon  the 
time  it  had  taken  to  rear  the  tem]ile  as  it  then 
stood,  since  7io  answer  to  this  appears  to  have  been 
given  by  our  Lord,  it  is  hardly  conceivable  that 
they  should  contimie  ia  the  persuasion  that  this 
was  really  His  meaning.  But  finally,  even  if  th« 
more  ignorant  among  them  had  done  so,  it  is 
ne.xt  to  certain  that  the  ecclesiastics,  who  were 
the  prosecutors  in  this  case,  did  not  lelieve  that 
this  was  His  meaning^  For,  in  less  than  three 
drys  after  this,  they  went  to  Pilate,  saying, 
"  Sir,  we  remember  that  that  deceiver  said,  while 
he  was  yet  alive,  af  er  three  dnja  I  will  rise 
again"  (Matt,  xxvii.  63).  Now  what  utterance  of 
Christ,  known  to  his  enemies,  could  this  refer  to, 
if  not  to  this  very  saying  about  destroying  and 
i-earing  up  the  temple?  Aixi  if  so,  it  ])uts  it  beyond 
a  doubt  that  by  this  time,  at  least,  they  were  jier- 
fectly  aware  that  our  Lord's  words  referred  to  His 
death  >iy  their  jiaiids  and  His  resurrection  by  His 
own.  But  this  is  confirmed  by  the  next  verse.  59. 
But  neither  so  did  their  witness  agree  together — 
that  is,  not  even  as  to  so  brief  a  speech,  consisting 
205 


of  but  a  few  words,  was  there  such  a  concurrence 
in  their  mode  of  reporting  it  as  to  make  out  a 
decent  case.  In  such  a  charge  everything  depended 
on  the  very  terms  alleged  to  have  been  used.  For 
every  one  must  see  that  a  very  slight  turn,  either 
way,  given  to  such  words,  would  make  them 
either  something  like  indictable  matter,  or  else 
a  ridiculous  ground  for  a  criminal  charge — would 
either  give  them  a  colourable  pretext  for  the 
charge  of  impiety  which  they  were  b^iit  ou 
making  out,  or  else  make  the  whole  saying  ap- 
jiear,  on  the  worst  view  that  could  be  taken  of 
it,  as  merely  some  mystical  or  empty  boast.  60. 
And  the  high  priest  stood  up  in  the  midst,  and 
asked  Jesus,  saying,  Answerest  thou  nothing  ? 
what  is  it  which  these  witness  against  thee  ? 
Clearly^  they  felt  that  tlieir  case  had  failed,  and  by 
this  artful  question  the  high  priest  hoj)ed  to  get 
from  his  own  mouth  what  they  n;id  in  vain  tried  to 
obtain  from  their  false  and  contradictory  witnesses. 
But  in  this,  too,  they  failed.  €1,  But  he  held 
his  peace,  and  answered  nothing.  This  must 
have  nonxilusscd  them.  But  they  were  not  to  bo 
easily  baulked  of  their  objects  Again  the  high 
priest — arose  (Matt.  xxvi.  G2),  matters  having 
now  come  to  a  crisis,  and  asked  him,  and  said 
unto  him,  Art  thou  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 
Blessed?  Why  our  Lord  should  have  answered 
this  question,  when  He  was  silent  as  to  the  former, 
we  might  not  have  quite  seen,  but  for  Matthew, 
who  says  (xxvi.  (53)  that  the  high  priest  put  Him 
upon  solemn  oath,  saying,  "I  adjure  thee  by  the 
living  God,  that  thou  t  11  us  whether  thou  be  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  (iod."  Such  an  atl.juration  was 
understood  to  render  an  answer  legally  necessary 
(Lev.  V.  1),  62.  And  Jesus  said,  I  am— or,  as  in 
Matt.  xxvi.  04,  "Thou  liast  said  [it}.'^  In  Luke, 
however  (xxii.  70),  the  answer,  "Ye  say  that 
I  am"  ['T/uets  Xt'-ycTS,  UTi  eyu)  e'lfii],  should  be 
rendered  —  as  de  Wette,  Meyer,  EUicott,  and  the 
best  critics  agree  that  the  jireposition  requires 
— '  Ye  say  [it],  for  I  am  [so].'  Some  words,  how- 
ever, were  spoken  by  our  Lord  before  giving  His 
answer  to  this  solemn  question.  These  are  re- 
corded by  Luke  alone  (xxii,  (37,  68) :  "Art  thou  the 
Christ  (they  asked)?  tell  us.  And  He  said  imto 
them.  If  I  tell  you,  ye  will  not  believe :  and  if  I 
also  ask" — or  'interrogate'  [kpw-ri'iaw]  "you,  ye  will 
not  answer  me,  nor  let  me  go."  This  stems  to 
have  been  uttered  before  giving  His  direct  answer, 
as  a  calm  remonstrance  and  dignified  protest 
against  the  prejudgment  of  His  case  and  the  un- 
fairness of  their  mode  of  procedure.  But  now 
let  us  hear  the  rest  of  the  answer,  in  which  the 
conscious  majesty  of  Jesus  breaks  forth  from 
behind  the  dark  cloud  which  overhung  Him  as 
He  stood  before  the  Council:  and  (in  that  charac- 
ter) ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting  on  the 
right  hand  of  power,  and  coming  in  the  clouds 
of  heaven.  In  Matthew  (xxvi.  04)  a  slightly  dif- 
ferent but  interesting  turn  is  given  to  it  by  one 
word:  "Thou  hast  said  [it]:  nevertheless" — We 
prefer  this  sense  of  the  word  [-rrMu]  to  'besides,' 
which  some  recent   critics   decide  for  —  "I  .uiy 


Jesus  is  treated 


MARK  XIV. 


with  indignity. 


C3  Then  the  high  priest  rent  his  clothes,  and  saith,  What  need  we  any 

64  further  v/itnesses?  ye  have  heard  "the  bhisphemy :  what  think  ye?  And 
they  all  condemned  liim  to  be  gnilty  of  death. 

65  And  some  began  to  ^spit  on  him,  and  to  cover  his  face,  and  to  buffet 
him,  and  to  say  unto  him.  Prophesy :  and  the  servants  did  strike  him 
with  the  palms  of  their  hands. 


A.  D.  33 


"  Lev  '24   16. 

1  Ki.  21.  9. 

13. 

Acts  0.  13. 

f  Isa  50  0. 

Isa  63.  3. 

uuto  you,  Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Sou  of 
mail  sit  on  tlie  right  hand  oi  power,  and  coming 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven :"  '  I  know  the  scorn  with 
which  ye  are  ready  to  meet  such  an  avowal :  To 
your  eyes,  which  are  but  eyes  of  flesh,  there  stands 
at  this  bar  only  a  mortal  like  yoiu-selves,  and  he 
at  the  mercy  of  the  ecclesiastical  and  civil  author- 
ities: Nevertheless,  a  day  is  coming  when  ye 
shall  see  another  sight:  those  eyes,  which  now 
gaze  on  me  with  proud  disdain,  shall  see  this  very 
prisoner  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high, 
and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven.  Then  shall 
the  Judged  One  be  revealed  as  the  Judj'e,  and  His 
judges  in  this  chamber  appear  at  His  august 
tribunal;  then  shall  the  luiri'jhteoiis  judges  be 
i/7ipar<ia%  judged;  and  while  they  are  wishing 
that  they  had  never  been  born.  He  for  whom  they 
now  watch  as  their  Victim  shall  be  greeted  with 
the  hallelujahs  of  heaven  and  the  welcome  of 
Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  Throne!'  The  word 
rendered  "hereafter"  [aTr^ipTi.}  means,  not  'at 
some  future  time'  (as  now  "hereafter"  commooily 
does),  but  what  the  English  word  originally  signi- 
fied, 'after  here.'  'after  now,'  or  'from  this  time.' 
Accordiugly,  in  Luke  xxii.  09,  the  words  used  {airo 
Tou  j/uv]  mean  'from  now.'  So  that  though  the 
reference  we  have  given  it  to  the  day  of  His  glori- 
ous Second  Appearing  is  too  obvious  to  admit  of 
doubt.  He  would,  by  using  the  expression,  '  From 
this  time,'  convey  the  important  thought  which 
He  had  before  expressed,  iminediatdy  after  the 
traitor  left  the  Supper-table  to  do  his  dark 
work,  '■^ Now  is  the  Son  of  Man  glorified"  (John 
xiii.  31).  At  this  moment,  and  by  this  speech, 
did  He  "witness  tlte  good  conf , ssion "  [ti>  fv-a\))y 
oixoXoy'iau],  emiihatically  and  properly,  as  the 
apostle  says,  1  Tim.  vi.  13.  Our  translators  render 
the  words  there,  "Who  liefore  Pontius  Pilate  wit- 
nessed ;"  referring  it  to  the  admission  of  His  being 
a  Kin<i,  in  the  presence  of  Cesar's  own  chief  rei:)re- 
sentative.  But  it  should  be  rendered,  as  LulUer 
renders  it,  and  as  the  best  interpreters  now 
understand  it,  'Who  under  Pontius  Pilate  wit- 
nessed, &c.  [Compare  the  sense  of  e-Tr;  tivoi  in 
such  passages  as  Matt.  i.  U;  Mark  ii.  20;  Luke 
iii.  2 ;  Acts  xi.  28 ;  as  also  in  the  Apostles'  Cre«d — 
"  suffered  imder  Pontius  Pilate."]  In  this  view  of 
it,  the  apostle  is  referring  not  to  what  our  Lord  con- 
fessed before  Pilate— which,  though  nobl  ■,  was  not 
of  such  "pi'imary  importance— but  to  that  sublime 
confession  which,  under  Pilate's  admiuistratiou. 
He  witnessed  before  the  only  competent  tribunal 
on  such  occasions,  the  Supreme  Ecclesiastical 
Council  of  GckI's  chosen  nation,  that  He  was  the 
Messiah,  and  the  Son  of  the  Blessed  One  j  in 
the  former  word  awning  His  Supreme  Official,  in 
the  latter  His  Supreme  Personal  Dignity,  63,  Then 
the  high  priest  rent  his  clothes.  On  this  expres- 
sion of  horror  at  hlasijheiny,  see  2  Ki.  xviii.  37. 
and  saith,  What  need  we  any  further  witnesses  ? 
64.  Ye  have  heard  the  blasphemy.  (See  .John 
X.  33.)  In  Luke  (xxii.  71),  "For  we  ourselves  have 
heard  of  his  own  mouth"— an  affectation  of  reli- 
gious horror,  what  think  ye  ?  '  Say  what  the 
verdict  is  to  be.'  And  they  all  condemned  him  to 
"be  guilty  of  death— or  of  a  capital  crime,  which 
Llasphemy  against  God  was  according  to  the  Jewish 
law  (Lev.  xxiv.  IG),     Yet  not  alsolutdy  all;   fyr 


Joseph  of  Arimathea,  "  a  good  man  and  a  just," 
was  one  of  that  Council,  and  '  he  toas  not  a 
consenting  party  to  the  counsel  and  deed  of 
them,'  for  that  is  the  strict  sense  of  the  words 
of  Luke  xxiii.  50,  51  [ou/c  yv  a-vyi<aTu6eL/xevos  TJ? 
f3ov\ij  Kul  Trj  TTpd^ei  uiiTww].  Probably  he  ab- 
sented himself,  and  Nicodemus  also,  from  this 
meeting  of  the  Council,  the  temper  of  which  they 
would  know  too  well  to  expect  their  voice  to  be 
listened  to ;  and  in  that  case,  the  words  of  our 
Evangelist  are  to  be  taken  strictly,  that,  without 
one  dissentient  voice,  "all  Ijjresent]  condemned 
Him  to  be  guilty  of  death. " 

7  he  Blessed  One  is  now  Shamefully  Entreated  (65), 
Every  wonl  here  must  be  carefully  observed,  and 
the  several  accounts  init  together,  that  ■\^•e  may 
lose  none  of  tlie  awful  indignities  about  to  be 
described.  65.  And  some  began  to  spit  on  him— 
or,  as  in  Matt.  xxvi.  67,  "to  S2)it  in  [or  '^into' — eh] 
His  face."  Luke  (xxii.  63)  says  in  addition,  "And 
the  men  that  held  Jesus  mocked  him''' — or  cast 
their  jeers  at  Him.  and  to  cover  his  face 
[■n-epLKaXinn ill/]— or  'to  blindfold  him'  (as  in  Luke 
xxii.  04),  and  to  buflfet  him  [\-oXa<pi^ew].  Luke's 
word,  which  is  rendered  "smote  Him"  (xxii.  63), 
is  a  stronger  one  [oc'f;oi/Tssl,  convej-ing  an  idea  for 
which  we  have  an  exact  equivalent  in  English,  but, 
one  too  colloquial  to  be  inserted  here,  and  [began] 
to  say  unto  him,  Prophesy.  In  Alatt.  xxvi.  CS 
this  is  given  more  fully :  "  Prophesy  unto  us,  thou 
Christ,  Who  is  he  that  smote  thee?"  The  sarcas- 
tic fling  at  Him  as  "  the  Christ,^'  and  the  demand 
of  Him  in  this  character  to  name  the  unseen 
perpetrator  of  the  blows  inflicted  on  Him,  was  in 
them  as  infamous  as  to  Him  it  must  have  been, 
and  was  intended  to  be,  stinging,  and  the  ser-. 
vants  did  strike  him  with  the  palms  of  their 
hands  —  or  "struck  Him  on  the  face"  (Luke 
xxii,  64).  Ah  J  Well  did  He  say  prophetically, 
in  that  Messianic  prediction  which  we  have  often 
referred  to,  "I  gav©  my  back  to  the  smiters,  and 
my  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked  off  the  hair :  I 
hid  not  my  face  from  shame  and  spitting"!  (Isa, 
L  6).  "  And  many  other  things  blasphemously 
spake  they  against  Him"  (Luke  xxii.  65).  This 
general  st.atemcnt  is  important,  as  showing  that 
virulent  and  varied  as  were  the  recorded  affronts 
put  upon  Him,  they  are  but  a  small  specimen  of 
what  He  endured  on  that  dark  occasion. 

But  this  brings  us  back  to  our  poor  discmle,  now 
fairly  within  the  coils  of  the  sei-pent.  It  is  ex- 
tremely difficult  so  to  piece  together  the  several 
chai'ges  thrown  against  Peter,  and  his  rei.)lie3, 
as  perfectly  to  harmonize  and  exhaust  the  four 
streams  of  text.  But  the  following,  in  which  the 
best  critics  couoir,  comes  as  near  to  it,  perhaps, 
as  we  shall  succeed  in  getting.  Nothing  could 
better  show  how  independently  of  each  other  the 
Evangelists  must  have  written,  than  the  almost 
hopeless  difficulty  of  putting  all  the  accounts  of 
Peter's  denials  into  their  exact  order,  so  as  to 
make  one  harmonious  record  out  of  them.  But 
the  circumstantial  differences  are  just  9f  that 
nature  which  is  so  well  understood  in  sifting  a 
mass  of  complicated  evidence  on  a  public  trial, 
which,  instead  of  throwing  doubt  over  them,  only 
confirms  the  moxe  strongly  the  truth  of  the  facts 
reporteda 


Peter  s  first  denial, 


MARK  XIV. 


of  his  Lord. 


66  And  ^as  Peter  was  beneath  iu  the  palace,  there  cometh  one  of  the  maids 

67  of  the  high  priest :  and  when  she  saw  Peter  warming  himself,  she  looked 

68  upon  him,  and  said.  And  thou  also  wast  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth.     But  he 
denied,  saying,  I  know  not,  neither  understand  I  what  thou  sayest.     And 

69  he  went  out  into  the  porch;  and  the  cock  crew.     And  '^a  maid  saw  liim 


A.  D.  33 

9  Matt.  20. 5S, 
69. 

Luke  22.55. 
"■  Matt.  ;6. 71. 

Luke  •il.bi. 


Peter's  First  Denial  of  his  Lord  (66-68).  66.  And 
as  Peter  was  beneath  iii  the  palace.  This  little 
word  ''''beneath^''  [/ca-ro)] — one  of  our  Evangelist's 
graphic  touches — is  most  important  for  the  right 
understanding  of  what  we  may  call  the  topography 
of  the  scene.  We  mnst  take  it  in  connection 
with  Matthew's  woixl  (xxvi.  69).  "Now  Peter 
ecit  without  L^'£'"l  in  the  palace "— or  (jiiadraugular 
com-t,  in  the  ceutre  of  which  the  fire  would  be 
burning; and  crowding  around  and  buzzing  about 
it  would  be  the  menials  and  others  who  had  been 
ailmitted  within  the  court.  At  the  u^iper  end  of 
this  court,  i)robably,  would  be  the  memorable 
chamber  in  which  the  trial  was  held — open  to  the 
court,  likely,  and  not  fur  from  the  fire  (as  we  gather 
from  Luke  xxii.  61),  but  on  a  hiylier  lerel ;  for  (as 
our  verse  says)  the  court,  with  Peter  in  it,  was 
"beneath"  it.  The  ascent  to  the  Council-chamber 
was  perhaps  by  a  short  flight  of  steps.  If  the 
reader  will  bear  this  explanation  in  mind,  he  will 
find  the  intensely  interesting  eletails  which  follow 
more  intelligible,  there  cometh  one  of  the  maids 
of  the  high  priest— "the  damsel  that  keiit  the 
door"  (John  xviii.  17).  The  Jews  seem  to  have 
employed  women  as  porters  of  their  doors  (Acts 
xii.  13).  67.  And  when  she  saw  Peter  warming 
Mmsslf,  she  looked  upon  him.  Luke  (xxii.  56) 
is  here  more  graphic;  "But  a  certain  maid  be- 
held him  iis  he  sat  by  the  lire"  [ttioos  to  4""«] — 
literally,  'by  the  li</ht,'  which,  shinin,^  full  upon 
him,  revealed  him  to  the  girl  -"and  earnestly 
looked  upon  him"  [kuI  a-rei/ia-acra  aiiTw] — or,  'fixed 
her  gaze  upon  him.'  His  demeanour  and  tim- 
idity, which  must  have  attracted  notice,  as 
so  generally  happens,  'leading,'  says  Olshausen, 
'to  the  recognition  of  him.'  and  said,  And  thou 
also  wast  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth— '  with  Jesus 
the  Nazarene,'  or,  "with  Jesus  of  Galilee"  (Matt. 
xjcvL  69).  The  sense  of  this  is  given  iu  John's 
report  of  it  (xviiL  17),  "Art  not  thou  also  one 
of  this  man's  disciples?"  that  is,  thou  as  well 
as  "that  other  disciple,"  w.iom  she  knew  to  be 
one,  but  did  Aot  challenge,  pei'ceiving  that  he  was 
a  privileged  person.  In  Luke  (xxii.  56)  it  is  given 
as  a  remark  made  by  the  maid  to  one  of  the 
bystanders — "tins  man  was  also  with  Him."  If 
so  e.xpressed  in  Peter's  heaving— drawing  upon 
him  the  eyes  of  every  one  that  heard  it  (as  we 
know  it  did.  Matt.  xxvi.  70),  and  compelling  him 
to  answer  to  it— that  would  explain  the  diffeient 
forms  of  the  report  naturally  enough.  But  in 
such  a  case  this  is  of  no  real  importance.  68.  But 
he  denied— "before  all"  (Matt.  xxvi.  70).  saying, 
I  know  not,  neither  understand  I  what  thou 
sayest— in  Luke,  "I  know  Him  not."  And  he 
went  out  into  the  porch  [to  Trpoau\Lov]—t\\e  vesti- 
bule leading  to  the  street— no  doubt  finding  the 
fire-place  too  hot  for  him ;  possibly  also  with  the 
hope  of  escaping — but  that  was  not  to  be,  and 
perhaps  he  dreaded  that  too.  Doubtless,  by  this 
time  his  mind  woidd  be  getting  into  a  sea  of  com- 
motion, and  would  fluctuate  every  moment  in  its 
resolves.  AND  THE  COCK  CREW.  See  on  Luke 
xxii.  34.     This,  then,  M'as  the  First  Deniah 

Peter's  Second  Denial  of  Ids  Lord  (0)9,  70). 
There  is  here  a  verbal  difference  among  the  Evan- 
gelists, which,  without  some  information  which 
has  been  witliheld,  cannot  be  quite  extricated. 
69.  And  a  maid  saw  him  again— or,  'a  girl' 
207 


[i)  iraidicrKnX  It  might  be  rendered  'the  girl ;'  but 
this  would  not  necessarily  mean  the  same  one  as 
before,  but  might,  and  probably  does,  mean  just 
the  female  who  had  charge  of  the  door  or  gate 
near  which  Peter  now  was.  Accordingly,  in 
Matt.  xxvi.  71,  she  is  expressly  called  "another 
[maid]"  [«\A.>;].  But  in  Luke  it  is  a  vicde  servant: 
"And  after  a  little  while  (from  the  time  of  the 
first  denial)  another"— thjit  is,  as  the  word  signi- 
fies, 'another  male* servant  [l;Tepo9].  But  there 
is  no  real  difficulty,  as  the  challenge,  probably, 
alter  being  made  by  one  was  reiterated  by 
another.  Accordingly,  in  John,  it  is  "  They  said 
therefore  unto  him,"  &c,,  as  if  more  than  ono 
challenged  him  at  once,  and  began  to  say  to 
them  that  stood  by.  This  is  one  of  them — or,  as 
in  Matt.  xxvi.  71 — "This  [fellow]  was  also  with 
Jesus  the  Nazaiene"  [toO  Na^wpaiou].  70.  And 
he  denied  it  again.  In  Luke,  "Man,  I  am  not." 
But  worst  of  all  in  Matthew — "And  again  he 
denied  with  an  oath,  I  do  not  know  the  man." 
(xxvi.  72).  This  was  the  Second  Denial,  more 
vehement,  a' as!  than  the  first. 

Peter's  Third  Denial  i>f  His  Lard  (70-72).  70. 
And  a.  little  after— "about  the  space  of  one  hour 
after"  (Luke  xxii.  59),  they  that  stood  by  said 
again  to  Peter,  Surely  thou  art  one  of  them :  for 
thou  art  a  GalUean,  and  thy  speech  agreeth 
thereto — "  bewrayeth  (or  'discovereth')  thee" 
(Matt.  xxvi.  73).  In  Luke  it  is  "  Another  con- 
fidently affirmed,  saying.  Of  a  truth  this  [fellow] 
also  was  with  him ;  foi-  he  is  a  Galilean."  The 
Galilean  dialect  had  a  more  Syrian  cast  than  that 
of  Judea.  If  Peter  had  held  his  peace,  this  ijeculi- 
arity  had  not  been  observed  ;  Ijut  hoping,  i)rob- 
ably,  to  put  tliein  off'  the  scent  by  joining  in  the 
fireside-talk,  he  only  thus  discovered  himself.  The 
Fourth  Gospel  is  particularly  interesting  here: 
"One  of  the  servants  of  the  high  py-iest,  being  his 
kinsmau  (or  kinsman  to  him)  who.se  ear  Peter  cut 
off,  saith,  Did  not  I  see  thee  in  the  garden  with 
Him?"  (John  xviii.  26).  No  doubt  his  relationship 
to  Malchus  drew  his  attention  to  the  man  who 
had  smitten  him,  and  this  euaViIed  him  to  identify 
Peter.  '  Sad  reprisals ! '  exclaims  Ben'jeL  _  Thus 
everything  tended  to  identify  him  as  a  disciple 
of  the  Prisoner—  his  being  introduced  into  the 
interior  by  one  who  was  known  to  be  a  disciple, 
as  the  maid  who  kept  the  gate  could  testify; 
the  recognition  of  him  by  the  girl  at  the  fire, 
as  one  whom  she  had  seen  in  His  comi)any ;  hia 
broad  guttirral  Galilean  dialect ;  and  there  being 
one  present  who  recognized  him  as  the  man 
who,  at  the  moment  of  the  prisoner's  apprehen- 
sion, struck  a  blow  with  his  sword  at  a  relative  of 
his  own.  Poor  Peter !  Thou  art  caught  in  thine 
ov/n  toils ;  but  like  a  wild  bull  in  a  net,  thou 
wilt  toss  and  rage,  filling  up  the  measure  of  thy 
terrible  declension  by  one  more  denial  of  thy 
Lord,  and  that  the  foulest  of  all.  71.  But  he  began 
to  curse  [dyaye^uaTi^etn]  —  '  to  anathematize,'  or 
wish  himself  accursed  if  what  he  was  now  to  say 
was  not  true,  and  to  swear — or  to  take  a  solemn 
oath,  saying,  I  know  not  this  man  of  whom  ye 
speak.  72.  And  THE  SECOND  TIME  THE  COCK 
CREW.  The  other  three  Evangelists,  who  mention 
but  one  crowing  of  the  cock— and  that  not  the  first, 
but  the  second  and  last  ono  of  Mark— all  say  the 
cock  crew  "immediately,"  but  Luke  says,    "  im- 


Peter  s  second  denial 


MARK  XIV. 


of  his  Lord, 


70  again,  and  began  to  say  to  them  that  stood  by,  This  is  one  of  them.  And 
he  denied  it  again.  *And  a  little  after,  they  that  stood  by  said  again 
to  Peter,  Surely  thou  art  one  of  them :  'for  thou  art  a  Galilean,  and  thy 


mediaiely,  while  he  yet  spake,  the  cock  crew" 
(xxii.  60).  Alas! -But  now  comes  the  wonderful 
sequel. 

The  Redeemer''s  Look  upon  Peter,  and  Peter's 
Bitter  'J  ears  (72;  Luke  xxii  61,  02).  It  has  been 
observed  that  while  the  beloved  disciple  is  the 
only  one  of  the  four  Evangelists  who  does  not  re- 
cord the  repentance  of  Peter,  he  is  the  only  one 
"  f  the  four  who  records  the  affecting  and  most 
beautiful  scene  of  his  complete  restoration.  (John 
xxi.  15-17.) 

Luke  xxii.  61 :  "And  the  Lord  turned  and  looked 
upon  Peter. "  How  ?  it  will  be  asked.  We  answer, 
From  the  chamber  in  which  the  trial  was  going  on, 
in  the  direction  of  the  court  where  Peter  then 
stood — in  the  way  already  explained.  See  on  ch. 
xiv.  66.  Our  Second  Evangelist  makes  no  men- 
tion of  this  look,  but  dwells  on  the  warning  of 
liis  Lord  about  the  double  crowing  of  the  cock, 
which  wovild  announce  his  triple  fall,  as  what 
rushed  stingingly  to  his  recollection  and  made  him 
dissolve  in" tears.  And  Peter  called  to  mind 
the  word  that  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Before  the 
cock  crow  twice,  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice.  And 
when  he  thought  thereon,  he  wept.  To  the  same 
effect  is  the  statement  of  the  First  Evangelist 
(Matt.  xxvi.  75),  save  that  like  "the  beloved  phy- 
sician," he  notices  the  "  bitterness"  of  the  weep- 
ing. The  most  precious  link,  however,  in  the 
whole  chain  of  circumstances  in  this  scene  is  be- 
yond doubt  that  "  lobk"  of  deepest,  tenderest  im- 
port reported  by  Luke  alone.  Who  can  tell 
what  lightning  flashes  of  wounded  love  and  pierc- 
ing reproach  shot  from  that  "look"  through  the 
eye  of  Peter  into  his  heart !  "  And  Peter  remern- 
bered  the  word  of  the  Lord,  how  He  had  said 
unto  him.  Before  the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny 
Me  thi'ice.  And  Peter  went  out  a  d  wept  bit- 
terly." How  different  from  the  sequel  of  Judas's 
act !  Doubtless  the  hearts  of  the  two  men  towards 
the  Saviour  were  perfectly  diflerent  from  the  tirst ; 
and  the  treason  of  Judas  was  but  the  consumma- 
tion of  the  wretched  man's  resistance  of  the  blaze 
of  light  in  the  midst  of  which  he  had  lived  for 
three  years,  while  Peter's  denial  was  but  a  momen- 
tary obscuration  of  the  heavenly  light  and  love 
to  his  Master  which  ruled  his  life.  But  the  im- 
■  mediate  cause  of  the  blessed  revulsion  which  made 
Peter  "  weap  bitterly"  was,  beyond  all  doubt,  this 
heart-piercing  "look"  which  his  Lord  gave  him. 
And  remembering  the  Saviours  own  words  at  the 
table,  "  Simon,  Simon,  Satan  hath  desired  to  have 
you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat;  hut  I  prayed 
'for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not,''''  may  we  not  say  that 
th  is  prayer  fetched  down  all  thai  there  was  in  that 
"  look"  to  pierce  and  break  the  heart  of  Peter,  to 
keep  it  from  despair,  to  work  in  it  "repentance 
unto  salvation  not  to  be  repented  of,"  and  at 
length,  imder  other  healing  touches,  to  "  restore 
his  soul"?     (See  on  Mark  xvi.  7.) 

Remarks.— \.  The  demeanour  of  the  Blessed  One 
before  Annas  tirst,  and  then  before  Caiaphas  and 
the  Sanhedrim,  is  best  left  to  speak  its  own 
mingled  meelcness  and  dignity.  We,  at  least,  are 
not  able  to  say  aught— beyond  what  has  come  out 
in  the  exposition— that  would  not  run  the  risk  of 
weakening  the  impression  whicli  the  Evangeli- 
cal Narrative  itself  leaves  on  every  devout  and 
thoughtful  mind.  But  the  reader  may  be  asked 
to  observe  the  ivisdom  which  to  Annas  speaks,  but 
liefore  the  Sanhedrim  keeps  silence  while  the  wit- 
nesses against  Him  are  uttering  their  lies  and  cou- 
208 


tradictions.  In  the  former  case,  silence  might  have 
been  liable  to  misconstruction ;  and  the  oppor- 
tunity which  the  questions  of  Annas  about  'His 
disciples  and  His  doctrine"  afforded,  of  appealing 
to  the  openness  of  all  His  movements  from  first 
to  last,  was  too  important  not  to  be  embraced: 
whereas,  in  the  latter  case,  the  silence  which  He 
preserved — while  the  false  witnesses  were  stulti- 
fying themselves  and  the  case  was  breaking  down 
of  itself  the  further  they  proceeded— was  the  most 
dignified,  and  to  His  envenomed  judges  most  sting- 
ing reply  to  them.  It  was  only  when,  in  despair 
of  evidence  save  from  His  own  mouth,  the  high 
priest  demanded  of  Him  ou  solemn  oq.th  to  say 
whether  He  were  the  Christ,  the"  Son  of  the 
Blessed,  and  the  moment  had  thus  arrived  wlieu 
it  was  right  and  fitting  in  itself,  and  according  to 
the  law,  that  He  should  "witness"  the  '^f/ood  con- 
fession, that  He  broke  silence  accordingly — and 
in  how  exalted  terms  !  2.  Perhaps  the  best  com- 
mentary on  the  Sixth  Petition  of  the  Lord's  Prayer 
—  "Lead  us  not  into  temptation" — is  to  be  found 
in  the  conduct  of  Peter,  and  the  circumstances  in 
which  he  found  himself,  after  oiu-  Lord  warned  him 
to  "  pray  that  he  might  not  enter  into  tempta- 
tion." See  on  Matt.  vi.  13,  and  Remark  9  at  the 
close  of  that  Section.  The  explicit  annoimcement 
that  all  the  Eleven  should  be  stumbled  in  Him  and 
scattered  that  very  night,  might  have  staggered 
him;  but  it  did  not.  The  still  more  explicit  an- 
nouncement addressed  immediately  to  Peter,  that 
Satan  had  sought  and  obtained  them  all — to 
the  extent  of  being  jiermitted  to  sift  them  as 
wheat — but  as  to  Peter  in  particular,  that  He 
had  prayed  for  1dm,  that  his  faith  might  not  fail, 
was  fitted,  surely,  to  drive  home  upon  his  con- 
s^cience  a  sense  of  more  than  ordinary  danger,  and 
more  than  ordinary  need  to  watch  and  pray ;  but 
it  did  not.  Above  all,  the  appalling  announce- 
ment, that — instead  of  the  certainty  of  his  stand- 
ing, even  if  all  the  rest  should  fall,  and  of  his 
readiness  to  go  to  prison  and  to  death  for  his 
blessed  Master— the  cock  should  not  crow  twice 
before  he  had  thrice  denied  that  he  knew 
Him,  was  fitted,  one  should  think,  to  dash  the 
confidence  of  the  most  self-confident  believer; 
but  it  made  no  impression  upon  Peter.  Once 
more,  in  the  Garden  his  Lord  found  him  sleeji- 
ing,  along  with  the  other  two,  in  the  midst  of  His 
agony  and  bloody  sweat ;  and  He  chided  him  for 
his  inability  to  watch  with  Him  one  hour  on  that 
occasion.  He  gave  him  and  the  rest  a  last  warn- 
ing, almost  immediately  before  Judas  and  the 
othcers  approached  to  take  Him,  to  "watch  and 

iiray,  that  they  entered  not  into  temptation."  But 
low  did  lie  take  it  ?  Why,  he  insisted  on  admis- 
sion within  that  fatal  quadrangle,  which  from  tliat 
time  he  would  never  forget.  We  wonder  not  at  his 
eagerness  to  learn  all  that  was  going  on  within 
that  court ;  but  one  who  had  been  so  warned  of 
what  he  would  do  that  very  night  should  have 
kept  far  away  from  a  spot  which  must  have 
seemed,  even  to  himself,  the  most  likely  to  prove 
the  fatal  one.  The  coil  of  the  serpent,  however, 
was  insensibly  but  surely  drawing  him  in,  and  he 
was  getting,  by  his  own  act  and  deed,  sucked  into 
the  vortex — "led  into  temptation."  Through  the 
influence  of  "that  disciple  who  was  known  to  the 
high  priest,"  the  door  which  was  shut  to  the 
eager  crowd  was  opened  to  him.  No  doubt  he 
now  thought  all  was  right,  and  congratulated  liim- 
self  oil  his  good  fortune.     He  lounges  about,  pie- 


Peter's  third 


MARK  XIV. 


denial  of  Christ. 


71  speech  agreeth  thereto.     But  "he  began  to  curse  and  to  swear,  saying,  I 

72  know  not  this  man  of  whom  ye  speak.     And  the  second  time  the  cock 
crew.     And  Peter  called  to  mind  the  word  that  Jesus  said  unto  him, 


A.  D.  33. 


'  Pro.   29.  25. 

1  Cor.  10. 12. 


tending  indifFerence  or  the  mere  general  curiosity 
of  others.  But  it  is  bitterly  cold,  and  an  inviting 
fire  is  blazing  in  the  court.  He  will  join  the  knot 
that  is  clustering  around  it — perhaps  he  will  pick 
up  some  of  the  current  talk  about  the  Prisoner, 
the  trial,  and  its  probable  issue.  He  has  got 
close  to  the  tire,  and  a  seat  too — so  near,  that  liis 
countenance  is  lighted  up  by  the  blazing  fuel.  He 
has  now  gained  his  end,  and  in  so  cold  a  night  how 
comfortable  he  feels — ' '  till  a  dart  strikes  through  his 
liver"  !  (Pro.  vii.  22,  23.)  O,  if  this  true-hearted 
and  noble  disciple  had  but  retained  the  spirit 
which  prompted  him  to  say,  along  with  others,  of 
the  unnamed  traitor  that  sat  at  the  Supper-Table, 
"Lord,  Is  it  I?"  (see  on  John  xiii.  21-25) — if  he 
had  watched  and  gone  to  his  knees,  when  his 
Master  was  on  His,  agonizing  in  the  Garden,  his 
danger  had  not  been  so  great,  even  within  the 
court  of  the  high  priest.  There,  indeed,  he  had 
no  business  to  be,  considering  the  sad  prediction 
which  himg  over  him — this,  in  fact,  wa,s  what  sold 
him  into  the  enemy's  hands.  But,  if  we  could 
have  supijosed  him  sitting  at  that  fire  in  a 
"watching  and  praying"  spirit,  the  challenge  of 
him  by  the  maid,  as  one  who  had  been  "with 
Jesus  the  Nazarene,"  had  drawn  forth  a  "good 
confession."  And  what  though  he  had  had  to 
"go  to  prison  and  to  death  for  His  sake"?  it  had 
been  but  what  he  was  imdoubtedly  prepared  for 
as  he  sat  at  the  Supper-Table,  and  what  he  after- 
wards did  cheerfully  in  point  of  fact.  But  he  was 
caught  without  his  armour.  The  fear  of  man  now 
brought  a  snare  (Pro.  xxix.  25).  His  locks  were 
shorn.  The  secret  of  his  great  strength  was  gone, 
and  he  had  become  weak  as  other  men.  O,  let 
these  mournful  facts  pierce  the  ears  of  the  children 
of  God,  and  let  them  listen  to  One  who  knows 
them  better  than  they  do  themselves,  when  He 
warns  them  to  "watch  and  pray,  that  they  enter 
not  into  temptation."  3.  See  how  the  tendency  of 
all  sin  is  to  aggravate  as  well  as  multiply  itself. 
Peter's  first  fall  naturally  led  to  his  second,  and 
bis  second  to  his  third ;  each  denial  of  his  Lord 
being  now  felt  as  but  one  and  the  same  act — as 
only  the  keeping  up  of  the  character  which  he 
would  regret  that  he  had  been  driven  to  assume, 
but,  once  assumed,  needed  to  keep  up  for  con- 
sistency's sake.  'The  deed  was  done,  and  could 
not  be  undone — he  must  now  go  through  with  it.' 
But  merely  to  reiterate,  even  in  a  different  form, 
his  first  denial,  M'ould  not  do  for  the  second,  nor 
the  second  for  the  third,  if  he  was  to  be  believed. 
He  must  exaggerate  his  denials ;  he  must  repudi- 
ate his  Master  in  such  a  style  that  people  would 
be  forced  to  say,  We  -niust  be  mistaken — that 
man  cannot  be  a  disciple,  so  unlike  all  we  have 
ever  heard  of  His  character  and  teaching.  So 
Peter  at  length  comes  to  "anathematize"  himself 
if  he  should  be  uttering  a  lie  in  ignoring  the 
Nazarene,  and  solemnly  '  swears"  that  he  knows 
nothing  of  Him.  Nor,  although  there  was  about 
an  hour's  interval  between  the  first  and  the 
second  denials,  is  there  any  reason  to  supi:)ose 
that  he  had  begun  to  give  way,  or  seriously  medi- 
tated confessing  his  Lord  within  that  court.  His 
mind,  from  the  fii-st  moment  that  he  fell  before 
the  maid,  would  be  in  a  burning  fever— his  one 
object  being  to  avoid  detection ;  and  this  would 
keep  the  warning  about  the  cock-crowing  from 
ever  coming  up  to  his  recollection;  for  it  is 
expressly  said  that  it  was  only  after  his  last 
denial  and  the  immediate  crowing  of  the  cock 
VOL.  V.  209 


that  "Peter  remembered"  his  Lord's  warning. 
Well,  these  details  will  not  have  been  recorded 
in  vain,  if  they  convince  believers  that,  besides 
the  danger  of  the  strongest  giving  way,  there  is  no 
length  in  defection  to  which  they  may  not  quickly 
go,  when  once  that  has  been  done.  I'imes  of  per- 
secution, especially  when  unto  death,  have  fur- 
nished sad  enough  evidence  that  Peter's  case  was 
no  abnormal  one;  that  he  acted  only  according  to 
the  stable  laws  of  the  human  mind  and  heart  in 
such  circumstances,  and  only  illustrated  the  laws 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  to  the  sources  of 
weakness  and  of  strength ;  and  that  in  similar 
circumstances  the  children  of  God  in  every  age, 
when  like  him  they  flatter  themselves,  in  spite  of 
warnings,  that  they  will  never  be  moved,  will  act 
a  similar  part.  4.  Secret  things  indeed  belong 
unto  the  Lord  our  God,  but  those  which  are  re- 
vealed unto  us  and  to  our  children  for  ever  (Deut. 
xxix.  29).  We  intrude  not  into  those  things  which 
we  have  not  seen,  vainly  puffed  up  by  our  fleshly 
mind  (Col.  ii.  18);  but  the  few  glimpses  with  which 
Scripture  favours  us  of  what  is  passing  on  the 
subject  of  men's  eternal  interests  in  the  unseen 
world  are  of  too  vital  a  nature  to  be  overlooked. 
In  the  book  of  Job  we  have  revelations  to  which 
there  is  a  manifest  allusion  in  our  Lord's  warning 
to  Peter,  and  without  which  it  could  not  perhaps 
be  fully  understood.  The  all-seeing  Judge  is  seen 
surrounded  by  His  angelic  assessors  on  human 
affairs,  and  Satan  presents  himself  among  them. 
"  Whence  comest  thou?"  the  Lord  says.  "  From 
going  to  and  fro  in  the  earth,  and  walking  up  and 
down  in  it,"  is  the  reply — watching  men's  actions, 
studying  their  character,  seeking  whom  he  might 
devour.  '  In  these  roamings,  hast  thou  seen  My 
servant  Job  (asks  the  Lord),  a  saint  above  all 
saints  on  the  earth  ?'  '  0  yes  (is  the  reply),  I  have 
seen  him,  and  weighed  his  religion  too :  'Tis  easy 
for  him  to  be  religious,  with  a  divine  hedge  about 
him,  and  laden  with  prosperity.  But  only  let  me 
have  him,  that  I  may  sift  him  as  wheat,  and  we 
shall  soon  see  what  becomes  of  his  religion. 
Why,  touch  but  his  substance,  and  he  will  curse 
Thee  to  Thy  face.'  'Behold,  he  is  in  thine  hand  (is 
the  divine  response),  to  sift  him  to  the  uttermost ; 
only  upon  his  person  lay  not  a  hand.'  So  Satan  ' 
goes  forth,  strips  him  of  substance  and  family  at 
once,  leaving  him  only  a  wife  worse  than  none, 
who  did  but  aid  the  tempter's  purposes.  Observe 
now  the  result.  "  So  Job  arose  and  rent  his 
mantle,  and  shaved  his  head,  and  fell  upon  the 
ground,  and  worshipped,  and  said.  Naked  came  I 
out  of  my  mother's  womb,  and  naked  shall  I 
return  thither:  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord 
hath  taken  away;  blessed  be  the  name  of  the 
Lord.  In  all  this  Job  sinned  not,  nor  charged 
God  foolishly."  But  the  enemy  of  men's  souls  is 
not  to  be  easily  foiled.  He  has  missed  his  mark 
once,  to  be  sure ;  but  the  next  time  he  will  suc- 
ceed. He  mistook  the  patriarch's  weak  point. 
Now,  however,  he  is  sure  of  it.  Again  he 
enters  the  councils  of  heaven,  is  questioned  as 
before,  and  rebuked,  in  language  unspeakably 
comforting  to  the  tempted,  for  moving  the  Lord 
to  destroy  His  dear  saint  without  cause.  _  'Not 
without  cause  (replies  the  tempter) :  Skin  for 
skin ;  yea,  all  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his 
life :  suffer  me  once  more  to  sift  him  as  wheat,  and 
it  will  be  seen  what  chaff  his  religion  is.'  _  '  Then, 
behold,  he  is  in  thine  hand,  to  srnite  his  person 
even  as  thou  wilt;  only  save  his  Life.'    So  Satan 


Peter's  tears                                      MAEK  XIV. 

of  repentance. 

Before  the  cock  crow  twice,  thou  shalt  deny  me  tlirice. 

And  "when  he  1     ^-D-^^. 

thought  thereon,  he  wept. 

1  *  2  Cor.  7. 10. 

went  forth,  and  did  his  worst;  the  body  of  this 
saint  is  now  a  mass  of  running  sores;  he  sits 
among  the  ashes,  scraping  himself  with  a  jjot- 
shercl:  while  his  heartless  wife  advises  him  to 
have  done  with  this  at  once,  by  sending  up  to  God 
such  a  curse  upon  Him  for  His  cruelty  as  would 
bring  down  a  bolt  of  vengeance,  and  end  his  sufter- 
ings  with  his  life.  Now  hear  the  noble  reply: 
"Thou  speakest  as  one  of  the  foolish  women 
speaketh.  What  ?  Shall  we  receive  good  at  the 
hand  of  God,  and  shall  we  not  receive  evil?  In 
all  this  did  not  Job  sin  with  his  Ups."  He  is 
seen  to  be  wheat  and  no  chaff,  and  the  enemy  dis- 
appears from  the  stage.  This  now  is  what  our 
Lord  alludes  to  ia  His  warning  at  the  Sixpper-Table. 
Satan,  still  at  his  old  work,  had  demanded  to 
have  these  poor  disciples,  to  sift  them  too;  and  he 
had  gotten  them — in  that  sense  and  to  that  ex- 
tent. [The  reader  is  requested  to  refer  to  the  re- 
marks on  the  sense  of  the  word  e^rtTyiaaTo,  Luke 
xxii-  31.]  But  while  that  transaction  was  going 
on  in  the  unseen  world,  a  counteraction,  in  the 
case  of  Peter,  was  proceeding  at  the  same  time. 
He  whom  the  Father  heareth  alway  "prayed  for 
Peter  that  his  faith  might  not  fail."  And  (as 
implied  in  the  tenses  of  the  verbs  employed — see 
the  remarks  on  the  above  passage)  when  the  one 
action  was  completed,  so  was  the  other — the  bane 
and  the  antidote  going  together.  Poor  Peter ! 
Little  thinkest  thou  what  is  passing  between 
heaven  and  heU  about  thee,  and  thy  one  source  of 
safety.  That  thou  gottest  that  "  look"  of  wounded 
love  from  thy  suffering  Lord ;  that  thy  heart, 
pierced  by  it,  Avas  not  driven  to  despair ;  that  the 
warning  of  the  triple  denial  and  the  doiible  cock- 
crowing  did  not  send  thee  after  the  traitor,  by  the 
nearest  road  to  "his  own  place:"  what  was  all 
this  due  to  but  to  that  '''■prayer  for  thee,  that  thy 
faith  fail  not "?  Now,  for  the  first  time,  thou  know- 
est  the  meaning  of  that  word  "fail."  Perhaps  it 
deluded  thee  into  the  persuasion  that  thou  wouldst 
not  give  way  at  all,  and  thou  wert  thyself  confident 
enough  of  that.  Now  thou  knowest  by  sad  experi- 
ence what  "  shipwreck  of  faith  and  of  a  good  con- 
science" thou  hadst  made,  but  that  the  means  of 
preventing  it  were  fetched  down  by  the  great 
Intercessor's  "prayer."  5.  If  Christ's  praying  for 
Peter,  even  in  the  days  of  His  flesh  here  below, 
availed  so  much,  what  a  glorious  efficacy  must 
attach  to  His  pleadings  for  them  that  are  dear  to 
Him  within  the  veil  ?  For  here.  His  proper  work 
was  to  give  His  life  a  Eansom  for  them:  there,  to 
sue  out  the  fruit  of  His  travail  in  their  behalf. 
But  along  with  these  intercessions,  are  there  no 
such  "  looks"  now  cast  upon  His  poor  fallen  ones, 
such  as  He  darted  upon  Peter,  just  when  he  had 
gone  down  to  his  lowest  depth  in  shameful  repu- 
diation of  Him?  Let  the  fallen  and  recovered 
childi-en  of  God  answer  that  question.  6.  What 
light  does  this  last  thought,  in  connection  with 
Christ's  special  prayer  in  behalf  of  Peter,  cast 
upon  the  eternal  safety  of  believers?  "While  I 
was  with  them  in  the  world  I  kept  them  in  Thy 
name:  those  that  Thou  hast  given  Me  I  kept 
[^eSto/cas — k(p{i\a^a\  and  none  of  them  is  lost  but 
the  son  of  perdition,  that  the  Scripture  might  be 
fulfilled.  But  now  I  am  no  more  in  the  world, 
but  these  are  in  the  world,  and  I  come  to  Thee : 
Holy  Father,  keep  through  thine  own  name  those 
whom  Thou  hast  given  Me,  that  they  may  be  one 
as  We  are"  (John  xvii.  11,  12).  7.  If  prayer  on 
the  part  of  Christ  for  His  people  is  so  essential  to 
their  safety,  shall  their  own  prayer  for  it  be  less 
210 


so?  He  who  said,  "/  prayed  for  thee,"  said  also, 
"Watch  and  pray  ye,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temp- 
tation." And  who  that  verily  believes  that  Jesus 
within  the  veil  is  praying  for  him  that  his  faith 
fail  not,  can  choose  but  cry,  "Hold  Thou  me  uid, 
and  I  shall  be  safe"?  8.  Was  it  Avhile  those  false 
witnesses  were  rising  up  against  Thee,  blessed 
Saviour,  and  laying  to  Thy  charge  things  that  Thou 
knewest  not,  that  Thou  didst  cast  towards  Peter 
that  soul-piercing  "look"?  Or  was  it  in  the 
midst  of  those  heart-rending  indignities,  at  the 
reading  of  which  one  almost  covers  his  face,  and 
the  caun  endurance  of  which  must  have  filled 
even  heaven  with  wonder — was  it  during  one  of 
those  dreadfiil  moments  when  they  were  proceed- 
ing to  bKndfold  that  blessed  Face,  that  Thou  look- 
edst  full  on  Thy  poor  disciple  with  that  never- 
to-be-forgotten  look?  I  know  not.  But  I  can 
well  believe  that  no  indignities  from  enemies 
wounded  Thee  at  that  hour  like  that  which 
was  done  unto  Thee  by  thine  own  familiar  friend 
and  dear  disciple,  and  that  this  quite  absorbed 
the  sense  of  that.  And  if  in  heaven  He  feels 
the  slight  put  upon  Him  by  those  who  will  not 
suffer  Him  to  "gather"  them,  shaU  He  not  feel 
even  more  acutely  (if  the  word  may  be  allowed) 
"the  wounds  wherewith  He  is  wounded  in  the 
house  of  His  friends"?  9.  In  reviewing  the  con- 
tents of  this  Section,  who  can  be  insensible  to 
the  self-evidencing  reality  which  is  stamped  upon 
the  facts  of  it,  both  in  their  general  bearing  and  in 
their  minute  details!  What  mere  inventor  of  a 
Story  would  have  so  used  the  powerful  influence 
of  Annas  as  to  hand  over  the  Prisoner  to  him 
first,  relating  what  passed  between  them  in  the 
dead  of  night,  ere  the  Coimcil  could  be  got  to- 
gether for  the  formal  trial?  And  who  would  have 
thought  of  making  Him  answer  with  silence  the 
lies  and  contradictions  of  the  witnesses  against 
Him ;  when  these  failed  to  make  any  decent 
charge,  bringing  forward  at  the  last  two  more,  only 
to  neutralize  each  other  by  the  inconsistency  of 
their  statements;  and,  when  all  failed,  and  the 
high  priest  in  despair  had  to  put  it  to  Him  on 
oath  to  say  if  He  were  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 
Blessed,  then  drawing  from  Him  a  sublime  affirma- 
tive? The  condemnation  and  the  indignities 
which  followed  would  be  natural  enough ;  but  the 
particulars  now  enumerated  he  quite  beyond  the 
range  of  conceivable  fiction.  But  far  more  so  are 
the  details  of  Peter's  denials.  That  the  most 
eminent  of  the  Eleven  should  he  made  to  inflict  on 
his  Master  the  deepest  woimd,  and  this  in  the 
hour  of  greatest  apparent  weakness,  when  a 
Prisoner  in  the  hands  of  His  enemies — is  unlike 
enough  the  work  of  fiction.  But  those  minute 
details  —  the  "following  Him  from  afar"  [aird 
jua/cpoGev];  the  introduction  into  the  quadrangle 
through  the  influence  of  "that  disciple  who  was 
known  to  the  high  priest;"  the  cold  night,  and 
the  blazing  fire,  and  the  clustering  of  the  menials 
and  others  around  it,  with  Peter  among  them,  and 
the  detection  of  him  by  a  maid,  through  the 
reflection  of  the  fire-light  on  his  countenance,  the 
first  denial  in  that  moment  of  surprise,  and  the 
crowing  of  the  cock;  his  uneasy  removal  "out 
into  the  porch,"  the  second  denial,  more  emphatic 
than  the  first,  and  then  the  last  and  foulest,  and 
the  second  cock-crowing ;  but  beyond  every  other 
thought  that  would  never  occur  to  an  inventor, 
that  "look  upon  Peter"  by  his  wounded  Lord, 
and  that  rush  of  recollection  which  brought  the 
sad  warning  at  the  Supper-Table  fi'csh  to  view,  and 


Jesus  hrougJit 


MARK  XV. 


before  Pilate. 


15  AND  "straightway  in  the  morning  the  chief  priests  held  a  consultation 
with  the  elders  and  scribes  and  the  whole  council,  and  bound  Jesus,  and 

2  carried  him  away,   and  delivered  him  to  Pilate.      And   ^Pilate   asked 
him.  Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?     And  he  answering  said  unto 

3  him,  ''Thou  sayest  it.     And  the   chief  priests  accused  him  of  many 

4  things:  but  ''he  answered  nothing.     And  *  Pilate  asked  him  again,  saying, 
Answerest  thou  nothing?  behold  how  many  things  they  witness  against 

5  thee.     But  -^Jesus  yet  answered  nothing ;  so  that  Pilate  marvelled. 

6  Now  ^at  that  feast  he  released  unto  them  one  prisoner,  whomsoever 

7  they  desired.     And  there  was  one  named  Barabbas,  which  lay  bound  with 
them  that  had  made  insurrection  with  him,  who  had  committed  murder 

8  in  the  insurrection.     And  the  multitude,  crying  aloud,  began  to  desire 

9  him  to  do  as  he  had  ever  done  unto  them.     But  Pilate  answered  them, 

10  saying,  Will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you  the  King  of  the  Jews?     For  he 

11  knew  that  the  chief  priests  had  delivered  him  for  ^envy.  But  Hhe 
chief  priests  moved  the  people,  that  he  should  rather  release  Barabbas 

12  unto  them.  And  Pilate  answered  and  said  again  unto  them,  What 
will  ye  then   that  I  shall  do   imto  him  whom  ye  call  •'the  King  of 

13  the  Jews?    And  they  cried  out  again.  Crucify  him.     Then  Pilate  said 

14  unto  them,  Wliy,  what  evil  hath  he  done?    And  they  cried  out  the  more 

15  exceedingly,  Crucify  liim.  And  so  Pilate,  *  willing  to  content  the  people, 
released  Barabbas  unto  them,  and  delivered  Jesus,  when  he  had  scourged 
him,  to  be  crucified. 

16  And  the  soldiers  led  him  away  into  the  hall  called  Pretorium;  and 

17  they  call  together  the  whole  band.     And  they  clothed  him  with  purple, 

18  and  platted  a  crown  of  thorns,  and  put  it  about  his  head,  and  began  to 

19  salute  him,  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews!  And  they  smote  him  on  the  head 
with  a  reed,  and  did  spit  upon  him,  and  bowing  their  knees  worshipped 

20  him.  And  when  they  had  mocked  him,  they  took  off  the  purple  from 
him,  and  put  his  own  clothes  on  him,  and  led  him  out  to  crucify  him. 

21  And  Hhey  compel  one  Simon  a  Cyrenian,  who  passed  by,  coming  out 
of  the  country,  the  father  of  Alexander  '"and  Bufus,  to  bear  his  cross. 

22  And  "they  bring  him  unto  the  place  Golgotha,  which  is,  being  inter- 

23  preted,  The  place  of  a  skull.      And  they  gave   him   "to   drink  wine 

24  mingled  with  myrrh:  but  he  received  it  not.  And  when  they  had 
crucified  him,  they  ^parted  his  garments,  casting  lots  upon  them,  what 

25  every  man  should  take.     And  ^it  was  the  third  hour,  and  they  crucified 

26  him.     And  '"the  superscription  of  his  accusation  was  written  over,  THE 

27  KING  OP  THE  JEWS.     And  with  him  they  crucify  two  thieves;  the 

28  one  on  his  right  hand,  and  the  other  on  his  left.  And  the  scripture 
was  fulfilled,  which  saith,  *And  he  was  numbered  with  the  transgressors. 

29  And  *  they  that  passed  by  railed  on  liim,  wagging  their  heads,  and  saying, 

30  Ah!  thou  "that  destroyest  the  temple,  and  buildest  it  in  three  days,  save 


A.  D.  33. 

CHAP.  15. 
"  Ps.  2.  2. 

Matt.  21. 3S. 
Matt.  27. 1. 
Luke  22.  6G. 
Luke  23.  1. 
John  18.28. 
Acts  3.  13. 

Acts  4.  t'G. 
i  Matt.  27.11. 
"  1  Tim.  6.13. 
d  1  Pet.  2.  23. 
"  Matt.  27. 13. 
/  Isa.  S3.  7. 

John  19.  9. 
0  Matt.  27.15. 

Luke  23.17. 

John  18.39. 
ft  Acts  7.9,61. 

1  John  3. 12. 
»■  Matt.  27.20. 

Acts  3. 14. 
i  Jer.  23.  5, 6. 

Mic.  5.  2. 
fc  Pro.  29.  25. 
f  Matt.  27.32. 

Luke  23.26. 
"'Eom.  16.13. 
"  John  19.17. 

Acts  7.  58. 

Heb.  13. 12. 
°  Ps.  69.  21. 
P  Ps.  22.  18. 

Matt.  27.35, 
36. 

Luke  23.34. 

Johnl9.23, 
24. 
t  Matt.  27.45. 

Luke  23. 44. 

John  19.14. 
*■  Deut.  23.  5. 

Ps.  76.  10. 

Pro.  21.  1. 

Isa.  10.  7. 

Isa.  46. 10. 

Matt.  27. 37. 
'  Isa.  63.  12. 

Luke  22.37. 
*  Ps.  22.  7. 

Ps.  35.  15, 
16. 

Matt.  9.  24. 

Luke  16.14. 
"  Ch.  14.  68. 

John  2.  19. 


his  "  goin^  out  and  weeping  bitterly," — who  that 
reads  all  this  with  unsophisticated  intelligence,  can 
doubt  its  reality,  or  fail  to  feel  as  if  himself  had 
been  in  the  midst  of  it  all?  But  what  puts  the 
crown  upon  the  self-evidencing  truth  of  all  this  is, 
that  we  have  four  Records  of  it,  so  harmonious  as 
to  be  manifestly  but  different  reports  of  the  same 
transactions,  yet  differing  to  such  an  extent  in 
minute  details,  that  hostile  criticism  has  tried  to 
make  out  a  case  of  irreconcilable  contradiction, 
which  has  staggered  some — while  the  most  friendly 
and  loving  criticism  has  not  been  able  to  remove 
all  difficulties.  This  at  least  shows  that  none  of 
them  wi'ote  to  prop  up,  the  statements  of  the 
others,  and  that  the  facts  of  the  Gospel  History 
are  bound  together  by  a  fourfold  cord  that  cannot 
be  broken.  Thanks,  then,  be  unto  God  for  this 
211 


inestimable  treasure,  but  above  all  for  the  Un- 
speakable Gift  of  Whom  it  tells  its  wondrous 
Tale — a  Tale  as  new  while  we  now  wiite  as  when 
the  Evangelists  themselves  were  holding  the 
pen — a  Tale,  like  the  new  song,  that  will  never 
grow  old ! 

CHAP.  XV.  1-20.— Jesus  is  Brought  Before 
Pilate — At  a  Second  Hearing,  Pilate,  after 
Seeking  to  Release  Him,  Delivers  Him  Up— 
After  being  Cruelly  Entreated,  He  is  Led 
Away  to  be  Crucified.  (=  Matt.  xxvi.  1,  2,11- 
31;  Luke  xxiii.  1-6,  13-25;  John  xviii.  28— xix.  16.) 
For  the  exposition,  see  on  John  xviii.  28 — xix.  16. 

21-37. — Crucifixion  and  Death  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  (  =  Matt,  xxvii.  32-50;  Luke  xxiii.  26-46 ; 
John  xix.  17-30.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on  John 
xix.  17-30. 


Crucifixion  and  death 


MAEK  XVI. 


of  the  Lord  Jesun. 


3G 


37, 


31  thyself,  and  come  down  from  the  cross.  Likewise  also  the  chief  priests 
mocking  said  among  themselves  with  the  scribes.  He  saved  others ;  him- 

32  self  he  cannot  save.  Let  Christ  the  King  of  Israel  descend  now  from  the 
cross,  that  we  may  see  and  believe.  And  ''they  that  were  crucified  with 
him  reviled  him. 

33  And  '"when  the  sixth  hour  was  come,  there  was  darkness  over  the 

34  whole  land  until  the  ninth  hour.  And  at  the  ninth  hour  Jesus  cried 
with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  ^Eloi!   Eloi!   lama  sabachthani?  which  is, 

35  being  interpreted.  My  God!  my  God!  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?  And 
some  of  them  that  stood  by,  when  they  heard  it,  said.  Behold,  he  calleth 
Elias.  And  ^one  ran  and  filled  a  sponge  full  of  vinegar,  and  put  it  on  a 
reed,  and  ^gave  him  to  drink,  saying.  Let  alone;  let  us  see  whether  Ehas 
will  come  to  take  him  down. 

And  "Jesus  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  and  gave  up  the  ghost.     And 
3S  ^the  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  in  twain  from  the  top  to  the  bottom. 

39  And  '^wlien  the  centurion,  which  stood  over  against  him,  saw  that  he  so 
cried  out,  and  gave  up  the  ghost,  he  said,  Truly  this  man  was  the  Son  of 

40  God.  There  ''were  also  women  looking  on  afar  *off:  among  whom  was 
Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  the  less  and  of  Joses, 

41  and  Salome;  (who  also,  when  he  was  in  Galilee,  followed  •''him,  and 
ministered  unto  him ;)  and  many  other  women  which  came  up  with  him 
unto  Jerusalem. 

42  And  ^now  when  the  even  was  come,  because  it  was  the  preparation, 

43  that  is,  the  day  before  the  sabbath,  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  an  honourable 
counsellor,  which  also  ''waited  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  came,  and  went 

44  in  boldly  unto  Pilate,  and  craved  the  body  of  Jesus.  And  Pilate  mar- 
velled if  he  were  already  dead :  and,  calling  unto  him  the  centurion,  he 

45  asked  him  whether  he  had  been  any  while  dead.     And  when  he  knew  it 

46  of  the  centurion,  he  gave  the  body  to  Joseph.  And  %e  bought  fine 
linen,  and  took  him  down,  and  wrapped  him  in  the  linen,  and  laid  him 
in  a  sepulchre  which  was  hewn  out  of  a  rock,  and  rolled  a  stone  unto  the 

47  door  of  the  sepulchre.  And  Mary  Magdalene  and  Mary  the  mother  of 
Joses  beheld  where  he  was  laid. 

AND  "'when  the  sabbath  was  past,  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary  the 
mother  of  James,  and  Salome,  *had  bought  sweet  spices,  that  they  might 
come  and  anoint  him.  And  "^very  early  in  the  morning,  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  they  came  unto  the  sepulchre  at  the  rising  of  the  sun.  And 
they  said  among  themselves,  Wlio  shall  roll  us  away  the  stone  from  the 
door  of  the  sepulchre  ?    And  when  they  looked,  they  saw  that  the  stone 


16 

2 
3 


A.  D.  33. 


"  Matt.  27. 41 
Luke  23.33. 
Heb.  12.  3. 

1  Pet.  2.  23. 
"  Luke  23.44. 

*  Ps.  22.  L 

Matt.  27. 46. 

Heb.  6.  7. 
y  Matt.  27. 4'!. 

John  19. 19. 
'  Ps.  69.  21. 
"  Matt.  27. 50. 

Luke  23.46. 

John  19. 30. 
l>  Ex.  26.  31. 

Kx.  40.  20, 
21. 

2  Chr.  3.  14. 
Matt.  27.  51- 

53. 

Luke  23. 45. 

Heb.  4.  14- 
16. 

Heb.  6.  19. 

Heb.  9  3-12. 

Heb.  10. 19. 
"  Deut.32.3i. 

Matt.  27.54. 
d  Ps.  3S.  11. 

Matt.  27. 55, 
66. 

Luke  23  49. 

John  19.26, 
27. 
"  Ps.  38.  11. 
/  Luke  8.  2. 
^  John  19  33. 
'i  Ps.  25.  2. 

Ps.  27.  14. 

Isa.  8.  16. 

Lam.  3.  25, 
26. 

Luke  2.  25. 
»  Isa.  53.  9. 


CHAP.  16. 

*  Matt.  28. 1. 
>>  Luke  23.  56. 
"  Matt.  28.  L 

Luke  24.  1. 

John  20.  1. 


38-47. — Signs  and  Circumstances  following 
THE  Death  of  The  Lord  Jesus — He  is  Taken 
Down  erom  the  Cross  and  Buried  —  The 
Sepulchre  is  Guarded.  (  =  Matt,  xxvii.  51-66; 
Luke  xxiii.  45,  47-56;  John  xix.  31-42.)  For  tlie 
exposition,  see  on  ^Matt.  xxvii.  51-56;  and  on  John 
xix.  31-42. 

CHAP.  XVL  1-20.— Angelic  Announcement 
TO  the  Women  on  The  First  Day  of  the 
Week,  that  Christ  is  Risen— His  Appe.^r- 
ANCES  after  His  Eesurrection— His  Ascension 
— Triumphant  Proclamation  of  His  Gospel. 
(=  Matt,  xxviii.  1-10,  16-20;  Luke  xxiv.  1-51;  Jolm 
XX.  1,  2,  11-29.) 

The  Resurrection  Amiomiced  to  the  Women  (1-8). 
1.  And  wlien  the  sabbath  was  past— that  is,  at 
sunset  of  our  Saturday,  Mary  Magdalene  —  see 
on  Luke  viii.  2,  and  Mary  the  Mother  of  James 
^ James  the  Less  (see  on  ch.  xv.  40),  and  Salome 
^the  mother  of  Zebedee's  sons  (compare  ch.  xv.  40 
with  Matt,  xxvii.  56),  had  bought  sweet  spices, 
that  they  might  come  and  anoint  him.  The 
word  is  simply  '  bought '  [/yyo'^juo-aj/].  But  our 
212 


translators  are  perhaps  right  in  rendering  it 
here  'had  bought,'  since  it  would  appear,  from 
Luke  xxiii.  56,  that  they  had  purchased  them 
immediately  after  the  Crucifixion,  on  the  Friday 
evening,  during  the  short  interval  that  remained 
to  them  before  sunset,  when  the  Sabbath  rest 
began;  and  that  they  had  only  deferred  using 
them  to  anoint  the  body  till  the  Sabbath  rest 
shoidd  be  over.  On  this  "anointing,"  see  on 
John  xix.  40.  2.  And  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing—  see  on  Matt,  xxviii.  1,  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  they  came  unto  the  sepulchre  at  the 
rising  of  the  sun— not  quite  literally,  but  'at 
earliest  dawn;'  according  to  a  way  of  speaking  not 
uncommon,  and  occurring  sometimes  in  the  Old 
Testament.  Thus  our  Lord  rose  on  the  third  day; 
having  lain  in  the  grave  part  of  Friday,  the  whole 
of  Saturday,  and  part  of  the  following  First  day. 

3.  And  they  said  among  themselves — as  they  were 
approaching  the  sacred  spot.  Who  shall  roll  us 
away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre? 

4.  And  when  they  looked,  they  saw  that  tha 
stone  was  rolled  away:  for  it  was  very  great. 


An  angel  dedareth  the 


MAEK  XVI. 


resurrection  of  Christ. 


5  was  rolled  away:  for  it  was  very  great.  And  "entering  into  the 
sepulclire,  tliey  saw  a  young  man  sitting  on  the  right  side,  clothed  in  a 

G  long  white  garment;  and  they  were  atfrighted.  And  ^he  saith  unto 
them,  Be  not  affrighted  :  Ye  seek  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  which  was  cnicified : 

7  he  is  -^risen ;  he  is  not  here :  behold  the  place  where  they  laid  him.  But 
go  your  way,  tell  his  disciples  and  Peter  that  he  goeth  before  you  into 

8  Galilee :  there  shall  ye  see  him,  ^as  he  said  unto  you.  And  they  went 
out  quickly,  and  fled  from  the  sepulchre ;  for  they  trembled  and  were 
amazed:  ''neither  said  they  any  thing  to  any  man;  for  they  were 
afraid. 

9  Now  when  Jesus  was  risen  early  the  first  da^  of  the  week,  ^he  appeared 


A.  D.  33. 


<i  Luke  24.  3. 

John  20.  8. 
°  Matt.  28.  5. 
/  ch.  10.  34. 

John  2  19. 

1  Cor.  15.  3- 
7. 
3  Matt.  26.32. 

Matt  28.10, 
16,  n. 

ch.  14.  23. 
ft  Matt.  23.  8. 
i  John  20. 14. 


This  last  clause  is  added,  both  to  account  for  theii- 
wonder  how  with  such  a  stone  on  it  the  grave  was 
to  be  laid  open  for  them,  and  to  call  attention  to 
the  power  which  had  rolled  it  away.  Though  it 
was  too  great  for  themselves  to  remove,  and  with- 
out that  their  spices  had  been  useless,  they  come 
notwithstanding;  discussing  their  difficulty,  yet 
undeterred  by  it.  On  reaching  it  they  find  their 
difficulty  gone — the  stone  already  rolled  away  by 
an  unseen  hand.  A?ul  are  there  no  others  who, 
whe7i  advandng  to  duty  in  the  face  of  appalling 
difficulties,  find  their  stone  also  rolled  away?  5.  And 
entering  into  the  sepulclire,  they  saw  a  young 
man.  In  Matt,  xxviii.  2,  he  is  called  "  the  angel 
of  the  Lord;"  but  here  he  is  described  as  he  ap- 
peared to  the  ej^e,  in  the  bloom  of  a  life  that  knows 
no  decay.  In  Matthew  he  is  represented  as  sitting 
on  the  stone  outside  the  sepulchre;  but  since  even 
there  he  says,  "Come,  see  the  place  where  the  Lord 
lay"  (xxviii.  6),  he  seems,  as  Alford  says,  to  have 
gone  in  with  them  from  without;  only  awaiting 
their  arrival  to  accompany  them  into  the  hallowed 
spot,  and  instruct  them  about  it.  sitting  on  the 
right  side — having  res]3ect  to  the  i^osition  in  which 
His  Lord  had  lain  there.  This  trait  is  peculiar  to 
Mark;  but  compare  Luke  i.  11.  clothed  in  a 
long  white  garment.  On  its  length,  see  Isa.  vi.  1 ; 
and  on  its  u-hiteness,  see  on  Matt,  xxviii.  3.  and 
they  were  affrighted  [e^edafifindiia-m].  6.  And  he 
saith  unto  them,  Be  not  affrighted  [Mi;  ek- 
danftelade] — a  stronger  word  than  "  Fear  not"  [m'j 
(poPeTa-de]  in  Matthew.  Ye  seek  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, which  was  crucified  [top  Na^apjifov,  tou 
ea-Taupio/xei/ov] — 'the  Nazarene,  the  Crucified.'  he 
is  risen ;  he  is  not  here.  See  on  Luke  jLxiv.  5,  6. 
behold  the  place  where  they  laid  him.  See  on 
IkLatt.  xxviii.  6.  7.  But  go  your  way,  tell  his 
disciples  and  Peter.  This  Second  Gospel,  being 
draAvn  up— as  all  the  earliest  tradition  states — 
■under  the  eye  of  Peter,  or  from  materials  chiefly 
furnished  by  him,  there  is  something  deeply  affect- 
ing in  the  preservation  of  this  little  clause  by  Mark 
alone,  and  in  the  clause  itself,  which  it  is  impos- 
sible not  to  connect  with  the  cloud  under  which 
Peter  lay  in  the  eyes  of  the  Eleven,  not  to  say  in 
his  own  also.  Doubtless  the  "  look"  of  Jesus  and 
the  "bitter  weeping"  which  followed  upon  it 
(Luke  xxiL  61,  62)  contained  all  the  materials  of  a 
settlement  and  a  reconciliation.  But  such  wounds 
are  not  easily  healed;  and  this  was  but  the  first  of  a 
series  of  medicinal  touches,  the  rest  of  which  will 
follow  anon,  that  he  goeth  before  you  into 
Galilee :  there  shall  ye  see  him,  as  he  said  unto 
you.  See  on  Matt,  xx^dii.  7.  8.  And  they  went 
out  quickly,  and  fled  from  the  sepulchre;  for 
they  trembled  and  were  amazed  [elx^  Sk  auxas 
■rpofjioi  Kul  e/co-Tatri?] — '  for  tremor  and  amazement 
seized  them.'  neither  said  they  any  thing  to  any 
man ;  for  they  were  afraid.  How  intensely  natural 
and  simple  is  this ! 
Appearances  of  Jestis  After  His  Resurrection 
213 


(9-lS).  [AH  the  verses  of  this  chapter,  from  the 
9th  to  the  end,  are  regarded  by  Griesbach,  Tischen- 
dorf,  and  Treyelles  as  no  part  of  the  original  text 
of  this  Gospel,  but  as  added  by  a  later  hand: 
Because,  first,  they  are  wanting  in  B  and  n — the 
well-known  Vatican  and  the  recently  discovered 
Sinaitic,  being  the  oldest  MSS.  yet  known ;  in  one 
copy  of  the  Old  Latin  Version;  in  some  copies  of  the 
Armenian  Version ;  and  in  an  Arabic  Lectionary 
or  Church  Lesson ;  while  a  few  of  the  Cursive  or 
later  MSS.  of  this  Gospel  have  the  verses  "wdth 
marks  indicative  of  doubt  as  to  their  genuineness : 
Again,  because  Eusehitis  and  Jerome — most  comj^e- 
tent  witnesses  and  judges,  of  the  fourth  century^ 
l^ronounce  against  them,  affirming  that  the  genuine 
text  of  this  Gospel  ended  with  verse  8 :  And  fur- 
ther, because  the  style  of  this  portion  so  differs 
from  the  rest  of  this  Gospel  as  to  suggest  a  different 
author ;  while  the  variations  in  the  text  itself  are 
just  ground  of  suspicion.  For  these  reasons, 
Meyer,  Fritzsche,  Alford,  and  other  critical  com- 
mentators, decide  against  the  jiassage.  But  these 
reasons  seem  to  us  totally  insufficient  to  coimter- 
balance  the  evidence  in  favour  of  the  verses  in  ques- 
tion. First,  thev  are  found  in  all  the  Uncial  or 
earlier  Greek  MSS.,  except  the  two  above-men- 
tioned— including  A,  or  the  Alexandrian  MS., 
which  is  admitted  to  be  not  more  than  fifty  years 
later  than  the  two  oldest,  and  of  scarcely  less,  if 
indeed  of  any  less,  authority;  in  one  or  two  MSS. 
in  which  they  are  not  found,  a  space  is  left  to 
show  that  something  is  wanting — not  large  enough, 
indeed,  to  contain  the  verses,  but  this  probably  only 
to  save  space;  nor  do  the  variations  in  the  text  ex- 
ceed those  in  some  passages  whose  genuineness  is 
admitted:  They  are  found  in  all  the  Cursive  or 
later  Greek  mss.  :  They  are  found  in  all  the  most 
ancient  Versions:  They  are  quoted  by  Jrenceus, 
and  so  must  have  been  known  in  the  second  cen- 
tury; by  one  father  at  least  in  the  third  century, 
and  by  two  or  three  in  the  fourth,  as  ijart  of  this 
Gospel.  The  argument  from  difference  of  style  is 
exceedingly  slender — confined  to  a  few  words  and 
phrases,  which  vary,  as  every  one  kndws,  in 
different  writings  of  the  same  author  and  even 
different  portions  of  the  same  wi-iting,  with  the 
varying  aspects  of  the  subject  and  the  writer's 
emotions.  That  so  carefully  constructed  a  Narra- 
tive as  that  of  this  Gospel  terminated  with  the 
words,  "for  they  were  afraid" — e<l)o(iovvTo  y ap- 
is what  one  wonders  that  any  can  bring  themselves 
to  believe.  Accordingly,  Lachmann  inserts  it  as 
]iart  of  his  text ;  and  cte  Wette,  Hug,  and  Lange 
in  Germany,  with  Ellicott  and  Scrivener  among 
ourselves,  defend  it.  The  conjecture  of  some 
recent  critics,  that  it  may  have  been  added  by  the 
Evangelist  himself,  after  the  copies  ffi'st  issued  had 
been  for  some  time  in  circulation,  is  too  far-fetched 
to  be  entitled  to  consideration.] 

9.  Now  when  Jesus  was  risen  early  the  first  day 
Of  the  week,  he  appeared  first  to  Mary  Magdalene, 


Appearances  of  Jesus 


MAEK  XVI. 


after  Ms  resurrection. 


10  first  to  Mary  Magdalene,  •'out  of  whom  he  had  cast  seven  devils.  And 
she  went  and  told  them  that  had  been  with  him,  as  they  mourned  and 

11  wept.  And  ^'they,  when  they  had  heard  that  he  was  aUve,  and  had  been 
seen  of  her,  believed  not. 

12  After  that  he  appeared  in  another  form  unto  two  of  them,  as  they 

13  walked,  and  went  into  the  country.  And  they  went  and  told  it  unto 
the  residue  :  neither  beheved  they  them. 

14  Afterward  'he  appeared  unto  the  eleven  as  they  sat  ^at  meat,  and 
upbraided  them  with  their  unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart,  because  they 
believed  not  them  which  had  seen  him  after  he  was  risen. 

15  And  '""he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  "and  preach  the 

16  Gospel  to  every  creature.     He  "that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be 

17  saved;  ^but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned.  And  these  signs 
shall  follow  them  that  believe:  ^In  my  name  shall  they  cast  out  devils; 

18  '"they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues:  they  *  shall  take  up  serpents;  and 
if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them;  Hhey  shall  lay 
hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover. 

19  So  then,  "after  the  Lord  had  spoken  unto  them,  he  was  '"received  up 

20  into  heaven,  and  ''sat  on  the  right  hand  of  God.  And  they  went  forth, 
and  preached  every  where,  the  Lord  working  with  them,  and  '^  confirming 
the  word  with  sisrns  following.     Amen. 


A.  D.  33. 


i  Luke  8.  2. 

*  Luke  24.  IL 
f  Luke  24.  30. 

1  Cor.  16.  6. 
1  Or, 

together. 
"John  15.16. 
"  Col.  1.  23. 
°  John  3.  18, 

36. 
f  John  12.  48. 
9  Luke  10.  ir. 
"■  Acts  2.  4. 

1  Cor.  12.10, 

28. 

*  Acts  28.  5. 
«  Acts  9.  ir. 

Jaa.  6.  14. 
"  Acts  1.  2,  3. 
"  Luke  24.51. 
"  Ps.  110.  1. 

Acts  7.  55. 

Heb.  1.  3. 

Eev.  3.  21. 

*  Acts  14.  3. 
1  Cor.  2  4, 


out  of  whom  lie  liad  cast  seven  devils.  There  is 
some  difficulty  here,  and  different  ways  of  remov- 
ing it  have  been  adopted.  She  had  gone  with  the 
other  women  to  the  sepulchre  {v.  1),  parting  from 
them,  perhai^s,  before  their  interview  with  the 
angel,  and  on  finding  Peter  and  John  she  had 
come  with  them  back  to  the  spot ;  and  it  was  at 
this  second  visit,  it  would  seem,  that  .lesus  ap- 
jieared  to  this  Mary,  as  detailed  in  John  xx.  11-18. 
To  a  woman  was  this  honour  given  to  he  the  first  that 
saw  the  risen  Redeemer;  and  that  woman  was  not 
his  virgin-mother.  10.  And  slie  went  and  told 
them  that  had  been  with  him,  as  they  mourned 
and  wept.  11.  And  they,  when  they  had  heard 
that  he  was  alive,  and  had  been  seen  of  her, 
believed  not.  This,  which  is  once  and  again  re- 
peated of  them  all,  is  most  important  in  its  bearing 
on  their  subsequent  testimony  to  His  resurrection, 
at  the  risk  of  bfe  itself. 

12.  After  that  he  appeared  in  another  form 
(compare  Luke  xxiv.  16)  unto  two  of  them,  as 
they  walked,  and  went  into  the  country.  The 
reference  here,  of  course,  is  to  His  manifesta- 
tion to  the  two  disciples  going  to  Enunaus,  so  ex- 
quisitely told  by  the  third  Evangelist  (see  on  Luke 
xxiv.  13,  &c. ).  12.  And  they  went  and  told  it  unto 
the  residue:  neither  believed  they  them. 

14.  Afterward  he  appeared  unto  the  eleven  as 
they  sat  at  meat,  and  upbraided  them  with  their 
unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart,  because  they  be- 
lieved not  them  which  had  seen  him  after  he  was 
risen.  15.  And  he  said  unto  them.  Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature. 
See  on  John  xx.  19-23;  and  on  Luke  xxiv.  36-49.  16. 
He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized.  Baptism  is  here 
jjut  for  the  external  signature  of  the  inner  faith  of 
the  heart,  just  as  "confessing  with  the  mouth"  is 
in  Rom.  x.  10;  and  there  also  as  here  this  outward 
manifestation,  once  mentioned  as  the  proper  fruit 
214 


of  faith,  is  not  repeated  in  what  follows  (Rom. 
X.  11).  shall  be  saved;  but  he  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned.  These  awful  issues  of  the  recep- 
tion or  rejection  of  the  Gospel,  though  often  re- 
corded in  other  connections,  are  given  in  this  con- 
nection only  by  Mark.  17.  And  these  signs  shall 
follow  them  that  believe :  In  my  name  shall  they 
cast  out  devils;  they  shall  speak  with  new 
tongues;  18.  They  shall  take  up  serpents;  and 
if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt 
them ;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they 
shall  recover.  These  two  verses  also  ai-e  iieculiar 
to  Mark. 

The  Ascension  and  Triurnjjhant  Proclamation 
of  the  Gospel  thereafter  (19-20).  19.  So  then, 
after  the  Lord — an  epithet  applied  to  Jesus 
by  this  Evangelist  only  in  the  two  concluding 
verses,  when  He  comes  to  His  glorious  Ascen- 
sion and  its  subsequent  fruits.  It  is  most  fre- 
quent in  Luke,  had  spoken  unto  them,  he  was 
received  up  into  heaven.  See  on  Luke  xxiv.  50,  51. 
and  sat  on  the  right  hand  of  God.  This  great 
truth  is  here  only  related  as  a  fact  in  the  Gospel 
History.  In  that  exalted  attitude  He  appeared 
to  Stephen  (Acts  vii.  55,56);  and  it  is  thereafter 
perpetually  referred  to  as  His  i)roper  condition  in 
glory.  20.  And  they  went  forth,  and  preached 
every  where,  the  Lord  working  with  them,  and 
confirming  the  word  with  signs  following.  Ajnen. 
We  have  in  this  closing  verse  a  most  important 
link  of  connection  with  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
where  He  who  directed  all  the  movements  of  the 
infant  Church  is  perpetually  styled  "the  lord;" 
thus  illustrating  His  own  promise  for  the  founding 
and  building  up  of  the  Giiurch,  "  Lo,  I  am  with 
YOU  alway ! " 

For  Remarks  on  this  Section,  see  those  on  the 
corresponding  Section  of  the  Fii'st  Gospel— Matt. 
xxviiL  1-15. 


THE    GOSPEL    ACCORDING    TO 

ST.  LUKE. 


1  J^  OEASMUCH  as  many  have  taken  in  hand  to  set  forth  in  order  a 
J?     declaration  of  '^  those  things  which  are  most  surely  believed  among 

2  us,  even  ''as  they  delivered  them  unto  us,  which  ''from  the  beginning 

3  were  eye-witnesses,  and  ministers  of  the  word;  it  '^ seemed  good  to  me 
also,  having  had  perfect  understanding  of  all  things  from  the  very  first, 

4  to  write  unto  thee  *in  order,  most  •'excellent  Theophilus,  that  ^thou 
mightest  know  the  certainty  of  those  things,  wherein  thou  hast  been 
instructed. 

5  THERE  was,  ^in  the  days  of  Herod  the  Idng  of  Judea,  a  certain  priest 
named  Zacharias,  *of  the  course  of  Abia:    and   his  wife  was  of  the 

6  daughters  of  Aaron,  and  her  name  was  Elisabeth.  And  they  were 
both  •'righteous  before   God,  walking  in   all  the   commandments  and 

7  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless.  And  they  had  no  cliild,  because 
that  Elisabeth  was  barren;  and  they  both  were  now  well  stricken  in 
years. 

8  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  while  he  executed  the  priest's  office  before 


A  M.  4000. 


(JHAP.  1. 
"  John  20.  31. 

Acts  1.  1-3. 

1  Tim.  3.1G. 
6  Heb.  2.  3. 

1  Pet.  5.  1. 

2  Pet.  1.  16. 

1  John  1. 1. 
°  John  15,27. 
d  1  Cor.  7.  40. 
"  Acts  11.  4. 
/  Acts  1.  1. 

f  John  20.  31. 
fc  Matt.  2.  1. 
'  lChr.2il9. 
Neh.  12.  4. 
J  1  Ki.  9.  4. 

2  Ki.  20.  3. 
Ps.  119.  6. 

2  Cor.  1  12. 


CHAP.  I.     1-17.— Introduction— A_NNOUNCE- 

MENT  OF  THE  FoREKUNNER. 

Introduction  (1-4).  1.  Forasmucli  as  many  have 
taken  in  hand  to  set  forth  in  order  a  declara- 
tion [kireyeLp^cFav  avaTa^aciQai  Su']yr\(nv\ — 'have 
undertaken  to  draw  up  a  narrative,'  of  those 
things  which  are  most  surely  believed  \tuiv 
'7r£TrXr}po(poprifievwv]  among  US — not  'believed  con- 
fidently,' but  'believed  on  sure  grounds.'  So  the 
word  "surely"  is  used  by  our  translators  in  Pro  v. 
X.  9,  "He  that  walketh  uprightly  walketh  surely." 

2.  Even  as  they  delivered  them  unto  us,  which 
from  the  beginning  [air'  d/ix'ls]— that  is,  of  Christ's 
ministry,  were  eye-witnesses,  and  ministers  of 

the  word  [aVTOirTUL  hcal  vTrjjpeTai  Tov  Xoyov]. 
Though  it  would  not  be  strictly  proper  to  under- 
stand "the  word"  here  of  Christ  Himself — since 
only  John  applies  to  Him  this  exalted  title,  and 
He  seems  never  to  have  been  actually  so  denomi- 
nated— yet  since  the  term  rendered  "ministers" 
[InrnpeTia]  denotes  the  servants  of  a  person,  it  must 
refer  to  those  apostles  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  who,  in 
proclaiming  everywhere  that  word  which  they  had 
heard  from  His  own  lips,  acted  as  His  servants. 

3.  It- seemed  good  to  me  also,  having  had  perfect 
understanding  of  [TrapiiKoXovdtiKOTL] — rather,  'hav- 
ing closely  followed,'  or  'traced  along'  all  things 
from  the  very  first  [avwdev  Trao-ii/  dK-pi|35s] — 'all 
things  with  i^recision  from  the  earliest;'  referring 
])ai-ticularly  to  the  precious  contents  of  his  first 
two  chapters,  for  wliich  we  are  indebted  to  this 
Evangelist  alone,  to  write  unto  thee  in  order 
[Kadefij's  =  ecpe^fi?]  —  i.e.,  consecutively;  probably 
in  contrast  with  the  disjointed  productions  he 
had  just  referred  to.  But  we  need  not  take 
this  as  a  claim  to  rigid  chronological  accuracy 
in  the  arrangement  of  his  materials  (as  some 
able  Harmonists  insist  that  we  should  do);  a 
claim  which,  on  a  comparison  of  this  with  the 
other  Gospels,  it  would  be  difficult  in  every  case 
to  make  good,  most  excellent  [/c/odT-io-T-e]  Theo- 
phUus.  As  the  term  here  applied  to  Theophilus 
was  given  to  Felix  and  Festus,  the  Roman  go- 
vernors (Acts  xxiii.  26;  xxiv.  3;  xxvi  25),  ne 
probably  occui^ied  some  similar  official  position. 

215 


4.  That  thou  mightest  know — 'know  thoroughly' 
[e-TTiyj/ws] — the  certainty  of  those  things  whereia 
thou  hast  been  instructed  [KaTnx>'i^n^] — 'orally 
instructed;'  i.  e.,  as  a  catechumen,  or  candidate 
for  Christian  baptism. 

5.  There  was,  in  the  days  of  Herod  the  king 
of  Judea  (see  on  Matt.  ii.  1),  a  certain  priest 
named  Zacharias,  of  the  course  of  Abia— or 
Abijah,  the  eighth  of  the  twenty-four  coiirses 
or  orders  into  which  David  divided  the  priests 
(1  Chr.  xxiv.  1,  4,  10).  Of  these  courses  only- 
four  returned  after  the  captivity  (Ezra  ii.  30- 
39),  which  were  again  divided  into  twenty- 
four  courses,  retaining  the  ancient  name  and 
the  original  order;  and  each  of  these  took  the 
whole  Temple-service  for  a  week,  and  his  wife 
was  of  the  daughters  of  Aaron.  Though  the 
priests,  says  Lightjoot,  might  marry  into  any  tribe, 
it  was  most  commendable  of  all  to  marry  one 
of  the  priests'  line,  and  her  name  was  Elisabeth. 
6.  And  they  were  both  righteous— not  merely  vir- 
tuous before  men,  but  righteous  before  God  who 
searcheth  the  heart.  What  that  comprehended  is 
next  explained,  walking — a  familiar  biblical  term 
denoting  the  habitual  tenor  of  one's  life,  (Ps.  i.  1, 
&c. )  in  all  the  commandments  and  ordinances 
of  the  Lord — the  one  denoting  the  moral,  the  other 
the  ceremonial  precepts  of  tlie  law — a  distinction 
which  it  is  falsely  alleged  that  the  ancient  Jews 
were  strangers  to  (see  on  Mark  xii.  33;  and  see 
Ezek.  xi.  20;  Heb.  ix.  1).  blameless— irreproach- 
able. 7.  And  they  had  no  child,  because  that 
Elisabeth  was  barren ;  and  they  both  were  now 
well  stricken  in  years.  This  quiet  couple  have 
one  trial.  Almost  every  one  has  some  crook  in 
his  lot;  but  here  it  was  a  link  in  the  gi-eat  chain 
of  the  divine  puriwses.  As  with  Abraham  and 
Sarah  before  Isaac  was  given ;  with  Elkanah  and 
Hannah  before  Samuel  was  gi-anted  them;  and 
with  Manoah  and  his  wife  before  Samson  was 
bom;  so  here  with  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth  be- 
fore the  Forerunner  was  bestowed-^in  each  case, 
doubtless,  to  make  the  gift  more  prized,  and  raise 
high  expectations  from  it. 

8.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  while  he  executed 


Announcement  of 


LUKE  I. 


the  Forerunner. 


9  God  ^in  the  order  of  his  course,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  priest's 
office,  his  lot  was  Ho  burn  incense  when  he  went  into  the  temple  of  the 

10  Lord.     And  ™the  whole  multitude  of  the  people  were  praying  without 

1 1  at  the  time  of  incense.     And  there  appeared  unto  liim  an  angel  of  the 

12  Lord  standing  on  the  right  side  of  the  altar  of  incense.      And  when 

13  Zacharias  saw  him,  "he  was  troubled,  and  fear  fell  upon  him.  But  the 
angel  said  unto  him,  Fear  not,  Zacharias:  for  "thy  prayer  is  heard;  and 
thy  wife  Elisabeth  shall  bear  thee  a  son,  and  thou  shalt  call  his  name 

14  John.     And  thou  shalt  have  joy  and  gladness;  and  many  shall  rejoice 

15  at  his  birth.  For  he  shall  be  ^  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  ^  shall 
drink  neither  wine  nor  strong  drink;  and  he  shall  be  filled  with  the 


A.  M.  4000. 


fc  2  Chr.  8.  14. 
'  Ex.  30.  7.  8. 
™Lev.  16.  17. 
"  Dan.  10.  8. 

Acts  10  4. 

Eev.  1.  17. 
"  Gen.  25.  21. 

1  Sam.  1.19. 
P  Matt.  11.  IL 

John  5.  35. 
1  Num.  6.  3. 

Jud.  13.  4. 

ch.  7.  33. 


the  priest's  offtce  before  God  in  tlie  order  of  his 
course,  9.  According  to  the  custom  of  the  priest's 
office,  his  lot  was  to  burn  incense  when  he  went 
into  the  temple.  The  part  assigned  to  each  priest 
during  his  Aveek  of  service  was  decided  by  lot. 
Three  were  employed  at  the  offering  of  incense :  to 
remove  the  ashes  of  the  former  service;  to  briug  in 
and  place  on  the  golden  altar  the  pan  filled  with 
hot  Durning  coals  taken  from  the  altar  of  burnt 
offering ;  and  to  sprinkle  the  incense  on  the  hot 
coals,  and,  while  the  smoke  of  it  ascended,  to  make 
intercession  for  the  people.  This  was  the  most 
distinguished  i^art  of  the  service  (Rev.  viii.  3),  and 
this  was  what  fell  to  the  lot  of  Zacharias  at  this 
time  [Lir/htfooi].  10.  And  the  whole  multitude 
of  the  people  were  praying  without — outside  the 
court  fronting  the  temple,  where  stood  the  altar 
of  Ijurnt  offering ;  the  men  and  women  worshipping 
in  separate  courts,  but  the  altar  visible  to  all.  at 
the  time  of  incense— which  was  offered  twice 
every  day,  along  -with  the  morning  and  evening 
sacrifice,  at  the  third  and  ninth  hours  (or  9  A.M. 
and  3  p.m.)— a  beautiful  symbol,  first  of  the  accept- 
ableness  of  the  sacrifice  which  was  then  burning  on 
the  altar  of  burnt  offering,  mth  coals  from  which 
the  incense  laid  on  the  golden  altar  was  burnt 
(Lev.  xvi.  12,  13) ;  but  next,  of  the  acceptahleness 
of  themselves  and  all  their  services,  as  "  living 
sacrifices"  presented  daily  to  God.  Hence  the 
language  of  Ps.  cxli.  2,  "Let  my  prayer  come  up 
before  thee  as  incense,  and  the  lifting  iip  of  my 
hands  as  the  evening  sacrifice ;"  and  see  Gen.  viii. 
3,  4  That  the  acceptahleness  of  this  incense-offering 
,  depended  on  the  expiatory  virtue  pre-supi^iosed  in 
the  burnt  offering,  and  pointed  to  the  Lamb  of 
God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  is  clear 
from  Isa.  vi.  6, 7,  where  the  symbolic  action  of  touch- 
ing the  prophet's  lips  with  a  live  coal  from  off  the 
altar  is  interpreted  to  mean  the  ''taking  away  of 
his  iniquity,  and  the  purging  of  his  sin,"  in  order 
that  his  lips  might  be  clean  to  speak  for  God.  11. 
And  there  appeared  unto  him  an  angel  of  the 
Lord — not  while  at  home,  but  in  the  act  of  dis- 
charging his  sacerdotal  duties ;  yet  not  when 
engaged  outside,  at  the  altar  of  burnt  offering,  but 
during  his  week  of  inside-service,  and  so  while 
alone  with  God.  It  is  impossible  not  to  observe 
here  a  minuteness  of  providential  arrangement, 
proclaiming  in  every  detail  the  hand  of  Him  who 
IS  "  wonderful  in  counsel  and  excellent  in  work- 
ing." standing — the  attitude  of  service,  on  the 
right  side  of  the  altar  of  incense— i.  e. ,  the  south 
side,  between  the  golden  altar  and  the  candlestick 
or  lamp-stand ;  Zacharias  being  on  the  north  side, 
and  fronting  the  altar  as  he  offered  the  incense. 
Why  did  the  angel  appear  on  the  right  side? 
Because,  say  some,  the  right  was  regarded  as 
the  favourable  side  [Schottgen,  and  Wetstein  in 
Meyer].  See  Matt.  xxv.  33;  and  cf.  Mark 
xvi.  5.  But  perhaps  it  was  only  to  make 
the  object  more  visible.  12.  And  when  Zach- 
216 


arias  saw  him,  he  was  troubled  — '  discom- 
posed,' and  fear  fell  upon  him.  And  what 
wonder?  The  unseen  world  is  so  veiled  from  us, 
and  so  different  from  ours  in  its  nature  and  laws, 
that  when  in  any  of  its  features  it  breaks  in  unex- 
pectedly upon  mortals,  it  cannot  but  startle  and 
appal  them,  as  it  did  Daniel  (Dan.  x.  7,  8,  17),  and 
the  beloved  disciple  in  Patmos  (Rev.  i.  17).  'He 
that  had  wont  to  live  and  serve  in  presence  of  the 
Master  was  now  astonished  at  the  ijresence  of  the 
servant.  So  much  difference  is  there  betwixt  our 
faith  and  our  senses,  that  the  apprehension  of  the 
liresence  of  the  God  of  sjiirits  by  faith  goes  down 
sweetly  with  us,  whereas  the  sensible  ai^prehen- 
sion  01  an  angel  dismays  us.  Holy  Zachary,  that 
had  wont  to  live  by  faith,  thought  he  should  die 
when  his  sense  began  to  be  set  on  Avork.  It  Avas 
the  weakness  of  him  that  served  at  the  altar  Avith- 
out  horror,  to  be  daunted  Avith  the  face  of  his 
fellow-servant'  (5p.  Hall.)  13.  But  the  angel 
said  unto  him,  Fear  not.  Thus  by  tAvo  familiar, 
endeared,  exhilarating  words,  Avas  the  silence  of 
four  centuries  broken,  and  thus  unexpectedly,  yet 
all  noiselessly,  Avas  the  curtain  of  a  stuiiendous  and 
enduring  Economy  in  this  world's  history  at  once 
drawn  up !  And  Avas  it  not  Avorth  all  the  terror 
which  Zacharias  experienced  to  be  greeted  with  so 
gladsome  a  salutation!  It  is  God's  iirerogatiA'e, 
indeed,  to  dispel  our  fears — "Thou  drcAvest  near 
(sings  Jeremiah)  in  the  day  that  I  called  upon 
Thee;  Thou  saidst.  Fear  not"  (Lam.  iii.  57) — but 
angels,  we  see,  are  priAdleged  to  convey  the  mes- 
sage from  heaA'en ;  nay,  all  Avho  haA'e  themselves 
been  diAonely  cheered  are  bidden  "  Say  to  them 
that  are  of  a  fearful  heart,  Be  strong,  fear  not" 
(Isa.  XXXV.  4).  Zacharias!  Hoav  SAveet  is  it  to 
hear  the  name  of  this  lowly  mortal  man  sounded 
forth  by  an  exalted  messenger  from  the  A^ery 
presence-chamber  of  the  Most  High!  Does  it  not 
bring  Advidly  before  us  the  nearness  of  heaA'en  to 
earth,  God's  intimate  knoAvledge  of  those  who 
serve  Him  here  below,  and  the  tender  interest 
Avhich  He  takes  in  them?  for  thy  prayer  is  heard 
— doubtless  for  offspring,  which,  by  some  presenti- 
ment, perhaps,  he  had  even  till  noAv  been  kept  from 
quite  despairing  of.  and  thy  wife  Elisabeth 
shall  bear  thee  a  son,  and  thou  shalt  call  his 
name  John  [=|onrp  pni'i— the  "Johanan"  so  fre- 
quent in  the  Old  Testament,  meaning  Jehovah's 
gracious  gift.  14.  And  thou  shrJt  have  joy  and 
gladness — '  exultation,'  and  many  shall  rejoice 
— i.e.,  shall  have  cause  to  rejoice  at  his  birth- 
through  Avliose  ministry  they  Avere  "  tujrned  to  the 
Lord  their  God."  15.  For  he  shall  be  great  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord — i.  e.,  great  officially  beyond  all 
the  jirophets  that  Avent  before  him  (as  is  CAadent 
from  Matt.  xi.  11).  In  personal  character  John 
was  indeed  among  the  greatest  of  men;  but  it 
is  the  supereminent  dignity  of  his  office,  as 
Messiah's  Forerunner,  that  is  here  meant,  and 
shall    drink    neither    wine    nor    strong    drink 


character  and  ojjice 


LUKE  I. 


of  tilts  Forerunner. 


16  Holy  Ghost,  '"even  from  his  mother's  womb.     And  *many  of  the  children 

17  of  Israel  shall  he  turn  t^  the  Lord  their  God.  And  'he  shall  go  before 
him  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elias,  to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to 
the  children,  and  the  disobedient  Ho  the  wisdom  of  the  just;  to  make 
ready  a  people  prepared  for  "the  Lord. 


A.  ]M.  4000. 


•■  Jer.  1.  5. 
«  Mai  4.  5,0. 
t  Matt  11. 11. 
1  Or,  by. 
"  Isa.  40.  3. 


— that  is,  lie  shall  be  a  Nazante,  or  '  separated 
OBe.'    See  Num.  vi.  1,  &c.     As  the  leper  was  the 
living  symbol  of  sin,  so  was  the  Nazarite  of  holi- 
ness: nothing  inflaming  was  to  cross  his  lips ;  no 
razor  was  to  come  on  his  head;  no  ceremonial 
defilement  was  to  be  contracted.     Thus  was  he  to 
be  ceremonially  "holy  to  the  Lord  all  the  days  of 
his  sei)aration."    In  ordinary  cases  this  separation 
was  voluntary  and  temporary :  we  read  of  three 
only  who  were  Nazarites  from  the  womb — Sam- 
son (Jud.  xiii.  7),  Samuel  (1  Sam.  i.  11),  and  here 
John  Baptist.      It  was   fitting  that  the  utmost 
severity  of  legal  consecration  should  be  in  the 
Forerunner.      In    Christ    Himself    we    see    the 
REALITY  and  PERFECTION  of  the  Nazarite  without 
the  symbol,  which  perished  in  that  living  realiza- 
tion of  it.     "  Such  an  high  priest  became  us,  who 
is    holy,    harmless,    iiudefiled,    separate    prom 
sinners"  (Heb.  vii.  26).    and  lie  shall  be  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  (see  Matt.  i.  18),  even  from 
his  mother's  womb — a  holy  vessel  for  future  ser- 
vice.    This  is  never  said  of  the  supernatural  en- 
dowments of  ungodly  men ;  and  indeed  of  John  it 
is  expressly  said  that  he  "did  no  miracle"  (John 
X.  41).     Nor  can  the  reference  be  to  inspiration, 
for  this  does  not  appear  to  have  come  on  John  till 
his  public  ministry  commenced,  when  "the  word 
of  God  came  to  John  the  son  of  Zacharias  in  the 
wilderness"  (Luke  iii.  2).     It  is  sanctijication  from 
the  womb — a  truth  of  high  import  in  personal  Chris- 
tianity, of  weighty  bearing  on  the  standing  of  the 
infants  of  believers  in  the  Church  of  God,  and 
ministering  precious  encouragement  to  religious 
parents.     16.  And  many  of  the  children  of  Israel 
shall  he  turn  to  the  Lord  their  God.    17.  And  he 
shall  go  before  him— i.  e.,  before  "the  Lord  their 
God"  just  spoken  of;  showing  that  Messiah,  be- 
fore whom  John  was  to  go,  as  a  herald  to  announce 
his  approach  and  as  a  pioneer  to  prepare  his  way, 
was  to  be  "the  Lord  God  of  Israel"  manifested  in 
the  flesh  (Isa.  xl.  3;  Mai.  iii.  1).     So  Calrin,  Ols- 
hausen,  &c.     in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elias— 
i.  e. ,  after  the  model  of  that  distinguished  reformer, 
and  with  like  success,  in  "  turning  hearts."    Strik- 
ingly indeed  did  John  resemble  Elias :  both  fell  on 
evil  times;  both  witnessed  fearlessly  for  God;  nei- 
ther was  much  seen  save  in  the  direct  exercise  of 
their  ministry ;  both  were  at  the  head  of  schools  of 
disciples ;  the  result  of  the  ministry  of  both  might 
be  expressed  in  the  same  therms — "'inara/  (not  all, 
nor  even  the  majority,  but  still  many)  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  did  they  turn  to  the  Lord  their  God." 
to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to  the  children. 
This,  if  taken  literally,  with  Meyer  and  others, 
denotes  the  restoration  of  jiarental  fidelity,  the 
decay  of  which  is  certainly  the  beginning  of  reli- 
gious and  social  corruption.    In  this  case  it  is  just 
one  prominent  feature  of  the  coming  revival  put 
for  the  whole.     But  the  next  clause,  and  the  dis- 
obedient to  the  wisdom  of  the  just— which  seems 
designed  to  give  the  sense  of  the  preceding  one, 
rather  suggests  a  figurative  meaning:   'He  shall 
bring  back  the  ancient  spirit  of  the  nation  to  their 
degenerate  children.'  So  Cahiji,  Bengel,  &c.   Thus 
prayed  Elijah,  "Lord  God   of  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Israel,  hear  me,  that  this  people  may  know 
that  thou  art  the  Lord  God.  and  that  thou  hast 
turned  their  heart  back  again    (1  Ki.  xviii.  36,  37). 
to  make  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the  Lord 
217 


[kTOL/xdc-aL  Kvptu)  Xavv  KaTeai^6va(7u.evov] — rather,  'to 
make  ready  for  the  Lord  a  prepared  people;'  pre- 
pared, that  is,  to  welcome  Him.  Such  preparation 
for  welcoming  the  Lord  is  required,  not  only  in 
every  age,  but  in  every  soul. 

Bemarks. — 1.  Works  such  as  Jesus  wrought  and 
Teaching  such  as  ]ioured  from  His  lips,  as  He 
walked  up  and  down  Judea  and  Galilee,  in  the  days 
of  His  flesh,  could  not  but  be  carried  on  the  wings 
of  the  wind,  especially  after  He  rose  from  the  dead, 
ascended  up  into  heaven,  and  at  the  Pentecostal 
festival  made  His  handful  of  acUierents  proclaim, 
in  the  tongues  of  all  the  nationalities  then  assem- 
bled at  Jerusalem,  the  wonderful  works  of  God. 
These  Jewish  strangers  and  prosel.ytes  would 
carry  them  to  their  homes,  and  the  first  preachers 
— and  every  Christian  would  be  more  or  less  a 
l)reacher — would  tell  the  tale  to  all  who  had  ears 
to  hear  them.  Of  such  astonishing  tidings  eager 
listeners  would  take  notes ;  and  digests,  more  or 
less  full,  would  be  iiut  into  circulation.  For  lack 
of  better,  such  summaries  would  be  read  aloud  at 
prayer-meetings  and  other  small  assemblies  of 
Christians;  and  of  these  a  few  would  be  pretty 
full,  and,  on  the  whole,  iiretty  correct  nariatives 
of  the  Life,  Acts,  and  Sayings  of  Christ.  To  such 
it  is  that  our  Evangelist  here  refers,  and  in  terms 
of  studied  resiject,  as  narratives  of  what  was  'on 
sure  grounds  believed  among  Christians,  and 
drawn  up  from  the  testimony  of  eye-witnesses 
and  ministers  of  the  word.'  But  when  he  adds 
that  it  seemed  good  to  him  also,  having  traced 
down  all  things  with  exactness  from  its  first 
rise,  to  Nvi'ite  a  consecutive  History,  he  virtually 
claims,  by  this  Gospel  of  his  own,  to  supersede  all 
these  narratives.  Accordingly,  while  not  one  of 
them  has  survived  the  v,Teck  of  time,  this  and  the 
other  canonical  Gospels  live,  and  shall  live,  the  only 
worthy  vehicles  of  those  life-bringing  facts  which 
have  made  all  things  new.  Apocryphal  or  spuri- 
ous gospels— such  as  sprang  up  in  swarms  at  a 
later  period  to  feed  a  prurient  curiosity  and  minis- 
ter to  the  taste  of  those  who  could  not  rise  to  the 
tone  of  the  canonical  Gospels — have  7iot  altogether 
perished:  but  those  well-meant  and  substantially 
correct  narratives  here  referred  to,  used  only  while 
better  were  not  to  be  had,  were  by  tacit  consent 
allowed  to  merge  in  the  four  ijcerless  documents 
which,  as  one  Gospel,  have  from  age  to  age,  even 
from  the  very  time  of  their  publication,  and  wdth 
astonishing  unanimity,  been  accepted  as  the  wi'it- 
ten  Charter  of  all  Christianity.  2.  The  diversity 
which  obtains  among  these  Fom-  Gospels  is  as 
beautiful  a  feature  of  them  as  their  inner  har- 
mony. Each  has  an  invaluable  character  of  its 
own  which  ihe  others  want.  And  although  a  com- 
parison of  the  four  different  streams  of  narration 
with  each  other,  with  the  view  of  tracing  out  the 
unity  of  incident  and  discourse,  and  to  shaping 
out  as  perfectly  as  possible  The  Life  of  Jesus,  has 
been  the  laudable,  and  delightful,  and  fruitful  oc- 
cupation of  biblical  students  in  every  age;  one 
cannot  but  feel,  the  longer  he  studies  these  match- 
less productions,  that  every  detail  of  them  is  so 
much  fresher  just  where  it  lies  than  in  any  com- 
bination of  them  into  one,  that  every  such  attempt 
as  Tatian's  Diatessaron  (about  a.  d.  170),  and  that 
of  Professor  White  of  Oxford  (1803)— that  is,  one 
continuous  History  woven  out  of  the  text  of  the 


Unhellef  and  punishment 


LUKE  I. 


of  Zacharids. 


18  And  Zacliarias  said  unto  the  angel,  Whereby  ''shall  I  know  this?  for 

19  I  am  an  old  man,  and  my  wife  well  stricken  in  years.  And  the  angel 
answering  said  unto  him,  I  am  '"Gabriel,  that  stand  in  the  presence  of 
God;  and  am   sent   to  speak  unto  thee,  and  to  show  thee  these  glad 

20  tidings.  And,  behold,  "''thou  shalt  be  dumb,  and  not  able  to  speak, 
until  the  day  that  these  things  shall  be  performed,  because  thou  believest 

2 1  not  my  words,  which  shall  be  fulfilled  in  their  season.  And  the  people 
^waited  for  Zacharias,  and  marvelled  that  he   tarried  so   long  in  the 

22  temple.  And  when  he  came  out,  he  could  not  speak  unto  them:  and 
they  perceived  that  he  had  seen  a  vision  in  the  temple ;  for  he  beckoned 
unto  them,  and  remained  speechless. 

23  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  soon  as  the  Mays  of  his  ministration 
2-i  were  accomplished,  he  departed  to  his  own  house.     And  after  those  days 

25  his  wife  Elisabeth  conceived,  and  hid  herself  five  months,  saying.  Thus 
hath  the  Lord  dealt  with  me  in  the  days  wherein  he  looked  on  me,  to 
"take  away  my  reproach  among  men. 

26  And  in  the  sixth  month  the  angel  Gabriel  was  sent  from  God  unto  a 


A   M.  4000. 


"  Oen.  15.  8. 

Gen.  17.  ir. 

Gen.  18.  12. 

Jud.  6.  36. 

Isa.  38.  22. 
"  ran  8.  16. 

J)an.  9.  21. 

Matt.  18.10. 

}ieb.  1.  14, 
"  Ex.  4.  11. 

Kzek.  3.  26 

Ezek.  24.27 

ch.  1.  62. 
y  Num.  6.  23. 

Lev.  9.  22. 
*  2  Ki.  11.  5. 

1  Cbr  9.  25 
«  Gen.  30.  23. 

1  i^am.  1.  6. 

Isa  4.  1. 

Isa.  54. 1. 


Four  Gos])els — is  a  mistake.  Let  that  river,  the 
streams  whereof  make  glad  the  city  of  God,  flow, 
like  the  river  that  watered  the  garden  of  Eden, 
in  its  four  crystal  streams  and  in  their  own  na- 
tive beds,  until  that  which  is  perfect  is  come, 
when  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done  away. 
3.  How  beautiful  is  the  spectacle  of  husband 
and  wife,  in  advancing  years,  when  "joint-heirs 
[o-uyKXjjjooi/oVot]  of  the  grace  of  life,"  and  "their 
l>rayer,s  [together]  are  not  hindered"  (1  Pet.  iiL  7) 
by  misunderstandings  or  inconsistencies  !  (vv.  7, 
13).  4.  When  God  has  any  special  blessing  in  store 
for  His  people.  He  usually  creates  in  them  a 
longing  for  it,  and  yet  withholds  it  from  them 
till  all  hope  of  it  is  dying  within  them.  By  this 
He  makes  the  blessing,  when  at  length  it  comes, 
the  more  surprising  and  the  more  welcome,  an 
object  of  deeper  interest  and  dearer  delight  (v.  7). 
5.  The  most  cheering  visitations  of  Heaven  are 
wont  to  come  to  us  in  the  discharge  of  duty.  It 
was  when  EUjah  "still  went  on  and  talked" 
with  Elisha,  who  was  to  succeed  him  in  office,  that 
the  chariots  and  horses  of  fire  appeared  to  take 
him  up  to  heaven  (2  Ki.  ii.  11):  more  gloriously 
still — when  Jesus  had  led  His  disciples  out  "as 
far  as  to  Bethany,  and  lifted  uij  His  hands  and 
blessed  them — it  came  to  pass,  while  He  blessed 
them.  He  was  parted  from  them,  and  carried  up 
into  heaven"  (Luke  xxiv.  50,  51).  So  here,  it  was 
"while  Zacharias  was  executing  the  priest's  office 
in  the  order  of  his  course,  burning  incense  in  the 
temple  of  the  Lord,  and  the  whole  multitude  of 
the  people  were  praying  without,"  that  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  with  the  glad  an- 
nouncement of  a  son  who  should  usher  in  and 
prepare  the  way  of  Christ  Himself  (vv.  8-11). 
G.  If  the  heart  is  ready  to  sink  when  the  thin 
partitions  between  heaven  and  earth  are,  even  in 
a  small  degree,  rent  asunder,  how  re-assuring  is  it 
to  find  such  exceiitioual  visitations  only  confirm- 
ing the  teaching  of  Moses  and  the  prophets,  and 
strengthening  the  expectations  built  upon  them! 
(VV.  13-17). 

18-38. — Unbelief  and  PttnishmenI:  of  Zach- 
arias—Annunciation  OF  Christ,  and  Faith 
OF  His  Virgin-Mother. 

Unbelief  and  Punishment  of  Zacharias  (18-25). 
18.  And  Zacharias  said  unto  the  angel,  Whereby 
{KaTo.  Tt]  shall  I  know  this?  for  I  am  an  old 
man,  and  my  wife  well  stricken  la  years.  Had 
such  a  i^romise  never  been  made  and  fulfilled  be- 
fore, the  unbelief  of  Zacharias  would  have  been 
more  easily  accounted  for,  and  less  sinful.  But 
218 


when  the  like  promise  was  made  to  Abraham,  at  a 
m  re  advancecl  age,  "he  staggered  not  at  the  pro- 
mise of  God  through  unbelief,  but  was  strong 
in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God"  (Eom.  iv.  20). 
"Through  faith  Sara  herself  also  received  strength 
to  conceive  seed,  and  was  delivered  of  a  child  when 
she  was  past  age,  because  she  judged  Him  faith- 
ful who  had  promised"  (Heb.  xL  11).  As  God  is 
glorified  by  implicit  confidence  in  His  promises— 
and  just  in  proportion  to  the  natural  obstacles  in 
the  way  of  tlieir  fulfilment— so  unbelief  like  that 
of  Zacliarias  here  is  regarded  as  a  dishonour  put 
upon  His  word,  and  resented  accordingly.  19.  And 
the  angel  answering  said  unto  him,  I  am  Gabriel 
— 'manofGod'  ['^^i'li:].  H  e  axipeared  to  Daniel,  and 
at  the  same  time  of  incense  (Dan.  ix.  21);  to  Mary 
also  he  was  sent  {v.  2C).  that  stand  in  the  presence 
of  God— as  His  attendant  (cf.  1  Ki.  xvii.  1)  and  am 
sent  to  speak  unto  thee,  and  to  show  thee  these 
glad  tidings.  20.  And,  toehold,  thou  shalt  be  dumb 
— 'speechless'  [mtatrwv] — until  the  day  that  these 
things  shall  toe  performed,  toecause  thou  toelievest 
not  my  words,  which  shall  toe  fulfilled  in  their 
season.  He  asked  for  a  sign,  and  now  he  got  one. 
21.  And  the  people  Wafted  for  Zacharias — to 
receive  from  him  the  usual  benediction  (Num. 
vL  23-27).  and  marvelled  that  he  tarried  so  long 
in  the  temple.  It  was  not  usual  to  tarry  long, 
lest  it  should  be  thought  vengeance  had  stricken 
the  people's  representative  for  something  wrong. 
(Lightfoot).  22.  And  when  he  came  out,  he  could 
not  speak  unto  them:  and  they  perceived  that 
he  had  seen  a  vision  in  the  temple;  for  he 
beckoned  unto  them — by  some  motion  of  his  hands 
and  eyes,  signifying  what  had  happened,  and 
remained  speechless — 'dumb'  [Kw<po^\  and  deaf 
also,  as  appears  from  v.  62. 

23.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  soon  as  the 
days  of  his  ministration  were  accomplished,  he 
departed  to  his  own  house.  24.  And  Elisabeth 
conceived,  and  hid  herself  five  montlK— that  is, 
till  the  event  was  put  beyond  doubt,  saying,  25. 
Thus  hath  the  Lord  dealt  with  me  in  the  days 
wherein  he  looked  on  me,  to  take  away  my  re- 
proach among  men.  There  was  here  more  than 
true  womanly  simplicity  and  gratitude  to  the  Lord 
for  the  gift  of  offspring.  She  has  respect  to  the 
manner  in  which  that  reproach  was  to  be  taken 
away,  in  connection  with  the  great  Hope  of  Israel. 

Annunciation  of  Christ,  and  Faith  of  His  Virgin- 
Mother  ('26-38).  The  curtain  of  the  first  scene  of 
this  wonderful  story  has  dropt,  1>ut  only  to  rise 
again  and  disclose  a  scene  of  surpassing  sacredness 


Tim  annxindation 


LUKE  I. 


of  Christ. 


27  city  of  Galilee,  named  Nazareth,  to  a  ''virgin  espoused  to  a  man  whose 
name  was  Joseph,  of  the  house  of  David;  and  the  virgin's  name  was 
Maiy. 

28  And  the  angel  came  in  unto  her,  and  said.  Hail!  thou  that  art  ^highly 

29  favoured,  the  Lord  is  with  thee :  blessed  art  thou  among  women !  And 
when  she  saw  him,  she  was  troubled  at  his  saying,  and  cast  in  her  mind 

30  what  manner  of  salutation  this  should  be.     And  the  angel  said  unto 

31  her.  Fear  not,  Mary;  for  thou  hast  found  favour  with  God.  And, 
''behold,  thou  shalt  conceive  in  thy  womb,  and  bring  forth  a  son,  and 

32  shalt  call  his  name  JESUS.  He  shall  be  ''great,  and  shall  be  called  the 
Son  of  the  Highest:  and  Hhe  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him  the  throne 

33  of  his  father  David :  and  -^he  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever ; 

34  and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end.     Then  said  INIary  unto  the 
3a  angel,  How  shall  this  be,  seeing  I  know  not  a  man?    And  the  angel 

answered  and  said  unto  her.  The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and 
the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee :  therefore  also  that  holy 


A.  M.  fOW. 


6  isa.  7.  14. 

Matt.  1.  18. 
2  Or, 

graciously 

accepted, 

or,  much 

graced. 
"  Gal.  4.  4. 
d  1  Tim.  6. 15. 

Phil.  2.  10. 
°  2  Sam.  7.11. 

Ps.  132. 11. 

Isa.  9.  6,  7. 

Isa.  16.  5. 

Jer.  23.  5. 
/  Dan.  2.  44. 

Dan.  7.  14. 

Oba.  21. 

Mic.  4.  r. 

John  12.34. 


and  delicacy,  simplicity  and  grandeur.  26.  And  in 
the  sixth  month  of  Elisabeth's  conception  the 
angel  Gabriel  was  sent  from  God.  I  could  envy 
tliee,  0  Gabriel,  these  most  exalted  of  all  en-ands. 
But  I  remember  that  true  greatness  lies,  not  in  the 
dignity  of  our  calling,  but  la  the  right  discharge  of 
its  duties — not  in  the  loftiness  of  oui-  talents,  but 
in  the  use  we  make  of  them,  unto  a  city  named 
Nazareth.  "Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of 
Nazareth?"  asked  the  guileless  Nathanael,  having 
respect  to  its  proverbially  bad  name.  But  the 
Lord  selects  His  own  places  as  well  as  persons, 
27.  To  a  virgin  espoused  —  rather  'betrothed' 
[^eixvncTev(xevi]v\  to  a  man  whose  name  was 
Joseph,  of  the  house  of  David.  See  on  Matt. 
i.  16.  and  the  virgin's  name  was  Mary  [=  D^^QJ — 
equivalent  to  Miriavi  in  the  Old  Testament. 

28.  And  the  angel  came  in  unto  her,  and  said, 
Hail!  highly  favoured  —  a  word  {Kexapt-Tnotxiv})] 
only  once  used  elsewhere  (Eph.  i.  6,  "made  ac- 
cepted"). That  our  translators  have  given  the  right 
sense  of  it  here  seems  plain  not  only  from  the  im- 
port of  verbs  of  tliat  termination,  but  from  the  next 
clause,  the  Lord  is  with  thee,  and  v.  30,  "Thou 
hast  found  favour  with  God. "  The  Vulgate's  mis- 
taken rendering — "full  of  grace"  {gratia  plena] — 
has  been  taken  abundant  advantage  of  by  the 
Romish  Church.  As  the  mother  of  our  Lord,  she 
was  indeed  "the  most  blessed  among  women;" 
but  His  own  reply  to  the  woman  who  once  said 
this  to  Himself  (see  on  ch.  xi.  27,  28)  is  enough 
to  teach  us  that  this  blessedness  of  His  virgin- 
mother  is  not  to  be  mixed  up  or  confounded  with 
her  personal  character  —  high  as  no  doubt  that 
was.  blessed  art  thou  among  women!  This 
clause  is  excluded  from  the  text  here  by  Tischen- 
dorf,  and  Tregelles  brackets  it  as  of  doubt- 
ful authority,  though  admitted  to  be  without 
question  in  v.  42.  Alford  excludes  it  from  his 
text,  and  Meyer  pronounces  against  it.  But  the 
authority  in  favour  of  the  clause  here  also  is  im- 
mensely preponderating.  Lachmann  inserts  it. 
The  expression,  "Blessed  among  women,"  is  Old 
Testament  language  for  "Most  blessed  of  women." 

29.  And  when  she  saw  him,  she  was  troubled,  &c. 

30.  And  the  angel  said  unto  her,  Fear  not,  &c. 

31.  And,  behold,  thou  shalt  conceive  in  thy  womb, 
and  bring  forth  a  son,  and  shalt  call  his  name 
JESUS.  See  on  Matt.  i.  21-23.  32,  33.  He  shall 
be  great,  &c.  The  whole  of  this  magnificent 
announcement  is  purposely  couched  in  almost 
the  terms  of  Isaiah's  sublime  prediction  (Isa. 
ix.  6).  He  shall  be  great.  Of  His  Forerunner 
too  it  had  been  said  by  the  same  Gabriel,  "He 

219 


shall  be  great;"  but  it  was  immediately  added, 
"in  the  sight  of  the  Lord"  —  an  explanation 
highly  suitable  in  the  case  of  a  viere  servant,  but 
omitted,  with  evident  purpose,  in  the  present 
case.  Indeed,  the  words  that  follow,  and  shall 
be  called  the  Son  of  the  Highest — or,  "of  the 
Most  High"  [ulds  i\\iL<yTov  = 'S<y^-y\,  would  have 
forbidden  such  an  explanation,  as  altogether  un- 
suitable here.  And  is  there  one  reader  of  unso- 
phisticated and  teachable  spirit  who  can  take 
these  last  words  as  designed  to  express  a  merely 
figurative  relation  of  a  creature  to  God?  But 
see  on  John  v.  IS;  and  on  Bom.  viii.  32.  33, 
And  he  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob — 
God's  visible  people,  who  then  .stood  in  Jacob's 
descendants,  but  soon  to  take  in  all  the  families  of 
the  earth  who  should  come  under  the  Eedeemer's 
ample  wing ;  and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be 
no  end.  The  perpetuity  of  Messiah's  kingdom, 
stretching  even  into  eternity,  was  one  of  its 
brightest  prophetic  features.  See  2  Sam.  vii.  13;  Ps. 
Ixxii.  5,  7,  17 ;  Ixxxix.  36,  &c. ;  Dan.  ii.  44 ;  vii.  13, 
14.  34.  Then  said  Mary,  How  shall  this  be, 
seeing  I  know  not  a  man?  There  was  here  none 
of  the  unbelief  of  Zacharias.  On  the  contrary, 
taking  the  fact  for  granted,  the  simple  import  of 
the  question  seems  to  be — On  ivliat  principle  is 
this  to  be,  so  conti-ary  to  the  hitherto  unbroken 
law  of  human  generation?  Accordingly,  instead 
of  reproof,  she  receives  an  explanation  on  that 
very  point,  and  in  mysterious  detail.  35.  And  the 
angel  answered  and  said  unto  her,  The  Holy 
Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee  (see  on  Matt.  i.  18), 
and  the  power  of  the  Highest  —  the  immedi- 
ate energy  of  the  Godhead,  conveyed  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  shall  overshadow  thee.  What  ex- 
quisite delicacy  is  there  in  the  use  of  this  word, 
suggesting  how  gentle,  while  yet  efiicacious,  would 
be  this  power,  and  its  mysterious  secrecy  too,  as 
if  withdrawn  by  a  cloud  from  human  scrutiny — as 
Calvin  hints,  therefore  also  that  holy  thing 
which  shall  be  born  [of  thee]  [to  yeuvdofxeuov  ciytov] 
— an  expression  denoting  the  singularity  and  con- 
sequent sanctity  of  this  birth.  The  words  "of 
thee"  [eK  crou]  are  Avantmg  in  the  best  MSS.,  and 
even  in  the  received  text  as  iirinted  by  Stephens 
and  the  Elzevirs,  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God. 
That  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God  in  His  Divine 
and  eternal  natiu'e  is  clear  from  all  the  New  Tes- 
tament ;  yet  here  we  see  that  Sonship  efiiorescing 
into  human  and  paljiable  manifestation  by  His 
being  born,  through  "  the  power  of  the  Highest," 
an  Infant  of  days.  We  must  neither  think  of  a 
double  Sonship — a  divine  and  a  human — as  some 


The  visit  of  Mary 


LUKE  I. 


to  Elisabeth. 


36  tiling  which  shall  be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  ^Son  of  God.  And, 
behold,  thy  cousin  Elisabeth,  she  hath  also  conceived  a  son  in  her  old 

37  age :  and  this  is  the  sixth  month  with  her,  who  was  called  barren.     For 

38  ''with  God  nothing  shall  be  impossible.  And  Mary  said,  Behold  the 
handmaid  of  the  Lord ;  be  it  unto  me  according  to  thy  word.  And  the 
angel  departed  from  her. 

39  And  Mary  arose  in  those  days,  and  went  into  the  hill  countiy  with 

40  haste,  Mnto  a  city  of  Juda;  and  entered  into  the  house  of  Zacharias,  and 

41  saluted  Elisabeth.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  when  Elisabeth  heard  the 
salutation  of  Mary,  the  babe  leaped  in  her  womb;  and  Elisabeth  was 

42  filled  %ith  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  she  spake  out  with  a  loud  voice,  and 
said,  ^'Blessed  art  thou  among  women,  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy 

43  womb.     And  whence  is  this  to  me,  that  the  mother  of  my  Lord  should 


A.  M.  4000. 


"  Matt.  14. 33. 

Matt.  26. 03. 

Mark  1.  1. 

John  1.  34. 

John  20.31. 

Acts  8.  37. 

Rom.  1.  4. 
''  Gen.  18.  14. 

Jer.  32.  ir. 

Zee.  8.  6. 

Kom.  4.  21. 
i  Jos.  21.  9. 
}  Acts  6.  3. 

Eph.  5.  18. 

Eev.  1.  10. 
*  Jud.  5.  24. 


do,  harshly  and  groiindlessly,  nor  yet  deny  what 
is  here  plainly  expressed,  the  connection  between 
His  human  birth  and  His  proi^er  personal  Sonship. 
36.  And,  behold,  thy  cousin  —  rather,  'relative' 
[<rvyy€in]<s\;  for  how  nearly  they  were  related  the 
word  does  not  decide.  Thousrh  Elisabeth  was  of 
the  tribe  of  Levi  and  Mary  of  Judah,  as  will  after- 
Avards  appear,  they  might  still  be  related,  as  inter- 
marriage among  the  tribes  was  permitted,  she  hath 
also  conceived  a  son  in  her  old  age :  and  this  is 
the  sixth  month  with  her,  who  was  called  barren. 
This  was  to  Maiy  an  uiiso-^ight  sign,  in  reward  of  a 
faith  so  simple;  and  what  a  contrast  to  the  de- 
manded sign  wliich  unbelieving  Zacharias  got !  37. 
For  with  God  nothing  shall  be  impossible— remind- 
ing her,  for  her  encoiiragement,  of  what  had  been 
said  to  Abraham  in  like  case  (Gen.  xviii.  14).  The 
future  tense  here  employed  [aovvarvaei],  "shall  be 
impossible,"  is  designed  to  express  an  enduring 
principle — q.  d. ,  '  With  God  nothing  ever  has  been 
nor  ever  shall  be  impossible.'  38.  And  Mary  said, 
Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord;  be  it  unto  me 
according  to  thy  word.  JNIarvellous  faith,  in  the 
teeth  of  natural  law,  and  in  a  matter  which  to  one 
betrothed  and  already  in  law  the  wife  of  one 
of  the  royal  line,  fitted  to  inspire  feelings  in  the 
last  degree  painful  and  embarrassing !  Meet  ves- 
sel for  such  a  treasure ! 

Remark^. — The  reflections  most  naturally  sug- 
gested by  this  Section  are  best  conveyed  by  the 
blessed  Virgin  herself,  in  the  exalted  Hymn  which 
she  uttered  under  the  roof  of  Elisabeth.  But  sucli 
as  she  could  not  express  may  here  be  indicated. 
1.  The  language  in  which  the  angel  conveyed  to 
the  Virgin  the  mode  in  wliich  her  Offspring  was  to 
come  into  the  world  is  nearly  as  remarkable  as 
the  event  itself.  It  is  too  far  removed  from  ordi- 
nary ].)hraseology,  and,  considering  the  low  state 
of  tone  and  feeling  then  ])revalent — which  is  well 
reflected  in  the  apocryphal  gospels  of  a  somewhat 
later  date — too  lofty  in  its  delicate  simplicity  to 
admit  of  any  doubt  that  it  is  the  very  phraseology 
employed  by  the  angel.  And  when  it  is  remem- 
bered how  every  word  and  turn  of  expression  in  this 
most  remarkable  verse — containing  all  the  informa- 
tion we  possess  on  this  subject — has  been  scrutinized 
by  friends  and  foes  in  every  age,  and  compared  with 
all  we  otherwise  know  of  the  Person  and  Character 
of  Jesus  of  Nazareth;  and  that  not  a  word  or  shade 
of  thought  in  it  has  been  found  unsuitable  to  the 
occasion,  but  everything  in  keeping  with  circum- 
stances of  surpassing  sacreduess  and  delicacy, 
what  a  character  of  dirineauthoriti/ does  it  stamp 
upon  this  Third  Gospel !  2.  The  information  given 
us  in  this  verse  furnishes  the  only  adequate  key  to 
the  sinless  life  of  the  Virgin's  Son.  As  the  facts 
of  His  recorded  History  show  Him  to  have  been 
throughout  the  "Undeiiled  and  Separate  from 
220 


sinners,"  so  we  have  here  the  root  of  it  all,  in  that 
operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  after  His  birth 
had  merely  to  be  continued  as  an  indwelling  en- 
ergy, in  order  to  develop  all  that  was  seminally 
there  from  the  first. 

39-56.— Visit  of  Mary  to  Elisabeth.  This  is 
the  third  scene  in  the  great  Story  of  Redemption, 
beautifully  knitting  up  the  two  former. 

39.  And  Mary  arose  in  those  days,  and  went 
into  the  hill  country — a  mountain-range,  running 
north  to  south  from  the  one  extremity  of  Palestine 
to  the  other,  in  a  parallel  course  to  the  Jordan,  and 
nearly  dividing  the  country  in  two.  It  is  the  most 
striking  of  all  the  physical  features  of  the  country. 
In  Judea  this  "hill  country"  stands  well  out  from 
the  flat  parts  around  it,  and  it  was  thither  that 
Mary  hied  her.  with  haste — the  haste,  not  of 
trepidation,  but  of  transport,  not  only  at  the  won- 
derful announcement  she  had  to  make  to  her  rela- 
tive, but  at  the  scarcely  less  astonishing  news  she 
exi)ected  to  receive  from  her  of  her  own  condition, 
into  a  city  of  Juda.  Writing  in  the  first  instance 
to  Gentiles,  it  was  not  necessary  to  be  more  par- 
ticular ;  but  without  doubt  the  city  was  Hebron : 
see  Jos.  XX.  7 ;  xxi.  11.  40.  And  entered  into  the 
house  of  Zacharias,  and  saluted  Elisabeth— now 
returned  from  her  seclusion  {v.  24).  41.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  that,  when  Elisabeth  heard  the 
salutation,  the  babe  leaped  in  her  womb.  That 
this  was  like  nothing  of  the  same  kind  which 
she  had  felt  before,  and  with  which  mothers  are 
familiar,  is  plain  from  v.  44:  nor  does  Elisabeth 
ascribe  to  it  merely  an  extraordinary  character; 
she  describes  it,  and  this  when  "hlled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  as  a  sympathetic  emotion  of  the  un- 
conscious bal)e  at  the  presence  of  her  and  his  Lord. 
and  Elisabeth  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost; 
42.  And  she  spake  out.  This  word  [ai/efpwmia-e]  is 
often  used  classically  of  persons  who  burst  into 
lioetic  exclamations :  with  a  loud  voice,  and  said, 
Blessed  art  thou  among  women — that  is,  most 
blessed  of  all  women,  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of 
thy  womb.  In  the  case  of  JSIary,  there  was,  as  yet, 
no  visible  evidence  that  she  had  even  conceived, 
nor  does  she  appear  to  have  had  time  to  communi- 
cate to  Elisabeth  the  tidings  she  came  to  bring  her. 
But  the  rai)t  spii-it  of  this  honoiu-ed  woman  sees 
all  as  already  accomplished.  43.  And  whence  is 
this  to  me,  that  the  mother  of  my  Lord  should 
come  to  me?  What  beautiful  superiority  to 
envy  have  we  here?  Hi^i  as  was  the  distinction 
conferred  upon  herself,  Elisabeth  loses  sight  of  it 
altogether,  in  jjresence  of  one  more  honoiu-ed  still; 
upon  whoin,  and  on  her  unborn  Babe,  in  an  ecstasy 
of  inspiration,  she  pronounces  a  benediction,  feel- 
ing it  to  be  a  wonder  unaccountable  that  "the 
mother  of  her  Lord  should  come  to  her"  'Turn 
this  as  we  willj'  says  Olshausen,  '  we  shall  nevej 


Mary's  song 


LUKE  I. 


of  thanJcsgiving. 


44  come  to  me  ?    For,  lo,  as  soon  as  the  voice  of  thy  salutation  sounded  in 

45  mine  ears,  the  babe  leaped  in  my  womb  for  joy.     And  blessed  is  she 
^ that  believed:  for  there  shall  be  a  performance  of  those  things  which 

46  were  told  her  from  the  Lord.     And  Mary  said, 

'My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord, 

47  And  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour. 

48  For  '"he  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  his  handmaiden : 

For,  behold,  from  henceforth  "  all  generations  shall  call  me  blessed. 

49  For  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done  to  me  great  things; 
And  holy  is  his  name. 

50  And  "his  mercy  is  on  them  that  fear  him 
From  generation  to  generation. 

51  He  ^hath  showed  strength  with  his  arm : 

^He  hath  scattered  the  proud  in  the  imagination  of  their  hearts. 

52  He  '^hath  put  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats. 
And  exalted  them  of  low  degree. 

53  He  *hath  filled  the  hungry  with  good  things; 
And  the  rich  he  hath  sent  empty  away. 

54  He  hath  holpen  his  servant  Israel,  *in  remembrance  of  Ids  mercy, 

55  As  ^he  spake  to  our  fathers,  to  Abraham,  and  to  his  seed  for  ever. 

56  And  Mary  abode  with  her  about  three  months,  and  returned  to  her 
own  house. 


A.  M.  400O. 


3  Or,  which 

believed 

that  there. 
'  1  Sam.  2.  1. 
"*!  Sam.  1.11. 

Ps.  138.  6. 
"  Mai.  3.  12. 

ch.  11.  27. 
»  Gen.  17.  7. 

Ex.  20.  6. 

Ps.  S5.  9. 

Ps.  118.  4. 

Ps.  145.  19. 

Ps.  147.  11. 

Mai.  3.  16- 
18. 

Eev.  19.  5. 
P  Ps.  98.  1. 

Ps.  118.  15. 
«  Ps.  S3.  10. 

1  Pet.  5.  5. 
'■  1  Sam.  2.  e. 

Ps.  113.  6. 
'  Ps.  34.  10. 
«  Ps.  98.  3. 

Jer.  31.3,20. 
"  Gen.  17.  19. 

Gal.  3.  16. 


be  able  to  see  the  propriety  of  calling  an  unborn 
child  "Lord,"  but  by  supposing  Elisabeth,  like 
the  j)rophets  of  old,  enlightened  to  perceive  the 
Messiahs  Divine  nature.^  Cf.  ch.  xx.  42;  John 
XX.  28.  44.  For,  lo,  as  soon,  &c.  45.  And  blessed 
is  she  that  believed:  for  [otj]  there  shall  be 
a  performance  of  those  things  which  were  told 
her  from  the  Lord — or,  rather,  perhaps  (as  in 
marg.)  "Blessed  is  she  that  believed  that  there 
shall  be  a  performance,"  &c.  But  the  Mord  wiU 
bear  either  sense.  This  is  an  additional  bene- 
diction on  the  Virgin  for  her  implicit  faith,  in 
tacit  and  delicate  contrast  with  her  own  husband. 
46.  And  Mary  said— Magnificent  canticle!  in  which 
the  strain  of  Hannah's  ancient  song,  in  like  circum- 
stances, is  caught  up,  and  just  slightly  modified 
and  sublimed.  Is  it  unnatural  to  suppose  that  the 
spirit  of  the  blessed  Virgin  had  been  dra^vn  before- 
hand into  mysterious  sympathy  with  the  ideas  and 
the  tone  of  this  hyum,  so  that  when  the  life  and 
fire  of  inspiration  penetrated  her  whole  soid  it 
spontaneously  swept  the  chords  of  this  song,  en- 
riching the  Hymnal  of  the  Chiu'ch  with  that 
spirit-stirring  canticle  which  has  resounded  ever 
since  from  its  temple  walls?  In  both  songs  those 
holy  women— filled  with  wonder  to  behold  "the 
proud,  the  mighty,  the  rich,"  passed  by,  and,  in 
their  persons,  the  lowliest  chosen  to  usher  in  the 
greatest  events^sing  of  this  as  being  no  exceptional 
movement  but  a  great  law  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  by  which  He  delights  to  "put  down  the 
mighty  from  their  seats,  and  exalt  them  of  low  de- 
gree." In  both  songs  the  strain  dies  away  on 
Christ;  in  Hannah's,  under  the  name  of  "Jeho- 
vah's King,"  to  whom,  through  all  His  line 
from  David  onwards  to  Himself,  He  will  "give 
strength,"  and  as  His  "Anointed,"  whose  horn  He 
will  exalt  (1  Sam.  ii.  10);  in  the  Virgin's  song, 
it  is  as  the  "Help"  jiromised  to  Israel  by  all 
the  prophets. 

My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,  47.  And  my 
spirit — or,  "all  that  is  within  me"  (Ps.  ciii.  1), 
hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour.  Mary  never 
dreamt,  we  see,  of  her '  own  immaculate  conception' 
— to  use  the  offensive  language  of  the  Romanists — ■ 
any  more  than  of  her  own  immaculate  life.  48.  For 
€>21 


he  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  his  hand- 
maiden— for  the  family  of  David  was  now  very 
low  in  Israel  (as  predicted.  Isa.  xi.  1).  for,  behold, 
from  henceforth  all  generations  shall  call  me 
blessed.  In  spirit,  her  eye  stretching  into  all 
succeeding  time,  and  beholding  the  blessed  fruits 
of  Messiah's  benign  and  universal  sceptre,  her 
heart  is  overpowered  with  the  honour  in  which 
herself  shall  be  held  in  every  succeeding  age,  as 
having  been  selected  to  give  Him  birth.  49-53. 
For  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done  to  me  great 
things  ...  50.  And  his  mercy  is  on  them  that 
fear  him  from  generation  to  generation.  51.  He 
hath  showed  strength  with  his  arm  ...  52.  He 
hath  put  down  the  mighty  ...  53.  He  hath 
fiUed  the  hungry,  &c.  [The  aorists  here — i'iroii]<y€v, 
down  to  e^airecTTeiXev — express  a  general  prin- 
ciple, as  seen  in  a  succession  of  single  examples ; 
according  to  a  known,  though  pecidiar  application 
of  that  tense.]  Mary  here  recognizes,  in  God's  pro- 
cedure towards  herself— in  His  passing  by  all  those 
families  and  individuals  whom  He  might  have 
been  expected  to  select  for  such  an  honour,  and 
pitching  upon  one  so  insignificant  as  herself— one 
of  the  greatest  laws  of  His  kingdom  in  overpower- 
ing operation,  (cf.  ch.  xiv.  11;  xviii.  14,  &c.)  54. 
He  hath  holpen  his  servant  Israel,  in  remem- 
brance of  his  mercy.  Cf.  Ps.  Ixxxix.  19,  "I  have 
laid  help  on  One  that  is  mighty."  55.  (As  he  spake 
to  our  fathers)  —  These  words  should  be  read  as  a 
parenthesis,  to  Abraham — that  is,  in  remembrance 
of  His  mercy  to  Abraham,  and  to  his  seed  for 
ever.  See  on  v.  33,  and  cf.  Mic.  vii.  20;  Ps. 
xcviii.  3. 

56.  And  Mary  abode  with  her  about  three  months 
— that  is,  tin  there  should  be  visible  evidence  of 
the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  regarding  her,  and 
returned  to  her  own  house— at  Nazareth.  She 
had  not  yet  been  taken  home  by  Joseph;  but  that 
was  the  next,  or  fourth,  scene  in  this  divine  His- 
tory. See  on  Matt.  i.  18-25,  where  alone  it  is  re- 
corded. 

Remarks. —  1.  'Only  the  meeting  of  saints  in 
heaven,'  as  Bishop  Hall  well  remarks,  '  can 
parallel  the  meeting  of  these  two  cousins:  the 
two  wonders  of   the  world  are   met    imder  one 


Birth,  circumcision,  and 


LUKE  I. 


naming  of  the  Forerunner, 


57  '    Now  Elisabeth's  full  time  came  that  she  should  be  delivered;    and 

58  she  brought  forth  a  son.  And  her  neighbours  and  her  cousins  heard 
how  the  Lord  had  showed  great  mercy  upon  her;  and  they  rejoiced 
with  her. 

59  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  ^on  the  eighth  day  they  came  to  circumcise 
the  child ;  and  they  called  him  Zacharias,  after  the  name  of  his  father. 

CO  And  his  mother  answered  and  said,  Not  so;  but  he  shall  be  called  John. 
Gl  And  they  said  unto  her,  There  is  none  of  thy  kindred  that  is  called  by 

62  this  name.     And  they  made  signs  to  his  father,  how  he  would  have  him 

63  called.     And  he  asked  for  a  writing  table,  and  wrote,  saying.  His  name 

64  is  John.     And  they  marvelled  all.     And  his  mouth  was  opened  im- 

65  mediately,  and  his  tongue  loosed,  and  he  spake,  and  praised  God.  And 
fear  came  on  all  that  dwelt  round  about  them:  and  all  these  *  sayings 


66 


67 


were  noised  abroad  throughout  all  the  hill  country  of  Judea.  And 
all  they  that  heard  them  ^laid  them  up  in  their  hearts,  saying.  What 
manner  of  child  shall  this  be !  And  *the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  with 
him. 

And  his  father  Zacharias  ^was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  pro- 
phesied, saying, 


A.  M.  4000. 


"  Gen.  17.  12. 

Gen.  21.  4. 

Lev.  12.  3. 

Ch.  2.  21. 

Acts  7.  8. 

PhU.  3.  5. 
■4  Or,  things. 
""  Gen.  37.  11. 

Dan.  7.  28. 

cL.  2.  19. 

ch.  9.  44. 
"  Gen.  .-ig.  2. 

Jud.  13.  24 
1  Sam.  2.18. 
lSam.16. 18. 

1  Ki.  18.  46 
Ps.  80.  17. 
Ps.  89.  21, 
Acts  11.  21. 

V  Nnm.  11,25. 

2  Sam.  23.2. 
2  Chr.20.14. 
Joel  2.  28. 

2  Pet.  1.  21. 


roof,  and  congratulate  their  mutual  happiness.' 
2.  Wliat  an  honoured  roof  was  that  which  for 
the  period  of  three  months  overarched  those 
holy  women,  whose  progeny  —  though  the  one 
was  but  the  herald  of  the  other — have  made 
the  world  new!  And  yet  not  a  trace  of  it  is 
now  to  be  seen,  nor  can  it  even  be  known,  save 
by  inference,  what  "city  of  Juda"  is  meant  to 
which  the  Virgin  hied  her  to  visit  her  relative. 
This  remark,  applicable  to  most  of  the  so-called 
'  holy  places, '  not  only  rebukes  the  childish 
superstition  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  Churches, 
which  have  built  convents  at  nearly  all  these  places, 
and  filled  them  with  lazy  monks,  whose  monoton- 
ous and  dreary  services  are  designed  to  commem- 
orate the  events  of  which  they  were  the  scenes, 
but  may  also  suggest  matter  for  useful  reflection 
to  a  class  of  Protestants  whose  religion  is  not  free 
from  the  same  tincture.  3.  How  beautiful  dpes 
womanhood  appear  in  the  light  of  the  foregoing 
scenes— the  grace  of  God  making  the  "spices"  of 
modesty,  simplicity,  and  religious  susceptibility, 
which  are  the  characteristics  of  the  sex,  so  charm- 
ingly to  "flow  out!"  And  yet  these  are  but 
premonitions  of  what  we  shall  meet  with  through- 
out all  this  History  of  Him  to  whom  woman  owes 
not  only  the  common  salvation  but  the  recovery  of 
her  proper  relation  to  the  other  sex,  4  'How- 
should  our  hearts  leap  within  us,'  to  use  again 
the  words  of  Bishop  Hall,  'when  the  Son  of 
God  vouchsafes  to  come  into  the  secret  of  our 
souls,  not  to  visit  us,  but  to  dwell  with  us,  to  dwell 
in  us ! ' 

57-80.— Birth,  Circumcision-,  and  Naming  of 
THE  Forerunner  —  Song  of  Zacharias,  and 
Progress  of  the  Child. 

Birth,  Circumcision,  and  Naminrj  of  the  Fore- 
rwmer  (57-66).  57.  Now  Elisabeth's  full  time 
came  ,  .  ,  and  slie  brought  forth  a  son.  58.  And 
her  neighbours  .  ,  ,  rejoiced  with  her.  59.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  that  on  the  eighth  day  they 
came  to  circumcise  the  child.  The  law  which  re- 
quired circumcision  to  be  performed  on  the  eighth 
day  (Gen.  xvii.  12)  was  so  strictly  observed,  that  it 
was  done  even  on  the  Sabbath  if  it  fell  on  that 
day ;  although  it  was  of  the  nature  of  servile  work, 
which  on  the  Sabbath  day  was  prohibited.  See 
John  vii.  22,  23 ;  and  Phil.  iii.  5.  and  they  caUed 
him  [e/caXot/v]  — rather,  'were  calling,'  that  is, 
'were  going  to  call  him '  Zacharias.    The  naming 


of  children  at  baptism  has  its  origin  in  this  Jew- 
ish custom  at  circumcision  (Gen.  xxi  3,  4;  ch. 
ii.  21),  and  the  names  of  Abram  and  Sarai  were 
changed  at  its  first  performance  (Gen.  x-yii.  5,  15). 
after  the  name  of  his  father.  60-63,  And  his 
mother  answered  and  said,  Not  so ;  tout  he  shall  be 
called  John  ,  . ,  And  they  made  signs  to  his  father, 
how  he  would  have  him  called — showing  that  he 
was  deaf  as  well  as  dumb.  And  he  asked  for  a 
writing  table,  and  wrote,  sajring.  His  name  is 
John.  And  they  marvelled  all— at  his  concurring 
with  his  wife  in  gi-ving  to  the  child  a  name  so  neAV 
in  the  family;  not  kno-wing  of  any  communication 
between  them  on  the  subject.  64.  And  his  mouth 
was  opened  immediately,  and  his  tongue  loosed 
— on  his  thus  showing  how  entirely  the  un- 
belief for  which  he  had  been  struck  dumb  had 
passed  away.  Probably  it  ceased  immediately  on 
his  receiving  the  sign,  so  different  from  what  he  ex- 
pected ;  and  as  the  truth  of  the  promise  became 
palpable  in  Elisabeth,  and  was  so  gloriously  con- 
hrmed  during  the  visit  of  Mary,  it  would  ripen 
doubtless  into  full  assurance.  But  the  words  of  the 
angel  behoved  to  be  fulfilled  to  the  letter,  "  Thou 
shalt  be  dumb  U7itil  the  day  that  these  things  shall 
he  performed;"  and  since  one  of  these  things  was 
"  Thou  shalt  call  his  name  John,"  it  was  fitting 
that  not  before,  but  "immediately"  upon  his 
doing  this,  his  mouth  should  be  opened,  and  he 
spake,  and  praised  God.  The  song  in  which  he  did 
this  being  long,  the  Evangelist  postpones  it  till  he 
has  recorded  the  effect  which  these  strange  doings 
produced  upon  the  neighbourhood.  65.  And  fear 
— or  a  religious  awe,  came  on  all  that  dwelt 
round  about  them — under  the  conviction  that 
God's  hand  was  specially  in  these  events  (cf.  ch.  v. 
26;  vii.  16):  and  all  these  sayings  were  noised 
abroad  throughout  all  the  hill  country  of  Judea. 
66.  And  all  they  that  heard  them  laid  them  up  in 
their  hearts,  saying.  What  manner  of  child  shall 
this  toe !  Yet  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
long  ere  John  appeared  in  public  all  these  things 
were  forgotten,  nor  were  recalled  even  after  that 
by  his  wonderful  success.  And  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  was  with  him  —  by  special  tokens  marking 
him  out  as  destined  to  some  great  work  (cf.  1 
Ki.  xviii.  46;  2Ki  iii.  15;  Acts  xi.  21). 

67.  And  Zacharias  was  filled  -with  the  Eoly 
Ghost,  and  prophesied — or,  spake  by  inspiration, 
according  to  the  Scripture  sense  of  that  teruj.    It 


Song  of 


LUKE  I. 


68  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel ; 

For  he  hath  visited  and  redeemed  his  people, 

69  And  hath  raised  up  an  horn  of  salvation  for  us 
In  the  house  of  his  servant  David ; 

70  As  ^he  spake  by  the  mouth  of  his  holy  prophets, 
Which  have  been  since  the  world  began ; 

7 1  That  we  should  be  saved  from  our  enemies, 
And  from  the  hand  of  aU  that  hate  us; 

72  To  "■  perform  the  mercy  promised  to  our  fathers, 
And  to  remember  his  holy  covenant, 

73  The  *oath  which  he  sware  to  our  father  Abraham, 

74  That  he  would  grant  unto  us, 

That  we,  being  delivered  out  of  the  hand  of  our  enemies. 
Might  ''serve  him  without  fear, 

75  In  ''holiness  and  righteousness  before  him,  aU  the  days  of  our  life. 

76  And  thou,  child,  shalt  be  called  the  Prophet  of  the  Highest: 
For  *thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord  to  prepare  his  ways : 

77  To  give  knowledge  of  salvation  unto  his  people, 
^  By  the  remission  of  their  sins. 


Zacharias. 


A.  M  4000. 


*  Jer.  23.  6. 
Jer.  30.  10. 
Dan.  9.  24. 
Acts  3.  21. 
Eotn,  1.  2. 

"  Gen.  12.  3. 
Lev.  26.  42. 
Ps  08.  3. 
Acts  3.  2.5. 

<>  Gen.  12.  3. 

Heb.  6  13. 
"  flom.  6. 18. 

Heb.  9.  14. 
d  Jer.  32.  39. 

Eph.  4.  24. 

2Thes.2.i3. 
2  Tim.  1.  9. 
Titus  2.  12. 

1  Pet.  1.  15. 

2  Pet.  1.  4. 

*  Isa.  40.  3. 
Mai  3.  1. 
Matt  11. 10. 

6  Or,  for. 


did  not  necessarily  include  the  prediction  of  future 
events,  though  here  it  certainly  did.     saying, 

68.  Blessed.    There  is  not  a  word  in  this  noble 
burst  of  divine  song  about  his  own  relationship  to 
this  child,  nor  about  the  child  at  all,  till  it  has 
expended  itself  upon  Christ.     Like  rapt  Elisabeth, 
Zacharias  loses  sight  entirely  of  self  in  the  glory  of 
a  Greater  than  both,     be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel— 
the  ancient  covenant-God  of  the  peculiar  people; 
for  he  hath  visited  and  redeemed— that  is,  visited 
in  order  to  redeem  his  people — returning  to  His 
own  after  long  absence,  and  now  for  the  first  time 
breaking  the  silence  of  centuries.     In  the  Old  Tes- 
tament God  is  said  to  "visit"  chiei\y ior  judgment, 
in  the  New  Testament  for  mercy.      Zacharias — 
looking  from  the  Israelitish  point  of  view — would 
as  yet  have  but  imperfect  apprehensions  of  the 
design  of  this   "visit"  and  the  nature    of   this 
"redemption."     But  though,  when   he    sang  of 
"salvation  from  our  enemies,  and  from  the  hand 
of  all  that  hated  us,"  the  lower  and  more  outward 
sense  would  naturally  occur  first  to  Zacharias  as  a 
devout  Jew,  his  words  are  equally  adapted,  when 
viewed  in  the  light  of  a  loftier  and  more  compre- 
hensive kingdom    of  God,  to   convey  the    most 
spiritual  concejitions  of  the  redemption  that  is  in 
Christ  Jesus.     (But  see  on  v.  77.)     69.  And  hath 
raised  up  an  horn  of  salvation  for  us — that  is,  a 
'strength  of  salvation  '  or  'a  mighty  salvation;' 
meaning  the  Saviour  Himself,  whom  Simeon  in 
his  song  calls  "Thy  Salvation"  (ch.  ii.  30).     The 
metaphor   is   taken    from  those    animals  whose 
strength  lies  in  their  horns,  and  was  familiar  in 
the  Psalmody  of  the  agi-icultural  Jews,  (Ps.  cxxxii. 
17;  Ixxv.  10;  xviii.  2,  &c.)     in  the  house  of  his 
servant    David.      This   shows   that   Mary    must 
have    been   of  the   royal    line,    independent     of 
Joseph  —  of   whom    Zacharias    could    not    know 
that  after  this  he  would  recognize  his  legal  con- 
nection with  Mary.     The  Davidic   genealogy  of 
the  Messiah,  as  it  was  one  of  the  most  prominent 
of  His  predicted  characteristics,  and  one  by  which 
the  Jews  were  warranted  and  prepared  to  test  the 
pretensions    of  any  claimant  of  that  office  who 
should  arise,  so  it  is  here  emphatically  sung  of  as 
fulfilled  in  the  unborn  Offspring  of  the  blessed 
Virgin.     70.  As  he  spake  by  the  mouth  of  his 
holy  prophets,  which  have  been  since  the  world 
began— or,  from  the  earliest  period.     71.  That  we 
should  be  saved  from  our  enemies,  and  from 


the  hand  of  all  that  hate  us;  72.  To  perform 
the  mercy  promised  to  our  fathers,  and  to 
remember  his  holy  covenant,  73.  The  oath 
which  he  sware  to  our  father  Abraham.  The 
whole  work  of  Messiah,  and  the  kingdom  He 
was  to  establish  on  the  earth,  are  represented 
here  as  a  mercy  promised,  and  pledged  on  oath,  to 
Abraham  and  his  seed,  to  be  at  an  appointed 
period — "the  fulness  of  time" — gloriously  made 
good.  Hence,  not  only  "grace,  or  the  thing 
promised,  but  "truth,"  or  fidelity  to  the  promise, 
are  said  to  "  come  by  Jesus  Christ"  (see  on  John 
i.  14,  16,  17).  71.  That  he  would  grant  unto  us, 
that  we,  being  delivered  out  of  the  hand  of  our 
enemies,  might  serve  him  without  fear,  75.  In 
holiness  and  righteousness  before  him,  all  the 
days  of  our  life.  How  rich  and  comprehensive  is 
the  view  here  given  of  Messiah's  work!  First, 
the  grand  purpose  of  redemption — "that  we  should 
serve  Him,"  that  is,  "the  Lord  God  of  Israel" 
(v.  68) :  the  word  [Xa-rpeueiv]  signifies  religious 
service,  and  points  to  the  priesthood  of  believers 
under  the  New  Testament  (Heb.  xiii.  10,  15). 
Second,  the  nature  of  this  service — "in  h9liness 
and  righteousness  before  Him" — or,  in  His  pre- 
sence (cf.  Ps.  Ivi.  13).  Third,  its  freedom — "being 
delivered  out  of  the  hand  of  our  enemies."  Foui-th, 
its  fearlessness — "might  serve  Him  without  fear." 
Fifth,  its  duration — "all  our  days."_  [The  words 
T^s  X,(oTjs  are  quite  wanting  in  authority.] 

76-79.  Here  are  the  dying  echoes  of  this  song :  and 
very  beautiful  are  these  closing  notes — like  the  set- 
ting sun,  shorn  indeed  of  its  noon-tide  radiance,  Irat 
skirting  the  horizon  with  a  wavy  and  quivering 
light,  as  of  molten  gold — on  which  the  eye  delights 
to  gaze,  till  it  disappears  from  the  view.  The 
song  passes  not  here  from  Christ  to  John,  but 
only  from  Christ  direct,  to  Christ  as  heralded  by 
his  Forerunner.  76.  And  thou,  child— not,  'thou, 
my  son,'  for  this  child's  relation  to  himself  was 
lost  in  his  relation  to  a  Greater  than  either ;  shalt 
be  called  the  Prophet  of  the  Highest:  for  thou 
Shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord— that  is,  "  be- 
fore the  face  of  the  Most  High."  As  this  epithet 
is  in  Scrii^ture  applied  to  the  supreme  God,  it  is 
inconceivable  that  Inspiration  should  here  so 
plainly  apply  it  to  Christ,  if  He  were  not  "  over 
all,  God  blessed  for  ever"  (Rom.  ix.  5).  77.  To 
give  knowledge  of  salvation.  To  sound  the  note 
of  a  needed  and  provided  salvation — now  at  the 


Augustus  taxetJi 


LUKE  11. 


the  Boman  empire. 


78  Through  the  ^tender  mercy  of  our  God, 
"Wliereby  the  '^dayspring  from  on  high  hath  visited  us, 

79  To  -^'give  light  to  them  that  sit  in  darkness  and  in  the  sliadow  of  death. 
To  guide  our  feet  into  the  way  of  peace. 

80  And  the  child  grew,  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  and  was  in  the  deserts 
till  the  day  of  his  showing  unto  Israel. 

2     AND  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  that  there  went  out  a  decree  from 

2  Cesar  Augustus,  that  all  the  world  should  be  Haxed.     {And  this  taxing 

3  was  first  made  when  Cyrenius  was  governor  of  Syria.)     And  all  went  to 


A.  M.  4000. 


6  Or,  bowels 
of  the 
mercy. 

'  Or,  sun- 
rising. 
Isa  9.  2. 


CHAP.  2. 

1  Or,enrolled 

in  order  to 

be  taxed. 


door — was  the  noble,  the  distiuguishing  office  of  the 
Forerunner,  by— rather,  'in^  tlie  remission  of 
their  sins  \ev  drpeo-ei  afjiupTLMV  avTwv] — this  re- 
mission being,  not  the  way,  but  rather  the  pri- 
mary element  of  salvation  (of.  1  John  ii.  12).  This 
view  of  salvation  throws  great  light  upon  the 
Jewish  language  of  verses  71  and  74,  about  "de- 
liverance from  enemies,"  stamping  an  undeniably 
f-jnr'dual  character  upon  it.  78.  Through  the 
tender  mercy  of  our  God — which  is,  and  must 
be,  the  sole  spring  of  all  salvation  for  sinners; 
whereby  the'  dayspring  from  on  high  hath 
visited  us.  This  may  mean  either  Christ  Him- 
self, a5  "the  Sun  of  Righteousness."  arising  on  a 
dark  world  (so  Calvin,  Beza,  Grotius,  de  Wette, 
Olskausen,  &c.,  imderstand  it),  or  the  glorious 
light  which  He  sheds:  the  sense  is  the  same. 
79.  To  give  light  to  them  that  sit  in  darkness 
and  in  the  shadow — rather,  'in  the  darkness  and 
shadow'  of  death— meaning,  'in  the  most  utter 
darkness.'  So  this  exx)ression  should  always  be 
understood  in  the  Old  Testament,  from  which  it 
is  taken.  Even  in  Ps.  xxiii.  4,  its  application  to 
the  di/inij  hour  is  but  one,  though  certainly  the 
most  resistless  and  delightful,  application  of  a 
great  comprehensive  truth — that  believers  have  no 
reason  to  fear  the  most  unrelieved  darkness 
through  which,  in  the  mysterious  providence  of 
"the  Lord  their  Shepherd,"  they  may  be  called 
to  pass,  to  guide  our  feet  into  the  way  of  peace. 
Christianity  is  distinguished  from  all  other  reli- 
gions, not  only  in  bringing  to  men  what  the 
troubled  spirit  most  needs — "peace,"  even  "the 
peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding" — 
but  in  opening  up  the  one  only  "  wai/  of  peace." 

80.  And  the  child  grew,  and  waxed  strong  [iiv^avev 
Kcd  eicpa-raiovTo]  in  Spirit.  The  grammatical  tenses 
here  emx)loyed  denote  the  continuance  of  the  ac- 
tion-' kept  growing  (that  is,  bodily)  and  waxing 
strong  in  spirit,'  or  in  mental  development,  and 
was  in  the  deserts — probably  "  the  wilderness  of 
Judea,"  whence  we  find  him  issuing  on  his  en- 
trance into  public  life  (Matt.  iiL  1).  till  the  day 
of  his  showing  unto  Israel — or  of  his  presenting 
himself  before  the  nation  as  Messiah's  Forerunner. 
Retiring  into  this  wilderness  in  early  life,  in  the 
true  Nazarite  spirit,  and  there  free  from  rabbini- 
cal influences  and  alone  with  God,  his  spirit  would 
be  ediicated,  like  Moses  in  the  desert  of  Sinai,  for 
his  future  high  vocation. 

Bemarts. — 1.  While  to  the  believing  Gentiles — 
"aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  and 
strangers  from  the  covenants  of  promise" — the 
Gospel  came  with  all  the  freshness  of  an  over- 
powering novelty ;  it  came  to  the  devout  Israelite 
with  all  the  charm  of  ancient  and  oft-repeated 
promises  at  length  fulfilled,  of  hopes,  divinely 
kindled  but  long  deferred,  in  the  end  unex- 
pectedly realized.  It  is  this  latter  view  of  the 
Gospel  which  reigns  in  Zacharias'  noble  song,  in 
which  God  is  seen  'mindful  of  His  grace  and 
truth'  to  the  house  of  Israel,  accomplishing  the 
high  obiects  of  the  ancient  economy,  and  intro- 
ducing His  people  into  the  blessedness  of  a  realized 
2ii 


salvation,  and  the  dignity  of  a  free  and  fearless 
service  of  their  covenant-God.  2.  The  "Fearless- 
ness "  of  the  Christian  life  is  no  less  emphatically 
celebrated  here  (v.  74)  than  its  priestly  sanctity  and 
enduring  character  (v.  75):  but  is  this  a  leading 
and  manifest  feature  in  our  current  Christianity  ? 
3.  If  "the  remission  of  our  sins "  be  the  primaiy 
element  of  our  salvation  {v.  77),  why  is  it  that 
there  are  so  many  of  God's  dear  children  who 
"through  fear  of  death  are  all  their  lifetime  sub- 
ject to  bondage"?  For  if  "the  sting  of  death  be 
[unpardoned]  sin,"  what  else  than  the  sense  of  for- 
giveness can  dissolve  that  fear?  And  surely  it 
cannot  be  God's  will  that  His  children  should  have 
to  meet  the  last  enemy  without  that  weapon  which 
effectually  disarms  him.  4.  Seasons  of  compara- 
tive retii'ement  have  usually  preceded  and  proved  a 
precious  preparative  for  great  public  usefulness : 
for  example,  Moses'  sojourn  in  Midian;  the  Bap- 
tist's stay  in  the  Judean  desert  {i>.  80);  our  Lord's 
own  privacy  at  Nazareth;  Paul's  three  years  in 
Arabia ;  Luther's  ten  month's  seclusion  at  Wart- 
burg  ;  and  Zwingli's  two  years  and  a  half  at  Ein- 
siedeln. 

CHAP.  IL    1-7.— The  Birth  of  Christ. 

1.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days— a  general 
reference  to  the  foregoing  transactions,  particularly 
tlie  birth  of  John,  which  preceded  that  of  our  Lord 
by  about  six  months  (ch.  i.  2(3).  that  there  went 
out  a  decree  from  Cesar  Augustus— the  first  of 
the  Roman  emperors — that  all  the  world — that  is, 
the  Roman  empire ;  so  called  as  being  now  virtu- 
ally world-wide,  should  be  taxed — or  '  enrolled,' 
or  'register  themselves.'  2.  (And  this  taxing  was 
first  made  when  Cyrenius  was  governor  of  Syria) 
— a  very  perplexing  verse,  inasmuch  as  Cyrenius, 
or  Quirinus,  appears  not  to  have  been  governor  of 
Syria  for  about  ten  years  after  the  birth  of  Christ, 
and  the  taxing  under  his  administration  was  what 
led  to  the  insurrection  alluded  to  in  Acts  v.  37  (cf. 
Joseph.  Antt.  xviii.  1. 1).  That  Augiistus  took  steps 
towards  introducing  uniform  taxation  throughout 
the  empire,  has  been  proved  beyond  dispute  (by 
Saviffny,  the  highest  authority  on  the  Roman 
law) ;  and  candid  critics,  even  of  sceptical  tend- 
ency, are  forced  to  allow  that  no  such  glaring 
anachronism  as  the  words,  on  the  first  blush  of 
them,  seem  to  imply,  was  likely  to  be  fallen  into 
by  a  wi'iter  so  minutely  accurate  on  Roman  afi'airs 
as  our  Evangelist  shows  himself,  in  the  Acts,  to 
be.  Some  superior  scholars  would  render  the  words 
thus:  'This  registration  was  previous  to  Cyrenius 
being  governor  of  SjTia.'  In  this  case,  of  course,  the 
difficidty  vanishes.  But,  as  this  is  a  very  precarious 
sense  of  the  word  [irpw'n)],  it  is  better,  with  others, 
to  understand  the  Evangelist  to  mean ;  that  though 
the  registration  was  now  ordered  with  a  view  to  the 
taxation,  the  taxing  itself — an  obnoxious  measiu-e 
in  Palestine — was  not  carried  out  till  the  time  of 
Quirinus.  3.  And  all  went  to  be  taxed,  every 
one  into  his  own  city—/,  e. ,  the  city  of  his  e^i  traction, 
according  to  the  Jewish  custom ;  not  of  his  abode, 
which  was  the  usual  Roman  method.  4.  And 
Joseph  also  went  up  from  Galilee,  out  of  the 


The  hirth 


LUKE  II. 


4  be  taxed,  every  one  into  his  own  city.  And  Joseph  also  went  up  from 
Gahlee,  out  of  the  city  of  Nazareth,  into  Judea,  unto  "the  city  of  David, 
which  is  called  BetUehem,  (^because  he  was  of  the  house  and  lineage  of 

5  David,)  to  be  taxed  with  Mary  his  espoused  wife,  being  great  with  child. 

6  And  so  it  was,  that,  while  they  were  there,  the  days  were  accomplished 

7  that  she  should  be  delivered.  And  "^she  brought  forth  her  first-born 
son,  and  wrapped  him  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  laid  him  in  "^a  manger; 
because  there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn. 


of  Christ. 


A.  M.  4000. 


"  1  Sam.  16.1. 

Mic.  5.  2. 

John  7.  42. 
6  Matt.  1. 16, 

ch.  1.  27. 
"  Matt.  1.25. 

Gal.  4.  4. 

d  Isa.  .53.  2. 
2  Cor.  4.  4. 


city  of  Nazareth,  into  Judea,  unto  tlie  city  of 
David,  wMcli  is  called  BetMehem,  (because  he 
was  of  the  house  and  lineage  of  David.)    The 

transfer  from  the  one  province  to  the  other,  and  from 
the  one  city  to  the  other,  is  carefully  noted.  5.  To 
be  taxed  with  Mary  his  espoused — '  betrothed'  wife. 
She  had  sometime  before  this  been  taken  home  by 
Joseph  (see  on  Matt.  i.  18-24) ;  but  she  is  so  called 
here,  perhaps,  for  the  reason  mentioned  in  Matt. 
i.  25.  being  great  with  chUd.  Not  only  does 
Joseph,  as  being  of  the  royal  line,  go  to  Bethlehem 
(1  Sam.  xvi.  1),  but  Mary  too;  not  from  choice, 
surelj^,  in  her  tender  condition.  It  is  possible 
that  in  this  they  simply  followed  the  E,oman 
method,  of  the  wife  accompanying  the  husband ; 
but  the  more  likely  reason  would  seem  to  be  that 
she  herself  was  of  the  family  of  David. 

6.  And  so  it  was,  that,  while  they  were  there, 
the  days  were  accomplished  that  she  should  be 
delivered.  ]\Iary  had  up  to  this  time  been  living  at 
the  wron^  place  for  Messiah's  birth.  A  little  longer 
stay  at  Nazareth,  and  the  prophecy  of  His  birth 
at  Bethlehem  would  have  failed.  But,  lo !  with  no 
intention  on  her  part — much  less  on  the  part  of 
Cesar  Augustus — to  fulfil  the  prophecy,  she  is 
brought  from  Nazareth  to  Bethlehem,  and  at  that 
very  nick  of  time  her  period  for  delivery  arrives. 
7.  And  she  brought  forth  her  first-born  son  (see 
on  Matt.  i.  25),  and  wrapped  him  in  swaddling 
clothes,  and  laid  him— that  is,  the  mother  herself 
did  so.  Had  she  then  none  to  assist  her  in  such 
cii'cumstauces  ?  All  we  can  say  is,  it  would  seem 
so.  in  a  manger — or  crib,  in  which  was  placed 
the  horses'  food,  because  there  was  no  room 
for  them  in  the  inn — a  square  erection,  open  in- 
side, where  travellers  put  up,  and  whose  back 
parts  were  used  as  stables.  The  ancient  tradition, 
that  our  Lord  was  born  in  a  grotto  or  cave,  is 
quite  consistent  with  this,  the  country  being  rocky. 
In  Mary's  condition  the  journey  would  be  a  slow 
one,  and  ere  they  arrived  the  inn  would  be  pre- 
occupied— affecting  anticipation  of  the  recejption 
He  was  throughout  to  meet  with  (John  i.  11). 

'  Wrapt  in  His  swaJtlling  bands. 
And  in  His  manger  laid, 
The  liope  and  glory  of  all  lands 
Is  come  to  the  world's  aid. 
No  peaceful  home  upon  His  cradle  smiled, 
Guests  rudely  went  and  came  where  slept  the  royal  Child.' 

Kkble. 

But  some  'guests  went  and  came,'  not  'rudely,' 
but  reverently.  God  sent  visitors  of  His  own  to 
pay  court  to  the  new-born  King. 

Remarks. — 1.  Cesar  Augustus  had  his  own  ends 
to  serve  in  causing  steps  to  be  taken  for  a  general 
census  of  his  kingdom.  But  God  had  ends  in  it 
too,  and  infinitely  higher.  Augustus  must  bring 
Joseph  and  Mary  to  Bethlehem,  and  bring  them 
just  Defore  the  time  for  the  Virgin's  delivery,  that 
the  mark  of  His  Son's  birth-place,  M^hich  He  had 
set  up  seven  centuries  before,  might  not  be  missed. 
Even  so  must  Pharaoh  dream,  that  Joseph  might 
be  summoned  from  prison  to  read  it ;  and  dream 
such  a  dream  as  required  Joseph's  elevation  to  be 
governor  of  all  Egypt,  in  order  to  the  fulfilment 

VOL.  V.  225 


of  divine  predictions  (Gen.  xl.,  &c.);  and  king 
Ahasuerus  must  pass  a  sleepless  night,  and  beguile 
the  weary  hours  with  the  chronicles  of  the  king- 
dom, and  read  there  of  his  obligations  to  Mordecai 
for  the  preservation  of  his  life,  in  order  that  at 
the  moment  when  he  was  to  be  sacrificed  he  might 
be  lifted  into  a  position  to  save  his  whole  people 
(Esth.  vi.);  and  Belshazzar  must  dream,  and  his 
dream  must  pass  from  him,  and  the  wise  men  of 
Babylon  must  be  required  both  to  tell  and  to 
interpret  it  on  pain  of  death,  and  all  of  them  fail, 
in  order  that  Daniel,  by  doing  both,  might  be  pro- 
moted along  with  his  companions,  for  the  present 
good  and  ultimate  deliverance  of  his  people,  (Dan. 
li.,  &c.)  2.  In  the  Boman  edict,  which  brought 
the  Jews  of  Palestine  to  their  several  tril^al  towns, 
we  see  one  of  the  badges  of  their  lost  independence. 
The  splendour  of  the  theocracy  was  now  going 
fast  down:  but  this  was  doubtless  divinely  or- 
dered, that  the  new  glory  of  Messiah's  kingdom, 
which  it  dimly  shadowed  forth,  might  the  more 
strikingly  appear.  3.  Ovir  Evangelist  simply  records 
the  fact,  that  the  new-born  Babe  of  Bethlehem  was 
laid  in  a  manger,  because  there  was  no  room  for 
them  in  the  inn ;  leaving  his  readers  from  age  to 
age  to  their  own  reflections  on  so  stupendous  a 
dispensation.  'Thou  camest,'  exclaims  Bp.  Hall, 
'  to  Thine  own,  and  Thine  own  received  thee  not : 
how  can  it  trouble  us  to  be  rejected  of  the  world, 
which  is  not  ours  1 ' 

8-20.— Angelic  Annunciation-  to  the  Shep- 
herds OF  THE  Saviour's  Birth  —  Their  Visit 
TO  the  New-born  Babe. 

Annunciation  to  the  Shepherds  (8-14).  8.  And 
there  were  in  the  same  country  shepherds  abid- 
ing in  the  field— staying  there,  probably  in  huts  or 
tents,  keeping  watch  [<|)i;/\do-o-oi/Tes  ^uXa/cas  t^s 
vvKToi] — rather,  '  keeping  the  night  watches,'  or 
taking  their  turn  of  watching  by  night.  From  this 
most  critics,  since  Lirihtfoot,  conclude  that  the  time 
which,  since  the  fourth  century,  has  been  ecclesias- 
tically fixed  upon  for  the  celebration  of  Christ's 
birth — the  25th  of  December,  or  the  midst  of  the 
rain  season — cannot  be  the  trtie  time,  as  the  shep- 
herds drove  their  flocks  about  the  spring  or  pass- 
over  time  out  to  the  fields,  and  remained  out  with 
them  all  summer,  under  cover  of  huts  or  tents,  re- 
turning with  them  late  in  the  autumn.  But  recent 
travellers  tell  us  that  in  the  end  of  December,  after 
the  rains,  the  flowers  come  again  into  bloom,  and 
the  flocks  again  issue  forth.  The  nature  of  the 
seasons  in  Palestine  could  hardly  have  been  un- 
known to  those  who  flxed  upon  the  present 
Christmas -period :  the  difficulty,  therefore,  is 
perhaps  more  imaginary  than  real.  But  leav- 
ing this  question  undecided,  another  of  some 
interest  may  be  asked  —  Were  these  shepherds 
chosen  to  have  the  first  sight  of  the  blessed  Babe 
without  any  respect  to  their  own  state  of  mind? 
That,  at  least,  is  not  God's  way.  No  doubt,  as 
Olshausen  remarks,  they  were,  like  Simeon  (v.  25), 
among  the  waiters  for  the  Consolation  of  Israel ; 
and  if  the  simplicity  of  tlieir  rustic  minds, 
their  quiet  occupation,  the  stillness  of  the  mid- 
night nom-s,  and  the  ami^litude  of  the  deep 
Q 


Annunciation  to  the  shepherds 


LUKE  II. 


of  the  Saviour's  birth. 


8  And  there  were  in  the  same  country  shepherds  abiding  in  the  field, 

9  keeping  ^  watch  over  their  flock  by  night.     And,  lo,  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  came  upon  them,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone  round  about 

10  them;  and  they  were  sore  afraid.     And  the  angel  said  unto  them.  Fear 
not;  for,  behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,  "^ which  shall  be 

1 1  to  all  people.     For  -^unto  you  is  born  this  day,  in  the  city  of  David,  a 

12  Saviour,  ''which  is  Christ  the  Lord.     And  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  you ; 
Ye  shall  find  the  babe  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  lying  in  a  manger. 

13  And  ^suddenly  there  was  with  the  angel  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly 

14  host  praising  God,  and  saying,  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on 
earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men. 


A.  M.  4000. 

2  Or,  the 
night 
watches. 

'  Gen.  12.  3. 
Col.  1.  23. 

/  Isa.  9.  6. 

Matt.  1.  21 

Gal.  4.  4. 

2  Tim.  1.  9. 

lJohn4.14. 
s  Phil.  2.  11. 
h  Gen.  28.  12. 

Ps.  103.  20. 


blue  vault  above  them  for  the  heavenly  music 
which  was  to  fill  their  ear,  pointed  them  out  as  fit 
recipients  for  the  first  tidings  of  an  Infant  Saviour, 
the  congenial  meditations  and  conversations  by 
which,  we  may  suppose,  they  would  beguile  the 
tedious  hours  would  perfect  their  preparation  for 
the  unexpected  visit.  Thus  was  Nathanael  en- 
gaged, all  alone  but  not  unseen,  under  the  fig  tree, 
in  unconscious  preparation  for  his  first  interview 
with  Jesus.  (See  on  John  i.  48. )  _  So  was  the  rapt 
seer  on  his  lonely  rock  "  in  the  spirit  on  the  Lord's 
day,"  little  thinking  that  this  was  his  preparation 
for  hearing  behind  him  the  trumpet-voice  of  the 
Son  of  Man,  (Rev.  i.  10,  &c.)  But  if  the  shepherds 
in  his  immediate  neighbourhood  had  the  first,  the 
sages  from  afar  had  the  ne.rt  sight  of  the  new-born 
King.  Even  so  still,  simplicity  first,  science  next, 
finds  its  way  to  Christ.     W  horn, 

'In  quiet  ever  and  in  shade 

Shepherd  and  Sage  may  find; 
They  who  have  bowed  untauelit  to  Nature's  sway, 
And  they  who  follow  Trath  along  her  star-pav'd  wav. ' 

Keblb. 

9.  And,  lo,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  upon  them, 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord — '  the  brightness  or  glory 
which  is  represented  as  enconipassing  all  heavenly 
visions,'  to  use  the  words  of  Olshausen,  and  they 
were  sore  afraid.  See  on  ch.  i.  12.  10.  And  the 
angel  said  unto  them,  Fear  not  (see  on  ch.  i.  13); 
for,  behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy, 
which  shall  be  to  all  people  [iravTl  tw  Xaw] — or 
rather,  '  to  the  whole  people ; '  meaning  the  chosen 
people  of  Israel,  but  only  to  be  by  them  afterwards 
extended  to  the  whole  world,  as  a  message  of 
"good  will  to  men"  {v.  14).  11.  For  unto  you  is 
born  this  day,  in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour, 
which  is  Christ  the  Lord.  Every  word  here 
contains  transporting  intelligence  from  heaven. 
Eor  whom  provided?  "To  you"  —  shepherds, 
Israel,  mankind.  Who  is  provided?  "A  Sa- 
viour." What  is  He?  "Christ  the  Lord." 
How  introduced  into  the  world?  He  "  is  born" — 
as  said  the  prophet,  "  Unto  us  a  child  is  born" 
(Isa.  ix.  6);  "the  Word  was  made  flesh"  (John  i. 
14).  When?  ''This  Day"  Where?  "/w  the 
city  of  David.''''  In  the  predicted  line,  and  at  the 
predicted  spot,  where  prophecy  bade  us  look  for 
Him  and  faith  accordingly  expected  Him.  How 
dear  to  us  should  be  these  historical  moorings  of 
our  faith,  with  the  loss  of  which  all  historical  Chris- 
tianity vanishes !  By  means  of  them  how  many 
have  been  kept  from  making  shipwreck,  and  have 
attained  to  a  certain  admiration  of  Christ,  ere  yet 
they  have  fully  "beheld  His  glory"!  Nor  does 
the  angel  say  that  One  is  born  who  shall  he  a 
Saviour,  but  He  "is  born  a  Saviour;"  adding, 
"  which  is  Christ  the  Lord."  'Magnificent  ap- 
pellation!' exclaims  devout  Bengel.  Alford 
notices  that  these  words  come  together  nowhere 
else,  and  sees  no  way  9f  understanding  this 
"Lord"  but  as  corresponding  to  the  Hebrew  word 
226 


Jehovah.  12.  And  this  shall  be  a  sign  [t-o  anjie'iov] 
— 'the  sign,'  unto  you;  Ye  shall  find  the  babe 
[/3joe(^os] — 'a  Babe.'  Pity  that  our  translators  so 
often  insert  the  definite  article  where  it  is  empha- 
tically wanting  in  the  original,  and  omit  it  where  in 
the  original  it  is  emphatically  inserted,  wrapped 
in  swaddling  clothes,  lying  in  a  manger.  Here 
the  article,  though  existing  in  the  received  text, 
ought  not  to  be  there,  having  but  weak  authority: 
our  translators,  therefore,  are  right  here.  The 
sign,  it  seems,  was  to  consist  solely  in  the  over- 
powering contrast  between  the  lofty  things  just 
said  of  Him  and  the  lowly  condition  in  which  they 
would  find  Him.  '  Him  whose  goings  forth  have 
been  from  of  old,  from  everlasting,  ye  shall  find  a 
Babe :  Whom  the  heaven  of  heavens  cannot  contain 
ye  shall  find  "  wrapped  in  swaddling  bands  and 
lying  in  a  manger!" '  1  hus  early  were  those  amazing 
contrasts,  which  are  His  chosen  style,  held  forth. 
(See  2  Cor.  viii.  9.)  13.  And  suddenly— as  if  eager 
to  break  in  as  soon  as  the  last  words  of  the  wonder- 
ful tidings  had  dropped  from  their  fellow's  lips, 
there  was  with  the  angel — not  in  place  of  him;  tor 
he  retires  not,  and  is  only  joined  by  others,  come 
to  seal  and  to  celebrate  the  tidings  which  he  was 
honoured  first  to  announce,  a  multitude  of  the 
heavenly  host — or  'army;'  'An  army,'  as  Bengel 
quaintly  remarks,  '  celebrating  peace !  come  down 
to  let  it  be  known  here  how  this  great  event  is  re- 
garded in  heaven  :  praising  God,  and  sajring,  14. 
Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace, 
good  will  toward  men  —  brief  but  transporting 
hymn,  not  only  in  articulate  human  speech  for  our 
behoof,  but  in  tunable  measure,  in  the  form  of  a 
Hebrew  parallelism  of  two  complete  members,  and 
a  third  one,  as  we  take  it,  only  explaining  and  am- 
plifying the  second,  and  so  without  the  connecting 
"and."  The  "glory  to  God"  which  the  new- 
born Saviour  was  to  bring  is  the  first  note  of  this 
exalted  hymn,  and  was  soimded  forth  probably  by 
one  detacnment  of  the  choir.  To  this  answers  the 
"peace  on  earth,"  of  which  He  was  to  be  the 
Prince  (Isa.  ix.  6),  probably  sung  responsively 
by  a  second  detachment  of  the  celestial  choir; 
while  quick  follows  the  glad  echo  of  this  note — 
"good  will  to  men" — by  a  third  detachment,  we 
may  suppose,  of  these  angelic  choristers.  Thus : — 
First  division  of  the  celestial  choir — 

"Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest." 
Second 

"And  on  Earth  Peace." 
Third 

"  Good  will  to  Men." 
Peace  with  God  is  the  grand  necessity  of  a  fallen 
world.  To  bring  in  this,  in  whose  train  comes  all 
other  peace  worthy  of  the  name,  was  the  prime 
errand  of  the  Saviour  to  this  earth.  This  eff'ected. 
Heaven's  whole  "good  will  to  men"  or  the  Divine 
complacency  [eOooKia,  cf.  Eph.  i.  5,  9;  Phil.  ii. 
13,  &c.]  descends  now  on  a  new  footing  to  rest 
upon  men,  even  as  upon  the  Son  Himself,  "in 


The  shepherds  visit 


LUKE  II. 


to  the  infant  Saviour. 


15  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  the  angels  were  gone  away  from  them  into 
heaven,  ^the  shepherds  said  one  to  another,  *Let  us  now  go  even  unto 
Bethlehem,  and  see  this  thing  which  is  come  to  pass,  which  the  Lord 

IG  hath  made  known  unto  us.     And  they  came  with  haste,  and  found  Mary 

17  and  Joseph,  and  the  babe  lying  in  a  manger.  And  when  they  had  seen 
it,  tliey  made  known  abroad  the  saying  which  was  told  them  concerning 

18  this  child.     And  all  they  that  heard  it  wondered  at  those  things  which 

19  were  told  them  by  the  shepherds.     But  •'Mary  kept  all  these  things,  and 

20  pondered  them  in  her  heart.  And  the  shepherds  returned,  glorifying 
and  praising  God  for  all  the  things  that  they  had  heard  and  seen,  as  it 
was  told  unto  them. 


A.  ]\L  40on. 


3  The  men 
the  shep- 
herds. 

•  Ex.  3.  3. 
Ps.  111.  2. 
Matt.  2.  ]. 
Matt.l2  42. 
John  20. 1- 
10. 

;■  Gen.  3?.  11. 
lSam.21.12. 
Pro.  4.  4. 
Hos.  14.  9. 


whom  God  is  well  pleased"  [eu&6i<y]<Ta,  Matt.  iii. 
17J.  Bengcl  notices  that  they  say  not  'glory  to 
God  in  heaven,' — but  using  a  rare  expression — 
"in  the  highest"  heavens  [ej/  u>|/tVTois],  whither 
angels  as]  )ire  not  (Heb.  i.  .3,  4).  [The  reading,  '  to 
men  of  good  will' — iv  avdpwTroi^  euooKia^ — is  in- 
troduced into  the  text  by  Tischendorf  and  Tre- 
gelles,  after  LacJimann — on  the  authority  of  the 
Alexandrian  and  Beza  MSS.  (AandD);  but  chiefly 
on  the  strength  of  the  Latin  versions,  and  from 
the  difficidty  of  accounting  for  so  uncommon  a 
readtug  occurring  at  all  if  not  genuine.  In  this 
case  the  sense  will  still  be  agreeable  to  Scriptiu-e 
doctrine— 'to  men  of  (His,  that  is,  God's)  good 
Avill,'  or  the  objects  of  the  Divine  comxjlacency ; 
not  as  the  Romish  Church,  after  the  Vulgate,  take 
it  to  mean,  'to  men  of  good  disposition. '_  But 
the  great  preponderance  of  MSS.  and  versions  is 
in  favour  of  the  received  reading;  nor  will  the 
objections  to  it,  as  spoiling  the  rhythm,  appear  of 
the  least  force  in  the  view  we  have  given  of  it 
above,  but  just  the  reverse.  De  We  tie,  Meyer, 
A  Iford,  and  van  Osterzee,  are  decidedly  in  favour 
of  the  received  reading.] 

Visit  of  the  Sheplierds  to  the  New-horn  Babe 
(15-20).  i5.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  tlie  angels 
were  gone  away  from  tliem  into  heaven,  the 
shepherds  [ol  avdpwTroL  ol  -Troijue'i/es] — 'the  men, 
the  shejiherds,'  in  contrast  with  the  angelic  party, 
said  one  to  another.  Let  us  now  go  even  unto 
Bethlehem,  and  see  this  thing  which  is  come  to 
pass,  which  the  Lord  hath  made  known  unto  us. 
Lovely  simplicity  of  devoutness  and  faith  this ! 
They  say  not.  Let  us  go  and  see  if  this  be  true — for 
they  have  no  misgivings — but,  "  Let  us  go  and  see 
this  thing  loMch  is  come  to  pass,  which  the  Lord 
hath  made  knoicn  tinto  lis."  Does  not  this  contirm 
the  view  we  have  given  (on  v.  8)  of  the  previous 
character  of  these  humble  shepherds?  Nor  are 
they  taken  up  with  the  angels,  the  glory  that 
invested  them,  and  the  lofty  strains  with  which 
they  filled  the  air.  It  is  the  Wonder  itself,  the 
Babe  of  Bethlehem,  that  absorbs  these  devout 
shepherds.  16.  And  they  came  with  haste  (see 
on  ch.  i.  39;  Matt.  xxviiL  8),  and  found  Mary 
— 'mysteriously  guided,'  says  Olshausen,  'to  the 
right  place  through  the  obscurity  of  the  night,' 
and  Joseph,  and  the  babe  lying  in  a  manger — 
[ev  Tf)  <i>aTvi\\  'the  manger',  of  which  the  angel 
had  toki  them.  17.  And  when  they  had  seen  it, 
they  made  known  abroad  the  sasdng  which  was 
told  them  concerning  this  child — that  is,  as  is 
evident  from  v.  20,  before  they  left  the  neighbour- 
hood. And  so  they  were,  as  Bengel  remarks,  the 
first  evangelists ;  having,  indeed,  no  commission, 
but  feeling  with  Peter  and  John,  "We  cannot 
but  speak  the  things  which  Ave  have  seen  and 
heard."  18.  And  all  they  that  heard  it  wondered 
at  those  things  which  were  told  them  by  the 
shepherds.  19.  But  Mary  kept  all  these  things, 
and  pondered— or  'revolved'  them  in  her  heart — 
227 


seekino;  to  gather  from  them,  in  combination, 
what  light  she  could  as  to  the  future  of  this 
wondrous  Babe  of  hers.  20.  And  the  shepherds 
returned,  glorifying  and  praising  God  for  aU  the 
things  that  they  had  heard  and  seen,  as  it  was  told 
unto  them.  The  word  for  "praising"  [ati/oui/Tes] 
— used  of  the  song  of  the  atigels  (v.  13),  and  in 
ch.  xix.  37,  and  xxiv.  53 — would  lead  us  to  sup- 
pose that  theirs  was  a  song  too,  and  perhaps  some 
canticle  from  the  Psalter;  meet  vehicle  for  the 
swelling  emotions  of  their  simple  hearts  at  what 
"they  had  seen  and  heard." 

Remarks. — 1.  Not  in  the  busy  hum  of  day,  but 
in  the  profound  stillness  of  night,  came  these 
heavenly  visitants  to  the  shepherds  of  Bethlehem. 
So  came  the  Lord  to  Abraham  (Gen.  xv.);  and  once 
and  again  to  Jacob,  (Gen.  xxviii. ;  xxxii. ;  xlvi.  2, 
&c. )  It  was  in  the  night  season  that  Jesus  Him- 
self was  transfigured  on  the  mount.  And  who  can 
tell  what  visits  of  Heaven  were  paid  Him  when 
He  spent  whole  nights  alone  in  prayer?  See  Ps. 
iv.  4;  Ixiii.  6;  cxix.  55,  62,  147,  148;  Isa.  xxvi.  9; 
Job  XXXV.  10. 

'  Sun  of  my  soul,  Thou  Saviour  dear, 
It  is  not  night  if  Thuu  be  near: 
0  may  no  eartli-born  cloud  arise 
To  hide  Thee  from  thy  servant's  eyes. 

'  Abide  with  me  from  mom  till  eve. 
For  without  Thee  I  cannot  live : 
Abide  with  me  when  night  is  nigh. 
For  without  Thee  I  cannot  die.'— Keble. 

2.  Wliat  a  view  of  heaven  is  here  disclosed  to  us ! 
As  it  teems  with  angels  (cf.  Dent,  xxxiii.  2;  1  Ki. 
xxii.  19;  Ps.  Ixviii.  17;  ciiL  20,  21;  cxlviii.  2;  Dan. 
viL  10;  Matt.  xxvi.  53;  xxv.  31;  Rev.  y.  11),  all 
orderly,  harmonious,  and  vocal,  so  their  uniting 
principle,  the  soul  of  all  their  harmony,  the  Object 
of  their  chiefest  wonder  and  transport,  is  the 
Word  made  flesh,  the  Saviour  born  in  the  city  of 
David,  Christ  the  Lord.  Accordingly,  as  Moses 
and  Elias,  when  they  appeared  in  glory  on  the 
mount  of  transfiguration  and  talked  with  Him, 
"spake  of  His  decease  which  He  should  accom- 
plish at  Jerusalem"  (Luke  ix.  31);  so  we  are  told 
that  "these  things  the  angels  desire  to  look  into" 
(1  Pet.  i.  12) ;  and  among  the  wonders  of  the  In- 
carnation, this  is  said  to  be  one,  that  He  "was 
seen  of  angels  "  (1  Tim.  iil  16).  Is  this  oiu-  element 
upon  earth?  Would  our  sudden  transportation 
to  heaven  bring  us  to  "oui-  own  company" 
(Acts  iv.  23),  and  ''our  own  place" — as  Judas 
went  to  his?  (Acts  i.  25).  By  this  may  all  men 
know  whether  they  be  travelling  thither,  3. 
If  we  would  thoroughly  sympathize  with  heaven 
in  its  views  of  Salvation,  and  be  prepared  at 
once  to  imite  in  its  music,  we  must  take  the 
elements  of  which  salvation  consists  as  heaven 
here  presents  them  to  us.  As  the  "peace  on 
earth"  of  which  they  sing— expounded  by  that 
"goodwill  to  men"  which  is  its  abiding  result — 
means  God's  own  peace,  or  His  "reconciling  the 


Circumcision  of  the 


LUKE  II. 


infant  Saviour. 


21  And  *when  eight  days  were  accomplished  for  the  circumcising  of  the 
child,  his  name  was  called  'JESUS,  which  was  so  named  of  the  angel 
before  he  was  conceived  in  the  womb. 

22  And  when  ™the  days  of  her  purification  according  to  the  law  of  Moses 


A.  M.  4000. 

*  Gen.  17.  12. 

Lev.  12.  3. 

Phil.  2.  8. 
'  Matt.  1.  21. 

were  accomplished,  they  brought  him  to  Jerusalem,  to  present  him  to  !  '"i-ev.  12. 2. 


world  unto  Himself  by  Jesus  Christ,"  we  must 
regard  this  as  the  proper  spring  of  all  peace  be- 
tween man  and  man  that  is  thoroughly  solid  and 
lasting.  And  even  in  experiencing,  exemplifying, 
and  diffusing  this,  let  that  "  glory  to  God  in  the 
highest"  which  is  due  on  account  of  the  birth  into 
our  world  of  the  Prince  of  peace,  and  for  all  that 
He  has  done  to  unite  earth  to  heaven  and  man  to 
man,  be  uppermost  and  first  in  aU  our  thoughts, 
affections,  and  i^raises.  4.  What  wondrous  con- 
trasts are  those  shepherds  of  Bethlehem  invited  to 
contemplate — the  Lord  of  glory,  a  Babe;  Christ  the 
Lord,  born:  the  Son  of  the  Highest,  wrapped  in 
swaddling  bands  and  lying  in  a  manger!  Yet 
what  was  this  but  a  foretaste  of  like  overpower- 
ing contrasts  of  Infinite  and  finite,  Divine  and 
human.  Fulness  and  want,  Life  and  death, 
throughout  all  His  after-history  u^Don  earth  ?  ' '  Ye 
know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that 
though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  He  be- 
came poor,  that  ye  through  His  poverty  might 
be  rich"  (2  Cor.  viii.  9).  Nor  is  the  Chui-ch  which 
He  hath  purchased  with  His  own  blood  and 
erected  ui>on  earth  a  stranger  to  analogous  con- 
trasts. 5.  When  the  Evangelist  says,  "  It  came  to 
Eass,  as  the  angels  were  gone  away  from  them  into 
eaven,"  we  are  reminded  that  this  was  but  a  mo- 
mentary visit — sweet  but  short.  Like  their  Mas- 
ter, they  "  ascended  up  where  they  were  before," 
even  as  the  shepherds  returned  to  their  flocks. 
But  the  time  is  coming  when  they  and  we  shall 
dwell  together.  And  so  shall  we  all  and  ever  be 
with  the  Lord.  6.  Our  Evangelist  tells  us  that 
the  shepherds  "  found  Maiy  and  Joseph,  and  the 
Babe  lying  in  a  manger."  But  he  does  not  tell  us 
what  passed  between  the  visitors  and  the  visited 
in  that  rude  birth-place  of  the  Son  of  God. 
Apocryiihal  gospels  would  probably  manufacture 
inionnation  enough  on  such  topics,  and  gaping 
readers  would  greedily  enough  drink  it  in.  But 
the  silences  of  Scripture  are  as  grand  and  reverend 
as  its  disclosures.  In  this  light,  when  we  merely 
read  in  the  next  verse,  "And  when  they  had  seen 
[it],  they  made  known  abroad  the  saying  that  was 
told  them  concerning  this  Child,"  we  feel  that  there 
is  a  Wisdom  presiding  over  these  incomparable 
Narratives,  alike  in  the  dropping  as  in  the  draw- 
ing of  the  veil,  which  fills  the  soul  with  ever- 
growing satisfaction.  7.  The  shepherds,  not  lifted 
off  their  feet,  "returned  " — "  glorifying  and  praising 
God,"  indeed,  but  still  returned— to  their  proper 
business.  So  Jesus  Himself,  at  twelve  years  of 
age,  after  sitting  in  the  temple  among  the  doctors, 
and  filling  all  with  astonishment  at  His  under- 
standing and  His  answers,  "  went  down  with  His 
parents,  and  came  to  Nazareth  and  was  subject 
unto  them"  (v.  51).  Thus  should  it  ever  be;  and 
O  what  a  heaven  upon  earth  would  this  hallowing 
of  earthly  occupations  and  interests  and  joys  and 
sorrows  by  heavenly  intercourses  make ! 

21-24 — Circumcision  of  the  Infant  Saviour 
— Purification  of  the  Virgin-Mother — Pre- 
sentation OF  the  Babe  in  the  Temple. 

Circumcision  of  the  Infant  Saviour  (21).  21.  And 
■when  eight  days  were  accomplished  (see  on  ch. 
i.  59)  for  the  circumcising  of  the  child—'  for 
circumcising  Him'  is  the  better  supported  reading, 
his  name  was  called  JESUS,  whi<3h  was  so 
named  of  the  angel  before  he  was  conceived, 
22s 


&c.  Circumcision  was  a  symbolical  and  bloody 
removal  of  the  body  of  sin  (CoL  ii.  11, 13;  cf.  Deut. 
X.  16;  Jer.  iv.  4;  Rom.  ii.  29).  But  as  if  to  pro- 
claim, in  the  very  act  of  performing  this  rite,  that 
there  was  no  body  of  sin  to  be  removed  in  His 
case,  but  rather  that  He  was  the  destined  Remover 
of  it  from  others,  the  name  Jesus,  in  obedience  to 
express  command  from  heaven,  was  given  Him  at 
His  circumcision,  and  given  Him  "because,"  as 
said  the  angel,  "He  shall  save  His  people  from 
their  sins"  (Matt.  i.  21).  So  significant  was  this, 
that  His  circumciser,  had  he  been  fully  aware  of 
what  he  was  doing,  might  have  said  to  Him,  as 
John  afterwards  did,  "I  have  need  to  be  circum- 
cised of  Thee,  and  comest  Thou  to  me? "  and  the 
answer,  in  this  case  as  in  that,  would  doubtless 
have  been,  "  Suffer  it  to  be  so  now:  for  thus  it 
becometh  us  to  fulfil  all  righteousness "  (Matt.  iii. 
14,  15).  Still,  the  circumcision  of  Christ  had  a 
profound  bearing  on  His  own  work.  For  since  he 
that  is  "circumcised  is  a  debtor  to  do  the  whole 
law  "  (Gal.  v.  3),  the  circumcised  Saviour  thus  bore 
about  with  Him,  in  His  very  flesh,  the  seal  of  a 
voluntary  obligation  to  do  the  whole  law — by  Him 
only  possible  in  the  flesh,  since  the  fall.  But 
further,  as  it  was  only  to  "  redeem  (from  its  curse) 
them  that  were  under  the  law,"  that  He  submitted 
at  all  to  be  "made  under  the  law"  (Gal.  iv.  4,  5; 
iii.  13),  the  obedience  to  which  Jesus  was  bound 
over  was  purely  a  redeeming  obedience,  or  the 
obedience  of  a  Saviour."  Once  more,  as  it  was 
only  by  being  made  a  curse  for  us  that  Christ 
could  redeem  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law  (Gal. 
iii.  13),  the  circumcision  of  Christ  is  to  be  regarded 
as  a  virtual  pledge  to  die;  a  pledge  not  only  to 
yield  obedience  in  general,  but  to  be  "  obedient 
unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross "  (PhiL 
ii.8). 

'  Like  sacrificial  wine 

Pour'd  on  a  victim's  head 
Are  those  few  precious  drops  of  thine 

Now  first  to  otfering  led.' — Keble. 

Purification  of  the  Virgin-Mother  and  Presen- 
tation of  the  Babe  in  the  Temple  (22-24).  22.  And 
when  the  days  of  her  purification.  This  read- 
ing [ouxf/s]  has  hardly  any  support  at  all.  All 
the  best  and  most  ancient  MSS.  and  versions 
read  'their  purification'  [ain-oiv] — which  some  late 
transcribers  had  been  afraid  to  write.  But 
whether  this  is  to  be  understood  of  mother  and 
Babe  together,  or  of  Joseph  and  Mary,  as  the 
parents,  the  great  fact  that  "we  are  shapen  in 
iniquity,  and  in  sin  by  our  mothers  conceived," 
which  the  Levitical  rite  was  designed  to  proclaim, 
had  no  real  place,  and  so  could  only  be  symboli- 
cally taught,  in  the  present  case;  since  "that 
which  was  conceived  in  the  Virgin  was  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  and  Josejih  was  only  the  Babe's 
legal  father,  according  to  the  law  of  Moses 
were  accomplished.  The  days  of  purification,  in 
the  case  of  a  male  child,  were  forty  in  all  (Lev. 
xii.  2,  4) :  they  brought  him  to  Jerusalem,  to  pre- 
sent him  to  the  Lord.  All  the  first-born  males  had 
been  claimed  as  "holy  to  the  Lord,"  or  set  apart  to 
sacred  uses,  in  memory  of  the  deliverance  of  the 
first-born  of  Israel  from  destruction  in  Egy|)t, 
through  the  sprinkling  of  blood  (Exod.  xiii.  2). 
In  lieu  of  these,  however,  one  whole  tribe,  that 
of  Levi,  was  accepted,  and  set   apart   to  occu- 


Simeon's  recognition 


LUKE  II. 


of  the  infant  Saviour. 


23  the  Lord;  (as  it  is  written  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  Every  ^male  that 

24  openeth  the  womb  shall  be  called  holy  to  the  Lord;)  and  to  offer  a 
sacrifice  according  to  that  which  is  said  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  A  pair 
of  turtle  doves,  or  two  young  pigeons. 

And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  in  Jerusalem,  whose  name  was  Simeon ; 
and  the  same  man  was  just  and  devout,  "waiting  for  the  consolation  of 
Israel :  and  the  Holy  Ghost  was  upon  him.  And  it  was  revealed  unto 
him  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  he  should  not  ^see  death,  before  he  had 
seen  the  Lord's  Christ.  And  he  came  by  *the  Spirit  into  the  temple : 
and  when  the  parents  brought  in  the  child  Jesus,  to  do  for  him  after 


25 


26 


27 


A.  M.  4000. 


"  Ex.  13.  2. 

Ex.  22.  29. 

Num.  3. 13. 
°  Isa.  40.  1. 

Mark  15  43, 
P  Ps.  89.  48. 

Heb.  11.  6. 
9  Acts  8.  29. 

Acts  10.  19. 

Acts  16.  7. 

Eev.  1.  10. 

Eev.  17.  3. 


pations  exclusively  sacred  (Num.  iii.  11-38)  > 
aud  whereas  there  were  fewer  Levites  than 
first-born  of  all  Israel  on  the  first  reckoning, 
each  of  these  supernumerary  first-born  was  to 
be  redeemed  by  the  payment  of  five  shekels, 
but  not  without  being  '■^  presented  [publicly] 
tinto  the  Lord^''  in  token  of  His  rightful  claim 
to  them  and  their  service.  (Num.  iii  44-47; 
xviii.  15-16).  It  was  in  obedience  to  this  "law  of 
Moses,"  that  the  Virgin  presented  her  Babe  unto 
the  Lord,  'in  the  east  gate  of  the  court  called 
Nicanor's  Gate,  where  herself  would  be  sprinkled 
by  the  priest  with  the  blood  of  her  sacrifice' 
\Liglitfooi\.  By  that  Babe,  in  due  time,  we  were 
to  be  redeemed,  "not  with  corruptible  things  as 
silver  and  gold,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ"  (1  Pet.  i.  18, 19);  and  the  consuming  of  the 
mother's  burnt  offering,  and  the  spriuldiug  of  her 
with  the  blood  of  her  sin  offering,  were  to  find 
their  abiding  realization  in  the  "living  sacrifice" 
of  the  Christian  mother  herself,  in  the  fulness  of  a 
"heart  sprinkled  from  an  evil  conscience"  by 
"the  blood  which  cleanseth  from  all  sin."  23.  (As 
it  is  written  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  Every  male 
that  openeth  the  womb  shall  be  called  holy  to 
the  Lord;)  24.  And  to  offer  a  sacrifice  according 
to  that  which  is  said  in  the  law  of  the  Lord, 
A  pair  of  turtle  doves,  or  two  young  pigeons. 
The  proper  sacrifice  was  a  lamb  for  a  burnt 
offering,  and  a  tui-tle-dove  or  young  pigeon  for  a 
sin  ofi"ering.  But  if  a  lamb  could  not  be  afforded, 
the  mother  was  to  bring  two  turtle-doves  or  two 
young  pigeons;  and  if  even  this  was  beyond  the 
family  means,  then  a  portion  of  fine  flour,  but 
without  the  usual  fragrant  accomxDaniments  of  oil 
and  frankincense,  because  it  rejjresented  a  'sin 
offering  (Lev.  xii.  6-8 ;  v.  7-11).  From  this  we  gather 
that  our  Lord's  parents  were  in  poor  circum- 
stances (2  Cor.  viii.  9),  and  yet  not  in  abject 
poverty;  as  they  neither  brought  the  lamb,  nor 
availed  themselves  of  the  provision  for  the  poor- 
est, but  presented  the  intermediate  offering  of 
"  a  pair  of  turtle-doves,  or  two  young  pigeons." 

Remarks. — 1.  We  have  here  the  first  example 
of  that  double  aspect  of  Christ's  conformity  to 
the  law  which  characterized  it  throughout. 
Viewed  simi^ly  in  the  light  of  obedience^an 
obedience  in  the  highest  sense  voluntary,  and 
faidtlessly  perfect— it  is  for  men  the  model-obe- 
dience: He  hath  left  us  an  example  that  we 
should  follow  His  steps  (1  Pet.  ii.  21).  But  as  He 
was  made  under  the  law  only  to  redeem  them  that 
were  under  the  law.  His  obedience  was  more  than 
voluntary — it  was  strictly  self-imposed  obedience; 
and  since  it  is  by  the  obedience  of  this  One  that 
the  many  are  made  righteous  (Rom.  v.  19),  it 
had  throughout,  and  in  every  part  of  it,  a  substitu- 
tionary character,  which  made  it  altogether  unique. 
As  it  was  human  obedience,  it  is  our  glorious 
exemplar:  but  as  it  is  mediatorial  obedience  — 
strictly  self-imposed  and  vicarious — a  stranger 
doth  not  intermeddle  with  it.  Thus,  Christ  is  at 
229 


once  imitable  and  inimitable;  and — paradoxical 
though  it  may  sound — it  is  just  the  inimitable 
character  of  Christ's  obedience  that  puts  us  in  a 
condition  to  look  at  it  in  its  imitable  character, 
with  the  humble  but  confident  assurance  that  we 
shall  be  able  to  follow  His  steps.  2.  That  He 
who  was  rich  should  for  our  sakes  have  become, 
in  the  very  circumstances  of  His  birth,  so  poor 
that  His  parents  should  not  have  been  able  to 
afford  a  lamb  for  a  burnt  offering  on  His  presenta- 
tion in  the  temple — is  singularly  affecting;  but 
that  this  poverty  was  not  so  abject  as  to  awaken 
the  emotion  of  pity— is  one  of  those  marks  of 
Wisdom  in  the  arrangement  even  of  the  com- 
paratively trivial  circumstances  of  His  history, 
which  bespeak  the  Divine  presence  in  it  all, 
stamp  the  Evangelical  Record  with  the  seal  of 
truth,  and  call  forth  devout  admiration. 

25-39.  —  Simeon  and  Anna  Plecognize  the 
Infant  Saviodr  in  the  Temple— The  PvEturn 
TO  Nazareth,  and  Advancement  of  the  Child 
Jesus. 

Simeon's  Recognition  of  the  Infant  Saviour  (25-35). 
25.  And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  in  Jerusalem, 
whose  name  was  Simeon.  The  attempts  that 
have  been  made  to  identify  this  Simeon  with  a 
famous  man  of  the  same  name,  but  who  died  long 
before,  and  with  the  father  of  Gamaliel,  who  bore 
that  name,  are  quite  precarious.  The  name  was  a 
common  one.  and  the  same  man  was  just — upright 
in  his  moral  character,  and  devout — of  a  religious 
frame  of  spirit,  waiting  for  the  consolation  of 
Israel — or,  for  the  Messiah ;  a  beautiful  and  preg- 
nant title  of  the  promised  Saviour :  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  was  upon  him — supernaturally.  Thus  was 
the  Spirit,  after  a  dreary  absence  of  nearly  four 
himdred  years,  returning  to  the  Church,  to  quicken 
expectation  and  prepare  for  coming  events.  26. 
And  it  was  revealed  unto  him  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
that  he  should  not  see  death  before  he  had  seen 
the  Lord's  Christ.  Bengel  notices  the  '  sweet  anti- 
thesis'here  between  the  two  sights — his  "seeing 
the  Lord's  Christ"  ere  he  should  "see  death.' 
How  would  the  one  sight  gild  the  gloom  of  the 
other !  He  was  probably  by  this  time  advanced 
in  years.  27.  And  he  came  by  the  Spirit  into  the 
temple — the  Spirit  guiding  him,  all  unconsciously, 
to  the  temple  at  the  very  moment  when  the  Virgm 
was  about  to  present  the  Infant  to  the  Lord.  Let 
it  here  be  observed,  once  for  all,  that  whenever 
the  priests  are  said  to  go,  or  come,  into  "the 
temple,"  as  in  ch.  L  9,  the  word  always  used  [o 
i/aosj  is  that  which  denotes  the  temple  proper,  into 
which  none  might  enter  save  the  priests;  aud 
never  is  this  word  used  when  our  Lord,  or  any  oiot 
of  the  priestly  family,  is  said  to  go  into  the  temple : 
in  such  case  the  word  used  [xd  iep6v\  is  one  of 
wider  signification,  denoting  any  place  within  the 
sacred  precincts.  So  here  of  Simeon,  and  when 
the  parents  brought  in  the  child  Jesus,  to  do  for 
him  after  the  custom  of  the  law,  28.  Then  took 
he  him  up  in  his  arms— the  same  Spirit  that  drew 


Anna's  recognition  of 


LUKE  II. 


tJie  Infant  Saviour. 


28  the  custom  of  the  law,  then  took  he  him  up  in  his  arms,  and  blessed  God, 
and  said, 

29  Lord,  ''now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart 
In  peace,  according  to  thy  word : 

30  For  mine  eyes  *have  seen  thy  salvation, 

31  Which  thou  hast  prepared  before  the  face  of  all  people: 

32  A  4ight  to  lighten  the  Gentiles, 
And  the  glory  of  thy  people  Israel. 

33  And  Joseph  and  his  mother  marvelled  at  those  things  which  were 

34  spoken  of  him.  And  Simeon  blessed  them,  and  said  unto  Mary  his 
mother.  Behold,  this  child  is  set  for  the  ''fall  and  rising  again  of  many 

35  in  Israel:  and  for  ^a  sign  which  shall  be  spoken  against;  (yea,  '"a  sword 
shall  pierce  through  thy  own  soul  also,)  that  "^the  thoughts  of  many 
hearts  may  be  revealed. 

36  And  there  was  one  Anna,  ^a  prophetess,  the  daughter  of  Phanuel,  of 
the  tribe  of  Aser :  she  was  of  a  great  age,  and  had  lived  with  an  husband 

37  seven  years  from  her  virginity ;  and  she  was  a  widow  of  about  fourscore 
and  four  years,  which  departed  not  from  the  temple,  but  served  God  with 


A.  M.  400O. 


'■  Gen.  46.  30. 

1  Cor.  15. 54. 

Phil.  1.  23. 

Rev.  14.  13. 
'  Isa.  52. 10. 

Acts  4.  12. 
t  Isa.  9.  2. 

Acts  13.  47. 
"  Isa.  8.  14. 

Hos.  14.  9. 

Horn.  9.  32. 

1  Cor.  1.  23. 

2  Cor.  2.  16. 
1  Pet.  2.7,8. 

"  Matt.  11. 19. 

Acts  28.  22. 

iPet.  2.  12. 

1  Pet.  4.  14. 
^  Ps.  42.  10. 

John  19. 25. 
*  1  Cor.  11.19. 
y  Ex.  15.  20. 


him  thither  revealing  to  him  at  once  the  glory  of 
that  blessed  Babe.  Now,  since  all  that  he  uttered 
might  as  well  have  been  simjjly  pronounced  over 
the  Child,  there  is  to  be  seen  in  this  act  of  taking 
Him  into  his  arms  a  most  affecting,  personal,  and, 
so  to  speak,  palpable  appropriation  of  this  new- 
born, unconscious,  helpless  Babe,  as  "  all  his  sal- 
vation and  all  his  desire,"  which  it  were  a  pity 
we  should  miss,  and  blessed  God,  and  said, 
29.  Lord.  The  word  is  'Master'  [Aeo-TroT-a],  a 
word  but  rarely  used  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
never  but  to  mark  emijhatically  the  sovereign 
rights  of  Him  who  is  so  styled,  as  Proprietor  of 
the  persons  or  things  meant.  Here  it  is  selected 
with  peculiar  propriety,  when  the  aged  saint,  feel- 
ing that  his  last  object  in  wishing  to  live  had  now 
been  attained,  only  awaited  his  Master's  word  of 
command  to  "depart."  now  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  according  to  thy  word. 
Most  readers  probably  take  this  to  be  a  prayer  for 
permission  to  depart,  not  observing  that  "lettest 
Thou"  is  just  'Thou  art  letting,'  or  'permitting 
thy  servant  to  depart.'  It  had  been  clearer  as  well 
as  more  literal  thus — "  Lord,  now  art  Thou  releas- 
ing Thy  servant" — a  placid,  reverential  intimation 
that  having  now  "  seen  the  Lord's  Christ,"  his 
time,  divinely  indicated,  for  "seeing  death"  had 
arrived,  and  he  was  ready  to  go.  30.  For  mine 
eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation.  How  many  saw 
this  Child,  nay  the  full-grown  "Man,  Christ 
Jesus,"  who  never  saw  in  Him  "  God's  Salvation ! " 
This  estimate  of  .Simeon's  was  an  act  of  pure 
faith.  While  gazing  upon  that  Infant,  borne  in 
his  own  arms,  he  "beheld  His  glory."  In 
another  view  it  was  prior  faith  rewarded  by  pres- 
ent sliiht.  31.  Which  thou  hast  prepared  before 
the  face  of  all  people  [ttui/toji'  tiav  Xaojp]— '  of  all 
the  iieoples,'  or  mankind  at  large.  32.  A  light  to 
lighten  the  Gentiles— then  in  thick  darkness,  and 
the  glory  of  thy  people  Israel— already  Thine,  and 
now,  in  the  believing  portion  of  it,  to  be  more 
g'oriously  so  than  ever.  It  \\ill  be  ol^served  that 
this  '  swan-like  song,  bidding  an  eternal  farewell 
to  this  terrestrial  life, '  to  use  the  words  of  Ols- 
hausen,  takes  a  more  comprehensive  view  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  than  that  of  Zacharias  (cf.  ch. 
i.  68-79),  though  the  kingdom  they  sing  of  is  one. 

33.  And  Joseph  and  his  mother— or,  according 
to  what  is  probably  the  true  reading  here,  '  And 
his  father  and  motlier,'  marvelled  at  those 
things  which  were  spoken  of  him— ench  suc- 
cessive recognition  of  the  glory  of  this  Babe  filling 


them  with  fresh  wonder.  34.  And  Simeon  blessed 
them— the  parents,  and  said  unto  Mary  his 
mother,  Behold,  this  child  is  set  [KeiT-ai]- 'lieth,' 
or,  'is  appointed :'  compare  Isa.  xxviii.  16,  "Behold, 
I  lay  in  Zion,"  &c.  Perhaps,  this  Infant's  lying  in 
his  own  arms  at  that  moment  suggested  this 
sublime  allusion,  for  the  fall  and  rising  again 
of  many  in  Israel:  and  for  a  sign  which  shall 
be  spoken  against.  If  the  latter  of  these  two 
expressions  refer  to  the  determined  rejecters  of 
Christ,  perhaps  the  former  refers,  not  to  two 
classes — one  "falling"  from  a  higher  to  a  lower, 
the  other  "rising"  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  state — 
but  to  one  and  the  same  class  of  persons,  who  after 
"falling,"  through  inability  to  discern  the  glory  of 
Christ  in  the  days  of  His  flesh,  "  rose  again"  when, 
after  the  effusion  of  the  Spirit  at  Pentecost,  a  new 
light  dawned  upon  their  minds.  The  like  treat- 
ment do  the  claims  of  Christ  experience  from  age 
to  age.  35.  Yea,  a  sword  shall  pierce  through  thy 
own  soul  also.  '  Blessed  though  thou  art  among 
women,  thou  shalt  have  thine  own  deep  share  of 
the  struggles  and  sufferings  which  this  Babe  is  to 
occasion' — pointing  not  only  to  the  obloquy  to 
M'hich  He  would  be  exposed  through  life,  to  tnose 
agonies  of  His  on  the  cross  which  she  was  to  wit- 
ness, and  to  her  own  desolate  condition  thereafter, 
but  perhaps  also  to  dreadful  alternations  of  faith 
and  unbelief,  of  hope  and  fear  regarding  Him 
which  she  should  have  to  pass  through  :  that  the 
thoughts  of  many  hearts  may  be  revealed — 
for  men's  views  and  decisions  regarding  Christ  are 
a  mirror  in  which  the  very  thouglits  of  their  hearts 
are  seen. 

Annans  Recognition  of  the  Infant  Saviour  (36-3S). 
36.  And  there  was  one  Anna — or  Hannah,  a 
prophetess — another  sign  that  "  the  last  times " 
in  which  God  was  to  "pour  out  His  Spirit  upon 
all  flesh"  M'ere  at  the  door,  the  daughter  of 
Phanuel,  of  the  tribe  of  Aser— one  of  the  ten 
tribes,  of  whom  many  were  not  carried  captive, 
and  not  a  few,  jiarticularly  of  this  very  tribe, 
re-united  themselves  to  Judah  after  the  return 
from  Babylon  (2  Chr.  xxx.  11).  The  distinction  of 
tribes,  though  practically  destroyed  by  the  cap- 
tivity, was  well  enough  known  up  to  their  final 
dispersion  (Rom.  xi.  1 ;  Heb.  vii.  14) ;  nor  even  now 
is  it  entirely  lost,  she  was  of  a  great  age,  and 
had  lived  with  an  husband  seven  years  from 
her  virginity.  37.  And  she  was  a  widow  of 
about  fourscore  and  four  years.  If  this  mean 
that  she  had  been  84  years  in  a  state  of  widow- 


Return  to  Nazareth 


LUKE  11. 


and  growth  of  tits  Child  Jesus. 


38  fastings  and  prayers  ^  night  and  day.  And  she  coming  in  that  instant 
gave  thanks  likewise  unto  the  Lord,  and  spake  of  him  to  all  them  that 
"looked  for  redemption  in  *  Jerusalem. 

39  And  when  they  had  performed  aU  things  according  to  the  law  of  the 

40  Lord,  they  returned  into  Gahlee,  to  their  own  city  Nazareth.  And  the 
child  grew,  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  filled  with  wisdom ;  and  the  grace 
of  God  was  upon  him. 


A.  M.  4000. 

*  Acts  26.  7. 
1  Tim.  5.  5. 

■*  Lam.  3.  25, 

26. 

Mark  15.43. 
ch.  24.  21. 

*  Or,  IsraeL 


hood,  then,  since  her  married  life  extended  to  seven 
years,  she  could  not  now  have  been  less  than  103 
years  old,  even  though  she  had  married  at  the  age 
of  twelve,  the  earliest  marriageable  age  of  Jewish 
females.  But  probably  the  meaning  is  that  her 
whole  present  age  was  84,  of  which  there  had  been 
but  seven  years  of  a  married  lif&  wMch  departed 
not  from  the  temple — that  is,  at  any  of  the  stated 
hours  of  day -service,  and  was  found  there  even  dur- 
ing the  night-sei'vices  of  the  temple-watchmen  (see 
Ps.  cxxxiv.  1,  2) ;  but  served  God— the  word  here 
used  denotes  religious  services,  with  fastings 
and  prayers  night  and  day.  It  is  this  statement 
about  Anna  that  appears  to  have  suggested  to  the 
apostle  his  description  of  the  "  widow  indeed  and 
desolate,"  that  she  "trusteth  in  God,  and  con- 
tinueth  in  supplications  and  prayers  night  and 
day "  (1  Tim.  v.  5).  38.  And  she  coming  in  that 
instant  [eTrto-Tao-a] — rather,  'standing  by'  or  '  pre- 
senting herself;'  for  she  had  been  there  already. 
When  Simeon's  testimony  to  the  blessed  Babe  was 
dying  away,  she  was  ready  to  take  it  up.  gave 
thanks  likewise  unto  the  Lord  [ai/dw;xokoye~iTo\ 
—  rather,  'gave  thanks  in  turn,'  or  responsively 
to  Simeon,  and  spake  of  him  to  all  them  that 
looked  for  redemption  in  Jerusalem.  [The  read- 
ing, adopted  by  recent  critics,  'the  redemirtion 
of  Jerusalem,'  has  not,  as  we  think,  sufficient 
authority.  The  meaning  appears  to  be,  '  She  spake 
of  Him  to  all  them  in  Jerusalem  that  were  look- 
ing for  redemption,'  meaning,  the  expectants  of 
Messiah  who  were  then  in  the  city.  Saying  in 
effect — In  that  Babe  are  wrapt  up  all  your  expec- 
tations. If  this  took  place  at  the  hour  of  prayer, 
it  would  account,  as  A  Iford  remarks,  for  her  having 
such  an  audience  as  the  words  imply. 

Return  to  Nazareth  and  Advancement  of  the 
Child  Jesus  (39,  40).  39.  And  when  they  had  per- 
formed all  things  according  to  the  law  of  the 
Lord,  they  returned  into  Galilee,  to  their  own 
city  Nazareth.  Are  we  to  conclude  from  this  that 
the  parents  of  Jesus  went  straight  back  to  Naza- 
reth from  these  temple  scenes,  and  that  the  visit 
of  the  Magi,  the  fliglit  into  Egypt,  and  the  return 
thence,  recorded  by  Matthew  (ch.  ii.),  all  took 
place  before  the  jiresentation  of  the  Babe  in  the 
temple  ?  So  some  think,  but  in  our  judgment  very 
unnaturally.  To  us  it  seems  far  more  natural  to 
suppose  that  the  presentation  in  the  temple  took 
place  during  the  residence  of  the  parents  at  Beth- 
lehem, where  they  appear  at  first  to  have  thought 
it  their  duty  henceforth  to  reside  (see  on  Matt. 
ii.  22).  In  this  case  all  that  is  recorded  by  Luke 
in  the  jireceding  verses  was  over  before  the  Magi 
arrived  in  Jerusalem.  Nor  is  there  any  difficulty 
in  Luke's  saj'ing  here,  that  "  when  they  had  per- 
formed all  they  returned  to  Galilee."  If,  indeed, 
we  had  no  account  of  any  intermediate  transac- 
tions, we  should  of  course  conclude  that  they  went 
straight  from  Jerusalem  to  Nazareth.  But  if  we 
have  reason  to  believe  that  the  whole  transactions 
of  Matt,  ii  occurred  in  the  interval^  we  have  only 
to  conclude  that  our  Evangelist,  having  no  informa- 
tion to  communicate  to  his  readers  between  those 
events,  just  passes  them  by.  A  precisely  similar, 
and  at  least  equally  important,  omission  by  Mat- 
thew himseK  occurs  at  ch.  iv.  12  (on  which  see 
231 


note).  40.  And  the  child  grew,  and  waxed  strong 
in  spirit — His  mental  development  keeping  pace 
with  His  bodily:  filled  with  wisdom— yet  a  ful- 
ness ever  enlarging  with  His  capacity  to  receive  it; 
and  the  grace  of  God— the  divine  favour,  was 
upon  him — resting  upon  Him,  manifestly  and  in- 
creasingly. Compare  v.  52.  [  Tischendorf&ndi  Tre- 
gelles  omit  irveufxaTi — ^^"  in  spirit,"  but,  as  we  think, 
on  insufficient  authority.] 

Remarks. — 1.  Now  began  to  be  fulfilled  that 
beautiful  prediction— uttered  as  an  encouragement 
to  rebuild  the  temple  after  the  captivity  —  "I 
will  till  this  house  with  glory,  saith  the  Lord  of 
Hosts:  the  glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  be 
greater  than  of  the  former,  saith  the  Lord  of 
Hosts ;  and  in  this  place  will  I  give  peace,  saith  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  "  (Hag.  ii  7,  9).  The  peculiar  glory 
of  the  first  temple  was  wholly  wanting  in  the 
second.  "  The  ark  of  the  covenant,  overlaid 
round  about  with  gold,  wherein  was  the  golden 
pot  that  had  manna,  and  Aaron's  rod  that  budded, 
and  the  tables  of  the  covenant,  and  over  it  the 
cherubim  of  glory  shadowing  the  mercy  seat" 
— all  these  had  been  lost,  and  the  impossibility  of 
recovering  them  was  keenly  felt.  By  what  other 
"glory"  was  the  second,  temple  to  echpse  the 
first?  Not  certainly  by  its  architectural  and 
ornamental  beauty;  and  if  not,  what  greater 
glory  had  it  than  the  first,  save  this  only,  that 
the  Lord  of  the  temple  in  human  flesh  came  into 
it,  bringing  peace?  2.  By  what  glorious  premoni- 
tions of  future  greatness  was  the  Infancy  of  Christ 
distinguished — fitted  to  arrest  the  attention,  to 
quicken  the  expectation,  and  to  direct  the  views 
of  all  who  were  waiting  for  the  Consolation  of 
Israel!  3.  To  be  prepared  to  welcome  death  as 
the  peaceful  release  of  a  servant  by  his  divine 
Master,  in  the  conscious  enjoyment  of  His  salva- 
tion, is  the  frame  of  all  others  most  befitting  the 
aged  saint.  4  The  reception  or  rejection  of  Christ 
is  in  every  age  the  great  test  of  real  character.  5. 
How  richly  rewarded  was  Anna  for  the  assiduous- 
ness with  which  she  attended  all  the  temple-ser- 
vices !  Not  only  was  she  privileged  in  consequence 
to  behold  the  Infant  Saviour,  and  to  give  public 
thanks  to  the  Lord  for  so  precious  a  gift,  but  she 
got  an  audience  of  devout  worshippers  to  hear  her, 
to  whom,  as  expectants  of  the  coming  Redemption, 
she  spake  of  Him,  proclaiming  Him  the  Hope  and 
Consolation  of  IsraeL  6.  How  beautiful  is  afte 
when  mellowed,  as  in  Simeon  and  Anna,  by  a  de- 
vout and  heavenly  spirit,  and  gladdened  with  the 
joy  of  God's  salvation !  7.  Those  whose  hearts 
are  full  of  Christ  will  hardly  be  able  to  refrain, 
whether  they  be  male  or  female,  from  speaking 
of  Him  to  others,  as  did  Anna  here. 

41-52.— First  Conscious  Visit  of  Jesus  to 
Jerusalem — Retprn  to  Nazareth,  Subjec- 
tion TO  His  Parents,  and  gradual  Advance- 
ment. After  following  with  rajit  interest  the 
minute  details  of  the  Redeemer's  Birth  and 
Infancy,  one  is  loath  to  see  the  curtain  suddenly 
drop,  to  be  but  once  raised,  and  disclose  but  one 
brief  scene,  before  His  thirtieth  year.  How 
curiosity  yearns  for  more,  may  be  seen  by  tlie 
puerile  and  degrading  information  regardin'j  t)ie 
boyhood    of    Jesus,    with    which    some    of   the 


First  conscious  visit 


LUKE  11. 


of  Jesus  to  Jerusalem. 


41  Now  his  parents  went  to  Jerusalem  every  ''year  at  the  feast  of  the 

42  passover.     And  when  he  was  twelve  years  old,  they  went  up  to  Jerusalem 
after  the  custom  of  the  feast. 

43  And  when  they  had  fulfilled  the  days,  as  they  returned,  the  child  Jesus 
tarried  behind  in  Jerusalem ;  and  Joseph  and  his  mother  knew  not  of  it. 

44  But  they,  supposing  him  to  have  been  in  the  company,  went  a  day's  jour- 

45  ney ;  and  they  sought  him  among  their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance.     And 
when  they  found  him  not,  they  turned  back  again  to  Jerusalem,  seeking  him. 

46  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  after  three  days  they  found  him  in  the 
temple,  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors,  ''both  hearing  them,  and 


A.  Ml  4000. 


6  Ex.  12.  14. 
Ex.  23.  14- 

17. 
Ex.  34.  23. 
Lev.  23.  5. 
Deut.  12.  5, 

7,11. 

Deut.  16.  1. 
1  Sam.  1.  3, 

21. 
"  Isa.  49. 1,  2. 
Isa.  60.  4. 


apocryphal  Gospels  pandered  to  the  vicious  taste 
of  that  class  of  Christians  for  which  they  were 
written.  What  a  contrast  to  these  are  our  Four 
Gospels,  whose  historical  chastity,  as  Olshausen 
well  says,  chiefly  discovers  their  divine  character. 
As  all  great  and  heroic  characters,  whether  of  an- 
cient or  of  modern  times,  have  furnished  glimpses 
in  early  life  of  their  commanding  future,  so  it  was 
meet,  ]ierhai3s,  that  something  of  this  nature 
should  distinguish  the  Youth  of  Jesus.  One 
incident  is  given:    one,  to  show  what  budding 

flory,  the  glory  of  the  Only  Begotten  of  the 
'ather,  lay  concealed  for  nearly  thirty  years 
under  a  lowly  Nazarene  roof ;  and  but  one,  that 
the  life  of  secret  preparation  and  patient  waiting 
for  public  work  might  not  draw  oflf  that  attention 
which  should  be  engrossed  with  the  work  itself, 
and  that  edification  might  be  imparted  rather 
than  curiosity  fed.  In  this  view  of  it,  let  us 
reverently  apjjroach  that  most  wonderful  scere,  of 
our  Lord's  first  visit  to  Jerusalem,  since  the  time 
that  He  was  carried  thither  a  Babe  hanging  upon 
His  mother's  breast. 

Fi7'st  Conscious  Visit  to  Jerusalem  (41-50). 
41.  Now  Ms  parents  went  [i-rropevovro] — 'were 
wont'  or,  'used  to  go'  to  Jerusalem  eveiy  year 
at  the  feast  of  the  passover.  Though  the  males 
only  were  required  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  at  the 
three  annual  festivals  (Exod.  xxiii.  14-17),  devout 
women,  when  family  duties  permitted,  went  also. 
8o  did  Hannah  (1  Sam.  i.  7),  and,  as  here  ap- 
pears, the  mother  of  Jesus.  42.  And  when  lie 
was  twelve  years  old,  they  went  up  to  Jerusalem 
after  the  custom  of  the  feast.  At  the  a^e  of 
twelve  every  Jewish  boy  was  styled  'a  son  of  the 
law  j'  being  then  put  under  a  course  of  instruction, 
and  trained  to  fasting  and  attendance  on  public 
worship,  besides  being  set  to  learn  a  trade.  About 
this  age  the  young  of  both  sexes  have  been  in  use 
to  appear  before  the  bishop  for  confirmation, 
where  this  rite  is  practised;  and  at  this  age,  in 
Scotland,  they  were  regarded  as  examinable  by  the 
minister  for  the  first  time— so  uniform  has  been 
the  view  of  the  Church,  both  Jewish  and  Christian, 
that  about  the  age  of  twelve  the  mind  is  capable 
of  a  higher  discipline  than  before.  At  this  age, 
then,  our  Lord  is  taken  up  for  the  first  time  to 
Jerusalem,  at  the  Passover-season,  the  chief  of  the 
three  annual  festivals.  But,  0,  with  what  thoughts 
and  feelings  must  this  Youth  have  gone  up !  Long 
ere  He  beheld  it.  He  had  doubtless  "loved  the 
habitation  of  God's  house,  and  the  place  where 
His  honour  dwelt "  (Ps.  xxvi.  8) ;  a  love  nourished, 
we  may  be  sure,  by  that  "word  hid  in  His  heart," 
with  which  in  after  life  He  showed  so  jjerfect  a 
familiarity.  As  the  time  for  His  first  visit  ap- 
proached, could  one's  ear  have  caught  the  breath- 
ings of  His  young  soul,  he  might  have  heard 
Him  whispering,  "As  the  hart  panteth  after  the 
water  brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after  Thee,  0 
God.  The  Lord  loveth  the  gates  of  Zion  more 
than  all  the  dweUings  of  Jacob.  I  was  glad  when 
2.'i2 


they  said  unto  me,  Let  us  go  into  the  house  of 
the  Lord.  Our  feet  shall  stand  within  thy  gates, 
O  Jerusalem" !  (Ps.  xlii.  1 ;  Ixxxvii.  2;  cxxii.  1,  2). 
On  catching  the  first  view  of  "the  city  of  their 
solemnities,"  and  high  above  all  in  it,  "the  place 
of  God's  rest,''  we  hear  Him  saying  to  Himself, 
"Beautiful  for  situation,  the  joy  of  the  whole 
earth,  is  Mount  Zion,  on  the  sides  of  the  north,  the 
city  of  the  great  King.  Out  of  Zion,  the  perfection 
of  beauty,  God  hath  shined"  (Ps.  xlviii.  2;  1.  2). 
Of  His  feelings  or  actions  during  all  the  seven 
days  of  the  feast,  not  a  word  is  said.  As 
a  devout  Child,  in  company  wdth  His  parents. 
He  would  go  through  the  services,  keeping  His 
thoughts  to  Himself;  but  methinks  I  hear  Him, 
after  the  sublime  services  of  that  feast,  saying 
to  Himself,  "He  brought  me  to  the  banquetirg 
house,  and  His  banner  over  me  was  love.  I  sat 
down  under  His  shadow  with  great  delight,  and 
His  fruit  was  sweet  to  my  taste"  (Song  ii.  3,  4). 

43.  And  when  they  had  fulfilled  the  days— the 
seven  days  of  the  festival ;  as  they  returned. 
Yes,  they  had  to  return.  For  if  the  duties  of 
life  must  give  place  to  worship,  worship  in  its  turn 
must  give  place  to  them.  Jerusalem  is  good  ;  but 
Nazareth  is  good  too.  Let  him  then  who  neglects 
the  one,  on  pretext  of  attending  to  the  other,  pon- 
der this  scene.  Work  and  Worship  serve  to 
relieve  each  other,  and  beautifully  alternate,  the 
child  Jesus  tarried  behind  in  Jerusalem;  and 
Joseph  and  his  mother  knew  not  of  it.  Accus- 
tomed to  the  discretion  and  obedience  of  the  lad, 
as  Olshausen  says,  they  might  be  throwoi  off  their 
guard.  44.  But  they,  supposing  him  to  have  been 
in  the  company  [ei/  tt;  o-ui-oota] — 'the  travelling- 
company,'  went  a  day's  journey;  and  they 
sought  him  among  their  kinsfolk  and  acquaint- 
ance. On  these  sacred  journeys  whole  villages 
and  districts  travelled  in  groujis  together,  partly 
for  protection,  partly  for  companv ;  and  as  the 
well-disposed  would  beguile  the  tecliousness  of  the 
way  by  good  discourse,  to  which  the  Child  Jesus 
would  be  no  silent  listener,  they  expect  to  find 
Him  in  such  a  group.  45.  And  when  they  found 
him  not,  they  turned  hack  again  to  Jerusalem, 
seeking  him.  46.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that 
after  three  days  they  found  him.  Do  you  in- 
quire how  he  subsisted  all  this  time?  I  do  not. 
This  is  one  of  those  impertinences  which  we 
should  avoid  indulging.  The  spurious  gospels, 
we  daresay,  would  teU  their  readers  all  that : 
how  everybody  vied  with  his  neighbour  who 
should  have  Him  to  keep,  and  how  angels  came 
and  fed  Him  with  nectar,  or  how  He  needed 
neither  food  nor  sleep,  and  so  on.  But  where 
God  has  dropt  the  veil,  let  us  not  seek  to  raise 
it.  Well,  they  found  Him.  Where?  Not  gazing 
on  the  architecture  of  the  sacred  metropolis, 
or  studying  its  forms  of  busy  life,  but  in  the 
temple — not  of  course  in  the  "sanctuary"  [t«5 
vaw\  as  in  ch.  L  9,  to  which  only  the  priests  had, 
access  (see  on  i\  27),  but  in  some  one  of  the  en- 


Jems  in  the  temple 


LUKE  11. 


questioning  with  the  doctors. 


47  asking  them  questions.     And  ''all  that  heard  him  were  astonished  at  his 

48  understanding  and  answers.     And  when  they  saw  him,  they  were  amazed : 
and  his  mother  said  unto  him,  Son,  why  hast  thou  thus  dealt  with  us? 

49  behold,  thy  father  and  I  have  sought  thee  sorrowing.     And  he  said  unto 
them.  How  is  it  that  ye  sought  me  ?  wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about 

50  *my  Father's  business?    And  -^they  understood  not  the  saying  which  he 
spake  unto  them. 

51  And  he  went  down  with  them,  and  came  to  Nazareth,  and  was  subject 
unto  them :  but  his  mother  ^kept  all  these  sayings  in  her  heart. 

52  And  Jesus  'increased  in  wisdom  and  ^stature,  and  in  favour  with  God 
and  man. 


A.  M.  4000. 


d  Matt.  7.  28. 

Mark  1.  22. 

John  r.  15. 
"  Matt.21.12. 

John  2.  16. 

John  4.  34. 

John  8.  29. 
/  Ch.  9.  45. 

ch.  18.  34. 
"  Gen.  37.  11. 

Dan.  7.  28. 
'i  1  Sam.  2.26. 
5  Or,  age. 


closures  around  it,  where  the  rabbins,  or  "doctors," 
taught  their  scholars,  sitting  in  tlie  midst  of  tlie 
doctors,  both  hearing  them,  and  asking  them 
questions.  The  method  of  question  and  answer 
was  the  customary  form  of  rabbinical  teaching; 
teacher  and  learner  becoming  by  turns  questioner 
and  answerer,  as  may  be  seen  from  their  extant 
works.  This  would  give  full  scope  for  all  that 
"  astonished  them  in  His  tinderstandini^  and 
answers."  Not  that  He  assumed  the  efface  of 
teaching^  "His  hour"  for  that  "was  not  yet 
come,"  and  His  furniture  for  that  was  not  com- 
plete; for  He  had  yet  to  "increase  in  wisdom"  as 
well  as  "stature"  (w.  52).  In  fact,  the  beauty  of 
Christ's  example  lies  very  much  in  His  never  at 
one  stage  of  His  life  anticipating  the  duties  of 
another.  All  would  be  in  the  style  and  manner  of 
a  learner,  "  oijening  His  mouth  and  panting — His 
soul  breaking  for  the  longing  that  it  had  unto 
God's  judgments  at  all  times,"  and  now  more  than 
ever  before,  when  finding  Himself  for  the  first 
time  in  His  Father's  house.  Still  there  would  be 
in  His  questions  far  more  than  in  their  answers; 
and,  if  we  may  take  the  frivolous  interrogatories 
with  which  they  afterwards  plied  Him — about  the 
woman  that  had  seven  husbands  and  such  like — as 
a  specimen  of  their  present  di'ivelling  questions, 
perhaps  we  shall  not  greatly  err,  if  we  suppose 
that  the  "questions,"  whichHenow  "asked  them" 
in  retm-n,  were  just  the  germs  of  those  pregnant 
questions  with  which  He  astonished  and  silenced 
them  in  after  years  : — "  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ? — 
Whose  Son  is  He  ?  If  David  call  him  Lord,  how 
is  he  then  his  son  ?" — "  Which  is  the  first  and  great 
commandment  ?" — "Who  is  my  neighbour?"  47. 
And  all  that  heard  him  were  astonished  at  his 
understanding  and  answers.  This  confirms  what 
we  have  said  above,  that  while  His  "  answers"  to 
their  questions  made  His  attitude  appear  through- 
out to  be  that  of  a  learner,  "His  understanding" 
peered  forth  to  the  amazement  of  all.  48.  And 
when  they  saw  him,  they  were  amazed :  and  his 
mother  said  unto  him,  Son,  why  hast  thou  thus 
dealt  with  us?  behold,  thy  father  and  I  have 
sought  thee  sorrowing.  Probably  this  was  said, 
not  before  the  group,  but  in  private.  49.  And  he 
said  unto  them,  How  is  It  that  ye  sought  me? 
wist  (knew)  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my 
Father's  business  [ei>  tois  tov  narpos  /xou]. 
These,  as  the  first  recorded  words  of  Christ, 
have  a  ijeculiar  interest,  over  and  above  their 
intrinsic  preciousness.  They  are  somewhat  ellip- 
tical The  meaning  may  be,  as  our  translators 
have  taken  it,  'about  my  Father's  affairs'  or  'busi- 
ness '  [sc.  Trpayixacnv].  So  Calvin,  Beza,  Mal- 
donat,  de  Wette,  Alford,  Stier,  van  Osterzee,  &c. 
Or  the  sense  may  be,  '  in  my  Father's  house '  [sc. 
oiiai/xacnv,  or  Swuacriv].  This  latter  shade  of  mean- 
ing, besides  being  the  primary  one,  includes  the 
former.  So  most  of  the  fathers  and  of  the  mo- 
derns, Erasmus,Grotius,  Bengel,  Olshausen,  Meyer, 
233 


Trench,  Webster  and  Wilkinson.  In  His  Father's 
house  Jesus  felt  Himself  at  home,  breathing  His 
own  proper  air,  and  His  words  convey  a  gentle 
rebuke  of  their  obtuseness  in  requiring  Him  to 
explain  this.  '  Once  here,  thought  ye  I  should  so 
readily  hasten  away?  Let  ordinary  worshippers 
be  content  to  keep  the  feast  and  be  gone ;  but  is 
this  all  ye  have  learnt  of  Me  ? '  Methinks  we  are 
here  let  into  the  holy  privacies  of  Nazareth ;  for 
sure  what  He  says  they  shoidd  have  known  He 
must  have  given  them  ground  to  know.  She  tells 
Him  of  the  sorrow  with  which  Jlis  father  and  she 
had  sought  Him.  He  speaks  of  7io  father  but  one, 
saying,  in  effect,  'My  Father  has  no<  been  seeking 
Me ;  I  have  been  with  Him  all  this  time;  the  King 
hath  brought  me  into  His  chambers :  His  left  hand 
is  under  my  head,  and  His  right  hand  doth  em- 
brace Me  (Song  i.  4 ;  ii.  6).  How  is  it  that  ye  do 
not  imderstand  (Mark  viii.  21)?'  50.  And  they 
understood  not  the  saying  which  he  spake  unto 
them.  Probably  He  had  never  said  so  much  to 
them,  and  so  they  were  confounded ;  though  it  was 
but  the  true  interpretation  of  many  things  which 
they  had  seen  and  lieard  from  Him  at  home.  We 
have  an  example  of  this  way  of  speaking  in  John 
xiv.  4,  5,  where  the  disciples  are  presumed  to 
know  more  than  had  been  told  them  in  so  many 
words. 

Return  to  Nazareth,  Subjection  to  His  Parents, 
and  gradual  Advancement  (51-52).  51.  And  he 
went  down  with  them,  and  came  to  Nazareth, 
and  was  subject  unto  them,  &c.  This  is  added 
lest  it  should  be  thought  that  He  now  threw  off 
the  filial  yoke,  and  became  henceforth  His  own 
master,  and  theirs  too.  The  marvel  of  such  con- 
descension as  this  verse  records  lies  in  its  coming 
after  such  a  scene,  and  such  an  assertion  of  His 
higher  Sonship;  and  the  words  are  evidently 
meant  to  convey  this,  but  his  mother  kept  all 
these  sajrings  in  her  heart.  N.B.  After  this  it 
will  be  observed  that  Joseph  entirely  disappears 
from  the  Sacred  Narrative.  Henceforth,  it  is 
always  "His  mother  and  His  brethren."  From 
this  it  is  inferred,  that  before  the  next  appearance 
of  our  Lord  in  the  History  Joseph  had  died. 
Having  now  served  the  double  end  of  bein^  the 
protector  of  our  Lord's  Virgin-mother,  and  afford- 
ing Himself  the  opportunity  of  presenting  a  match- 
less pattern  of  subjection  to  both  parents,  he  is 
silently  withdrawn  from  the  stage. 

52.  And  Jesus  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature. 
So  our  translators  have  rendered  the  word  {jtKlklo], 
with  Beza,  Orotiiis,  Bengel,  Meyer.  But  it  may 
be  rendered  'age';  and  so  the  Vulgate,  Erasmus, 
Calvin,  de  Wette,  Olshausen,  Alford,  Webster  and 
Wilkinson,  van  Osterzee,  and  the  best  interpreters, 
Probably  this  latter  idea  is  the  one  intended ;  as 
filling  up,  by  a  general  expression,  the  long  inter- 
val until  the  age  at  which  He  emerged  from  this 
mysterious  privacy,  and  in  favour  with  God  and 
man.    (See  on  v.  40.)    This  is  all  the  record  we 


Preacliing  and  baptism 


LUKE  III. 


of  John. 


3  NOW  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Tiberius  Cesar,  Pontius 
Pilate  being  governor  of  Judea,  and  Herod  being  tetrarch  of  Galilee,  and 
his  brother  Philip  tetrarch  of  Iturea  and  of  the  region  of  IVachonitis, 

2  and  Lysanias  the  tetrarch  of  Abilene,  Annas  "and  Caiaphas  being  the 
high  priests,  the  word  of  God  came  unto  John  the  son  of  Zacharias  in 
the  wilderness. 

3  And  *he  came  into  all  the  country  about  Jordan,  preaching  the  baptism 

4  of  repentance  "^for  the  remission  of  sins;  as  it  is  written  in  the  book  of 
the  words  of  Esaias  the  prophet,  saying,  '^The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the 
wilderness,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  his  paths  straight. 

5  Every  valley  shall  be  filled,  and  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be 
brought  low;  and  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the  rough 

6  ways  shall  he  made  smooth;  and  ""all  flesh  shall  see  the  salvation  of 

7  God.  Then  said  he  to  the  multitude  that  came  forth  to  be  baptized  of 
him,  -^0  generation  of  vipers,  who  hath  warned  you  to  flee  from  the 

8  wrath  to  come?  Bring  ^ forth  therefore  fraits  ^worthy  of  repentance, 
and  begin  not  to  say  within  yourselves,  We  have  Abraham  to  our 
father :  for  I  say  unto  you,  That  God  is  able  of  these  stones  to  raise 

9  up  children  unto  Abraham.     And  now  also  the  ax  is  laid  unto  the  root 


A.  D.  26. 


CHAP.  3. 
"  John  11.49. 

John  18.13. 

Acts  4.  6. 
»  Mai.  4.  6. 

Matt.  3.  1. 

Mark  1.  4. 

Acts  13.  24, 

Acts  19.  4. 
"  ch.  1.  77. 
d  Isa.  40.  3. 

Matt.  3.  3. 

Mark  1.  3. 

John  1.  23. 
"  Ps.  98.  2. 

Isa.  52. 10. 
/  Matt.  3.  7. 
"  Isa.  1.  16. 

Ezek.  18.27. 

Acts  26.  20. 

2  Cor.  7.  10. 

Heb.  6.  7. 
1  Or,  meet 

for. 


have  of  the  next  eighteen  years  of  that  wondrous 
life. 

Remarks.  —  1.  Those  who  love  the  habitation 
of  God's  house  and  the  place  where  His  honour 
dwelleth,  will  not  be  ready  to  take  advantage  of 
riei-mitted  absence  from  it,  but,  like  the  mother  of 
Jesus,  be  found  there  at  all  stated  seasons  when 
necessary  duties  allow.  2.  The  children  of  Chris- 
tian parents  are  the  children  of  the  Church ;  they 
should  be  early  taught  to  feel  this,  and — like  the 
Child  Jesus — trained  to  early  attendance  on  its 
public  ordinances  and  more  private  arrangements 
for  instruction  and  edification.  3.  One  of  the  most 
decisive  marks  of  early  piety  is  a  delight  in  the 
gates  of  Zion.  And  if  we  cannot  attain  to  all  that 
was  in  the  mind  of  Jesus,  when  in  language  so  re- 
markable He  gently  rebuked  His  earthly  i^arents 
for  their  anxiety  on  His  account  (v.  49),  let  us  im- 
bibe and  manifest  the  spirit  of  His  words.  4  Let 
us  realize  the  glorious  identity  with  ourselves  of 
the  Infant  Saviour,  the  Child,  the  Youth,  the  Man, 
Christ  Jesus.  5.  What  an  overpowering  Example 
of  filial  obedience  have  we  here !  That  the  Child 
Jesus,  so  long  as  He  xoas  a  Child,  should  be  sub- 
ject to  His  parents,  though  He  was  Lord  of  all,  is 
not  so  wonderful;  but  that  after  His  gloiy  broke 
forth  so  amazingly  in  his  Father's  house,  He  still 
"  went  doviTi  with  them  to  Nazareth,  and  was  sub- 
ject unto  them;"  continuing  so,  as  we  cannot  doubt, 
imtil,  at  the  appointed  time,  He  emerged  into 
public  life — this  is  that  marvel  of  filial  obedience 
which  even  angels  cannot  but  desire  to  look  into. 
6.  Is  it  asked  now  "that  holy  thing,"  which  was 
born  of  the  Virgin,  the  sinless  Seed  of  the  woman, 
could  increase  "in  wisdom,  and  in  favour  with  God 
and  man"?  This  is  but  to  ask  how  He  could 
become  an  Infant  of  days  at  all,  and  go  through 
the  successive  stages  of  human  life,  up  to  full- 
grown  manhood.  But  a  simple  illustration  may 
perhaps  aid  our  conceptions.  Suppose  a  number 
of  golden  vessels,  from  the  smallest  conceivable 
size  up  to  the  largest,  all  filled  to  the  brim  with 
pure  water,  clear  as  crystal,  so  full  that  the  least 
drop  added  to  any  one  of  them  would  make  it  to 
run  over.  Of  all  these  vessels  alike  it  may  be 
said  that  they  are  quite  full ;  and  yet  there 
is,  in  point  of  fact,  less  in  the  smallest  than  the 
largest,  and  each  of  them  has  less  in  it  than  in 
the  next  larger  one.  Such  was  Jesus.  The  golden 
vessels  of  all  tlifi'erent  sizes  are  His  human  nature 
2:^ 


at  each  successive  period  of  His  life  up  to  the  age  of 
thirty,  when  He  came  to  fuU  maturity ;  and  the 
crystal-clear  water  in  them  is  the  holy  excellences 
and  graces  with  which  He  was  filled.  He  was  never 
otherwise  than  full  of  these  to  the  whole  measure 
of  His  capacity.  His  understanding  was  ever  as  full 
as  it  could  hold  of  intelligence  and  wisdom ;  His 
heart  ever  as  full  as  it  could  hold  of  grace.  But 
as  it  could  hold  more  and  more  the  further  He 
advanced,  so  He  might  be  said  to  become  more 
and  more  lovely,  more  and  more  attractive,  as  He 
advanced,  and  so  to  "  increase  in  favour  with  God 
and  man. "  True,  the  favour  of  men  was  afterwards 
turned  into  frown  and  rage,  when  His  fidelity  irrita- 
ted their  corruption  and  dashed  their  expectations. 
But  at  this  early  period,  there  being  notliing  in  Him 
to  prejudice  them  against  Him,  His  ever-unfolding 
loveliness  could  not  fail  to  be  increasingly  attrac- 
tive to  all  who  observed  it.  6.  See  the  patience  of 
Jesus,  who,  though  doubtless  conscious  of  His  high 
destination,  yet  waited  thirty  years,  not  only  for 
the  entire  development  and  maturity  of  all  His 
powei"s  and  graces,  but  for  the  appointed  time  of 
His  public  appearance.  Not  so  Moses,  who,  burn- 
ing with  the  consciousness  of  his  divine  destination 
to  dehver  Israel,  waited  not  his  full  time  and  the 
manifest  call  to  act,  but  took  this  into  his  own 
hand,  and  was  punished  for  it  by  having  forty  years 
longer  to  wait,  far  from  the  scene  of  his  future 
work.  Yet  such  patient  waiting  has  unspeakable 
reliefs  and  consolations.  The  conviction  that  the 
best  things  ever  take  the  longest  to  come  to  matu- 
rity woiild  doubtless  minister  quiet  satisfaction. 
But  besides  this,  what  seasons  ot  tranqiul  medita- 
tion over  the  lively  oracles,  and  holy  fellowship 
with  His  Father ;  what  inlettings,  on  the  one  hancl, 
of  Light,  and  love,  and  power  from  on  high,  and  on 
the  other,  what  outgoings  of  filial  supplication,  free- 
dom, love,  joy,  and  what  glad  consecration  to  the 
work  before  Him,  would  these  last  eighteen  years 
of  His  private  life  embrace !  And  would  they  not 
"seem  out  a  few  days"  when  thus  spent,  however 
ardently  He  might  Ion"  to  be  more  directly  "about 
His  Father  s  business. 

CHAP.  III.  1-20. — Preaching,  Baptism,  and 
Imprisonment  of  John.  (=Matt.  iii.  1-12 ;  Mark 
i.  1-S.)    For  the  exposition,  see  on  Matt.  iii.  1-12. 

21,  22. — Baptism  of  Chrlst,  and  Descent  of 
THE  Spirit  upon  Him  immediately  there- 
after.    (=Matt.  iii.   13-17  j   Mark  L  9-11;  John 


Baptism  of  Christ 


LUKE  III. 


and  descent  of  the  Spirit. 


15 
IG 


17 


of  the  trees:  *  every  tree  therefore  which  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit 
is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire. 

And  the  people  asked  him,  saying,  Wliat  *  shall  we  do  then?  He 
answereth  and  saith  unto  them.  He  nhat  hath  two  coats,  let  hinl  impart 
to  him  that  hath  none;  and  he  that  hath  meat,  let  him  do  likewise. 
Then  ^'came  also  publicans  to  be  baptized,  and  said  unto  him,  Master, 
what  shall  we  do?  And  he  said  unto  them,  'Exact  no  more  than  that 
14  which  is  appointed  you.  And  the  soldiers  likewise  demanded  of  him, 
saying.  And  what  shall  we  do?  And  he  said  unto  them,  "Do  violence 
to  no  man,  "'neither  accuse  any  falsely;  and  be  content  with  your 
^  wages. 

And  as  the  people  were  ^in  expectation,  and  all  men  ^  mused  in  their 
hearts  of  John,  whether  he  were  the  Christ,  or  not ;  John  answered, 
saying  unto  them  all,  I  "indeed  baptize  you  with  water;  but  one  mightier 
than  I  cometh,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose : 
he  shall  baptize  you  with  "the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire:  whose  fan  is 
in  his  hand,  and  he  will  throughly  purge  his  floor,  and  ^'will  gather  the 
wheat  into  his  garner ;  but  the  chaff  he  will  burn  with  fire  unquenchable. 

18  And  many  other  things  in  his  exhortation  preached  he  unto  the  people. 

19  But  *  Herod  the  tetrarch,  being  reproved  by  him  for   Herodias   his 

20  brother  Phihp's  wife,  and  for  all  the  evils  which  Herod  had  done,  added 
yet  this  above  all,  that  he  shut  up  John  in  prison. 

Now  when  all  the  people  were  baptized,  ''it  came  to  pass,  that  Jesus 
also  being  baptized,  and  praying,  the  heaven  was  opened,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  descended  in  a  bodily  shape  like  a  dove  upon  him,  and  a  voice 
came  ^from  heaven,  which  said,  Thou  art  my  beloved  Son;  in  thee  I 
am  well  pleased. 

And  Jesus  himself  began  to  be  'about  thirty  years  of  age,  being  (as 

24  was  supposed)  the  "son  of  Joseph,  which  was  the  ^son  of  Heli,  which  was 
the  son  of  Matthat,  which  was  the  son  of  Levi,  which  was  the  son  of 

25  Melchi,  which  was  the  son  of  Janna,  which  was  the  son  of  Joseph,  which 
was  the  son  of  Mattathias,  which  was  the  son  of  Amos,  which  was  the  son 

26  of  Naum,  which  was  the  son  of  Esli,  which  was  the  son  of  Nagge,  which 
was  the  son  of  Maath,  wliich  was  the  son  of  Mattathias,  which  was  the  son 

27  of  Semei,  which  was  the  son  of  Joseph,  which  was  the  son  of  Juda,  which 
was  the  son  of  Joanna,  which  was  the  son  of  Rhesa,  which  was  the  son  of 

•  "Zorobabel,  which  was  the  son  of  Salathiel,  which  was  the  son  of  Neri, 

28  which  was  the  son  of  Melchi,  which  was  the  son  of  Addi,  which  was  the 
son  of  Cosam,  which  was  the  son  of  Elmodam,  which  was  the  son  of  Er, 


21 

22 


23 


A.  D.  26. 


''  Matt.  7. 19. 

Johm5.'J,6. 
«  Acts  2.  37. 
i  2  Cor.  8. 14. 

iTim.en. 

Jas.  2.  15. 

iJohnS.l". 

*  Matt.21.32. 
'  Mic.  6.  8. 

ch.  19.  8. 

2  Or,  put  no 
man  in 
fear. 

"'Ex.  23.  1. 
Lev.  19.  11. 

3  Or, 
allowance. 

*  Or.  in 
suspense. 

5  Or,  rea- 
soned, or, 
debated. 

"  Matt.  3.  U. 
°  1  Cor.  12. 13. 
P  Mic.  4.  12. 
a  Fro.  28.  15, 
16. 

Matt.  11.2. 

Matt.  14.  3. 

Mark  6.  17. 
'■  Matt.  3. 13. 

John  1.  32. 

"  2  Pet.  1. 17. 

t  Num.  4.  3, 

35,  39,  47. 

"  Matt.  13.55. 

John  6. 42. 

6  Son-in-law. 

7  It  is  un- 
certain 
whether 
Zorobabel 
and  Sala- 
thiel are 
the  same 
as  those 
mentioned 
in  Matt.  i. 
12, 13,  and 
1  Chr.  3. 17, 
19. 


i.  31-34.)  Tor  the  exposition,  see  ou  Matt.  iii. 
13-17. 

2:3-38.— Genealogy  of  Christ.  (  =  Matt.  L 
1-18.) 

23.  And  Jesus  himself  began  to  be  about 
thirty  years  of  age  [cuo-el  e-rwi/  TpianovTa  apxo 
/uei/os] — or,  'was  about  entering  on  His  thirtieth 
year.'  So  our  translators  have  taken  the  word, 
and  so  Calma,  Beza,  Bloomfield,  Webster  and  Wil- 
Miison ;  but  '  was  about  thirty  years  of  age  when 
He  began  [His  ministry]'  makes  better  Greek,  and 
is  probably  the  true  sense.  So  Benr/el,  Olshausen, 
de  Wette,  Meyer,  Alford,  &c.  At  this  age  the 
priests  entered  on  their  office  (Num.  iv.  3),  and  the 
commencement  of  the  ministry  both  of  our  Lord 
and  His  Forerunner  appears  to  have  been  fixed  on 
this  principle,  being  (as  was  supposed)  the  son 
of  Joseph.  By  this  expression  the  Evangelist  re- 
minds his  readers  of  His  miraculous  conception  by 
the  Virgin,  and  His  being  thus  only  the  legal  son 
of  Joseph,  which  was  the  son  of  Heli,  &c.  Have 
we  in  this  genealogical  table  the  line  of  Joseph 
again,  as  in  Matthew:  or  is  this  the  line  of  Mary? 
233 


—a  point  on  which  there  has  been  great  difference 
of  opinion  and  much  acute  discussion.  Those  who 
take  the  foriner  opinion  contend  that  it  is  the  na- 
tural sense  of  this  verse,  and  that  no  other  would 
have  been  thought  of  but  for  its  supposed  impro- 
bability and  the  uncertainty  which  it  seems  to 
throw  over  our  Lord's  real  descent.  But  it  is  liable 
to  another  difficulty,  viz. ,  that  in  this  case  Matthew 
makes  "  Jacob"  while  Luke  makes  "Heli"  to  be 
Joseph's  father ;  and  though  the  same  ]ierson  had 
often  more  than  one  name,  we  ought  not  to  resort 
to  that  supposition,  in  such  a  case  as  this,  without 
necessity.  And  then,  though  the  descent  of  Mary 
from  David  would  be  liable  to  no  real  doubt,  even 
though  we  had  no  table  of  her  line  preserved  to  us 
(see,  for  example,  ch.  i.  32,  and  on  ch.  ii.  4),  still  it 
does  seem  unlikely — we  say  not  iucrediljle— that 
two  genealogies  of  our  Lord  should  be  xireserved 
to  us,  neither  of  which  gives  his  real  descent. 
Those  who  take  the  latter  opinion,  that  we  have  here 
the  line  of  Mary,  as  in  Matthew  that  of  Joseph — 
here  his  real,  there  his  reputed  line— explain  the 
statement  about  Josciih,  that  he  was  "  the  son  of 


Genealogy  of  Christ. 


LUKE  IV. 


Temptation  of  Christ. 


29  which  was  the  son  of  Jose,  which  was  the  son  of  Eliezer,  which  was  the  son 

30  of  Jorim,  which  was  the  son  of  Matthat,  which  was  the  son  of  Levi,  which 
was  the  son  of  Simeon,  which  was  the  son  of  Juda,  which  was  the  son  of 

31  Joseph,  which  was  the  son  of  Jonan,  which  was  the  son  of  Ehakim,  which 
was  the  son  of  Melea,  which  was  the  son  of  Menan,  which  was  the  son  of 
Mattatha,  which  was  the  son  of  '"Nathan,  which  ^"was  the  son  of  David, 

32  which  ^was  the  son  of  Jesse,  which  was  the  son  of  Obed,  which  was  t^e  son 
of  Booz,  which  was  the  son  of  Salmon,  which  was  the  son  of  Naasson, 

33  which  was  the  son  of  Aminadab,  which  was  the  son  of  Aram,  which  was 
the  son  of  Esrom,  which  was  the  son  of  Phares,  which  was  the  son  of  Juda, 

34  which  was  the  son  of  Jacob,  which  was  the  son  of  Isaac,  which  was  the  son 
of  Abraham,  ^  which  was  the  son  of  Thara,  which  was  the  son  of  Nachor, 

35  which  was  the  son  of  Saruch,  which  was  the  son  of  Ragau,  wliich  was  the 
son  of  Phalec,  which  was  the  son  of  Heber,  which  was  the  son  of  Sala, 

36  which  ^was  the  son  of  Cainan,  which  was  the  son  of  Arphaxad,  "which 
was  the  son  of  Sem,  which  was  the  son  of  Noe,  which  was  the  son  of 

37  Lamech,  which  was  the  son  of  Mathusala,  which  was  the  son  of  Enoch, 
which  was  the  son  of  Jared,  which  was  the  son  of  Maleleel,  which  was  the 

38  son  of  Cainan,  which  was  the  son  of  Enos,  which  was  the  son  of  Seth, 
which  was  the  son  of  Adam,  ^  which  was  the  son  of  God. 

4      AND  '^ Jesus,  being  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  returned  from  Jordan,  and 

2  ^was  led  by  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness,  being  forty  days  ''tempted 
of  the  devil.     And  '^in  those  days  he  did  eat  nothing:  and  when  they 

3  were  ended,  he  afterward  hungered.     And  the  devil  said  unto  him,  If 
thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  command  this  stone  that  it  be  made  bread. 

4  And  Jesus  answered  him,  saying,  ^It  is  written,  That  man  shall  not  live 

5  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  of  God.     And  the  devil,  taking  him 
up  into  an  high  mountain,  showed  unto  him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 

6  world  in  a  moment  of  time.     And  the  devil  said  unto  him,  All  this 
power  will  I  give  thee,  and  the  glory  of  them :  for  -^that  is  delivered  unto 

7  me;  and  to  whomsoever  I  will  1  give  it.     If  thou  therefore  wilt  ^worship 

8  me,  all  shall  be  thine.     And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Get  thee 
behind  me,  Satan :  ^for  it  is  written,  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy 

9  God,  and  him  only  shalt  thou  serve.    And  ''he  brought  him  to  Jerusalem, 
and  set  him  on  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  and  said  unto  him.  If  thou  be 

10  the  Son  of  God,  cast  Hhyself  down  from  hence:  for  •'it  is  written.  He 

1 1  shall  give  his  angels  charge  over  thee,  to  keep  thee ;  and  in  their  hands 
they  shall  bear  thee  up,  lest  at  any  time  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a 


A.  D.  30. 


"  Zee.  12. 12. 

■"2  Sam.  5.14. 

1  Chr.  3.  8. 

*  Ruth  4.  18 
lSam.17.58. 
1  Chr.  2. 10. 
Ps.  n.  20. 
Isa.  11. 1, 2. 
Matt.  1.3-6. 
Acts  13.  22, 

23. 
y  Gen.  11.  24. 
26. 

*  Gen.  11.  12. 
»  Gen.  5.  6. 

Gen.  11.  10. 
<>  Gen.  1.  26, 
27. 

Gen.  2.  7. 
Gen.  6. 1, 2i 
Isa.  64.  8. 


CHAP.  4. 
«  Isa  11.  2. 

Isa.  61.  L 

Matt.  4. 1. 

Mark  1.  12l 

John  1.  33. 

John  3.  31 
<>  ch.  2.  27. 
°  Gen.  3.  15. 

Heb.  2.  1&. 

Heb.  4 15, 
d  Ex.  3t  28. 

1  Ki.  19.  &. 
«  Dent.  8.  3. 

Eph.  6.  17. 
/  John  12  31. 

John  14.30. 

Eev.  13.2,7. 
1  Or,  faU 

down  be- 
fore me. 
»  Deut.  6.  13. 

Deut.  10.20. 
h  Matt.  4.  5. 
»  Matt.  8.  2». 

Eom.  1.  4. 

1  Pet.  5.  8. 
i  Ps.  91. 11. 


Heli,"  to  mean  that  he  was  his  son-in-law,  as  being 
the  husband  of  his  daughter  Mary  (so  in  Ruth  i. 
11,  12),  and  believe  that  Joseph's  name  is  only  in- 
troduced instead  of  Mary's,  in  conformity  with 
the  Jewish  custom  in  such  tables.  Perhaps  this 
view  is  attended  with  fewest  difficulties,  as  it  cer- 
tainly is  the  best  supported.  However  we  decide, 
it  is  a  satisfaction  to  know  that  not  a  doubt  was 
thrown  out  by  the  bitterest  of  the  early  enemies 
of  Christianity  as  to  our  LordJs  real  descent^  from 
David.  On  comparing  the  two  genealogies,  it  will 
be  observed  that  Matthew,  writing  more  imme- 
diately for  Jews,  deemed  it  enough  to  show 
that  the  Saviour  was  sprung  from  Abraham 
and  David;  whereas  Luke,  writing  more  im- 
mediately for  Gentiles,  traces  the  descent  back 
to  Adam,  the  parent  stock  of  the  whole  human 
family,  thus  showtag  Him  to  be  the  promised 
"Seed  of  the  woman."  Without  going  into  the 
various  questions  raised  by  this  and  the  corre- 
sponding genealogical  line  in  the  First  Gospel,  we 
merely  quote  the  following  striking  remarks  of 
Olshausen . — '  The  possibility  of  constructing  such 
a  table,  comprising  a  period  of  thousands  of  years, 
236 


in  an  uninterrupted  line  from  father  to  son,  of  a 
family  that  dwelt  for  a  long  time  in  the  utmost  re- 
tirement, would  be  inexplicable,  had  not  the  mem- 
bers of  this  line  been  endowed  with  a  thread  by 
which  they  could  extricate  themselves  from  the 
many  families  into  which  every  tribe  and  branch 
was  again  subdivided,  and  thus  hold  fast  and 
know  the  member  that  was  destined  to  continue 
the  lineage.  This  thread  was  the  hope  that  Mes- 
siah would  be  born  of  the  race  of  Abraham  and 
David.  The  ardent  desire  to  behold  Him  and  be 
partakers  of  His  mercy  and  glory  suffered  not  the 
attention  to  be  exhausted  through  a  period  em- 
bracing thousands  of  years.  Thus  the  member 
destined  to  continue  the  lineage,  whenever  doubt- 
ful, became  easily  distinguishable,  awakening  the 
hope  of  a  final  fulfilment,  and  keeping  it  alive 
until  it  was  consummated.' 

For  general  Remarks  on  this  Section,  see  on 
Matt.  i.  1-17,  Remarks  1  and  2. 

CHAP.  IV.  1-15.— Temptation  of  Cheist— 
Beginning  of  His  Galilean  Ministry.  ( = Matt, 
iv.  1-25 ;  Mark  i  12-20,  35-39. )  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Matt.  iv.  1-25,  and  Mark  L  35-39. 


Beginning  of 


LUKE  IV. 


Christ's  Galilean  ministry. 


12  stone.     And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him,  It  *-"is  said,  Thou  shalt  not 

13  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God.      And  when  the  devil  had  ended  all  the 
temptation,  he  'departed  from  him  "'for  a  season. 

14  And  "'Jesus  returned  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit  into  "Galilee:  and 

15  there  went  out  a  fame  of  him  through  all  the  region  round  about.     And 
he  taught  in  their  synagogues,  being  ^glorified  of  all. 

16  And  he  came  to  *  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been  brought  up:  and,  as 
his  custom  was,  'he  went  into  the  synagogue  on  the  sabbath  day,  and 


A.  p.  30. 

*  Deut  6.  IC. 
'  Jas.  4.  7. 
"'John  14.30. 
"  Matt.  4. 12. 
»  Acts  10.  SI. 
P  Isa.  52.  13. 
9  Matt.  2.  23. 

Mark  6.  l. 
»■  Acts  13.  14. 


16-30.  —  Christ's  Rejection  at  Nazareth. 
(=  Matt.  xiii.  54-58;  Markvi.  1-6.)  As  observed  on 
Matt.  iv.  13,  the  prevalent  opinion  has  always 
been  that  our  Lorcl  piid  two  visits  to  Nazareth : 
the  first  being  that  recorded  here ;  the  second  that 
recorded  in  Matt.  xiii.  54-58,  and  Mark  vi.  1-6. 
This  is  maintained  on  the  following  grounds: — 
First,  The  most  natural  sense  of  the  words  in 
Matt.  iv.  13,  "And  leaving  Nazareth,  He  came 
down  and  dwelt  in  Capernaum,"  is  that  He  then 
paid  a  visit  to  it,  though  the  particulars  of  it  are 
not  given.  In  this  case  the  visit  recorded  in  ch. 
xiii.  54-58  must  be  a  second  visit.  Next  the  visit 
recorded  in  Luke  bears  on  its  face  to  have  been 
made  at  the  outset  of  our  Lord's  ministry,  if  not 
the  very  hi-st  opening  of  it;  whereas  that  recorded 
in  Matt.  xiii.  and  in  Mark  vi.  is  evidently  one  paid 
at  a  somewhat  advanced  period  of  His  ministry. 
Further,  at  the  visit  recorded  by  Luke,  our  Lord 
appears  to  have  wrought  no  miracles  ;  whereas  it  is 
expressly  said  that  at  the  visit  recorded  in  Mark 
He  did  work  some  miracles.  Once  more  it  is 
alleged  of  the  wonder  expressed  by  the  Nazarenes 
at  our  Lord's  teaching,  that  the  language  is  notice- 
ably different  in  Luke  and  in  Mark.  In  reply  to 
this,  we  observe :  First,  That  as  none  of  the  Evan- 
gelists record  more  than  one  public  visit  to  Naza- 
reth, so  we  have  shown  in  our  exposition  of  Matt, 
iv.  13,  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  infer  from  that 
verse  that  our  Lord  actually  visited  Nazareth  at 
that  time.  Thus  are  we  left  free  to  decide  the  ques- 
tion— of  one  or  two  visits — on  internal  evidence 
alone.  Secondly,  The  unparalleled  violence  with 
which  the  Nazarenes  treated  our  Lord,  at  the  visit 
recorded  by  Luke,  suits  far  better  with  a  somewhat 
advanced  period  of  His  ministry  than  with  the 
very  opening  scene  of  it,  or  any  very  near  its  com- 
mencement. Thirdly,  The  visit,  accordingly,  re- 
corded by  Luke,  though  it  reads  at  first  like  the 
opening  scene  of  our  Lord's  ministry,  gives  evi- 
dence, on  closer  inspection,  of  its  having  occurred 
at  a  somewhat  advanced  period.  The  challenge 
which  they  would  be  ready  to  throw  out  to 
Him,  and  which  He  here  meets,  was  that  He 
ought  to  ivork  among  His  Nazarene  towmmen 
as  wonderful  mirachs  as  had  made  His  etay 
at  Ca2}ernaum  so  illustrious.  Does  not  this  prove 
not  only  that  His  ministry  did  not  begin  at  Naza- 
reth, but  that  He  had  stayed  so  long  away  from 
it  after  His  public  ministry  began,  that  the  Naza- 
renes were  irritated  at  the  slight  thus  put  upon 
them,  and  M'ould  l)e  ready  to  insinuate  that  He 
was  afraid  to  face  them?  Fourthly,  Supposing  our 
Lord  to  have  framed  His  own  procedure  according 
to  the  instructions  which  He  gave  to  His  disciples 
—"Give  not  that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs, 
neither  cast  ye  your  pearls  before  swine;"  and 
"When  they  persecute  you  in  one  city,  flee  ye 
into  another"  (Matt.  vii.  6;  x.  23)— it  is  in  the 
last  degree  improbable  that  He  would  again  ex- 
pose Himself  to  those  who  had,  at  a  former  visit, 
rushed  upon  Him  and  thrust  Him  out  of  their 
city,  and  attempted  to  hurl  Him  down  a  preci- 
pice to  kill  Him ;  and  though,  if  recorded,  it  is 
of  course  to  be  believed,  the  evidence  of  the 
237 


fact  would  require  to  be  much  clearer  than  we 
think  it  is  to  warrant  the  conclusion  that  He 
actually  did  so.  Fifthly,  If  oui-  Lord  did  pay  a 
second  public  visit  to  Nazareth,  we  might  expect, 
in  the  record  of  it,  some  allusion  to  the  fii'st ;  or, 
if  that  be  not  necessary,  it  is  surely  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  impression  made  upon  the 
Nazarenes,  and  the  observations  that  fell  from 
them  would  differ  somewhat  at  least  from 
those  produced  by  the  first  visit.  But,  instead  of 
this,  not  only  do  we  find  the  impression  produced 
ui^on  them  by  the  visit  recorded  by  Matthew  (xiiL ) 
and  by  Mark  (vi. ),  to  be  just  what  might  have  been 
expected  from  such  a  people  on  hearing  Him  for 
the  first  time;  but  we  find  their  remarks  to  be  iden- 
tical with  those  recorded  by  Luke  as  made  at  his 
visit.  Who  can  readily  believe  this  of  two  distinct 
visits  ?  Can  anything  be  more  unnatural  than  to 
suppose  that  after  these  Nazarenes  had  attempted 
the  life  of  our  Lord,  and  been  disai)poiuted  of  their 
object  at  one  visit,  they  should  at  a  subsequent 
one  express  their  surpiise  at  His  teaching  pre- 
cisely in  the  terms  they  had  before  employed,  and 
just  as  if  they  had  never  heard  him  before?  As 
for  the  attempts  to  show  that  the  questions  are 
not  put  so  strongly  in  Matthew  and  Mark,  as 
they  are  in  Luke  (see  Birks'  "Horre  EvangeUcas"), 
it  is  astonishing  to  us  that  this  should  be  urged — 
so  devoid  of  all  plausibility  does  it  appear.  The 
one  argument  of  real  force  in  favour  of  two  visits 
is,  that  at  the  visit  recorded  by  Mark  (which  is 
the  same  as  that  of  Matthew)  our  Lord  is  ex- 
pressly said  to  have  wrought  miracles,  while  it 
would  seem  that  at  that  of  Luke  He  wi'ought 
none.  But  the  very  way  in  wliich  Mark  re- 
cords those  miracles  suggests  its  own  explana- 
tion: "  He  could  there  do  no  mighty  work" 
{&vvaixiv\,  or,  "i/e  could  there  do  no  miracle, 
save  that  He  laid  His  hands  upon  a  few  sick  folk, 
and  healed  them"  (Mark  \i.  5)— suggesting  that 
the  unbelief  of  the  Nazarenes  tied  up  His  hands, 
so  to  speak,  from  any  display  of  His  miraculous 
power.  But  as  that  unbelief  evidently  refers  to 
what  was  displayed  in  jmldlc,  so  the  inability  is 
clearly  an  inability,  in  the  face  of  that  unbelief,  to 
give  any  manifestation  in  the  synagogue,  or  in 
public,  of  His  miraculous  power,  as  He  did  in  the 
synagogue  of  Capernaum  and  elsewhere.  Hence 
His  laying  His  hands  on  a  few  sick  folk,"  being 
expressly  recorded  as  exceptional,  had  been  doue 
in  private,  and  in  all  likelihood  before  His  public 
ajipearauce  in  the  synagogue  had  kindled  the 
popular  rage,  and  made  it  impossible.  If  this  be 
correct,  the  demand  of  the  Nazarenes  for  miracles 
and  our  Lord's  refusal  of  them,  as  recorded  by  Luke, 
is  quite  consistent  with  the  statement  of  what  He 
wrought  as  given  in  Mark.  A  striking  coufii'ma- 
tion  of  the  conclusion  we  have  fornied  on  this 
question  will  be  found  in  the  exposition  of  John 
IV.  43,  44,  and  Remark  1  at  the  close  of  that 
Section. 

16.  And  he  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had 
been  brought  up,  and,  as  his  custom  was  [Kwra  xd 
eiwdbi  au-ro)]— compare  Acts  xvii.  2,  he  went  into 
the  synagogue  on  the  sabbath  day,  and  stood  up 


The  people  of  Nazareth 


LUKE  IV.  admire  Christ's  gracious  words. 


17  stood  up  for  to  read.  And  there  was  delivered  unto  him  the  book  of  the 
prophet  Esaias.     And  when  he  had  opened  the  book,  he  found  the  place 

18  where  it  was  written,  The  *  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he 
hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor ;  he  hath  sent  me 
to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and 

19  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to 

20  preach  the  ^acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.  And  he  closed  the  book,  and 
he  gave  it  again  to  the  minister,  and  sat  down.  And  the  eyes  of  all 
them  that  were  in  the  synagogue  were  fastened  on  him.  And  he  began 
to  say  unto  them.  This  day  is  this  scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears.  And 
all  bare  him  witness,  and  "wondered  at  the  gracious  words  which  pro- 
ceeded out  of  his  mouth.  And  they  said.  Is  ^not  this  Joseph's  son? 
And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  will  surely  say  unto  me  this  proverb, 
Physician,  heal  thyself:  whatsoever  we  have  heard  done  in  '"Capernaum, 
do  also  here  in  ^thy  country.     And  he  said.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  No 


21 

99 


23 


24 


A.  D.  30. 


•  Ps.  45.  7. 

Isa.  11.  2-5. 

Isa.  42.  1. 

Isa.  £0.  4. 

Isa.  59.  21. 

Dan.  9.  24. 
t  Lev.  25.  8. 

2  Cor.  6.  2. 
"  Ps.  45.  2. 

Pro.  10.  32. 

Matt.  13. 64. 

Mark  6.  2. 

ch.  2.  47. 
"  John  6.  42. 
*"  Matt.  4. 13. 

Matt.  11.  W. 
"  Matt.  13.54. 

Mark  6.  1. 


for  to  read.  Does  this  read  like  the  oxiening  of  our 
Lord's  public  ministry?  Does  it  not  expressly  tell 
us,  on  the  contrary,  that  His  ministry  had  already 
continued  long  enough  to  acquire  a  certain  uni- 
formity of  procedure  on  the  Sabbath  days?  As 
others  besides  Eabbins  were  allowed  to  address 
the  congregation  (see  Acts  xiii.  15),  our  Lord  took 
advantage  of  that  liberty.  17.  And  there  was 
delivered  unto  him  the  hook  of  the  prophet  Esaias. 
And  when  he  had  opened  the  hook,  he  found  the 
place  where  it  was  written  (Isa.  bci.  1,  2).  There 
is  no  sufficient  ground  for  supposing  that  our  Lord 
fixed  upon  t\\e  portion  for  the  day.  The  language 
used  rather  implies  the  contrary — that  it  was  a 
portion  selected  by  Himself  for  the  occasion.  18. 
The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  toecause— or 
'  inasmuch  as'  [o5  'eveK€v\ — he  hath  anointed  me 
to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor;  he  hath  sent  me 
to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliverance 
to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the 
blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised, 
19.  To  preach  the  acceptable— or  'accepted'  [to 
(i6KT(Ji;]— year  of  the  Lord.  To  have  hxed  on  any 
pi  irtion  relating  to  His  sufferings  (as  Isa.  liii. )  would 
have  been  unsuitable  at  that  early  stage  of  His 
ministry.  But  He  selects  a  passage  announcing 
the  sublime  object  of  His  whole  mission,  its  Divine 
character,  and  His  special  endowments  for  it ;  ex- 
pressed in  the  first  i^erson,  and  so  singularly  adapted 
to  the  first  openiug  of  the  mouth  in  His  prophetic 
capacity,  that  it  seems  as  if  made  expressly  for  the 
occasion  when  He  first  opened  His  mouth  where 
He  had  been  brought  up.  It  is  from  the  well- 
known  section  of  Isaiah's  prophecies  whose  burden 
is  that  mysterious  "Servant  of  the  Lord"  p?}' 
•^^i^."),  despised  of  man,  abhorred  of  the  nation,  but 
before  whom  kings  on  seeing  Him  are  to  arise,  and 
princes  to  worship;  in  visage  more  marred  than 
any  man,  and  his  form  than  the  sons  of  men,  yet 
sprinkling  many  nations ;  labouring  seemingly  in 
vain,  and  spending  His  strength  for  nought  and  in 
vain,  yet  Jehovah's  .Servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes 
of  Jacob,  and  be  His  Salvation  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth,  (Isa.  xlix.,  &c.)  The  quotation  is  chiefly 
from  the  Septuagiut  version,  used,  it  would 
seem,  in  the  synagogues,  acceptable  year— an 
allusion  to  the  Jubilee  year  (Lev.  xxv.  10),  a 
year  of  universal  release  for  person  and  pro- 
perty. See  also  Isa.  xlix.  8;  2  Cor.  vi.  2.  As 
the  maladies  under  which  humanity  gi-oans  are 
here  set  forth  under  the  names  of  poverty, 
broken-heartedness,  bondage,  blindness,  bruisedness, 
(or  crvshedness),  so  Christ  announces  Himself,,  in 
the  act  of  reading  it,  as  the  glorious  Healer  of  all 
these  maladies;  stopping  the  quotation  just  before 
it  comes  to  "the  day  of  vengeance,"  which  was 

2;^ 


only  to  come  on  the  rejecters  of  His  message 
( John  iii.  17).  The  first  words,  "The  Spirit  oi 
THE  Lord  is  upon  Me,"  have  been  noticed  since 
the  days  of  the  Church  Fathers,  as  an  illustrious 
example  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  being 
exhibited  as  in  distinct  yet  harmonious  action  in 
the  scheme  of  salvation.  20.  And  he  closed  the 
book,  and  he  gave  it  again  to  the  minister— the 
C'hazan  or  synagogue-officer.  And  the  eyes  of  all 
them  that  were  in  the  synagogue  were  fastened 
on  him — astoimded  at  His  putting  in  such  Mes- 
sianic claims ;  for  that,  they  saw,  was  what  He 
meant.  21.  And  he  began  to  say  unto  them— 
language  implying  that  only  the  substance,  or 
even  the  general  drift,  of  His  address  is  here 
given.  This  day  is  this  scripture  fulfilled  in 
your  ears.  The  Evangelist  means  to  say  in  a 
word,  that  His  whole  address  was  just  a  de- 
tailed application  to  Himself  of  this,  and  per- 
haps other  like  prophecies.  22.  And  all  bare  him 
witness,  and  wondered  at  the  gracious  words 
which  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth  [eirl  -roTs 
\6yoii  Til's  xajOiTo?] — '  the  words  of  grace,'  referring 
to  the  richness  of  His  matter  and  the  sweetness  of 
his  manner  (Ps.  xlv.  2).  And  they  said,  Is  not  this 
Joseph's  son  ?  See  on  Matt.  xiii.  54-56.  They  knew 
He  had  received  no  rabbinical  education,  and 
could  not  imagine  how  one  who  had  gone  in  and 
out  amongst  them,  as  one  of  themselves,  during 
all  his  boyhood  and  youth,  up  to  within  a  shoit 
time  before,  could  he  the  predicted  Ser\\aut 
of  the  Lord  who  was  to  speak  comfort  to  all 
mourners,  to  bring  healing  tor  all  human  mala- 
dies, and  be,  in  fact,  the  Consolation  of  Israel. 
23.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  will  surely  {iravrw^'] 
—'Ye  will  no  doubt'  say  unto  me  this  proverb, 
Physician,  heal  thyself — not  unlike  our  proverb, 
'  Charity  begins  at  home.'  whatsoever  we  have 
heard  done  in  Capernaum,  do  also  here  in  thy 
country.  '  Strange  rumours  have  reached  our  ears 
of  thy  doings  at  Capernaum ;  but  if  such  power  re- 
sides in  thee  to  cure  the  ills  of  humanity,  why  has 
none  of  it  yet  come  nearer  home,  and  why  is  all 
this  alleged  power  reserved  for  strangers?'  His 
choice  of  Capernaimi  as  a  place  of  residence  since 
entering  on  public  life  was,  it  seems,  already  well 
known  at  Nazareth ;  and  when  He  did  come 
thither,  that  he  should  give  no  displays  of  his 
power  when  distant  places  were  ringing  with 
His  fame  wounded  their  pride.  He  had  in- 
deed "laid  His  hands  on  a  few  sick  folk,  and 
healed  them"  (Mark  vi.  6);  but  this,  as  we  have 
said,  seems  to  have  been  done  quite  privately^ 
the  general  unbelief  precluding  anything  more 
open.  24.  And  he  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you. 
No    prophet    is  accepted  in  his   own   country, 


Afterwards,  being  offended  at  Him,     LUKE  IVr 


they  seelc  to  kill  Him. 


25  prophet  ^is  accepted  in  his  own  country.  But  I  tell  you  of  a  truth, 
^many  widows  were  in  Israel  in  the  days  of  Elias,  when  the  heaven  was 
shut  up  three  years  and  six  months,  when  great  famine  was  throughout 

26  all  the  land ;  but  unto  none  of  them  was  Elias  sent,  save  unto  Sarepta, 

27  a  cit?/  of  Sidon,  unto  a  woman  that  teas  a  widow.  And  "many  lepers 
were  in  Israel  in  the  time  of  Eliseus  the  prophet ;  and  none  of  them  was 
cleansed,  saving  Naaman  the  Syrian. 

28  And  all  they  in  the  synagogue,  when  they  heard  these  tilings,  were 

29  filled  with  wrath,  and  rose  up,  and  thrust  him  out  of  the  city,  and  led 
him  unto  the  ^brow  of  the  hill  whereon  their  city  was  built,  that  they 


30  might  cast  him  down  headlong, 
them  went  his  way, 


But  he  ^passing  through  the  midst  of 


A.  D.  30. 

y  Matt.  13.57. 

Mark  6.  4. 

John  4.  44. 

Acts  22.  3, 
18-22. 
^  1  KL  17.  9. 

1  Ki.  IS.  1. 

Jas.  5.  17. 
"  2  Ki.  5.  14. 
2  Or,  edge. 
»  John  8.  59. 

John  10.  39. 

John  18.  C, 
7. 

Acts  12. 18. 


In  Mark  vi  4,  "A  jirophet  is  not  withont  honour, 
but  in  his  own  country,  and  among  his  own  kin, 
and  in  his  own  house."  He  replies  to  one  pro- 
verb by  another  equally  familiar,  which  we  ex- 
press in  rougher  forms,  such  as,  '  T^oo  much  famili- 
arity breeds  contempt.'  Our  Lord's  long  residence 
in  l^azareth  merely  as  a  townsman  had  made  Him 
too  common,  incapacitating  them  for  appreciating 
Him  as  others  did  who  were  less  familiar  with  His 
every -day  demeanour  in  private  life.  A  most  im- 
portant principle,  to  which  the  wise  will  pay  due 
regard.  25.  But  I  tell  you  of  a  truth,  many 
widows  were  in  Israel  in  the  days  of  Elias,  when 
the  heaven  was  shut  up  three  years  and  six 
months.  So  Jas.  v.  17,  including  perhaps  the  six 
months  after  the  last  fall  of  rain,  when  there  would 
be  little  or  none  at  any  rate;  whereas  in  1  Ki. 
xviii.  1,  which  says  the  rain  returned  "in  the  third 
year,"  that  period  is  probably  not  reckoned. 
when  great  famine  was  throughout  all  the  land ; 
26.  But  unto  none  of  them  was  Elias  sent,  save 
[ei  juj)] — rather,  '  but  only,'  as  the  same  phrase 
means  in  Mark  xiii.  32,  unto  Sarepta— or  "Za- 
rephath"  (1  Ki.  xvii.  9),  far  beyond  the  northern 
border  of  Palestine,  and  near  to  Sidon  (see  Mark 
vii.  24):  unto  a  woman  that  was  a  widow.  Pass- 
ing by  all  the  famishing  widows  in  Israel,  the 
prophet  was  sent  to  one  who  was  not  an  Israelite 
at  all.  27.  And  many  lepers  were  in  Israel  in  the 
time  of  Eliseus— or  Elisha,  the  prophet;  and  none 
of  them  was  cleansed,  saving  [ei  /xj;  again] — rather, 
'  but  only'  Naaman  the  Syrian.  Thus,  in  defend- 
ing the  course  which  He  had  taken  in  passing  by 
the  place  and  the  people  that  might  be  supposed 
to  have  the  greatest  claim  on  Him,  our  Lord  falls 
back  upon  the  well-known  examples  of  Elijah  and 
Elisha,  whose  miraculous  power — passing  by  those 
who  were  neai — expended  itself  on  those  at  a  dis- 
tance, yea  on  heathens ;  'these  being,'  to  use  the 
words  of  Stier,  '  the  two  great  prophets  who  stand 
at  the  commencement  of  prophetic  antiquity,  and 
whose  miracles  strikingly  jirefigured  those  of  our 
Lord.  As  He  intended  like  them  to  feed  the  poor 
and  cleanse  the  le^iers,  He  points  to  these  miracles  of 
mercy,  and  not  to  the  fire  from  heaven  and  the 
bears  that  tore  the  mockers.'  28.  And  all  they  in 
the  synagogue,  when  they  heard  these  things, 
were  filled  with  wrath — maddened  at  the  severity 
vdth  which  it  reflected  xipon  theni,  and  at  those 
allusions  to  the  heathen  which  brought  such  a 
storm  of  violence  afterwards  on  His  apostle  at 
Jerusalem  (Acts  xxii.  21,  22):  29.  And  rose  up — 
breaking  up  the  service  irreverently  and  rushing 
forth,  and  thrust  him  out  of  the  city— with  vio- 
lence, as  a  prisoner  in  their  hands,  and  led  him 
unto  the  brow  of  the  hill  whereon  their  city  was 
built.  Nazareth,  though  not  built  on  the  ridge  of 
a  hill,  is  in  part  surrounded  by  one  to  the  west, 
ha\nug  several  such  precipices.  It  was  a  mode  of 
capital  pimishment  not  unusual  in  ancient  times 
239 


among  the  Jews  (see  2  Chr.  xxv.  12 ;  2  KL  ix.  33), 
the  Romans,  and  others ;  and  to  this  day  examples 
of  it  occur  m  the  East.  This  was  the  first  open 
insult  which  the  Son  of  God  received,  and  it  came 
from  "  them  of  His  own  household" !  (Matt.  x.  3(>). 
30.  But  he  passing  through  the  midst  of  them 
went  his  way — evidently  in  a  miraculous  manner, 
thou.gh  perhax)S  quite  noiselessly,  leading  them  to 
wonder  afterwards  what  spell  could  have  come 
over  them  that  they  allowed  Him  to  escape. 
Escapes,  however,  remarkably  similar  and  be- 
yond dispute,  in  times  of  persecution,  stand 
on  record. 

Remarks. — 1.  Was  there  ever  a  more  appalling 
illustration  of  human  depravity  than  the  treatment 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  received  from  His  Nazarene 
townsmen  ?  _  Real  provocation  there  was  none. 
Demonstrations  of  His  miraculous  power  they 
had  no  right  to  demand ;  and  if  without  these  they 
declined  to  believe  in  Him,  they  had  their  liberty 
to  do  so  unchallenged.  He  knew  them  too  well  to 
indulge  them  with  bootless  displays  of  His  divine 
power;  and  by  an  all'xsion  to  the  Lord's  sovereign 
procedure  in  ancient  times,  in  dispensing  His  com- 
passion to  whom  He  would,  and  quite  differently 
trom  what  might  have  been  expected.  He  indicated 
to  them  intelligibly  enough  why  He  declined  to  do 
at  Nazareth  what  He  had  done  exuberantly  at 
Capernaum.  But,  as  if  to  compensate  for  this,  and 
gain  them  otherwise,  if  that  were  possible.  He 
seems  to  have  spoken  in  their  synagogue  ^vith  even 
more  than  His  usual  suavity  and  grace ;  insomuch 
that  "  all  bore  Him  witness,  and  wondered  at  the 
gracious  words  which  ijroceeded  out  of  His  mouth. " 
Yet  all  was  in  vain.  Nor  were  they  contented 
with  venting  their  rage  in  malignant  speeches;  but, 
unable  to  restrain  themselves,  they  broke  through 
the  sanctities  of  public  worship  and  the  decencies 
of  ordinary  life,  and  like  lions  roaring  for  their 
prey  they  rushed  upon  Him  to  destroy  Him. 
After  this,  we  may  indeed  wonder  the  less  at  the 
question,  "  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Naza- 
reth ? "  J3ut  instead  of  contenting  ourselves  with 
ascribing  such  procedure  to  the  exceptional  per- 
versity of  the  Nazarene  character,  ■we  shall  do 
well  to  inquire  whether  there  be  not  in  it  a  reve- 
lation of  human  malignity,  which  hateth  the  light, 
neither  cometh  to  the  light,  lest  its  deeds  should 
be  reproved,  and  which,  if  it  would  speak  out  its 
mind  on  the  Redeemer's  gracious  apjiroach  to  it, 
would  say,  "What  have  we  to  do  with  Thee, 
Jesus,  thou  Son  of  God  most  High?  We  know 
Thee  who  thou  art;  the  Holy  One  of  God"!  2.  Did 
the  Lord  Jesus  become  so  common  amongst  His 
Nazarene  townsmen,  vnt\\  whom  He  had  mingled 
in  the  ordinary  intercourse  of  society  during  His 
early  life,  that  they  were  unable  to  take  in  His 
divine  claims  when  at  length  presented  to  them 
with  matchless  benignity  and  grace  ?  Then  must 
there  be  a  deep  principle  in  the  proverb  by  which 


Christ  healeth  a 


LUKE  IV. 


demoniac  at  Capernaum. 


31  And  ''came  down  to  Capernaum,  a  city  of  Galilee,  and  taught  tliem  on 

32  the  sabbath  days.     And  they  were  astonished  at  his  doctrine :  '^for  his 

33  word  was  with  power.      And   *in  the    synagogue   there  was   a   man 
which  had  a  spirit  of  an  unclean  devil,  and  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice, 

34  saying,  ^Let  us  alone;  what  have  we  to  do  with  thee,  thou  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  ?  art  thou  come  to  destroy  us  ?    I  know  thee  who  thou  art ;  -^the 

35  Holy  One  of  God.     And  Jesus  rebuked  him,  saying.  Hold  thy  peace,  and 
come  out  of  him.     And  when  the  devil  had  thrown  him  in  the  midst,  he 

36  came  out  of  him,  and  hurt  him  not.     And  they  were  all  amazed,  and 
spake  among  themselves,  saying,  Wliat  a  word  is  this !  for  with  authority 

37  and  power  he  commandeth  the  unclean  spirits,  and  they  come  out.     And 
^tlie  fame  of  him  went  out  into  every  place  of  the  country  round  about. 

38  And  ''-he  arose  out  of  the  synagogue,  and  entered  into  Simon's  house. 
And  Simon's  wife's  mother  was  taken  with  a  great  fever;  and  they 

39  besought  him  for  her.     And  he  stood  over  her,  and  ^rebuked  the  fever; 
and  it  left  her.     And  immediately  she  arose  and  ministered  unto  them. 

40  Now  •'when  the  sun  was  setting,  all  they  that  had  any  sick  with  divers 
diseases  brought  them  unto  him ;  and  he  laid  his  hands  on  every  one  of 

41  them,  and  healed  them.     And  ^'devils  also  came  out  of  many,  crying 


A.  D.  30. 


"  Matt.  4. 13. 

Mark  1.  21. 
d  Matt.  7.  28, 
29. 

Tit.  2.  15. 

•  Mark  1.  23. 
3  Or,  away. 
/  Ps.  16. 10. 

Isa.  49.  7. 

Dan.  9.  24. 

ch.  1.  35. 

Acts  2.  31. 

Acts  4.  37. 
»  Ps.  72.  8. 

Mic.  5.  4. 
^  Matt.  8. 14. 

Mark  1.  29. 

1  Cor.  9.  5. 
»  Ps.  103.  3. 

ch.  8.  24. 
i  Matt.  8.  16. 

Mark  1.  32. 

*  Mark  1.  S4. 
Mark  3.  11. 


He  explains  it,  "A  prophet  is  not  without  honour, 
but  in  his  own  country,  and  amon^  his  own  kin, 
and  in  his  own  house."  As  if  He  had  said,  'The 
nearer  the  vision,  the  less  the  attraction.'  We 
must  not  descend  so  low  as  to  recall  our  own  ana- 
logous maxims ;  but  in  fact,  almost  everjr  language 
has  such  sayings,  showing  thai;  there  is  a  prin- 
ciple in  it,  everywhere  arresting  attention.  In 
the  case  of  mere  showy  virtues,  there  is  no 
difficulty  in  explaining  it.  It  is  merely  this,  that 
nearer  inspection  discovers  the  tinsel  whicn  dis- 
tance concealed.  The  difficulty  is  to  account  for 
the  ordinary  intercourses  of  life  destroying,  or  at 
least  blunting,  the  charm  of  real  excellence,  and  in 
this  case  taking  down,  in  the  eyes  of  His  Nazarene 
townsmen,  even  the  matchless  excellences  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  In  all  other  cases  there  is  an  element 
which  cannot  be  taken  into  account  here.  There 
are  foibles  of  character  invisible  at  a  distance, 
which  the  familiarities  of  ordinary  life  never  fail 
to  reveal.  But  if  it  be  asked  on  what  principle, 
common  to  the  Holy  One  of  God  with  all  otner 
men,  the  fact  in  question  is  to  be  accounted  for, 
perhaps  two  things  may  explain  it.  As  novelty 
charms,  so  that  to  which  we  are  accustomed 
has  one  charm  less,  however  intrinsically  worthy 
of  admiration.  But  in  addition  to  this,  there  is 
such  a  tendency  to  dissociate  loftiness  of  spirit 
from  the  ordinary  functions  and  intercourses  of 
life,  that  if  the  one  be  seen  without  the  other  it  is 
likely  to  be  appreciated  at  its  full  value ;  whereas, 
when  associated  with  languor  and  wantj.  waste 
and  dust,  and  the  consequent  necessity  ot  eating 
and  drinking,  sleeping  and  waking,  and  such  like, 
then  that  loftiness  of  spirit  is  apt  to  be  less  lofty 
in  our  esteem,  and  we  say  in  our  hearts,  'After 
all,  they  are  much  like  other  people' — as  if  in 
such  things  they  could  or  ought  to  oe  otherwise. 
This,  however,  would  be  a  small  matter,  if  it  did 
not  intrude  itself  into  the  spiritual  domain.  But 
there  also  its  oi)eration  is  ]3ainfully  felt,  occasion- 
ing a  false  and  unholy  separation  between  natural 
and  spiritual,  human  and  di\'ine,  earthly  and 
heavenly  thinra.  '  Is  not  this  the  carpenter's  son  ? 
Is  not  his  mother  called  Mary  ?  And  his  brothers 
^James  and  Joses  and  Simon  and  Judas — don't 
we  all  know  them?  Haven't  we  done  business 
with  them?  Haven't  they  been  in  our  houses? 
and  this  Jesus  himself,  have  we  not  seen  Him 
in  boyhood  and  youth  moving  about  amongst 
240 


us?  Can  this  be  He  of  whom  Moses  and  all 
the  prophets  wrote?  Can  this  be  He  who  is 
sent  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  and  comfort 
all  that  mourn?  Incredible!'  Nor  can  it  be 
doubted  that  a  nearer  view  of  Him  than  even 
ordinary  Nazarenes  could  have  was  the  very 
thing  that  stumbled  His  own  "brethren,"  who 
for  a  while,  we  are  told,  "  did  not  believe  in  Him," 
and  that  made  even  the  whole  family  think  He  was 
"  beside  Himself"  (Mark  iii.  21).  Well,  if  these 
things  be  so,  let  Christians  learn  wisdom  from  it. 
Recognizing  the  principle  which  lies  at  the  bottom 
of  the  proverb  quoted  by  our  Lord,  it  will  be 
their  wisdom,  with  Him,  to  bring  their  charac- 
ter and  principles  to  bear  rather  upon  strangers 
than  upon  those  to  whom  they  have  become  too 
familiar  in  the  ordinary  walks  of  life;  for  the 
rare  exceptions  to  this  only  prove  the  rule.  On 
the  other  nand,  let  Ch  -istians  oeware  of  being  too 
slow  to  recognize  eminent  graces  and  gifts  in  those 
whom  they  have  known  very  intimately  before 
these  discovered  themselves.  3.  As  we  read  that 
Jesus,  when  about  to  be  hurled  down  a  precijuce, 
glided  through  the  midst  of  them  and  went  His 
way,  we  perhaps  think  only  of  His  own  peculiar  re- 
sources for  self-preservation.  But  when  we  remem- 
ber how  He  only  refused  to  avail  Himself  wantonly 
of  the  promise  rehearsed  to  Him  by  the  Tempter, 
"He  shall  give  His  angels  charge  over  Thee,  to 
keep  Thee  in  all  Thy  ways ;  and  in  their  hands 
they  shall  bear  Thee  up,  lest  at  any  time  Thou 
dash  Thy  foot  against  a  stone,"  may  we  not  sup- 
pose that  the  unseen  ministry  of  angels,  now  if 
ever  legitimately  available,  had  something  to  do 
with  the  marvellous  preservation  of  Jesus  on  this 
occasion  ?  Nor  can  it  well  be  doubted  that  their 
interposition  in  similar  ways  since  in  behalf  of 
"the  heirs  of  salvation"  (Heb.  i.  14)  is  the  secret 
of  the  many  and  marvellous  escapes  of  such  which 
are  on  record. 

31-44— Healing  of  a  Demoniac  in  the  Syna- 
gogue OF  Capernaum,  and  thereafter  of 
Simon's  Mother-in-law  and  many  others — 
Next   day,    Jesus    is    found   in  a   solitary 

PLACE,  AND  is  ENTREATED  TO  RETURN,  BUT 

declines,  and  goes  forth  on  His  First  Mis- 
sionary Circuit.  (=  Matt.  viii.  14-17;  iv.  23-25; 
Mark  i.  29-39. )  For  the  exposition  of  this  Section 
— embracing,  as  appears,  the  first  recorded  trans- 
actions of  oiir  Lord  on  the  Sabbath  day  in  Galilee, 


Mirnculous  draught  of  fishes. 


LUKE  V. 


Call  of  Peter,  James,  and  John. 


out,  and  saying,  Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  God.     And  'he,  rebuking 

them,  suffered  them  not  *  to  speak :  for  they  knew  that  he  was  Christ. 
42       And  ™when  it  was  day,  he  departed  and  went  into  a  desert  place;  and 

the  people  sought  him,  and  came  unto  him,  and  sta3'ed  him,  that  he 
4B  should  not  depart  from  them.  And  he  said  unto  them,  '*I  must  preach 
44  the  kingdom  of  God  to  other  cities  also :  for  therefore  am  I  sent.     And 

"he  preached  in  the  synagogues  of  Galilee. 
5       AND  "it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  the  people  pressed  upon  him  to  hear 

2  the  word  of  God,  he  stood  by  the  lake  of  Gennesaret,  and  saAV  two  ships 
standing  by  the  lake  :  but  the  fishermen  were  gone  out  of  them,  and  were 

3  washing  their  nets.  And  he  entered  into  one  of  the  ships,  wliich  was 
Simon's,  and  prayed  him  that  he  would  thnist  out  a  little  from  the  land. 
And  he  sat  down,  and  taught  the  people  out  of  the  shi}). 

4  Now  when  he  had  left  speaking,  he  said  unto  Simon,  ''Launch  out  into 

5  the  deejj,  and  let  down  j^our  nets  for  a  draught.  And  Simon  answering 
said  unto  him,  Master,  we  have  toiled  all  the  night,  and  have  taken 

6  nothing :  nevertheless  at  thy  word  I  will  let  down  the  net.  And  when 
they  had  this  done,  they  inclosed  a  great  multitude  of  fishes :  and  their 

7  net  brake.  And  they  beckoned  unto  their  partners,  which  were  in  the 
other  ship,  that  they  should  come  and  help  them.     And  they  came,  and 

8  filled  both  the  ships,  so  that  they  began  to  sink.  When  Simon  Peter 
saw  it,  he  fell  down  at  Jesus'  knees,  saying,  ''Depart  from  me;  for  I  am  a 

0  sinful  man,  0  Lord.     For  he  was  astonished,  and  all  that  were  with  him, 

1 0  at  the  draught  of  the  fishes  which  they  had  taken :  and  so  was  also 
James  and  John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  which  were  partners  with  Simon. 
And  Jesus  said  unto  Simon,  Fear  not;  ''from  henceforth  thou  shalt  catch 

1 1  men.  And  when  they  had  brought  their  ships  to  land,  *they  forsook  all, 
and  fallowed  him. 


A.  D.  31. 


'  Mark  1.  25, 

34. 
*  Or,  to  say 

that  they 

knew  him 

to  be 

Christ 
'"Markl.  35. 
"  Mark  1.  14, 
15. 

Acts  10.  3S. 

Rom.  15.  8. 
"  Mark  1.  39. 


I  HAP.  6. 
"  Matt.  4.  !<«. 

Mark  1.  IS. 

ch.  12.  1, 
"  ,Iohn21.  6. 
"Ex.  20.  19. 

Jud.  13.  22. 

1  Sam.  6.20. 

2  Sam.  6. 9. 
1  Ki.  17. 18. 
1  Ohr.  13  12. 
Job  4.'.  5, 0. 
Dan.  S.  ir. 

d  J  zek.  47.  9, 
10. 

Jlatt.  4.  19. 

Jrark  1.  17. 
'  IMatt.  4.  20. 

Matt.19.27. 

Mark  1.  18. 

ch    IS.  28. 

Phil.  3.  7,8. 


and  those  of  tlie  following  moruing— see  ou  Mark 
i.  29-39 ;  and  on  Matt.  iv.  23-2.5. 

CHAP.  V.  1-11. — Miraculous  Draught  of 
Fishes,  and  Call  of  Peter,  James,  and  John. 
In  our  exposition  of  Matt.  iv.  18-22,  we  have  shown, 
as  it  appears  to  us,  that  this  was  quite  a  different 
occasion  from  that,  and  conseijuently  that  the 
calling  of  the  discijiles  there  and  liere  recoi'ded 
were  different  calling.s.  This  one,  as  we  take  it, 
■was  neither  their  first  call,  recorded  in  John  i.  35- 
42 ;  nor  their  second,  recorded  in  Matt.  iv.  18-22 ; 
Lut  their  tldrd  and  last  before  their  appointment 
to  the  apostleship.  These  calls  are  to  be  viewed 
as  progressive  stages  in  their  preparation  for  the 
gieat  work  before  them,  and  something  similar  is 
observable  in  the  providential  preparation  of  other 
eminent  servants  of  Christ  for  the  work  to  which 
they  are  destined. 

1.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  the  people 
pressed  upon  him  [t-Trihelo-Oat]  -lit.,  'lay  upon 
Him'  to  hear  the  word  of  God,  he  stood  by  the 
lake  of  Gennesaret,  2,  3.  And  saw  two  ships, 
&c.  And  he  entered  into  one  of  the  ships,  which 
was  Simon's  .  .  .  And  he  sat  down,  and  taught 
the  people  out  of  the  ship—  as  in  Matt.  xiii.  2. 

4.  Now  when  he  had  left  speaking,  he  said 
unto  Simon,  Launch  out  into  the  deep,  and  let 
down  your  nets  for  a  draught— munificent  re- 
compense for  the  use  of  his  boat !  5.  And  Simon 
answering  said  unto  him,  Master  ["E-n-ia-xaT-a] — 
betokening  not  surely  a  first  acquaintance,  but  a 
relationship  already  formed,  we  have  toiled  all 
night — the  usual  time  of  fishing  then  (.John  xxi.  3), 
and  even  now.  and  have  taken  nothing :  never- 
theless at  thy  word  I  will  let  down  the  net. 
Peter,  as  a  fisherman,  knew  how  hopeless  it  was 
to  "let  down  his  net"  again  at  that  time,  save  as  a 
mere  act  of  faith,  "at  His  word"  of  command, 

VOL.   V.  241 


which  carried  in  it,  as  it  ever  does,  assurance  of  suc- 
cess. This  is  a  further  ]iroof  that  he  must  have 
been  already  and  for  some  time  a  follower  of 
Christ.  6.  And  when  they  had  this  done,  they  in- 
closed a  great  multitude  of  fishes :  and  their  net 
brake  {oieppnyvino].  This  should  have  l:»een  ren- 
dered,'was  breaking,'  or  'was  beginning  tolireak;' 
for  evidently  it  did  not  break.  7.  And  they  beck- 
oned unto  their  partners  which  were  in  the  other 
ship,  that  they  should  come  and  help  them. 
And  they  came,  and  filled  both  the  ships,  so  that 
they  began  to  sink  [ftvdiX^eadui]  — '  were  sink- 
ing,' or  'were  beginning  to  sink.'  8.  When  Simon 
Peter  saw  it,  he  fell  down  at  Jesus'  knees,  say- 
ing. Depart  from  me;  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O 
Lord.  I)id  Peter  then  wish  Christ  to  leave  him? 
Verily  no.  His  all  was  wrapt  up  in  Him.  (See 
John  vi.  68.)  'Twas  rather,  'Woe  is  me.  Lord! 
How  shall  I  abide  this  blaze  of  glory  ?  A  sinner 
such  as  I  am  is  not  fit  com])auy  for  Thee.'  Com- 
yiare  Isa.  vi.  5.  9,  10.  For  he  was  astonished, 
and  all  that  were  with  him  .  .  .  And  Jesus 
said  unto  Simon,  Fear  not.  This  shows  that  the 
Lord  read  Peter's  speech  very  differently  from 
many  learned  and  well-meaning  commentators  on 
it.  from  henceforth — maiking  a  new  stage  in 
their  counection  with  Christ,  thou  shalt  catch 
men.  '  What  wilt  thou  think,  Simon,  overwhelmed 
by  this  draught  of  fishes,  when  I  shall  bring  to  thy 
net  what  will  dim  all  this  glory?'  11.  And  when 
they  had  brought  their  ships  to  land,  they 
forsook  all  and  followed  him.  They  did  this 
before  (Matt.  iv.  20);  now  they  do  it  a.gain:  and 
yet  after  the  Crucifixion  they  are  at  their  boats 
once  more  (John  xxi.  3).  In  such  a  business  this 
is  easily  conceivable.  After  Pentecost,  however, 
they  appear  to  have  finally  almudoued  their  secular 
calling. 


Healing  of  a  leper. 


LUKE  V. 


Healing  of  a  paralytic. 


12  Aud-^it  came  to  pass,  when  he  was  in  a  certain  city,  behold  a  man  full 
of  leprosy ;  who,  seeing  Jesus,  fell  on  his  face,  and  besought  him,  saying, 

13  Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  ^make  me  clean.  And  he  put  forth  his 
hand,  and  touched  him,  saying,  I  will :  be  thou  clean.     And  immediately 

14  the  leprosy  departed  fi'om  him.  And  '^he  charged  him  to  tell  no  man: 
but  go,  and  show  thyself  to  the  priest,  and  offer  for  thy  cleansing, 

15  *  according  as  Moses  commanded,  for  a  testimony  unto  them.  But  so 
much  the  more  went  there  a  fame  abroad  of  him :  and  -^  great  mialtitudes 
came  together  to  hear,  and  to  be  healed  by  him  of  their  infirmities. 

16  And  ^"he  withdrew  himself  into  the  wilderness,  and  prayed. 

17  And  it  came  to  pass  on  a  certain  day,  as  he  was  teaching,  that  there 
were  Pharisees  and  doctors  of  the  law  sitting  by,  which  were  come  out  of 
every  town  of  Galilee,  and  Judea,  and  Jerusalem :  and  the  power  of  the 

18  Lord  was  present  to  heal  them.  And,  'behold,  men  brought  in  a  bed 
a  man  which  was  taken  with  a  palsy :  and  they  sought  means  to  bring 
him  in,  and  to  lay  him  before  him.  And  when  they  could  not  find  by 
what  way  they  might  bring  him  in  because  of  the  multitude,  they  went 
upon  the  housetop,  and  let  him  down  through  the  tiling  with  his  couch 
into  the  midst  before  Jesus.     And  when  he  saw  their  '"^ faith,  he  said 

21  unto  him,  Man,  "thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee.  And  "the  scribes  and  the 
Pharisees  began  to  reason,  saying,  Who  is  this  which  speaketh  blasphemies? 


19 


20 


A.  D.  31. 


/  Matt.  8.  2. 

Mark  1.  40. 
"  Gen.  18.  14. 

Jer.  32.  17, 
27. 

Matt.  8.8,9. 

JMatt  9.  28. 

Mark  9.  22- 
24. 

Heb.  7.  25. 
A  Matt.  8.  4. 
«  Lev.  13.  1. 

Lev.14.4,10, 
21,  22. 
3   Matt.  4.  25. 

Mark  3.  7. 

ch.  12.  1.    ■; 

ch.  14.  25. 

John  6.  2. 
«-•  Mark  14.23. 

Mark  6.  4C. 
(  Matt.  9.  2. 

Mark  2.  3. 
'"  Kev.  2.  23. 
"  Acts  6.  31. 
"  Matt.  9.  3. 

Mark  2  C,7. 


Remarks. — 1.  Did  Jesus  give  His  disciples  this 
miraculous  draught  of  fishes  after  they  had  toiled 
all  the  previous  night  and  caught  nothing  ?  Did 
He  do  the  same  thing  after  His  resurrection  in 
precisely  similar  cii-cumstances  ?  Did  He  heal 
the  impotent  man  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  who 
had  endiu-ed  his  infirmity  thirty  and  eight  years, 
but  not  till  he  had  long  vaiuly  endeavoured  to 
obtain  a  cure  by  stepping  into  the  pool?  In  a 
word,  Did  He  let  the  woman  endure  her  issue  of 
blood  twelve  years,  and  spend  all  that  she  had 
iipim  physicians,  only  to  find  herself  worse  instead 
of  better,  before  she  found  instant  healing  under 
His  \\dngs?  Let  us  not  doubt  that  "all  these 
things  hajjpened  unto  them  for  ensamples,  and 
are  written  for  our  admonition  on  whom  the  ends 
of  the  world  are  come,"  to  the  intent  we  should 
not  doubt  that  at  evening  time  it  shall  be  light, 
that  God  lo'dl  hear  His  own  elect  that  cry  imto 
Him  day  and  night,  though  He  hold  out  lon^as  if 
deaf  to  them.  2.  If  the  exclamation  of  refer, 
"  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  0  Lord," 
be  compared  with  that  of  Isaiah,  when  the  thrice- 
Holy  One  was  revealed  to  him  in  his  temple- 
vision,  "Woe  is  me!  for  I  am  undone;  because  I 
am  a  man  of  unclean  lips  .  .  .  for  mine  eyes  have 
seen  the  King  the  Lord  of  hosts"  (Isa.  vi.  5),  can 
any  right-thinking  mind  fail  to  see  that  such  a 
speech,  if  from  one  creature  to  another,  ought  to 
have  been  met  as  Paul  met  the  attempts  of  the 
Lycaonians  to  do  sacrifice  to  him  and  JBarnabas, 
when  he  ran  in  among  them,  exclaiming  with 
horror — "Sirs,  why  do  ye  these  things?  We  also 
are  men  of  like  passions  with  you,  and  preach 
unto  you  that  ye  should  turn  from  these  vanities 
unto  the  living  God"  (Acts  xiv.  14,  15)  j  and  that 
when  Jesus,  instead  of  rebuking  it,  only  comforted 
His  trembling  disciple  with  the  assurance  that 
wonders  far  surpassing  what  he  had  just  Matnessed 
woidd  follow  his  own  labours.  He  set  His  seal  to 
views  of  His  Person  and  character,  which  only  the 
Word  made  flesh  was  entitled  to  accept  ?  In  fact, 
the  more  highly  they  deemed  of  Him,  ever  the  more 

fateful  it  seemed  to  be  to  the  Eedeemer's  spirit, 
ever  did  tlaey  pain    Him    by  manifesting  too 
lofty  conceptions  of  Him.     3.  'Simon,'  says  Bishop 
Hall  most  admirably,  '  doth  not  greedily  fall  wrion 
242 


so  unexpected  and  profitable  a  booty,  but  he  turns 
his  eyes  from  the  di-aught  to  Himself,  from  the  act 
to  the  Author,  acknowledging  vileness  in  the  one, 
in  the  other  majesty:  "Go  from  me,  Lord,  for 
I  am  a  sinful  man."  It  had  been  a  pity  the 
honest  fisher  should  have  been  taken  at  his  word. 
O  Simon,  thy  Sa\aour  is  come  into  thine  own  ship 
to  call  thee,  to  call  others  by  thee,  unto  blessedness; 
and  dost  thou  say,  "  Lord,  go  from  me?"  as  if  the 
patient  should  say  to  the  jihysician,  Depart  from 
me,  for  I  am  sick.  [But]  it  was  the  voice  of  as- 
tonishment, not  of  dislike ;  the  voice  of  humility, 
not  of  discontentment:  yea,  because  thou  art  a 
sinful  man,  therefore  hath  thy  Saviour  need  to 
come  to  thee,  to  stay  with  thee;  and  because  thou 
art  humble  in  the  acknowledgment  of  thy  sinful- 
ness, therefore  Christ  delights  to  abide  with  thee, 
and  will  call  thee  to  abide  with  Him.  No  man 
ever  fared  the  worse  for  abasing  himself  to  his 
God.  Christ  hath  left  many  a  soul  for  f reward 
and  unkind  usage;  never  any  for  the  disjiarage- 
ment  of  itself,  and  entreaties  of  humility.  Simon 
could  not  devise  how  to  hold  Christ  faster  than 
by  thus  suing  Him  to  be  gone,  than  by  thus  plead- 
ing his  un worthiness.'  4.  Did  Jesus  teach  Simon 
to  regard  the  ingathering  of  souls  to  Himself  by 
the  Gospel  as  transcending  all  physical  miracles? 
0  that  the  ministers  of  the  eveiiastin^  Gospel 
would  rise  to  such  a  view  of  their  calling,  and 
travail  in  birth  until  Christ  be  formed  in  men's 
souls!  But  it  is  not  they  only  whom  Christ's 
words  to  Peter  are  fitted  to  stimulate.  "  He  that 
winneth  souls  is  wise"  (Pro v.  xi.  30) — be  he  who  he 
may.  "  They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the 
brightness  of  the  firmament;  and  they" — whoever 
they  be — "that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the 
stars  forever  and  ever"  (Dan.  xii.  3).  "  Brethren, 
if  any  of  you  do  err  from  the  truth,  and  one  con- 
vert him" — no  matter  who — "let  him  know 
that  he  which  converteth  the  sinner  from  the 
error  of  his  way  shall  save  a  soul  from  death, 
and  shall  hide  a  multitude  of  sins"  (Jas.  v. 
19,  20). 

12-16.— Healing  of  aLeper.  (=Matt.  viii.  1-4 ; 
Mark  i.  40-45. )  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Matt. 
viii.  1-4 

17-26.— Healixg  of  a  rAr.-U.Yxic.    (-JIatt.  ix. 


Levis  call  and  feast. 


LUKE  V. 


Discourse  on  fasting. 


22 

23 
24 


25 
26 


27 

28, 
29 
30 

31 
32 

33 

31 
35 

36 


37 

38 
39 


'^Who  can  forgive  sins  but  God  alone?  But  when  Jesus  perceived  their 
thoughts,  he  answering  said  unto  them,  What  reason  ye  in  your  hearts? 
Whether  is  easier  to  say,  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee ;  or  to  say,  Eise  uj) 
and  walk?  But  that  ye  may  know  that  *the  Son  of  man  hath  power 
upon  earth  to  forgive  sins,  (he  said  unto  the  sick  of  the  palsy,)  I  say 
unto  thee,  Arise,  and  take  up  thy  couch,  and  go  unto  thine  house. 
And  immediately  he  rose  up  before  them,  and  took  up  that  whereon  he 
lay,  and  departed  to  his  own  house,  ''glorifying  God.  And  they  were  all 
amazed,  and  they  glorified  God,  and  were  filled  with  fear,  saying.  We 
have  seen  strange  things  to-day. 

And  *  after  these  things  he  went  forth,  and  saw  a  publican,  named 
Levi,  sitting  at  the  receipt  of  custom :  and  he  said  unto  him.  Follow  me. 
And  he  left  all,  rose  up,  and  followed  him.  And  'Levi  made  him  a  great 
feast  in  his  own  house :  and  ** there  was  a  great  company  of  publicans  and 
of  others  that  sat  down  with  them.  But  their  scribes  and  Pharisees 
murmured  against  his  disciples,  saying.  Why  do  ye  eat  and  drink  with 
publicans  and  sinners  ?  And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  them.  They  that 
are  whole  need  not  a  physician;  but  they  that  are  sick.  I  "came  not  to 
call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance. 

And  they  said  unto  him,  '"Why  do  the  disciples  of  John  fast  often, 
and  make  prayers,  and  likewise  the  disciples  of  the  Pharisees ;  but  thine 
eat  and  drink?  And  he  said  unto  them.  Can  ye  make  the  children  of  the 
bride-chamber  fast  while  the  ^'bridegroom  is  with  them?  But  the  days 
will  come,  when  the  bridegi'oom  shall  ^be  taken  away  from  them,  and 
then  shall  they  'fast  in  those  days.  And  "he  spake  also  a  parable  unto 
them ;  No  man  putteth  a  piece  of  a  new  garment  upon  an  old :  if  other- 
wise, then  both  the  new  maketli  a  rent,  and  the  piece  that  was  taken  out 
of  the  new  agreeth  not  with  the  old.  And  no  man  putteth  new  wine  into 
old  bottles ;  else  the  new  wine  will  burst  the  bottles,  and  be  spilled,  and 
the  bottles  shall  perish.  But  new  wine  must  be  put  into  new  bottles ; 
and  both  are  preserved.  No  man  also  having  drunk  old  icine  straightway 
desireth  new ;  for  he  saith,  The  old  is  better. 


A.  D.  31. 


v  Ex.  34.  7. 

is.  32.  5. 

Ps.  103.  3. 

Isa.  1.  IS. 

Isa.  43.  25. 

Dan.  9.  9. 
«  Isa.  53.  U. 

Matt.  9.  li. 

Matt.  28. 18. 

John  6.  2.', 
23. 

Acts  5.  31. 

Col.  3.  13. 
'■  Ps.  103.  1. 

*  Matt.  9.  9. 
Mark  2.  13, 

14. 
t  Matt.  9.  10. 
Mark  2.  15. 
"  ch.  15.  1. 
"  Matt.  9.  13. 

1  Tim.  1. 15. 
'"  Matt.  9.  14. 

Mark  2.  18. 

*  Matt.  22.  2. 
ch  14.1C-23. 

2  Cor.  11.  2. 
Rev.  19.  7. 
Kev  21.  2. 

y  Dan.  9.  2C. 

Zee.  13.  7. 

John  7.  33. 
^  Matt.  6.  10, 
17. 

Acts  13.  2,3. 

1  Cor  7.  6. 
2Cor.  C.4,.5. 

2  Cor.  11.27. 
"  Matt.  9.  ic, 

17. 
Mark  2.  21, 

22. 


IS;  Mark  ii.  1-12.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on 
Mark  ii.  1-12. 

27-32.— Lea-i's  (or  IMatthew's)  Call  and  Feast. 
(=  Matt.  ix.  !l-13;  Mark  ii.  14-17.)  For  the  exposi- 
tion, see  on  Matt.  ix.  9-13. 

33-39.— Discourse  on  Fasting.  (=  Matt.ix.  14-17; 
Mark  ii.  18-22. )  As  this  discourse  is  recorded  by 
all  the  three  tirst  Evangelists  immediately  after 
their  account  of  the  Feast  which  Matthew  made 
to  his  Lord,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was 
delivered  on  that  occasion. 

Mark  introduces  the  sul)ject  thus  (ii.  IS):  "And 
the  disciples  of  John  and  of  the  Pharisees  used  to 
fast."  These  disciples  of  Johu,  who  seem  not  to 
have  statedly  followed  Jesus,  occupied  a  position 
iuterrnediate  between  the  Pharisaic  life  and  that 
to  which  Jesus  trained  His  own  disciples ;  further 
advanced  than  the  one,  not  so  far  advanced  as  the 
other.  "  And  they  come  and  say  unto  him" — or, 
according  to  our  Evangelist,  to  whose  narrative 
we  now  come,  they  brought  their  difficulty  to  Him 
through  our  Lord's  own  disciples.  33.  And  they 
said  unto  him,  Why  do  the  disciples  of  John 
fast  often,  and  make  prayers,  and  likewise  the 
disciples  of  the  Pharisees  ?  These  seem  to  have 
fasted  twice  in  the  week  (Luke  xviii.  12),  besides 
the  prescribed  seasons,  but  thine  eat  and  drink 
— or,  as  in  Matt,  and  Mark,  "  thy  disciples  fast 
not?"  34.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Can  ye  make 
the  children  of  the  bride-chamber— the  bridal 
attendants,  fast  while  the  bridegroom  is  with 
them?  Glorious  title  for  Jesus  to  take  to  Him- 
243 


self!  The  Old  Testament  is  full  of  this  con- 
jugal tie  between  Jehovah  and  His  people,  to  lie 
realized  in  Messiah.  See  on  Matt.  xxii.  2,  and 
Remark  1  on  that  Section;  and  compare  Johu 
iii.  29.  35.  But  the  days  will  come  ['EXei^o-oi/Tat 
8k  v/iepai] — rather,  '  But  days  will  come,'  when 
the  bridegroom  shall  be  taken  away  from  them — 
a  delicate  and  affecting  allusion  to  coming  events, 
and  the  grief  with  which  these  would  fill  the  dis- 
ciples, and  then  shall  they  fast  in  those  days — q.  d. , 
'  In  My  presence  such  exercises  were  unseemly : 
when  bereft  of  Me,  they  will  have  time  enougli 
and  cause  enough. '  36.  And  he  spake  also  a  par- 
able unto  them ;  No  man  putteth  a  piece  of  a  new 
garment  upon  an  old.  In  Matthew  and  Mark  the 
word  employed  [ayuu^/jou]  signifies  '  uncarded,' 
'unfulled,'  or  'undressed'  cloth,  which,  as  it  is 
apt  to  shrink  when  wetted,  would  rend  the  old 
cloth  to  which  it  was  sewed :  if  otherwise — if  he 
loill  do  so  unwise  a  thing,  then  both  the  new 
maketh  a  rent,  and  the  piece  that  was  taken  out 
of  the  new  agreeth  not  with  the  old.  37.  And  no 
man  putteth  new  wine  into  old  bottles  [do-/coi/s] — 
'wine-skins.'  They  were  made  usually  of  goat- 
skins, and  of  course  would  be  liable  to  burst  in  the 
case  supposed:  else  [el  ce  fj-vye,  again] — if  he  do  such 
a  thing,  the  new  wine  will  burst  the  bottles,  and 
be  spilled,  and  the  bottles  shall  perish.  38.  But 
new  wine  must  be  put  into  new  bottles ;  and  both 
are  preserved.  39.  No  man  also  having  drunk  old 
wine  straightway  desireth  new;  for  he  saith,  The 
old  is  better.     These  arc  just  examples  of  iiKO^i- 


The  healing  of 


LUKE  VI. 


a  withered  hand. 


6      AND  "it  came  to  pass^  on  the  second  sabbath  after  the  first,  that  he 
went  through  the  corn  fields ;  and  his  disciples  plucked  the  ears  of  corn, 

2  and  did  eat,  rubbing  them  in  their  hands.     And  certain  of  the  Pharisees 
said  unto  them,  ^Why  do  ye  that  which  is  not  lawful  to  do  on  the 

3  sabbath  days?     And  Jesus  answering  them  said,  Have  ye  not  read  so 
much  as  this,  "^wliat  David  did,  when  himself  was  an  hungered,  and  they 

4  which  were  with  him ;  how  he  went  into  the  house  of  God,  and  did  take 
and  eat  the  showbread,  aiid  gave  also  to  them  that  were  Avith  him; 

5  'Vhich  it  is  not  lawful  to  eat  but  for  the  priests  alone?     And  he  said 
unto  them,  That  the  Son  of  man  is  Lord  also  of  the  sabbath. 

6  And  ^it  came  to  pass  also  on  another  sabbath,  that  he  entered  into  the 
synagogue  and  taught:    and  there  was  a  man  whose  right  hand  was 

7  withered.     And  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  watched  him,  whether  he  would 
heal  on  the  sabbath  day;  that  they  might  find  an  accusation  against 

8  him.     But  he 'knew  their  thoiights,  and  said  to  the  man  which  had  the 
withered  hand,  llise  up,  and  stand  forth  in  the  midst.     And  he  arose  and 

9  stood  forth.     Then  said  Jesus  unto  them,  I  will  ask  you  one  thing;  ''Is 
it  lawful  on  the  sabbath  days  to  do  good,  or  to  do  evil?  to  save  life,  or  to 

10  destroy  it?    And  looking  round  about  upon  them  all,  he  said  unto  the 
man,  Stretch  forth  thy  hand.     And  he  did  so :  and  his  hand  was  restored 

1 1  whole  as  the  other.     And  they  were  filled  with  madness ;  and  communed 
one  with  another  what  they  might  do  to  Jesus. 


qruitles  in  common  things.  As  men's  good  sense 
leads  them  to  avoid  these  in  ordinary  life,  so  are 
there  analogous  incongruities  in  spiritual  things 
which  the  wise  will  shun.  But  wnat  has  this  to 
do  with  the  qtiestion  about  fasting  ?  Much  every- 
way. The  genius  of  the  old  economy— of  whose 
sadness  and  bondage  "fasting"'  might  be  taken  as  the 
sjonbol — was  quite  different  from  that  of  the  new, 
whose  chai-acteristic  is  freedom  3i,nd  joy:  the  one  of 
these,  then,  was  not  to  be  mixed  ixp  with  the  other. 
As,  in  the  one  case  adduced  for  illustration,  "the 
rent  is  made  worse,"  and  in  the  other  "  the  new 
wine  is  spilled,"  so  'by  a  mongrel  mixture  of  the 
ascetic  ritualism  of  the  old  with  the  spiritual  free- 
dom of  the  new  economy  both  are  disfigured  and 
destroyed.'  The  parable  about  lire f erring  the  old 
wine  to  the  new,  which  is  peculiar  to  our  Gospel, 
has  been  variously  interpreted.  But  the  "  new 
wine  "  seems  plainly  to  be  the  evangelical  freedom 
which  Christ  was  introducing;  and  "the  old,"  the 
opposite  spirit  of  Judaism:  men  long  accustomed  to 
the  latter  could  not  be  expected  "  straightway,"  or 
all  at  once,  to  take  a  liking  for  the  former:— g.  d., 
'  These  inquiries  about  the  difference  between  My 
disciples,  and  the  Pharisees,  and  even  John's  ways 
of  living,  are  not  surprising  ;  they  are  the  effect  of 
a  natural  revulsion  against  sudden  change,  which 
time  will  cure ;  the  new  xolne  ivlll  itself  in  time  become 
old,  and  so  acquire  all  the  added  charms  of  anti'iuity. ' 
Remarks.—l.  There  may  seem  to  be  some  incon- 
sistency between  the  freedom  and  joy  which  our 
Lord  here  indirectly  teaches  to  be  characteristic 
of  the  new  economy,  and  that  sadness  at  His 
departure  in  Person  from  the  Church  which  He 
intimates  would  be  the  proper  feeling  of  all  that 
love  Him  during  the  present  state.  But  the  two 
are  quite  consistent.  We  may  sorrow  for  one 
thing  and  rejoice  for  another,  even  at  the  same 
time.  The  one,  indeed,  will  necessarily  chasten 
tlie  other ;  and  so  it  is  here.  The  liberty  where- 
with Christ  hath  made  us  fi-ee  is  a  well-spring 
of  resistless  and  commanded  joy;  nor  is  this  a  jot 
abated,  l)ut  only  chastened  and  retined,  by  the 
widowed  feeling  of  Christ's  absence.  But  ueitlier 
is  this  sense  ot  Christ's  al)sence  the  less  real 
and  sad  that  we  are  taught  to  "  rejoice  in 
244 


the  Lord  alway,  "  "Whom  havin^  not  seen  we 
love,  in  whom  believing  we  i-ejoice  with  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,"  in  the  assurance 
that  "when  He  who  is  our  Liie  sLall  appear,  we 
also  shall  appear  with  Him  in  glory."  2.  In  all 
transition-states  oi:'  the  Churcli,  or  of  any  section 
of  it,  from  the  w^orse  to  tlie  better,  two  classes 
api^ear  among  the  true-hearted,  representing  two 
extremes.  In  the  one,  the  consercative  element 
prevails;  in  the  other,  the  2^^'ogressive.  The 
one,  sympathizing  with  the  movement,  are  yet 
afraid  of  its  going  too  fast  and  too  far :  the  other 
are  impatient  of  half-measures.  The  sympathy  of 
the  one  class  with  what  is  good  in  the  movement 
is  almost  neutralized  and  lost  by  their  apprehen- 
sion of  the  evil  that  is  likely  to  attend  the  change : 
the  sympathy  of  the  other  class  with  it  is  so 
commanding,  that  they  ai-e  blind  to  danger,  and 
have  no  patience  with  that  caution  whicli  seems 
to  them  only  timidity  and  trimming'.  There  are 
dangers  on  both  sides.  Of  many  ^\'ho  shrink  in 
the  day  of  trial,  when  one  bold  step  A^■ould  land 
tliem  safely  on  the  right  side,  it  may  be  said, 
"The  children  are  brought  to  the  birth,  and  there 
is  not  strength  to  bring  forth. "  To  many  reckless 
reformers,  who  mar  their  own  Avork,  it  may  be 
said,  "Be  not  righteous  OA^ermuch,  neither  make 
thyself  overwise :  why  shouldest  thou  destroy 
thyself?"  Our  Lords  teaching  here,  wliile  it 
has  a  voice  to  those  Avho  unreasonably  cling  to 
what  is  antiquated,  speaks  still  more  clearly  to 
those  hasty  reformers  who  have  no  patience  with 
the  timidity  of  their  weaker  brethren.  What  a 
gift  to  the  Church,  in  times  of  life  from  the  dead, 
are  even  a  few  men  endued  with  the  wisdom  to 
steer  the  ship  between  those  two  rocks  ! 

CHAP.  VI.  1-5.  —  Plucking  Corn-Eaes  ox 
THE  Sabbath  daa'.  (  =  Matt.  xii.  1-8;  Mark  ii. 
23-28.)     For  the  exposition,  sec  on  Alatt.  xii.  1-8. 

6-11.— The  Healixg  of  a  Withered  Hand. 
(  =  Matt.  xii.  9-14 ;  Mark  iii.  1-6.)  For  the  exposi- 
tion, see  on  Matt.  xii.  9-14. 

12-49.  —The  Twela'e  Apostles  Chosen — Gath- 
ering Multitudes  and  Glorious  Healings — 
The  Sermon  in  the  Plain  (or  Lea^el  Place). 
(  =  Matt.  X.  2-4;  v.— A-ii.;  Mark  iii.  13-19.) 


The  twelve 


LUKE  VI. 


apostles  chosen. 


12  And  *it  came  to  pass  in  those  da3^s,  that  he  went  out  into  a  mountain 

13  to  pray,  and  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God.  And  when  it  was 
day,  he  called  unto  him  his  disciples:  'and  of  them  he  chose  twelve, 

14  whom  also  he  named  Apostles;  Simon,  (-^whom  he  also  named  Peter,) 
and  Andrew  his  brother,  James  and  John,   Philip  and   Bartholomew, 

15  Matthew  and  Thomas,  James  the  son  of  Alpheus,  and   Simon   called 

16  Zelotes,  and  Judas  ''the  brother  of  James,  and  Judas  Iscariot,  which  also 
was  the  traitor. 

17  And  he  came  down  with  them,  and  stood  in  the  plain,  and  the 
company  of  his  disciples,  'and  a  great  multitude  of  people  out  of 
all  Judea  and  Jerusalem,  and  from  the  sea  coast  of  Tyre  and  Sidon, 

18  which  came  to  liear  him,  and  to  be  healed  of  their  diseases;  and  they 

19  that  were  vexed  with  unclean  spirits:  and  they  were  healed.  And  the 
whole  multitude  '"sought  to  touch  him:  for  "there  went  virtue  out  of 
him,  and  healed  them  all. 

20  And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  on  his  disci j)les,  and  said,  "Blessed  he  ye 

21  poor:  for  yours  is  the  kingdom  of  God.  Blessed  ^are  ye  that  hunger 
now :  for  ye  shall  be  filled.     ^Blessed  are  ye  that  weep  now:  for  ye  shall 

22  laugh.  Ble&sed  '"are  ye  when  men  shall  hate  you,  and  when  they  ^shall 
separate  yow  from  their  company,  and  shall  reproach  you,  and  cast  out  your 


A.  D.  31. 

''  Matt.  14. '^s. 
'  Matt.  10.  1. 
>  John  1.  42. 
*  John  14.  22. 

Acts  1.  13. 

Jude  1. 
'  IMatt.  4  25. 

Mark  3.  7. 
"'  Matt  14  36. 
"  STark  5.  30. 

Ch.  8.  46. 
°  Matt.  5.  3. 

Matt.  11.  5. 

Acts  14.  ti. 

Jas.  2.  5. 
V  Isa.  55.  1. 

1  Cor.  4.  11. 
9  Isa  61.  3. 

Kev.  r.  14- 
17. 
■■  Matt.  5.  11. 

1  Pet.  2.  19. 

1  Pet.  3.  14. 

1  Pet.  4.  14. 
'  John  16.  2. 


Our  Lord  has  now  reached  the  most  important 
period  in  His  public  ministry,  when  His  Twelve 
Apostles  have  to  be  chosen;  and  it  is  done  with 
a  solemnity  corresjiondiug  to  the  weighty  issues 
involved  in  it. 

'The  Twelce  C/to^^en  (12-16).  12.  And  it  came 
to  pass  in  those  days,  that  lie  went  out — jiroba- 
bly  from  Capernaum,  and  continued  all  night  in 
prayer  to  God.  13.  And  when  it  was  day,  he 
called  unto  him  his  disciples:  and  of  them  he 
chose  twelve,  whom  also  he  named  apostles 
[aTToo-rd.Voi/s] — 'sent,'  or  'commissioned;'  as  if  to 
])ut  upon  the  very  name  by  which  they  were  in  all 
future  time  to  be  known  the  seal  of  their  Master's 
appointment.  The  work  with  which  the  day 
began  shows  wliat  had  been  the  burden  of  this 
whole  night's  devotions.  As  He  directed  His 
disciples  to  pray  for  "labourers"  just  before 
sending  themselves  forth  (see  on  Matt.  ix.  35 — 
X.  5,  Remarks  1  and  2),  so  here  we  find  the  Lord 
Himself  in  jurolonged  communion  with  His  Father 
in  preparation  for  the  solemn  appointment  of 
those  men  who  were  to  give  birth  to  His  Church, 
and  from  whom  the  world  in  all  time  was  to  take 
a  new  moukL  How  instructive  is  this!  They 
appear  all  to  have  been  first  selected  from  amongst 
those  who  had  been  disciples  of  John  the  Baptist 
(see  Acts  i.  21,  22),  as  probably  the  most  advanced 
or  the  most  teachable;  with  a  view  also,  no  doubt, 
to  diversity  of  gifts.  And  after  watching  the 
steadiness  with  which  they  had  followed  Him,  the 
lirogress  they  had  made  in  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  and  their  preparedn£ss  to  enter  the  higher 
school  to  which  they  were  now  to  be  advanced. 
He  solemnly  "ordained"  [eTron/o-ev],  or  'constitut- 
ed' these  Twelve  men,  "that  they  should  be  with 
Him"  (Mark  iii.  14)  as  a  Family,  and  enjoy  His 
most  private  fellowship,  as  none  of  His  other 
followers  were  permitted  to  do.  By  this  they 
would  not  only  hear  much  more  from  Him,  and 
have  it  impressed  ujion  them  as  it  could  not  else 
have  been,  but  catch  His  spirit,  and  take  on  a 
stamp  which,  when  He  was  removed  from  them, 
and  they  had  to  prosecute  His  work,  would  bring 
their  Master  Himself  to  the  recollection  of  His 
enemies.  (See  on  Acts  iv.  13.)  14-16.  Simon,  &c. 
See  on  Matt.  x.  1-4. 

Oafheriw)  MvIfitiideM  and  Glorioux  Healings 
(17-19).  1'/^  And  he  came  down  with  them,  and 
'2il 


stood  in  the  plain  [e-n-l  tottou  ■neoivou] — or,  '  on  a 
level  place;'  that  is,  probably  on  some  level  plat 
below  the  mountain,  while  the  listening  multi- 
tudes lay  beneath  Him  on  what  was  more  strictly 
"the  plain."  and  the  company  of  his  disciples — 
the  outer  circle  of  His  stated  followers,  and  a  great 
multitude  ,  .  .  which  came  to  hear  him,  and  to 
he  healed  of  their  diseases;  18.  And  they  that 
were  vexed  with  unclean  spirits :  and  they  were 
healed.  19.  And  the  whole  multitude  sought  to 
touch  him:  for  there  went  virtue  [owa/xL^] — or 
healing  'efficacy' — compare  Mark  v.  30,  out  of 
him,  and  healed  them  all  [idTo] — or  '  kept  heal- 
ing,' denoting  successive  acts  of  mercy,  till  it 
went  over  "a/^'that  needed  it.  There  is  some- 
thing unusually  grand  in  this  touch  of  description, 
giving  to  the  reader  the  impression  of  a  more  than 
usual  exuberance  of  His  majesty  and  grace  in 
this  succession  of  healings,  which  made  itself  felt 
among  all  the  vast  multitude. 

Senno?i  in  the  Plain  or  Level  Place  (20-49). 
20.  And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  on  his  disciples, 
and  said.  Heferrin^  to  our  ample  comments  on 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (Matt,  v.-vii. ),  we  here 
only  note  a  few  things  suggested  by  the  present 
form  of  the  Discourse,  which  could  not  be  so 
properly  taken  up  under  the  other  form  of  it. 
Blessed  he  ye  poor:  for  yours  is  the  kingdom 
of  God.  21.  Blessed  are  ye  that  hunger  now: 
for  ye  shall  be  filled.  In  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  the  benediction  is  pronounced  uiion  the 
"poor  in  spirit"  and  those  who  "hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness."  Here  it  is  simply  on 
the  "  i30or"  and  the  "  hungry  now."  In  this  form 
of  the  Discourse,  then,  our  Lord  seems  to  have 
had  in  view  "  the  poor  of  this  ivorld,  ricli  in  faith, 
and  heirs  of  the  kingdom  which  God  hath  pro- 
mised to  them  that  lave  Him,"  as  these  very  beati- 
tudes are  i>araphrased  by  James  (ii.  5).  Blessed 
are  ye  that  weep  now:  for  ye  shall  laugh  [ye\d- 
o-a-re].  How  charming  is  the  liveliness  of  this 
word,  to  exijress  what  in  Matthew  is  calmly  set 
forth  by  the  word  "comfort!"  22.  Blessed  are  ye 
when  men  shall  hate  you,  and  when  they  shall 
separate  you  [from  their  company]  [d<fjopia-w(nv] — 
whether  from  Church-fellowship,  by  excommuni- 
tion,  or  from  their  social  circles — both  hard  to 
flesh  and  blood,  and  shall  reproach  you,  and 
cast   out  your   name   as    evil,   for  the  Son  of 


Christ  teacheth  how  we 


LUKE  VI. 


must  love  our  enemies. 


23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 
29 

30 
31 
32 

33 
34 

35 


36 
37 

38 


39 
40 

41 

42 


name  as  evil,  for  the  Son  of  man's  sake.  Rejoice  *ye  in  that  day,  and 
leap  for  joy :  for,  behold,  your  reward  is  great  in  heaven :  for  "in  the  like 
manner  did  their  fathers  unto  the  prophets.  But  'woe  unto  you  that 
are  rich!  for  ye  ^ have  received  your  consolation.  Woe  ^ unto  you  that 
are  full!  for  ye  shall  hunger,  ^Woe  unto  you  that  laugh  now!  for  ye 
shall  mourn  and  weep.  Woe  ^unto  you  when  all  men  shall  speak  well  of 
you !  for  so  did  their  fathers  to  the  false  prophets. 

But  "I  say  unto  you  which  hear.  Love  your  enemies,  do  good  to  them 
which  hate  you,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  and  ''pray  for  them  which 
despitefully  use  you.  And  "^unto  him  that  smiteth  thee  on  the  one  cheek 
offer  also  the  other;  ''and  him  that  taketli  away  thy  cloak  forbid  not  to 
take  thy  coat  also.  Give  ^to  every  man  that  asketh  of  thee;  and  of  him 
that  taketh  away  thy  goods  ask  them  not  again.  And  -^as  ye  would  that 
men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  also  to  them  likewise.  For  ^if  ye  love  them 
which  love  you,  what  thank  have  ye?  for  sinners  also  love  those  that 
love  them.  And  if  ye  do  good  to  them  which  do  good  to  you,  what 
thank  have  ye  ?  for  sinners  also  do  even  the  same.  And  ''  if  ye  lend  to 
^/^e;2^  of  whom  ye  hope  to  receive,  what  thank  have  ye?  for  sinners  also 
lend  to  sinners,  to  receive  as  much  again.  But  love  ye  your  enemies, 
and  do  good,  and  'lend,  hoping  for  nothing  again ;  and  your  reward  shall 
be  great,  and  -^'ye  shall  be  tlie  children  of  the  Hidiest:  for  ^he  is  kind 
unto  the  unthankful  and  to  the  evil.  Be  'ye  therefore  merciful,  as  your 
Father  also  is  merciful.  Judge  '"not,  and  ye  shall  not  be  judged:  con- 
demn not,  and  ye  shall  not  be  condemned:  forgive,  and  ye  shall  be 
forgiven :  give,  "and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you ;  good  measure,  pressed 
down,  and  shaken  together,  and  running  over,  shall  men  give  into  5'our 
"bosom.  For  ^witli  the  same  measure  that  ye  mete  withal  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  again. 

And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them:  Can  ^the  blind  lead  the  blind? 
shall  they  not  both  fall  into  the  ditch?  The  ''disciple  is  not  above  his 
master:  bl^t  every  one  Hhat  is  perfect  shall  be  as  his  master. 

And  *why  beholdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye,  but 
perceivest  not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye?  Either  how  canst  thou 
say  to  thy  brother.  Brother,  let  me  pull  out  the  mote  that  is  in  thine  eye, 
when  thou  thyself  beholdest  not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye? 
Thou  hypocrite,  *cast  out  first  the  beam  out  of  thine  own  eye,  and  then 
shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  pull  out  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  bi'other's  eye. 


A.  I).  31. 


«  Acts  6.  41. 
Col.  1.  24. 
Jas.  1.  2. 

"  Acts  r.  51. 
''  Amos  6.  1. 

ch.  12.  21. 

Jas  5.  1. 
"■'Matt.  6.2. 

ch.  16.  25. 
"■  Isa.  65.  13. 
y  Pro.  14.  13. 
~  John  15.  in. 

1  John  4. 5. 
"  Ex.  23.  4. 

Pro.  25.  2. 

Watt.  5.  44. 

Rom.  12.20. 

<>  ch.  23.  34. 
Acts  7.  60. 

'  Matt.  5.  39 

rf  1  Cor.  6.  7. 

^  Dent.  15. 7. 
Pro.  3.  27. 
Pro.  21.  26. 
Matt.  5.  \!. 

f  Matt.  7. 12. 
Phil.  4.  8. 

V  Matt.  5. 46. 

A  Matt.  5.  42. 

•  Lev.  25.  35. 
Ps.  37.  26. 

J  Matt.  5.  45. 
1  Johns.  1. 

fc  Acts  14.  17. 

i  Matt.  5.  4^. 
Eph.  5. 1,  2. 

"'Matt.  7.  1. 

"  Pro.  in.  17. 

»  Ps.  79.  12. 

P  Matt.  7.  2. 

1  Matt.  15. 14. 

>•  Matt.  10.24. 

1  Or,  shaU 
be  per- 
fected as 
his  master. 

'  Matt.  7. :;. 

'  Pro.  IS.  17 


man's  sake.  Compare  the  following:  "Being 
reviled,  we  bless ;  being  persecuted,  we  suffer  it ; 
being  defamed,  we  entreat;  we  are  made  as  the 
filth  of  the  world,  and  are  the  offscourin»  of  all 
things  unto  this  day"  (1  Cor.  iv.  12, 13).  Observe 
the  language  of  our  Lord  in  regard  to  the  cause  of 
all  this  ill  treatment  "For  the  Son  of  man's  sake," 
says  He  in  v.  22 :  "  For  My  sake,"  says  He  in 
Matt.  V.  11 :  "  For  righteousness'  sake,"  says  He 
in  the  immediately  preceding  v.  10.  Thus_  does 
Christ  bind  up  the  cause  of  Rlghtfousness  in  the 
world  with  the  receptioii  of  Himself.  23.  Rejoice 
ye  in  tliat  day,  and  leap  [for  joy]  [o-\i/3T»7o-ax€] 
— a  livelier  word  than  even  "be  exceeding  glad," 
or  'exult'  in  Matt.  v.  12;  for,  behold,  your 
reward  is  great  in  heaven:  for  in  the  like  man- 
ner did  their  fathers  unto  the  prophets.  As 
five  of  the  benedictions  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  are  omitted  in  this  Discourse,  so  now 
follow  four  woes  not  to  be  found  there.  And 
yet,  being  but  the  opposites  of  the  benedictions 
pronounced,  they  need  hardly  any  illustration. 
24.  But  woe  unto  you  that  are  rich!  for  ye  have 
received  your  consolation.  25.  Woe  unto  you 
that  are  full!  for  ye  shall  hunger — your  inward 
2io 


craving  strong  as  ever,  but  the  materials  of  satis- 
faction for  ever  gone.  Woe  unto  you  that  laugh 
now!  for  ye  shall  mourn  and  weep— who  have 
all  your  good  things  and  joyous  feelings  here  and 
710W,  in  perishable  objects.  See  on  ch.  xvi.  25. 
26.  Woe  unto  you  when  all  men  shall  speak 
well  of  you !  for  so  did  their  fathers  to  the  false 
prophets — paying  court  to  them  becau.se  they 
flattered  them  with  peace  when  there  was  no 
peace.  See  Mic.  ii.  11.  For  the  jirinciple  of  this 
woe  and  its  proper  limits,  see  John  xv.  19. 

37,  38.  Judge  not,  and  ye  shall  not  be  judged : 
condemn  not  .  .  .  forgive  .  .  .  give,  and  it  shall 
be  given  unto  you ;  good  measure,  pressed 
down,  &c.  It  will  be  observed,  on  comparing 
this  with  Matt.  vii.  1,  2,  that  here  it  is  much 
fuller  and  more  graphic.  39.  And  he  spake  a 
parable  unto  them:  Can  the  blind  lead  the 
blind?  shall  they  not  both  fall  into  the  ditch? 
This  is  not  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount ;  but 
it  is  recorded  by  Matthew  iu  another  and  vei-y 
striking  connection  (ch.  xv.  14).  40.  The  disciple 
is  not  above  his  master:  but  every  one  that  is 
perfect  shall  be  as  his  master  —  q.d.,  '  Tlie 
disciple's  aim  is  to  come  uj)  to  his  master,  and  he 


Christ  enter etk 


LUKE  VII. 


into  Capernaum. 


45  "i 


46 


43  For  "a  good  tree  bringetli  not  forth  corrupt  fniit:  neither  doth  a  corrupt 

44  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit.  For  *' every  tree  is  known  by  his  own  fruit. 
For  of  thorns  men  do  not  gather  figs,  nor  of  a  bramble  bush  gather  they 
^grapes.  A  ^good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  his  heart  bringeth 
forth  that  which  is  good ;  and  an  evil  man  out  of  the  evil  treasure  of  his 
heart  bringeth  forth  tlia.t  which  is  evil :  for  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart 
his  mouth  speakcth. 

And  '^why  call  ye  me,  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things  which  I  say? 
47  Whosoever  ^cometh  to  me,  and  heareth  my  sayings,  and  doeth  them,  I 
4H  will  show  you  to  whom  he  is  like :  he  is  like  a  man  which  built  an  house, 
and  digged  deep,  and  laid  the  foundation  on  a  rock:  and  when  ^the 
flood  arose,  the  stream  beat  vehemently  upon  that  house,  and  could  not 
49  shake  it;  for  it  was  founded  upon  "a  rock.     But  he  that  heareth,  and 
doeth  not,  is  like  a  man  that  without  a  foundation  built  an  house  upon 
the   earth;   against  which   the   stream  did  beat  vehemently,  and  im- 
mediately it  fell;  and  ''the  ruin  of  that  house  was  great. 
7      NOW  when  he  had  ended  all  his  sayings  in  the  audience  of  the  people, 

2  *he  entered  into  Capernaum.     And  a  certain  centurion's  servant,  who 

3  was  dear  unto  him,  was  sick,  and  ready  to  die.     And  when  he  heard  of 
Jesus,  he  sent  unto  him  the  elders  of  the  Jews,  beseeching  him  that  he 

4  would  come  and  heal  his  servant.     And  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  they 
besought  him  instantly,  saying.  That  he  was  worthy  for  whom  he  should 

5  do  this:  for  he  loveth  our  nation,  and  he  hath  built  us  a  synagogue. 

6  Then  Jesus  went  with  them. 

And  when  he  was  now  not  far  from  the  house,  the  centurion  sent 


A.  D.  31 


"  Matt.  7.  ii;. 

Oal.  6.  l:), 
2.'!. 

2Tim3.1-'>. 
"  Matt.  12.33. 
-  A  grape. 
'"  Eom.  8.5-8. 
"  Wal.  1.  6. 

iViatt.25.U. 

ch.  13.  25. 

Kom.  2.  13. 

Jas.  1.  22. 
y  Matt.  1  24. 
'  Acts  14.  22. 

2  Tim.  3  12. 
"  Ps.  12.5.  1. 

2Tim.2.19. 

1  Pet   1.  5. 
Jude  1. 

"  .Job  8.  13. 
Heb  10.  28- 
31. 

2  Pet.  2.  20, 
21. 


CHAP.  r. 
'  Matt.  8.  .1. 
Matt.  27  51. 
ch.  23.  47. 
Acts  10.1,2. 
Acts  22.  'X 
Acts  23.  17. 


thinks  himself  complete  wheu  he  does  so:  if  ye 
then  be  but  blind  leaders  of  the  blind,  the  per- 
fection of  your  training  will  be  but  the  certain  and 
complete  ruin  of  both.' 

For  Eemarks  on  this  Section,  see  those  on  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  generally,  and  particularly 
on  the  portions  of  it  with  which  this  Discoiuse 
corresponds. 

CHAP.  VII.  1-10.— Healixg  of  the  Centtj- 
kton's  Servant.  (  =  Matt.  viii.  5-13.)  The  time 
of  this  scene  seems  to  have  been  just  after  the 
preceding  Discourse;  the  healing  of  the  Leper 
(Matt.  viii.  1-4,  and  Mark  i.  40-4;i)  only  inter- 
vening— on  the  way,  probably,  from  the  Mount 
to  Capernaum. 

1.  Now  when  lie  had  ended  all  his  sajTings  In 
the  audience  of  the  people,  he  entered  into 
Capernaum.  2.  And  a  certain  centurion's  ser- 
vant, who  was  dear  unto  him,  was  sick,  and 
ready  to  die.  These  centurions  were  Roman 
officers,  so  called  from  being  captains  over  a 
huntb-ed  soldiers.  Though  a  heathen  by  birth  and 
early  training,  he  had  become  acquainted  with  the 
Jewish  Religion  probably  either  while  quartered 
at  Capernaum  or  in  some  other  Galilean  town  ; 
although  there  were  so  many  proselytes  to  the 
Jewish  Religion  in  all  the  principal  Greek  and 
Roman  cities  that  he  might  have  embraced  the 
true  Faith  even  before  his  arrival  in  the  Holy  Land. 
1'he  same  may  be  said  of  Cornelius  (Acts  x.  1). 
His  character  appears  here  in  the  most  beautiful 
light.  The  value  which  he  set  upon  this  dying 
servant  and  his  anxiety  for  his  recovery — as  if  he 
had  been  his  own  son — is  the  first  feature  in  it; 
for,  as  Bp.  Hall  observes,  he  is  unworthy  to  be 
well  served  who  will  not  sometimes  wait  upon  his 
followers.  This  servant  was  "  sick  of  the  palsy, 
grievously  tormented"  (Matt.  viii.  6).  3.  And 
when  he  heard  of  Jesus — like  the  woman  with 
the  issue  of  blood  (Mark  v.  27),  and  the  Ssrrophe- 
nician  woman  (Mark  vii.  25).  he  sent  unto  him 
the  elders  {-n-pecrQvTepovv} — rather  'elders'  of  the 
247 


Jews.  His  reason  for  this  is  best  given  in  his  own 
words  of  profound  humility :  "wherefore  neither 
thought  I  myself  worthy  to  come  unto  Thee" 
(*'.  7).  Matthew  represents  him  as  coming  himself 
(viii.  5,  6) :  but  this  is  only  as  James  and  John  are 
said  to  have  petitioned  their  Lord  (Mark  x.  35), 
when  they  got  their  mother  to  do  it  for  them 
(Matt.  XX.  20) ;  and  as  Jesus  made  and  baptized 
more  disciples  than  John,  though  Jesus  Himself 
baptized  not,  but  His  disciples  (John  iv.  1,  2) ;  and 
as  Pilate  scourged  Jesus  (John  xix.  1),  when  he 
ordered  it  to  be  done,  beseeching  him  that  he 
would  come  and  heal  his  servant.  4.  And  when 
they  came  to  Jesus,  they  besought  him  instantly 
[o-7roi;(5a((o>;]— or  'in  haste,'  saying,  That  he  was 
worthy  for  whom  he  should  do  this :  5.  For  he 
loveth  our  nation,  and  he  hath  built  us  a 
synagogue.  These  elders  content  not  themselves 
M'ith  delivering  the  humble  petition  of  the  centu- 
rion himself,  but  urge  their  own  arguments  in 
support  of  it.  And  how  precious  is  the  testimony 
they  bear  to  this  devout  soldier  ;  all  the  more  so 
as  coming  from  persons  who  were  themselves 
probably  strangers  to  the  jirinciple  from  which  he 
acted.  "He  loveth  our  nation,"  they  say;  for  he 
had  found,  in  his  hapjiy  experience,  as  our  Lord 
said  to  the  woman  of  Samaria,  that  "  Salvation  is 
of  the  Jews"  (John  iv.  22);  "and  (they  add)  he 
hath  built  us  a  SJTiagOgue"  {kuI  t>/j/  avvaywyi/i/ 
auTOi  (joKoSofjLvcrev  t'lixXv]  —  'and  himself  built  iia 
the  synagogue;'  rebuilding  the  synagogue  of  the 
place  at  his  own  sole  expense.  His  love  to  the 
Jews  took  this  appropriate  and  somewhat  costly 
form.  He  would  leave  a  monument  in  Capernaum 
of  the  debt  he  owed  to  the  God  of  Israel  by  pro- 
viding for  His  worship  and  the  comfort  of  His 
worshippers.  If  "a  good  name  is  better  than 
precious  ointment"  (Eccl.  vii.  1),  this  military 
proselyte  certainly  had  it.  6.  Then  Jesus  went 
with  them. 

And   when   he   was   now   not   far   from   the 
house,  the  centurion  sent  friends  to  him.    This 


Iltal'tng  of  the 


LUKE  VII. 


Centurions  servant. 


friends  to  him,  saying  unto  liim,  Lord,  trouble  not  thyself;  for  I  am  not 

7  worthy  that  thou  shouldest  enter  under  my  roof:  wherefore  neither  thought 
I  myself  worthy  to  come  unto  thee:  ''but  say  in  a  word,  and  my  servant 

8  shall  be  healed.  For  I  also  am  a  man  set  under  authority,  having  under 
me  soldiers;  and  I  say  unto  ^one.  Go,  and  he  goeth;  and  to  another, 
Come,   and  he  cometh;  and  to  my  servant,  Do  this,  and  he  doeth  it. 

9  When  Jesus  heard  these  things,  he  marvelled  at  him,  and  turned  him 
about,  and  said  unto  the  people  that  followed  him,  I  say  unto  you,  I 

10  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not  in  '^ Israel.  And  they  that  were 
sent,  returning  to  the  house,  found  the  servant  whole  that  had  been 
sick. 


A.  D.  31. 

This  man. 
Ex.  15.  16. 
Deut32..9. 
1  Sam.  2.  a 
Ps.  33.  9. 
Ps.  lOr.  20. 
Mark  1.  -n. 
ch.  4  re. 
ch.  5.  13. 
Ps.  147.  19. 
JIatt  9.  33. 
Eom.  3.1,2. 
Pom.  9.  4. 


was  a  second  message  j  and  here  again,  what 
Matthew  represents  as  said  to  our  Lord  by  the 
centurion  himself  is  by  Luke,  who  is  more  specific 
and  full,  put  into  the  mouth  of  the  centurion's 
friends,  saying  unto  him,  Lord,  trouble  not 
thyself;  for  I  am  not  worthy  that  thou  shouldest 
enter  under  my  roof.  What  deep  humility!  7. 
Wherefore  neither  thought  I  myself  worthy  to 
come  unto  thee :  but  say  in  a  word.  In  Matthew 
it  is  "but  speak  the  word  only"  [aWd  fxovov  el-n-'e 
\6yov\ — or  more  expressively,  'but  speak  only  a 
word.'  and  my  servant  shall  be  healed.  JSIo 
such  faith  as  this  had  been  before  displayed.  8. 
For  I  also  am  a  man  set  under  authority, 
having  under  me  soldiers ;  and  I  say  unto  one. 
Go,  and  he  goeth ;  and  to  another.  Come,  and  he 
cometh ;  and  to  my  servant,  Do  this,  and  he  doeth 
it— g'.  d.,  'I  know  both  to  obey  and  command : 
though  but  a  subaltern,  my  orders  are  implicitly 
obeyed:  Shall  not  diseases,  then,  obey  their  Lord, 
and  at  His  word  be  gone  ? '  9.  When  Jesus  heard 
these  things,  he  marvelled  at  him.  As  Bewjel 
hints,  Jesus  marvelled  but  at  two  things— /ai<A  (as 
here)  and  unbelitf  (Mark  vi.  6) :  at  the  one,  con- 
sidering the  geuoi-al  blindness  in  spiritual  things; 
at  the  other,  considering  the  light  that  shone 
arouu  I  all  who  were  privileged  to  hear  Him  and 
behold  His  works.  But  the  unprecedented  faith 
of  this  heathen  convert  could  not  fail  to  fill  His 
soul  Avith  peculiar  admiration,  and  turned  him 
about,  and  said  unto  the  people  that  followed 
him— Jews,  no  doubt,  I  have  not  found  so  great 
faith,  no,  not  in  Israel— among  the  chosen  people; 
this  Gentile  outstripping  all  the  children  of  the 
covenant.  A  most  imi)ortant  addition  to  this 
statement  is  given  by  Matthew  fviii.  11,  12),  who 
wrote  specially  for  the  Jews:  And  I  say  xinto 
you,  that  many  shall  come  from  the  east  and 
west"  —  from  all  parts  of  the  heathen  world — 
"and  shall  sit  down"  [avaKkidncrnvTai]  —  'shall 
recline,'  as  at  a  feast,  "with  Abraham,  and 
Isaac,  and  Jacob"  —  the  fathers  of  the  ancient 
covenant:  Luke,  reporting  a  solemn  repetition  of 
these  words  on  a  later  occasion  (ch.  xiii.  28-30), 
adds,  "and  all  the  prophets;"  "in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  :"  "but  the  children  of  the  kingdom" — 
born  to  its  privileges,  but  void  of  faith,  "  shall  be 
cast  out  into  outer  darkness, "  the  darkness  out- 
side the  banqueting-house ;  "there  (or  in  this  out- 
side-region)  shall  be  weejnng  and  gnashing  of 
teeth" — the  one  expressive  of  anf/uLsh,  the  other  of 
despair.  10.  And  they  that  were  sent,  returning 
to  the  house,  found  the  servant  whole  that  had 
been  sick.  In  Matthew  we  read,  "And  Jesus  said 
unto  the  centurion,  Go  thy  way :  and  as  thou  hast 
believed,  so  be  it  done  unto  thee.  And  his  servant 
was  healed  the  self-same  hour"  (Matt.  viii.  13), 
teaching,  that  as  in  these  hodily  diseases,  so  in  the 
salvation  of  the  soul,  all  hinges  on  faith.  No 
doubt  this  was  conveyed  to  him  in  the  form  of 
a  message  thi-ough  the  '"  friends  "  that  brought  the 
248 


second  message.     Whether  Jesus  now  visited  tljis 
centurion  we  are  not  informed. 

Remarks. — 1.  How  devoutly  would  this  cen- 
turion, as  he  thought  of  the  Providence  that  brought 
him  into  contact  with  the  chosen  people,  and  thus 
turned  his  heathen  darkness  into  light,  exclaim 
with  the  sweet  Psalmist  of  Israel,  "The  lines  are 
fallen  unto  me  in  pleasant  places ;  yea,  I  have  a 
goodly  heritage"!  (Ps.  xvi.  6).  And  Cornelius  also 
(Acts  X.  1,  &c.);  and  Lydia  (Acts  xvi.  14).  And 
by  what  wonderful  jirovidences  have  huncb-eds  and 
thousands  since  then  been  brought,  as  by  accident 
and  through  circumstances  the  most  trivial,  into 
contact  with  the  truth  which  has  set  them  free  ! 
But,  perhaps,  if  we  knew  all,  it  would  be  found 
that  in  every  case  it  is  in  away  perfectly  casual  and 
all  unexpected  that  the  ear  first  hears  effectually 
the  loving  Voice  which  says,  "Look  unto  me,  and  lie 
saved."  And  if  so,  what  materials  will  this  affbid 
for  wonder  in  heaven,  when  the  whole  story  of 
each  one's  life  will  stand  up  before  his  view  dis- 
tinct and  vivid;  and  what  a  fund  of  blissful  inter- 
course will  be  thus  provided,  when  the  redeemed 
will,  as  Ave  may  reasonably  believe,  exchange  with 
each  other  their  past  experience,  as  each  says  to 
the  other,  "  Come,  all  ye  that  fear  God,  and  I  will 
declare  what  He  hath  done  for  my  soul ! " 

'Wlien  tliis  passing  world  is  done, 
When  has  sunk  yon  glaring  sun. 
When  we  stand  witli  Clirist  in  K'orj', 
Looking  o'er  life's  finished  stay, 
Then,  Lord,  shall  I  fully  kniiw— 
Not  till  then,  how  much  I  owe.'— M'Chetne. 

2.  Bright  as  was  the  radiance  which  shone  from 
the  Old  Testament  upon  this  mind  that  had  been 
reared  in  Pagan  darkness,  it  rested  not  there,  but 
was  only  guided  by  it  to  Him  of  whom  Moses,  in 
the  law,  and  the  Prophets  did  write.  Nor  was 
his  a  hesitating  or  superficial  faith.  Capernaum 
being  the  place  of  Christ's  stated  residence  while 
in  Galilee,  this  devout  officer  seems  to  have  not 
only  heard  His  public  addresses,  but  made  himself 
sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  wonders  of  His 
gracious  hand  to  have  every  doubt  as  to  His  claims 
removed,  and  a  profound  conviction  implanted  in 
his  mind  of  His  Divine  dignity.  When,  there- 
fore, he  has  need  of  His  interposition,  he  applies 
for  it  with  undoubting  confidence,  "beseeching 
Him  to  come  and  heal  His  servant."  But  he 
shrinks  from  a  personal  application  as  "  unworthy 
to  come  to  Him;"  and  though  he  had  petitioned 
Jesus  to  come  and  heal  his  servant,  he  sends 
again  to  say  that  it  was  too  much  honour  to 
him  that  He  should  come  under  his  roof,  but 
that  since  one  word  of  command  from  Him 
would  suffice,  he  would  be  content  with  that. 
What  wonderful  faith  is  this  for  a  convert  from 
heathenism  to  reach !  The  arguments  by  which 
he  illustrates  the  jiower  of  Jesus  to  order  diseases 
to  be  gone — as  servants  in  entire  subjection  to  their 
Master  and  Lord— are  singularly  expressive  of  a 


The  ii'ldow  of  Nains 


LUKE  VII. 


son  raised  to  life. 


11  And  it  came  to  pass  the  day  after,  that  he  went  into  a  city  called 

12  Nain;  and  many  of  his  disciples  went  with  him,  and  much  people.  Now 
when  he  came  nigh  to  the  gate  of  the  city,  behold,  there  was  a  dead  man 
carried  out,  the  only  son  of  his  mother,  and  she  was  a  widow :  and  much 

13  people  of  the  city  was  with  her.     And  when  the  Lord  saw  her,  he  '^had 
l-t  compassion  on  her,  and  said  unto  her.  Weep  not.     And  he  came  and 

touched  the  ^bier:  and  they  that  bare  him  stood  still.  And  he  said, 
15  Ybung  man,  I  say  unto  thee,  'Arise.  And  he  that  was  dead  sat  up,  and 
IG  began  to  speak.     And  he  delivered  him  to  his  mother.     And  there  came 

a  fear  on  all :  and  they  glorified  God,  saying,  -^That  a  great  prophet  is 
17  risen  up  among  us;  and,  ''That  God  hath  visited  his  people.     And  this 

rumour  of  him  went  forth  throughout  all  Judea,  and  throughout  all  the 

region  round  about. 


A.  D.  31. 

d  Lam.  3.  3l'. 

John  11.33, 
35. 

Heb  2.  ir. 

neb.  4  15. 
2  Or,  coffin. 
«  Ch.  8.  64. 

John  11 43. 

Acts  9  4-1. 

Rom.  4.  17. 
/  ch.  24   1!). 

John  4.  19. 

John  6  14. 

John  9.  17. 
^  ch.  1  6S. 

ch.  19.  44. 


faitli  in  the  sovereignty  of  Christ  over  the  elements 
of  nature  and  the  forces  of  life  to  which  nothing 
was  impossible.  And  when  we  "see  how  faith 
wrought  with  his  works  (in  loving  God's  nation  and 
building  them  a  synagogue),  and  by  works  his 
faith  was  made  perfect;"  and  when  we  observe 
how  all  this  anxiety  of  his  was  not  like  that  of 
Jairus  for  the  life  of  an  only  daughter  (ch.  viii. 
42),  nor  like  that  of  the  nobleman  for  his  son  (John 
iv.  47),  but  for  a  servant  that  was  dear  to  him,  can 
we  wonder  that  Jesus  should  say,  "I  have  not 
found  so  great  faith,  no,  not  in  Israel"?  3.  If  the 
Lord  Jesus  had  been  a  mere  creature,  could  He 
have  suffered  such  views  of  Him  to  jiass  uncor- 
rected ']  But  instead  of  this— as  on  every  other  oc- 
casion— the  more  e.talted  were  merHs  views  of  Him. 
erer  the  more  grateful  it  was  to  His  spirit.  See  on 
ch.  v.  1-11,  Remark  2.  4.  There  is  too  good  reason 
to  fear  that  those  very  elders  of  the  Jews  who  be- 
sought Jesus  to  come  and  heal  the  Centurion's  ser- 
vant, and  enforced  their  petition  so  well,  had  them- 
selves none  of  the  centurion's  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Our  Lord's  words  seem  to  imjily  as  much. 
And  when  He  says  that  this  centurion  was,  after 
all,  but  one  of  a  class  which,  from  the  most  dis- 
tant and  unpromising  spots,  would  occupy  the 
liighest  places  and  be  in  the  most  favoured  com- 
pany in  the  kingdom  of  heaven — while  those  that 
had  been  nursed  in  the  arms  and  daudled  upon 
the  knees  and  had  sucked  the  breasts  of  God's 
lawgivers  and  prophets,  and  basked  in  the  sun- 
shine of  supernatural  truth  and  divine  ordinances, 
without  any  inward  transformation,  would  be 
thrust  out,  and  found  weltering  in  anguish  and 
despair — what  a  warning  does  it  utter  to  the  reli- 
giously favoured,  and  what  encouragement  does  it 
hold  out  to  work  hopefully  amongst  the  heathen 
abroad  and  the  outcasts  at  home,  that  "  there  are 
first  which  shall  be  last,  and  there  are  last  which 
shall  be  first ! " 

11-17.— The  Widow  OF  Nain's  Son  Raised  to 
IjIfe.  This  incident  is  peculiar  to  our  Evangelist, 
and  its  occurreneo  in  Luke's  Gospel  alone  illustrates 
that  charming  characteristic  of  it — its  liking  for 
those  scenes,  circumstances,  and  sayings  of  Jesus 
which  manifest  His  human  tenderness,  compassion, 
and  grace.  The  time  is  expressly  stated  in  the 
opening  words. 

11.  And  it  came  to  pass  the  day  after— that  is, 
the  day  after  He  had  healed  the  centurion'.« 
sei-vant,  that  he  went  into  a  city  called  Nain 
— a  small  village  not  elsewhere  mentioned  in 
Scripture,  and  only  this  once  probably  visited 
by  our  Lord:  it  lay  a  little  to  the  south  of 
mount  Tabor,  about  twelve  miles  from  Caper- 
naum, and  many  of  Ms  disciples  went  with  Mm, 
and  much  people  [oxXo9  ttoXus] — 'a  great  multi- 
tude '  12.  Now  when  he  came  nigh  to  the  gate  of 
249 


the  city,  behold,  there  was  a  dead  man  carried 
out  [t^e/vo/u/^e-ro] — in  the  act  of  being  so.  Dead 
bodies,  being  ceremonially  unclean,  weie  not  al- 
lowed to  be  buried  within  the  cities — though  the 
kings  of  David's  house  were  buried  in  the  city 
of  David — and  the  funeral  was  usually  on  the 
same  day  as  the  death,  the  only  son  of  his 
mother,  and  she  was  a  widow— attecting  particu- 
lars, and  told  with  delightful  simplicity.  13.  And 
when  the  Lord  saw  her.  This  sublime  ayipellation 
of  Jesus — "the  Lord" — is  more  usual,  as  Bengel 
notes,  with  Luke  and  John  than  Matthew,  while 
Mark  holds  the  mean,  he  had  compassion  on  her, 
and  said  unto  her,  Weep  not.  AVliat  consolation  to 
thousands  of  the  bereaved  has  this  single  verse 
carried  from  age  to  age !  14.  And  he  came  and 
touched  the  bier — no  doubt  with  a  look  and  man- 
ner which  said,  Stand  still,  and  they  that  bare 
him  stood  still.  And  he  said,  Young  man,  I  say 
unto  thee.  Arise.  15.  And  he  that  was  dead  sat 
up— the  bier  [o-opos]  was  an  open  one,  and  began 
to  speak— evidencing  that  he  was  both  alive  and 
well.  And  he  delivered  Mm  to  his  mother.  What 
mingled  majesty  and  grace  shines  here!  Behold, 
the  Resurrection  and  the  Life  in  human  flesh, 
with  a  word  of  command,  bringing  back  life  to 
the  dead  body,  and  Incarnate  Compassion  putting 
forth  its  absolute  power  to  dry  a  widow's  tears. 
16.  And  there  came  a  fear  on  all— a  religious  awe, 
and  they  glorified  God,  saying.  That  a  great  pro- 
phet is  risen  up  among  us ;  and,  That  God  hath 
visited  his  people — after  long  absence,  more  than 
bringing  back  the  days  of  Elijah  and  Elislia.  For 
they,  though  they  raided  the  dead,  did  so  lalori- 
ouslg;  Jesus  immediately,  and  with  a  word :  they 
confessedly  as  servants  and  creatures,  by  a  power 
not  their  own;  Jesus  by  that  inherent  ^'virtue," 
which  "went  out  of  Him,"  in  every  cure  which 
He  wrought.  Compare  1  Ki.  xvii.  17-24 ;  2  Ki.  iv. 
32-37;  and  see  on  Mark  v.  30.  17.  And  this 
rumour  of  him  went  forth  throughout  all  Judea, 
and  throughout  all  the  region  round  about. 

For  Remark  on  this  Section,  see  on  Mark  v. 
21-43,  Remark  5. 

18-35.— The  Imprisoned  Baptist's  Message  to 
His  Master — The  Reply,  and  Discourse  re- 
garding John  and  His  Mission?  on  the  De- 
parture of  the  Messengers  (  =  Matt.  xi.  2- 19.) 
For  the  circumstances  of  the  Baptist's  imprison- 
ment, see  on  Mark  vi  17-20. 

He  had  now  lain  in  prison  probably  a  full 
year,  far  away  from  the  scene  of  liis  Master's  la- 
bours. But  his  faithful  disciples  appear  from  time 
to  time  to  have  kej  it  him  informed  of  them.  At 
length  the  tidings  they  brought  him,  including  no 
doubt  those  of  the  resmTcction  of  the  widow 
of  Nain's  son  from  the  dead,  appear  to  have 
determined  the  lonely  prisoner  to  take   a    step 


The  imprisoned  Bapild\i 


LUKE  VII. 


message  to  Iiis  Master. 


18 
11> 
20 


21 


And  *the  dinciplas  of  John  showed  him  of  all  these  things.  And  John 
calling  unto  him  two  of  his  disciples,  sent  them  to  Jesus,  saying,  Art  thou 
'he  that  should  come?  or  look  we  for  another?  When  the  men  were 
come  unto  him,  they  said,  John  Baptist  hath  sent  us  unto  thee,  saying, 
Art  thou  he  that  should  come?  or  look  we  for  another?  And  in  the 
same  hour  he  cured  many  of  their  infirmities  and  plagues,  and  of  evil 

22  spirits;  and  unto  many  that  icere  blind  he  gave  sight.  Then  •'Jesus 
answering  said  unto  them,  Go  your  way,  and  tell  John  what  things  ye 
have  seen  and  heard;  ^"how  that  the  blind  see,  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers 
are  cleansed,  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised,  '■  to  the  poor  the  Gospel 
is  preached.     And  blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall  not  be  oflended  in  me. 

And  '"'when  the  messengers  of  John  were  departed,  he  began  to  speak 
unto  the  peojile  concerning  John,  Wliat  went  ye  out  into  the  wilderness 
for  to  see  ?  A  reed  shaken  with  the  wind  ?  But  what  went  ye  out  for  to 
see  ?    A  man  clothed  in  soft  raiment  ?    Behold,  they  which  are  gorgeously 

2G  apparelled,  and  live  delicately,  are  in  kings'  courts.     But  what  went  ye 


23 

2i 

25 


A.  D.  31. 

1^  Matt.  11.  2. 

<  Ezek.  2l.2r. 

Ezek  34.23, 

iiO. 

Tan.  9.  24- 

26. 

R!ic.  5.  2. 

Hag.  2.  r. 

Zee  9.  9. 

Mai.  3.  1-3. 
i  Matt.  11.  A. 
fc  Isa.  29.  18. 

Isa.  35.  5. 

Isa.  42.  6. 

Acts  26.  18. 
I  Isa.  61.  1. 

Zeph.  3.  12. 

ch.  4.  18. 

Ja-s.  2.  5. 
'"Matt.  11.7. 


which  probably  lie  had  often  tliouglit  of,  but 
till  now  shrunk  from,  18.  And  the  disciples  of 
John  showed  him  of  all  these  things.  19.  And 
John   calling   unto   him   two    of    his    disciples 

[5uo  Ttvas] — 'two  certain  disciples;' that  is,  two 
picked,  trusty  ones.  [In  Matt,  xi.,  instead  of  ouo, 
Lachmann,  Tischen  hrf,  and  Treyellei^,  on  cer- 
tainly powerful  evidence,  jirint  otti — '  sent  by  his 
disciples.'  Fritz.'tche  and  Alford  follow  them  in 
their  text;  and  J/cyer  and  f/€  I re<<e  approve  of  the 
change.  But  as  the  external  evidence  is  not 
overpowering,  so  there  is,  in  our  judgment,  the 
strongest  internal  evidence  against  it,  and  in 
favour  of  the  received  reading,  which  differs  only 
by  a  letter  and  a  half  from  the  other  reading.] 
sent  them  to  Jesus,  saying,  Art  thou  he  that 
should  come?  or  look  we  for  another?  20.  When 
the  men  were  come  unto  him,  they  said,  John 
Baptist  hath  sent  us  unto  thee,  saying,  Art  thou 
he  that  should  come?  or  look  we  for  another? 
Was  this  a  question  of  doubt  as  to  the  Messiahship 
of  his  Lord,  as  Rationali-sts  are  fain  to  represent 
it?  Impossible,  from  all  we  know  of  him.  Was 
it  then  purely  for  the  satisfaction  of  his  disciples, 
as  some  expositors,  more  concerned  for  the  Bap- 
tist's reputation  than  for  simple  and  natiu'al  in- 
terpretation, take  it?  Obviously  not.  The  whole 
strain  of  our  Lord's  reply  shows  that  it  was  de- 
signed for  John  himself.  Clearly  it  was  a  message 
of  impatience,  and  almost  of  desperation.  It 
seemed,  no  doubt,  hard  to  him  that  his  Master 
should  let  him  lie  so  long  in  prison  for  his  fidelity 
— useless  to  his  Master's  cause  and  a  compara- 
tive stranger  to  His  proceedings — after  ha%'ing  been 
honoured  to  announce  and  introduce  Him  to  His 
M'ork  and  to  the  people.  And  since  the  wonders  of 
His  hand  seemed  only  to  increase  in  glory  as  He 
advanced,  and  it  could  not  but  be  easy  for  Him  who 
preached  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  the  open- 
ing of  the  prison  to  them  that  were  bound,  to  put 
it  into  the  heart  of  Herod  to  set  him  at  liberty,  or 
to  effect  his  liberation  in  spite  of  him,  he  at  length 
determines  to  see  if,  through  a  message  from  the 
]  risen  by  his  disciples,  he  caunot  get  Him  to  speak 
out  His  mind,  and  at  least  set  his  own  at  rest. 
This,  we  take  it,  was  the  real  object  of  his  mes- 
sage. The  message  itself,  indeed,  was  far  from  a 
proper  one.  It  was  peevish;  it  was  presumptuous; 
it  was  all  but  desperate.  He  had  got  deiiressed ; 
he  was  losing  heart;  his  spirit  was  clouded; 
Heaven's  sweet  light  had,  to  some  extent,  de- 
I>arted  from  him ;  and  this  message  was  the 
consequence.  As  it  was  announced  that  he 
slioidd  come  in  the  spirit  and  i)ower  of  Elijah, 
2d0 


so  we  find  him  treading  in  that  i)rophet's 
steps  rather  more  than  was  desirable  (see  1  Ki. 
xix.  1-4).  21.  And  in  the  same  hour  — no  doubt 
expressly  with  a  view  to  its  being  reported  to 
John,  he  cured  many  of  their  infirmities  and 
plagues,  and  of  evil  spirits;  and  unto  many 
that  were  blind  he  gave  sight  [ixaf>i<raTo  i6 
/^XeTTCiyJ— ' gi-anted  [the  gift  of]  sight.'  22.  Then 
Jesus  answering  said  unto  them,  Go  your 
way,  and  tell  John  what  things  ye  have  seen 
and  heard.  ISio  doubt  along  with  the  miracles 
which  tlioy  "saw,"  they  would  "hear"  those 
magic  words  with  whicli  He  rolled  away  the 
maladies  that  came  before  Him.  Nor  would  He 
fail  to  drop  some  other  words  of  grace,  fitted  to 
impress  the  minds  of  the  messengers,  and,  when 
reported,  to  cheer  the  spirit  of  their  lonely  master. 
how  that  the  blind  see,  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers 
are  cleansed,  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised. 
As  the  article  is  wanting  in  each  of  these  clauses, 
the  sense  would  be  better  jierceived  by  the  Eng- 
lish reader  thus,  though  scarcely  tunable  enough : 
'  Blind  persons  are  seeing,  hime  people  are  walk- 
ing, leprous  persons  are  getting  cleansed,  deaf 
people  are  hearing,  dead  persons  are  being  raised.' 
to  the  poor  the  Gospel  is  preached  [£i'ay7e\l^o^r^al] 
— or  '  is  [in  course  of]  being  preached;'  alluding  to 
the  great  Messianic  prediction,  as  it  was  uttered 
and  appropriated  by  Himself  at  Nazareth,  "  The 
Spirit  of  tlie  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  He  hath 
•anointed  me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor.''' 
23.  And  blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall  not  be 
offended  in  me.  '  Let  these  things  convince  him 
that  My  hand  is  not  shortened  that  it  cannot 
save ;  but  blessed  is  he  who  can  take  Me  with 
just  as  much  light  as  to  his  future  lot  as  is  vouch- 
safed to  him.'  This  was  all  the  reply  that  the 
messengers  received.  Not  a  ray  of  light  is  cast 
on  his  i)rospects,  nor  a  word  of  commendation 
uttered  while  his  disciples  are  i)resent ;  he  must 
die  in  simple  faith,  and  as  a  martyr  to  his  tidelity. 
But  no  sooner  are  they  gone,  than  Jesus  breaks 
forth  into  a  glorious  commendation  of  him. 

24.  And  when  the  messengers  of  John  were 
departed,  he  began  to  speak  unto  the  people 
concerning  John,  What  went  ye  out  into  the  wil- 
derness for  to  see?  A  reedshakenwith  the  wind? 
— '  a  mail  driven  about  by  every  gust  of  popular 
opinion,  and  uttering  an  uncertain  sound  ?  Such  is 
not  John. '  25.  But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ? 
A  man  clothed  in  soft  raiment  ? — '  a  self-iudulgent, 
courtly  preacher?  Such  was  not  John.'  Behold, 
they  which  are  gorgeously  apparelled,  and  live 
delicately,  are  in  kings'  courts.    '  If  that  be  the 


Christ's  discourse 


LUKE  vir. 


concerning  John. 


out  for  to  see?     A  prophet?     Yea,  I  say  unto  you,  and  much  more  than 

27  a  prophet.     This  is  he  of  whom  it  is  written,  "Behold,  I  send  my  mes- 

28  senger  before  thy  face,  which  shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee.  For  I 
say  unto  you.  Among  those  that  are  born  of  women  there  is  not  a  greater 
prophet  than  John  the  Baptist :  but  he  that  is  least  in  tlie  kingdom  of 
God  is  gxeater  than  he. 

29  And  all  the  people  that  heard  him,  and  the  publicans,  justified  God, 
oO  "being  baptized  with  the  baptism  of  John.    But  the  Pharisees  and  lawyers 

■"'rejected  ^the  counsel  of  God  *  against  themselves,  being  not  baptized  of 
him. 

And  the  Lord  said,  '^Whereunto  then  shall  I  liken  the  men  of  this 
generation?  and  to  what  are  they  like?  They  are  like  unto  children 
sitting  in  the  market-place,  and  calling  one  to  another,  and  saying.  We 
have  piped  unto  you,  and  ye  have  not  danced;  we  have  mourned  to  you, 
and  ye  have  not  wept.     For  'John  the  Baptist  came  neither  eating  bread 


31 


A.  D.  31. 

"  Jsa.  40.  3. 
Mai  3.  1. 
Mai.  4.  5. 
ch  1. 10,  ir, 
76. 

0  Matt.  3.  5. 
ch.  .•?.  12. 

s  Or.  frus- 
trated. 

"  Acts  20.  -.7. 

*  Or,  within 
them- 
selves. 

9  Lam.  2  13. 
Matt.  11.10, 
filark  4.  SO. 

■^  Matt.  3.  4. 
Mark  1  6. 
ch.  1.  15 


man  ye  wanted,  ye  must  go  in  qnest  of  liini  to  royal 
palaces. '  26.  But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  A 
prophet  ? — a  faithful  straightforward  utterer  of  the 
te.^timony  given  him  to  bear  ?  Yea,  I  say  unto  you, 
and  much  more  than  a  prophet.  'If  that  was 
what  ye  flocked  to  the  \vildernes.s  to  see  in  John, 
then  ye  have  not  been  disappointed;  for  he  is  that, 
and  much  more  than  that.'  27.  This  is  he  Of  whom 
it  is  written  (Mai.  iii.  1),  Behold,  I  send  my  mes- 
senger before  thy  face,  which  shall  prepare  thy  way 
before  thee.  See  on  Mark  i,  3 ;  and  on  Luke  i.  17. 
'  There  were  many  prophets,  but  only  one  Fore- 
runner of  the  Lord's  Christ  ;  and  this  is  he.'  28. 
For  I  say  unto  you,  Among  those  that  are  born  of 
women  there  is  not — "there  hath  not  risen" 
(Matt.  xi.  11)  a  greater  prophet  than  John  the 
Baptist :  but  he  that  is  least  in  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  greater  than  he.  The  point  of  comparison 
is  manifestly  not  lersonal  character ;  for  as  it  could 
hardly  be  said  that  in  this  respect  he  excelled  every 
human  being  that  preceded  him,  so  it  would  be 
absurd  to  say  that  he  was  oiitstrii)]ied  l)y  the  least 
advanced  of  the  disciples  of  Christ.  It  is  of  his 
otticial  standing  ov  position  in  the  economy  of  gi-ace 
that  our  Lord  is  speaking.  In  that  i-espect  he 
was  above  all  that  ever  went  before  him,  inasmuch 
as  he  was  the  last  and  most  honoured  of  the  Old 
Testament  prophets,  and  stood  on  the  very  edge 
of  the  new  economy,  though  belonging  to  the  old  : 
but  for  this  very  reason,  the  humblest  member 
of  the  new  economy  was  in  advance  of  him.  In 
Matt.  xi.  12-15,  we  have  the  following  important 
additions: — "And  from  the  days  of  Jolm  the 
Baptist  until  now  the  kingdom  of  heaven  suifereth 
violence,    and    the    violent    take    it    by    force" 

i/Jia^eTtti,  K(U  PiafTTai  apiraX^tivtrw  a\iT)'iv\;  'is 
jeing  forced,  and  violent  persons  are  seizin.g 
it.'  The  sense  of  these  remarkable  words  is 
best  seen  in  the  form  in  which  they  were  after- 
wards rejieated,  as  preserved  by  our  Evangel- 
ist alone  (Luke  xvi.  10) :  "The  law  and  the 
prophets  were  until  John" — who  stood  midway 
between  the  old  economy  of  the  law  and  the 
prophets  and  the  new;  above  the  one,  but  below 
the  other — "  since  that  time  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  preixched,  and  every  man  presseth  into  it"  [eis 
nu-riiu  /3ta^6Tnt],  or  '  IS  forcing  his  way  into  it.' 
The  idea  is  that  of  a  rush  for  something  unex- 
pectedly and  transpoi-tingly  brought  within  their 
reach.  In  the  one  ])assage  the  strurtule  to  obtain 
entrance  is  the  prominent  idea ;  in  the  other  and 
later  one  it  is  the  multitude  that  were  thus 
pi-essing  or  forcing  their  way  in.  And  what  our 
Lord  says  of  John  in  both  places  is  that  his  minis- 
ti'y  constituted  the  honourable  jioint  of  transition 
from  the  one  state  of  things  to  the  other.  "  For," 
2.-)l 


to  continue  Matthew's  additions  to  this  Dis- 
course, "all  the  prophets  and  the  law  prophesied 
until  John.  And  if  ye  will  receive  it,  this  is 
Elias,  which  M-as  for  to  come.  He  that  hath 
ears  to  hear,  let  liim  hear."  They  expected  the 
literal  Elijah  the  Tishbite  to  reappear  befoio 
the  coming  of  Messiah ;  misinterpreting  the  clos- 
ing words  of  the  prophet  Malachi  (iv.  5),  and 
misled  by  the  LXX.,  which  rendered  it,  "Be- 
hold, I  send  you  Elijah  the  Tishbite.'''  But  our 
Lord  here  tells  them  plainly  that  this  pro- 
mised messenger  was  no  other  than  John  the 
Baptist  of  whom  he  had  been  speaking;  although, 
knowing  that  this  would  be  a  startling  and  not 
very  welcome  announcement  to  those  who  confi- 
dently looked  for  the  reappearance  of  the  ancient 
proi)het  himself  from  heaven.  He  first  says  it  was 
intended  for  those  who  could  take  it  in,  and  then 
calls  the  attention  of  all  who  had  ears  to  hear  it 
to  what  he  had  said..  Coming  back  now  to  our 
own  Evangelist, 

29.  And  all  the  people  that  heard  [him]  [aK-ouo-as] 
—rather, '  on  hearing  [this],'  and  the  publicans,  jus- 
tified God,  being  baptized  [/iaTn-to-eey-res]— rather, 
'  having  been  baptized'  with  the  baptism  of  John. 
30.  But  the  Pharisees  and  lawyers  rejected  the 
counsel  of  God  against  themselves,  being  not — 
or  rather,  'not  having  been'  baptized  of  him — 
a  striking  remark  of  the  Evangelist  himself  on  the 
different  effects  produced  by  our  Lord's  testimoi;y 
to  John.  The  spirit  of  it  is,  that  all  those  of  the 
audience  who  had  surrendered  themselves  to  the 
gi-eat  preparatory  ministry  of  John,  and  submittetl 
themselves  to  his  Baptism — including  the  X)ubli- 
cans,  amongst  whom  there  had  been  a  considerable 
awakening — were  grateful  for  this  encomium  on 
one  to  whom  they  owed  so  rfiuch,  and  gave  glory 
to  God  for  such  a  gift,  through  whom  they  had 
been  led  to  Him  who  now  spake  to  them  (ch.  i.  1(>, 
17) ;  whereas  the  Pharisees  and  lawyers,  true  to 
themselves  in  having  refused  the  Baptism  of  John, 
now  set  at  nought  the  merciful  desi.gn  of  God  in 
the  Saviour  Himself,  to  their  own  undoing. 

31.  [And  the  Lord  said],  Whereunto  then  shall 
I  liken  the  men  of  this  generation  ?  and  to  what 
are  they  like  ?  [The  introductory  words  of  thi.s 
verse — Elirev  5k  6  Kvpinv — have  scarcely  any  au- 
thority at  all,  and  were  evidently  no  jiart  of  the 
original  text.  They  were  added  probably  at  first 
to  some  Church  Lesson,  to  introduce  what  follows, 
and  thence  found  their  way  into  the  text.]  32-35. 
They  are  like  unto  children  .  .  .  saying,  We 
have  piped  .  .  .  and  ye  have  not  danced  .  .  . 
mourned  .  .  .  and  ye  have  not  wept.  For 
John  .  .  .  came  neither  eating  .  .  .  nor  drinking 
.  .  .  and  ye  say.  He  hath  a  devil.   The  Son  of  man 


Christ'' s  discourse 


LUKE  VII. 


concerning  John. 


31  nor  drinking  wine ;  and  ye  say,  He  hath  a  devil.  The  Son  of  man  is 
come  eating  and  drinking;  and  ye  say,  Behold  a  gluttonous  man,  and  a 

35  wine-bibber,  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners  !  But  *  Wisdom  is  justified 
of  all  her  children. 


A.  D.  31. 

Hos.  14.  9. 
Matt  11.111. 
1  Cor.  1.  2;t, 
24. 


is  come  eating  and  drinking ;  and  ye  say,  Behold 
a  gluttonous  man  ...  a  friend  of  publicans  and 
sinners !  But  Wisdom  is  justified  of  all  her  chil- 
dren. As  cross,  capricious  cliildren,  invited  by 
their  playmates  to  join  them  in  their  amusements, 
will  play  with  them  neither  at  weddings  nor  at 
funerals  (juvenile  imitations  of  the  joyous  and 
mournful  scenes  of  life),  so  that  generation  rejected 
both  John  and  his  JSIaster:  the  one  because  he  was 
too  unsocial — as  if  uueler  some  dark  demoniacal 
intiuence ;  the  other,  because  he  was  too  much 
the  reverse,  lax  in  his  habits,  and  cousorting 
with  the  lowest  classes  of  society.  But  the  chil- 
dren of  Wisdom  recognize  and  houoiir  her  whether 
in  the  austere  garb  of  the  Baptist  or  in  the  more 
attractive  style  of  his  Master,  whether  in  the  Law 
or  in  the  Gospel,  whether  in  rags  or  in  royalty ;  as 
it  is  written,  "The  full  soul  loatheth  an  honey- 
comb :  but  to  the  hungry  soul  every  bitter  thing  is 
sweet"  (Prov.  xxvii.  7). 

Bemarks.  —  l.  Among  the  internal  evidences  of 
the  truth  of  the  Gospel  History,  none  is  more 
striking,  and  to  an  unsophisticated  mind  more  re- 
sistless, than  the  view  which  it  gives  of  John  the 
Baptist.  Who,  in  the  first  place,  would  not  have 
expected  that  the  ministry  of  the  Forerunner 
should  cease  as  soon  as  that  of  his  Master  com- 
menced ;  and  yet  it  did  not,  but  both  continued 
for  some  tin^o  the  same  work  of  preaching  and 
baptizing.  Next,  who  would  not  have  expected 
that  the  disciples  of  John  would  all  attach  them- 
selves to  his  Master,  especially  after  what  he 
said  when  questioned  on  that  subject?  (John  iii. 
2>36).  Au<l  yet,  to  the  very  last,  there  was  a 
company  known  Ijy  the  name  of  "■John's  disci- 
ples," who  not  only  remained  with  him,  but 
followed  a  more  austere  rule  of  life  than  the 
disciples  of  Jesus  Himself,  a  mode  of  life  suited 
to  the  man  who  seems  never  to  have  mixed  in 
general  society,  but  kept  himself,  in  a  great 
measure,  secluded;  and  only  when  John  was 
1)eheaded,  and  by  his  affectionate  and  faithful 
disciples  decently  intcrre*,!,  do  this  class  seem  to 
have  joined  themselves  to  Jesus  in  a  body.  Then, 
Christ's  not  only  letting  John  be  imprisoned,  but 
lie  in  prison  so  long  without  even  a  message  of 
sympatliy  being  sent  him  ;  and,  after  the  patience 
of  the  lonely  pi-isoner  was  well-nigh  worn  out, 
and  all  the  more  tried  by  the  tidings  that  reached 
him  of  Christ's  triumphant  career,  when  he  sent  a 
message  to  his  blaster,  couched  in  terms  almost 
of  desperation,  that  he  should  receive  no  other  an- 
swer tlian  that  the  tidings  that  had  reached  him  of 
his  Masters  glory  were  true  to  the  full,  and  that 
blessed  was  he  who  did  not  allow  himself  to  be 
staggered  and  stuinl>led  at  Him — all  this  is  the 
very  reverse  of  anything  one  would  expect.  But 
further  still,  that  while  uttering  not  one  word  in 
commendation  of  John  in  the  hearing  of  his 
disciples,  the  reporting  of  which  might  have  lifted 
up  his  depressed  spirit,  our  Lord  should,  as  soon 
as  they  were  gone,  break  forth  into  a  lofty 
encomium  on  his  character  and  office— who  would 
have  expected  Him  to  act  so?  Finally,  that  He 
shoiild  allow  him  to  be  beheaded,  to  gratify  a  base 
woman,  and  when  tidings  of  this  were  brought  to 
Jesus  by  his  sorrowing  disciples,  that  not  a  word 
should  be  uttered  by  Him  on  the  subject:— these 
things,  which  surprise  and  almost  perplex  us  as 
facts^,  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  as  piu'e  inven- 
2o2 


tions;  being  the  very  opposite  of  all  that  the  history 
of  such  inventions  would  lead  us  to  expect.  But, 
2.  When  we  come  to  deal  with  them  as  facts,  we 
see  in  them  but  vivid  illustrations  of  certain 
features  of  the  Divine  procedure  for  which  we 
ought  to  be  i>repared.  When  the  three  Hebrew 
youths  were  threatened  with  the  burning  fiery 
furnace  if  they  woiild  not  worship  Nebuchadnez- 
zar's golden  idol,  they  expressed  their  full  convic- 
tion that  the  God  they  served  both  could  and 
would  deliver  them ;  but  even  should  they  be 
mistaken  in  this  expectation,  they  were  still 
resolved  rtither  to  suffer  than  to  sin.  And 
they  suffered  not.  But  John  did.  He  had 
indeed  counted  the  cost,  but  he  had  it  to  pay. 
'Wilt  thou  be  faithful  even  unto  death?'  Avas  the 
questiouj  and  his  sjiirit  answered,  Yes.  '  Canst 
tliou  lie  in  prison  unresciied,  and  even  uncheered, 
save  by  the  light  thou  already  hast,  and  at 
length  in  a  moment  be  despatched  by  those 
whom  thy  fideUty  hath  stung  to  the  quick?' 
To  this  also  his  true  heart  doubtless  bowed, 
though  the  trying  question  was  never  explicitly 
submitted  to  him.  And  such  is  what  thousands 
of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus  have  undergone  for 
His  name.  Nor  can  we  doubt  that  this  very 
record  of  the  Lord's  procedure  towards  the  Baj)- 
tist  has  soothed  many  a  one  when  called  to  ]>ass 
throiigh  a  like  dreary  ]ieriod  of  comfortless  suffer- 
ing, ending  in  death,  for  Jesus'  sake.  And  may 
we  not  please  ourselves  with  the  thought  that, 
like  as  the  words  wrung  from  the  Saviour  Himself 
in  Gcthsemane — "  O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible, 
let  this  cup  pass  from  me"— were  followed  by  the 
jilacid  words,  "  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend 
my  spirit ;"  so  the  deep  depression  which  ]irompted 
the  question,  "Artlhou  He  that  shoidd  come, 
or  look  we  for  another?"  was  followed  by  a  serene 
contentment  and  placid  hoi>e  which  might  thus 
sing  its  pensive  song,  and  only  be  interrupted  by 
the  murdeier  with  his  bloody  axe 2 — 

'God  moves  in  ani}-sterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform  : 
Ue  plants  His  footsteps  in  the  sea, 
And  rides  upon  tlie  stonn. 

'Peep  in  unfatlionnable  mines 

Of  never-failing  sliill, 
lie  treasures  np  His  briglit  desiiins^ 
And  worlis  Uis  sovereign  will. 

'His  purposes  will  ripen  fast. 

Unfolding  every  liour; 
Tlie  bud  may  bave  a  bitter  t.istf, 
Jiut  sweet  will  be  the  flower.'  — Gown  r. 

3.  As  when  John  the  Biptist  ushered  in  an  era  of 
new  liglit  and  liberty  in  the  kingdom  of  God, 
"every  man  pressed  into  it;"  so  there  have  been 
periods  in  the  history  of  the  Church  ever  since,  in 
which  a  light  and  a  fi-eedom  altogether  unwonted 
have  been  infused  into  the  Christian  ministry, 
or  men  have  been  raised  up  outside  the  regular 
ministry,  but  gifted  specially  for  special  work,  and 
particularly  for  rousing  the  impenitent  to  tlee 
from  the  coming  wrath  smd  lay  hold  on  eternal 
life,  who.se  labours  God  designs  to  bless  to  the 
shaking  of  the  dry  bones  and  the  turning  of 
many  to  righteousness.  Publicans  and  sinners — 
the  most  unlikely  classes  —  are  then  to  be  seen 
flocking  to  Chi'ist ;  while  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees—  the  respectably  religious  and  the  formal 
amongst  the  miniscters  of  the  Gospel— stand  aloof,. 


A  woman  washeth  and 


LUKE  VII. 


anohiteth  Christ's  feet. 


36 


"7 


38 


39 


And  'one  of  the  Pharisees  desired  him  that  he  would  eat  with  him. 
And  he  went  into  the  Pharisee's  house,  and  sat  down  to  meat. 

And,  behohi,  a  ''woman  in  the  city,  which  was  a  sinner,  when  she  knew 
that  Jesus  sat  at  meat  in  the  Pharisee's  house,  brought  an  alabaster  box 
of  ointment,  and  stood  at  his  feet  behind  '"him  weeping,  and  began  to 
wash  his  feet  with  tears,  and  did  wipe  them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head, 
and  kissed  his  feet,  and  anointed  them  with  the  ointment.  Now  when 
the  Pharisee  which  had  bidden   him  saw  it,  he  spake  within  himself, 


A.  D.  31. 


'  Matt.  26  e. 

Mark  14.  3. 

John  11.  2. 

"  cll.  8.  2. 

John  9.  24. 

"  Zee.   12.  10. 

Eom.  5.  20. 

1  Tim.  1.1% 

16. 

and  cannot  easily  conceal  their  dislike  at  what 
they  deem  irregularities,  and  fanaticism,  and 
dangers.  At  such  a  time  it  will  be  the  part  of 
the  simple-hearted  and  the  wise  to  hail,  on  the 
one  hand,  the  ingathering  of  souls  to  Christ,  how- 
ever it  be  effected,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  by 
prudent  and  kindly  guidance  of  it,  to  keep  so 
glorious  a  work  from  being  marred  by  human 
folly.  4.  Is  it  not  extraordinary  that,  after  our 
Lord's  most  explicit  declaration  here,  that  John 
the  Baptist  was  the  Elias  that  prophecy  taught 
the  Church  to  look  for  before  the  coming  of  Mes- 
siah, there  are  Christian  students  of  prophecy  who 
affirm  that  the  Jews  were  quite  right  in  expecting 
the  literal  Elijah  from  heaven  ;  and  who,  while  ad- 
mitting that  John  was  an  Elias,  sent  to  announce 
the  first  coming  of  Christ,  maintain  that  the  pro- 
phecy will  only  be  properly  fulfilled  in  the  coming 
of  the  Tishbite  himself  to  ]irepare  men  for  His 
second  coming?  The  thing  to  be  condemned  here 
is  not  so  much  the  extravagance  of  the  expecta- 
tion itself,  which,  the  more  one  thinks  of  it,  will 
appear  the  more  extravagant,  but  the  manifest 
distortion  which  it  puts  xipon  our  Lord's  words, 
and  the  violence  which  it  does  to  the  jirophecy. 
Bnt  all  this  comes  of  an  out  and-out  literi\lisin  in 
the  interpretation  of  prophecy,  which  in  some  cases 
brings  out  conclusions,  not  only  very  harsh,  but 
scarcely  consistent  with  the  principle  itself.  5. 
When  men  want  an  excuse  for  rejecting  or  disre- 
garding the  grace  of  the  Gospel,  they  easily  find 
it.  And  there  are  none  more  ready  and  common 
than  those  arising  out  of  something  objectionable 
in  the  mode  of  jiresenting  the  truth.  One  preacher 
is  too  austere ;  another  too  free :  one  is  too  long  ; 
another  too  short :  one  is  too  sentimental ;  another 
too  hard.  Nothing  pleases ;  nobody  quite  suits 
them.  But  0,  when  the  soul  is  hungry,  how  wel- 
come is  God's  solid  truth,  Christ's  precious  Gospel, 
however  it  comes  !  And  so  "  Wisdom  is  justified 
of  her  children,"  who  know  her,  hail  her,  clasp  her 
to  their  bosom,  however  humbly  clad;  while  th(  se 
who  do  otherwise  only  show  themselves  to  be  "  full 
souls,"  to  whom  even  an  honey-comb  is  distaste- 
ful— "the  whole,  who  need  not  the  Physician"  and 
prize  Him  not. 

36-50.  The  Woman  that  was  a  Sinner,  and 
Simon  the  Pharisee.     This  exquisite  scene  is 

Iieculiar  to  Luke.  The  time  is  quite  uncertain, 
'erhaps  it  is  introduced  here  as  being  suggested 
by  "  the  publicans"  and  others  of  similar  character, 
whom  the  preceding  Section  brought  before  us  as 
welcoming  Christ,  while  "  the  Pharisees  and  law- 
yers rejected  tlie  counsel  of  God  against  them- 
selves" {vv.  29,  30). 

36.  And  one  of  the  Pharisees  desired— or  're- 
quested' bim  that  he  would  eat  with  him.  And 
he  went  into  the  Pharisee's  house,  and  sat  down 
to  meat.  This  Pharisee  seems  to  have  been  in  a 
state  of  mind  regarding  Jesus  intermediate  between 
that  of  the  few  who,  like  Nicodemus,  were  led  to 
believe  on  Him,  and  of  the  overwhelming  majority 
who  regarded  Him  with  suspicion  from  the  tirst, 
which  soon  grew  into  deadly  dislike.  We  shall 
see  that,  though  not  free  from  cold  suspicion,  He 
253 


was  desirous  of  a  closer  acquaintance  with  our 
Lord,  under  the  impression  that  He  might  perhaps 
at  least  be  a  propnet.  And  our  Lord,  knowing 
the  opportunity  it  would  afl'ord  Him  of  receiving 
the  love  of  a  remarkable  convert  from  the  worst 
class  of  society,  and  expounding  tlie  great  f)rin- 
ciples  of  saving  truth,  accepts  His  invitation. 

37.  And,  behold,  a  woman  in  the  city— what  city 
is  not  known :  it  may  have  been  Capernaum, 
which  was  a  sinner — who  had  led  a  jMotligate  life. 
But  there  is  no  ground  whatever  for  tlie  prevalent 
notion  that  this  woman  vms MaryMafidalene  (see  on 
ch.  viii.  2) ;  nor  do  we  know  Avhat  her  name  was. 
It  may  have  been  concealed  from  motives  of  deli- 
cacy; but  indeed  the  names  of  very  few  women  are 
given  in  the  Gospels,  when  she  knew  that  Jesus 
sat  at  meat  in  the  Pharisee's  house,  brought  an 
alabaster  box  of  ointment— a  perfume-A-essel,  in 
some  cases  very  costly,  as  we  know  from  Jolm 
xii.  5.  If  the  ointment,  as  Alford  suggests,  had 
been  an  accessory  to  her  unhallowed  work  of  sin, 
the  offering  of  it  as  here  described  has  a  tender  in- 
terest ;  but  there  is  no  certainty  of  that.  38.  And 
stood  at  Ms  feet  behind  him  weeping— the  posture 
at  meals  being  a  reclining  one,  with  the  feet  out 
behind,  and  began—  or  i)roceeded  to  wash  his  feet 
with  tears.  The  word  here  translated  "'wash"  [ppe- 
Xf'"]  signifies  to  'bathe'  or  '  bedew.'  and  did  wipe 
them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head— the  long  tre.sses 
of  that  hair  on  which  before  she  had  bestowed  too 
much  attention.  Had  she  come  for  such  a  purpose, 
she  had  not  been  at  a  loss  for  a  towel.  Bnt  tears 
do  not  come  at  will,  especially  in  such  plenty.  No, 
they  were  quite  involuntary,  pouring  down  in  a  flood 
upon  His  naked  feet,  as  she  bent  down  to  kiss 
them;  and  deeming  them  rather  fouled  than 
washed  by  this,  she  hastened  to  wijie  them  off 
with  the  only  towel  she  had,  the  long  tresses  of 
her  own  hair,  with  which,  as  »SY(e)' observes,  slaves 
were  wont  to  wash  their  masters'  feet,  and  kissed 
his  feet  [/caT-ef^iXei].  The  word  signifies  to  '  caress,' 
or  '  kiss  tenderly  and  rei)eatcdly' — which  v.  4.5 
shows  to  be  the  meaning  here.  What  i)rompted 
all  this  ?  He  who  knew  her  heart  tells  us  it  was 
much  love,  springing  from  a  sense  of  m  uch  forgive- 
ness. Where  she  had  met  with  Christ  before,  or 
what  words  of  His  had  brought  life  to  her  dead 
heart  and  a  sense  of  Divine  pardon  to  her  guilty 
soul,  we  know  not.  But  probably  she  was  of  the 
crowd  of  "publicans  and  sinners"  whom  incarnate 
Compassion  drew  so  often  around  Him,  and  heard 
from  His  lips  some  of  those  words  such  as  never 
man  spake,  "Come  unto  me.  all  ye  that  labour," 
&c.  No  personal  interview  had  up  to  this  time 
taken  place  between  them  ;  but  she  could  kee])  htr 
feelings  no  longer  to  herself,  and  having  found  her 
way  to  Him  (and  entered  along  with  him.  v.  45), 
they  burst  forth  in  this  surpassing,  yet  most  art 
less  style,  as  if  her  whole  soul  would  go  out  to 
Him.  39.  Now  when  the  Pharisee  which  had 
bidden  him  saw  it.  Up  to  this  time  He  seems 
to  have  formed  no  definite  o]iinion  of  our  Lord, 
and  invited  him  apparently  to  obtain  mate- 
rials for  a  judgment,  he  spake  within  himself, 
saying,  This  man,  if  he   were   a  prophet— one 


Christ  discourseth 


LUKE  VII. 


on  forgiveness  of  sins. 


saying,  '""This  man,  if  he  were  a  prophet,  would  have  known  who  and 
what  manner  of  woman  this  is  that  toucheth  him ;  for  she  is  a  sinner. 

40  And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him,  Simon,  I  have  somewhat  to  say 

41  unto  thee.  And  he  saith,  Master,  say  on.  There  was  a  certain  creditor 
which  had  two  debtors:  the  one  owed  hve  hundred  ''pence,  and  the  other 

42  fifty.     And  when  they  had  nothing  to  pay,  he  frankly  ^'forgave  them 

43  both.  Tell  me  therefore,  which  of  them  v/ill  love  him  most?  Simon 
answered  and  said,  I  suppose  that  he  to  whom  he  forgave  most.     And  he 

44  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast  rightly  judged.  And  he  turned  to  the  w^iman, 
and  said  unto  Simon,  Seest  thou  this  woman  ?  I  entered  into  thine  house, 
thou  gavest  me  no  'water  for  my  feet:  but  she  hath  washed  my  feet  with 

45  tears,  and  wiped  thein  with  the  hairs  of  her  head.  Thou  gavest  me  no 
"kiss:  but  this  woman  since  the  time  I  came  in  hath  not  ceased  to  kiss 

46  my  feet.     My  ''head  with  oil  thou  didst  not  anoint:  but  this  woman  hath 

47  anointed  my  feet  with  ointment.  Wherefore  ''I  say  unto  thee,  Her  sins, 
which  are  many,  are  forgiven ;  for  she  loved  much :  but  to  whom  little  is 

48  forgiven,  the  same  loveth  little.     And  he  said  unto  her,  "^Thy  sins  are 

49  forgiven.     And  they  that  sat  at  meat  with  him  began  to  say  within 


A.  D.  31. 

""  ch.  15.  2. 
"  Matt.  IS.  23. 
y  Isa.  1.  18. 

Isa.  43.  25. 

Isa.  44.  22. 

"  Gen.  18.  4. 

1  Tim.  5. 10. 
"  1  Cor.  16  20. 

2C!or  13.12. 
''  Vs.  23.  5. 

Eccl.  9.  8. 

lJohn2.20, 

27. 

■=  1  Tim  1.14. 

d  Matt.  9.  2. 
Mark  2.  5. 
ch.  5.  20, 
Acts  13.  38. 
J9. 

Eom.  4.  6-8, 
Col.  1.  12- 
14. 


]>f)ssessed  of  supernatural  knowledge.  The  form 
of  expression  here  employed  is  to  this  effect — '  If 
he  were  a  prophet  —  but  that  he  cannot  be,'  [et 
iTi/  7rpo</>7iTi;s]  would  liave  known  wlio  and  what 
manner  of  woman  this  is  that  toucheth  him  ;  for 
she  is  a  sinner.  '  I  have  now  discovered  this 
man:  If  he  were  what  he  gives  himself  forth 
to  be,  he  would  not  have  suffered  a  wretch  like 
this  to  come  near  him;  but  plainly  he  knows 
nothing  about  her,  and  therefore  he  can  be  no 
jjrophet.'  Not  so  fast,  Simon  ;  thou  hast  not  seen 
through  thy  Guest  yet,  but  He  hath  seen  through 
thee.  Too  courteous  to  expose  him  nakedly  at 
liis  own  table.  He  couches  His  home-thrusts,  like 
jVathan  with  David,  in  the  first  instance  under 
the  veil  of  a  parable,  and  makes  him  pronounce 
b)th  the  woman's  vindication  and  his  own  con- 
demnation ;  and  then  he  lifts  the  veil. 

40,  41.  And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him, 
Simon  .  .  .  There  was  a  certain  creditor  which  had 
two  debtors:  the  one  owed  five  hundred  pence, 
the  other  fifty.  42.  And  when  they  had  nothing 
to  pay,  he  frankly  forgave  them  both.  Tell  me 
therefore,  which  of  tham  will  love  him  most?  43. 
Simon  answered  and  said,  I  suppose  he  to  whom 
he  forgave  most.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Thou 
hast  rightly  judged.  Now  for  the  unexpected 
and  pungent  aijplicatiuu.  The  two  debtors  are  the 
woman  and  Siiuoii ;  the  criminality  of  the  one  was 
ten  tiiiiea  that  of  the  other — or  in  the  proportion  of 
,fine  hundri'd  to  jifti^i;  but  both  being  equally  in- 
solvent, both  are  with  equal  frankness  forgiven ; 
and  Simon  is  made  tq  own  that  the  greatest  debtor 
to  forgiving  mercy  will  cling  to  her  Divine  Bene- 
factor with  the  deejiest  gratitude.  Does  our  Lord 
then  admit  that  Simon  and  the  woman  were  both 
truly  forgiven  persons?  Let  us  see.  44.  And  he 
turned  to  the  woman,  and  said  unto  Simon, 
Seest  thou  this  woman  ?  I  entered  into  thine 
house,  thou  gavest  me  no  water  for  my  feet  — '  a 
com])liment  from  a  host  to  his  guest  which  love 
surely  would  have  prompted;  Init  I  got  it  not: 
Was  there  much  love  in  that?  Was  there  any  ?^  but 
she  hath  washed  my  feet  with  tears,  and  wiped 
them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head.  Dear  penitent ! 
Thy  tears  fell  faster  and  fuller  than  thou  thought- 
est  endurable  on  those  blessed  feet,  and  thou  didst 
hasten  to  wipe  them  off,  as  if  they  had  been  a 
stain:  but  to*Him  who  forgave  thee  all  that  debt, 
the  water  from  those  weeping  eyes  of  thine  is  more 
precioua  than  would  crystal  streams  from  fountains 
•254 


in  the  Pharisee's  house  have  been ;  for  they  welled 
forth  from  a  bursting  heart.  That,  indeed,  was 
'  much  love. '  Again,  45.  Thou  gavest  me  no  kiss 
— of  salutation.  '  How  much  love  was  there  here  ? 
Any  at  all?^  but  this  woman  since  the  time  I 
came  in  hath  not  ceased  to  kiss  my  feet.  She 
would,  in  so  doing,  both  hide  her  head,  and  get 
her  womanly  feelings  in  a  womanly  way  all  ex- 
pressed. That  indeed  was  'much  love.'  feut  once 
more,  46.  My  head  with  oil  thou  didst  not 
anoint :  but  this  woman  hath  anointed  my  feet 
with  ointment.  The  double  contrast  is  here  to  be 
observed — between  Ids  not  anointing  the  head  and 
her  anointing  the  feet;  and  between  his  withhold- 
ing even  common  olive  oil  for  the  higher  purpose, 
and  her  expending  that  precious  aromatic  balsam 
for  the  humbler.  What  evidence  did  the  one  afford 
of  any  feelbvj  zvhich  forgiveness  x>^'oinpts  ?  But 
what  beautiful  evidence  of  this  did  the  other  furnish  ! 
Our  Lord  speaks  this  with  delicate  i)oliteuess,  as 
if  hurt  at  these  inattentions  of  His  host,  which 
though  not  invariably  shown  to  guests,  were  the 
customary  marks  of  studied  respect  and  regard. 
The  infei-ence  is  \Aaxn—Only  one' of  the  debtors  was 
really  forgiven,  though  in  the  hrst  instance,  to  give 
room  for  the  play  of  withheld  feeling,  the  forgive- 
ness of  both  is  supposed  in  the  jjarable.  Our  Lord 
now  confines  Himself  to  the  woman's  case.  47. 
Wherefore  I  say  unto  thee.  Her  sins,  which  are 
many,  are  forgiven  [cKpQwuTui  al  d/ma^TiaL  auTJ;« 
ai  TToX/VaiJ — 'those  many  sins  of  hei-s  are  forgiven.' 
As  He  had  acknowledged  before  how  deep  was  her 
debt,  so  now  He  reiterates  it :  her  sins  were  indeed 
many;  her  guilt  was  of  a  deep  dye ;  but  in  terms 
the  most  solemn  He  proclaims  it  all  cancelled,  for 
she  loved  much.  The  "for"  here  [otl]  is  plainly 
evidential,  and  means,  'inasmuch  as'  or  'seeing 
that.'  Her  love  was  not  the  cause,  but  the  proof 
of  her  forgiveness ;  as  is  evident  from  the  whole 
structure  of  the  parable,  but  to  whom  little  is 
forgiven,  the  same  loveth  little  —  a  delicately 
ironical  intimation  of  there  being  ?io  love  in  the 
present  case,  and  so  no  forgiveness.  48.  And  he 
said  unto  her.  Thy  sins  are  forgiven — an  unsought 
assurance  of  what  she  had  felt,  indeed,  in  the 
simple  appropriation  to  herself  of  the  first  words 
of  grace  Avnich  she  had  heard — we  know  not  where 
— but  how  precious,  now  that  those  blessed  Lips 
addressed  it  to  herself !  49.  And  they  that  sat  at 
meat  with  him  began  to  say  within  themselves 
[ev  tauToIv]— or,  '  among  themselves,'  Who  is  this 


Christ  discourseth                                LUKE  VTI. 

on  forgheness  of  nn?. 

50  themselves,  ^Wlio  is  this  that  forgiveth  sins  also? 
■woman^  ■'"Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee ;  go  in  peace. 

A.xl    llP    saifl    to    thp         AD.  31. 

'  Isa.  63.  3. 
}  Matt.  9  22. 

tliat  forgiveth  sins  also  ?  50.  And  he  said  to  the 
woman,  Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee ;  go  in  peace. 
No  wonder  they  were  startled  to  liear  One  who 
was  reclining  at  the  same  couch,  and  partaking  of 
the  same  hospitalities  with  thomselveSj  assume 
the  awful  prerogative  of  '  even  forgiving  sins. '  But 
so  far  from  receding  from  this,  claim,  or  softening 
it  down,  our  Lord  only  repeats  it,  with  two  precious 
additions :  one,  announcing  what  was  the  secret 
of  the  "  forgiveness"  she  had  experienced,  and  which 
carried  "salvation"  in  its  bosom — her  "faith;"  the 
other,  a  glorious  dismissal  of  her  in  that  "peace" 
which  she  had  already  felt,  but  is  now  assured  she 
has  His  full  warrant  to  enjoy!  The  expression,  "in 
Iteace,"  is  literally  "into  jieace"  [eis  elpi'tvnv] — 'into 
the  assured  and  abiding  enjoyment  of  the  jjeace  of 
a  pardoned  state.' 

Remarks. — 1.  What  a  glorious  exhibition  of  the 
grace  of  the  Gospel  have  we  in  this  Section  ?  A 
woman  of  the  class  of  jirofiigates  casually  heai's 
the  Lord  Jesus  pour  forth  some  of  those  wonder- 
ful words  of  majesty  and  gi'ace,  which  di'oiiped  as 
an  honey-comb.  They  pierce  her  heart;  but,  as 
they  wound,  they  heal.  Abandoned  of  men,  she 
is  not  forsaken  of  God.  Hers,  she  had  thought, 
was  a  lost  case ;  but  the  prodigal,  she  finds,  has  a 
Father  still.  She  will  arise  and  go  to  Him ;  and 
as  she  goes  He  meets  her,  and  falls  on  her  neck 
and  kisses  her.  Light  breaks  into  her  soul,  as 
she  revolves  what  she  heard  from  those  Lips 
tliat  s]iake  as  never  man  sjiake,  and  draws  from 
them  the  joyful  assurance  of  Divine  reconciliation 
for  the  chief  of  sinners,  and  the  peace  of  a  par- 
doned state.  She  cannot  rest ;  she  must  see  that 
wonderful  One  again,  and  testify  to  Him  what  He 
hath  done  for  her  soul.  She  inquu'cs  after  His 
movemcuts,  as  if  she  would  say  with  the  S]iouse, 
"Tell  me,  0  Thoii  whom  my  soid  loveth,  where 
Thou  feedest,  for  why  sliould  I  be  as  one  that 
turneth  aside  by  the  liocks  of  Thy  companions?" 
She  learns  where  He  is,  and  follows  in  His  train 
till  she  finds  herself  at  His  feet  be'iind  Him  at 
the  Pharisee's  table.  At  the  sight  of  Him,  her 
head  is  waters  and  her  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears, 
which  drop  copiously  on  those  beautiful  feet. 
What  a  spectacle,  which  even  angels  might  desire  — 
and  doubtless  did — to  look  into!  But,  how  dif- 
ferently is  it  regarded  by  one  at  least  at  that 
table!  Simon  the  Pharisee  thinks  it  conclusive 
evidence  against  the  claims  of  his  Guest,  that  He 
should  permit  such  a  thing  to  be  done  to  Him 
by  such  a  person.  So  the  matter  shall  be  ex- 
pounded, the  woman  vindicated, .  and  the  Phari- 
see's susxiieions  courteously  yet  jiointedly  rebuked. 
And  what  a  rich  statement  of  Gosjiel  truth  is 
here  conveyed  in  a  few  words.  Though  there  be 
degrees  of  .guilt,  yet  insolvency — or  inability  to 
wipe  out  the  dishonour  done  to  God  by  sin — is 
common  to  all  sinners  alike.  The  debtors  are 
siimers,  and  sin  is  a  debt  incurred  to  Heaven. 
The  debtor  of  "five  hundred"  represents  the  one 
extreme  of  them;  the  debtor  of  "fifty"  the 
other — those  at  the  bottom  and  those  at  the  top 
of  the  scale  of  sinners,  the  gi'eatest  and  the  least 
sinners,  the  profligate  and  the  respectable,  the 
pubUcans  and  the  Pharisees.  A  great  difference 
there  is  between  these.  But  it  is  a  difference 
only  of  degree;  for  of  both  debtors  alike  it  is 
said  that  they  had  nothing  to  pay.  They  were 
both  alike  insolvent.  Tlie  debtor  of  "fifty" 
could  no  more  pay  his  fifty  than  the  debtor  of 
live  hundred  her's.  The  least  sinner  is  insolvent ; 
the  gi-eatest  is  no  more.  "  There  is  no  difference, 
255 


for  all  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  gloiy 
of  GocL"  But  when  they  had  nothing  to  ]iay, 
the  Creditor  frankly  forgave  them  both.  The 
least  sinner,  to  have  peace  with  God  and  get  to 
heaven,  needs  a  frank  forgiveness,  and  the  greatest 
needs  only  that.  lieputiible  Simon  must  be  saved 
on  the  same  terms  with  this  once  profli.Erate  and 
still  desjiised  woman ;  and  she,  now  that  slie 
has  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  is  on  a  level 
with  every  other  pardoned  believer.  "Suchweyy; 
some  of  you:  but  ye  are  washed,  but  ye  are 
sanctified,  but  ye  are  justified,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God"  (1  Cor. 
vi.  11).  But  the  working  of  this  doctrine  of  Grace 
comes  out  here  as  beautifully  as  the  doctrine 
itself.  Love  to  its  Divine  Benefactor,  reigning  in 
the  heart  of  the  pardoned  believer,  is  seen  seek- 
ing Him,  finding  Him,  broken  down  at  the  sight 
of  Him,  embracing  His  very  feet,  and  pouring 
out  its  intensest  emotions  in  the  most  expies- 
sive  form.  Even  so,  "the  love  of  Christ  cou- 
straineth  us  .  .  .  to  live  not  unto  ourselves, 
but  unto  Him  that  died  for  us  and  rose  again.' 
It  casts  its  crowu  at  His  feet.  It  lives  for 
Him;  and,  if  required,  it  lays  down  its  life  for 
Him.  Thus,  what  law  could  not  do  love  does, 
writing  the  law  in  the  heart.  But,  now,  turning 
from  the  sinner  to  the  Saviour,  2.  In  what  light 
does  this  Section  exhibit  Clirist?  He  plainly 
represents  Himself  here  as  the  gi-eat  Cretlitor  to 
Whom  is  owing  that  debt,  and  Whose  it  is  to 
cancel  it.  For,  obsei've  His  argument.  'The 
more  forgiveness,  the  greater  the  debtor's  love  to 
his  generous  Creditor.'  Such  is  the  general  prin- 
ciple laid  down  by  Simon  and  approved  by  Christ. 
Well,  then,  s  lys  our  Lord,  let  the  conduct  of  these 
two  be  tried  by  this  test.  So  He  proceeds,  by  the 
woman's  treatment  of  Himself,  to  show  how  nmch 
she  loved  Him,  and  consequently  how  much 
forgiveness  she  felt  that  she  had  received  from 
Him  ;  and  by  the  Pharisee's  treatment  of  Him,  to 
show  what  an  absence  of  the  feeling  of  love  to 
Him  there  was,  and  consequently  of  the  sense  of 
forgiveness.  The  more  that  the  structure  and 
application  of  the  parable  of  this  Section  is 
studied,  the  more  will  the  intelligent  reader  be 
struck  with  the  high  claim  which  our  Lord  heic 
puts  forth— a  claim  which  would  never  have 
entered  into  the  mind  of  a  mere  creature,  with 
reference  to  the  Person  to  whom  sin  lays  us  under 
obligation,  and  wlK)se  pierogative  accordingly  it 
is  with  loyal  "  frankness"  to  remit  the  debt. 
Should  any  hesitate  about  the  force  of  this 
indirect— but  just  ou  that  account  the  more 
striking— argument  for  the  proiier  Divinity  of 
Christ,"let  him  look  on  to  the  close  of  this  Section, 
where  he  will  find  the  Lord  Jesus  putting  forth 
His  royal  prerogative  of  \)\xh\ic\y  pronouncing  that 
forgiveness  which  had  been  already  experienced; 
and  when  it  was  manifest  to  His  fellow-guests 
that  He  was  assuming  a  Divine  prerogative,  and 
it  seemed  nothing  short  of  blasphemy  that  one 
who  reclined  at  the  same  table  and  ijartook  of  the 
same  hospitalities  with  themselves,  should  speak 
and  act  as  God,  He  not  only  did  not  correct  them 
by  retreating  out  of  the  supposed  claim,  but 
reiterated  the  august  language,  and  with  even  in- 
creased majesty  and  grace:  "Thy  faith  hath  saved 
thee.  Go  in  peace!"  Let  the  Person  of  Christ 
be  studied  in  the  light  of  these  facts.  3.  How 
cheering  is  it  to  be  assured  that  love  gives  beauty 
and  value,  in  the  eye  of  Christ,  to  eveiy  the  least 
act  of  His  genuine  people !    But  on  tliis  subject. 


Christ's  second 


LUKE  VIII. 


Galilean  circuit. 


8  AND  it  came  to  pass  afterward,  tliat  he  went  throughout  every  city 
and  village,  preaching  and  showing  the  glad  tidings  of  the  kingdom  of 

2  God:  and  the  twelve  were  with  him,  and  "certain  women,  which  had 
been  healed  of  evil  spirits  and  infirmities,  Mary  called  Magdalene,  *out  of 

3  whom  went  seven  devils,  and  Joanna  the  wife  of  Chuza  Herod's  steward, 
and  Susanna,  and  many  others,  which  ministered  unto  him  of  their 
substance. 

4  And  "^when  much  people  were  gathered  together,  and  were  come  to 

5  him  out  of  every  city,  he  spake  by  a  parable :  A  sower  went  out  to  sow 
his  seed :  and  as  he  sowed,  some  fell  by  the  way-side ;  and  it  was  trodden 


CHAP.  8. 
'  Matt.  2r.55, 

56. 

Mark  15  40, 
41. 

Mark  16.  1. 
Ch.  23.  27. 
John  10.25. 
Acts  1.  14. 
Mark  16.  9. 
Matt.  13.  2. 
Mark  4.  l. 


see  on  Mark  xiv.  1-11,  Remark  2.  4.  As  this  woman 
came  not  for  the  puriwse  of  shedding  tears,  so 
neither  did  she  come  to  get  an  assui-ance  from 
Jesus  of  her  pardon  and  reconciliation.  But  as 
the  evidences  of  the  change  that  had  passed  upon 
her  flowed  forth,  the  bahn  of  a  pronounced  accep- 
tance was  poured  in.  And  thus  do  the  most 
delightful  assurances  of  our  forgiveness  usually 
si>ring  up  unsought,  in  the  midst  of  active  duty 
and  warm  affections;  while  they  fly  from  those 
who  hunt  for  them  in  the  interior  of  an  anxious 
heart,  and  not  tinding  them  there  go  mourning 
and  weak  for  want  of  them. 

(JHAP.  VIII.  1-3.— Jesus  makes  a  Second 
Galilean  Circuit  with  the  Twelve  and  Cer- 
tain Ministering  AVomen.  This  exquisite  Sec- 
tion is  peculiar  to  Luke.  It  seems  to  follow,  in 
poiut  of  time,  the  events  of  the  preceding  chapter. 

1.  And  it  cama  to  pass  aftarward,  that 
he  went  [kuI  av-ru^  (^Kuoeuc] — 'that  He  tra- 
velled about,'  or  'made  a  progress.'  The  "He" 
is  emphatic  here,  tliroughout  every  city  and 
village  [^KaTCL  TToXii/  i<al  Kinfuju] — '  through  town 
and  village,'  preacMng  and  showing  tlieglad  tid- 
ings of  the  kingdom  of  God— the  Prince  of  itiner- 
ant preachers  scattering  far  and  wide  the  seed  of 
the  Kingdom:  and  the  twelve  were  with  him, 
2.  And  certain  women,  which  had  been  healed  of 
evil  spirits  and  infirmities- on  whom  He  had  the 
double  claim  of  liaving  brought  healing  to  their 
bodies  and  new  life  to  their  souls.  i)rawu  to  Him 
by  an  attraction  more  than  magnetic,  they  accom- 
pany Him  on  this  tour  as  His  almoners  —  minis- 
tering unto  Him  of  their  substance.  Mary  called 
Magdalene  [M«-y5a\i)yi/]— probably  'of  Magdala,' 
as  to  which  see  on  Mark  viii.  10,  out  of  whom 
went  [egeXi/Xi'Ofc-i]  —  rather,  'had  gone,'  seven 
devils.  The  same  thing  Ijeing  said  in  Mark  XA'i.  9, 
it  seems  plain  that  this  was  what  distinguished  her 
amongst  the  Maries.  It  is  a  great  wrong  to  this 
female  to  identify  her  with  the  once  iirofligate, 
though  afterwards  marvellously  changed,  woman 
who  is  the  subject  of  the  jireceding  Section  (ch. 
vii.  37,  &c. ),  and  to  call  all  such  penitents  Man- 
(talenes.  The  mistake  has  arisen  from  confound- 
ing unhap]iy  demoniacal  possession  with  the  con- 
scious entertainment  of  diabolic  impurity,  or  sup- 
posing the  one  to  have  been  inflicted  as  a  punish- 
ment for  the  other — for  which  there  is  not  the  least 
scriptural  ground.  See  on  ch.  xiii.  1-9,  Remark  2, 
at  the  close  of  that  Section.  3.  And  Joanna  the 
wife  of  Chuza  Herod's  steward.  If  the  steward  of 
such  a  godless,  cruel,  and  licentious  sovereign  as 
Herod  Antipas  (see  on  Mark  vi.  14,  &c.)  differed 
greatly  from  himself,  his  post  would  be  no  easy  or 
enviable  one.  That  he  was  a  disciple  of  Christ  is 
xevy  improbable,  though  he  might  be  favourably 
disposed  towards  Him.  But  what  we  know  not 
of  him,  and  may  fear  he  wanted,  we  are  sure  his 
wife  possessed.  Healed  either  of  "evil  spirits" 
or  of  someone  of  the  "  infirmities"  here  referred 
to— the  ordinary  diseases  of  humanity  — she  joins 
256 


in  the  Saviour's  train  of  grateful,  clinging  fol- 
lowers, and  Susanna.  Of  her  we  know  nothing 
but  the  name,  and  that  in  this  one  place  only;  but 
her  services  on  this  memorable  occasion  have  im- 
mortalized her  name— "  Wheresoever  this  Gospel 
shall  be  preached  throughout  the  whole  world, 
this  also  tliat  she  hath  done,"  in  mini.stering  to  the 
Lord  of  her  substance  on  this  Galilean  tour,  "shall 
be  spoken  of  as  a  memorial  of  her"  (Mark  xiv.  9). 
and  many  others  [koI  e-repai  iroXXal] — that  is, 
'  many  other  h"aled  w^omen,'  which  ministered 
unto  him — rather,  according  to  the  better  sup- 
ported reading,  'unto  them;'  that  is,  to  the  Lord 
and  the  Twelve. 

Bemarks. — 1.  What  a  train  have  we  here!  all 
ministering  to  the  Lord  of  their  substance,  and  He 
allowing  them  to  do  it,  and  siibsistin.j  upon  it. 
Blessed  Sa\'iour!  It  melts  us  to  see  Thee  living 
upon  the  love  of  Thy  ransomed  ijeople.  That  they 
bring  Thee  their  poor  offerings  we  wonder  not. 
Thou  hast  sown  unto  them  sjiiritual  things,  and 
they  think  it,  as  well  they  might,  a  small  thing 
that  Thou  shouldst  reap  their  carnal  things  (1  Cor. 
ix.  11).  But  dost  Thou  take  it  at  their  hand,  and 
subsist  \\\)0\\  it?  "0  the  depth  of  the  riches" — of 
this  poverty  of  His !  Very  noble  are  the  words 
of  Olshausen  upon  this  scene :  '  He  who  was 
the  su])port  of  the  spiritual  life  of  His  peoiile 
disdained  not  to  be  supported  by  them  in 
the  body.  He  was  not  ashamed  to  pene- 
trate so  far  into  the  depths  of  jioverty  as  to 
live  upon  the  alms  of  love.  He  only  fed  others 
miraculously:  for  Himself,  He  lived  upon  the  love 
of  His  i)eople.  He  gave  all  things  to  men  His 
brethren,  and  received  all  things  from  them,  enjoy- 
ing thereby  the  pure  blessing  of  love ;  which  is 
then  only  perfect  when  it  is  at  the  same  time  both 
giving  and  receiving.  Who  could  invent  such 
things  as  tliese?  It  was  necessai-y  to  lire  hi  this 
manner  that  it  might  he  so  recordeiV  See  moie 
on  this  exalted  subject,  on  ch.  xix.  28-44, 
Remark  2,  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  But 
2.  May  not  His  loving  ]ieople,  anil  particu- 
larly those  of  the  tender  clinging  sex,  still  ac- 
company Him  as  He  goes  from  land  to  land 
preaching,  by  His  servants,  and  showing  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  God?  and  may  they  not 
minister  to  Him  of  their  substance  by  sustaining 
and  cheering  these  agents  of  His?  Verily  they 
may;  and  they  do.  "  luasmuch  as  ve  have  done 
it  unto  the  least  of  these  My  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  Me. "  Yes,  as  He  is  with  them  "  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,"  in  preaching  and 
showingthe  glad  tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  God, even 
so,  as  many  as  are  with  the  faithful  workers  of  this 
work,  and  helpful  to  them  in  it,  are  accomi)anying 
Him  and  ministering  to  Him  of  their  substance. 
But  see  on  Matt.  xxv.  31-46,  concluding  RemarkS; 
4-lS.— Parable  of  the  Sower.  (-Matt.  xiii. 
l-2;3;  Mark  iv.  1-23.)  For  the  exposition,  see  ou 
Mark  iv.  1-23. 
19-21.— His  Mother  and  Brethren  Seek  to 


Jesus  miraculovshj 


LUO  VIII. 


stilleth  a  tempest 


16 


17 


6  down,  and  the  fowls  of  the  air  devoured  it.  And  some  fell  upon  a  rock ; 
and  as  soon  as  it  was  sprung  up,  it  withered  away,  because  it  lacked 

7  moisture.     And  some  fell  among  thorns ;  and  the  thorns  sprang  up  with 

8  it,  and  choked  it.  And  other  fell  on  good  ground,  and  sprang  up,  and 
bare  fruit  an  hundred-fold.  And  when  he  had  said  these  things,  he 
cried.  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

9  And  "'his  disciples  asked  him,  saying,  What  might  this  parable  be? 

10  And  he  said.  Unto  you  it  is  given  to  know  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom 
of  God:  but  to  others  in  parables;  'that  seeing  they  might  not  see,  and 

1 1  hearing  they  might  not  understand.      Now  ■'the  parable  is  this :   The 

12  ^seed  is  the  word  of  God.  Those  by  ''the  way-side  are  they  that  hear; 
then  Cometh  Hhe  devil,  and  taketh  away  the  word  out  of  their  hearts, 

13  lest  they  should  believe  and  be  saved.  They  on  the  rock  are  they,  which, 
when  they  hear,  receive  the  word  with  joy;   and  these  have  no  root, 

14  which  for  a  while  believe,  and  in  time  of  temptation  fall  away.  And 
that  which  fell  among  thorns  are  they,  which,  when  they  have  heard,  go 
forth,  and  are  choked  with  cares  -'and  riches  and  pleasures  of  this  life, 

15  and  bring  no  fruit  to  perfection.  But  that  on  the  good  ground  are  they, 
which  in  an  honest  and  good  heart,  having  heard  the  word,  keep  it,  and 
^' bring  forth  fruit  with  patience. 

No  'man,  when  he  hath  lighted  a  candle,  covereth  it  with  a  vessel,_or 
putteth  it  under  a  bed ;  but  setteth  it  on  a  candlestick,  that  they  which 
enter  in  may  see  the  light.  For  "'nothing  is  secret  that  shall  not  be 
made  manifest;    neither  aiiy  thing  hid  that   shall  not   be  known  and 

18  come  abroad.  Take  heed  therefore  how  ye  hear:  ''for  whosoever  hath, 
to  him  shall  be  given ;  and  whosoever  hath  not,  from  him  shall  be  taken 
even  that  which  he  ^  seemetli  to  have. 

19  Then  "came  to  him  his  mother  and  his  brethren,  and  could  not  come 

20  at  him  for  the  press.     And  it  was  told  him  by  certain,  which  said.  Thy 

2 1  mother  and  thy  brethren  stand  without,  desiring  to  see  thee.  And  he 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  INIy  mother  and  my  brethren  are  these 
which  hear  the  word  of  God,  and  do  it. 

22  Now  ^'it  came  to  pass  on  a  certain  day,  that  he  went  into  a  ship  with 
his  disciples :  and  he  said  unto  them,  Let  us  go  over  unto  the  other  side 

23  of  the  lake.  And  they  launched  forth.  But  as  they  sailed  he  fell  asleep : 
and  there  came  down  a  storm  of  wind  on  the  lake ;  and  they  were  filled 

24  icith  water,  and  Avere  in  jeopardy.  And  they  came  to  him,  and  awoke 
him,  saying,  Master,  master,  we  perish!  Then  he  ^ arose,  and  rebuked 
the  wind  and  the  raging  of  the  water:  and  they  ceased,  and  there  was  a 
calm.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Where  is  your  faith?  And  they  being 
'"afraid  wondered,  saying  one  to  another,  What  manner  of  man  is  this! 
for  he  commandeth  even  the  winds  and  water,  and  they  obey  him.  _ 

And  ^they  arrived  at  the  country  of  the  Gadareues,  which  is  over 
against  Galilee.  And  when  he  went  forth  to  land,  there  met  him  out  of 
tiie  city  a  certain  man,  which  had  devils  long  time,  and  ware  no  clothes, 
28  neither  abode  in  any  house,  but  in  the  tombs.  When  he  saw  Jesus,  he 
*  cried  out,  and  fell  down  before  him,  and  with  a  loud  voice  said,  What 
have  I  to  do  with  thee,  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  God  most  high?  I  beseech 
thee,  torment  me  not.  (For  he  had  commanded  the  unclean  spirit  to 
come  out  of  the  man.  For  oftentimes  it  had  caught  him :  and  he  was 
kept  bound  with  chains  and  in  fetters ;  and  he  brake  the  bands,  and  was 
0  driven  of  the  devil  into  the  wilderness.)  And  Jesus  asked  him,  saying, 
What  is  thy  name?     And  he  said,  Legion:   because  many  devils  were 


A.  D.  31. 


25 


2G 
27 


29 


''  Matt  l.'i.  10. 

Blark  4.  10. 
"  Isa  6.  9. 

Mark  4.  1 2. 
/  Matt  13.18. 

Mark  4  14. 
"  Rlark  4.  14. 

Acts  20.  27. 
32. 

iCor.  3.6,r, 
9-12. 

Jas  1.  21. 

1  Pet.  1.  23. 
ft  Jas.  1,23,24. 
i  2  Cor.  2. 11. 

2  Cor.  4.  3. 
2  Thea.  2. 

10. 

1  Pet.  5.  8. 
}  Matt  19  23. 

1  Tim.  6.  9. 
10. 

2  Tim.  4.10. 
k  Fph.  2.  4. 

2Pet  1.5-10. 
'  Matt.  5.  15. 

Mark  4.  21. 

ch.  11.  33 

Phil.  2.  15, 
16. 
"'Matt  10  26. 

Cll.  12.  2. 
"  Matt.  13.  2. 

Matt.  25. 29. 

Mark  4.  25. 

ch.  19.  26. 

John  16.  2. 

Rev.  22.  11. 
1  Or,  think- 

eth  that  he 

hath. 
°  Matt.12.46. 

Matt.  13. 55. 

Mark  3.  31. 

John  7.  6. 

Act.s  1.  14. 

1  Cor.  9.  5. 

Gal.  1.  19. 
P  Matt.  8.  23. 

Mark  4.  35. 
1  Job  -^8.  11. 

Job  38.  11. 

Ps.  29.  10. 

Ps.  46.  1. 

Ps.  es.  r. 

Ps.  89.  9. 

Ps.  93.  4. 

Ps.  107.  29. 

Ps.  135  6. 

Nah.  1.  4. 
■"  Ps.  33.  8,  9. 

Mark  4.  41. 

Mark  6  6L 
■'  ]\Iatt.  ?.  28. 

Mark  5  1. 
(  Acts  16.  16, 
17. 

Pliil  2.  10, 
11. 


Speak  WITH  Him,  AND  THE  Reply.  (  =  Mcatt.  xii. 
4r)-50;  Mark  iii.  31-35.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on 
IMatt.  xii.  46-50. 

22-.S9. — Jesus,  Ceossing  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 

VOL.  v.  2j7 


Miraculously  Stills  a  Tempest— He  Cures 
the  Demoniac  of  Gadara.  (  =  Matt.  viii.  •2,>-o4; 
Mark  iv.  35— v.  20. )  For  the  exposition,  see  on 
-Mark  iv.  35— v.  20. 

8 


The  daughter  of 


LUKE  IX. 


J  aims  raised  to  life. 


31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 

37 
38 
39 


40 
41 


42 

43 
44 

45 

46 

47 

48 

49 

50 
51 

52 
53 
54 
55 


entered  into  liim.  And  tliey  besought  him  that  he  would  not  command 
them  to  go  out  "into  the  deep. 

And  there  was  there  an  herd  *'of  many  swine  feeding  on  the  mountain : 
and  they  besought  him  that  he  would  suffer  them  to  enter  into  them. 
And  ^"he  suffered  them.  Then  went  the  devils  out  of  the  man,  and 
entered  into  the  swine :  and  the  herd  ran  violently  down  a  steep  place 
into  the  lake,  and  were  choked.  When  they  that  fed  them  saw  what  was 
done,  they  fled,  and  went  and  told  it  in  the  city,  and  in  the  country. 
Then  they  Avent  out  to  see  what  was  done:  and  came  to  Jesus,  and 
found  the  man  out  of  whom  the  devils  were  departed,  sitting  at  the  feet 
of  Jesus,  clothed,  *  and  in  his  right  mind:  and  they  were  afraid.  They 
also  w^hich  saw  it  told  them  by  what  means  he  that  was  i)ossessed  of  the 
devils  was  healed. 

Then  ^the  Avhole  multitude  of  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes  round  about 
besought  ^him  to  depart  from  them;  for  they  were  taken  with  great  fear. 
And  he  Avent  up  into  the  ship,  and  returned  back  again.  Noav  "the  man 
out  of  Avhom  the  devils  were  departed  besought  him  that  he  might  be 
Avith  him :  but  Jesus  sent  him  away,  saying,  Eeturn  to  thine  OAvn  house, 
and  show  how  great  things  God  hath  done  unto  thee.  And  he  went  his 
Avay,  and  published  throughout  the  Avhole  city  how  great  things  Jesus 
had  done  unto  him. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  Avhen  Jesus  Avas  returned,  the  people  gladly 
received  him:  for  they  Avere  all  Avaiting  for  him.  And,  *  behold,  there 
came  a  man  named  Jairus,  and  he  was  a  ruler  of  the  synagogue :  and  he 
fell  doAvn  at  Jesus'  feet,  and  besought  him  that  he  Avonld  come  into  his 
house :  for  he  had  one  only  daughter,  about  tAvelve  years  of  age,  and  she 
lay  a-dying.     But  as  he  went  the  people  thronged  him. 

And  '^a  woman,  having  an  issue  of  blood  twelve  years,  AAdiich  had  spent 
all  her  living  upon  physicians,  neither  could  be  healed  of  any,  came 
behind  him,  and  '^touched  the  border  of  his  garment:  and  immediately 
her  issue  of  blood  stanched.  And  Jesus  said.  Who  touched  me?  When 
all  denied,  Peter  and  they  that  were  with  him  said.  Master,  the  multitude 
t'.u-ong  thee  and  press  thee,  and  sayest  thou,  Who  touched  me?  And 
Jesus  said.  Somebody  hath  touched  me:  for  I  perceive  that  "^ virtue  is 
gone  out  of  me.  And  when  the  A\"oman  saw  that  she  Avas  not  hid,  she 
came  trembling,  and  falling  doAvu  before  him,  she  declared  unto  him 
before  all  the  people  for  Avhat  cause  she  had  touched  him,  and  how  she 
AA'as  healed  immediately.  And  he  said  unto  her.  Daughter,  be  of  good 
comfort :  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole ;  go  in  peace. 

While  •'he  yet  spake,  there  cometli  one  from  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue's 
house,  saying  to  him,  Thy  daughter  is  dead;  trouble  not  the  Master. 
But  Avhen  Jesus  heard  it,  he  answered  him,  saying.  Fear  not:  -''believe 
only,  and  she  shall  be  made  whole.  And  Avhea  he  came  into  the  house, 
he  suffered  no  man  to  go  in,  save  Peter  and  James  and  John,  and  the 
father  and  the  mother  of  the  maiden.  And  all  wept,  and  bcAvailed  her : 
but  he  said,  Weep  not;  she  is  not  dead,  ''but  sleepeth.  And  they 
laughed  him  to  scorn,  knowing  that  she  was  dead.  And  he  put  them 
all  out,  and  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  called,  saying,  Maid,  *  arise.  And 
her  spirit  came  again,  and  she  arose  straightway:  and  he  commanded  to 
give  her  meat.  And  her  parents  were  astonished:  but  he  ■'charged  them 
that  they  should  tell  no  man  what  was  done. 

THEN  "he  called  his  tAvelve  disciples  together,  and  *gave  them  power 
and  authority  over  all  devils,  and  to  cure  diseases.     And  "^he  sent  them 


A.  D.  31. 

"  Kev.  20.  3. 
"  Lev.  11.  7. 

Deut.  14.  8. 
'"  Jobl.  12. 

Job  12.  16. 

Eev.  20.  7. 
*  1  John  3.  8. 

Eom.  la.-.O. 
V  Matt.  8.  31. 
'  Deut.  5  To. 

1  Sam.fi.io. 

1  Sam.  10. 4. 

2  Sam.  6.  8, 
9. 

Job  21.  14. 
Matt.  8.  34. 
Mark  i.  24. 
Marks.  17. 
ch.  4.  31. 
ch.  5.  8. 
Acts  IG.  33. 
1  Cor.  2. 14. 
"  Ps.  103.  1. 
Ps.  116.  12. 

Marks.  18 

ch   18.  43. 

6  Matt.  9.  IS. 

Mark  S  2i. 
'•'  Lev.  IS.  25. 

Matt.  9.  20. 

Mark  5.  25. 
"i  Deut.  22.12. 

Mark  5.  27, 

28. 

Mark  C  56. 

Acts  5  15. 

Acts  19.  12. 
'  Mark  5.  3J. 

ch.  5.  17. 

ch.  6.  19. 
/  Mark  6.  3i. 
^  2Chr,20  2j. 

Isa  1.  10. 

Mark  9.  23 

Mark  11  22- 

24. 

John  11.  25, 

40. 
''  John  11. 11, 

13. 
«•  ch.  7.  14. 
John  11.  43. 
Acts  9.  40. 
3  Matt   8.  4. 

Matt-  9.  30. 
Mark  5.  43. 


CHAP.  9. 

"  Matt.  10.  1. 

Mark  3. 13. 

]\Iark  6.  7. 
t  John  14. 12. 

A  cts  3.  C. 
'  Matt.  10.  7. 
8. 

]Mark  6.  12. 

ch.  10.  1,  9. 

Tit.  1.  9. 

Tit.  2. 12, 
14. 


40-56.— Ee-crossing  the  Lake,  the  Daughter 
OF  Jairus  is  Raised  to  Life,  and  the  Woman 
avith  the  Issue  of  Blood  is  Healed.    (=Matt. 
253 


ix  18-26;  Mark  v.  21-43.)    For  the  exiwsitiou,  see 
on  Mark  v.  21-4.'i 
ClliU?".  IX.    1-6.— Mission    of  the  Tavi:lys 


Jesus  miracid Mshj 


LUKE  IX. 


feeds  five  thousand. 


4 

G 

7 

8 
9 

10 
11 

12 

13 

U 

15 
16 

17 

18 

19 

20 
21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 


to  preach  ihe  kingdom  of  God,  and  to  heal  the  sick.  And  ''he  said  unto 
them,  Take  notliing  for  your  journey,  neither  staves,  nor  scrip,  neither 
bread,  neither  money;  neither  have  two  coats  apiece.  And  Svhatsoever 
house  ye  enter  into,  tliere  abide,  and  thence  depart.  And  -^whosoever 
will  not  receive  you,  when  ye  go  out  of  that  city,  ^skake  off  the  very  dust 
from  5'our  feet  for  a  testimony  against  them.  And  ''they  departed,  and 
went  through  the  towns,  preacliing  the  Gospel,  and  healing  every  where. 

Now  *  Herod  the  tetrarch  heard  of  all  that  Avas  done  by  him:  and  he 
was  perplexed,  because  that  it  was  said  of  some,  that  John  was  risen  from 
the  dead,  and  of  some,  that  Elias  had  appeared;  and  of  others,  that 
one  of  the  old  prophets  was  risen  again.  And  Herod  said,  John  have  I 
beheaded:  but  Avho  is  this  of  whom  I  hear  such  things'?  And  ■'he  desired 
to  see  him. 

And  ^the  apostles,  when  they  were  returned,  told  him  all  that  they  had 
done.  And  Mie  took  them,  and  went  aside  privately  into  a  desert  place 
belonging  to  the  city  called  Bethsaida.  And  the  people,  when  they  knew 
it,  followed  him :  and  he  received  them,  and  spake  unto  them  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  healed  them  that  had  need  of  healing. 

And  "Svhen  the  day  began  to  wear  away,  then  came  the  twelve,  and 
said  unto  him,  Send  the  multitude  away,  that  they  may  go  into  the 
towns  and  country  round  about,  and  lodge,  and  get  victuals :  for  we  are 
here  in  a  desert  place.  But  he  said  unto  them,  "Give  ye  them  to  eat. 
And  they  said,  "We  have  no  more  but  five  loaves  and  two  fishes ;  except 
we  should  go  and  buy  meat  for  all  this  people.  (For  they  were  about  five 
thousand  men.)  And  he  said  to  his  disciples.  Make  them  sit  down  by 
fifties  in  a  company.  And  they  did  so,  and  made  them  all  sit  down. 
Then  he  took  tbe  five  loaves  and  the  two  fishes,  and  looking  up  to  heaven, 
he  blessed  them,  and  brake,  and  gave  to  the  disciples  to  set  before  the 
multitude.  And  they  ^did  eat,  and  were  all  filled:  and  there  was  taken 
up  of  fragments  that  remained  to  them  twelve  baskets. 

And  ''it  came  to  pass,  as  he  was  alone  praying,  his  disciples  were  with 
him:  and  he  asked  them,  saying,  Wliom  say  the  people  that  I  am? 
They  answering  said,  '"John  the  Baptist;  but  some  say,  Elias;  and  others 
say,  that  one  of  the  old  prophets  is  risen  again.  He  said  unto  them,  But 
whom  say  ye  that  I  am  ?  *  Peter  answering  said,  The  Christ  of  God.  And 
*he  straitly  cliarged  them,  and  commanded  them  to  tell  no  man  that 
thing;  saying,  "The  Son  of  man  must  suffer  many  things,  and  be  rejected 
of  the  elders  and  chief  priests  and  scribes,  and  be  slain,  and  be  raised  the 
third  day. 

And  'he  said  to  them  all,  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny 
himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  daily,  and  follow  me.  For  whosoever  will 
save  \i\n  life  shall  lose  it :  but  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake,  the 
same  shall  save  it.  For  "'what  is  a  man  advantaged,  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  himself,  or  be  cast  away?  For  ■*" whosoever  shall  be 
ashamed  of  me  and  of  my  words,  of  him  shall  the  Son  of  man  be  ashamed, 
when  ]  le  shall  come  in  his  own  glory,  and  in  his  Father's,  and  of  the  holy 
angels  But  ^I  tell  you  of  a  truth,  there  be  some  standing  here,  wliich 
shall  X  ot  taste  of  death,  till  they  see  the  kingdom  of  God. 


A    D.  31. 


«  Ps   37.  3. 

Matt  10.  9. 

l\Iark  6.  8. 

ch.  10.  4 

ch.  22.  35. 

2  Tim.  2.  4. 
°  Matt.  10.1). 

Mark  C.  10. 
/  Matt,  10. 14. 
"  Acts  13.  il. 
''  Mark  6.  12. 
•'  Matt.  14.  1. 

Mark  6.  14. 
3  ch.  2J.  S. 
t  Mark  6.  so. 
'  Matt.  14.13. 
•"Matt.  14  15. 

Mark  6  ;  5. 

John  6. 1,5. 

"  2  Ki  4.  42, 

43. 
°  Num.  11. 22. 

Ps.  78.19,20. 
P  Ps.  145.  15, 

16. 
«  Matt.  16. 13. 

Mark  8.  27. 
"■  Matt.  14.  2. 
'  Matt.  16.10. 

Mark  8.  io. 

Mark  14.61. 

John  1.  41, 
49. 

John  4.  29, 
42. 

John  6.  C9. 

John  7.  41. 

John  11.27. 

John  20. 31. 

Acts  8.  37. 

Acts  9.  22. 

Eom.  10.  9. 

lJohn4.U, 
15. 

1  John  5.  5. 
«  Matt.  1C.20. 
"  Matt.  16  il. 

Matt.  17. 22. 
Matt.  20.17. 
Mark  9.  31. 
ch.  18.  31. 
ch.  24    6,  7. 

°  Matt  10  S'-; 

Matt.  16  24. 

Marks.  31. 

ch.  14.  27. 
""Matt.  16. 26. 

Mark  8.  3  i. 
"  Matt.  10. 33. 

Mark  8.  3s. 

2  Tim.  2.12. 
y  Matt.  16. 28. 

Mark  9.  i. 


Apostles.  (  =  Matt.  x.  1,  5-15;  Mark  vi.  7-13.) 
For  the  exposition,  see  on  Matt.  x.  1, 5-15. 

7-9.— Herod  thinks  Jesus  a  Resurrection  op 
THE  Murdered  Baptist.  (  =  Matt.  xiv.  1,  2; 
Mark  vi.  14-16.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark 
vi.  14-16. 

10-17. — The  Twelve,  on  their  Return,  hav- 
ing Reported  the  Success  of  their  Mission, 
Jesus  Crosses  the  Sea  of  Galilee  with  them, 
Te-vches  the  People,  and  Miraculously  Feeds 


Five  Thousand.  (  =  Matt.  xiv.  13-21 :  Mark  vi. 
30-44)     For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  vi.  30-44 

18-27.— Peter's  noble  Confession  of  Christ- 
First  explicit  Announcement  of  His  Ap- 
proaching Sufferings,  Death,  and  Resurrec- 
tion, WITH  Warnings  to  the  Twelve.  (=  Matt. 
xvi  13-28 ;  Mark  viii.  27— ix.  1.)  For  the  exposi- 
tion, see  on  Matt.  xvL  13-28. 

28-36.— Jesus  is  Transfigured  — Conversa- 
Tio-N"  ABOUT  Eli.4S.    {=  Matt,  xviL  1-13;  Mark  ix. 


Jesus  is  Transfigured 


LUKE  IX. 


on  a  mountain. 


28  And  ^it  came  to  pass,  about  an  eight  days  after  these  ^sayings,  he  took 

29  Peter  and  John  and  James,  and  went  up  into  a  mountain  to  pray.     And 
as  he  prayed,  the  "fashion  of  his  countenance  was  altered,  and  his  raiment 

30  icas  white  and  glistering.     And,  behold,  there  talked  with  him  two  men, 

31  which  were  Moses  and  ''Elias;  who  aj^peared  in  "^ glory,  and  spake  of  his 

32  decease  which  he  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem.     But  Peter  and  they 
that  were  with  him  were  ^ heavy  with  sleep:  and  when  they  were  awake. 


A.  D.  31. 


'  JVJalt.  17.1. 
1  Or,  things. 
"  Ex.   34.  i9, 

35. 
6  2  Ki.  2.  11. 
'  PhU.  3.  HI. 
d  Dan.  8.  IS. 

Dan.  10.  9. 


2-13. )  The  time  and  occasion  of  this  Section,  which 
are  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  right  com- 
prehension of  it,  are  most  definitely  fixed  in  the 
opening  words  of  it. 

28.  And  it  came  to  pass,  about  an.  eight  days 
after  these  sayings— meaning,  after  the  first  start- 
ling annonncemeut  of  His  approaching  Sufferings 
and  Death.  Matthew  and  Mark  say  it  was  "  after 
six  days ;"  but  they  exclude  the  day  on  which  "these 
sayings"  were  uttered  and  the  Transfigm-ation- 
day,  while  oiu-  Evangelist  includes  them.  Now, 
since  all  the  three  Evangelists  so  definitely  connect 
the  Trausfigiu-ation  with  this  announcement  of  His 
Death— so  unexxiected  by  the  Twelve  and  so  de- 
pressing—there can  be  no  doubt  that  the  primary 
intention  of  it  was  to  manifest  the  glory  of  that 
Death  in  the  A-iew  of  Heaven,  to  irradiate  the 
Redeemer's  sufferings,  to  transfigure  the  Cross. 
It  will  appear,  by  and  by,  that  the  scene  took  place 
at  night,  he  took  Peter  and  John  and  James — 
partners  before  in  secular  business,  now  selected, 
as  a  kind  of  sacred  triumvirate,  to  be  sole  wit- 
nesses, first,  of  the  resurrection  of  Jairus'  daughter 
(Mark  v.  37),  next,  of  the  Transfiguration,  and 
finally,  of  the  Agony  in  the  garden  (Slark  xiv.  33), 
and  went  up  into  a  mountain — probably  not  moimt 
Tabor,  according  to  long  tradition,  with  which  the 
facts  scarcely  comjiort,  but  rather  some  mountain 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  to  pray — for 
the  period  He  had  now  reached  was  a  critical  and 
anxious  one.  But  who  can  adequately  ex]iress 
those  "strong  cryings  and  tears"?  jNIethinks,  as  I 
steal  by  His  side,  I  hear  from  Him  these  plaintive 
cries,  'Lord,  Who  hath  believed  our  re]>ort? 
I  am  come  unto  mine  own,  and  mine  own  receive 
Me  not ;  I  am  become  a  stranger  unto  my  brethren, 
an  alien  to  my  mother's  children :  Consider  mine 
enemies,  for  they  are  many,  and  they  hate  me  with 
cruel  hatred.  Arise,  0  Lord,  let  not  man  prevail. 
Thou  that  dwellest  between  the  cherubim,  shine 
forth :  Show  me  a  token  for  good :  Father,  glorify 
thy  name.'  Tliese  strong  cryings  and  tears  i^ierced 
the  skies :  they  entered  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord 
of  Sabaoth.  29.  And  as  he  prayed,  the  fashion  of 
his  countenance  was  altered.  Before  He  cried 
He  was  answered,  and  whilst  he  was  yet  speaking 
He  was  hearth  Blessed  interruption  to  prayer 
this !  and  his  raiment  was  white  and  glistering. 
[egao-xpaTTTOJi/].  Matthew  says  "  His  face  did  shine 
as  the  sun,  and  his  raiment  was  white  as  the  light" 
(xvii.  2).  Mark's  description  is,  as  usual,  intense 
and  vivid:  "His  raiment  became  shining"  [ariX- 
/Soy-ra]  or  'glittering,'  "exceeding  white  as  snow 
[\euK<i  Xiav  uis  X"""]!  SO  as  no  fuller  on  earth  can 
white  them"  (ix.  3).  Tliese  particulars  were  doubt- 
less communicated  to  Mark  by  Peter,  on  whom 
they  made  such  deep  impression,  that  in  his  second 
Epistle  he  refers  to  them  in  language  of  peculiar 
strength  and  grandeur  (2  Pet.  i.  16-18).  Putting 
all  the  accounts  together,  it  would  appeal-  tliat  the 
light  shone,  not  upon  Him.  froin  without,  but  out  of 
Him  from  ivithin:  He  was  all  irradiated:  It  was 
one  blaze  of  dazzling,  celestial  glory;  it  was  Himself 
glorified.  What  a  contrast  now  to  that  "  visage 
more  marred  than  any  man,  and  His  form  than 
the  sons  of  men"!  (Isa.  lii.  14).  30.  And,  behold, 
there  tallied  with  him  two  men,  which  were  Moses 
2M 


and  Elias.  Who,  exclaims  Bengel,  would  not  have 
believed  these  were  angels  (comi)are  Acts  i.  10; 
Mark  xvi.  5),  had  not  their  liuman  names  been 
subjoined?  Moses  represented  "the  law,"  Elijah 
"  the  prophets,"  and  both  together  the  whole  testi- 
mony of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  and  the  Old 
Testament  saints,  to  Christ;  now  not  borne  in  a 
book,  but  by  living  men,  not  to  a  coming,  but  a  come 
Messiah,  visibly,  for  they  "  appeared,"  and  audibly, 
for  they  "spake."  31.  Who  appeared  in  glory, 
and  spake  [e\eyov\ — rather,  'and  were  speaking' 
of  his  decease  [t>V  'i^^o^ov  avToi] — '  of  His  exodus ;' 
'  His  exit,'  or  '  His  departme.'  Beautiful  euphem- 
ism (or  softened  expression)  for  death,  which  Peter, 
who  witnessed  the  scene,  uses  in  his  second  Ef)istle 
to  express  his  own  death,  and  the  use  of  which 
single  term  seems  to  have  recalled  the  whole  scene 
by  a  sudden  rush  of  recollection,  which  he  accord- 
ingly describes  in  language  of  uncommon  grandeur 
(2  Pet.  i.  15-18).  which  he  should  accomplish  [?)i/ 
'ifxeWev  irk-npovu] — -'which  He  was  going  to  fulfil' 
at  Jerusalem.  Mark  the  historiccd  and  local  char- 
acter whicli  Christ's  death  possessed  in  the  eye  of 
these  glorified  men,  as  vital  as  it  is  charming;  and 
see  on  ch.  ii.  11.  What  now  may  be  gathered  from 
this  statement?  First,  That  a  dying  Messiah  is 
the  great  article  of  the  true  Jewish  Theology. 
For  a  long  time  the  Church  had  fallen  clean 
away  from  the  faith  of  this  article,  and  even 
fi-om  a  jirepareduess  to  receive  it.  But  here  we 
have  that  jewel  brought  forth  from  the  heap 
of  Jewish  traditions,  and  by  the  true  represen- 
tatives of  the  Church  of  old  made  the  one  sub- 
ject of  talk  with  Christ  Himself.  Next,  The 
adoring  gratitude  of  glorified  men  for  His  under- 
taking to  accomplish  such  a  decease ;  their  felt 
dependence  upon  it  for  the  glory  in  which  they 
appeared ;  their  profound  interest  in  the  progress 
of  it;  their  humRe  solaces  and  encouragements  to 
go  through  with  it;  and  their  sense  of  its  jjcerless 
and  overwhelming  glory.  '  Go,  matchless,  adored 
One,  a  Lamb  to  the  slaughter !  rejected  of  men, 
but  chosen  of  God  and  precious ;  dishonoured, 
abhorred,  and  soon  to  be  slain  by  men,  but  wor- 
shipped by  cherubim,  ready  to  be  greeted  by  all 
heaven !  In  virtue  of  that  decease  we  are  here ; 
our  all  is  suspended  on  it  and  wi'apt  up  in  it. 
Thine  every  step  is  watched  by  us  with  ineffable 
interest ;  and  though  it  were  too  high  aai  honour  to 
us  to  be  permitted  to  drop  a  word  of  cheer  into 
that  precious  but  now  clouded  spirit,  yet,  as  our- 
selves the  first-fruits  of  harvest,  the  very  joy  set  be- 
fore Him,  we  cannot  choose  but  tell  Him  that  what 
is  the  depth  of  shame  to  Him  is  covered  with  glory 
in  the  eyes  of  heaven,  that  the  Cross  to  Him  is 
the  Crown  to  us,  that  that  "decease"  is  all  our 
salvation  and  all  our  desire.'  And  who  can 
doubt  that  such  a  scene  did  minister  deep  cheer 
to  that  spirit?  'Tis  said  they  "talked"  not  to 
Him,  but  ''with  Him;"  and  if  they  told  Him 
how  glorious  His  decease  was,  might  He  not 
fitly  reply,  'I  know  it  all,  but  your  voice,  as 
messengers  from  heaven  come  down  to  tell  it  me, 
is  music  in  mine  ears.'  32.  But  Peter  and  they 
that  were  with  him  were  heavy  with  sleep :  and 
when  they  were  awake  {ciaypi\ynpi](javTei  ce\.  So 
certainly  most  interpreters  understand  the  exprea- 


Conversation  about 


LUKE  IX. 


Moses  and  Elias. 


33  tliey  saw  his  glory,  and  the  two  men  that  stood  with  him.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  as  they  departed  from  him,  Peter  said  unto  Jesus,  Master,  it  is 
good  for  us  to  be  here:  and  let  us  make  three  tabernacles;  one  for  thee, 

34  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias :  not  knowing  what  he  said.  "While 
he  thus  spake,  there  came  a  cloud  and  overshadowed  them :  and  they 

35  feared  as  they  entered  into  the  cloud.     And  there  came  a  voice  out  of 

36  the  cloud,  saying,  'This  is  my  beloved  son:  hear  -^him.  And  when  the 
voice  was  past,  Jesus  was  found  alone.  "And  they  kept  it  close,  and 
told  no  man  in  those  days  any  of  those  things  which  they  had  seen. 


A.  D.  32. 


'  Matt.  3.  17. 

2  Pet.  1. 16, 
17. 
/  Ex.  23.  21. 

Deut.18.15- 
18. 

Acts  3.  22. 

Heb.  2.  3. 

Heb.  12  '25. 
9  Matt.  17  ;>. 


sion.  But  as  the  word  signifies,  not  'to  awake,'  but 
'  to  keep  awake,'  which  agrees  much  better  with 
the  manifest  intention  of  the  Evangelist,  we  should 
either,  with  Meyer  and  Alford,  render  the  words, 
'  but  having  kept  awake,'  or,  better  still  perhai^s, 
with  Olshaiisen,  'having  roused  themselves  up,'  or 
shaken  off  their  drowsiness.  From  v.  37  it  would 
appear  that  this  Transfiguration-scene  took  place 
durin»  night,  and  that  the  Lord  must  have  passed 
the  wliole  night  on  the  mountain;  for  it  was  "the 
next  day"  before  He  and  the  three  "came  down 
from  the  hill."  This  will  account  for  the  drowsi- 
ness of  the  disciples,  they  saw  Ms  glory,  and 
the  two  men  that  stood  with  him.  The  emphasis 
here  lies  on  the  word  "saw;"  so  that  they  were 
^''  eye-ioitnessesoi  His  majesty,"  as  one  of  them  long 
afterwards  testifies  that  they  were  (2  Pet.  i.  16). 
In  like  manner,  Elijah  made  it  the  one  condition 
of  Elisha's  getting  a  double  portion  of  his  spirit 
after  he  went  away,  that  he  sliould  see  him  ascend: 
"If  thou  see  me  taken  from  thee,  it  shall  be  so 
unto  tliee ;  but  if  not,  it  shall  not  be  so."  Accord- 
ingly, immediately  after  the  record  of  Elijah's 
translation,  it  is  added,  "And  Elisha  saw  U"  (2 
Ki.  il  10,  12).  33.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they 
departed  from  him,  Peter  said  unto  Jesua,  Master, 
it  is  good  for  us  to  he  here:  and  let  us  make 
three  tabernacles;  one  for  thee,  and  one  for 
Moses,  and  one  for  Elias :  not  knowing  what  he 
said.  Peter's  speech  was  so  far  not  amiss.  It  was 
indeed  good,  very  good  to  be  there;  but  for  the  rest 
of  it,  the  best  that  can  be  said  is  what  our  Evange- 
list says,  that  he  knew  not  what  he  said.  The  jioor 
man's  words  in  such  circumstances  must  not  be 
scrutinized  too  closely.  The  next  step  put  an  end 
to  the  hallucination.  The  cloud  and  the  voice 
effectually  silenced  him.  34.  While  he  thus  spake, 
there  came  a  cloud — not  one  of  our  watery  clouds, 
but  the  Shechinah-cloud,  the  pavilion  of  the  mani- 
fested presence  of  God  vdth  His  people  on  earth, 
what  Peter  calls  "the  excellent"  or  "magnificent 
glory"  [t?!?  /xeyaXoTrpeTToui  Sogi/s],  2  Pet.  i.  17.  and 
overshadowed  them:  and  they  feared  as  they 
entered  into  the  cloud.  35.  Aiid  there  came  a 
voice  out  of  the  cloud — "such  a  voice"  says  Peter 
emphatically  {fprnvrii  Toiacroe].  "And  this  voice." 
he  adds,  "we  heard  when  we  were  with  him  in 
the  holy  mount"  (2  Pet.  L  17,  18).  There  must 
have  been  something  very  unearthly  and  awe- 
striking  in  the  soundj  especially  as  the  articulate 
vehicle  of  such  a  testimony  to  Christ,  to  be  thus 
recalled,  saying.  This  is  my  beloved  Son — "in 
whom  I  am  well  pleased"  (Matt.  xvii.  5) :  hear 
him :  Hear  Him  reverentially,  hear  Him  implicitly 
hear  Him  alone.  36.  And  when  the  voice  was 
past,  Jesus  was  found  alone.  Moses  and  Elias 
are  gone.  Their  work  is  done,  and  they  have  dis- 
appeared from  the  scene,  feeling  no  doubt  with 
their  fellow-servant  the  Baptist,  "He  must  in- 
crease, but  I  must  decrease."  The  cloud  too  is 
gone,  and  the  naked  majestic  Christ,  braced  in 
spirit,  and  enshrined  in  the  reverent  affection  of 
His  disciples,  is  left — to  suffer !  Matthew  (xvii.  6- 
S)  is  more  full  here:  "And  when  the  disciples 
261 


heard  [the  voice],  they  fell  on  their  face,  and  were 
sore  afraid  (?'.  6).  And  Jesus  came  and  touched 
them,  and  said,  ArisCj  and  be  not  afraid  (v.  7.) 
And  when  they  had  lifted  up  their  eyes,  they  saw 
no  man  save  Jesus  only"  (v.  8).  And  they  kept  it 
close,  and  told  no  man  in  those  days  any  of 
those  things  which  they  had  seen  —  feeling,  for 
once,  at  least,  that  such  things  were  unmeet  as  yet 
for  general  disclosure. 

Remarks. — 1.  We  know  how  the  first  announce- 
ment which  our  Lord  made  to  the  Twelve  of  His 
approaching  Sufferings  and  Death  startled  and 
shocked  them.  We  know,  too,  with  what  stern-, 
ness  Peter's  entreaty  that  his  Lord  would  spare 
Himself  was  met  and  put  down,  (Matt.  xvi.  21, 
&c. )  But  it  is  only  by  studying  the  recorded  con- 
nection between  these  disclosures  and  the  Trans- 
figuration that  we  gather  how  protracted  had  been 
the  depression  produced  upon  the  Twelve,  and 
how  this  probably  reacted  upon  the  mind  even  of 
our  Lord  Himself.  After  the  lapse  of  a  week,  and 
during  a  night  of  prayer  siient  on  a  mountain,  that 
Death,  the  announcement  of  which  had  been  so 
trying  to  His  most  select  disciples,  is  suddenly 
presented  in  a  new  and  astonishing  light,  as  en- 
gaging the  wonder  and  interest  of  heaven.  No 
doubt,  such  a  \'iew  of  it  was  needed.  As  the 
Twelve  were  beyond  all  doubt  reassured  by  it,  so 
it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  the  Redeemer's  own 
spirit  w^as  cheered  and  invigorated  by  it.  2.  We 
have  tried  to  conceive  what  inight  be  the  strain  of 
those  "prayers  and  supplications,  with  stroug  cry- 
ing and  tears "  w^hich  Jesus  poured  out  on  that 
mountain,  ere  the  glory  broke  forth  from  Him. 
But  much  must  be  left  unimagined.  'He  filled 
the  silent  night  with  His  crying,'  says  Traill 
beautifully,  '  and  watered  the  cold  earth  with  His 
tears,  ruore  precious  than  the  dew  of  Hermon,  or 
any  moisture,  next  unto  His  own  blood,  that  ever 
fell  on  God's  earth  since  the  creation.'  3.  "As 
He  prayed  the  fashion  of  His  countenance  was  al- 
ter«i."  Thanks  to  God,  transhgiuing  manifesta- 
tions are  not  quite  strangers  here.  Ofttimes  in 
the  deepest  depths,  out  of  groanings  which  cannot 
be  uttered,  God's  dear  children  are  suddenly  trans- 
ported to  a  kind  of  heaven  upon  earth,  and  their 
soul  is  made  as  the  chariots  of  Ammi-nadib.  Their 
prayecs  fetch  down  such  light,  streugih,  holy  glad- 
ness, as  makes  their  face  to  shine^  i^utting  a  kind 
of  celestial  radiance  ujjon  it.  (Compare  2  Cor. 
iii.  18,  with  ExocL  xxxiv.  29-35.)  4.  What  a  testi- 
mony have  we  here  to  the  erangelical  scope  of  the 
whole  ancient  economy.  Not  only  is  Christ  the 
great  End  of  it  all,  but  a  dyiny  Christ.  Nor  are  we 
to  dissever  the  economy  from  the  saints  that  were 
reared  under  it.  In  heaven,  at  least,  they  regard 
that  "Decease"  as  all  their  salvation  and  all  tlieir 
desire,  as  we  see  beautifully  here.  For  here,  fresh 
from  heaven,  and  shining  with  the  glory  of  it, 
when  permitted  to  talk  with  Him,  they  speak  not 
of  His  miracles,  nor  of  His  teaching,  nor  of  the 
honour  which  he  i^ut  upon  their  Scriptures,  nor 
upon  the  unreasonable  opposition  to  Him  and  His 
patient  endurance  of  it :    They  speak  not  of  tho 


Healing  of  a 


LUKE  IX. 


demoniac  hoy. 


37  And  ^it  came  to  pass,  that  on  the  next  day,  when  they  were  come  down 

38  from  the  hill,  much  people  met  him.     And,  behold,  a  man  of  the  com- 
pany cried  out,  saying.  Master,  I  beseech  thee,  look  upon  my  son ;  for  he 

39  is  mine  only  child:  and,  lo,  a  spirit  taketh  him,  and  he  suddenly  crietli 
out;  and  it  teareth  him  that  he  foameth  again,  and,  bruising  him,  hardly 

40  departeth  from  him.     And  I  besought  thy  disciples  to  cast  him  out ;  and 

41  they  could  not.     And  Jesus  answering  said,  0  faithless  and  *  perverse 
generation !  how  long  shall  I  be  with  you,  and  suffer  you  ?    Bring  thy  son 

42  hither.     And  as  he  was  yet  a-coming,  the  devil  threw  him  down,  and  tare 
him.     And  Jesus  rebuked  the  unclean  spirit,  and  healed  the  child,  and 


A.  D.  32. 

'•  Malt.  ir.u. 

21. 

Mark  9.  14, 
17. 
'  Deut.  32.  5. 
Ps.  78.  8. 
Matt.  3.  7. 
Matt.  12. 39. 

45. 

Matt.  16.  4. 
Matt.2.'?.3s. 
Acts  2.  40. 


glory  tliey  were  themselves  enshrined  in,  and  the 
glory  which  He  was  so  soon  to  reach.     Their  one 
subject  of  talk  is  "His  decease  which  he  was  going 
to  accomplish    at    Jerusalem."      One    fancies  he 
might  hear  them  saying,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb 
that  is  to  be  slain  !"     Those,  then,  who  see  no 
suffering,   dying  Messiah  in  the  Old  Testament 
read  it  amiss,  if  this  Transfiguration-scene  mean 
anything  at  all.     5.  In  the  light  of  this  interview 
between  the  two  great  rejiresentatives  of  the  an- 
cisDt  economy  and  Christ,  what  are  we  to  tliink 
of  that  theory  which  some  modern  advocates  of 
the  Personal  Reign  of  Christ  on  earth  during  the 
Millennium  contend  for — that  the  saints  of  the 
Old  Testament  are  never  to  be  glorified  with  the 
Church  of  the  New,   but  to    occupy  the    lower 
sphere  of  a  resurrection  to  some  earthly  or  Adamic 
condition?    The  speculation  in  itself  is  repulsive 
enough,  and  void  enough  of  anything  like  Scrip- 
tui-e  support.     But  in  the  light  of  such  a  scene  as 
this,  may  we  not  call  it  intolerable?    6.  What 
think  ye  of  Christ?    Are  ye  in  sympathy  with 
heaven  about  Him  ?    Doubtless  the  hymn  of  the 
New-Testament  Church  which  best  accords  with 
this  celestial  talk  on  the  mount  of  Transfiguration 
is  that  of  the  rapt  seer  in  Patmos:  "Unto  Him 
that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His 
own  blood,  and  hath  made  ua  kings  and  priests 
unto  God  and  His  Father,  to  Him  be  glory  and 
domimon  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen  "  (Rev.  i.  5,  6). 
7.  How  cheering  is  the  view  here  given  of  the  in- 
termediate state  between  death  and  the  resurrec- 
tion !    No  doubt  Elijah  was  translated  that  He 
should  not  see  death.     But  Moses  died  and  was 
buried.     We  speak  not  of  those  shining  bodies, 
which  we  know  that  even  angels  put  on  when 
they  came  down  to  talk  to  the  women  at  the  sepul- 
chre of  their  Lord.     But  the  disembodied  saints 
cannot  be  conceived  to  have  come    down   from 
heaven  and  talked  Avith  Christ  as  living  conscious 
beings,  if  the  state  of  the  soul  between  death  and 
the  resurrection  be  one  of  unconscious  sleep;  no, 
nor  if  it  be  in  a  state  perfectly  passive,  as   some 
good  but  too   speculative   divines   endeavour  to 
make  out.     For  here  is  active  thought  and  feel- 
ing, aye,  and  deejiest  interest  in  what  is  passing  on 
earth,   iiarticularly    what    relates    to    the    work, 
and  so,   the    kingdom  of    Christ.      We  presume 
not  to  "intrude  into  those  things  which  we  have 
not  seen,  vainly  puffed   up  by  a  fieshly  mind." 
But    to    the     extent    we    have    just    expressed, 
we    seem   to    be  on  sure  Scripture  ground.      8. 
"This    is    my  beloved    Son."      Is    He   our   Be- 
loved?    0."  Hear  Him."    Are  we  doing  that?    Is 
His  word  law  to  us  ?    Do  we  like  it  when  it  speaks 
sharp  as  well  as  smooth  things ;  when  it  tells  of 
the  worm  that  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  that  is  not 
quenched,  as  well  as  of  the  many  mansions  in  His 
Father's  house  ?    Does  Christ's  word  carry  it  over 
everything  that  comes  into  collision  with  it?    And 
would  it  not  help  us  just  to  think,  that  whatever 
Christ  speaks,  the  Father  is  standing  over  us,  as  it 
2<>2 


enters  our  ears,  and  saying,  '  Hear  that.'  Tims, 
"Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God" — ^  Hear  Him.'  "  Come  unto 
Me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and 
I  will  give  you  rest" — 'Hear  that.'  When  dark 
and  crushing  events  are  ready  to  overwhelm  us, 
"  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt 
know  hereafter" — ''Hear  Him.'  When  walldng 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  "  I  am 
the  Resurrection  and  the  Life  :  he  tliat  believeth 
in  Me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live;  and 
he  that  livetli  and  believeth  in  Me  shall  never  die" 
— 'Hear  Him!'  10.  "It  came  to  pass,  as  they 
departed  from  Him."  Ah  !  Bright  manifestations 
in  this  vale  of  tears  are  always  "  departing" 
manifestations.  But  the  time  is  coming  when  our 
sun  shall  no  more  go  down,  and  the  glory  shall 
never  be  withdrawn.  11.  "  Jesus  was  left  alone." 
And  alone  He  abidingly  is  and  ever  will  be  in  the 
eyes  of  all  heaven,  earth,  and  hell— unique,  sole: 
the  Alpha  and  Omega  of  all  God's  purposes,  the 
Chiu'ch's  hopes,  and  hell's  fears!  V2.  When  the 
three  disciples  heard  the  voice  from  heaven,  "they 
fell  on  their  face,  and  were  sore  afraid."  But  Jesus 
was  not.  He  was  not  in  the  least  discomposed. 
He  "  came  and  touched  them,  and  said.  Arise,  and 
lie  not  afraid"  (Matt.  xvii.  0,7).  How  was  this? 
Why,  it  was  His.  proper  element.  A  mere  man 
would,  as  wc  say,  have  had  his  head  turned  by  such 
a  demonstration  in  His  behalf.  At  least  he  would 
have  taken  time  to  recover  himself,  and  get  down 
to  his  proper  level.  But  Jesus— amidst  all  this 
blaze  of  glory,  and  celestial  talk,  and  the  A^oice 
from  within  the  cloud,  the  voice  of  God  Himself, 
proclaiming  Him  His  beloved  Son,  whom  all  are  to 
hear — is  perfectly  at  home.  But  indeed  it  was 
only  a  faint  anticipation  of  what  He  Mill  be  when 
He  shall  come  in  His  own  glory  and  in  the  glory  of 
the  Father  and  of  the  holy  angels.  13.  Well  might 
Peter,  looking  back,  near  the  close  of  his  life,  to 
this  scene,  say,  "We  have  not  followed  cunuin;.,ly 
devised  fables,  when  we  made  known  unto  you  the 
l"iower  and  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but 
were  eye-witnesses  of  His  majesty.  For  He  re- 
ceived from  God  tlic  Father  honour  and  gloiy, 
when  there  came  such  a  voice  to  Him  from  the 
excellent  glory  [/xc-yaXoTTfjcTroi/s  5ogi|sl,  This  is 
my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased. 
And  this  voice  which  c;ime  fiom  heaven,  we 
heard,  when  we  were  with  Him  in  the  holy 
mount"  (2  Pet.  i.  l(i-lS).  But.  as  that  chastened 
disciple  delightfully  adds,  there  is  something 
better  than  even  this:  "We  have  also  what  is 
firmer,  the  prophetic  M'ord  [Kat  'ixofxev  fiefiainTcpov 
Toi/  'Trpocjn]TiKdv  Xoyov];  whcreunto  ye  do  well  that 
ye  take  heed,  as  unto  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark 
place,  until  the  day  dauni,  and  the  day  star  arise 
m  your  hearts "  (see  on  2  Pet.  i.  19).  Until  the 
day  break,  and  the  shadows  flee  away,  tm-n,  my 
Beloved,  and  be  thou  like  a  roe,  or  a  young  hart, 
upon  the  mountains  of  Bether"  (Song  ii.  17). 
37-45.— Healing  of  a  Dkjioniac  Eoy— iSECo"* 


Strife  among  the  Twelte 


LUKE  IX. 


wlio  sliould  he  areatest. 


43 


And  they  were  all  amazed  at  the 


44 


delivered  him  again  to  his  father. 

mighty  power  of  God. 

But,  while  they  wondered  every  one  at  all  things  which  Jesus  did,  he 

said  unto  his  disciples,  Let  these  sayings  sink  down  into  your  ears :  for 
45  the  Son  of  man  shall  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  men.     But  'they 

understood  not  this  saying,  and  it  was  hid  from  them,  that  they  perceived 

it  not :  and  they  feared  to  ask  him  of  that  saying. 
4G       Then  ^' there  arose  a  reasoning  among  them,  which  of  them  should  be 

47  greatest.     And  Jesus,  perceiving  the  thought  of  their  heart,  took  a  child, 

48  and  set  him  by  him,  and  said  unto  them,  ^Whosoever  shall  receive  this 
child  in  my  name  receiveth  me ;  and  whosoever  shall  receive  me  receiveth 
him  that  sent  me:  "'for  he  that  is  least  among  you  all,  the  same  shall  be 
great. 

49  And  "John  answered  and  said.  Master,  we  saw  one  casting  out  devils 
in  thy  name;  and  we  forbade  him,  because  he  followetli  not  with  us. 

50  And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Forbid  him  not:  for  "he  that  is  not  against  us 
is  for  us. 

51  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  time  was  come  that  ''he  should  be 

52  received  up,  he  stedlastly  set  his  face  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  and  sent  mes- 
sengers before  his  face :  and  they  went,  and  entered  into  a  village  of  the 

53  Samaritans,  to  make  ready  for  him.     And  ^they  did  not  receive  him, 

54  because  his  face  was  as  though  he  would  go  to  Jerasalem.  And  when  his 
disciples  James  and  John  saw  this,  they  said,  Lord,  wilt  thou  that  we 
command  fire  to  come  down  from  heaven,  and  consume  them,  even  as 


A.  D.  32. 

3  aiatt.  16.22. 

Mark  8.  16. 

Mark  9.  32. 

ch.  2.  50. 

Ch.  18.  34. 

John  12.16. 

John  14.  5. 

2  Or.  3.14. 
*  J'att.  IS.  1. 

Mark  9.  3). 
'  Matt.  10.40. 

Matt.  18.  5. 

Mark  9.  37. 

John  12. 44. 

John  13.20. 

1  Thes.  4.  s. 
"'Matt.  23  II, 

12. 
"  Mark  9.  38. 

Num.  11. 28. 
"  Matt.  12.30. 

Mark  9  39- 
41. 

ch.  u.  rs. 

1  Cor.  12.  3. 
P  2  Ki.  2.  1. 

Mark  lC.19. 

John  6.  i;2. 

Acts  1.2. 

Heb.  6.  21. 
1  John  4.  4  9. 


EXPLICIT  Announcement  of  His  approaching 
Sufferings.  (=Matt.xvii.  14-23;  Mark  ix.  14-32.) 
For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  ix.  14-32. 

46-50.  —  Strife  among  the  Twelve  Who 
should  be  Greatest,  with  Relative  TR<iCH- 
iNG  —  Incidental  Rebuke  of  John  for  E.k- 
CLUSIVENESS.  {  =  Matt.  xviii.  1-5;  Mark 
ix.  33-37.)  For  the  exi»osition,  see  on  Mark 
ix.  33-37. 

51-56.— The  Period  of  His  Assumption  Ap- 
proaching, Christ  takes  His  La.st  Leave  of 
G.^LiLEE— The  Samaritans  Refuse  to  Receive 
Him.  (  =  Matt.  xix.  1;  Mark  x.  1.)  It  is  a  re- 
markable characteristic  of  this  Gospel  that  the 
contents  of  nearly  nine  chapters  of  it — beginning 
with  this  Section  (ch.  ix.  51),  and  going  down  to 
ch.  xviii.  14 — are,  \vith  the  excejition  of  two  or 
tliree  short  passages,  peculiar  to  itself.  As 
there  are  scarcely  any  marks  of  time  and  place 
in  all  this  peculiar  iwrtion,  it  is  difficult  to 
fix  these  with  any  certainty.  But  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  the  earlier  portion  of  it 
belongs  to  the  period  of  our  Lord's  final  journey 
from  Galilee  —  which  was  probably  a  circuitous 
journey,  with  the  view,  perhaps,  of  ministering  in 
localities  not  before  Ansited ;  and  that  the  latter 
portion  of  it  belongs  to  the  intervals  between  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles  and  that  of  the  Dedica- 
tion, in  our  Lord's  last  year  (see  ou  John  x.  22), 
and  between  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication  and 
that  of  His  Last  PasS'  ver  — during  which  in- 
tei-vals  our  Lord  appears  to  have  sojourned 
cliiefly  in  Penea,  withiu  the  juri;sdiction  of  Herod 
Antipas. 

Fareivell  to  Galilee,  and  Refusal  of  the  S'amari- 
tam  to  Receive  Him  (51-56).  51.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  when  the  time  was  come  that  he  should 

be  received  up  \ev  tw  (rvfiTrXijpodaOai  Tas  ii/xepas 
T-j;s  di/a^ »7/Li\//e6os  avTov] — rather,  'when the  days  of 
His  assumption  were  fulfilling,'  or  '  in  course  of 
fulfilment:'  meaning  not  His  death,  as  Calvin  and 
some  others  take  it,  but  His  exaltation  to  the 
I''ather,    as    Grolius,    Bengel,    de     W'tte,    AIe>jer, 

2c;i 


Olshausen,  Alford,  van  Oi<te'f^ee  imderstand  it. 
It  is  a  sublime  expression,  taking  the  sweep  of  His 
whole  career,  as  if  at  one  bound  He  was  about  to 
vault  into  glory.  It  divides  the  work  of  Christ  in 
the  flesh  into  two  great  stages;  all  that  iireceded 
this  belonging  to  the  one,  and  all  that  follows  it  to 
the  other.  During  the  one.  He  formally  "  came  to 
His  own,"  and  "  would  have  gathered  them ;" 
during  the  other,  the  awful  consequences  of  "  His 
own  receiving  Him  not,"  rapidly  revealed  them- 
selves,     he    stedfastly   set   his    face   to   go   to 

Jerusalem  [ual  aun)^  to  ■Tr^ioawirov  avTou  eaTt'ijU^e]. 
The  "He"  is  emphatic  here;  and  the  spirit  in 
which  He  "set  (or  fixed)  his  face  steadfastly'' 
[  =  D'lS  ciii",  ,Tcr.  xxi.  10;  Ezek.  vi.  2,  which 'in 
the  LXX.  is  the  same  as  here]  "to  go  to  Jerusa- 
lem," is  best  expressed  in  His  own  prophetic 
language,  "  I  have  set  my  face  like  a  flint  '  (Isa. 
1.  7).  See  ou  Mark  x.  3*2,  and  Remark  1  at  the 
close  of  that  Section.  Jerusalem  was  His  goal; 
but  the  reference  here  to  His  final  visit  must  be 
understood  as  including  two  preparatoiy  visits  to 
it,  at  the  feasts  of  Tabernacles  and  of  Dedication 
(John  vii.  2,  10 ;  and  x.  22,  23),  with  all  the  inter- 
mediate movements  and  events.  52.  And  sent 
messengers  before  his  face:  and  they  went,  and 
entered  into  a  village  of  the  Samaritans,  to 
make  ready  for  him.  He  had  giveu  no  such 
orders  before;  but  now,  instead  of  avoiding.  He 
seems  to  court  publicity  —  all  now  hastening  to 
maturity.  63.  And  they  did  not  receive  him, 
because  his  face  was  as  though  he  would  go  to 
Jerusalem.  The  Galileans,  in  going  to  the  festivals 
at  Jerupalem,  usually  took  the  Samaritan  route 
(Joseph.  Antt.  xx.  6.  1),  and  yet  s-ceni  to  have  met 
with  no  such  iuhospitality.  But  if  they  were 
asked  to  prepare  quarters  for  (he  Messiah,  in  the 
person  of  one  whose  face  \\  as  as  though  He  would 
go  to  Jerusalem,  their  national  prejudices  would 
be  raised  at  so  marked  a  slight  upon  their  claims. 
(See  on  John  iv.  20).  64.  And  \7hen  his  disciples 
James  and  John  saw  this,  they  said,  Lord,  wOt 
thou  that  we  command  fire  to  come  down  fiom 


The  Samaritans 


LUKE  X. 


refuse  to  recjwe  Him. 


[)5  '^Elias  did?     But  lie  turned,  and  rebuked  them,  and  said,  Ye  know  not 

56  *what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of.     For  Hhe  Son  of  man  is  not  come  to 
destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save  the7n.     And  they  went  to  another  village. 

57  And  "it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  they  went  in  the  way,  a  certain  man 

58  said  unto  him.  Lord,  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou  goest.     And 
Jesus  said  unto  him.  Foxes  have  holes,  and  birds  of  the  air  have  nests ; 

59  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head.     And  ^he  said  unto 
another,  Follow  me.     But  he  said,  Lord,  suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury 

60  my  father.     Jesus  said  unto  him,  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead :  but  go 

61  thou  and  preach  the  kingdom  of  God.     And  another  also  said.  Lord,  "*! 
will  follow  thee ;  but  let  me  first  go  bid  them  farewell  which  are  at  home 

62  at  my  house.     And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  ""No  man,  having  put  his  hand 
to  the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God. 

10      AFTER  tliese  things  the  Lord  appointed  other  seventy  also,  and  ''sent 
them  two  and  two  before  his   face  into  every  city  and  place,   whither 
2  he  himself  would  come.     Therefore  said  he  unto  them. 


"■  2  Ki  1.  10, 

12. 

Acts  4.  20. 

30. 

Eev.  13.  13. 

'  Kuin.2010- 

12. 

Job  2.  10. 

Job  ■:6.  4. 

Rom.  10.  2. 

t  John  3.  17. 

John  12.  47. 

"  Matt.  8.  19. 

"  Watt.  S.  21. 

""  1  Ki.  19.  20. 

*  Heb.  6.  4. 

CHAP.  10. 

"  Matt.  10.  1 

Mark  6.  7. 


heaven,  and  consume  them.  It  was  not  Peter 
•who  spoke  this,  as  we  sliould  have  expected,  but 
those  'sons  of  thtmder"  (Mark  iii.  17),  who  after- 
wards would  have  all  the  highest  honours  of  the 
Kingdom  to  themselves,  and  the  younger  of  whom 
had  been  rebuked  already  for  his  exclusiveuess 
(vv.  49,  50).  Yet  this  was  "the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved,"  while  the  other  williugly  drank  of 
His  Lord's  ])itter  cup.  (See  on  Mark  x.  38-4(J,  and 
on  Acts  xii.  2.)  And  that  same  fiery  zeal,  in  a 
mellowed  and  hallowed  foi-m,  in  the  beloved 
disciple,  we  find  kindling  up — in  view  of  deadly 
error  and  ecclesiastical  presumption — in  2  John 
liJ,  and  3  John  10.  even  as  Elias  did?— a  plau- 
sible precedent,  and  the  more  so,  perhaps,  as  it 
also  occurred  in  Samaria  (2  Ki.  i.  10-12).  65.  But 
he  turned,  and  rebuked  them,  and  said,  Ye  know 
not  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of.  'The 
thing  ye  demand,  though  in  keeping  with  the  legal, 
is  iinsuited  to  the  genius  of  the  evangelical  dispen- 
sation.' The  sparks  of  ?<??holy  indi.gnation  would 
seize  readily  enough  on  this  example  of  Elias; 
but  our  Lord's  rebuke,  as  is  plain  from  v.  56,  is 
directed  to  the  principle  involved  rather  than  the 
animal  heat  \vhich  doubtless  prompted  the  refer- 
ence. 56.  For  the  Son  of  man  is  not  come  to 
destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save  them— a  saying 
truly  divine,  of  wliich  all  His  miracles  —  for 
salvation,  never  destruction — were  one  continued 
illustration.  And  they  went  to  another  village- 
illustrating  His  own  precept  (Matt.  x.  23),  "When 
they  persecute  you  in  one  city,  flee  ye  to  another." 
Tisrhendorf  and  Tregelles  greatly  curtad  the  text 
in  this  iiassage,  lea\'ing  out  all  that  we  here  inclose 
in  brackets  :  54.  [Even  as  Elias.  ]  55.  But  he 
turned  and  rebuked  them,  [and  sai<l,  Ye  know  not 
what  manner  of  spu-it  ye  are  of.  56.  For  the  Son 
of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to 
save  them.]  Laclimann  admits,  "Even  as  Elias," 
but  excludes  all  the  rest.  The  authority  on 
which  this  is  done,  though  ancient  and  weighty, 
is  decidedly  inferior,  in  our  judgment,  to  that 
in  favour  of  the  received  text — so  far  as  vi\  54,  55, 
are  concerned.  For  the  exclusion  of  v.  56 
the  authorities  are  more  formidable;  and  some 
critics,  who  alside  by  tlie  received  text  up  to  that 
verse,  think  themselves  bound  to  reject  it,  as  prob- 
ably inserted  from  Matt,  xviii.  11,  and  Luke  xix. 
10.  But  we  agree  with  Alford  in  retaining  the 
whole,  on  interiial  as  well  as  external  evidence. 
The  saying  in  Matt,  xviii.  11  cannot  fairly  be 
identified  with  this  one. 

Bemarks. — 1.  How  easily  may  the  heat  of  human 
anger  mingle  with  zeal  foi-  the  Loixi,  and  be  cou- 
264 


founded  with  it,  as  in  the  case  of  James  and  John 
here;  and  how  slow  are  we  to  learn  that  "the 
wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  righteousness 
of  God"  (Jas.  i.  20).  Confounding  the  Legal  and 
the  Evangelical  disjiensations,  has  been  the  fruit- 
ful source,  as  of  woeful  corruj.ition  of  the  worship 
of  God,  so  of  hateful  persecution  in  the  name  of 
religion.  While  attempts  to  graft  the  spirit  of 
the  ancient  ritual  upon  the  worship  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  has  led  to  a  monstrous  caricature 
of  the  temple-service  and  the  Aaronic  piiesthood 
in  the  Church  of  Rome,  the  merciless  vengeance 
which  was  required  to  be  taken,  and  which  some- 
times miraculously  descended,  upon  the  despisers 
of  Moses'  law  has  been  regarded  as  the  model  and 
law  of  the  Christian  Church;  and  Christian  magis- 
trates have  been  hounded  on — not  by  the  Chui'ch 
of  Piome  only,  but,  alas!  by  others  also— to  execute 
what  was  called  the  just  jiulgment  of  C!od  upon 
the  iinbelieviug  and  the  heretical.  But  that  great 
saying  of  Christ,  "The  Son  of  man  is  not  come 
to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save  them,"  should 
for  ever  banish  and  brand  such  a  mode  of  treating 
errorists  as  contrary  to  the  entire  genius  of  the 
Gospel.  It  is  a  golden  saying  of  Tillotson,  as 
Webster  and  Wilkinson  remark,  that  we  should 
never  do  anything  for  religion  which  is  against 
religion. 

57-62. — Incidents  illttstrative  of  Disciple- 
ship.  (  =  Matt,  ^^ii.  18-22.)  For  the  exposition, 
see  on  Matt.  viii.  18-22. 

CHAP.  X.  1-4. — M1S.S10N  OF  TETE  Seventy 
Disciples— their  Return,  and  Discourse  oc- 
casioned BY  their  Report.  As  our  Lord's  end 
approaches,  the  preparations  for  the  establishment 
of  the  coming  Kingdom  are  quickened  and  ex- 
tended. 

Mission  of  the  Seventy  Disciples  (1-16). — 1.  After 
these  things— but  how  long  after  does  not  appear. 
See  introductory  remarks  on  the  large  portion  of 
tliis  Gospel  commencing  with  ch.  ix.  51.  the  Lord. 
This  augiist  appellation  is  here  in  the  highest 
degree  suitable,  the  appointment  about  to  be 
mentioned  being,  as  Bengel  remarks,  truly  lordly. 
appointed  other  seventy  also  [kcu  e-repovs, 
6/^5o/x7)/>-oyT«]— an  unhappy  rendering.  It  sliould 
be,  as  Ave  have  pointed  the  Greek,  'appointed 
others  also,  seventy  [in  number] '—that  is,  others 
in  addition  to  the  Twelve,  to  the  number  of 
seventy.  In  all  likelihood,  as  the  number 
Twelve  had  reference  to  the  number  of  the 
tribes  of  Israel,  so  the  nuinlier  Seventy  had 
reference  to  the  number  of  elders  on  whom  the 
Spirit  rested  in  tlie  v  ilderness  (Xum.  xi.  24.  25}. 


The  mission  of 


LUKE  X. 


the  Setenty  disciplas. 


''The  harvest  truly  is  great,  but  the  labourers  are  few :  ''pray  ye  there- 
fore the  ''Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  would  send  forth  labourers  into  his 

3  harvest.    Go  your  ways :  ^behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  lambs  among  wolves. 

4  Carry  -^'neither  purse,  nor  scrip,  nor  shoes:   and  ^salute  no  man  by  the 

5  way.     And  '4nto  whatsoever  house  ye  enter,  first  say,  Peace  be  to  this 

6  house.     And  if  the  son  of  peace  be  there,  your  peace  shall  rest  upon  it : 

7  if  not,  it  shall  turn  to  you  again.     And  4n  the  same  house  remain,  •'eat- 
ing and  drinking  such  things  as  they  give .  for  the  ^'labourer  is  worthy  of 

8  his  hire.     Go  not  'from  house  to  house.     And  into  whatsoever  city  ye 

9  enter,  and  they  receive  you,  eat  such  things  as  are  set  before  j^ou :  and 
'"heal  the  sick  that  are  therein;  and  say  unto  them,  "The  kingdom  of 

10  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you.  But  into  whatsoever  city  ye  enter,  and  they 
receive  you  not,  go  your  ways  out  into  the  streets  of  the  same,  and  say, 

11  Even  "the  very  dust  of  your  city,  which  cleaveth  on  us,  we  do  wipe  off 
against  you :  notwithstanding,  be  ye  sure  of  this,  that  tlie  kingdom  of 

12  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you.     But  I  say  unto  you,  That  ''it  shall  be  more 

13  tolerable  in  that  day  for  Sodom,  than  for  that  city.  Woe  'unto  thee, 
Chorazin!  woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida!  ''for  if  the  mighty  works  had  been 
done  in  'YyrQ  and  Sidon  which  have  been  done  in  you,  they  had  a  great 

14  while  ago  *  repented,  sitting  in  sackcloth  and  ashes.     But  it  shall  be  more 

15  tolerable  for  Tyre  and  Sidon  at  the  judgment,  than  for  you.  And  Hhou 
Capernaum,  which  art  exalted  "to  heaven,  ^'shalt  be  thurst  down  to  hell. 

16  He  "^that  heareth  you  heareth  me;  and  he  ^that  despiseth  you  despiseth 
me;  ^and  he  that  despiseth  me  despiseth  him  that  sent  me. 

17  And  the  seventy  returned  again  with  joy,  saying,  Lord,  even  the  devils 

18  are  subject  unto  us  through  thy  name.     And  he  said  unto  them,  ^I 

19  beheld  Satan  as  lightning  fall  from  heaven.  Behold,  "I  give  unto  you 
power  to  tread  on  serpents  and  scorpions,  and  over  all  the  power  of  the 


A.  D.  Zi. 


t>  Matt.  9.  37, 
38. 

John  4.  35. 
"  2Thes  3.1. 
d  Jer.  3.  IS. 

1  Cor.  12. 28. 
'  Matt  10.16. 
/  Matt.  10.  9, 
10. 

Mark  6,  8. 

ch  9.  3 
^  2  Ki.  4.  29. 
''  Matt  10. 12, 
'  Matt.  1011. 
j  1  Cor  10.27. 
k  Matt  10.  0. 

1  Cor.  9.  4. 
'  Fph.  5.  15. 
'"  ch.  9.  2. 
"  Isa.  2.  2. 
"  Matt  10.14. 
P  Matt  10  15. 
«  Matt  11.21. 
*■  Ezek  3  6. 
'  Jon  3.  5. 
'  Matt.  11  23. 
"  Gen.  11.  4. 

Deut.  1.  '.'f. 
"  Ezek  26.20. 

Ezek.  32.18. 
■"  Mark  9.  37. 

John  13.20. 
■^  1  'J  hes.  4  8. 
y  John  6.  23. 
'  John  12.  31. 
"  Mark  16.18. 


This  appointment,  unlike  that  of  the  Twelve,  was 
evidently  quite  temporanj.  All  the  instructions 
are  in  keejiiug  with  a  brief  and  hasty  pioneering 
mission,  intended  to  supply  what  of  general  pre- 
paration for  coming  events  the  Lord's  own  visit 
afterwards  to  the  same  "cities  and  places"  (y.  1), 
would  not,  from  want  of  time,  now  suffice  to 
accomiDlish ;  whereas,  the  instructions  to  the 
Twelve,  besides  embracing  all  those  given  to 
the  Seventy,  contemplate  world-ivide  and  perma- 
nent effects.  Accordingly,  after  theii*  return 
from  this  single  missionary  tour,  we  never  again 
read  of  the  Seventy,  and  sent  them  two  and 
two  before  his  face  into  every  city  and  place, 
wliither  he  himself  would  come  [efxeWev  avT6<i 
epxen-QaL] — or  'was  going  to  come.'  2.  Therefore 
said  he— or,  '  So  He  said'  unto  them,  The  harvest, 
&c.  See  on  Matt.  ix.  37,  38,  and  Eemarks  1  and 
2  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  3-12.  Go  your 
ways,  &c.  See  on  Matt.  x.  7-16.  13-15.  Woe  unto 
thee,  Chorazin,  &c.  See  on  Matt.  xi.  21-24  16. 
He  that  heareth  you,  &c.     See  on  Matt.  x.  40. 

Return  of  the  Sevenfi/,  and  Discourse  occasioned 
by  their  Beport  (17-24).  17.  And  the  seventy 
returned  again  —  evidently  they  had  not  been 
long  away,  with  joy,  saying,  Lord,  even  the 
devils  are  subject  unto  us  through— or,  'in'  [ev] 
thy  name.  '  Lord,  thou  hast  exceeded  thy  promise: 
"\V'e  had  not  exj)ected  this.'  The  power  to  cast  out 
devils,  not  being  expressly  in  their  commission, 
as  it  was^  in  that  to  the  Twelve  (ch.  ix.  1),  seems 
to  have  filled  them  with  more  astonishment  and 
joy  than  the  higher  object  of  their  mission.  Yet 
they  say,  "in  Thy  name" — taking  no  credit  to 
themselves,  but  feeling  lifted  into  a  region  of 
uuimagined  superiority  to  the  powers  of  evil, 
simply  through  their  connection  with  Christ. 
18.  And  he  said,  I  beheld  I'EOfwpoui/]  Satan  as 
2G5 


lightning  fall  from  heaven.  As  mucli  of  the 
force  of  this  glorious  statement  depends  on  the 
nice  shade  of  sense  indicated  by  the  imperfect 
tense  in  the  original,  it  might  have  been  well  to 
bring  it  out  in  tlie  translation : — '  I  was  beholding 
Satan  as  lightning  falling  from  heaven:' — q.  d.,  t 
followed  you  on  your  mission,  and  watched  its 
triumphs ;  while  ye  were  wondering  at  the  sub- 
jection to  you  of  devils  in  My  name,  a  grander 
spectacle  was  opening  to  My  xiavi ;  sudden  as  the 
darting  of  lightning  from  heaven  to  earth  Satan 
was  beheld  by  Mine  eye  falling  from  heaven  !'  By 
that  law  of  association  which  connects  a  part  with 
the  whole,  those  feeble  triumphs  of  the  Seventy 
seem  to  have  not  only  brought  vividly  before  the 
Redeemer  the  whole  ultimate  result  of  His  mis- 
sion, but  compressed  it  into  a  moment  and 
quickened  it  into  the  rapidity  of  lightning!  We 
have  repeatedly  observed  that  the  word  rendered 
"devils"  [daifiovia]  is  always  used  for  those 
spiritual  agents  employed  in  demoniaccd  posses- 
sions— never  for  the  ordinary  agency  of  Satan  in 
rational  men.  When,  therefore,  the  Seventy  say, 
"the  demons  are  sul)ject  to  us,"  and  Jesus  re- 
plies, 'Mine  eye  M-as  beholding  Satan  falling,'  it 
is  plain  tliat  He  meant  to  raise  their  minds  not 
only  from  the  jMrtictdar  to  the  genoxd,  hut  from 
a  very  temporary  form  of  satauic  operation  to  the 
entire  kingdom  of  evil.  See  John  xii.  31,  and  com- 
pare Isa.  xiv.  17.  19.  Behold,  I  give  unto  you— 
not  with  a  view  to  the  renewal  of  their  mission, 
though  probably  many  of  them  afterwards  became 
ministers  of  Christ,  but  simply  as  disciples. 
power  to  tread  on  serpents  and  scorpions  — the 
latter  more  venomous  than  the  former.  This  was 
to  be  literally  fulfilled  at  the  first  starting  of  the 
Gospel  ministry  (Mark  xvi.  17,  18 ;  Acts  xxviii.  5). 
But  the  following  words,  and  over  all  the  power 


Question  of  a  lawyer  about 


LUKE  X. 


the  u'cy  to  inherit  eternal  life. 


20 


21 


enemy :  and  nothing  shall  by  any  means  hurt  you.  Notwithstanding  in 
this  rejoice  not,  that  the  spirits  are  subject  unto  you ;  but  rather  rejoice, 
because  *your  names  are  written  in  heaven. 

In  "^that  hour  Jesus  rejoiced  in  spirit,  and  said,  I  thank  thee,  0  Father, 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  ''the 
wise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes :  even  so,  Father ; 

22  for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight.  ^All  things  ^are  delivered  to  me 
of  my  Father :  and  -''no  man  knoweth  who  the  Son  is,  but  the  Father ; 
and  wlio  the  Father  is,  but  the  Son,  and  he  to  wliom  the  Son  will  reveal 
him. 

23  And  he  turned  him  unto  his  disciples,  and  said  i)rivately,  ^Blessed  are 

24  the  eyes  which  see  the  things  that  ye  see:  for  I  tell  you,  ''that  many 
l)ropliets  and  kings  have  desired  to  see  those  tilings  which  ye  see,  and 
have  not  seen  them;  and  to  hear  those  things  which  ye  liear,  and  have 
not  heard  them. 

25  And,  behold,  a  certain  lawyer  stood  up,  and  tempted  him,  saying, 

26  ^Master,  what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life?     He  said  unto  him, 

27  What  is  written  in  the  law?  how  readest  thou?  And  he  answering  said, 
•'Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind;  and  ^'thy 
neighbour   as   thyself.      And   he  said   unto   him,  Thou  hast  answered 

29  right:  this  do,  and  'thou  shalt  live.  But  he,  willing  to  '"justify  himself, 
said  unto  Jesus,  And  who  is  my  neighbour? 


28 


A.  D.  32. 

«-  Ex.  32.  32. 
Ps.  C9.  28. 

°  Matt.  11. 25. 

<*  1  Cor.  1. 19. 
2  Cor.  2. 6. 

1  Many- 
ancient 
copies  add 
the.se 
words, 
And  turn- 
ing to  his 
disciples, 
he  said. 

'  Matt.  28.18. 
John  3.  ?b. 

f  John  1.  18. 
John  6.  4t. 

"  Matt.  13. 16. 

"  1  Pet.  1. 10. 

i  Matt.  22  35. 

i  Deut.  6.  5. 
*  Lev.  19.  18. 
'  Lev.  18.  5. 

Neh.  9.  29. 

Fzek.  20.11. 

Kom.  10.  .^. 
"'  ch.  16.  15. 


Of  the  enemy:  and  nothing  shall  by  any  means 
hurt  you — show  that  what  is  meant  is  the  glorious 
power  of  faith  to  "overcome  tlie  world"  and 
"quench  all  the  liery  darts  of  the  wicked  one," 
])y  the  communication  and  maintenance  of  which 
to  His  people  He  makes  them  innocuous  (1  John 
V.  4;  Eph.  vi.  16).  20.  Notwithstanding  in  this 
rejoice  not — that  is,  not  so  much  that  the  spirits 
are  subject  unto  you;  but  rather  rejoice,  because 
your  names  are  written  in  heaven.  So  far  from 
forbidding  this  joy  at  the  expulsion  of  demons  by 
their  instrumentality,  He  told  them  the  exultation 
with  which  He  followed  it  Himself;  but  since 
jx)wer  over  demons  might  unduly  elate  them.  He 
gives  them  a  higher  joy  to  halance  it_,  the  joy  of 
having  their  own  names  in  Heaven's  register. 
(Phil.  iv.  3). 

21.  In  that  hour  Jesus  rejoiced  [/;7«X\ta<raxo]— 
or  '  exulted,'  in  spirit — giving  visible  exiiression  to 
His  unusual  emotions,  while  the  words  "in  spirit" 
express  the  depth  of  them,  and  said,  I  thank  thee 
YVi^oixoXoyoTiixal  croi] — r.ather,  'I  assent  to  thee;' 
but  with  the  idea  of  full  or  cordial  concurrence, 
expressed  by  tlie  preposition.  (See  on  Matt, 
xi.  25.)  that  thou  hast  hid  these  things  from 
the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed 
them  unto  babes:  even  so,  Father;  for  so  it 
seemed  good  in  thy  sight.  22.  [And  turning  to 
his  disciples,  he  said,]  The  words  in  brackets 
ai-e  in  the  received  text  of  Stephens,  though 
not  of  the  ELfvirs,  nor  in  Be.a's  text ;  and  our 
version,  which  in  some  places  follows  Beta's  text 
in  preference  to  the  other,  omits  them  here.  But 
the  authority  for  the  insertion  of  them  is  prepon- 
derating. Tischeiulorf  inserts  them,  though  Tre- 
(jelks  does  not.  All  things  are  delivered  to  me 
of  my  Father:  and  no  man  Icnoweth  who  the 
Son  is,  but  the  Father ;  and  who  the  Father  is, 
but  the  Son,  and  he  to  whom  the  Son  will  re- 
veal him.  This  snbliyae  utterance  has  been  re- 
garded by  some  acute  harmonists  as  but  a  repeti- 
tion bj  Luke  of  what  is  recorded  in  Matt.  xi. 
2->27,  and  so,  as  s]X)ken  only  once.  But  besides 
that  the  occasions  were  not  the  same,  the  words 
iu  the  First  Gospel  merely  are,  "Jesus  answered 


and  said,"  whereas  here  they  are,  "Jesus  exulted 
in  spirit,  and  said."  If  this  should  be  thought  of 
less  moment,  let  it  be  observed  that  there  it  is 
merely  said,  "At  that  time,"  or  'season'  [Kaipiu}, 
He  si>oke  thus — with  a  general  refes'ence  to  the 
rejection  of  His  Gospel  by  the  self-siifRcient; 
whereas  here  it  is,  "  /w  that  hour  Jesus  said,"  with 
express  reference  probaljly  to  the  humble  class 
from  which  He  had  had  to  draw  the  Seventy,  and 
the  similar  class  that  had  chiefly  welcomed  their 
message.  23,  24.  And  he  turned  him  unto  his 
disciples,  and  said  privately,  Blessed  are  the 
eyes  that  see  the  things  that  ye  see,  &c.  See  on 
Matt.  xiii.  IG,  17. 

For  Ilemarks  on  the  Mission  of  the  Seventy,  see 
those  on  the  analogous  Mission  of  the  Twelve, 
Matt.  X. ;  and  for  Remarks  on  the  lofty  utterance 
with  which  this  Section  closes,  see  those  on  the 
same  in  Matt.  xi.  25-27. 

2.1-37. — Question  of  a  Lawyer  about  the  way 
TO  Inherit  Eternal  Life,  and  the  Parable  of 
THE  Good  Samaritan. 

How  to  Inherit  Eternal  Life  (25-29).  25.  And, 
behold,  a  certain  lawyer  stood  up,  and  tempted 
him — 'tried,'  or  'tested  Him'  [eKTrejpa^oij/] ;  in 
no  hostile  s[)irit,  yet  with  no  tender  anxiety 
for  light  on  that  question  of  questions,  but  just 
to  see  what  insight  this  great  Galilean  teacher 
had.  saying.  Master — 'Teacher'  [liioao-h-aXe],  what 
shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life?  26.  He  said 
unto  him,  What  is  written  in  the  law?  how 
readest  thou  ? — '  an  apposite  question,'  says  Ben- 
ffel,  'to  a  doctor  of  the  law,  and  putting  himself 
in  turn  to  the  te~t.'  27.  And  he  answering  said, 
Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  &c.— pre- 
cisely as  Christ  Himself  had  answered  another 
lawyer.  See  on  Mark  xii.  '29-3:1  28.  And  he  said 
unto  him,  Thou  hast  answered  right:  this  do, 
and  thou  shalt  live.  '  P,ight :  this  do^  and  life  is 
thine' — laying  such  emphasis  on  "  this  '  as  to  indi- 
cate, without  expressing  it,  ivhere  the  real  difficulty 
to  a  sinner  lay,  and  thus  nonplussing  the  questioner 
himself.  29.  But  he,  willing — or  '  wishing'  iS-e'Xfor], 
to  justify  himself— to  get  himself  out  of  the  diffi- 
culty by  throwing  upon  Jesus  the  definition  of 


Parable  of  the 


LUKE  X. 


good  Samaritan. 


30 

31 

32 
33 

34 

35 


36 
37 


And  Jesus  answering  said,  A  certain  man  went  down  from  Jerusalem 
to  Jericho,  and  fell  among  thieves,  which  stripped  him  of  his  raiment, 
and  wounded  hhn,  and  departed,  leaving  him  half  dead.  And  by  chance 
there  came  down  a  certain  priest  that  way:  and  when  he  saw  him,  "he 
passed  by  on  the  other  side.  And  likewise  a  Levite,  when  he  was  at  the 
place,  came  and  looked  on  him,  and  passed  by  on  the  other  side.  But  a 
certain  "Samaritan,  as  he  journeyed,  came  where  he  was:  and  when  he 
saw  him,  he  had  compassion  on  him,  and  went  to  him,  and  bound  up  his 
wounds,  pouring  in  oil  and  wine,  and  set  him  on  his  own  beast,  and 
brought  him  to  an  inn,  and  took  care  of  him.  And  on  the  morrow,  when 
he  departed,  he  took  out  two  ^' pence,  and  gave  them  to  the  host,  and  said 
unto  him.  Take  care  of  him :  and  whatsoever  thou  spendest  more,  when 
I  come  again,  I  will  repay  thee.  Which  now  of  these  three,  thinkest 
thou,  was  neighbour  unto  him  that  fell  among  the  thieves?  And  he 
said,  He  that  showed  mercy  on  him.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  him,  'Go, 
and  do  thou  likewise. 


A.  D.  ?2. 

"  Job  (5.14,21. 

Ts   38.  11. 

Ps.  69.  20. 

Pro.  21.  13. 

Jas.  2.  w 

lJohn3.ir>. 
°  Pro.  27.  10. 

Jer.  38.  7. 

.5er.  39.  IG. 

John  4.  9. 

John  8.  4S. 
''  Matt.  20.  2. 
«  ch.  6.  32. 

John  I3.ir.. 

Eom.  12.21. 

1  Pet  2.  21. 

1  John  3. 10, 
18. 

1  John  4. 10, 
u. 


"neighbour,"  'which,'  as  Alford  remarks,  'the 
Jews  interpreted  very  narrowly  and  technically,  as 
excluding  Samaritans  and  Gentiles ;  said  unto 
Jesus,  And  who  is  my  neighbour  ? 

Parable  of  thi  Good  Samaritan  (30-37).  30.  And 
Jesus  answering  said,  A  certain  man— a  Jew,  as 
the  story  shows,  went  down  from  Jerusalem 
to  Jericho — a  distance  of  eighteen  miles  north- 
east, a  deep  and  very  fertde  hollow,  and,  as 
Trench  says,  the  TemiK  of  Judca;  and  fell  among 
thieves  [Xijoxars]  —  rather  'robbers.'  The  road, 
being  rocky  and  desolate,  was  a  notorious  haunt 
of  roDbers,  then  and  for  ages  after,  and  is  even  to 
this  day.  which  stripped  him  of  his  raiment,  and 
wounded  him,  and  departed,  leaving  him  half 
dead.  31.  And  by  chance  there  came  down  a  cer- 
tain priest  that  way.  Jericho,  the  second  city  of 
Judea,  was  a  city  of  the  i)riests  and  Levites,  and 
thousands  of  them  lived  there,  and  when  he  saw 
him  —  so  it  was  not  inadvertently  that  he  acted, 
he  passed  by  on  the  other  side— although  the  law 
expressly  required  the  opposite  treatment  even  of 
the  beast  not  only  of  their  brethren  but  of  their 
enemy  (Deut.  xxii.  4 ;  Exod.  xxiii.  4,  .5;  and  com- 
pare Isa.  Iviii.  7).  32.  And  likewise  a  Levite,  when 
he  was  at  the  place,  came  and  looked  on  him— a 
further  aggravation,  and  passed  by  on  the  other 
side.  If  we  suppose  this  priest  and  Levite  to  have 
been  returning  from  their  ternjtle  duties  at  Jeru- 
salem, as  Trench  says,  it  would  show  that  what- 
ever else  they  had  learnt  there,  they  had  not  learnt 
what  that  meaneth,  "  I  will  have  mercy,  and  not 
sacrilice."  33.  But  a  certain  Samaritan— one  of 
a  race  excommunicated  by  the  Jews ;  a  byword 
among  them,  and  synonymous  with  heretic  and 
de\-il  (.John  viii.  48;  and  see  on  ch.  xvii.  18) ;  as  he 
journeyed,  came  where  he  wa,s:  and  when  he  saw 
him,  he  had  compassion  on  him.  Compare  what 
is  said  of  the  Lord  Himself:  "And  when  the  Lord 
saw  her  (the  widow  of  Nain),  He  had  compassion 
on  her"  (ch.  vii.  13).  No  doubt  the  priest  and 
Levite  had  their  excuses  for  ijassing  by  their 
wounded  brother.  —  '  'Tisn't  safe  to  be  lingering 
here;  besides,  he's  past  recovery;  and  then, 
mayn't  suspicion  rest  upon  oiu\selves?'  So  might 
the  Samaritan  have  reasoned— 1«<<  did  not.  Nor  did 
he  say,  'He  would  have  had  no  dealings  with  me 
(John  iv.  9),  and  why  should  I  wi*h  him  ?'  34.  And 
went  to  him,  and  bound  up  his  wounds,  pouring 
in  oil  and  wine — the  remedies  used  in  such  cases 
all  over  the  East  (Isa.  L  6),  and  elsewhere ;  the 
vine  to  cleanse  the  wounds,  the  oil  to  assua.ge  their 
sinartings.  and  set  him  on  his  own  beast— hira- 
soif  going  on  foot,  and  brousht  him  to  an  inn,  and 
2(i7 


took  care  of  him.  35.  And  on  the  morrow,  when 
he  departed,  he  took  out  two  pence— equal  to  two 
days'  wages  of  a  labourer,  and  enough  for  several 
days'  support,  and  gave  them  to  the  host,  and 
said  unto  him,  Take  care  of  him :  and  whatsoever 
thou  spendest  more,  when  I  come  again,  I  will 
repay  thee.  36.  Which  now  of  these  three,  think- 
est thou,  was  neighbour  unto  him  that  fell  among 
the  thieves  ? — a  most  dexterous  way  of  putting  the 
question  :  first,  turning  it  from  the  lawyer's  form 
of  it,  'Whom  am  I  to  love  as  my  neighbour?'  to 
the  more  pointed  question,  'Who  is  the  man  that 
shows  that  love?'  and  next,  compelling  the  lawyer 
to  give  a  reply  very  different  from  what  he  would  like 
— not  only  condemning  his  own  nation,  but  those 
of  them  who  should  be  the  most  exemijlary ;  and 
finally,  making  him  commend  one  of  a  deeply -hated 
race.  And  he  does  so,  but  it  is  almost  extorted. 
37.  And  he  said,  He  that  showed  mercy  on  him. 
He  does  not  answer,  'The  Samaritan' — that  would 
have  sounded  heterodox,  heretical — but  "  He  that 
showed  mercy  on  him."  It  comes  to  the  same 
thing,  no  doubt,  but  the  circumlocution  is  signi- 
ficant. Then  said  Jesus  unto  him.  Go,  and  do 
thou  likewise. 

Remark:  —  0  exquisite,  matchless  teaching ! 
What  new  fountains  of  charity  has  not  this 
ojjened  up  in  the  human  spirit — rivers  in  the 
wilderness,  streams  in  the  desert!  what  noble 
Christian  Institutions  have  not  such  words  found- 
ed, all  undreamed  of  till  that  Divine  One  came 
to  bless  this  heartless  world  of  ours  with  His 
incomparable  love — first  in  words,  and  then  in 
deeds  which  have  translated  His  words  into  flesh 
and  blood,  and  poured  the  life  of  them  through 
that  humanity  which  He  made  His  own  !  But  was 
this  parable  designed  merely  to  magnify  the  law 
of  love,  and  show  who  fulfils  it  and  who  not?  Is 
not  the  mind  irresistibly  directed  to  Him  who,  as 
our  Brother  Man,  "our  Neighbour,"  did  this  as 
never  man  did  it?  The  priests  and  Levites,  says 
Trench,  had  not  streug-thencd  the  diseased,  nor 
bound  up  the  broken  (Ezek.  xxxiv.  4),  while  He 
bound  up  the  broken-hearted  (Is.  Ixi.  1),  andpomed 
into  all  wounded  s]urits  the  balm  of  sweetest  con- 
solation. All  the  Church-fathers  saw,  through  the 
thin  veil  of  this  noblest  of  stories,  the  Story  of  love, 
and  never  wearied  of  tracing  the  analog}',  though 
sometimes  fancifully  enough.  'He  hungered ' — 
exclaims  Gregory  of  Nazianzum,  in  the  fom-th  cen- 
tmy,  in  a  passage  of  singular  eloquence,  in  one  of  his 
Sermons — "out  He  fed  thousands;  He  was  weary, 
but  He  is  the  Best  of  the  weary;  He  is  saluted 
"  Samaritan"  and  "Demoniac,"  bat  He  saves  hlin 


Jems  in  tlie  house 


LUKE  XT. 


of  Mary  and  Martha. 


08  Now  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  went,  that  he  entered  into  a  certain 
village:    and  a  certain  woman  named  ''Martha  received  him  into  her 

39  house.     And  she  had  a  sister  called  Mary,  which  also  *sat  at  Jesus'  feet, 

40  and  heard  his  word.  But  Martha  was  *  cumbered  about  much  serving, 
and  came  to  him,  and  said,  Lord,  dost  thou  not  care  that  my  sister 
hath  left  me  to  serve  alone  ?  bid  her  therefore  that  she  help  me.  And 
Jesus    answered   and   said  unto  her,   Martha,   Martha,   thou    art  care- 

42  ful  and  troubled  about  many  things:  but  one  thing  is  needful:  and 
Mary  hath  chosen  that  good  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from 
her. 

AND  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  he  was  praying  in  a  certain  place, 
when  he  ceased,  one  of  his  disciples  said  unto  him.  Lord,  "teach  us  to 
pray,  as  John  also  taught  his  disciples. 


41 


11 


A.  D.  32. 

John  11.  1. 
Deut.  33.  3. 
Acts  22.  3. 
1   Cor.    7. 
32. 


CHAP.  11. 

"  Ps.  10.  17. 
Ps.  19.  14. 
Rom.  8.  20. 

27. 

2  Cor.  3.  5. 
Jas.   4.   2, 

3. 

Jude  20. 


that  went  doivn  from  Jcnesalem  and  fell  ainong 
thieves,''  &c.  More  of  this  noble  passage  will  be 
found  on  cliap.  xix.  28-44,  Kemark  2,  at  the  close 
of  that  Section. 

38-42.— Jesus  in  the  House  of  Martha  and 
]Mary.     38.  Now  it  came  to  pass,  as  tliey  went, 
tliat  he  entered  into  a  certain  village.    The  vil- 
lage was  Bethany — as  to  which,  see  ou  ch.  xix.  29. 
It  will  be  seen  how  void  of  all  definite  note  of  time 
and  jilace  are  the  iucideuts  recorded  in  this  large 
portion  of  our  Gospel,  as  noticed  on  ch.   ix.  51. 
and  a  certain  woman  named  Martha  received  him 
into  her  house.     From  this  way  of  speaking  we 
gather  that  the  house  belonged  to  her,  and  from 
all  the  notices  of  her  it  woidd  seem  that  she  was 
the  elder  sister.     39.  And  she  had  a  sister  called 
Mary,  which  also— or  '  who  for  lier  part,'  as  Web- 
ster and  WilHnson  put  it,  as  opposed  to  Martha, 
sat— or  '  seated  herself '  [irapaKuDicracra]  at  Jesus' 
feet.    From  the  custom  of  sitting  beneath  an  in- 
structor, the  phrase  '  sitting  at  one's  feet'  came 
to  meau   being  his  disciple  (Acts  xxii.   3).     and 
heard  [vKoue]— or   'kept    listening'   to  his  word. 
40.   But  Martha  was   cumbered- or   'distracted' 
[irepiea-TraTo]  about  much  Bcrving,  and  came  to 
him    [e-TTto-rdo-aJ  —  presenting    herself,     as     from 
another  apartment,  in  which  her  sister  had  "  left 
her  to  serve,  or  make  preparation,  alone,"    and 
said,  Lord,  dost   thou  not  care  that  my  sister 
hath  left  me  to  serve  alone? — 'Lord,  here  am  I 
with  everything  to  do,  and   this   sister  will   not 
lay  a  hand  to  anything ;  thus  I  miss  something 
from  Thy  lips,  and  Thou  from  our  hands.'    bid  her 
therefore  that  she  help  me.    She  presumes  not  to 
stop  Christ's  teaching  by  calling  her  sister  away, 
and  thus  leaving  Him  without  His  rapt  auditor, 
nor  did  she  hope  perhaps  to  succeed  if  she  had 
tried.     41.  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her, 
Martha,   Martha— emphatically  redoubling  upon 
the  name,  thou  art  careful  and  troubled   [jxepi- 
fj.i/a9  Kui  Ti;p/3a^;;].     The  One  word  expresses  the 
inward    fretthvi    annety    that    her    i)reparations 
should   be  Avorthy   of  her  Lord  ;  the   other,  the 
outward  bustle  of  those  preparations,    about  many 
things — "much  serving"  {v.  4(^) ;  too  elaborate  pre- 
jiaration,   which  so  engrossed  her  attention  that 
she  missed  her  Lord's  teaching.     42.  But  one  thing 
is  needful.    The  idea  of  '  Short  work  and  little  of 
it  sufficeth  for  Me'  is  not  so  much  the  lower  sense 
of  these  weighty  words,  as  implied  in  them  as  the 
basis  of  something  far  loftier  than  any  xsrecept  ou 
economy.      Underneath  that  idea  is  couched  an- 
other, as  to  the  littleness  both  of  elaborate  prejiara- 
tion  for  the  present  life  and    of  that    life  itself 
compared  with  another,     and  Mary  hath  chosen 
that — or  'the'  good  part — not  in  the  general  sense 
of  Moses'  choice  (Heb.  xi.  25),  and  Joshua's  (Josh, 
xxiv.  15),  and  David's  (Ps.  cxix.  30) ;  that  is,  of 
2(JS 


good  in  opposition  to  bad;  but,  of  two  good  ways 
of  servin"  and  pleasing  the  Lord,  choosing  the 
better.  \Vhereiu,  then,  was  Mary's  better  thau 
Martha's?  What  follows  supjdies  the  answer: 
which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her. 
Martha's  choice  would  be  taken  from  her,  for 
her  services  woidd  die  with  her;  Mary's  never, 
being  si>i  ritual  and  eternak  Both  were  true- 
hearted  disciiiles,  but  the  one  was  absorbed  in  the 
higher,  the  other  in  the  lower  of  two  ways  of  hon- 
ouring theii-  common  Lord.  Yet  neither  would 
deliberately  despise,  or  willingly  neglect,  the 
other's  occupation.  The  one  represents  the  con- 
templative, the  other  the  active  style  of  the  Chris- 
tian character. 

Eemark.  —  This  rebuke  of  Martha  was  but  for 
the  excess  of  a  valuable  quality,  which  on  another 
occasion  appears  without  that  excess.  See  on  Mark 
xiv.  3,  and  Hemark  1  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 
The  quality  which  was  commended  in  Mary  has 
its  excesses  too.  It  is  true  that  a  predominance  of 
the  impulsive  activity  of  the  one  sister  is  unfavour- 
able to  depth  of  thought  and  elevation  of  feeling; 
but  a  predominance  of  the  passive  docility  of  the 
other  sister  is  apt  to  generate  an  unhealthy  tone, 
and  lead  rather  to  dreamy  speculation  or  sentiment 
than  to  sound  knowledge  and  ^Wsdom.  A  Church 
full  of  Maries  would  jjerhaps  be  as  great  an  evil 
as  a  Church  full  of  Marthas.  Both  are  needed, 
each  to  be  the  complement  of  the  other. 

CHAP.  XI.  1-13.— Jesus  Teaches  His  Dis- 
ciples TO  Pray,  and  gives  Encouragements  to 
Importunity  and  Faith  in  the  Exercise  of  it. 
1.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  he  was  pray- 
ing in  a  certain  place— where,  it  is  impossible  to 
say;  see  introductory  remarks  on  ch.  ix.  51,  when 
he  ceased,  one  of  his  disciples— struck,  no  doubt, 
with  both  the  matter  and  the  manner  of  our  Lord's 
ovTi  prayers,  said  unto  him.  Lord,  teach  us  to 
pray,  as  John  also  taught  his  disciples.  From 
this  reference  to  John,  it  is  pmbable  this  disciple 
had  not  heard  the  Sermon  on  the  Moimt,  contain- 
ing very  specific  instructions  on  the  subject  of 
Prayer.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  we  have  no 
record  of  John's  teaching  ou  this  subject,  and  that 
but  for  this  allusion  to  it  we  should  never  have 
known  that  he  had  touched  on  it.  It  shows  that 
the  Baptist's  inner  or  more  private  teaching  Avas  of 
a  much  more  detailed  nature  than  we  should  have 
supposed;  the  s]3ecimens  of  it  which  we  have  in 
the  Gospels  being  chiefly  what  he  taught  to  the 
general  multitude.  One  would  like  to  have  known 
more  of  his  teaching  on  the  subject  of  Prayer.  But 
whatever  it  was,  we  may  be  sure  he  never  taught 
his  disciples,  when  they  prayed,  to  say,  "Our  Fa- 
ther."   That  was  reserved  for  a  Greater  than  he. 

The  Model  Prayer  (2-4).     2.  And  he  said  unto 
them,  When  ye  pi  ay,  say,  Our  Father,    [Tischen- 


Jesus  teaches  His 


LUKE  XI. 


disciples  to  pray. 


2  And  lie  said  unto  them,  When  ye  pray,  say,  *Our  Father  which  art 
in  heaven,  Hallowed  be  thy  name.     "^Thy  kingdom  come.     Thy  will  be 

3  done,  as  in  heaven,  so  in  earth.     Give  us  ^day  by  day  our  daily  bread. 

4  And  forgive  us  our  sins:  for  '^we  also  forgive  every  one  that  is  indebted 
to  us.     And  'lead  us  not  into  temptation;  but  deliver  us  from  eyil. 

5  And  he  said  unto  them.  Which  of  you  shall  have  a  friend,  and  shall 
go  unto  him  at  midnight,   and  say  unto  him,   Friend,  lend  me  three 

6  loaves;  for  a  friend  of  mine  ^in  his  journey  is  come  to  me,  and  I  have 

7  nothing  to  set  before  him  ?     And  he  from  within  shall  answer  and  say, 
Trouble  me  not :  the  door  is  now  shut,  and  my  children  are  with  me  in 

8  bed ;  I  cannot  rise  and  give  thee.     I  say  unto  you,  -^Though  he  will  not 
rise  and  give  him,  because  he  is  his  friend,  yet  because  of  his  importunity 

9  he  will  rise  and  give  him  as  many  as  he  needeth.     And  ^I  say  unto  you, 
Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;   knock,   and  it 

10  shall  be  opened  unto  you.  For  every  one  that  asketh  receiveth;  and  he 
that  seeketh  findeth;  and  to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened. 

11  If  ''  a  sou  shall  ask  bread  of  any  of  you  that  is  a  father,  will  he  give 

12  him  a  stone?  or  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  for  a  fish  give  him  a  serpent?  or 

13  if  he  shall  ask  an  egg,  will  he  ^ offer  him  a  scorpion?  If  ye  then, 
being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children :  how  much 
more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy  *  Spirit  to  them  that  ask 
him? 


A.  D.  32. 

*>  2  Chr  '20.  6. 

Ps.  11.  4. 

Isa.  63.  16. 

Watt  5.  Ifi. 

Matt.  10. 32. 
"  Isa  11.  9. 

Dan.  7.  14. 

1  Cr,  for  the 
day. 

d  Matt.  6.  14, 
1'). 

Eph.  4  32. 

Jas  2.  13. 
°  Matt.  6. 13. 

ch.  8.  13. 

ell.  22.  40 

1  Cor.  10. 13. 

Jas  1.  13 

Rev.  3.  10. 

2  Cr,  out  of 
his  way. 

/  ch.  18.  1. 
»  iJohnS.H. 
h  Matt.  T.  9. 

3  Give. 

<  Isa.  44.  3 
Matt.  7.  11. 
John  4.  ID. 


dorf  and  Tregelles  —  whom  Alford  follows,  and 
Meyer  approves — here  omit  both  the  word  v/j-mv, 
"our,"  and  the  followiug  words,  6  ev  xoTs  oupayols, 
"which  art  in  heaven."  But  the  authority  for 
iusei'ting  those  words  is  most  decisive,  as  we 
judge.  LachmaiiJi  inserts  them.]  which  art  in 
heaven,  Hallowed  be  thy  name.  Thy  Mngdom 
come.  Thy  will  be  done,  as  in  heaven,  so  in 
earth.  [Here  again  the  same  critical  editors, 
on  the  same  authority,  omit  the  entire  petition — 
Veu7]d>iTca  TO  d£\i]fj.d  crov,  ois  ev  ovpuvio  Kai  eirl 
tT]i  yfji,  "Thy  will,"  &c.  But  here,  also,  as  we 
judge,  the  evidence  is  clear  in  favour  of  the  dis- 
puted words.]  3.  Give  us  day  by  day  our  daily 
bread.  This  is  an  extension  of  the  petition  in 
Matthew  for  "<Ais  day's"  sujiply,  to  erer?/ day's  ne- 
cessities. 4.  And  forgive  us  our  sins,  for  we  also 
forgive  every  one  that  is  indebted  to  us.  And 
lead  us  not  into  temptation ;  but  deliver  us  from 
evil.  [Tliis  last  clause  is,  by  the  above  editors,  on 
the  same  authority,  excluded  from  the  text,  but 
on  insufficient  warrant,  as  we  judge.]  See  on 
Matt.  vi.  9-13,  with  the  corresponding  Ilemarks  at 
tlie  close  of  that  Section.  There  Is  no  closing 
doxology  here.  On  the  question,  whether  it  formed 
part  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  see  on  Matt.  vi.  13.  Perhaps  our  Lord 
purposelj''  left  that  part  open;  and  as  the  grand 
Jewish  doxologies  were  ever  resoundiug,  and 
passed,  immediately  and  naturally,  in  all  their 
hallowed  familiarity  into  the  Christian  Church, 
probably  this  Prayer  was  never  used  in  the  Chris- 
tian assemblies  but  in  its  present  form,  as  we  find 
it  in  Matthew,  while  in  Luke  it  has  been  allowed 
to  stand  as  originally  uttered. 

Encouragements  to  JmportunHy  and  Faith  in 
Prayer  (;>13).  5.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Which  of 
you  shall  have  a  friend,  and  shall  go  unto  him  at 
midnight,  and  say  unto  him.  Friend,  lend  me 
three  loaves;  6.  For  a  friend  of  mine  in  his 
journey  [eg  oooi)]— the  marginal  rendering,  'out  of 
his  way,'  is  to  be  rejected,  is  come  to  me,  and  I 
have  nothing  to  set  before  him.  The  heat  in  warm 
countries  makes  evening  preferalde  to  day  for  tra- 
velling; but  "midnight"  is  everywhere  a  mostw?i- 
seadunable  hour  of  call,  and  for  that  very  reason  it 
2G9 


is  h€re  selected.  7,  And  he  from  within  shall 
answer  and  say.  Trouble  me  not — the  troidde 
making  liim  insensible  both  to  the  urgency  of  the 
case  and  the  claims  of  friendsliip;  the  door  is  now 
shut,  and  my  children  are  with  me  in  bed;  I  can- 
not rise  and  give  thee— without  such  exertion  as 
he  was  unwilling  to  make..  8.  I  say  unto  you, 
Though  he  will  not  rise  and  give  him,  because  he 
is  his  friend— or  for  friendsliiji's  sake,  yet  because 
of  his  importunity  [avalceuw].  The  word  is  a 
strong  one,  signifying  'shamelessness  ;' expressing 
his  persistency,  in  the  face  of  all  that  seemed 
reasonable,  and  refusing  to  take  a  denial,  he  will 
rise  and  give  him  as  many  as  he  needeth.  His 
reluctance  once  overcome,  all  the  claims  of  friend- 
ship and  necessity  are  felt  to  the  full.  The  sense  is 
obvious :  If  the  churlish  and  self-indulgent — deaf 
both  to  friendship  and  necessity— can,  alter  a  posi- 
tive refusal,  be  won  over  by  sheer  persistency  to 
do  all  that  is  needed,  how  much  ?nore  may  the  same 
determined  perseverance  in  iirayer  be  expected  to 
prevail  with  Him  whose  very  nature  it  is  to  be 
"rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  Him"  (Eom.  x.  12). 
9-12.  And  I  say  unto  you,  Ask,  and  it  shall  be 
given  you  ...  If  a  son  shall  ask  bread  of  any  of 
you  that  is  a  father,  &c.  See  on  Matt.  vii.  7-10. 
Or  if  he  shall  ask  an  egg,  will  he  offer  him  a 
scorpion? — looking  quite  like  an  egg  at  some  dis- 
tance, but  of  a  deadly  nature.  13.  If  ye  then, 
being  evil— evil  though  ye  be,  know  how  to  give 
good  gifts  unto  your  children:  how  much  more 
shall  your  heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  them  tliat  ask  him?  In  Matt.  viL  11,  it  is 
"give  go:>d  gifts  to  them  that  ask  Him:"  here, 
at  a  riper  stage  of  His  teaching,  and  to  His  dis- 
ciples apart  from  the  multitude.  He  says  ^'' the 
Holy  Spirit;"  to  teach  us  that  this,  the  Gift  of 
gifts,  descending  on  the  Church  through  Christ, 
comprehends  all  "good  gifts." 

For  Eemarks  on  the  subjects  embraced  in  this 
Section,  see  those  on  Matt.  vi.  2-15,  at  the  close  of 
that  Section ;  and  on  Matt.  vii.  7-11,  at  the  close 
of  that  Section. 

14-36.— A  Blind  and  Dumb  Demoniac  Healed, 

AND  KePLY  to  the  MaLIGNANT  EXPLANATION 
PUT  UPON  THIS— The  PiEMAKK  OF  aWoSIAN  IN  TiiE 


.1  Blind  and  Dumh 


LUKE  XI. 


Demoniac  healed. 


14  And  •'he  was  casting  out  a  devil,  and  it  was  dumb.     And  it  came  to 
pass,  Avlien  the  devil  was  gone  out,  the  dumb  spake;   and  the  people 

15  wondered.      But  some  of  them  said,    ^He  casteth  out  devils  through 
Itj  "* Beelzebub  the  chief  of  the  devils.     And  others,  tempting  him,  'sought 

17  of  him  a  sign  from  heaven.     But  "'he,  knowing  their  thoughts,  said  unto 
them.  Every  kingdom  divided  against  itself  is  brought  to  desolation;  and 

18  a  house  divided  against  a  house  falleth.     If  Satan  also  be  divided  against 
himself,  how  shall  his  kingdom  stand?  because  ye  say  that  I  cast  out 

19  devils  through  Beelzebub.     And  if  I  by  Beelzebub  cast  out  devils,  by 
whom  do  "your  sons  cast  them  out?  therefore  shall  they  be  your  judges. 

£0  But  if  I  ''with  the  finger  of  God  cast  out  devils,  no  doubt  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  come  upon  you. 

21  When  ^a  strong  man  armed  keepeth  his  palace,  his  goods  are  in  peace: 

22  But  *when  a  stronger  than  he  shaU  come  upon  him,  and  overcome  him, 
he  taketh  from  him  all  his  armour  wherein  he  trusted,  and  divideth  his 

23  spoils.     He 'that  is  not  Avith  me  is  against  me;  and  he  that  gathereth 
not  with  me  scattereth. 

24  When  *the  unclean  spirit  is  gone  out  of  a  man,  he  Avalketh  through 
dry  places,  seeking  rest ;  and  finding  none,  he  saith,  I  will  return  unto 

25  my  house  whence  I  came  out.     And  Avhen  he  cometh,  he  findeth  it  swept 
2G  and  garnished.     Then  goetli  he,  and  taketh  to  him  seven  other  spirits 

more  AA'icked  than  himself;  and  they  enter  in,  and  dAvell  there:  and  'the 
last  state  of  that  man  is  Avorse  than  the  first. 


A.  D.  33. 

J  Matt.  9.  32. 
Matt.l2.2'i 

*  Matt.  9.  34. 
Watt.1'2.24. 

*  Beelzebul. 
'  Matt,  li  38. 

Matt.  10.  1. 
'■'Matt  12.25. 

Mark  3  24. 

John  2  25. 

Eev.  2.  23. 
"  Mark  9.  38. 

Ch.  9.  49. 
"  Ex.  8.  19. 
P  Matt.  12. 20. 

Mark  3.  27. 

Eph.  6.  12. 

Epli.  2.  2. 

1  Pet.  5.  8. 
9  Isa.  9.  C. 

Isa.  63.  12. 

Col.  2.  15. 

Heb.  7.  25. 

•■  Matt.12.30. 

*  Matt.  12.43. 
«  John  5.  14. 

Heb.  6.  4. 
Heb.  10.  2C. 

2  Pet.  2.  20. 


(  'kowd,  and  the  Answer — Warning  on  Seek- 
ing a  Sign.  (=Matt.  xii.  22-45;  Mark  iii  22-30.) 
See  on  Matt.  xii.  22-28. 

Healing  of  a  Demoniac,  and  Beply  to  iheMaliy- 
nant  Explanation  "pul  tipon  it  (14-20).  For  the  ex- 
pcsition  of  this  portion,  see  on  Matt.  xii.  22-28. 

Parables  of  the  Strony  Man  and  the  Unclean 
Spirit  (21-26). 

Parable  of  The  Strong  Man  (21,  22).  21.  When 
a— or  'the,'  strong  man  armed  keepeth  — or 
' t,'iiard.eth '  [(puXdaar)]  his  palace  [au\iii/].  'This 
blands  for  "jialace"  (says  Olfhauften),  a  great  pile 
surrounded  with  fore-courts  and  halls.'  Meyer 
repudiates  this  sense,  contending  for  the  pri- 
riiary  meaning  of  tl^e  word,  an  open  'court.' 
But  though  this  does  not  materially  affect  the 
statement  itself,  the  secondary  meaning  is  most 
suitable  here,  as  interi)reters  generally  agree. 
The  ])a'ace  here  meant  by  our  Lord  is  man, 
whether  viewed  more  largely  or  in  individual 
souls — men  as  nations,  churches,  or  individuals: 
the  "  strong  man "  is  Satan.  His  being  "armed" 
points  to  all  the  subtle  and  varied  methods  l>y 
which  he  wields  his  dark  power  over  men.  his 
goods  are  in  peace- undisturbed,  securely  in  his 
possession.  22.  But  when  a  stronger — or  'the 
Stronger'  than  he.  Glorious  title  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  in  relation  to  Satan!  (1  John  iii.  8).  shall 
come  upon  him,  and  overcome  him — sublimely  ex- 
]>ressiug  the  Eedeemer's  ajiproach,  as  the  Seed  of 
the  woman,  to  bruise  the  Serpent's  head,  he 
taketh  from  him  all  his  armour  [Tiivn-avuTrXiav 
ain-ov]  —  'his  panoply,'  'his  complete  armour.' 
Vain  would  be  the  victory,  were  not  the  vieans  of 
regainiiig  his  lost  power  wrested  from  himu  It  is 
this  that  completes  the  triumph  and  ensures  the 
utter  overthrow  of  his  kingdom.  23.  He  that  is 
not  with  me  is  against  me ;  and  he  that  gathereth 
not  with  me  scattereth.  "The  nature  and  force  of 
this  statement,  in  relation  to  the  foregoing  par- 
able will  be  best  rierceived  when  we  have  taken 
up  the  one  that  follows. 

Parable  of  The  Unclean  Spirit  (24-26).  24.  When 
the  unclean  spirit  is  gone  out  of  a  man,  he 
walketh  through  dry  places  Idi-u^puiv]— literally, 
270 


'  un-watered,'  and  so  desert,  uninhabited  jilaces; 
where  are  no  men  to  possess  and  destroy;  seek- 
ing rest ;  and  finding  none — because  out  of  his 
element,  which  is  human  misery  and  destruc- 
tion: he  saith,  I  will  return  unto  my  house 
whence  I  came  out:  'It  may  be  I  shall  find  it 
tired  of  its  new  religious  ways,  and  not  un- 
willing to  entertain  overtures  of  reconciliation 
with  its  old  friend.'  25.  And  when  he  cometh, 
he  findeth  it — "empty"  (Matt.  xiL  44);  occupied  bp 
no  rival :  but  further,  swept  and  garnished — not 
only  emjity,  but  all  ready  to  receive  him;  nay, 
decked  out  as  if  to  in\ate  his  return.  26.  Then 
goeth  he,  and  taketh  to  him  seven  other  spirits 
more  wicked  than  himself.  Seven  lieiug  the  num- 
ber of  comiileteness,  a  sevenfold  diabolic  force,  the 
wickedness  of  each  of  which  exceeds  that  of  the 
first,  is  the  strongest  conceivable  exi)ression  of  a 
power  sufficient  to  secure  them  against  all  dis- 
turbance for  the  future,  and  they  enter  in.  Ko 
resistance  now.  As  we  say,  they  walk  the  course. 
and  dwell  there.  No  temijorary  sojourn  or  ])re- 
cariov.s  stay  do  they  make  uoav.  They  dwell  there 
as  in  their  own  i)ro]ier  and  jiermaneut  abode,  and 
the  last  state  of  that  man  is  worse  than  the  first, 
Matthew  adds  this  imjiortant  application  to  the 
second  parable  (xii.  45),  ''  Even  so  shall  it  be  also 
unto  this  wicked  generation:"  implying  that  the 
illustration  of  this  parable  which  that  wicked 
generation  was  to  furnish  was  but  one  example 
of  the  working  of  a  great  general  principle.  But 
an  awful  illustration  of  it  it  was  which  that 
generation  was  to  furnish.  By  the  ministry  of 
the  Baptist  their  'heart  was  turned  to  the 
Lord,' to  a  large  extent:  then  was  their  oppor- 
tunity to  receive  Christ  and  live;  Init  they  did 
not :  so  they  became  worse  than  at  the  first,  and 
soon  put  their  very  Deliverer  to  deatli.  These  ex- 
ceedingly vivid  parables  bear  a  strong  resemblance 
to  each  other ;  but  they  differ  far  more  widely 
than  they  agree.  The  subject  of  both  is  the  same 
— the  soul  of  man  changing  from  the  worse  to  the 
better.  In  both  the  soul  is  jiictured  to  us  as  the 
residence  of  the  Evil  One;  in  the  one  parable  as 
his  "  palace,"  in  the  other  as  liis  "  house,"    In 


Warning  on 


LUKE  XI. 


seeking  a  sign. 


27  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  lie  spake  these  things,  a  certain  woman  of  the 
company  lifted  up  her  voice,  and  said  unto  him,  "Blessed  is  the  womb 

28  that  bare  thee,  and  the  paps  which  thou  hast  sucked.  But  he  said,  Yea 
^'rather,  blessed  are  they  that  hear  the  word  of  God,  and  keep  it. 

29  And  **when  the  people  were  gathered  thick  together,  he  began  to  say. 
This  is  an  evil  generation :  they  seek  a  sign ;  and  there  shall  no  sign  be 

SO  given  it,  but  the  sign  of  Jonas  the  prophet.    For  as  "^  Jonas  was  a  sign  unto 

i)l  the  Ninevites,  so  shall  also  the  Son  of  man  be  to  this  generation.      The 

^queen  of  the  south  shall  rise  up  in  the  judgment  with  the  men  of  this 

generation,  and  condemn  them :  for  she  came  from  the  utmost  parts  of 

the  earth  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon ;  and,  behold,  a  'greater  than 

32  Solomon  is  here.  The  men  of  Nineve  shall  rise  up  in  the  judgment 
with  this  generation,  and  shall  condemn  it:  for  "they  repented  at  the 
preaching  of  Jonas ;  and,  behold,  a  greater  than  Jonas  is  here. 

33  No  *man,  when  he  hath  lighted  a  candle,  putteth  it  in  a  secret  place, 
neither  under  a  'bushel,  but  on  a  candlestick,  that  they  which  come  in 

3-1  may  see  the  light.  The  ''light  of  the  body  is  the  eye:  therefore  when 
thine  eye  is  single,  tliy  whole  body  also  is  full  of  light;  but  when  thine 

35  eye  is  evil,  thy  body  also  /*■  full  of  darkness.     Take  heed  therefore  that 

36  the  light  which  is  in  thee  be  not  darkness.  If  thy  wliole  body  therefore 
be  full  of  light,  having  no  part  dark,  the  whole  shall  be  full  of  light,  as 
when  ^  the  bright  shining  of  a  candle  doth  give  thee  light. 


A.  D.  33. 


"  Ch    1.2S,4S. 

"  JSJatt.  7.  a. 

Watt.  12.4.1. 

ch.  8.  -21. 

Jas.  1.  '..'6. 
"Matt.  12.  as, 

39. 
^  Jon.  1.  17. 

Jon.  2. 10 
y  1  Ki.  10.  1. 
-  Jsa.  9.  (i. 

i;om.  9.  5. 

Tit.  2.  13 
rhil.  2.  10. 

"  Jon  3.  .5. 

(>  Matt.  6.  15. 
Mark  t  2i. 

'  iMatt.  5. 1  j. 

rf  Ps.  119.  18. 

Matt.  e.  22. 
Mark  8.  is. 
Acts  2C.  18. 
Eph.  1.  17, 
18. 
5  A  cacdle 
by  its 
bright 
shining. 


the  one  parable  the  stren<ith  of  this  mysterious 
enemy  is  the  prominent  idea ;  in  the  other  his 
uncleayiness.  In  both  parables  the  soul  is  delivered 
from  this  mighty  and  tilthy  enemy.  But  here  the 
resemblance  terminates,  and  the  vast  difference 
between  the  two  parables  comes  out.  The  unclean 
spirit  goes  out  only  to  come  in  again  ;  but  the  strong 
man  is  grappled  with  and  lua.steredj  and  the  palace 
is  permanently  occupied  by  the  Victor.  The  one 
is  a  temporary,  if  not  a  voluntary  departure ;  the 
other  is  a  total  defeat,  and  an  absolute,  resistless 
expulsion.  In  the  one  case  the  last  state  of  the 
soul  is  worse  than  the  first ;  in  the  other  the  last 
is  its  best  and  noblest  state.  Both  aie  cases  of  con- 
version; but  in  the  one  case  the  conversion  is  par- 
tial and  aboitive ;  in  the  other  it  is  thorough  and 
enduring.  And  the  cause  of  this  difference  is  most 
strikingly  depicted.  Why  was  it  that  the  unclean 
spirit,  after  going  out  of  the  man,  entered  in  again 
without  a  struggle,  never  more  to  be  dislodged? 
Because  on  his  return  he  found  no  rival  to  dis- 
]iute  the  ground  with  him:  the  devil  was  out,  hut 
Christ  was  not  in.  Precisely  the  reverse  of  this 
was  the  reason  why,  in  the  other  parable,  his_  re- 
turn was  hopeless.  As  it  was  the  Stronger  than 
he  that  put  him  out,  so  Jlis  presence,  as  the  right- 
ful Occupant  of  the  jialace  henceforth,  secures  it 
against  all  successful  assault  for  the  future.  And 
now  we  are  prepared  to  listen  to  the  great  sajdng 
that  comes  in  between  the  two  parables  (v.  23),  and 
to  apprehend  both  its  import  and  its  weight:  "  He 
that  is  not  with  Me  is  against  Me ;  and  he  that 
gathereth  not  with  Me  scattereth."  This  last 
clause  seems  to  be  an  allusion  to  gleaners,  whose 
labour  is  lost  if  they  follow  not  in  the  wake,  or 
work  not  in  the  company,  of  their  leader.  Thus 
are  proclaimed  these  great  maxims :  '  Whatever  in 
religion  is  disconnected  from  Christ  comes  to  nothing;^ 
^  ^eutrediti/ in  religion  there  is  none;^  'Tlte  absence  of 
positive  attachment  to  Christ  involves  hostility  to 
Jlim.^ 

Remarh  of  a  Woman  in  the  Crowd,  and  the  Eeply 
(27-28).  27.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  lie  spake 
these  things,  a  certain  woman  of  ttie  company  [ck 
Tou  oxX.oi/1 — or  '  from  the  crowd,'  lifted  up  her 
voice,  and  said,  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  hare 
271 


thee,  and  the  paps  which  thou  hast  sucked.  £?. 
But  he  said,  Yea  rather,  blessed  are  they  that 
hear  the  word  of  God,  and  keep  it.  A  charmiug 
little  incident,  and  profoundly  instructive.  With 
true  womanly  feeling,  she  envies  the  mother  of 
such  a  wonderful  Teacher.  Well,  and  higher  and 
better  than  she  had  said  as  much  before  her,  ch.  i. 
28,  42;  and  our  Lord  is  far  from  condemning  it. 
He  only  holds  up,  as  "  blessed  rather, "  the  hear- 
ers and  keepei'S  of  (Jod's  word  ;  in  other  words,  (he 
humblest  real  saint  of  God.  See  on  Matt.  xii.  49, 
50.  How  utterly  alien  is  this  sentiment  from  the 
teaching  of  the  Church  of  Home,  which  would  ex- 
communicate any  one  of  its  members  that  dared  to 
talk  in  the  spirit  of  this  glorious  saying! 

Seeking  a  Sign  (-2*)-'S'6).  29-32.  And  when  the 
people— rather," 'the multitudes'  [xwi-  oX'^"'"!  were 
gathered  thick  together,  he  began  to  say,  This  is 
an  evil  generation:  they  seek  a  sign.  Matthew 
tells  us  (xii.  38)  that  certain  of  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees  said,  "Master,  we  would  see  a  sign  from 
thee;"  and  it  was  to  this  that  our  Lord  here  re- 
plied, and  there  shall  no  sign  be  given  it,  but 
the  sign  of  Jonas  the  prophet,  &c.  On  this  and 
the  three  following  verses,  tee  on  Matt.  xii.  38-42. 
33-36.  No  man,  when  he  hath  ligkted  a  candle, 
putteth  it  in  a  secret  place,  &c.  On  this  and 
the  three  folloning  verses,  see  on  Matt.  v.  14-10; 
and  on  Matt.  vi.  22,  23.  But  v.  3l>,  here,  is  pecu- 
liarly vivid,  expressing  what  jnire,  beautiful,  broael 
perceptions  the  c'.arity  of  the  inivard  eye  imparts. 

For  Remarks  on  vv.  14-20,  and  29-32,  see  those 
on  the  corresponding  verses  of  Matt.  xii. :  and  for 
Remarks  on  vv.  ;33-36,  see  those  on  the  correspond- 
ing verses  of  Matt.  v.  and  vi.  above  noted:  it 
only  remains,  then,  on  this  Section,  that  we  add 
two  on  the  jiarables  here  illustrated  {vy.  21-2G),  to 
bring  out  more  in  detail  the  distinctive  features 
of  the  two  cases. 

Beinarks. — 1.  In  the  Fecond  ijarable  we  have 
three  successive  stages  in  the  history  of  a  soul. 
The  first  is  a  change  for  the  better :  The  unclean 
spirit  goes  out  of  the  man.  When  is  this?  Seldom 
is  it  seen  in  a  period  of  general  religious  indiffer- 
ence. Then  the  strong  man  hardly  needs  to  guard 
his  palace;  his  goods  are  in  undisturbed  peace. 


Jesus  denounces  the 


LUKE  XI. 


Pharisees  for  hypocrisy. 


37  And  as  he  spake,  a  certain  Pharisee  besought  him  to  dine  with  him : 

38  and  he  went  in,  and  sat  down  to  meat.     And  Vhen  the  Pharisee  saw  it, 

39  he  marvelled  that  he  had  not  first  washed  before  dinner.     And  -^the  Lord 
said  unto  him,  Now  do  ye  Pharisees  make  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup 


A.  D.  33. 


•  Mark  7.  3. 

John  3.  25. 
/  Matt.  23.  ?5. 

Gal.  1.  14. 


But  where  a  ministry  like  the  Baptist's  is  attended 
with  great  success,  and  men  are  stirred  to  their 
depths,  and  many  are  fleeing  from  the  wrath  to 
come,  then  may  be  seen,  amongst  real  conversions, 
not  a  few  that  are  but  partial,  temporary,  abortive. 
For  a  while,  un<ler  the  terrors  of  the  coming  wrath 
(jr  the  joys  of  the  Gosjjel,  all  seems  changed,  and 
a  thorough  conversion  aj)pears  to  have  taken  place 
— the  unclean  spirit  has  gone  out  of  the  man.  The 
house  has  become  imcongenial  to  him.  As  an  un- 
welcome guest,  and  out  of  his  element,  he  takes  his 
leave—"  going"  rather  than  "  cast  out."  But  there 
is  no  real  exchange  of  masters,  of  services,  of  feli- 
cities; of  Christ  for  Belial,  of  spiritual  principles 
for  carnal,  of  heavenly  for  eartlily  affections.  If 
the  old  man  seems  put  off,  the  new  man  has  not 
been  put  on ;  if  old  things  seem  to  have  passed 
away,  all  things  have  not  become  new.  A  heap 
of  negatives  make  up  the  change:  the  man  has  not 
been  born  again.  Accordingly,  when  the  unclean 
spirit  returns,  he  finds  the  house  as  "  empty"  as 
when  he  left  it.  But  worse— it  is  now  "swept  and 
garnished."  This  seems  to  point  to  such  a  relapse 
in  the  interval  as  has  transformed  it  out  of  the  un- 
sympathetic state  which  drove  him  forth,  into  a  pre- 
pared and  inviting  habitation  for  him.  The  smil's 
lively  interest  in  religion  and  relish  for  divine  things 
has  cooled  down  ;  the  standard  has  been  by  little 
and  little  lowered;  carual  interests  and  affections 
have  returned ;  the  world  has  re-assumed  its  faded 
charms,  and  sin  its  enticing  forms ;  devotion, 
when  not  intermitted,  has  dwindled  into  wretched 
and  hurried  generalities.  At  length  sin  is  tampered 
with,  and  the  unclean  spirit  sees  his  advantage. 
But  he  is  in  no  haste  to  seize  his  prey.  On  the 
contraiy,  "  he  goeth  and  taketh  with  him  seven 
other  spirits  more  wicked  than  himself ;  and  they 
enter  in,  ai^d  dwell  there"— never  more  to  go  or  be 
put  out.  And  so,  "the  last  state  of  that  man  is 
worse  than  the  first."  Not,  it  may  lae,  in  the  way 
of  abandoning  itself  to  greater  abominations.  But 
it  is  more  utterly  hopeless.  There  are  several  laws 
<if  the  moral  system  which  explain  this.  There  is 
such  a  thing  as  God  giving  men  over  to  a  reprobate 
mind.  Kor  is  the  rage  of  the  wicked  one  to  be 
overlooked  in  these  mysterious  escapes  from  him 
for  a  time  and  subsequent  welcomings  back.  And 
over  and  above  these,  there  is  the  well-known  and 
terrific  law,  in  virtue  of  which  habits  and  iirac- 
tices,  abandoned  with  difficulty  and  afterwards 
taking  fresh  possession,  become  more  inveterate 
than  ever  before— the  jiower  of  a  resisting  will 
being  destroyed.  Thus  is  there  no  medium  be- 
tween the  unclean  spirit  going  out  of  the  man, 
only  to  come  in  again,  and  the  effectual  expulsion 
of  the  strong  man  by  the  Stronger  than  he.  There 
is  no  safety  for  the  heirt  of  man  but  in  cordial 
subjection  to  Christ.  2.  In  the  first  parable,  see 
the  palace  of  the  soul  in  secure,  but  not  unguarded, 
possession  of  the  strong  man.  This  dark  master 
of  the  soul — "  the  prince,  the  god  of  this  world" 
— is  "armed"  and  "guards"  his  palace.  Some  are 
easily  guarded  against  serious  thought  and  alarm 
about  their  eternal  state— drowned  in  fleshly  lusts, 
or  engrossing  secularities,  or  scientific  pursuits; 
the  cravings  of  the  spirit  after  peace  and  fellowship 
with  God,  holiness  and  heaven,  either  systemati- 
cally quenched,  or  never  consciously — at  least  pain- 
fully— felt.  But  when  religious  convictions  and 
alarms  refuse  to  be  lulled,  false  ijrinciplea  are  made 
272 


to  play  about  the  soul,  if  possible  to  seduce  it  out 
of  its  cravings  for  that  relief  which  only  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  sui^plies.  But  when  "the  Stronger  than 
the  strong  man"  takes  the  case  in  hand,  this  ruler 
of  the  darkness  of  this  world  must  quit  his  hold. 
Glorious  name  of  Jesus  this  — "  The  Stronger 
than  the  Strong  One" — to  as  many  as  are  sighing 
for  emancipation  from  felt  bondage,  and  not  less, 
but  rather  more  so,  to  those  whom  the  Son  hath 
made  free  indeed.  Majestic  and  varied  are  the 
manifestations  of  His  superiority  to  the  strong 
one  in  this  matchless  Gospel  History.  But  the 
secret  of  His  strength  to  expel  this  enemy  from 
the  soul  of  man  lies  in  the  victory  which  He 
achieved  over  him  in  His  Cross.  "  Now,"  says  He 
Himself,  "shall  the  prince  of  this  world  he  cast  out, 
and  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all 
men  unto  me."  As  it  was  sin  that  sold  us  into  the 
enemy's  hands,  so  when  He  put  aM'ay  sin  by  the 
sacrifice  of  Himself,  He  opened  the  prison-doors 
and  set  us  free.  And  now  hath  He  gone  inj  to 
receive,  as  His  fitting  reward,  the  Gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  by  whose  agency  in  the  soids  of  men  He 
grapples  with  the  enemy,  and  casts  Him  out,  that 
He  may  get  Him  a  temple  for  God,  a  palace  for 
Himself  to  dwell  in — "  When  the  Stronger  than 
he  shall  come  upon  him."  Sublime  expression  this 
of  Christ's  approach  to  the  stronghold  for  a  deadly 
encounter  with  the  strong  man.  But  it  may  be 
qiiick  or  slow,  simple  or  elaborate  in  preparation. 
Now  is  the  "  armour"  of  the  strong  man  put  to  busy 
use: — 'God  is  merciful;  there  have  been  many  worse 
than  thou  with  whom,  if  thou  i^erish,  it  will  go 
harder  still;  thou  art  sorry  for  sin;  thou  sighest 
after  holiness ;  thoii  hast  made  some  progress ;  all 
will  yet  come  ri^ht ;  and  tJiere  is  no  such  urgent 
haste.'  These  whi-spers  of  the  father  of  lies  lull 
for  a  time,  but  do  not  last.  The  urgency  of  the 
case  is  borne  in  with  resistless  power  by  the  sinner's 
mighty  Friend,  and  now  the  last  thrust  is  given — 
'Thine  is  a  gone  case;  it  is  now  all  too  late.'  But 
this  last  piece  of  his  infernal  "  armour"  is  at  length 
"taken  from  him ;"  the  soid  falls  sweetly  into  the 
arms  of  its  mighty  Friend;  the  strong  man  is 
made  to  quit  his  palace,  and  the  Stronger  than 
he,  now-  its  real  as  before  its  rightful  owner,  di- 
vides the  spoih  Fain  would  the  bruised  ser- 
pent, in  his  retreat,  hiss  for  rage  after  the 
woman's  Seed — '  What  hast  Thou  gained  by  the 
pardon  and  restoration  of  this  rebel?  he  hath  no 
taste  for  Thy  company;  he  is  of  his  father  the 
devil,  and  the  lusts  of  his  father  he  will  continue 
to  do.'  But  the  Stronger  than  he  ci'ies  after 
him,  '  I  have  put  my  fear  in  his  heart,  that  lie 
may  not  turn  away  from  Me — G  et  thee  behind  Me  ! ' 

what,  now,  is  the  conclusion  of  this  whole 
matter?  Freedom,  from,  both  masters,  or  entire 
moral  independence,  is  impossible.  .The  palace  is 
freed  from  the  usurped  dominion  of  the  strong 
man,  only  to  become  the  willing  recipient  of  the 
Stronger  than  he.  But  subjection  to  Christ  is  no 
bondage;  it  is  the  very  law  of  liberty.  "If  the 
Son,"  then,  0  my  readers,  "shall  make  you  free, 
ye  shall  be  free  indeed ! " 

37-54. — At  the  House  of  a  Pharisee  Jesus 
vehemently  denounces  the  pharisees,  who 

ARE  ExASrERATED,  AND  TRY  TO  EnSNARE  HiM. 

37.  And  as  he  spake,  a  certain  Pharisee  besought 
him  to  dine  with  him:  and  he  went  in,  and  sat 
down  to  meat.    38.  And  when  the  Pharisee  saw 


Warning  against 


LUKE  XII. 


hypocrisy  and  covetousness. 


43 
44 


45 


and  the  platter;  but  ''your  inward  part  is  fuU  of  ravening  and  wickedness. 

40  Ye  fools,  did  not  he  that  made  that  which  is  without  make  that  which  is 

41  within  also?     But  ^rather  give  alms  ^of  such  things  as  ye  have;  and, 

42  behold,  all  things  are  clean  unto  you.  But  ^woe  unto  you,  Pharisees! 
■^'for  ye  tithe  mint  and  rue,  and  all  manner  of  herbs,  and  pass  over  judg- 
ment and  the  love  of  God :  these  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave 
the  other  undone.  Woe  ^'unto  you,  Pharisees!  for  ye  love  the  uppermost 
seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  greetings  in  the  markets.  Woe  ^uuto  you, 
scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  "'for  ye  are  as  graves  which  appear  not, 
and  the  men  that  walk  over  them  are  not  aware  of  them. 

Then  answered  one  of  the  lawyers,  and  said  unto  him,  IMaster,  thus 

46  saying  thou  reproachest  us  also.  And  he  said.  Woe  unto  you  also,  ye 
la^^yers!  "for  ye  lade  men  with  burdens  grievous  to  be  borne,  and  ye 

47  yourselves  touch  not  the  burdens  with  one  of  your  fingers.  Woe  "unto 
you !  for  ye  build  the  sepulchres  of  the  prophets,  and  your  fathers  killed 

48  them.     Truly  ye  bear  witness  that  ye  allow  the  deeds  of  your  fathers : 

49  for  ^they  indeed  killed  them,  and  ye  build  their  sepulchres.  Therefore 
also  said  the  *  wisdom  of  God,  ''I  will  send  them  prophets  and  apostles, 

50  and  some  of  them  they  shall  slay  and  persecute :  that  the  blood  of  all  the 
prophets,  which  was  shed  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  may  be 

51  required  of  this  generation;  from  *the  blood  of  Abel,  unto  the  blood  of 
Zacharias,  which  perished  between  the  altar  and  the  temple :  verily  I  say 

52  unto  you.  It  shall  be  required  of  this  generation.  Woe  'unto  you, 
lawyers !  for  ye  have  taken  away  the  key  of  knowledge :  ye  enter  not  in 
yourselves,  and  them  that  were  entering  in  ye  ^  hindered. 

53  And  as  he  said  these  things  unto  them,  the  scribes  and  the  Pharisees 
began  to  urge  him  vehemently,  and  to  provoke  him  to  speak  of  many 

54  things ;  laying  wait  for  him,  and  "seeldng  to  catch  something  out  of  his 

55  mouth,  that  they  might  accuse  liim. 

12  IN  "the  mean  time,  when  there  were  gathered  together  an  innumerable 
multitude  of  people,  insomuch  that  they  trode  one  upon  another,  he 
began  to  say  unto  his  disciples  first  of  all,  *  Beware  ye  of  the  leaven  of 

2  the  Pharisees,  which  is  hypocrisy.     For  *^  there  is  nothing  covered,  that 

3  shall  not  be  revealed ;  neither  hid,  that  shall  not  be  known.     Therefore 
whatsoever  ye  have  spoken  in  darkness  shall  be  heard  in  the  light ;  and 


A.  D.  33. 


«  2  Tim.  3.  5. 

Tit.  1.  15. 
«>  Isa.  58.  7. 

Dan.  4.  27. 

Ch.  12.  33. 

6  Or,  as  you 
are  able. 

«  Matt.23.21. 
3  lSam.15.22. 

Hos.  6.  6. 
*  Matt.  23.  6. 

Mark  12.38, 
39. 
'  Matt.  23.27. 
'"Ps.  5.9. 

Acts  23.  3. 

"  Matt.  23.  4. 

"  Matt.  23.'^. 

P  Acts  7.  51. 

52. 

lThes.2.15. 

Heb.  11.  3C- 

38. 

Jas.  6.  10. 
«  Pro.  1.  20. 
1  Cor.  1. 24. 

'■  Matt.  23.  .34. 
'  Gen.  4.  8. 
«  Matt.23.13 

7  Or, 
forbade. 

"  Mark  12.13. 


CHAP.  12. 
"  Matt.  16.  6. 
Mark  8.  15. 
6  Matt.  16.12. 
1  Cor.  5.  7, 
8. 
'  Keel.  12. 14. 
Matt.10.26. 
Mark  4.  22. 
ch.  8.  17. 
1  Cor.  4.  5. 
Eev.  20.  11. 
12. 


it,  lie  marvelled  tliat  he  had  not  first  washed 
before  dinner.  See  on  Mark  vii.  2-4  39-52,  And 
the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Now  do  ye  Pharisees 
make  clean  the  outside,  &c.  For  the  exposition 
of  all  these  verses,  see  on  Matt,  xxiii.  1-36. 
63.  And  as  he  said  these  things  unto  them,  the 
scribes  and  the  Pharisees  began  to  urge  him 
vehemently,  and  to  provoke  him  to  speak  of 
many  things;  54.  Laying  wait  for  him,  and 
seeking  to  catch  something  out  of  his  mouth, 
that  they  might  accuse  him.  How  exceedingly 
vivid  and  affecting!  They  were  stuug  to  the 
quick — and  can  we  wonder?— yet  had  not  materials 
for  the  charge  they  were  preparing  against  Him. 
For  Remarks  on  this  Section,  see  those  on  Matt. 
xxiii.  1  -39,  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 

CHAP.  XIL  1-59. — Waknings  against  Hypo- 
crisy, AND  AGAINST  CoVETOUSNESS — WATCHFUL- 
NESS INCULCATED,  AND  SUPERIORITY  TO  EaRTHLY 

Entanglements  at  the  Call  of  Higher  Duty 
—Discerning  the  Signs  of  the  Time. 

Hypocrisy  (1-12).  1.  In  the  mean  time — in  close 
connection,  probably,  with  the  foregoing  scene. 
Our  Lord  had  been  speaking  out  more  plainly 
than  ever  before,  as  matters  were  coming  to  a 
head  between  Him  and  His  enemies,  and  this 
seems  to  have  suggested  to  His  own  mind  the 
M^arning  here.     He  had  just  Himself  illustriously 

VOL.  V.  273 


exemplified  His  own  precepts,  when  there  were 
gathered  together  an  innumerable  multitude  of 
people,  insomuch  that  they  trod  one  upon 
another,  he  began  to  say  unto  his  disciples 
first  of  all — and  afterwards  to  the  multitudes 
(v.  54),  Beware  ye  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees, 
which  is  hypocrisy.  As  leaven  is  coiicealed  within 
the  mass  on  which  it  operates,  yet  works  diffus- 
ively and  masterfully,  so  is  it  with  hypocrisy. 
Hypocrisy  is  of  two  lands.  Pretending  to  be  what 
tre  are  not,  and  concealing  ivhat  we  are.  Though 
these  are  so  closely  allied  that  the  one  runs  into 
the  other,  it  is  the  latter  form  of  it  against  which 
our  Lord  here  warns  His  disciples.  When  His 
name  could  not  be  confessed  but  at  the  risk  of 
reputation,  liberty,  ijroperty,  and  life  itself,  the 
temptation  to  unworthy  concealment  of  what  they 
were  would  of  course  be  exceedingly  strong;  and 
it  is  the  consequences  of  such  cowardly  and 
traitorous  concealment  that  our  Lord  is  now  to 
point  out.  Elsewhere  He  would  have  us  count  ttie 
cost  of  Discipleship  ere  we  undertake  it :  Here  He 
would  have  us  coimt  the  cost  of  hypocrisy— va.  the 
sense  of  shrinking  from  the  confession  of  His 
name  before  men — ere  we  resolve  on  or  give  way 
to  that  fatal  step.  2,  3.  For  there  is  nothing 
covered— from  view,  that  shall  not  be  revealed; 
neither  hid— from  knowledge,  that  shall  not  be 
I 


Christ  teaches  wJiom 


LUKE  XIL 


ice  should  fear. 


that  which  ye  have  spoken  in  the  ear  in  closets  shall  be  proclaimed  upon 
the  house-tops. 

4  And  "^I  say  unto  you,  my  friends,  Be  not  afraid  of  them  that  kill  the 

5  body,  and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do.     But  I  will  forewarn 
3"ou  whom  ye  shall  fear:    Fear  him,  which  after  he  hath  killed  hath 

6  'power  to  cast  into  hell;  yea,  I  say  unto  you.  Fear  him.     Are  not  five 
sparrows   sold  for  two  -^farthings?   and  ^not  one  of  them  is  forgotten 

7  before  God :   but  even  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered. 
Fear  not  therefore :  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows. 

Also  ''I  say  unto  you.  Whosoever  shall  confess  me  before  men,  him 
shall  the  Son  of  man  also  confess  before  the  angels  of  God :  but  he  that 
denieth  me  before  men  shall  be  denied  before  the  angels  of  God.  And 
*  whosoever  shall  speak  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man,  it  shall  be  forgiven 
him :  but  unto  him  that  blasphemeth  against  the  Holy  Ghost  it  shall  not 
be  forgiven.  And  •'when  they  bring  you  unto  the  synagogues,  and  unto 
magistrates,  and  powers,  take  ye  no  thought  how  or  what  thing  ye  shall 
answer,  or  what  ye  shall  say:  for  ^the  Holy  Ghost  shall  teach  you  in  the 
same  hour  what  ye  ought  to  say. 

And  one  of  tlie  company  said  unto  him,  Master,  speak  to  my  brother, 
that  he  divide  the  inheritance  with  me.     And  he  said  unto  him,  'Man, 

15  who  made  me  a  jndge  or  a  divider  over  you?  And  he  said  unto  them, 
'"Take  heed,  and  beware  of  covetousness :  for  a  man's  life  consisteth  not 
in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth. 

16  And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them,  saying,  The  ground  of  a  certain 

17  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully:  and  he  thought  within  himself, 
saying,  Wliat  shall  I  do,  because  I  have  no  room  where  to  bestow  my 

18  fruits?    And  he  said.  This  will  I  do:  I  will  pull  down  my  barns,  and 

19  build  greater;  and  there  will  I  bestow  all  my  fruits  and  my  goods.     And 


8 

9 

10 


11 

12 

13 
14 


A.  D.  33. 


d  Isa.  8.12,13. 
Isa.  61.  7, 8, 
12.  13. 
Jer  1  8. 

Matt.  10.  "8. 
Acts  20.  24. 

1  ha  1  :s. 

1  Pet.  3. 14. 
'  Ps.  0.  17. 

Matt  10.28. 
Matt.  25.41, 
46. 

2  Pet.  2.  4. 
Eev.  1.  18. 

/  Matt.lO  29. 
"  Acts  15.  18. 
ft  Matt.  10.32. 

Mark  8.  33. 

Eom.  10.  a, 
10. 

2  Tim.  2.12. 

lJohn2.  3. 

Kev.  2. 13. 
i  Matt.  12.31, 
32. 

Mark  3.  28. 

lJohn5.i6. 
i  Matt.  10.19. 

Mark  13. 11. 

ch.  21. 14. 
ft  Ex.  4. 12. 

1  Pet.  5.  7. 
I  John  18  36. 
"'Pro.  28.  10. 

1  Tim.  6.  7. 

Heb.  13.  5. 


known.  Therefore  wliatsoever  ye  have  spoken 
in  darkness,  &c.    See  ou  Matt  x.  2G,  27. 

4.  And  I  say  unto  you,  my  friends.  He 
calls  them  "friends"  here,  not  in  any  loose 
sense,  but,  as  we  think,  fi-om  the  feeling  He 
then  had  that  in  this  "killing  of  the  body"  He 
and  then  were  going  to  be  anectingly  one  with 
each  other.  Be  not  afraid  of  tliem  that  kUl 
the  hody,  and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they 
can  do— they  viay  go  that  length,  but  there  their 
power  ends.  5.  But  I  will  forewarn  you  whom 
ye  shall  fear:  Fear  him  which  after  he  hath 
killed — that  is,  taken  away  the  life  of  the  body, 
as  at  length  He  does  even  by  natural  death, 
hath  power  to  cast  into  hell;  yea,  I  say  unto 
you,  Fear  him.  How  striking  the  repetition  of 
this  word  "Fear!"  Only  the  fear  of  tlie  Greater 
will  effectually  expel  the  fear  of  the  less.  6.  Are 
not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  farthings  ?  In 
Matt.  X.  29,  it  is,  "two  for  one  farthing:"  so,  if 
one  took  two  farthings'  worth,  he  got  one  in 
addition — of  such  insignificant  value  were  they. 
and  (yet)  not  one  of  them  is  forgotten  before 
God:  7.  But  even  the  very  hairs  of  your  head 
are  all  numbered.  Fear  not  therefore:  ye  are 
of  more  value  than  many  sparrows.  What 
incomparable  teaching— its  simplicity  imparting 
to  it  a  wonderful  charm ! 

8,  9.  Also  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall 
confess  me  before  men,  &c.  See  on  Matt.  x. 
32,  33.  10.  And  whosoever  shall  speak  a  word 
against  the  Son  of  man  .  .  .  but  unto  him  that 
blasphemeth  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  &c.  See  on 
Matt.  xii.  31,  32.  11,  12.  And  when  they  bring 
you  unto  the  sjmagogues,  &c.  See  on  Matt. 
X.   19,20. 

Covetousness  (13-34).  13.  And  one  of  the  com- 
pany said  unto  him.  Master — 'Teacher'  [AiSd- 
274 


a-KoXe],  speak  to  my  brother,  that  he  divide  the 
inheritance  with  me: — q.d.,  'Great  Preacher  of 
righteousness,  help;  there  is  need  of  Thee  in  this 
rapacious  world ;  here  am  I  the  victim  of  injustice, 
and  that  from  my  own  brother,  who  withholds 
from  me  my  rightful  share  of  the  inheritance  that 
has  fallen  to  us.'  In  this  most  inopportune  in- 
trusion upon  the  solemnities  of  our  Lord's  teaching, 
there  is  a  mixture  of  the  absurd  and  the  irreverent, 
the  one  however  occasioning  the  other.  The  man 
had  not  the  least  idea  that  his  case  was  not  of  as 
urgent  a  nature,  and  as  worthy  the  attention  of 
our  Lord,  as  anything  else  He  could  deal  with. 
14.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Man.  What  a  contrast  is 
there  between  this  style  of  addi-ess  and  "J/y 
fi-jends"  when  encouraging  His  own  faithful  dis- 
ciples resolutely  to  confess  Him  in  the  face  of  all 
dangers  {v.  4) !  Who  made  me  a  judge  or  a  divider 
over  you  ?  A  remarkable  question,  coming  from 
such  lips,  explicitly  repudiating  an  office  which 
Moses  assumed  (Exod.  ii.  14),  and  afterwards  was 
divinely  called  to  exercise.  Not  for  such  a  purpose 
was  the  Son  of  God  manifested.  15.  And  he  said 
unto  them — the  immense  multitude  before  Him, 
(v.  1),  Take  heed,  and  bewa.re  of  covetousness— 
'  of  all  covetousness,'  or,  '  of  every  kind  of  covet- 
ousness,' is  beyond  doubt  the  true  reading  here. 
As  this  was  one  of  the  more  plausible  forms  of  it, 
the  Lord  would  strike  at  once  at  the  root  of  the 
evil,  for  a  man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the  abun- 
dance of  the  things  which  he  possesseth.  A 
singularly  weighty  maxim,  and  not  the  less  so, 
because  its  meaning  and  its  truth  are  equally  evi- 
dent. 16-19.  And  he  spake  a  parable  .  .  .  The 
ground  of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plenti- 
fully: And  he  thought  within  himself,  saying, 
What  shall  I  do  ...  I  will  pull  down  my  barns, 
and  build  greater;  and  there  will  I  bestow  all 


Counsels  against 


LUKE  XII. 


over  carefulness  and  anxiety. 


I  will  say  to  my  soul,  "Soul,  tliou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many 

DO  years;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry.     But  God  said   unto 

him,  Thou  fool,  this  night  ^thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee:  then 

21  "whose  shall  those  things  be  which  thou  hast  provided?  So  is  he  that 
laj^eth  up  treasure  for  himself,  ^and  is  not  rich  toward  God. 

22  And  he  said  unto  his  disciples.  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  ^Take  no 
thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat;  neither  for  the  body,  what  ye 

23  shall  put  on.     The  life  is  more  than  meat,  and  the  body  is  more  than 

24  raiment.  Consider  the  ravens:  for  they  neither  sow  nor  reap;  which 
neither  have  storehouse  nor  barn ;  and  'God  feedeth  them :  how  much  more 

25  are  ye  better  than  the  fowls?    And  which  of  you  with  taking  thought  can 

26  add  to  his  stature  one  cubit?     If  ye  then  be  not  able  to  do  that  thing 

27  which  is  least,  why  take  ye  thought  for  the  rest?  Consider  the  lilies  how 
they  grow :  they  toil  not,  they  spin  not ;  and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that 

28  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  aiTayed  like  one  of  these.  If  then  God 
so  clothe  the  grass,  which  is  to-day  in  the  field,  and  to-morrow  is  cast 
into  the  oven ;  how  much  more  will  he  clothe  you,  0  ye  of  little  faith  ? 

29  And  seek  not  ye  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink,  ^neither  be 

30  ye  of  doubtful  mind.  For  all  these  things  do  the  nations  of  the  world 
seek  after:  and  your  Father  knoweth  Hhat  ye  have  need  of  these  things. 

31  But  'rather  seek  ye  the  kingdom  of  God;  and  "all  these  things  shall  be 

32  added  unto  you.     Fear  not,  little  flock;  for  "it  is  your  Father's  good 

33  pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom,  SeU  ^that  ye  have,  and  give  alms; 
provide  ^yourselves  bags  which  wax  not  old,  a  treasure  in  the  heavens 
that  faileth  not,  where  no  thief  approacheth,  neither  moth  corrupteth. 

34  For  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also, 

35,      Let  ^your  loins  be  girded  about,  ^and  your  lights  burning;  and  ye 
36  yourselves  like  unto  men  that  wait  for  their  lord,  when  he  will  return 


ADM. 

"  Pju.  U.  i. 
Eccl.  li.  9. 
1  Cor.  I '..32. 
Jas  5.  5. 

1  Or,  do  they 
require 
thy  soul. 
Job  2u.  -11. 
Job  21.  13. 
Job  27.  «. 
Ps.  52.  7. 

Dan.  4  :ji. 

1  Thes.  h  3. 

Jas.  4.  H. 
"  Ps.  39.  a. 

Jer.  17.  11. 
P  Matt.  6.  -0. 

1  Tim.  6.18, 
19. 

Jas.  2  5. 
«  iVIatt.  G.  25. 

Phil  4.  6. 
"■  Job  3s.  41. 

Ps.  147.  9. 

2  Or,  live  not 
in  careful 
suspense. 

•  2Chr.  10. 0. 
«  Matt.  C.  33. 
"  Kom.  8.  31. 

"  Matt.  11.25. 
'"Matt.i9.2i. 
•'^  Matt.  0.  20. 

y  ElJh.  6   14. 
1  Pet.  1.  13. 

•  Matt.  25.  1. 


raj  fruits  and  my  goods.  And  I  will  say  to  my 
soul,  Soul,  thou  liast  mucli  goods  laid  up  for 
many  years;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and 
toe  merry.  Why  is  this  man  called  a  "fool"? 
First,  Because  he  deemed  a  life  of  secure  and 
abundant  earthly  eujoymeut  the  summit  of  hu- 
man felicity;  and  next,  because,  having  acquired 
the  means  of  realizing  this,  through  prosperity 
in  his  calling,  he  flattered  himself  that  he  had  a 
long  lease  of  such  enjoyment,  and  nothing  to  do 
but  to  give  himself  up  to  it.  Nothing  else  is  laid  to 
his  charf/e.  20.  But  God  said  unto  him,  Fool,  this 
night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee.  This 
sudden  cutting  short  of  his  career  is  designed  to 
express  not  only  the  folly  of  building  securely  upon 
the  future,  but  of  throwing  one's  whole  soul  into 
what  may  at  any  moment  be  gone.  /'.His  soul  being 
required  of  him"  is  put  iu  opposition  to  his  own 
treatment  of  it — "  I  will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,"  &c, 
then  whose  shall  those  things  be  which  thou  hast 
provided?  Compare  Ps.  xxxix.  6,  "He  heapeth 
up  riches,  and  knoweth  not  who  shall  gather  them." 
21.  So  is  he  that  layeth  up  treasure  for  himself, 
and  is  not  rich  toward  God.  Here  is  a  picture  of 
present  folly,  and  of  its  awful  issue.  Such  is  the 
man  "who  is  not  rich  toward  God:"  he  lives  to 
amass  and  enjoy  such  riches  only  as  terminate  on 
self,  and  end  with  time;  but  as  to  God's  favour 
which  is  life  (Ps.  xxx.  5),  and  precious  faith  (2 
Pet.  i.  1 ;  James  ii.  5),  and  riches  in  good  works 
(1  Tim.  vi.  IS),  and  the  wisdom  which  is  better 
than  rubies  (Prov.  iii.  15),  and,  in  a  word,  all  that 
the  Lord  esteems  true  riches  (Rev.  ii.  9;  iii.  18),  he 
lives  and  dies  a  hegf/ctr  ! 

22-34.  And  he  said  unto  his  disciples,  There- 
fore I  say  unto  you.  Take  no  thought,  &c.    This 
and  the  twelve  following   verses  are  but  a  re- 
petition, with  slight   verbal  difference,   of  part 
275 


of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  See  on  Matt.  vi. 
25-34.  But  a  word  or  two  of  explanation  on  one  or 
two  of  the  verses  may  be  added  here.  25.  And 
which  of  you  with  taking  thought  can  add  to  his 
stature  one  cubit  ?  26.  If  ye  then  be  not  able  to  do 
that  thing  which  is  least,  why  take  ye  thought 
for  the  rest  ?  '  Corroding  solicitude  will  not  bring 
you  the  least  of  the  things  ye  fret  about,  though  it 
may  double  the  evil  of  wanting  them.  _  And  it  not 
the  least,  why  vex  yourselves  about  things  of  more 
consequence  ? '  29.  And  seek  not  ye  what  ye  shall 
eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink,  neither  be  ye  of 
doubtful  mind  \jxi]  iieTewplX,e!yde\ — 'be  not  of  un- 
settled mind,'  or  imt  off  your  balance.  32.  Fear 
not,  little  flock  [to  fxiKpov  Trolfiviov]  —  a  doublo 
diminutive,  which  in  German  can  be  expressed, 
but  in  English  only  in  colloquial  language.  The 
tenderness  it  is  designed  to  convey  is  plain 
enough,  for  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure 
[oTi  evSuK-ijaev  u  HaTijp  vfxu'u].  On  this  exjjression, 
see  on  Matt.  iii.  17.  to  give  you  the  kingdom. 
Every  word  of  this  little  verse  is  more  to  be  de- 
sired than  fine  gold.  How  sublime  and  touching 
is  the  contrast  between  the  tender  and  pitying 
appellation,  "little  flock,"  and  the  "Go9d  Plea- 
sure" of  the  Father  to  gave  them  the  Kingdom: 
the  one  recalling  the  insignificance  and  helpless- 
ness of  the  at  that  time  truly  little  flock,  that 
literal  handful  of  disciples ;  the  other  holding  up 
to  their  view  the  eternal  love  that  encircled  them, 
the  everlasting  arms  that  were  underneath  them, 
and  the  high  inheritance  awaiting  them !  "To 
give  you  the  Kingdom:"  Grand  word,  exclaims 
Bengel;  then  why  not  bread?  Well  might  He  say, 
"  Fear  not" !  33.  Sell  that  ye  have,  and  give  alms, 
&c.  This  is  but  a  more  vivid  expression  of  Matt. 
vi.  19,  20. 

Watchfulness  (35-48).     35.  Let   your   loins   toe 


Exhortation  to 


LUKE  XII. 


watchfulness. 


from  the  wedding ;  that,  when  he  cometh  and  kuocketh,  they  may  open 
unto  him  immediately.  Blessed  "'are  those  servants,  whom  the  lord  when 
he  cometh  shall  find  watching :  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  shall  gird 
himself,  and  make  them  to  sit  down  to  meat,  and  will  come  forth  and  serve 
them.  And  if  he  shall  come  in  the  second  watch,  or  come  in  the  third 
39  watch,  and  find  them  so,  blessed  are  those  servants.  And  ''this  know, 
that  if  the  goodman  of  the  house  had  known  what  hour  the  thief  would 
come,  he  would  have  watched,  and  not  have  suffered  his  house  to  be 
broken  through.  Be  "^ye  therefore  ready  also :  for  the  Son  of  man  cometh 
at  an  hour  when  ye  think  not. 

Then  Peter  said  unto  him.  Lord,  speakest  thou  this  parable  unto  us, 
or  even  to  all?  And  the  Lord  said,  '^Who  then  is  that  faithful  and  wise 
steward,  whom  his  lord  shall  make  ruler  over  his  household,  to  give  them 

43  their  portion  of  meat  in  due  season  ?    Blessed  is  that  servant,  whom  his 

44  lord  when  he  cometh  shall  find  so  doing.     Of  a  truth  I  say  unto  you, 

45  ''that  he  will  make  him  ruler  over  all  that  he  hatli.  But  and  if  that 
servant  say  in  his  heart.  My  lord  delayeth  his  coming ;  and  shall  begin 
to  beat  the  men-servants  and  maidens,  and  to  eat  and  drink,  and  to  be 

46  di-unken ;  the  lord  of  that  servant  will  come  in  a  day  when  he  looketh 


37 


38 


40 

41 
42 


A.  D.  33. 


"  Matt.  24.415. 
Matt.  25.21- 
23. 

2  Tim.  4.  t. 
8. 

1  Pet.  5.  1- 

4. 

2  Pet.  1. 11. 
2  Pet.  3.  14. 
Rev.  14.  13. 

(■  1  Thes.  5.  2. 

Kev.  16.  15. 
"  Matt  25.13. 

Mark  13. 33. 

Eom.  13.U- 
14. 

2  Pet.  3. 12 
14. 
d  Matt.  24. 46, 

46. 

Matt.  25.21. 

Ch.  19.15-19. 
'  1  Pet.  5.  4. 

Eev.  3.  21. 


girded  about — to  fasten  up  tlie  long  outer  gar- 
ment, which,  was  always  done  before  travel  and 
before  work  (See  2  Ki.  iv.  29;  Acts  xii.  8;  and 
compare,  for  the  sense,  Eph.  vi.  14;  ]  Pet.  i.  13.) 
The  meaning  is,  Be  prepared,  and  your  Uglits 
burning;  36.  And  ye  yourselves  like  unto  men 
that  wait  for  their  lord,  &c.  In  the  correspond- 
ing parable  of  the  Virgins  (Matt.  xxv.  1,  &c.) 
the  preparedness  is  for  the  wedding;  here  it 
is  for  return  from  the  wedding.  But  in  both,  the 
thing  intended  is  Preparedness  for  Christ's  Coming. 
37.  Blessed  are  those  servants,  whom  the  lord 
when  he  cometh  shall  find  watching :  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  that  he  shall  gird  himself,  and  make 
them  to  sit  down  to  meat,  and  will  come  forth 
and  serve  them.  A  promise  the  most  august  of 
all.  Thus  will  the  Bridegroom  entertain  His 
friends  on  the  solemn  Nuptial  Day,  says  Bengel 
sweetly.  38.  And  if  he  shall  come  in  the  second 
watch,  or  come  in  the  third  watch,  and  find  them 
so,  blessed  are  those  servants.  To  find  them 
ready  to  receive  Him  at  any  hour  of  day  or  night, 
M'hen  one  might  least  of  all  expect  Him,  is  pecu- 
harly  blessed.  A  sei-vant  may  be  truly  faithful, 
oven  though  taken  so  far  unawares  that  he  has 
not  everything  in  such  order  and  readiness  for 
Lis  master's  return  as  he  thinks  is  due  to  him, 
and  as  he  both  could  and  would  have  had  if 
he  had  had  notice  of  the  time  of  his  coming.  In 
this  case  he  would  not  be  willing  to  open  to 
him  ^''immediately"  but  would  fly  to  prepara- 
tion, and  let  his  master  knock  again  ere  he 
admit  him,  and  even  then  not  with  full  jog.  A 
too  common  case  this  with  Christians.  But  if 
the  servant  have  himself  and  all  under  his 
charge  in  such  a  state  that  at  any  hour  when 
his  master  knocks  he  can  open  to  him  "imme- 
diately," and  hail  his  return — what  an  enviable, 
"blessed"  servant  is  that!  39.  And  this  know, 
that  if  the  goodman  of  the  house  had  known  what 
hour  the  thief  would  come,  he  would  have 
watched,  and  not  have  sufi"ered  his  house  to  be 
broken  through  —  of  course ;  but  no  credit,  no 
thank  to  him.  40.  Be  ye  therefore  ready  also: 
for  the  Son  of  man  cometh  at  an  hour  when 
ye  think  not.  So  Matt.  xxiv.  42,  44;  xxv.  13,  &c. 
How  frequently  does  this  recur  in  the  teaching 
of  our  Lord;  nor  less  so  in  that  of  His  apostles! 
1  Thess.  V.  2;  2  Pet.  iii.  10,  &c.  Is  it  as  frequently 
heard  now  ? 

27o 


41.  Then  Peter  said  unto  him.  Lord,  speakest 
thou  this  parable  unto  us,  or  even  to  all?    He 

had  addressed  Himself  on  this  occasion  alternately 
to  the  Twelve  and  to  tlie  vast  assemblage;  ana 
Peter,  feeling  the  solemn  import  of  what  had  just 
been  said  coming  home  to  himself,  would  fain 
know  for  which  of  the  two  classes  it  was  specially 
intended.  42.  And  the  Lord  said.  Who  then  is. 
Our  Lord  answers  the  question  indirectly  by 
another  question,  from  which  they  were  left  to 
gather  what  it  would  be : — '  To  you  certainly,  in 
the  first  instance,  representing  the  "stewai'ds" 
of  the  "household"  I  am  about  to  collect,  but 
generally  to  all  "servants"  in  My  house.'  that 
faithful  and  wise  steward  [oiKovofxo^} — 'house- 
steward,'  whose  it  was  to  distribute  to  the  servants 
their  allotted  portion  of  food.  Fidelity  is  the  first 
requisite  in  a  servant ;  but  2t'i.!>Y/o»i— discretion  and 
judgment  in  the  exercise  of  his  functions — is  the 
next,  whom  his  lord  shall  make — or  will  deem  fit 
to  be  made  ruler  over  his  household,  to  give 
them  their  portion  of  meat  in  due  season  ? — that 
is,  whom  his  lord  Avill  advance  to  the  highest 
post :  The  reference  is  of  course  to  the  world  to 
come.  (See  Matt.  xxv.  21,  2Z.)  43-45.  Blessed 
is  that  servant,  whom  his  lord  when  he 
cometh  shall  find  so  doing.  Of  a  truth  .  .  . 
he  will  make  him  ruler  over  all  that  he  hath. 
But  and  if  that  servant  say  in  his  heart,  BIy 
lord  delayeth  his  coming;  and  shall  begin  to 
beat  the  men-servants  and  maidens,  and  to  eat 
and  drink,  and  to  be  drunken.  The  picture  here 
presented  is  that  of  a  servant  who,  in  the  confi- 
dence that  his  lord's  return  will  not  be  speedy, 
throws  off  the  servant  and  plays  the  master,  mal- 
treating those  faithful  servants  who  refuse  to  join 
him,  seizing  on  and  revelling  in  the  fulness  of  his 
master's  board;  intending,  when  he  has  got  his 
fill,  to  resume  the  mask  of  fidelity  ere  his  master 
appear.  46.  The  lord  of  that  servant  wUl  come 
in  a  day  when  he  looketh  not  for  him,  and  at 
an  hour  when  he  is  not  aware,  and  will  cut  him 
in  sunder  \&LyoTotxvcreL  ainov].  Dichotomy,  or 
cleaving  a  person  in  two,  was  a  punishment  not 
unknown  in  the  East.  Compare  Heb.  xi.  37, 
"Sawn  asunder;"  and  1  Sam.  xv.  33;  Dan.  ii.  5. 
and  win  appoint  him  his  portion  with  the  un- 
believers \ixeTa  -rtoi'  a-KicrTiov] — rather,  'with  the 
unfaithful,'  meaning  those  servants  who  are  found 
unworthy  of  trust.     In  Matt.  xxiv.  51  it  is,  "  with 


Superiority  to 


LUKE  Xll. 


earthly  entanglements. 


not  for  him,  and  at  an  hour  when  he  is  not  aware,  and  will  ^cut  him  in 

47  sunder,  and  will  appoint  him  his  portion  with  the  unbelievers.  And 
•^that  servant,   which   knew  his   lord's  will,  and  prepared  not  himself, 

48  neither  did  according  to  his  will,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes.  But 
^he  that  knew  not,  and  did  commit  things  worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be 
beaten  with  fcAV  stripes.  For  unto  whomsoever  much  is  given,  of  him 
shall  be  much  required ;  and  to  whom  men  have  committed  much,  of  him 
they  will  ask  the  more. 

49  I  am  come  to  send  fire  on  the  earth ;  and  what  will  I,  if  it  be  already 
^O  kindled?     But  ''I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  Avith;  and  how  am  I 

51  ^straitened  till  it  be  accomplished!     Suppose  *ye  that  I  am  come  to  give 

52  peace  on  earth?  I  tell  you.  Nay;  •'but  rather  diAasion:  for  ^'from  hence- 
forth there  shall  be  five  in  one  house  divided,  three  against  two,  and  two 

53  against  three.  The  father  shall  be  divided  against  the  son,  and  the  son 
against  the  father ;  the  mother  against  the  daughter,  and  the  daughter 
against  the  mother;  the  mother-in-law  against  her  daughter-in-law,  and 
the  daughter-in-law  against  her  mother-in-law. 

54  And  he  said  also  to  the  people,  When  'ye  see  a  cloud  rise  out  of  the 

55  west,  straightway  ye  say.  There  cometh  a  shower;  and  so  it  is.  And 
when  yg  5^g  ™ the  south  wind  blow,  ye  say.  There  will  be  heat;  and  it 

56  cometh  to  pass.      Ye  "hypocrites,  ye  can  discern  the  face  of  the  sky  and 

57  of  the  earth;  but  how  is  it  that  j^e  do  not  discern  "this  time?  Yea,  and 
why  even  of  yourselves  judge  ye  not  what  is  right  ? 


A.  D.  33. 

3  Or,  cut 

him  off. 

Matt.  24.51. 
/  Num.  15. 31. 

Deut  25.  2. 

John  9.  n. 

John  15  22. 

Acts  ir.  30. 

Jas.  4.  17. 
^  Lev.  5.  17. 

1  Tim.  1. 
13. 
''  Matt.  20. 22. 

Mark  lO  38. 

*  Or,  pained. 

•  Matt.  10. 31. 
}  Mic.  7.  e. 

John  7.  43. 

John  9.  k;. 

Jolin  10  19. 
^  Matt.  10.3.5. 
«  Matt.  16.  2. 
"'Job  37.  17. 
"  1  Cor.  1.  19- 

27. 
"  Matt,  16.  3. 

ch.  19.  42- 
44. 

Gal.  4.  4. 


the  hypocrites;"  that  is,  those  falsely  calling 
themselves  servants.  47.  And  that  servant, 
which  knew  his  lord's  will,  and  prepared  net 
himself,  neither  did  according  to  his  will,  shall 
be  beaten  with  many  stripes — his  guilt  being 
aggravated  by  the  extent  of  his  knowledge. 
48.  But  he  that  knew  not — that  is,  knew  it  but 
partially;  for  some  knowledge  is  presupposed  both 
in  the  name  "servant"  of  Christ,  and  in  his  being 
liable  to  punishment  at  alL  and  did  commit 
things  worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with 
few  stripes.  So  that  there  will  be  degrees  of 
future  punishment,  i)roportioned  to  the  light  en- 
joyed—  the  knowledge  sinned  against.  Even 
heathens  are  not  without  kno\vledge  enough  for 
future  judgment  (see  on  Rom.  ii.  12-16);  but  the 
reference  here  is  not  to  such.  It  is  a  solemn  truth, 
and  though  general,  like  all  other  revelations  of  the 
future  world,  discloses  a  tangible  and  momentous 
principle  in  its  awards.  For  unto  whomsoever 
much  is  given,  of  him  shall  be  much  required ; 
and  to  whom  men  have  committed  much,  of 
him  they  will  ask  the  more.  So  that  when  we 
are  told  that  men  are  to  be  judged  according  to  the 
deeds  done  in  the  body  (Matt.  xvL  27 ;  Rom.  iL  6), 
we  are  to  understand  not  the  actions  only,  but  the 
principles  on  which  and  the  whole  circtimstances  in 
which  they  were  done.  Thus  equitable  will  the 
Judgment  be. 

Superioritij  to  Earthly  Entanglements  (49-53).  49. 
I  am  come  to  send  [/ia^eTi/] — rather,  'to  cast'  fire 
on  the  earth.  By  "  fire"  here  we  are  to  under- 
stand, as  Olslmusen  expresses  it,  the  higher  spirit- 
ual element  of  life  which  Jesus  came  to  introduce 
into  this  earth  (compare  Matt,  iii  11),  with  reference 
to  its  mighty  effects  in  quickening  all  that  is  akin 
to  it  and  destroying  all  that  is  opposed.  To  cause 
this  element  of  life  to  take  up  its  abode  on  earth, 
and  wholly  to  pervade  human  hearts  with  its 
warmth,  was  the  lofty  destiny  of  the  Redeemer, 
So  Calvin,  Stier,  Alford,  &c,  and  what  will  I, 
if  it  be  already  kindled?  [kuI  tI  ^e\w  el  ^5i, 
avv<pdi]] — an  obscure  expression,  uttered  under 
deep  and  half-smothered  emotion.  In  its  general 
impoi-t  all  are  agreed,  but  interpreters  differ  as  to 
«/7 


the  precise  shade  of  meaning  intended.  The  near- 
est to  the  precise  meaning  seems  to  be,  'And  Avhat 
should  I  have  to  desire  if  it  were  but  once  kin- 
dled ? '  50.  But  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with 
—clearly  His  own  bloody  baptism,  which  had  first 
to  take  place,  and  how  am  I  straitened— not, 
'how  do  I  long  for  its  accomplishment,'  as  many 
understand  it,  thus  making  it  but  a  repetition  of 
the  former  verse ;  but  '  what  a  pressure  of  spirit  is 
upon  me'  till  it  be  accomplished — completed,  over ! 
Before  a  promiscuous  audience,  such  obscure  lan- 
guage was  perhaps  fitting  on  a  theme  like  this  ; 
but  0  what  surges  of  mysterious  emotion  in  the 
view  of  what  was  now  so  near  at  hand  does  it 
reveal!  51.  Suppose  ye  that  I  am  come  to  give 
peace  on  earth?  I  tell  you.  Nay — 'in  the  first 
instance,  the  reverse.'  but  rather  division. 
See  on  Matt.  x.  34-36.  52,  53.  For  from  hence- 
forth there  shall  be  five  in  one  house  divided, 
three  against  two,  and  two  against  three.  The 
father  .  .  ,  against  the  son,  and  the  son  against 
the  father;  the  mother  .  .  .  the  daughter  .  .  . 
the  mother-in-law,  &c.  The  connection  of  all  this 
with  the  foregoing  warnings  about  Hypocrisy, 
Covetousness,  and  Watchfulness,  is  deeply  solemn: 
'My  contiict  hastens  apace;  Mine  over,  yours 
begins;  and  then,  let  the  servants  tread  in  their 
Master's  steps,  uttering  their  testimony  entire  and 
fearless,  neither  loving  nor  di'eading  the  world, 
anticipating  awful  wrenches  of  the  dearest  ties 
in  life,  but  looking  forward,  as  I  do,  to  the  com- 
pletion of  their  testimony,  when,  after  the  tem- 
pest, reaching  the  haven,  they  shall  enter  into  the 
joy  of  their  Lord-' 

Discerning  the  Signs  of  the  Time  (54-59),  54-56. 
And  he  said  also  to  the  people — j-fither,  '  to  tlie 
multitudes'  [t-oIs  ox^oi^]:  it  is  a  word  of  special 
warning  to  the  thoughtless  crowd,  before  dismiss- 
ing them.  When  ye  see  a  cloud  rise  out  of  the 
west,  straightway  ye  say,  There  cometh  a  shower; 
and  so  it  is.  And  when  ye  see  the  south  wind 
blow,  ye  say.  There  will  be  heat. , , .  Hjrpocrites,  ye 
can  discern  the  face  of  the  sky  and  of  the  earth ; 
but  how  is  it  that  ye  do  not  discern  this  time  ? 
Sec  on  Mark  viii.  IL    They  were  wise  in  theii-  fore- 


A  fearful  thing  to 


LUKE  XII. 


die  without  reconciliation. 


58 


59 


When  ^thou  goest  with  thine  adversary  to  the  magistrate,  ^as  thou 
art  in  the  way,  give  dihgence  that  thou  mayest  be  dehvered  from  him ; 
lest  he  hale  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the  judge  deliver  thee  to  the  officer, 
and  the  of&cer  cast  thee  into  prison.  I  tell  thee,  thou  shalt  not  depart 
thence,  till  thou  hast  paid  the  very  last  ''mite. 


A.  D.  33. 


P  Pro.  25.  8. 

Matt  5.  25. 
2  Ps.  32.  6. 

Isa  55.  0 
"■  Mark  12. 42. 


castings  as  to  the  things  of  time^  but  applied  not 
the  same  sagacity  to  things  spiritual,  and  Were 
unable  to  perceive  what  a  critical,  decisive  period 
for  the  chosen  people  they  had  fallen  upon.  57. 
Yea,  and  why  even  of  yourselves  judge  ye 
not  what  is  right?  They  might  say.  To  do  this 
requires  more  knowledge  of  Scripture  and  Provi- 
dence than  we  possess ;  but  He  sends  them  to 
their  o^\^l  conscience,  as  enough  to  show  them  who 
He  was,  and  win  them  to  immediate  discipleship. 

58.  When  thou  goest  with  thine  adversary 
to  the  magistrate,  as  thou  art  in  the  way,  give 
diligence  that  thou  liiayest  be  delivered  from 
him;  lest  he  hale  thed  to  the  judge,  and  the 
judge  deliver  thee  to  the  officer,  and  the  ofiacer 
cast  thee  into  prison.  See  on  Matt.  v.  25,  26. 
It  was  the  urgency  of  the  case  with  them,  and  the 
necessity  of  immediate  decision  for  their  own  safety, 
that  drew  forth  this  repetition  of  those  striking 
words  of  the  Sermon  of  the  Mount. 

Remarks. — 1.  It  will  be  observed  that  in  dealing 
with  hypocrisy — as  indeed  with  everything  else — 
our  Lord  passes  by  all  inferior  considerations,  hold- 
ing forth  only  its  eternal  issues.  It  is  not  that 
these  inferior  arguments  against  hjT>ocrisy  and 
other  forms  of  inconsistency  in  Christians  are  of 
no  weijjht.  But  since  apart  from  the  higher  con- 
siderations they  are  powerless  against  the  evil 
tendencies  of  the  heart,  and  it  is  from  the  higher 
that  the  lower  derive  all  their  real  influence, 
our  Lord  will  not  descend  to  them  in  His  teach- 
ing, but  concentrates  attention  upon  the  final 
issues  of  such  conduct.  This  imparted  to  His 
teaching  a  loftiness  and  a  weight  perfectly  new  to 
those  accustomed  only  to  the  drivel  of  the  rabbins. 
In  modern  times  both  kinds  of  teaching  have  been 
exemplified  in  the  Christian  Church.  In  times  of 
spiritual  death,  or  prevailing  insensibility  to  eter- 
nal things,  preachers  of  ability  have  wasted  their 
strength  in  the  pulpit,  in  analyzing  the  human 
faculties  and  expatiating  on  the  natural  operation 
of  the  principles  and  passions  of  our  nature.  On 
such  a  subject  as  hypocrisy  they  would  show  how 
unmanly  it  was  to  conceal  one's  sentiments,  what 
a  crooked,  sneaking,  pusillanimous,  vacillating  dis- 
]iosition  it  tended  to  generate,  and  what  general 
distrust  it  was  ai)t  to  beget  when  it  assumed  for- 
midable proportions.  Such  discourses  are  little 
else  than  lectures  on  pi-actical  ethics — very  proi^er 
in  a  chair  of  philosophy,  but  below  the  dignity 
and  sanctity  of  the  pulpit.  And  what  has  been 
the  effect?  Attentive  hearers  have  been  enter- 
tained porhai^s ;  and  the  preachers  have  been 
compl'riiented  upon  their  ability.  But  never  have 
the  souls  of  the  people  been  stirred,  and  never 
have  the  evils  so  exjwsed  been  a  whit  dimin- 
ished in  consequence.  But  whenever  there  is  any 
general  awakening  from  spiritual  torpor,  and  the 
reality  of  eternal  things  comes  in  any  good  degree 
to  be  felt,  the  pulpit  rises  to  a  higher  tone,  and 
our  Lord's  way  of  treating  spiritual  things  is 
adopted ;  the  attention  of  the  people  is  riveted, 
their  soiils  are  stirred,  and  the  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness more  or  less  appear.  On  this  subject  it  de- 
serves notice,  too,  that  our  Lord  knows  nothing  of 
that  false  and  mawkish  refinement  which  would 
rciireseut  the  fear  of  hell  as  a  selfish  and  gross 
motive  to  present,  especially  to  Christians,  to  deter 
them  from  basely  denying  or  being  ashamed  of 
278 


Him.  As  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ 
were  not  compromised  by  such  harsh  notes  as 
these,  so  those  servants  of  Clirist  Avho  soften  down 
all  such  language,  to  please  '  ears  polite,'  have 
little  of  their  Master's  spirit.  See  on  Mark  ix. 
43-4S,  and  Remark  5  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 
2.  The  refusal  of  our  Lord  to  intermeddle  with 
the  affairs  of  this  life  as  a  Judge  carries  with  it 
a  great  lesson  to  all  religious  teachers.  Immense 
indeed  is  the  influence  of  religious  teachers  in 
the  external  relations  of  life,  but  only  when  it  is 
indirectly  exercised:  whenever  they  interfere  di- 
recth/  with  secular  and  political  matters,  the  spell 
of  that  influence  is  broken.  If  they  take  a  side, 
as  in  that  case  they  must  do,  those  on  the  opposite 
side  cannot  help  regarding  them  as  adversaries ; 
and  this  necessarily  diminishes,  if  it  does  not 
destroy — with  such  at  least — their  professional  in- 
fluence, or  the  weight  they  would  otherwise  carry 
in  their  own  x^'oper  sphere.  Whereas,  when  the 
ministers  of  Christ  keep  themselves  aloof  from 
secular  disputes  and  political  parties,  abiding 
within  their  jiroper  si)here,  all  i>arties  look  up  to 
them,  and  they  are  often  the  means  of  mollifying 
the  bitterest  feelings  and  reconciling  the  most  con- 
flicting interests.  Will  the  servants  of  Christ 
weigh  this  ?  3.  Though  there  is  a  general  prepared- 
ness for  Christ's  coming  which  belongs  to  the 
character  of  all  who  truly  love  Him,  even  believers 
may  be  more  or  less  taken  ly  surprise  when  He 
comes.  A  faithful  servant,  whose  master's  return 
has  been  delayed  long  beyond  exj^ectatiou,  may 
cease  expecting  him  at  any  particular  time,  and  so 
slacken  his  preparations  for  receiving  hinx  When 
at  length  he  comes  and  demands  admittance,  that 
servant,  though  not  wholly  unprepared,  may,  on 
hastily  glancing  over  what  is  under  his  hand,  see 
many  things  which  inUjht  have  been  in  better 
order,  and  would,  if  he  had  got  but  a  very  little 
warning.  But  he  must  open  to  his  master  with- 
out delay.  He  does  so,  conscious  of  his  general  fi- 
delity, and  trusting  this  will  apj  )ear  to  his  master's 
kindly  eye,  yet  unable  to  welcome  him  with  that 
full  cordiality  which  he  should  have  wished  to  feel. 
And  his  master  is  satisfied  of  his  honest  fidelity, 
but  fails  not  to  observe,  both  in  the  state  of  his 
house  and  the  symptoms  of  confusion  which  his 
servant  betrays,  that  He  has  been  taken  some- 
what by  surprise.  _  How  difl'erent  the  feeling  of 
that  servant  who  is  "  always  ready,"  determined 
that  his  Master  shall  not  take  him  by  surjirise ! 
0  the  gladness  of  that  welcome  which  Christ's 
servants  are  enabled  to  give  Him  when  always 
watching  and  habitually  ready!  Is  not  this  what 
is  meant  by  "  having  an  entrance  ministered  to 
us  abundantly  \'n-\ova'Lto'i\  into  the  everlasting 
kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ? " 
(2  Pet.  i.  II).  4.  If  Christ's  religion  be  as  fire  cast 
into  the  earth,  burning  up  whatever  is  opposed  to  it, 
admitting  of  no  compromise,  and  M'orking  towards 
its  own  unimpeded  power  over  men,  it  is  easy  to 
see  why  its  operation  is  so  slow  and  small  at  many 
periods,  and  in  many  places  and  persons.  The  fire 
IS  too  often  quenched  by  the  systematic  attempt 
to  serve  two  masters.  Jesus  will  have  uncom- 
promising decision,  even  though  it  set  friends 
or  families  at  variance — whether  rending  distant 
or  dearest  ties.  But  if  this  be  trying,  it  has  a 
natural    termination.      The    more    resolute    the 


Repent  or  perish. 


LUKE  XIII. 


Parable  of  the  Fig  Tree. 


13       THERE  were  present  at  that  season  some  that  told  him  of  "the  Gali- 

2  leans,  whose  blood  Pilate  had  mingled  with  their  sacrifices.     And  Jesus 
answering  said  nnto  them,  Suppose  *ye  that  these  Galileans  were  sinners 

3  above  all  the  Galileans,  because  they  suffered  such  things.     I  tell  you, 

4  Nay:    but,  except  ye  repent,  ye   shall   all   likewise  perish.     Or  those 
eighteen,  upon  whom  the  tower  in  Siloam  fell,  and  slew  them,  think  ye 

5  that  they  were  ^  sinners  above  all  men  that  dwelt  in  Jerusalem  ?     I  tell 
you,  Nay:  but,  except  '^ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish. 

6  He  spake  also  this  parable ;  ''  A  certain  man  had  a  fig  tree  planted  in 
his  vineyard;  and  he  came  and  sought  fruit  thereon,  and  found  none. 

7  Then  said  he  unto  the  dresser  of  his  vineyard.  Behold,  these  Hhree  years 
I  come  seeking  fruit  on  this  fig  tree,  and  find  none :  cut  it  down ;  why 

8  cumbereth  it  the  ground  ?     And  he  answering  said  unto  him,  Lord,  let 

9  -^it  alone  this  year  also,  till  1  shall  dig  about  it,  and  dung  it :   and  if  it 
bear  fruit,  icell;  and  if  not,  then  after  that  thou  shalt  cut  it  down. 


A.  D.  3!. 


CHAP.  13. 

"  Acts  5.  37. 

<>  Job  22.  fi- 
le. 

John  9.  2. 

Acts  28.  4. 
1  Or, 

debtors. 

Matt,18.24. 

ell.  )  1.  4. 
"  Ezek.18.30. 
d  Isa.  5.  2. 

Matt.21.I9. 
'  Lev.  25.  21. 

Eom.  2.4,5. 

2  Pet.  3.  9. 
/  Ex.  32.  11. 

Joel  2.  ir. 
Keb.  r.  2.-1. 


serv'ants  of  _  Christ  are,  the  sooner  usually  does 
the  opposition  to  them  cease.  Besides,  active 
opposition,  when  seen  to  be  hopeless,  is  often 
desisted  from,  Avhile  consistency  and  strength 
of  character  coiuniaud  resjiect,  and  are  often 
blessed  to  the  gaining  even  of  the  most  deter- 
mined enemies. 

CHAP.  XIII.  1-9.— The  Lesson  'Repent  or 
Perish,'  suggested  by  Two  Recent  Incidents, 

AND     ILLUSTR.VTED      BY     THE     PaRABLE     OF     THE 

Barren  Fig  Tree. 

The  Slaugliter  of  certain  Galileans  (1-3).  1.  There 
were  present  at  that  season— showing  that  what 
is  here  recorded  comes,  in  order  of  time,  imme- 
diately after  ch.  xii.  Bnt  what  the  precise  season 
was,  cannot  certainly  be  determined.  See  opening 
remarks  on  ch.  ix.  51.  some  that  told  him  of 
the  Galileans,  whose  blood  Pilate  had  mingled 
with  their  sacrifices.  Possibly  these  were  the  fol- 
lowers of  Judas  of  Galilee,  who,  some  twenty 
years  before  this,  taught  that  Jews  should  not 
pay  tribute  to  the  Romans,  and  of  whom  we  learn, 
from  Acts  v.  ;37,  that  he  drew  after  him  a  multi- 
tude of  followers,  who,  on  his  being  slain,  were 
all  dispersed.  About  this  time  that  party  would 
be  at  its  height,  and  if  Pilate  caused  this  detach- 
ment of  them  to  be  waylaid  and  put  to  death, 
as  they  were  offering  their  sacrifices  at  one  of  the 
festivals,  that  would  be  "mingling  their  blood  with 
their  sacriiices."  So  Grotius,  Webster  and  Wilkin- 
son, but  donbted  by  de  Wette,  Meyer,  Alford,  &c. 
News  of  this  —  whatever  the  precise  matter  re- 
ferred to  may  be  —  having  been  brought  to  our 
Lord,  to  draw  out  His  views  of  it,  and  particu- 
larly, whether  it  was  not  a  judgment  of  Heaven, 
He  simply  points  them  to  the  pi-actical  view  of  the 
matter.  2.  And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  them, 
Suppose  ye  that  these  Galileans  were  sinners 
ahove  all  the  Galileans,  because  they  suffered 
such  things?  3.  I  tell  you,  Nay:  but,  except  ye 
repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish.  '  These  men 
are  not  signal  exam])les  of  divine  vengeance,  as  ye 
suppose ;  but  every  impenitent  sinner — ye  your- 
selves, except  _  ye  repent —  shall  be  like  monu- 
ments of  the  judgment  of  Heaven,  and  in  a  more 
awful  sense.'  The  reference  here  to  the  impending 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  is  far  from  exhausting 
our  Lord's  weighty  words ;  they  manifestly  point 
to  a  "perdition"  of  a  more  awful  kind— /w^Mre, 
personal,  remediless. 

The  Eiyldeen  on  whom  the  Tower  in  Siloam 
Fell  (4,  5).  4.  Or  those  eighteen,  upon  whom  the 
tower  in  Siloam  fell — probably  one  of  the  towers 
of  the  city-wall,  near  the  pool  of  Siloam.  Of  its 
fall  nothing  is  known,  and  slew  them,  think  ye 
that  they  were  sinners  above  all  men  that 
279 


dwelt  in  Jerusalem?  5.  I  tell  you,  Nay:  but, 
except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish. 

The  Barren  Fig  Tree  (6-9).  6.  He  spake  also 
this  parable;  A  certain  man  had  a  fig  tree^ 
meaning  Israel  as  the  visible  witness  for  God  in 
the  world;  but  generally,  all  within  the  pale  of 
the  visible  Church  of  God :  a  familiar  iigure — 
compare  Isa.  v.  1-7;  John  xv.  1-8,  &c.  planted 
in  his  vineyard — a  spot  selected  for  its  fertility, 
separated  from  the  surrounding  fields,  and  culti- 
vated with  siiecial  care,  with  a  xiew  solely  to 
fruit,  and  he  came  and  sought  fruit  thereon— a 
heart  turned  to  God,  the  fruits  of  righteousness. 
Comjiare  Matt.  xxi.  33,  34,  and  Isa.  v.  2.  "He 
looked  that  it  should  bring  forth  fruit:"  He  has 
a  ririht  to  it,  and  will  require  it.  and  found  none. 
7.  Then  said  he  unto  the  dresser  of  his  vineyard 
— to  him  whom  he  emjiloyed  to  take  charge  of 
his  vineyard,  which  in  this  case  we  know  to  be 
Christ.  Behold,  these  three  years— a  long  enough 
trial  for  a  fig  tree,  and  so  denoting  probably  just 
a  sufficient  \ieriod  of  culture  for  s]iiritual  fruit. 
The  supposed  allusion  to  the  duration  of  our 
Lord's  ministry  is  precarious.  I  come  seeking 
fruit  on  this  fig  tree,  and  find  none :  cut  it  down. 
There  is  a  certain  indignation  in  this  language. 
why  cumbereth  it  the  ground?— not  only  doing 
no  good,  but  wasting  gi-onnd.  8.  And  he  answer- 
ing said  unto  him.  This  represents  Christ  as 
Intercessor,  loath  to  see  it  cut  down  so  long  as 
there  Avas  any  hope.  (See  v.  34).  Lord,  let  it 
alone  this  year  also,  till  I  shall  dig  about  it, 
and  dung  it — loosen  the  earth  about  it  and  enrich 
it  with  manure:  pointing  to  changes  of  method 
in  the  Divine  treatment  of  the  impenitent,  in 
order  to  fresh  spiritual  culture.  9.  And  if  it  bear 
fruit,  [well]— all  then  will  yet  be  right;  and  if 
not,  then  after  that  thou  shalt  cut  it  down— I 
will  then  no  longer  interpose:  all  is  over. 

Remarks. — 1.  The  small  incidents  recorded  at 
the  beginning  of  this  chapter  bear  irresistible 
marks  of  historical  truth  in  the  Evangelical 
Records.  Who  that  had  been  drawing  up  an 
unreal  Story  would  ever  have  thought  of  inserting 
in  it  such  incidents  as  these?  Much  less  would 
they  ever  have  occurred  to  such  untutored  writers 
as  these  Records  show  their  authors  to  have 
been.  2.  How  slow  have  even  Christians  been, 
notwithstanding  the  explicit  teaching  of  Christ 
here,  to  be  convinced  that  extraordinary  outward 
calamities  are  not  necessarily  the  vengeance  of 
Heaven  against  unusual  criminality!  From  the 
days  of  Job's  friends  until  now  the  tendency  to 
explain  the  one  of  these  by  the  other  has  been 
too  prevalent.  Is  it  not  to  this  that  the  prevalent 
view    of    Mary    Magdalene's    character  is  to    be 


A  icoman  healed  of 


LUKE  XIII. 


eighteen  years  infirmity. 


10,      And  he  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  synagogues  on  the  sabbath.     And, 

1 1  behold,  there  was  a  woman  which  had  a  spirit  of  infirmity  eighteen  years, 

12  and  was  bowed  together,  and  could  in  no  wise  lift  up  herself.     And  when 
Jesus  saw  her,  he  called  her  to  him,  and  said  unto  her,  ^  Woman,  thou  art 


A.  D.  ?.z. 


"  Ps.  107.  20. 
Isa  65.  1. 
Uatt.  8.  IG. 


traced?  (See  on  ch.  viii.  2.)  3.  To  be  wdthin  the 
pa,le  of  Eevealed  Religion  and  the  Church  of  the 
living  God  is  a  high  privilege,  and  involves  a 
solemn  responsibility.  Ihe  owner  of  the  vineyard, 
having  planted  a  fig  tree  in  it,  "  came  and  sought 
fruit  thereon  ;"  for  in  the  natural  course  of  things 
fruit,  in  such  a  case,  was  to  be  expected.  But  when 
does  God  come,  seeking  fruit  from  men  thus  privi- 
leged? Not  at  the  day  of  judgment;  for  though 
He  loill  come  and  demand  it  then,  the  parable 
represents  the  tree  as  still  in  the  ground  after 
the  lord  of  the  vineyard  has  come  seeking  fruit, 
and  as  allowed  to  remain  with  a  view  to  further 
ti'ial.  It  is  now,  therefore,  or  during  our  present 
state,  that  God  is  coming  seeking  fruit  from  us. 
Are  we  favom-ed  with  a  Christian  education  and 
example?  He  comes,  saying,  'Any  fruit?'  Have 
we  been  placed  under  a  laithfid,  rousing  ministry 
of  the  Gospel?  He  comes,  asking,  'What  fruit?' 
Have  we  been  visited  with  crushing  trials,  fitted 
to  bring  down  pride,  and  soften  the  heart,  and 
give  the  lessons  of  Religion  an  entrance  they 
never  had  before?  He  comes,  demanding  the 
fruit.  Alas,  of  midtitudes  the  report  must  stiU 
be — "and  found  none"!  4  The  Lord,  we  see, 
notes  the  length  of  time  that  men  continue 
fruitless  under  tlie  means  of  spiritual  _  culture. 
"Behold,  these  three  years  I  come  seeking  fruit 
on  this  fig  tree,  and  find  none."  Thoughtless  men 
heed  this  not,  but  One  does.  "How  long,  ye  simple 
ones,  will  ye  love  simplicity?"  is  His  nuestion.  '0 
Jerusalem,  wash  thine  heart  from  wickedness,  that 
thou  mayest  be  saved:  how  long  shall  thy  vain 
thoughts  lodge  within  thee?"  "Wilt  thou  not 
be  made  clean?  when  shall  it  once  be?"  " /<  is 
tine  to  seek  the  Lord,  till  He  come  and  rain 
righteousness  upon  you,"  (Prov.  i.  22;  Jer.  iv.  14; 
xiii.  27 ;  Hos.  x.  12).  5.  To  be  cut  down  is  the  rich 
desert  of  all  the  fruitless:  "Cut  it  down;  why 
cumb3reth  it  the  ground?"  As  if  they  were  a 
burden  to  tlie  earth  that  bears  them,  to  the  place 
they  fill,  deforming  the  beauty  and  hindering  the 
fruitfiilness  of  God's  vineyard.  They  are  borne 
with,  but  with  a  certain  impatience  and  indigna- 
tion. And  even  when  the  fruitless  are  borne  with, 
it  is  because  of  the  good  offices  of  an  Intercessor, 
and  solely  with  a  view  to  fresh  culture.  Were 
tliere  no  one  in  the  kingdom  of  God  answering  to 
this  dresser  of  tlie  vineyard,  who  pleads,  and  as  is 
here  supposed  successfully,  for  a  respite  to  the 
tree,  we  might  take  this  feature  of  the  parable  as 
but  a  part  of  its  drapery,  not  to  be  pressed  into 
the  exposition  of  it.  But,  with  the  great  facts  of 
mediation  before  us,  it  is  impossible  not  to  see 
here  something  more  than  drapery.  And  what  is 
that  fresh  culture  for  which  He  pleads?  Why, 
anything  by  which  truths  and  lessons  hitlierto  ne- 
glected may  come  with  a  force  upon  the  heart 
before  miknown,  may  justly  be  so  regarded.  A 
change  of  the  means  of  grace;  a  change  of  sphere — 
sometimes  in  the  way  of  banishing  one  from  all 
the  privileges  in  which  he  basked,  leading  him 
in  a  far  distant  land,  when  sighing  over  re- 
moval from  dear  objects  and  scenes,  to  reflect 
upon  religious  privileges  never  before  valued — the 
remarkable  conA'ersion  of  some  comiianion;  or  a 
religious  awakening  within  the  immediate  sphere 
of  one's  observation :  these  and  a  thousand  other 
such  things  are  fitted  to  give  truths  and  lessons, 
never  heeded  before,  a  new  power  to  impress  the 
heart.  And  it  is  with  a  view  to  this  that  many 
2S0 


are  in  mercy  spared  after  their  long-continued 
impenitence  under  high  religious  culture  seemed 
to  be  but  preparing  them  to  be  cut  down.  7.  It  is 
worthy  of  notice  that  the  respite  sought  in  the 
parable  was  not  another  three  years,  but  just  "one 
year."  As  in  the  natural  culture,  this  would  be 
sufficient  to  determine  whether  any  fruit  was  to 
be  got  out  of  the  tree  at  all,  so  in  the  spiritual 
husbancb-y,  the  thing  intended  is  just  one  sufficient 
trial  more.  And  surely  it  is  a  loud  call  to  imme- 
diate repentance  when  one  has  any  good  reason  to 
think  that  he  is  on  his  last  trial!  8.  Genuine 
repentance,  however  late,  avails  to  save:  "If  it 
bear  fruit  (well) ;"  and  only  if  not,  was  it  to  be  cut 
down.  The  case  of  the  thief  on  the  cross  decides 
this  for  all  time  and  for  every  soul.  There  is  not  a 
sinner  out  of  hell — though  the  most  hardened,  the 
furthest  gone,  the  nearest  to  the  flames — but  if  he 
only  begin  to  bear  fruit,  if  he  do  but  turn  to 
God  with  all  his  heart  in  the  Gospel  of  His  Son,  it 
will  deliver  him  from  going  down  to  the  pit,  it  will 
stay  the  hand  of  justice,  it  ^vill  secure  his  eternal 
salvation.  "  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and 
the  unrighteous  man  his  thought,  and  let  him 
return  unto  the  Lord,  and  He  will  have  mercy 
upon  him,  and  to  our  God,  and  He  will  abundantly 
pardon."  "As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  I  have  no 
pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked,  but  rather 
that  he  should  turn  from  his  way  and  live.  Turn 
ye,  turn  ye,  why  will  ye  die,  0  house  of  Israel?" 
9.  The  final  perdition  of  such  as,  after  the  utmost 
limits  of  divine  forbearance,  are  found  fruitless, 
will  be  pre-eminently  and  confessedly  just:  "If 
not,  after  that  thou  shalt  cut  it  down."  It  is  the 
Intercessor  Himself  that  says  this.  Mercy  herself, 
who  before  pleaded  for  a  respite,  now  acquiesces 
in,  if  not  demands,  the  execution.  "  He  that, 
being  often  reproved,  hardeneth  his  neck,  shall 
suddenly  be  destroyed,  and  that  without  remedy^ 
(Prov.  xxix.  1).  Be  wise  now,  therefore,  0  ye 
fruitless ;  be  instructed,  ye  foolish  and  unwise : 
Kiss  the  Son,  lest  He  be  angry,  and  ye  perish 
from  the  way,  when  His  wrath  is  kindled  but  a 
little.  Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in 
Him!  Beware  lest  that  come  ujion  you  which  is 
spoken  of  by  the  prophet,  "  Because  I  have  purged 
thee,  and  thou  wast  not  purged,  thou  shalt  not  be 
purged  from  thy  filthiness  any  more,  till  I  have 
caused  my  fury  to  rest  upon  thee"  (Ezek.  xxiv.  13). 

10-17.— A  Woman  of  Eighteen  Years'  Infir- 
mity Healed  on  the  Sabbath  Day. 

10.  And  lie  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  S3ma- 
gogues  on  the  sahbath  —  time  and  place  left 
indefinite.  (See  opening  remai'ks  on  ch.  ix.  51.) 
11.  And,  behold,  tliere  was  a  woman  which  had 
a  spirit  of  infirmity  eighteen  years.  From  the 
expression  used  in  v.  16,  "  whom  Satan  hath 
bound,"  it  has  been  conjectured  that  her  pro- 
tracted infirmity  was  the  effect  of  some  milder 
form  of  possession;  but  this  is  a  iirecarious  infer- 
ence. At  all  events  she  was  "  a  daughter  of 
Abraham,"  in  the  same  gracious  sense,  no  doubt, 
as  Zaccheus  after  his  conversion  was  "a  son  of 
Abraham"  (ch.  xix.  9).  and  was  bowed  together, 
and  could  in  no  wise  lift  up  herself.  12.  And 
when  Jesus  saw  her,  he  called  her  to  him,  and 
said  unto  her,  Woman,  thou  art  loosed  from  thine 
infirmity.  13.  And  he  laid  his  hands  on  her.  The 
word  and  the  act  were  simultaneous  ;  and  the  effect 
was  instant,  and  immediately  she  was  made 
straight,  and  gloried  God. 


Parables  of  the 


LUKE  XIII. 


3Iustard  Seed  and  the  Leaven, 


13 


and.  imme- 


14 


15 


loosed  from  thine  infirmity.     And  ''he  laid  his  hands  on  her: 
diately  she  was  made  straight,  and  glorified  God. 

And  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue  answered  *with  indignation,  because 
that  Jesus  had  healed  on  the  sabbath  day,  and  said  unto  the  people, 
There  are  six  days  in  which  men  ought  to  work :  in  them  therefore  come 
and  be  healed,  and  -^not  on  the  sabbath  day.  The  Lord  then  answered 
him,  and  said,  Thou  hypocrite,  ^'doth  not  each  one  of  you  on  the  sabbath 
loose  his  ox  or  his  ass  from  the  stall,  and  lead  him  away  to  watering? 

16  And  ought  not  this  woman,  ^ being  a  daughter  of  Abraham,  whom  Satan 
hath  bound,  lo,  these  eighteen  years,  be  loosed  from  this  bond  on  the 

17  sabbath  day?  And  when  he  had  said  these  things,  all  his  adversaries 
were  ashamed :  and  all  the  people  rejoiced  for  all  the  glorious  things  that 
were  done  by  him. 

Then  '"said  he.  Unto  what  is  the  kingdom  of  God  like?  and  whereunto 
shall  I  resemble  it?  It  is  like  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  which  a  man 
took,  and  cast  into  his  garden ;  and  it  grew,  and  waxed  a  great  tree ;  and 
the  fowls  of  the  air  lodged  in  the  branches  of  it.  And  again  he  said, 
Whereunto  shall  I  liken  the  kingdom  of  God?  It  is  like  leaven, 
which  a  woman  took  and  hid  in  three  "measures  of  meal,  till  the 
whole  was  leavened. 

And  "he  went  through  the  cities  and  villages,  teaching  and  journeying 
toward  Jerusalem. 
23       Then  said  one  unto  him.  Lord,  are  there  few  that  be  saved?    And  he 
2-4  said  unto  them,  ^Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate:  for  ^many,  I  say 


18 
19 

20 
21 


22 


A.  D.  33 


fc  Mark  10.  IS. 

ch  17.14-17. 

Acts  9.  17. 
'  John  5.  J  5, 
16. 

Eom.  10  2. 
j  Matt.  12. 10. 

Mark  3.  2. 

ch.  6.  r. 

ch.  14.  3. 
*  ch  14.  5. 

John  7.  21- 
24. 

1  ch.  19.  9. 
Eom  4.  12- 

16. 
'"Matt.  13. 31. 

Mark  4.  30. 
"  Matt.i:i.31. 
°  Matt.  9.  35. 

Mark  6.  6. 

Acts  10.  38. 

2  strive  as 
in  agony. 
Matt.  7.  1.3. 

P  John  r.  3  J. 
John  S.  21. 
John  13  j3. 
Eom.  9.  31. 
Eom,  10.  2, 
3. 


14.  And  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue  answered 
with  indignation,  because  that  Jesus  had 
healed  on  the  sahtoath  day,  and  said  unto  the 
people— or  'the  multitude'  \p)(Xio].  'Not  daring,' 
as  Trench  remarks,  '  directly  to  riud  fault  with  the 
Lord,  he  seeks  circuitously  to  reach  Him  through 
the  people,  who  were  more  under  his  influence, 
and  whom  he  feared  less.'  There  are  six  days  in 
which  men  ought  to  work:  in  them  therefore 
come  and  be  healed,  and  not  on  the  sabbath  day. 
From  the  "hypocrisy"  with  which  the  Lord 
charges  him  (?'.  15),  we  may  conclude  that  zeal  for 
the  honour  of  the  Sabbath  was  only  the  pretence, 
and  that  the  glory  which  this  miracle  shed  upon 
the  Lord  Jesus  was  the  real  cause  of  this  ruler's 
"  indignation,"  as  the  same  writer  observes.  See 
Matt.  xxi.  15.  15.  The  Lord  (see  on  ch.  x.  1)  then 
answered  him,  and  said,  Hypocrite!  How  "the 
faithful  and  true  Witness"  tears  off  the  masks 
which  men  wear !  doth  not  each  one  of  you  on 
the  sabbath  loose  his  ox  or  his  ass  from  the  stall, 
and  lead  him  away  to  watering?  See  on  ALatt. 
xii.  10-13.  16.  And  ought  not  this  woman,  being  a 
daughter  of  Abraham — that  is,  not  after  the  flesh, 
or  a  Jewess,  which  would  be  a  poor  view  of  His 
meaning;  but  in  spin'  (compare  ch.  xix.  9,  and 
1  Pet.  iii.  6).  whom  Satan  hath  bound.  Prob- 
ably there  is  nothing  more  intended  by  this 
expression  than  a  strong  contrast  between  the 
exalted  character  of  the  woman,  and  the  suffer- 
ing of  which  the  dark  author  of  all  evil  had  so 
long  made  her  the  victim,  lo,  these  eighteen 
years.  The  "  behold"  here  calling  attention 
to  the  lon^  duration  of  her  malady  is  not  to 
be  overlooked ;  attesting,  as  it  does,  the  lively 
sensibility  to  human  sultering  of  our  great  High 
I'riest.  be  loosed  from  this  bond  on  the  sabbath 
day?  How  gloriously  the  Lord  vindicates  the 
superior  claims  of  this  woman,  in  consideration  of 
the  sadness  and  long  duration  of  her  suffering,  and 
of  her  dignity  notwithstanding,  as  an  heir  of  the 
promise !  17.  And  when  he  had  said  these  things, 
all  his  adversaries  were  ashamed:  and  all  the 
231 


people— or  'multitude' [o  ox^o<i],  rejoiced  for  all 
the  glorious  things  that  were  done  by  him.  This 
remark  of  the  Evangelist  attests  its  own  artless 
truth :  the  resistless  force  and  lumgency  of  the  re- 
buke not  only  stung  His  adversaries,  Ijut  made 
them  feel  themselves  thoroughly  exposed;  while 
the  instantaneous  cure  of  this  chronic  malady,  and 
more  than  all,  the  outburst  of  divine  benevolence 
which  vindicated  the  act,  from  its  own  intrinsic 
superiority  to  all  acts  of  mercy  towards  the  lower 
creation,  carried  the  acclaim  of  the  unsophisti- 
cated people. 

For  remarks  on  this  Section,  see  on  Matt.  xii. 
9-21,  Remarks  1,  2,  4,  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 

18-30. — Parables  of  the  Mustard  Seed  and 
THE  Leaven — Reply  to  the  Question,  Are  Few 
Saved? 

Parables  of  the  Mustard  Seed  and  the  Learen 
(18-21).  For  the  exposition  of  this  portion,  see  on 
Matt.  xiii.  31-33,  with  Remarks. 

Are  Feio  Saved?  (22-30).  22.  And  he  went 
through  the  cities  and  villages,  teaching  and 
journeying  toward  Jerusalem — on  His  final  but 
circuitous  journey  from  Galilee.  See  introdnctory 
remarks  on  the  portion  commencing  with  ch.  ix. 
51.  23.  Then  said  one  unto  him,  Lord,  are  there 
few  that  be  saved?  This  is  one  of  those  curi- 
ous questions  which  a  time  of  religious  inquiry 
and  excitement  usually  suggests,  by  taking  up 
their  attention  with  which  some  flatter  them- 
selves that  they  are  religious,  but  thus  only  lull- 
ing the  inward  craving  alter  something  more 
substantial.  And  he  said  unto  them — that  is, 
the  multitude;  taking  no  notice  of  the  man  or 
his  question,  save  as  furnishing  the  occasion  of  a 
solemn  warning  not  to  trifle  with  so  momentous  a 
matter  as  "salvation."  24.  Strive  to  enter  in 
['Ayoii/t^eo-fle].  The  word  signifies  to  'contend'  as 
for  the  mastery,  to  'stniggle,'  expressive  of  the 
difficulty  of  being  saved,  as  if  one  would  have  to 
force  his  way  in  at  the  strait  gate— another  figure 
of  the  same.  See  on  Matt.  vii.  13,  14.  for  many 
will  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not  be  able.    25. 


Reply  to  the  question, 


LUKE  XIII. 


Are  few  saved? 


25  unto  you,  will  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not  be  able.  When  ^once  the 
Master  of  the  house  is  risen  up,  and  '^hath  shut  to  the  door,  and  ye  begin 
to  stand  without,  and  to  knock  at  the  door,  saying,  ^Lord,  Lord,  open 
unto  us ;  and  he  shall  answer  and  say  unto  you,  '  I  know  you  not  whence 

26  ye  are:  then  shall  ye  begin  to  say,  "We  have  eaten  and  drunk  in  thy 

27  presence,  and  thou  hast  taught  in  our  streets.  But  ^lie  shall  say,  I  tell 
you,  I  know  you  not  whence  ye  are:  ^depart  from  me,  all  ye  workers  of 

28  iniquity.  There  "'shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth,  ^when  ye  shall 
see  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  all  the  prophets,  in  the  kingdom 

29  of  God,  and  you  yourselves  thrust  out.  And  Hhey  shall  come  from  the 
east,  and  from  the  west,  and  from  the  north,  and  Jrom  the  south,  and 

30  shall  sit  down  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  And,  "behold,  there  are  last 
which  shall  be  first,  and  there  are  first  which  shall  be  last. 

31  The  same  day  there  came  certain  of  the  Pharisees,  saying  unto  him, 

32  Get  thee  out,  and  depart  hence :  for  Herod  will  kill  thee.  And  he  said 
unto  them.  Go  ye,  and  tell  that  fox.  Behold,  I  cast  out  devils,  and  I  do 
cures  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  the  third  day  *I  shall  be  perfected. 


A.  D.  33. 

«  Ps.  32.  6. 

Isa.  55.  6. 
*■  Matt.  25. 10. 
'  ch.  6.  46. 
«  R'att.  7.  23. 
"  Tit.  1.  16. 
"  Matt.  r.  23. 

Matt  25.41. 
'"  Ps.  6.  8. 

Matt.  25.41. 
*  Matt.  8.  12. 

Matt.  13.42. 

]\!att  24.51. 
"  Matt.  8.  11. 
'  (Jen.  28.  14. 

Isa.  60.  3. 
"  Matt.19.30. 

Matt.  20.  IK. 

Mark  10  31. 
<>  Heb.  2.  10. 

Heb.  5.  8. 


When  once  tlie  Master  of  the  house  is  risen  up, 
and  hath  shut  to  the  door.  Awfully  sublime  and 
vivid  picture !  At  present  He  is  represented  as  in 
a  sluing  j)Osture,  as  if  calmly  looking  on  to  see  who 
will  "strive,"  while  entrance  is  practicable.  But 
this  is  to  have  an  end,  by  the  great  Master  of  the 
house  Himself  rising  and  shutting  the  door,  after 
which  there  will  bs  no  adnjittance.  and  ye  begin 
to  stand  without,  and  to  knock  at  the  door,  say- 
ing, Lord,  Lord — emphatic  reduplication,  expres- 
sive of  the  earnestness  now  felt,  but  too  late.  See 
on  Matt.  vii.  21,  22.  open  unto  us ;  and  he  shaJl 
answer  and  say  unto  you,  I  know  you  not  whence 
ye  are :  26.  Then  shall  ye  begin  to  say,  We  have 
eaten  and  drunk  in  thy  presence,  and  thou  hast 
taught  in  our  streets.  27.  But  he  shall  say,  I  tell 
you,  I  know  you  not  whence  ye  are :  depart  from 
me,  all  ye  workers  of  iniquity.  '  \V  hat !  not  know 
%is.  Lord?  Astonishin;? !  Why,  we  have  eaten 
and  drunk  in  Thy  presence.  Were  we  not  at 
that  great  feast  which  Matthew  the  iiublican  made 
to  Thee  in  his  own  house  ?  Did  we  not  sit  opposite 
to  Thee  at  his  table ?  Heard  we  not  from  Iny  lips 
on  that  occasion  the  precious  saying,  "  I  came  not 
to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance,"  a 
saying  which,  in  the  midst  of  our  sins,  has  proved  so 
great  a  comfort  to  us?' — "Never  knew  you, 
workers  of  iniquity ! "  '  But,  Lord,  in  addition  to 
all  this.  Thou  hast  taught  in  our  streets.  At 
Capernaum,  did  Ave  not  live  next  door  to  Thee, 
and  what  glorious  teachings  of  Thine  have  we  not 
heard  there?  When  the  woman  with  the  issue  of 
blood  was  healed  by  touching  the  hem  of  Thy  gar- 
ment, we  were  in  the  crowd  that  followed  Thee 
through  the  streets  ;  and  when  Thou  spakest  from 
Peter's  boat  to  the  thronging  multitudes  that  lined 
the  shore  of  the  beautiful  lake,  we  stood  right  op- 
posite to  Thee,  and  could  repeat  every  word  of 
those  seven  charming  parables  which  were  then 
delivered.  Nay,  we  followed  Thee  from  i)lace  to 
place,  from  city  to  city,  enchained  by  Thy  match- 
less teaching :  we  could  repeat  most  of  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount,  and  we  heard  Thee  utter  that 
great  word,  "  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labour  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest ; "  and 
what  a  comfort  was  that  to  us.'  And  that  glorious 
word  uttered  in  the  stieets  of  Jerusalem  on  the 
last,  that  great  day  of  the  feast,  we  heard,  "If 
any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink." 
O  what  scores  of  such  beautiful  sayings  of  Thine 
did  our  ears  drink  in.  Never  knew  lis.  Lord? 
Impossible!' — "  Never  knew  you,  workers  of  ini- 
quity ! "  '  But,  Lord—'  ' Enough:  begoue ! '  28,  29. 
282 


There — in  the  place  of  separation  from  Me,  shall 
be  weeping— for  anguish,  and  gnashing  of  teeth 
—for  despair,  when  ye  shall  see  Abraham,  &c. 
And  they  shall  come  from  the  east,  and  from  the 
west,  &c.     See  on  ch.  vii.  9. 

For  Remarks  on  this  Section,  see  on  Matt.  vii. 
13-29,  Remarks  3,  4,  5,  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 
But  we  may  call  attention  to  the  two  follow- 
ing points  here  standing  out  with  i)eculiar  vivid- 
ness:— 1.  No  rearness  of  external  communion  w-ith 
Christ  will  avail  at  the  Great  Day,  in  place  of  that 
"  holiness  vrithout  which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord."  2.  The  style  which  Christ  announces  that 
He  will  then  assume — that  of  absolute  Disposer 
of  men's  eternal  destinies — and  contrast  this  with 
His  "  despised  and  rejected"  condition  when  He 
uttered  these  words ! 

31-35.— Message  to  Herod,  akd  Lamentation 
OVER  Jerusalem,  suggested  by  it. 

Message  to  Herod  (31-33).  31.  The  same  day 
there  came  certain  of  the  Pharisees,  sasang  unto 
him,  Get  thee  out,  and  depart  hence — 'Push  on 
without  delay,  if  thou  regardest  thine  own  safety.' 
for  Herod  (Antipas)  will  kill  thee  [SreXei  ce 
aTroKTiTvai]  —  'is  minded  to  kill  thee.'  He  was 
now  on  His  way  out  of  Perea,  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Jordan,  and  so  out  of  Hei-od's  dominions, 
"journeying  towards  Jerusalem"  (i-.  22).  Haunted, 
probably,  by  guilty  fears,  Herod  wanted  to  get  rid 
of  Him  (see  on  Mark  vi.  14),  aud  seems,  from  our 
Lord's  answer,  to  have  sent  these  Pharisees,  under 
jiretence  of  a  friendly  hint,  to  persuade  Him  that 
the  sooner  He  got  beyond  Herod's  jimsdiction  the 
better  it  would  be  for  His  own  safety.  Our  Lord 
saw  through  both  of  them,  and  sends  the  cunning 
ruler  a  message  couched  in  dignified  and  befitting 
irony.  32.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye,  and 
tell  that  fox — that  crafty,  cruel  enemy  of  God's 
innocent  servants,  Behold,  I  cast  out  devils,  and  I 
do  cures  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  the  third  day 
I  shall  be  perfected— or,  finish  My  course,  attain 
completion.  '  Plot  on  and  ply  thy  wdles ;  I  also 
have  My  plans  ;  My  works  of  mercy  are  nearing 
completion,  but  some  yet  remain;  I  have  work  for 
to-day  and  to-morrow  too,  and  the  third  day ;  by 
that  time  I  shall  be  where  his  jurisdiction  reachts 
not;  the  guilt  of  My  blood  shall  not  lie  at  his 
door;  that  dark  deed  is  reserved  for  others.'  He 
does  not  say,  as  Bcngel  remarks,  I  preach  the  Gos- 
pel— that  would  have  made  little  impression  upon 
Herod.  In  the  light  of  the  merciful  character  of 
Christ's  actions  the  malice  of  Herod's  snares  is  laid 
bare.    33.  Nevertheless  I  must  walk  to-day,  and 


Healing  of  a  dropsical  man, 


LUKE  XIV.       and  teachings  at  a  Sabbath-feast. 


33 


Nevertheless  I  must  walk  to-day,  and  to-moiTOw,  and  the  dai/  following : 
for  it  cannot  be  that  a  prophet  perish  out  of  Jerusalem. 

0  '^Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  which  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest  them 
that  are  sent  unto  thee ;  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children 
together,  as  a  hen  doth  gather  her  brood  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would 
not!  Behold,  "your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate:  and  verily  I  say 
unto  you.  Ye  shall  'not  see  me,  until  the  time  come  when  ye  shall  say, 
•^Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

AND  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  went  into  the  house  of  one  of  the  chief 
Pharisees  to  eat  bread  on  the  sabbath  day,  that  they  watched  him.  And, 
behold,  there  was  a  certain  man  before  him  which  had  the  dropsy.  And 
Jesus  answering  spake  unto  the  lawyers  and  Pharisees,  saying,  "Is  it 
lawful  to  heal  on  the  sabbath  day?  And  they  held  their  peace.  And  he 
took  him,  and  healed  him,  and  let  him  go :  and  answered  them,  saying, 
^Wliich  of  you  shall  have  an  ass  or  an  ox  fallen  into  a  pit,  and  will  not 

6  straightway  pull  him  out  on  the  sabbath  day?     And  they  could  not 
answer  him  again  to  these  things. 

7  And  he  put  forth  a  parable  to  those  which  were  bidden,  when  he 

8  marked  how  they  chose  out  the  chief  rooms ;  saying  unto  them,  Wlien 
thou  art  bidden  of  any  7nan  to  a  wedding,  sit  not  down  in  the  highest 

9  room ;  lest  a  more  honourable  man  than  thou  be  bidden  of  him ;  and  he 
that  bade  thee  and  him  come  and  say  to  thee,  Give  this  man  place ;  and 

10  thou  besfin  with  shame  to  take  the  lowest  room.     But  *^when  thou  art 


34 


35 


14 

2 
3 

4 
5 


°  2Chr24.ai, 
22. 

Neh.  9.  2^. 
Matt.  21.35, 
36. 

Matt.  23. 37. 
d  Lev.  26.  31, 
32. 
Ps.  63.  25. 

Isa.  1.  7. 
Dan.  9.  27. 
Mic.  3.  12. 
Luke  21.24. 
'  Pro.1.24-30. 
John  8.  21, 

24. 
/  Ps.  118   26. 
Bl.att.  21.  9. 
Mark  11.10. 

Ch.  19.  33. 
John  12. 13. 

CHAP.  H. 

"  Matt  12.10. 
l>  Ex.  23.  5. 

Deut.  22.  4. 

ch.  13.  15. 
'  Pro.  15.  33. 

Pro.  18.  12. 

Pro.  25  6.7. 


to-morrow,  and  the  day  following.  Remarkable 
laugiiage,  expressive  of  succe^^s'we  steps  of  His  work 
yet  remaining,  of  the  calm  deliberateness  wath  which 
He  meant  to  go  through  with  them,  one  after  an- 
other, to  the  last,  unmoved  by  Herod's  threat,  but 
of  the  rapid  march  with  which  they  were  now 
hastening  to  completion !  (Compare  Luke  xxii.  37. ) 
for  it  cannot  be  tliat  a  prophet  perish  out  of 
Jerusalem.  Awful  severity  of  satii-e  this  upon  '  the 
bloody  city'  !  'He  seeks  to  "kill  me"  does  He? 
Ah !  I  must  be  out  of  Herod's  jurisdiction  for  that: 
Go  tell  him  I  neither  fly  from  him  nor  fear  him, 
but  Jerusalem  has  ever  been,  and  is  once  more  to 
become,  the  prophet's  slaughter-house.' 

Lamentation  orer  Jerusalem  {3-i-o5).  34.  0  Jeru- 
salem, Jerusalem,  which  killest  the  prophets, 
and  stonest  them  that  are  sent  unto  thee;  how 
often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  to- 
gether, as  a  hen  doth  gather  her  brood  under 
her  wings,  and  ye  would  not!  35.  Behold,  your 
house  is  left  unto  you  desolate:  and  verily  I 
say  unto  you.  Ye  shall  not  see  me,  until  the 
time  come  when  ye  shall  say.  Blessed  is  he 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  How 
naturally  this  melting  Lamentation  would  be 
wrung  from  Christ's  heart  after  the  words  just 
uttered,  let  the  devout  and  intelligent  reader 
judge.  And  yet  there  are  critics  of  some  weight 
who  regard  it  as  but  a  repetition  by  the  Third 
Evangelist  of  the  Lamentation  uttered  consider- 
ably later,  on  His  final  departure  from  the  Temple, 
and  recorded  in  its  proper  iilixce  by  Matthew 
(xxiii.  37-39).  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Matt, 
xxiii.  37-39,  with  Remarks  at  the  close  of  that 
Section. 

CHAR  XIV.     1-24.— Healing  of  a  Dropsical 

INL-VN,  AND  MANIFOLD  Te.\CH1NGS  AT  A  SaBBATH- 

Feast. 

Healing  of  a  Dropsical  Man  on  the  Sahhath 
day  (1-6).  1.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  went 
into  the   house   of  one  of  the  chief  Pharisees 

[tii/09  tuii/  apxovTODi/  Tuov  ^apicraioov] — rather,  '  of 
one  of  the  rulers  of  the  Pharisees,'  that  is,  one 
of  the  lailers  who  belonged  to  the  sect  of  the 
Pharisees,  The  place  and  time,  as  usual  in  this 
2S3 


portion  of  the  present  Gospel,  are  not  indicated. 
See  remarks  prefixed  to  ch.  ix.  5L  to  eat 
bread  on  the  sabbath  day,  that  they  watched 
him.  2.  And,  behold,  there  was  a  certain  man 
before  him  which  had  the  dropsy — not  one  of 
the  invited  guests  probably,  but  one  who  pre- 
sented himself  in  hope  of  a  cure,  though  uot  ex- 
pressly soliciting  it ;  and  it  may  be  that  this  was 
all  the  more  readily  allowed,  tu  see  what  He  would 
do.  This  is  confirmed  by  our  Lord  "letting  Him  go" 
immediately  after  curing  him  {v.  4).  The  company, 
it  will  be  observed,  had  not  yet  sat  down.  3-6, 
And  Jesus  answering  spake  unto  the  lawyers 
and  Pharisees,  saying.  Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on 
the  sabbath  day?  &c.  For  the  exjiosition  of 
these  verses,  see  on  Matt.  xii.  10-13,  and  Remarks 
1,  2,  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 

Lessons  on  Humility  (7-11).  7.  And  he  put  forth 
a  parable  to  those  which  were  bidden,  when  he 
marked  how  they  chose  out  the  chief  rooms 
[ras  TrpcoTo/cXicriav] — that  is,  the  couches  or  seats 
at  the  table  reserved  for  the  most  honoured  guests, 
or  the  middle  parts  of  the  couches  which  were 
esteemed  the  most  honourable.  His  mode  of 
conveying  the  instruction  intended  is  called  a 
"parable,"  as  teaching  something  deeper  than  the 
outward  form  of  it  expressed — because  His  design 
was  not  so  much  to  inculcate  mere  politeness,  or 
good  manners,  but,  underneath  this,  universal 
humility,  as  appears  by  v.  11.  8.  When  thou  art 
bidden  of  any  man  to  a  wedding — 'and,'  as  is 
implied,  '  art  taking  thy  place  at  the  M'edding-f east. ' 
Our  Lord,  as  Bengel  remarks,  avoids  the  appear- 
ance of  personality  by  this  delicate  allusion  to  a 
different  kind  of  enteiiaiument  from  this  of  His 
present  host,  sit  not  down  in  the  highest  room ; 
lest  a  mere  honourable  man  than  thou  be  bidden 
of  him ;  9.  And  he  that  bade  thee  and  him  come 
and  say  to  thee,  Give  this  man  place ;  and  thou 
begin  with  shame  to  take  the  lowest  room.  To 
be  lowest,  says  Benr/el,  is  only  ignominious  to  him 
who  affects  to  be  highest.  10.  But  when  thou  art 
bidden,  go  and  sit  down  in  the  lowest  room; 
that  when  he  that  bade  thee  cometh,  he  may 
say  unto  thee,  Friend— said  to  the  modest  guest 


Lessons  on  humility. 


LUKE  XIV. 


Entertaining  the  poor. 


bidden,  go  and  sit  down  in  the  lowest  room;  that  when  he  that  bade 
thee  Cometh,  he  may  say  unto  thee.  Friend,  go  up  liigher:  then  shalt 
thou  have  worship  in  the  presence  of  them  that  sit  at  meat  with  thee. 

11  For  '^whosoever  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased;  and  he  that  humbleth 
himself  shall  be  exalted. 

12  Then  said  he  also  to  him  that  bade  him,  Wlien  thou  makest  a  dinner 
or  a  supper,  call  not  thy  friends,  nor  thy  brethren,  neither  thy  kinsmen, 
nor  thy  rich  neighbours;  lest  they  also  bid  thee  again,  and  a  recompence 

1 3  be  made  thee.    But  when  thou  makest  a  feast,  *  call  the  poor,  the  maimed, 

14  the  lame,  the  blind:  and  thou  shalt  be  blessed;  for  they  cannot  recom- 
pense thee :  for  thou  shalt  be  recompensed  at  -^the  resurrection  of  the 
just. 

15  And  when  one  of  them  that  sat  at  meat  with  him  heard  these  things, 
he  said  unto  him,  ^Blessed  is  he  that  shall  eat  bread  in  the  kingdom  of 

16  God.     Then  ''said  he  unto  him,  A  certain  man  made  a  gi'eat  supper,  and 

17  bade  many:  and  'sent  his  servant  at  supper  time  to  say  to  them  that 

18  were  bidden.  Come;  for  all  things  are  now  ready.  And  they  all  with  one 
consent  began  to  make  excuse.  The  first  said  unto  him,  -^I  have  bought 
a  piece  of  ground,  and  I  must  needs  go  and  see  it :  I  pray  thee  have  me 

19  excused.     And  another  said,  I  have  bought  five  yoke  of  oxen,  and  I  go 

20  to  prove  them :  I  pray  thee  have  me  excused.     And  another  said,  I  have 


A.  D.  33. 

d  Job  22.  29. 
Ps.  18.  27. 
Fro.  29.  23. 
Matt.  23.12. 
ch.  18.  14. 
Jas.  4.  6. 
1  ret.  5.  5. 
'  Neh.  8.  !0, 

12. 
Job  31.  11- 

20. 
Pro.  3    9, 

28. 
/  Dan.  12.  2. 
Matt.  2.i.sfi. 
John  5.  29. 
Acts  24.  )5. 

B  Eev.  19.  9. 
''  Matt.  22.  2. 
'■  Pro.  9.  2,  6. 
i  Matt  6.  vi 

Matt.  13.22. 

Luke  8.  14. 

John  5.  40. 

1  Tim.  6.  9, 
10. 

2  Tim  4  10. 


only,  says  the  same  critic,  not  the  proud  one  [v. 
9).  tlien  Shalt  thou  have  worship  [^6^a\  —  or 
'  honour.'  The  whole  of  this  is  but  a  reproduction 
of  Frov.  XXV.  6,  7.  But  it  was  reserved  for  the 
matchless  Teacher  to  utter  articulately,  and  apjily 
to  the  regulation  of  the  minutest  features  of  social 
life,  such  great  laws  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  the 
following:  11.  For  -whosoever  exalteth  himself 
shall  be  abased;  and  he  that  humbleth  himself 
shall  be  exalted.  The  chaste  simplicity  and  pro- 
verbial terseness  of  this  great  maxim  impart  to  it 
a  charm  only  inferior  to  that  of  the  maxim  itseli 
But  see  further  on  ch.  xviiL  14 

Entertaining  the  Poor  {12-14.)  12.  Then  said  he 
also  to  him  that  bade  him,  When  thou  makest  a 
dinner  or  a  supper,  call  not  thy  friends,  nor  thy 
brethren,  neither  thy  kinsmen,  nor  thy  rich 
neighbours;  lest  they  also  bid  thee  again,  and 
a  recompense  be  made  thee — a  fear  the  world 
is  not  afflicted  with.  Jesus  certainly  did  not 
mean  us  to  dispense  with  the  duties  of  ordinary 
fellowship.  But  since  there  was  no  exercise  of 
principle  involved  in  it,  save  of  reciprocity,  and 
selfishness  itself  would  suffice  to  prompt  it,  His 
object  was  to  inculcate,  over  and  above  everything 
of  this  kind,  such  attentions  to  the  helpless  and 
provision  for  them  as,  from  their  inability  to  make 
any  return,  would  manifest  their  own  disinterested- 
ness, and,  like  every  other  exercise  of  high  religious 
principle,  meet  with  a  corresponding  gracious  re- 
compense. 13.  But  when  thou  makest  a  feast, 
call  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind. 
Compare  this  with  the  classes  God  himself  invites 
to  the  great  Gospel  Feast,  v.  21.  14.  And  thou 
Shalt  be  blessed;  for  they  cannot  recompense 
thee:  for  thou  shalt  be  recompensed  at  the 
resurrection  of  the  just— as  acting  from  disin- 
terested, God-like  compassion  for  the  wretched. 

The  Great  Supper  (15-24).  15.  And  when  one  of 
them  that  sat  at  meat  with  him  heard  these 
things,  he  said  unto  him,  Blessed  is  he  that 
shall  eat  bread  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  As  our 
Lord's  words  seemed  to  hold  forth  the  future 
"  recomiiense"  under  the  idea  of  a  great  Feast,  the 
thought  passes  through  this  man's  mind,  how 
blessed  they  would  be  who  should  be  honoured  to 
sit  down  to  it.  A  pious  exclamation  it  seemed  to 
284 


be ;  but,  from  our  Lord's  reply,  it  would  ai)pear  to 
have  sounded  in  His  ears  more  like  Balaam's  wish, 
"Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let 
my  last  end  be  like  his"  (Numb,  xxiii.  10) — a  wish 
only  to  be  safe  and  happy  at  last,  while  rejecting 
all  present  invitations  to  turn  to  God  and  live. 
'  The  Great  Feast  of  which  you  sigh  to  partake,' 
says  our  Lord,  'is  prepared  already:  the  invitations 
are  issued,  but  declined :  the  Feast,  notwithstand- 
ing, shall  have  guests  enough,  and  the  table  shall 
be  filled :  but  when  its  present  contemners  come 
to  sue  for  admission  to  it — as  they  will  yet  do — 
not  one  of  them  shall  taste  of  it.'  16.  Tlien  said 
he  unto  him,  A  certain  man  made  a  great  supper. 
The  blessings  of  Salvation  are  in  kScrii)ture  fami- 
liarly set  forth  as  a  Feast,  to  signify  not  merely 
the  rich  abundance  and  variety  of  them,  but  their 
suitableness  to  our  spiritual  wants,  and  the  high 
satisfaction  and  enjoyment  which  they  yield. 
Thus,  Isa.  XXV.  6,  "And  in  this  mountain  (mount 
Zion,  Heb.  xii.  22)  shall  the  Lord  of  hosts  make 
unto  all  i^eoples  [D'arn-W";]  a  feast  of  fat  things,' 
or  rich  delicacies,  "a  feast  of  wines  on  the  lees,"  freed 
from  all  mixture,  "of  fat  things  full  of  marrow,  of 
wines  on  the  lees  well  refined."  and  bade  many. 
Historically,  the  Jews  are  here  meant,  whom,  by 
taking  them  into  visible  covenant,  God  first  invited 
to  iiartake  of  salvation  ;  but  generally  it  denotes  all 
within  the  pale  of  professed  discipleship.  17.  And 
sent  his  servant  at  supper  time  to  say  to  them 
that  were  bidden.  Come;  for  all  things  are  now 
ready — pointing  undoubtedly  to  the  lengthened, 
but  now  ripening  preparations  for  the  great  Gospel 
call  See  on  Matt.  xxii.  4.  18.  And  they  all  with 
one  consent  began  to  make  excuse.  The  first 
said  unto  him,  I  have  bought  a  piece  of  ground, 
and  I  must  needs  go  and  see  it :  I  pray  thee  have 
me  excused,  19.  And  another  said,  I  have  bought 
five  yoke  of  oxen,  and  I  go  to  prove  them :  I  pray 
thee  have  me  excused,  20.  And  another  said,  I 
have  married  a  wife,  and  therefore  I  cannot  come. 
None  give  a  naked  refusal.  Each  has  some  reason 
of  his  own  Avhy  he  ought  to  be  held  excused, 
Three  excuses  are  given  as  specimens  of  all  the 
rest ;  and  it  will  be  observed  that  they  answer  to 
the  three  things  which  are  said  to  "choke  the 
word"  in  the  parable  of  the  Sower  (ch.  viji.  14), — 


The  great  Supper 


LUKE  XIV. 


and  its  lessons. 


21  married  a  wife,  and  therefore  I  cannot  come.  So  that  servant  came,  and 
showed  his  lord  these  things.  Then  the  master  of  the  house,  being  angry, 
said  to  his  servant.  Go  ^'out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city, 
and  bring  in  liither  the  poor,  and  the  maimed,  and  the  halt,  and  the 

22  bUnd.     And  the  servant  said,  Lord,  it  is  done  as  thou  hast  commanded, 

23  and  yet  there  is  room.  And  the  lord  said  unto  the  servant.  Go  out  into 
the  highways  and  hedges,  'and  compel  them  to  come  in,  that  my  house 

24  may  be  filled.  For  I  say  unto  you,  '"That  none  of  those  men  which  were 
bidden  shall  taste  of  my  supper. 


A.  D.  33. 

Matt.  28. 18, 

19. 
Acts  13.  46. 
Pro.  1.  iO. 
2  Cor.  5. 20. 
'  Matt.  8.  11, 

12. 

Matt.21.43. 
Matt.  22.  8. 
Acts  13.  4G. 
Heb.  3  111. 


'"the  care  of  this  world,"  v.  18;  "the  deceitfulnesa 
of  riches,"  v.  19;  aud  "the  pleasm-es  of  this  life," 
V.  20.  Each  dififers  from  the  other,  and  each  has 
its  own  plausibility;  but  all  arrive  at  the  same 
result — '  We  have  other  things  to  attend  to,  more 
l)ressing  just  now.'  So  far  from  saying,  I  decline 
to  come,  each  represents  himself  as  only  hin- 
dered by  something  in  the  way  just  now:  when 
these  are  removed,  they  will  be  ready.  But,  not- 
withstanding these  plausibilities,  they  are  held  as 
refasers;  and  when  at  length  they  call,  the  Master 
in  turn  will  refuse  them.  21.  So  tliat  servant 
came,  and  showed  his  lord  these  things.  It  is  the 
part  of  miidsters,  says  Bengel,  to  rej^ort  to  the 
Lord  in  their  prayers  the  compliance  or  refusal  of 
their  hearers  ;  aud  certainly,  of  those  first  bidden, 
it  could  only  be  said,  "  Lord,  who  hath  believed  our 
report,  aud  to  whom  is  the  arm  of  the  Lord  re- 
vealed ?"  (Isa.  hii.  1. )  Then  the  master  of  the  house, 
being  angry— at  the  slight  jmt  upon  him.  At  the 
same  time  there  is  grace  in  this  anger,  showing  how 
sincere  he  was  in  issiung  his  invitation  (Ezek. 
xxxiii.  11).  said  to  his  servant,  Go  out  quickly — 
all  now  being  ready,  and  waiting,  into  the  streets 
and  lanes  of  the  city.  Historically,  this  must 
mean  those  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  God 
(Ps.  Ixxxvii.  3),  but  the  despised  and  outcast 
classes  of  it — the  "  publicans  and  sinners,"  as 
Trench  rightly  conceives  it ;  but  generally  it  com- 
jirehends  all  similar  classes,  usually  overlooked  in 
the  first  provision  for  supx)lying  the  means  of  grace 
to  a  community — half  heathen  in  the  midst  of 
revealed  light,  and  in  every  sense  miserable,  and 
bring  in  hither  the  poor,  and  the  maimed,  and 
the  halt,  and  the  blind.  22.  And  the  servant  said. 
Lord,  it  is  done  as  thou  hast  commanded,  and  yet 
there  is  room — implying,  fu-st,  that  these  classes 
had  embraced  the  invitation  (see  Matt.  xxi.  32; 
Mark  xii.  37,  last  clause ;  John  vii.  48,  49) ;  but 
further,  beautifully  expressing  the  longing  that 
should  fill  the  hearts  of  ministers  to  see  their 
Master's  table  filled.  23.  And  the  lord  said  unto 
the  servant,  Go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges 
— outside  the  city  altogether.  Historically,  this 
denotes  the  heathen,  sunk  in  the  lowest  depths  of 
sj^iiritual  WTetchedness,  as  being  beyond  the  pale 
ot  all  that  is  revealed  and  saving — "without  Clirist, 
strangers  from  the  covenant  of  promise,  having  no 
hoi>e,  and  without  God  in  the  world"  (Eph.  ii.  12) : 
generally,  it  comprehends  all  similar  classes.  Thus, 
tliis  parable  prophetically  contemplates  the  exten- 
sion of  the  kingdom  of  God  to  the  whole  world ; 
aud  spiritually,  directs  the  Gospel  invitations  to 
be  carried  to  the  lowest  strata,  and  be  brought 
in  contact  ■with  the  outermost  circles,  of  human 
society,  and  compel  them  to  come  in.  This  is 
not  meant  to  intimate  unwillin<jness,  as  in  the  fu'st 
class,  but  that  it  would  be  hard  to  get  them  over 
two '  difficulties.  First,  '  We,  homeless  wretches, 
that  are  fain  to  creep  under  a  "hedge"  for  shelter, 
what  company  are  we  for  such  a  feast?'  Next, 
'  We  who  are  on  the  dusty,  weary  "  highway,"  have 
no  proper  dress  for  such  a  feast,  and  are  iU  in  order 
for  such  a  presence. '  How  fitly  does  this  represent 
235 


the  difhculties  and  fears  of  fhesiiicere!  Well,  and 
how  is  this  met  ?  '  Take  no  excuse ;  beat  them  out 
of  all  their  cUlficulties ;  dispel  all  their  fears :  Tell 
them  you  have  orders  to  bring  them  just  as  they 
are;  make  them  come  without  preparation,  and 
without  delay.'  that  my  house  may  be  filled^ 
for,  as  Bengel  quaintly  says,  grace  as  well  as  nature 
abhors  a  vacuum.  24.  For  I  say  unto  you,  That 
none  of  those  men  which  were  bidden  shall  taste 
of  my  supper.  Our  Lord  here  appears  to  throw  off 
the  veil  of  the  parable,  aud  proclaim  the  Supper 
His  Own,  intimating  that  when  transferred  and 
transformed  into  its  final  glorious  form,  and  the 
refusers  themselves  would  give  all  for  another 
opportunity,  He  will  not  allow  one  of  them  to 
taste  of  it. 

Reniarks. — 1.  Some  of  the  richest  of  our  Lord's 
teachings  were  quite  incidental— ^hnv/n  forth  by 
casual  cii'cumstanc  s  occurring  in  His  daily  course. 
Thus,  having  accepted  the  invitation  of  this  Phar- 
isee to  dine  on  the  Sabbath  day,  the  presence  of  a 
dropsical  person,  whom  He  resolves  tu  cure,  gives 
occasion  to  some  important  teaching  on  the  right 
observance  of  that  holy  daj'.  Then,  observing  the 
eagerness  of  the  guests  to  occujjy  the  places  of 
honour  at  the  table,  He  instructs  them  on  the 
subject  of  Hiimility.  Further,  from  the  quality 
of  the  guests— apparently  "brethren,  kinsmen, 
rich  neighbours " — He  takes  occasion  to  inculcate 
hospitality  of  a  diviner  sort,  compassionate  provi- 
sion for  the  wants  of  those  who  could  make  no 
return,  looking  to  the  time  when  a  return  of 
another  kind  would  be  made  them — when  "the 
merciful  shoidd  obtain  mercy."  '  Blessed  lot  that 
will  be' — exclaims  one  of  the  guests,  hred  for  the 
moment  at  the  thought  of  a  Feast  in  the  kingdom 
above—'  Happy  they  who  shall  have  the  honour 
of  sitting  down  to  it ! '  Hapjty  indeed,  replies  the 
Great  Teacher  and  loving  Kedeemer;  but  the 
]jresent  despisers  of  it  shall  not  be  the  future 
l)artakers  ot  it.  Thus  did  His  heavenly  wisdom 
stream  forth  at  every  opening,  however  incidental. 
"Grace  was  pom-ed  into  His  lips,"  and  was  leady 
to  pour  out  again  whenever  it  would  not  be  as 
jiearls  cast  before  swine.  And  i-hould  not  His 
disciples  strive  to  copy  Him  in  this?  "The  lips 
of  the  righteous  feed  many"  (Pro v.  x.  21).  There 
is  a  cei-tain  advantage  in  set  discourses,  to  which 
the  hearers  set  themselves  to  listen,  expecting 
something'  lengthened,  formal,  soHd.  But  the 
wisdom  that  comes  out  unexjjcctedly  aud  casually 
has  a  freshness  and  charm  peculiar  to  itself.  And 
it  impresses  the  hearer,  far  more  than  all  set  dis- 
coursmg,  with  the  conviction  that  it  is  the  genuine 
and  spontaneous  expression  of  the  speaker's  pres- 
ent judgment  and  feeling.  Aud  when  it  comes  as 
"line  upon  line,  line  upon  line;  precept  upon 
precept,  jirecept  upon  precept;  here  a  little,  and 
there  a  little"  (Isa.  xxviii.  10),  its  weight  is  all  the 
greater.  (Compare  Deut.  vi.  7.)  2.  The  punish- 
ment attached  to  pride,  and  the  reward  promised 
to  humility,  make  themselves  good  even  in  the 
ordinary  workings  of  human  society.  When  a 
man  insists  on  thrusting  himself,  as  Lord  Ba<:on 


On  counting  the  cost 


LUKE  XIV. 


of  following  Jesus. 


25  And  there  went  great  multitudes  with  him :   and  he  turned,  and  said 

26  unto  them,  If  "any  man  come  to   me,  "and  hate  not  his  father,  and 
mother,  and  wife,  and  children,  and  brethren,  and  sisters,  ^yea,  and  his 

27  own  life  also,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple.     And  ^whosoever  doth  not  bear 

28  his  cross,  and  come  after  me,  cannot  be  my  disciple.     For  'which  of  you, 
intending  to  build  a  tower,  sitteth  not  down  first,  and  counteth  the  cost, 

29  whether  he  have  s^i^'c/gw^  to  finish  it?    Lest  haply,  after  he  hath  laid 
the  foundation,  and  is  not  able  to  finish  it,  all  that  behold  it  begin  to 

30  mock  him,  saying.  This  man  began  to  build,  and  was  not  able  to  finish. 


A.  D.  33. 

"  Deut.  13.  c. 

Deut.  33  9. 

Matt.  10. 37. 
"  Eom.  9.  13. 
P  Eev.  12.  11. 
«  Matt.  16. 24. 

Marks.  31. 

ch.  9.  23. 
"■  Pro.  24.  27. 

1  Pet.  2.  5. 


somewhere  expresses  it,  into  the  centre  of  things, 
there  is  a  kind  of  social  instinct  that  leads  others 
to  resist  and  take  him  down ;  but  when  one  gives 
l)lace  to  others,  he  not  only  disarms  every  disposi- 
tion to  take  advantage  of  it,  but  is  usually  made 
to  go  before  his  neighljours.  Thus,  in  the  ordi- 
nary working  of  the  social  system,  the  great  prin- 
ciples of  the  divine  administration  are  revealed; 
on  a  small  scale,  indeed,  and  often  Avithout  the 
smallest  reference,  on  the  part  of  men,  to  the 
divine  will,  but  just  on  that  account  all  the  more 
strikingly  manifesting  and  illustrating  a  moral 
government.  3.  It  is  a  mistake  in  religion,  alike 
common  and  fatal,  to  regard  heaven  as  a  state  of 
simple  happiness — mere  bliss ;  higher  and  more 
refined  than  anything  conceivable  now,  but  not 
essentially  dependent  upon  present  character.  If 
one  thing  is  clearer  than  another  in  the  Scripture 
view  of  the  future  state,  it  is  that,  in  point  of 
moral  and  religious  character,  it  will  be  but  the 
perfection  and  development  of  the  present  state, 
both  in  the  righteous  and  the  wicked ;  and  all  the 
conclusions,  even  of  Natural  Theology,  confirm 
that  view  of  it.  In  vain,  therefore,  do  worldlings, 
living  without  God  and  minding  only  earthly 
things,  exclaim,  Blessed  is  he  that  shall  eat 
l)read  in  the  kingdom  of  God!  Let  me  die  the 
death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my  last  end  be  like 
his !  The  best  of  heaven's  bliss  is  but  getting 
face  to  face  Avith  Him  whom  not  having  seen  we 
love,  in  whom,  though  now  we  see  him  not,  yet 
believing,  we  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and 
full  of  glory.  But  if  we  have  never  felt  any  of 
this  love  to  Him  and  joy  in  Him,  are  we  capable 
of  heaven?  To  be  "for  ever  with  the  Lord,"  is 
transport,  even  in  prospect,  to  such  as  have  tasted 
that  He  is  gracious,  experienced  the  blessedness  of 
reconciliation,  learned  to  cry,  Abba,  Father,  walk 
daily  in  the  light  of  His  countenance,  and  live  to 
please  Him.  In  such  as  these,  it  is  but  a  change 
of  sphere,  and  the  new  life  perfected ;  it  is  but 
the  bursting  of  the  flower,  the  ripening  of  the 
fruit.  Amidst  all  its  noveltie.?,  the  children  of 
God  will  find  themselves  at  home  in  heaven — its 
company  con^nial,  its  services  familiar,  its  bliss 
not  strange.  But  if  so,  how  is  it  jjossible  that  those 
who  disrelished  its  language,  its  exercises,  its 
fellowship  here,  should  have  any  capacity  for  it, 
and,  wanting  this,  be  admitted  to  it?  No,  "none 
of  those  men  who  were  bidden" — but  only  insulted 
Him  who  prepared  the  feast  by  slighting  His 
invitation — "snail  taste  of  His  Supper."  "Be 
not  deceived :  God  is  not  mocked ;  for  whatsoever 
a  man  sowcth,  that  shall  he  also  reap."  4.  How 
often  is  it  found  that  while  the  Gospel  is  slighted 
by  the  classes  who  enjoy  the  greatest  advantages, 
who  might  be  expected  the  most  to  appreciate  it, 
and  whom  one  would  most  gladly  see  brought 
under  its  power,  it  is  embraced  by  those  to  whom 
it  has  last  of  all  been  presented,  and — judging 
as  we  are  apt  to  do — the  least  likely  to  value  it. 
Tims  it  ever  is,  that  there  are  last  which  come  to 
be  firnt,  and  first  last.  5.  The  call  addressed  to 
those  iju  the  highways  and  hedges  is  a  glorious 
2SJ 


directory  to  the  preachers  of  the  Gospel.  If  such 
are  invited  and  expected  to  come  straight  to  the 
feast,  all  preparation  is  out  of  the  question;  and 
all  misgivings  on  their  own  part,  or  obstructions 
on  the  part  of  others,  on  the  ground  of  want  of 
preparation,  must  be  met  with  one  answer — 'The 
invitation  found  us  in  that  condition,  and  re- 
quired immediate  compliance.'  If  this  great  Gos- 
pel truth  is  not  clearly  apprehended,  and  by  the 
preacher  himself  felt  as  the  sole  gi-ound  of  his  own 
standing  in  Christ,  he  cannot  urge  it  upon  others, 
and  still  less  so  deal  with  them  as  to  "  compel 
them  to  come  in."  But  having  got  over  all  his 
own  scruples  on  that  one  principle,  that  the 
invitations  of  the  Gospel  are  to  sinners  as  such — 
to  sinners  jvst  as  they  are — he  can  and  will  then 
eflt'ectually  meet  all  difficulties  and  scruples  of 
earnest,  anxious  souls ;  and  as  he  cries  to  them — 

'  Come,  ye  sinner',  poor  and  needy, 
Weak  and  wounded,  sick  and  sore, 
Jesus  ready  stands  to  save  you, 
Full  of  pity,  love,  and  power : 

He  is  able, 
He  is  willing,  ask  no  more'— 

he  shall  hear  of  one  and  another  falling  down 
before  the  cross,  and  saying— 

'  Just  as  I  am— without  one  plea, 
But  that  Thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  Thou  bidd'st  me  come  to  Thee— 
0  Lamb  of  God  I  I  come. 

'  Jnst  as  I  am — and  waiting  not 
To  rid  my  soul  of  une  dark  Hot, 
To  Thee,  \\hose  blood  can  cleanse  each  spot — 
O  Lamb  of  God!  Icome.' 

25-35.— Address  on  Coukting  the  Cost  of 
Following  Him,  delivered  by  Jesus  to  Great 
Multitudes  who  went  after  Him.  25.  And 
tliere  went  great  multitudes  with  Mm — on  His 
final  journey  to  Jerusalem.  If  they  were  going  up 
to  the  Passover,  moving  along,  as  they  were  wont 
to  do,  in  clusters  (see  on  ch.  ii.  44),  and  forming 
themselves  into  one  mass  about  the  Lord  Jesus, 
this  must  have  occurred  after  the  Feast  of  Taber- 
nacles and  the  winter  Feast  of  Dedication,  at 
both  of  which  our  Lord  was  present,  after  His 
final  departure  from  Galilee.  But  the  i^recise  time 
cannot  be  determinecL  See  remarks  prefixed  to 
the  portion  of  this  Gospel  beginning  with  ch.  ix.  51. 
and  he  turned,  and  said  unto  them,  26,  27.  If 
any  man  come  to  me,  and  hate  not  his  father, 
&c.,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple.  And  whosoever 
doth  not  hear  his  cross,  and  come  after  me, 
cannot  be  my  disciple.  See  on  Matt.  x.  37,  38. 
28.  For  which  of  you,  intending  to  buUd  a  tower, 
sitteth  not  down  first,  and  counteth  the  cost, 
whether  he  have  sufficient  to  finish  it?  29.  Lest 
haply,  after  he  hath  laid  the  foundation,  and 
is  not  able  to  finish  it,  all  that  behold  it  begin 
to  mock  him,  30.  Sajdng,  This  man  began  to 
build,  and  was  not  able  to  finish.  Common  sense 
teaches  men  not  to  begin  any  costly  work  without 
first  seeing  that  they  have  wherewithal  to /in- si  it 
And  he  who  does  otherwise  exposes  liimsrK  tvj 


Publicans  and  sinners 


LUKE  XV. 


u-elcomed  by  Christ. 


31  Or  what  king,  going  to  make  war  against  another  king,  sitteth  not  down 
first,  and  consulteth  whether  he  be  able  with  ten  thousand  to  meet  him 

32  tliat  Cometh  against  him  with  twenty  thousand?     Or  else,  while  the 
other  is  yet  a  great  way  off,  he  sendeth  *an  ambassage,  and  desireth 

33  conditions  of  peace.     So  likewise,  whosoever  *he  be  of  you  that  forsaketh 
not  all  that  he  hath,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple. 

34  Salt  "e>  good :  but  if  the  salt  have  lost  his  savour,  wherewith  shall  it  be 

35  seasoned?     It  is  neither  fit  for  the  land,  nor  yet  for  the  dunghill;  but 
men  cast  it  out.     He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

15      THEN  ''drew  near  unto  him  all  the  publicans  and  ''sinners  for  to  hear 
2  him.     And  the  Pharisees  and  scribes  murmured,  saying.  This  man  re- 


A.  D.  33 

Job  •>•!.  21. 
Matt.  5.  25. 
ch.  12.  5-i. 
2  Cor.  6.  2. 
Matt  19.27, 
28. 

ch.  IS.  22 
'  Matt.  6.  13. 
Mark  9.  5  i. 


CHAP.  1.5. 
"  Matt.  9.  10. 
*  £zek.  18.13. 

1  Tim.  1.15. 


general  ridicule.  31.  Or  wliat  king,  going  to 
make  war  against  anotlier  king,  sitteth  not 
down  first,  and  consultetli  wliether  he  be  able 
with  ten  thousand  to  meet  him  that  cometh 
against  him  with  twenty  thousand?  No  wise 
potentate  will  enter  on  a  war  with  any  hostile 
power  witliout  first  seeing  to  it  that,  despite  for- 
midable odds — of  "twenty"  to  "ten  thousand,"  or 
two  to  one — he  be  able  to  stand  his  ground.  32.  Or 
else,  while  the  other  is  yet  a  great  way  off,  he 
sandeth  an  ambassage,  and  desireth  conditions  of 
peace.  _  If  he  see  that  he  has  no  hope  of  bearing 
up  against  such  odds,  he  will  feel  that  nothing 
remains  for  him  but  to  make  the  best  terms  he 
can.  33.  So  likewise,  whosoever  he  be  of  you 
that  forsaketh  not  all  that  he  hath,  he  cannot  be 
my  disciple.  'In  the  warfare  yoii  will  each  have 
to  wage  as  My  disci]iles,  despise  not  your  enemy's 
strength,  for  the  odds  are  all  against  you ;  and 
you  had  better  see  to  it  that,  despite  every  disad- 
vantage, you  still  have  wherewithal  to  hold  out 
and  win  the  day,  or  else  not  berin  at  all,  but  make 
the  best  you  can  in  such  awful  circumstances.' 
In  place  of  this  simple  and  natural  sense  of  the 
latter  jiarable,  Stier,  A  Iford,  &c. ,  go  wide  of  the 
mark,  making  the  enemy  here  meant  to  be  God, 
because  of  the  "conditions  of  peace"  which  the 
parable  speaks  of.  It  is  the  spirit  of  such  a  case, 
rather  than  the  mere  phraseology,  that  is  to  be 
seized. 

34,  35.  Salt  is  good:  but  if  the  salt  have  lost  his 
savour,  &c.  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him 
hear.    See  on  Matt.  v.  13 ;  and  on  Mark  iv.  9. 

Jiemarks. — 1.  Better  not  begin  the  Christian 
course,  thin  begin  and  not  finish  it.  Inconsis- 
tency is  offensive  even  to  men,  and,  in  the  matter 
of  religion,  is  ajit  to  draw  down  ridicule  and  con- 
tempt; as  is  so  admirably  portrayed  in  "Pliable" 
hy  Bumjan  in  the  "Pilgrim's  Progress."  But  to 
Him  whose  eyes  are  as  a  flame  of  lire,  it  is  abhor- 
rent. "  I  would  thou  wert  cold  or  hot.  So  then, 
because  thou  art  lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor 
hot,  I  will  spue  thee  out  of  my  mouth"  (Rev.  iii. 
15,  16).  2.  Though  the  contest  for  salvation  be  on 
our  part  an  awfully  unequal  one,  the  human  will,  in 
the  exercise  of  that  "  faith  which  overcometh  the 
world"  (1  John  v.  4),  and  nerved  by  power  from 
above,  which  "out  of  weakness  makes  it  strong" 
(Heb.  xi.  34;  1  Pet.  i.  5),  becomes  heroical,  and 
will  come  off  " more  than  conqueror."  But  with- 
out absolute  surrender  of  self,  the  contest  is  hope- 
less. 

CHAP.  XV.  1-32.  — Publicans  and  Sinners 
Welcomed  by  Christ— Three  Parables  open- 
ing THE  Divine  Principle  of  this. 

1.  Then — but  when,  is  not  stated  and  cannot  be 
determined.  See  remarks  prefixed  to  ch.  ix.  51. 
drew  near  [''H.aav  fie  eyyi^oi/T-es].  The  phrase 
implies  something  habitual.  See  on  the  same  im- 
perfect tense  in  ch.  i.  22,  &c.  unto  him  all  the 
publicans  and  sinners  for  to  hear  him.  Strange 
2S7 


auditory  for  such  a  Preacher !    In  fact,  among  the 
marvels  of  this  most  marvellous  History,  none  is 
more  marvellous    than    the    fact  that  the  most 
sunken  classes  of  society— we  might  almost  say, 
its  refuse  and  scum — seem,  as  by  some  spell,  to 
have  been  attracted  to  the  Holy,  Harmless,  Unde- 
filed  One,  the  Separate  from  sinners !    What  could 
the  secret  of  this  be?    What  but  the  discovery  in 
Him  of  a  compassion  for  their  case  against  which 
they  had  found  every  other  breast  steeled.    '  Aban- 
doned of  men  we  had  thought  ourselves  much  more 
so  of  God :  Heaven  and  earth  seemed  alike  shut 
against  us,  and  we  were  ready  to  conclude  that,  as 
outcasts  from  both,  we  must  live  on  the  wretched 
life  we  are  living,  and  then  lie  down  and  die  with- 
out hope.     But  compassion  for  the  chief  of  sinners 
beams  in  that  Eye,  and  streams  forth  from  those 
Lips;    God  is    in  that   Heart,    Heaven    in    that 
Voice;  Never  man  spake  like  this  Man:   As  He 
speaks,  God  Himself  seems  to  draw  near  even  to 
us,   and  say  to  us  in  accents    of  melting   love, 
Return  unto  Me,  and  I  will  return  unto  you :  Wlio 
and  what  He  is,  we  are  too  ignorant  to  tell ;  but 
we  feel  what  He  is  to  us ;  when  He  is  witli  us,  we 
seem  to  be  in  the  precincts  of  heaven.'    How  far 
these    were  the   tlioughts   and    feelings   of   that 
class,  would  of  course  deiiend  on  the  extent  to 
which  they  were  sick  of  their  evil  ways,  and  pre- 
pared to  welcome  divine  encouragement  to  turn 
from  them  and  live.     But   that  what    drew  to 
Him  "all  the  publicans  and  sinners  for  to  hear 
Him"  must  have  something  of  this  nature — that  of 
Him  and  Him  alone,  if  we  except  His  like-minded 
Forerunner,  they  saw  clearly  it  could  not  be  said, 
"No  man  careth  for  my  soul" — will  be  evident 
from    the    sequel.     2.  And    the   Pharisees    and 
scribes  murmured,   saying,  This  man  receiveth 
sinners,  and  eateth  with  them.    They  were  scan- 
dalized at  His  procedure,  and  insinuated — on  the 
principle  that  a  man  is  known  by  the  company  Lo 
keeps — that  He  must  have  some  secret  symiiathy 
with  their  character.     But  what  a  truth  of  un- 
speakable preciousness  do  their  lips,  as  on  other 
occasions,   unconsciously  utter!    And  Jesus  will 
show  them  how  divine  the  deed  is.     Here,  accord- 
ingly, follow  three  parables,  illustrating  the  prin- 
ciple on  which  He  drew  them  to  Himself  and 
hailed  any  symptoms  in  them  of  return  to  God. 
The    three  parables,   though   the    same  in  their 
general  impirt,  present  the  sinner  each  of  them 
under  a  different  aspect.      The  first,  as  Bengel 
acutely  and  laconicallj^  remarks,  represents  him, 
in  his  stupidity,  as  a  silly  sheep  going  astray;  the 
second,  like  lost  pro])erty,  as   Unconscious  of  his 
lost  condition;^  the  third,  as  ^  knowinglii  and  wil- 
fully   estranged  from   God.'     The    first    two,    as 
Trench  well  observes,  set  forth  the  seeking  love  of 
God ;  the  last  His  receiving  love. 

The  Parcdile  of  The  Lost  Sheep,  with  the  Moral 
of  it  (3-7).  This  parable  occurs  again,  and  is  re- 
corded in  Matt,  xviii.  12-14;  but  there  it  is  to  show 


The  Parahles  of  the  Lost  Sheep 


LUKE  XV. 


and  the  Lost  Coin. 


3  ceivetli  sinners,  and  '^eatetli  with  them.  And  he  spake  this  parable  unto 
them,  saying, 

4  What  '^man  of  you,  having  an  hundred  sheep,  if  he  ^lose  one  of 
them,  doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the  wilderness,  and  go 

5  after  that  which  is  lost,  until  he  find  it  ?    And  when  he  hath  found  it, 
G  he  layeth  it  on  his  shoulders,  rejoicing.     And  when  he  cometh  home,  he 

calleth  together  his  friends  and  neighbours,  saying  unto  them.  Rejoice 

7  with  me ;  for  I  have  found  my  sheep  -^ which  was  lost.  I  say  unto  you. 
That  likewise  joy  shall  be  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth,  ^more 
than  over  ninety  and  nine  just  persons,  which  need  no  repentance. 

8  Either  what  woman,  having  ten  ^pieces  of  silver,  if  she  lose  one  piece, 
doth  not  light  a  candle,  and  sweep  the  house,  and  seek  diligently  till  she 

9  find /^.?  And  when  she  hath  found  it,  she  calleth  her  friends  and  her 
neighbours  together,  saying,  Rejoice  with  me;  for  I  have  found  the  piece 

10  which  I  had  lost.     Likewise,  I  say  unto  you,  There  is  joy  in  the  presence 

of  the  angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth. 
11,      And  he  said,  A  certain  man  had  two  sons:  and  the  younger  of  them 
12  said  to  his  father,  Father,  give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that  falleth  to  me. 


A.  D.  33. 


"   Acts  U.  3. 

<*  Matt.  18.12. 

"   1  Pet.  2.  25. 

/  1  Pet.  2. 10. 
25. 

^  Pro.  30.  12. 

1  Drachma, 
here  trans- 
la'ed  a 
piece  of 
silver,  is 
the  eighth 
part  of  an 
ounce, 
which 
Cometh  to 
seven- 
pence 
halfpenny, 
and  is 
equal  to 
the  Roman 
penny. 


how  precious  one  of  bis  sheep  is  to  the  good  Shep- 
herd ;  here,  to  show  that  the  shei)herd,  though  it 
sti-ay  never  so  widely,  will  seek  it  out,  and  when 
he  hath  found,  will  rejoice  over  it.  3.  And  he  spake 
this  parable  unto  them,  saying,  4.  What  man  of 
you,  having  an  hundred  sheep,  if  he  lose  one  of 
them,  doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the 
wilderness.  Instead  of  saying,  '  'Tis  but  one ;  let 
it  go;  enough  remain,'  will  he  not  bend  all  his  at- 
tention and  care,  as  it  were,  to  the  one  object  of 
leooveriug  the  lost  sheep?  and  go  after  that 
which  is  lost,  until  he  find  it  ?— pointing  to  all  the 
diversified  means  which  God  sets  in  operation 
for  recovering  sinners,  and  the  patience  and  per- 
severance with  which  He  continues  to  ply  them. 
6.  And  when  he  cometh  home,  he  calleth  together 
his  friends  and  neighbours,  saying  unto  them, 
Rejoice  with  me;  for  I  have  found  my  sheep 
which  was  lost.  It  is  a  beautiful  principle  of  our 
nature,  that  deep  feeling,  either  of  sorrow  or  of 
joy,  is  almost  too  much  for  one  to  bear  alone,  and 
that  there  is  a  feeling  of  positive  relief  in  having 
others  to  share  it.  This  principle  our  Lord  here 
proclaims  to  be  in  operation  even  in  the  divine 
procedure.  7.  I  say  unto  you.  That  likewise  joy 
shall  be  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repent- 
eth, more  than  over  ninety  and  nine  just  per- 
sons, which  need  no  repentance.  It  is  not  angels 
who  are  meant  here  as  needing  no  repentance. 
The  angels'  place  in  these  parables  is  very  differ- 
ent from  this.  The  class  here  meant,  as  needing 
no  repentance,  are  those  represented  by  the  pro- 
diijaVs  well-bf/iaved  brother,  who  have  "  served 
their  Father  many  years,"  and  not  at  any  time 
transgressed  His  commandinent — in  the  outrageous 
sense  of  the  prodigal.  (But  see  on  v.  29,  31.)  In 
other  words,  such  as  hare  grown  up  from  child- 
hood in  the  fear  of  God  and  as  the  shee))  of  His 
pasture.  Our  Lord  does  not  say  "  the  Pharisees 
and  scribes"  were  such;  but  as  there  was  undoubt- 
edly such  a  class,  while  "the  publicans  and  sin- 
ners "  were  confessedly  the  strayed  sheep  and  the 
prodigal  children,  He  leaves  them  to  fill  up  the 
place  of  the  other  class,  if  they  could. 

The  Parable  of  The  Lost  Coin,  with  the  Moral  of 
it  (8-10).  8.  Either  what  woman,  having  ten  pieces 
of  silver,  if  she  lose  one  piece,  doth  not  light  a 
candle,  and  sweep  the  house,  and  seek  diligently 
till  she  find  it?  9.  And  when  she  hath  found 
It,  she  calleth  her  friends  and  her  neighbours 
together,  saying,  Rejoice  with  me;  for  I  have 
found  the  piece  which  I  had  lost.  10.  Likewise— 
288 


that  is,  on  the  same  principle,  there  is  joy  in  the 
presence  of  the  angels  of  God  over  one  sinner 
that  repenteth.  Note  carefully  the  language  here 
employed:  it  is  not,  'joy  among'  or  'on  the  part 
of,'  but  "joy  before"  [evwTTLov]  or  "*?i  the  pre- 
sence of  the  angels  of  God."  True  to  the  idea 
of  the  parables,  it  is  the  Great  Shephei-d,  the 
Great  Owner  Himself,  Whose  properly  tlic  joy  i's 
over  His  own  recorered  property;  but  so  vast 
and  exuberant  is  it  (Zeph.  iii.  17),  that  as  if  He 
could  not  keep  it  to  Himself,  He  "calleth  His 
friends  and  neighbours  together"  —  His  whole 
celestial  family — "  saying,  Rejoice  with  Me,  for 
I  have  found  My  sheep,  I  have  found  My  pro- 
perty, which  was  lost.  In  this  sublime  sense  it  is 
"JOYj"  before  "or  in  the  presence  of  the  angels:" 
they  only  'catch  the  flying  joy,'  sharing  it  with 
Him!  The  application  of  this  to  the  reception 
of  those  publicans  and  sinners  that  stood  around 
our  Lord  is  grand  in  the  extreme:  'Ye  tiu-n 
from  these  lost  ones  with  disdain,  and  because 
I  do  not,  ye  murmur  at  it;  but  a  very  differ- 
ent feeling  is  cherished  in  heaven:  There,  the 
recovery  of  even  one  such  outcast  is  watched  with 
interest  and  hailed  with  joy;  nor  are  they  left  to 
come  home  of  themselves  or  perish  ;  for,  lo  !  even 
now  the  great  Shepherd  is  going  after  His  lost 
sheep,  and  the  Owner  is  making  diligent  search 
for  His  lost  property;  and  He  is  linding  it  too, 
and  bringing  it  back  with  joy,  and  all  heaven  is 
full  of  it.'  Let  the  reader  mark  what  sublime 
claims  for  Himself  our  Lord  covertly  puts  in  here 
—as  if  in  Him  these  outcasts  beheldj  though  all 
unknown  to  themselves,  nothing  less  tlian  Heaven 
disclosing  itself  in  the  habiliments  of  earth,  the 
Great  Shepherd  above,  clothed  in  a  garment  of 
flesh,  come  "to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was 
lost"! 

The  Parable  of  The  Prodigal  Son,  and  the 
Case  of  his  Elder  Brother  (11-32).  11.  And  he 
said,  A  certain  man  had  two  sons :  12.  And  the 
younger  of  them— as  the  more  thoughtless,  said 
to  his  father,  Father,  give  me  the  portion  of 
goods  that  falleth  to  me— weary  of  restraint, 
panting  for  independence,  unable  longer  to  abide 
the  check  of  a  father's  eye.  This  is  man,  impa- 
tient of  divine  control,  desii-ing  to  be  independent 
of  God,  seeking  to  be  his  own  master — that  sin  of 
sins,  as  Trench  well  says,  in  which  all  subsequent 
sins  are  included  as  in  their  germ,  for  they  are  but 
the  unfolding  of  this  one.  And  he  divided  unto 
them  his  living.    Thus  God,  to  use  the  words  of 


The  Parable  of 


LUKE  XV. 


the  Prodigal  Son. 


1  *^ 


14 


And  he  divided  unto  them  ^his  living.  And  not  many  days  after,  the 
younger  son  gathered  all  together,  and  took  his  journey  into  'a  far 
country,  and  there  wasted  his  siibstance  with  riotous  living.  And  when 
he  had  spent  all,  there  arose  a  mighty  famine  in  that  land ;  and  he  began 

15  to  be  in  want.     And  he  went  and  joined  himself  to  a  citizen  of  that 

16  country;  and  he  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed  swine.     And  he  would 
fain  have  filled  his  belly  with  the  husks  that  the  swine  did  eat :  and  no 

17  man  gave  unto  him.     And  when  he  came  to  himself,  he  said,  How  many 
hired  servants  of  my  father's  have  bread  enough,  and  to  spare,  and  I 

18  perish  with  hunger!     I  will -^ arise  and  go  to  my  father,  and  will  say  unto 


A.  D.  33. 

•  Mark  12.44. 
Gen.  6.  5. 
Ps.  81.  12. 
Jer.  2.  6. 
Eom.  1.  21. 
Tit.  3.  3. 
1  Ki.  20.  SO. 
2(_hr.  33.12, 
13. 

Lam.  3.  40. 
Ho3. 14.  3-r. 
Jon.  2.  4. 


the  same  penetrating  and  accurate  expositor  of 
the  parables,  when  His  service  no  longer  appears  a 
perfect  freedom,  and  man  promises  himself  some- 
thing far  better  elsewhere,  allows  him  to  make 
the  trial ;  and  he  shall  discover,  if  need  be  by  sad- 
dest proof,  that  to  depart  from  Him  is  not  to  throw 
off  the  yoke,  but  only  to  exchange  a  light  yoke 
for  a  heavy  one,  and  one  gracious  Master  for  a 
thousand  imperious  tyrants  and  lords.  13.  And  not 
many  days  after — intoxicated  with  his  new-found 
resources,  and  eager  for  the  luxury  of  using  them 
at  will,  lie  took  ills  journey  into  a  far  country — 
away  from  the  paternal  eye,  beyond  all  danger  of 
rebuke  or  interference  from  home,  and  there 
wasted  Ms  substance  with  riotous  living  |  do-wTws] 
—or  'to  the  destroying  of  himself.'  His  brother's 
charge  against  him,  t^iat  he  had  "devoured  his 
father's  living  with  harlots,"  shows  what  is  meant. 
But  ah!  this  reaches  deeper  than  sensuality. 
As  the  whole  story  is  designed  to  set  forth  the  de- 
gi'adation  of  our  sonship,  and  the  prostitution  of 
our  powers  to  purposes  unworthy  of  our  dignity 
and  true  destiny,  we  must  understand  the  language 
as  intended  to  exjiress  all  that  life  of  estrange- 
ment from  God,  self-seeking  and  low  desire 
which  are  common,  in  dilTerent  forms  and  degrees, 
to  all  who  live  "without  God,"  who  "have  their 
])ortiou  in  this  life,"  who  mind  "earthly  things." 
vSo  long  as  his  substance  lasted,  the  inward  moni- 
tor would  be  silenced,  and  the  jirodigal  would 
take  his  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry.  At  times, 
he  would  hear  the  whisper  of  expostulation, 
"Wherefore  do  ye  spend  money  for  that  which  is 
not  bread,  and  your  labour  for  that  which  satis- 
fieth  not?"  (Isa.  Iv.  2).  But  though  his  means 
were  fast  fading,  he  would  say  to  himself,  "The 
bricks  are  fallen  down,  but  we  will  build  with 
hewn  stones ;  the  sycamores  are  cut  down,  but  we 
will  change  them  into  cedars"  (Isa.  ix.  10).  So 
long  as  anything  remained,  he  M'ould  hold  out. 
"Thou  art  wearied  in  the  greatness  of  thy  way: 
yet  saidst  thou  not.  There  is  no  hope :  thou  hast 
found  the  life  of  thine  hand :  therefore  thou  wast 
not  grieved"  (Isa.  Ivii.  10).  14.  And  when  he  had 
spent  all,  there  arose  a  mighty  famine  in  that 
land — a  mysterious  providence  holding  back  the 
famine  till  he  was  in  circumstances  to  feel  it  in 
all  its  rigour.  Thus,  like  Jonah,  whom  the  storm 
did  not  overtake  till  on  the  mighty  deep  at  the 
mercy  of  the  waves,  does  the  sinner  feel  as  if 
"the  stars  in  their  courses  were  fighting  against" 
him  (Jud.  V.  20).  and  he  toegan  to  be  in  want 
— the  first  stage  of  his  bitter  experience,  and  pre- 
paration for  a  change.  15.  And  he  went  and 
joined  himself  to  a  citizen  of  that  country;  and 
he  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed  swine.  His 
pride,  it  seems,  was  not  yet  humbled ;  he  could 
not  brook  the  shame  of  a  return.  Glad  to  keep 
life  in  any  how,  behold  the  son  sunk  into  a  swine- 
herd; among  the  Jews,  to  whom  swine's  flesh 
was  prohibited,  emphatically  vile !  He,  says 
Trench,  who  begins  oy  using  the  world  as  a  ser- 

VOL.    V.  '2Jd 


vant,  to  minister  to  his  pleasure,  ends  by  reversing 
the  relationship.  16.  And  he  would  fain  have 
filled  his  belly  with  the  husks  [Tdu/  KepaTiuiv] 
that  the  swine  did  eat  [kuI  i-!refivfj.£i.  yc/uiVai] — ■ 
rather,  'was  fain  to  fill,'  or  ate  greedily  of  the 
only  food  he  could  get.  These  husks,  or  jjulse- 
pods,  were  in  the  East  the  food  of  cattle  and 
swine,  and  in  times  of  distress  were  the  nourish- 
ment of  the  very  poorest  people,  as  Stler  remarks. 
and  no  man  gave  unto  him— that  is,  no  one 
minded  him,  to  give  him  anything  better  than 
this.  "All  thy  lovers  have  forgotten  thee;  they 
seek  thee  not :  for  I  have  wounded  thee  with 
the  wound  of  an  enemy,  with  the  chastise- 
ment of  a  cruel  one,  for  the  multitude  of  tliine 
iniquity ;  because  thy  sins  were  increased"  (Jer. 
XXX.  14).  This  was  his  lowest  depth :  he  was 
perishing  unpitied;  he  was  alone  in  the  world; 
he  was  ready  to  disappear  from  it  unmissed. 
But  this  is  just  the  blessed  turning-point  — 
the  midnight  before  dawn  of  day.  "Thine  own 
wickedness  shall  correct  thee,  and  thy  backslidings 
shall  reprove  thee :  know  therefore  and  see  that 
it  is  an  evil  thing  and  bitter,  that  thou  hast  for- 
saken the  Lord  thy  God"  (Jer.  ii.  19).  "  The  Lord 
brought  upon  Manasseh's  people  the  captains  of 
the  host  of  the  king  of  AssjTia,  which  took  Ma- 
nasseh  among  the  thorns,  and  bound  him  with 
fetters,  and  carried  him  to  Babylon.  And  when 
he  was  in  affliction,  he  besought  the  Lord  his  God, 
and  humbled  himself  greatly  before  the  God  of  his 
fathers,  and  prayed  unto  Him ;  and  He  was  en- 
treated of  him,  and  heard  his  sui)Xilication,  and 
brought  him  again  to  Jerusalem  into  his  kingdom. 
Then  Manasseh  knew  that  the  Lord  he  was  God" 
(2  Chron.  xxxiii.  11-13;  and  see  2  Chr.  xii.  7,  8). 
17.  And  when  he  came  to  himself— as  if  before  he 
had  been  "beside  himself."  How  truly  does  the 
wise  man  say,  ''''Gladness  is  in  the  heart  of  the 
sons  of  meu  while  they  live,  and  after  that  they 
go  to  the  dead"  (Eccl.  ix.  3).  But  in  what  sense 
men  far  from  God  are  beside  themselves  will 
presently  appear  more  clearly,  he  said,  How 
many  hired  servants  of  my  father's  have  bread 
enough,  and  to  spare,  and  I  perish  with  hunger ! 
What  a  testimony  to  the  nature  of  the  home  he  had 
left !  But  did  he  not  know  all  this  ere  he  departed, 
and  every  day  of  his  voluntary  exile?  He  did, 
and  he  did  not.  His  heart  being  wholly  estranged 
fi-om  home  and  steeped  in  selfish  gratifications,  his 
father's  house  never  came  within  the  range  of  his 
vision,  or  but  as  another  name  for  bondage  and 
gloom.  Now  empty,  desolate,  with ered, peri? hing^ 
home,  with  all  its  peace,  plenty,  freedom,  dignity, 
starts  into  view,  fills  all  his  vision  as  a  warm  and 
living  reality,  and  breaks  his  heart.  18.  I  WILL 
AKISE  AND  GO  TO  MY  FATHER.  The  change 
has  come  at  last,  and  what  a  change ! — couched  in 
terms  of  such  exquisite  simplicity  and  power  as  if 
expressly  framed  for  all  heart-broken  penitents. 
and  will  say  unto  him,  Father,  I  have  sinned 
against  Heaven,  and  before  thee,  19.  And  am 
U 


The  Parable  of 


LUKE  XV. 


the  Prodigal  Son. 


19  him,  Father,  ^I  have  sinned  against  Heaven,  and  before  thee,  and  am  no 
more  wortiiy  to  be  called  thy  son :  make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants. 

20  And  he  arose,  and  came  to  his  father.    But  'when  he  was  yet  a  great  way 
off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  had  compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell  on  his  neck, 

21  and  kissed  him.      And  the  son  said  unto  him,  Fatlier,  I  have  sinned 
against  Heaven,  "'and  in  thy  sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called 

22  thy  son.     But  the  father  said  to  his  servants.  Bring  forth  "the  best  robe, 
and  put  it  on  him ;  and  put  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and  shoes  on  his  feet : 

23  and  bring  hither  the  fatted  calf,  and  kill  it;   and  let  us  eat,  and  be 

24  merry:  for  "this  my  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again;  he  was  lost,  and 
is  found.     And  they  '"began  to  be  merry. 

2.5       Now  his  elder  son  was  in  the  field :  and  as  he  came  and  drew  nigh  to  the 

26  house,  he  heard  music  and  dancing.    And  he  called  one  of  the  servants,  and 

27  asked  what  these  things  meant.     And  he  said  unto  him,  Thy  brother  is 
come;  and  thy  father  hath  killed  the  fatted  calf,  because  he  hath  received 


A.  D.  33. 

*  Lev.  26.  40, 
41. 

1  Ki.  8.  47, 
4S. 
Job  33.  27, 
28. 
'  Isa.  49.  15. 
Acts  2.  39. 
Eph.  2.  13, 
17. 
'"Ps.  51.  4. 
"Matt.-2  11. 
Gal.  3.  27. 
R^.  19.  8. 
"  Kph.  2.  1. 
Kph.  5.  14. 
Col.  I.  13. 
P  Isa.  35  10. 


no  more  wortliy  to  be  called  thy  son :  make  me 
as  one  of  thy  hired  servants.  Mark  the  term, 
"  Father."  Though  "  no  more  xuorthy  to  be  called 
lu3  son,"  the  prodigal  sinner  is  taught  to  claim  the 
de^iraded  and  defiled,  but  still  existing  relationship, 
asking,  not  to  be  made  a  sei'vant,  but  remaining  a 
son  to  be  made  "  as  a  servant,"  willing  to  take  the 
lowest  place  and  do  the  meanest  work.  Ah  !  and 
is  it  come  to  this?  Once  it  was,  '  Any  place  rather 
than  home.'  Now,  '0  that  home!  could  I  but 
dare  to  hope  that  the  door  of  it  would  not  be  closed 
against  me,  how  gladly  should  I  take  any  place 
and  do  auy  work,  ha])py  only  to  be  there  at  all!' 
Well,  that  is  conrerskin — nothing  absolutely  new, 
yet  all  new;  old  familiar  things  seen  in  a  new  light, 
and  for  the  first  time  as  realities  of  overwhelming 
magnitude  and  power.  By  what  secret  super- 
natural power  ui)on  the  heart  this  change  upon  the 
simier's  views  and  feelings  is  effected,  the  parable 
says  not,  and  could  not  say,  without  an  incongru- 
ous and  confusing  mixture  of  the  figure  and  the 
thing  figured — the  humau  story  and  the  spiritual 
reality  couched  under  it.  We  have  that,  how- 
ever, abundantly  elsewhere,  (Phil.  ii.  1,3 ;  1  Cor.  xv. 
10,  &c. )  The  one  object  of  the  parable  is  to  paint 
the  glad  welcome  home  of  the  greatest  sinners, 
when — no  matter  for  the  present  how — they  "arise 
and  go  to  their  father."  20.  And  he  arose,  and 
came  to  his  father.  Many  a  one  says,  "I  will 
arise,"  yet  sits  still.  But  this  is  the  story  of  a  real 
conversion,  in  which  puqiose  is  presently  turned 
into  practice.  But  when  he  was  yet  a  great  way 
oflF,  his  father  saw  him,  and  ran.  O  yes  !  when 
the  face  is  turned  homeward,  though  as  yet  far, 
far  away,  our  Father  recognizes  his  own  child 
in  us,  and  bounds  to  meet  us— not  sajang,  'Let  him 
come  to  me  and  sue  for  pardon  first,'  but  Himself 
taking  the  first  step,  and  fell  on  his  neck,  and 
kissed  him.  What!  In  all  his  filth?  Yes.  In 
all  his  rags?  Yes.  In  all  his  haggard,  shattered 
■wretchedness?  Yes.  "  Our  Father  who  art  in 
heaven,"  is  this  Thy  portraiture  ?  It  is  even  so. 
And  because  it  is  so,  I  wonder  not  that  such  incom- 
parable teaching  hath  made  the  world  new.  ''  Is 
Ephraim  my  dear  son?  Is  he  a  ])leasant  child? 
For  since  I  spake  against  him,  I  do  earnestly 
remember  him  still:  therefore  my  bowels  are 
troubled  for  him;  I  will  surely  have  mercy 
upon  him,  saith  the  Lord"  (Jer.  xxxi.  20).  21. 
And  the  son  said  unto  him,  Father,  I  have 
sinned  against  Heaven,  and  in  thy  sight,  and 
am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son.  This 
humiliating  confession  he  might  have  spared,  if 
his  object  had  been  mere  re-admission  to  the 
advantages  of  the  parental  roof.  But  the  case  de- 
picted is  one  in  which  such  heartless  selfishness 
2.T0 


has  no  jilace,  and  in  which  such  a  thought  would 
be  abhorred.  No,  this  confession  was  uttered,  as 
Trench  well  remarks,  after  the  kiss  of  reconciliation. 
22.  But  the  father  said.  The  son  has  not  said  all 
he  purposed,  but  the  explanation  of  this  given  by 
Trench,  &c.,  apiiears  to  us  to  miss  the  mark— that 
the  father's  demonstrations  had  rekindled  the  filial, 
and  swallowed  ujj  all  servile  feeling.  It  is,  in  our 
jndg'meut,  rather  because  the  father's  heart  is 
made  to  apriear  too  full  to  listen  at  such  a  moment 
to  more  in  tnis  strain,  to  his  servants.  We  know 
who  these  represent,  in  all  the  three  i>arables 
spoken  on  this  occasion:  they  are  "the  angels  of 
God"  {vr.  7-10).  Bring  forth  the  best  robe,  and 
put  it  on  him.  Compare  Zee.  iii.  4,  5,  "And  He 
answered  and  spake  unto  those  that  stood  by,  say- 
ing, Take  away  the  filthy  garments  from  him. 
And  unto  him  he  said,  Behold,  I  have  caused  thine 
inicmity  to  pass  from  thee,  and  1  will  clothe  thee 
with  change  of  raiment.  .  .  And  they  clothed  him 
with  garments.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stood 
by."  See  also  Isa.  Ixi.  10;  Eev.  iii.  18.  and  put  a 
ring  on  his  hand.  Compare  Gen.  xli.  42.  and  shoes 
on  his  feet.  Slaves  went  barefoot.  Thus  have  we 
here  a  threefold  symbol  both  of  freedom  and  of 
honour  as  the  fruit  of  perfect  reconciliation.  23. 
And  bring  hither  the  fatted  calf — kejit  for  festive 
occasions,  and  kill  it ;  and  let  us  eat,  and  be  merry 
—denoting  the  exultation  of  the  whole  household  : 
"  Likewise,  I  say  unto  you,  there  is  joy  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  angels  of  Ciod  over  one  sinner  that 
repenteth"  [ii.  10).  But  though  the  joy  ran  through 
the  whole  household,  it  was  properly  the /«(?/( er's 
matter.  Accordingly  it  is  added,  24.  For  this  my 
son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again;  he  was  lost,  and 
is  found.  Now,  twice  his  son.  "He  was  lost" — 
both  to  his  Father  and  to  himself,  lost  to  his 
Father's  service  and  satisfaction,  lost  to  his  om'u 
dignity,  i^eace,  jirofib.  But  he  "is  alive  again"— 
to  all  these. 

But  what  of  the  elder  brother  all  this  time? 
That  we  are  now  to  see. 

25.  Now  his  elder  son  was  in  the  field — en- 
gaged in  his  father's  business.  Compare  v.  29, 
"  Lo,  these  many  years  do  I  serve  thee."  and  as 
he  came  and  drew  nigh  to  the  house,  he  heard 
music  and  dancing.  26.  And  he  called  one  of  the 
servants.  [The  Stephanie  form  of  the  received 
text  has  "his  servants ;"  but  our  Version  propei-ly 
follows  the  Elzevir  form,  "the  servants,  which 
has  decisive  weight  of  external  evidence,  while  tiie 
internal  evidence  is  even  more  decisive.]  and 
asked  what  these  things  meant.  27.  And  he  said 
unto  him.  Thy  brother  is  come;  and  thy  father 
hath  killed  the  fatted  calf,  because  he  hath 
received  him  safe  and  sound.    28.  And  he  was 


The  Parable  of 


LUKE  XV. 


tlie  Prodigal  Son. 


28  him  safe  and  sound.    And  *  he  was  angry,  and  would  not  go  in  :  therefore 

29  came  his  father  out,  and  entreated  him.  And  he  answering  said  to  his  father, 
Lo,  these  many  years  do  I  serve  thee,  neither  transgressed  I  at  any  time  thy 
commandment;  and  ''yet  thou  never  gavest  me  a  kid,  that  I  might  make 

30  merry  with  my  friends :  but  as  soon  as  this  thy  son  was  come,  which  hath 
devoured  thy  living  with  harlots,  thou  hast  killed  for  him  the  fatted  calf. 
And  he  said  unto  him.  Son,  thou  art  ever  with  me,  and  all  that  I  have 
is  thine.  It  Svas  meet  that  we  should  make  merry  and  be  glad :  for  this 
thy  brother  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again ;  and  was  lost,  and  is  found. 


31 


A.  D.  33. 


iSatn  n.2^. 
Isa.  65.  5. 
Jon.  4.  1-.3, 
Acts  11.  2. 
Matt.  20.11 

12. 

Ps.  .SI.  R. 
Isa.  35.  10. 
Jon.  4.  II). 
Eom.  15.  0- 

12. 


angry,  and  would  not  go  in :  therefore  came  his 
father  out,  and  entreated  him.  As  it  is  the 
elder  brother  who  now  errs,  so  it  is  the  same 
paternal  comimssloyi  wliich  had  fallen  on  the  neck 
of  the  younger  that  comes  forth  and  pleads  with 
the  elder.  "  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children, 
so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him"  (Ps.  ciii. 
13).  29.  And  he  answering  said  to  his  father, 
Lo,  these  many  years  do  I  serve  thee,  neither 
transgressed  I  at  any  time  thy  commandment. 
These  last  words  are  not  to  be  pressed  beyond 
their  manifest  intention  —  to  express  the  con- 
stancy of  his  own  love  and  service  as  a  son  to- 
wards his  father,  in  contrast  with  the  conduct  of 
his  brother.  So  Job,  when  resenting  the  charge  of 
liypocrisy,  brought  against  him  by  his  friends, 
speaks  as  if  nothing  whatever  could  be  laid  to  his 
charge:  "When  he  hath  tried  me,  I  shall  come 
forth  as  gold,"  &c.  (Job  xxiii.  10-12).  And  David 
too  (Ps.  xviii.  20-24);  and  the  Church,  in  a  time 
of  persecution  for  righteousness'  sake  (Ps.  xliv. 
17-22).  And  the  father  in  the  secjuel  of  this 
parable  [v.  31)  attests  the  truth  of  his  son's  jiro- 
tcstation.  and  yet  thou  never  gavest  me  a 
kid — 'I  say  not  a  calf,  but  not  even  a  /•/(/,'  that 
I  might  make  merry"  with  my  friends.  Here  lay 
liis  misapprehension.  It  was  no  entertainment  for 
the  gratification  of  the  prodigal :  it  was  a  father's 
expression  of  the  joy  he  felt  at  his  recovery.  30. 
But  as  soon  as  this  thy  son  was  come,  which 
hath  devoured  thy  living  with  harlots,  thou  hast 
killed  for  him  the  fatted  calf.  Mark  the  un- 
worthy reflection  on  the  common  father  of  both, 
implied  in  these  expressions  —  ''^  thy  son,"  ''^  thy 
living ;"  the  one  brother  not  only  disowning  the 
other,  but  flinging  him  back  upon  his  father,  as  if 
he  should  say,  'If  such  be  the  emotions  which  his 
return  awakens,  take  him,  and  have  joy  of  him  ! ' 
31.  And  he  said  unto  him.  Son,  thou  art  ever  with 
me,  and  all  that  I  have  is  thine.  The  father 
resents  not  the  insult — how  could  he,  after  the 
largeness  of  heart  which  had  kissed  the  returning 
prodigal?  He  calmly  expostulates  with  him,  '  Son, 
listen  to  reason.  What  need  for  special,  exuberant 
joy  over  thee?  Saidst  thou  not,  'Lo,  these  many 
years  do  I  serve  thee"?  Wherefore  tlieu  set  the 
whole  household  a  rejoicing  over  thee  ?  For  thee 
is  reserved  ichat  is  h if/her  still— the  tranquil  life- 
long satisfaction  of  thy  father  in  thee,  as  a  tinie- 
liearted  faithful  son  in  thy  father's  house;  nor  of 
the  inheritance  reserved  for  thee  is  aught  alienated 
by  this  festive  and  fitting  joy  over  the  once  fool- 
ish but  now  wise  and  newly  recovered  son.'  32. 
It  was  meet  that  we  should  make  merry  and 
be  glad:  for  this  thy  brother  was  dead,  and 
is  alive  again;  and  was  lost,  and  is  found. 
Should  he  simyily  take  his  long-vacant  place  in 
the  family,  without  one  special  sign  of  wonder 
and  delight  at  the  change?  _  Would  that  have 
been  nature?  But  this  being  the  meaning  of 
the  festivity,  it  would  for  that  very  reason  be 
temporary,  in  time,  the  dutif illness  of  even  the 
younger  son  would  become  the  law  and  not  the 
e.>-ception:  he  too  at  length  might  venture  to  say, 
201 


"Lo,  these  many  years  do  I  serve  thee;"  and  of 
him  the  father  would  say,  "Son,  thou  art  ever 
with  me."  And  then  it  would  noi  be  "meet  that 
they  should  make  merry  and  be  glad"— as  at  his 
first  return. 

Remarks. — 1.  The  estrangement  of  the  human 
spirit  from  God  is  the  deepest  and  most  universal 
malady  of  our  nature.  It  may  take  the  form  either 
of  impatience  of  divine  authority  or  of  want  of 
sympathy  with  the  things  wherein  He  delighteth. 
But  important  as  is  the  distinction  between  these 
two  forms  of  estrangement  from  God,  they  natu- 
rally run  into  each  other,  and  are  inseparable. 
In  placid  and  amiable  natures,  what  shows  it- 
self chiefly  is  disrelish  of  spiritval  thinos.  This 
may  not  take  any  active  form,  and  in  that  case 
it  is  only  perceptible  in  the  heart's  entire  satisfac- 
tion toithout  God.  No  fellowship  with  Him,  or 
even  thought  of  Him,  is  necessary  to  such.  They 
get  on  perfectly  well,  and  even  better,  when  every 
such  thought  is  away.  This  is  truly  a  godless 
life,  but  it  is  the  life  of  many  of  the  most  at- 
tractive and  accomplished  members  of  society. 
In  young  men  it  is  apt  to  take  the  form  of  dislike 
of  the  restraints  which  divine  authority  imposes, 
and  a  desire  to  get  free  from  them.  But  in  all, 
it  is  the  same  malady  at  bottom,  with  which  our 
fallen  nature  is  smitten.  2.  The  extent  to  which 
men  go  from  God  varies  as  much  as  men  them- 
selves; but  the  freedom  they  assert  in  this  con- 
dition is  but  bondage  under  another  name.  3. 
It  is  not  every  discovery  of  the  folly  and  bitter- 
ness of  departure  from  God  that  will  move  the 
heart  to  retrace  its  steps ;  often  matters  go 
from  bad  to  worse  before  any  decisive  change  is 
resolved  on ;  and  in  most  cases  it  is  only  when 
the  soul  is  brought  to  extremities  that  it  says 
in  earnest,  "I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father." 
And  when,  upon  so  doing,  we  are  welcomed 
back,  and  feel  the  bond  that  binds  us  to  our 
Father  even  firmer  and  dearer  than  if  we  had 
never  departed,  we  find  ours  to  be  just  such 
a  case  as  the  sweet  PsalmLst  of  Israel  sings  of: 
"Such  as  sit  in  darkness,  and  in  the  shadow 
of  death,  being  bound  in  affliction  and  iron ;  be- 
cause they  rebelled  against  the  words  of  God, 
and  contemned  the  counsel  of  the  ISIost  High : 
therefore  he  brought  do^vn  their  heart  \\itli 
labour:  they  fell  down,  and  there  was  none  to 
help.  Then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord  in  their 
trouble,  and  he  saved  them  out  of  their  distresses. 
He  brought  them  out  of  darkness  and  the  shadow 
of  death,  and  brake  their  bands  in  sunder:— O 
that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness, 
and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of 
men!"  (Ps.  cvii.'  10-15.)  4.  The  pardon  of  sin  is 
absolutely  gratuitous,  and  reaches  down  to  the 
lowest  depths  of  estrangement  from  God  and 
rebellion  against  his  precepts.  The  one  thing 
required  is  to  "  arise  and  go  to  our  Father."  "  Go 
and  proclaim  these  words  toward  the  north,  and 
say.  Return,,  thou  backsliding  Israel,  saith,  the 
Lord;  aud  I  will  not  cause  mine  anger  to  fall  upon 
you:    Only   acknowledge   thine  iniquity,   and    I 


The  Parable  of 


LUKE  XVI. 


the  Unjust  Steward. 


16      AND  he  said  also  unto  his  disciples.  There  was  a  certain  "rich  man 
which  had  a  steward ;  and  the  same  was  accused  unto  him  that  he  had 

2  wasted  liis  goods.     And  he  called  him,  and  said  unto  him,  How  is  it  that 
I  hear  this  of  thee?  give  an  account  ''of  thy  stewardship;  for  thou  mayest 

3  be  no  longer  steward.     Then  the  steward  said  within  himself,  What  shall 
I  do  ?  for  my  lord  taketh  away  from  me  the  stewardship :  I  cannot  dig ; 

4  to  beg  I  am  ashamed.     I  am  resolved  what  to  do,  that,  when  I  am  put 
out  of  the  stewardship,  they  may  receive  me  into  their  houses. 

5  So  he  called  every  one  of  his  lord's  debtors  unto  him,  and  said  unto  the 
G  first,  How  much  owest  thou  unto  my  lord?    And  he  said.  An  hundred 

^measures  of  oil.     And  he  said  unto  him,  Take  thy  bill,  and  sit  down 


A.  D.  33. 

CHAP.  16. 
"  Ps.  24.  1. 

b  Matt.  12. 3S. 
Rom.  14  12. 

1  The  word 
Batus,  in 
the  original, 
containeth 
nine  gal- 
lons three 
quarts. 
Ezek.46. 10, 
11,  14. 


will  not  cause  mine  anger  to  fall  upon  thee. "  5. 
The  sense  of  reconciliation  to  God,  instead  of 
checking,  only  deepens  the  grief  of  the  pardoned 
believer  for  the  sin  that  has  been  forgiven :  "That 
thou  mayest  remember,  and  be  confounded,  and 
never  open  thy  mouth  any  more  because  of 
thy  shame,  when  I  am  pacified  toward  thee 
for  all  that  thou  hast  done,  saith  the  Lord  God." 
(Ezek.  xvi.  63).  'True  repentance,'  says  Dr. 
Owen,  'waters  a  free  pardon  with  tears,  detests 
forgiven  sin,  and  aims  at  the  ruin  of  that  which 
we  are  assured  shall  never  ruin  us.'  6.  The  deeper 
sunk  and  the  longer  estranged  from  God  any  sin- 
ner is,  the  more  exuberant  is  the  joy  which  his 
recovery  occasions.  All  heaven  is  represented  as 
ringing  mth  it,  while  he  himself  breaks  forth  into 
such  songs  as  these — "  He  brought  me  up  out  of  a 
horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry  clay,  and  set  my  feet 
upon  a  rock,  and  established  my  goings.  And  He 
hath  put  a  new  song  into  my  mouth,  even  praise 
unto  our  God :  Many  shall  see  it,  and  fear,  and 
trust  in  the  Lord"  (Fs.  xl.  2,  3).  But,  7.  This  joy 
over  returning  prodigals  is  7iot  the  portion  of  those 
whose  whole  lives  have  been  spent  in  the  service 
of  their  Father  in  heaven.  Yet,  instead  of  gi'udg- 
ing  the  want  of  this,  they  should  deem  it  the  high- 
est testimony  to  their  life-long  fidelity,  that  some- 
thing better  is  reserved  for  them— the  deep,  abid- 
ing complacency  of  their  Father  in  heaven.  8.  In 
giving  such  an  iaterpretation  of  the  parable  of  the 
Prodigal  Son  as,  in  our  judgment,  bears  consis- 
tency with  all  Scriitture  truth  on  its  face,  we  have 
not  adverted  to  interpretations  which  seem  to  us 
to  miss  the  mark.  The  notion  of  not  a  few,  that 
the  younger  son  represents  the  Gentiles,  who  early 
sti'ayed  from  God,  and  the  elder  the  Jews,  who 
abode  true  to  Him,  is  rejected  by  the  best  exposi- 
tors; and  no  wonder,  since  the  jjublicans  and  sin- 
ners, whose  welcome  back  to  God  is  illustrated  by 
the  recei^tiou  of  the  prodigal,  were  Jews  and  not 
Gentiles.  Clearly  this  parable  has  to  do,  not  with 
nationalities,  but  with  classes  or  characters.  But 
most  interpreters — even  such  as  Trench — misap- 
prehend, we  think,  almost  entirely  the  truth  in- 
tended to  be  taught  by  the  conduct  of  the  elder 
son — who,  he  thinks,  represents  a  form  of  legal 
righteousness,  not  altogether  false,  but  low;  who 
has  been  kept  by  the  law  from  gross  offences,'  &c. 
Let  the  reacier  judge  whether  this  interpretation, 
or  that  which  we  have  given  is  the  more  consistent 
and  eligible.  9.  Was  ever  teaching  like  this  heard 
on  earth?  Did  even  the  Mouth  that  spake  as 
never  man  spake  utter  such  words  of  grace  to  the 
vilest— for  fulness  and  melting  tenderness  of  love — 
on  any  other  recorded  occasion?  This  is  the  Gos- 
^lel  within  the  Gospel,  as  it  has  been  well  called;  and 
it  will  stand,  while  the  world  lasts,  an  evidence 
which  no  unsophisticated  mind  can  resist,  that  He 
who  uttered  it  must  have  come  forth  from  the  very 
l^osom  of  the  Father  to  declare  it,  and  that  him 
that  cometh  to  Him  He  will  in  no  wise  cast  out. 
292 


CHAP.  XVL  1-31.— The  Parable  of  the 
Unjust  Steward,  and  Further  Teaching  sug- 
gested BY  IT— The  Parable  of  the  PacH  Man 
and  Lazarus.  No  indication  is  given  of  the  time 
and  occasion  of  these  two  iiarables — as  usual  in 
this  portion  of  our  GospeL  (See  opening  remarks 
on  ch.  ix.  51.)  But  they  appear  to  be  in  their  natu- 
ral order  after  the  preceding,  and  a  certain  distant 
connection  with  them  has  been  traced. 

Tlie  Parable  of  the  Unjust  Steicard  (1-9).  This 
parable  has  occasioned  more  discussion  and  diver- 
sity of  opinion  than  all  the  rest.  But  judicious 
interpreters  are  now  jiretty  much  agreed  as  to  its 
general  import.  1.  And  he  said  also  unto  his  dis- 
ciples— not  the  Twelve  exclusively,  but  His  fol- 
lowers in  the  wider  sense :  There  was  a  certain 
rich  man — denoting  the  Great  Lord  of  all,  "the 
most  high  God,  Possessor  of  heaven  and  earth," 
which  had  a  steward  [oIkovo/xov] — the  manager  of 
his  estate ;  representing  all  who  have  gifts  divinely 
committed  to  their  tricst,  and  so  answering  pretty 
nearly  to  the  "servants"  in  the  parable  of  the 
Talents,  to  whom  were  committed  their  lord's 
"goods."  and  the  same  was  accused  [oie/3/\iit)ij] 
unto  him  that  he  had  wasted  his  goods  [omo-Kop- 
TTi'^coy]  —  rather,  'was  wasting  his  goods.'  Tlie 
word  signihes  to  '  scatter,'  and  so  to  waste.'  In- 
formation to  this  effect  was  lodged  with  his  master. 
2.  And  he  called  him,  and  said  unto  him,  How  is  it 
that  I  hear  this  of  thee  ?  An  d  thus  does  God  from 
time  to  time — now  by  startling  providences,  and 
now  in  the  secret  whispers  of  conscience — charge 
home  its  abuse  of  gifts,  and  manifold  guilt,  very 
sharply  upon  the  soul,  give  an  account  of  thy 
stewardship  —  render  up  whatever  has  been 
entrusted  to  thee,  that  I  may  transfer  it  to 
other  hands,  for  thou  mayest  he  no  longer 
steward.  3.  Then  the  steward  said  within  him- 
self, What  shall  I  do  ?  for  my  lord  taketh  away 
from  me  the  stewardship.  His  guilt  is  tacitly  ad- 
mitted, and  his  one  question  now  is,  what  is  to  be- 
come of  him  ?  I  cannot  dig — brought  up  as  I  have 
been  to  higher  work ;  to  beg  I  am  ashamed — his 

Eride  could  not  stand  that.  "What,  then,  was  to 
e  done  to  prevent  starvation  ?  4.  I  am  resolved 
what  to  do,  that,  when  I  am  put  out  of  the 
stewardship,  they  may  receive  me  into  their 
houses — 'in  grateful  return  for  the  services  I  am 
going  to  do  thena.'  Thus  his  one  object  was,  when 
cast  out  of  one  home  to  secure  another.  This  will  be 
found  to  be  the  great  lesson  of  the  parable. 

5.  So  he  called  every  one  of  his  lord's  debtors 
unto  him,  and  said  unto  the  first,  How  much 
owest  thou  unto  my  lord?  6.  And  he  said.  An 
hundred  measures  of  oil  [pa-rous].  The  word  indi- 
cates a  prodigious  debt.  And  he  said  unto  him, 
Take  thy  hill,  and  sit  down  quickly— the  business 
being  urgent,  and  write  fifty — 'write  a  receipt  for 
only  half  that  quantity :  the  master,  to  be  sure, 
will  be  defrauded,  but  he  will  never  discover  it,  and 
thus  half  your  debt  is  at  once  wiped  out.'    7.  Then 


The  Paraule  of 


LUKE  XVI. 


the  Unjust  Steward. 


7  quickly,  and  write  fifty.  Then  said  he  to  another,  And  how  much  owest 
thou?    And  he  said.  An  hundred  ^ measures  of  wheat.    And  he  said  unto 

8  him,  Take  thy  bill,  and  write  fourscore.  And  the  lord  commended  the 
unjust  steward,  because  he  had  done  wisely:  for  the  children  of  this 
world  are  in  their  generation  wiser  than  ''the  children  of  light. 

9  And  I  say  unto  you,  ''Make  to  yourselves  friends  of  the  ^mammon_  of 
unrighteousness ;  that,  when  ye  fail,  they  may  receive  you  into  everlasting 


A.  D.  33. 

-  About 

fourteen 

bushels 

and  a 

pottle. 
"  Johnl2.3G. 
d  ch.  11.  41. 
3  Or,  riches. 


said  he  to  another,  And  how  much  owest  thou  ? 
And  he  said,  An  hundred  measures  {Kopov^]  of 
wheat — also  a  heavy  debt.  And  he  said  unto  him, 
Take  thy  hill,  and  write  fourscore— or  a  fifth  less 
than  the  actual  debt.  There  is  nothing  of  spiritual 
significance  in  these  amounts.  _  They  represent 
merely  the  shrewdness  with  which  the  steward 
dealt  -with  each  debtor,  with  sole  reference  prob- 
ably to  the  greater  or  less  ability  of  each  to  render 
a  grateful  return  to  himself  when  cast  upon  the 
world.  8.  And  the  lord — that  is,  the  steward's 
lord,  as  he  is  expressly  called  in  w,  3,  5,  com- 
mended the  unjust  steward — not  the  injustice  of 
the  steward;  for  what  master  would  praise  his 
servant  for  defrauding  him?  but  he  commended 
the  man,  because  he  had  done  wisely  [</)poviV(os] — 
'shrewdly,'  'sagaciously,'  'prudently ;' with  com- 
mendable promptitude,  foresight,  and  skilful  adap- 
tation of  means  to  end:  for  "  men  will  praise  thee 
when  thou  doest  well  to  thyself"  (Ps.  xlix.  18):  for 
— this,  now,  is  the  reflection  of  the  glorious  Speaker 
of  the  parable,  the  children  of  this  world  are  in 

their  generation  [ek  n';//  yeveav  ti]V  eauTuiv] — 
rather,  'for  their  own  generation;'  that  is,  for 
the  purposes  of  their  own  kind,  or  sort,  or  class ; 
their  own  sphere  of  interest  and  action,  wiser 
[(i>povLnuiTepoi\ — 'shrewder'  than  the  children  of 
[the]  light  [t-oO  (^jojto's].  Let  us  examine  this 
most  weighty  saying.  It  divides  all  men,  ac- 
cording to  the  all-pervading  doctrine  of  Scrip- 
ture,  into  two  gi-eat  classes.     The  one  is  called 

"The     children    of     this     WOKLD"    \rov   alwvo^ 

rovrou]  —  (see  on  Eph.  ii.  2),  meaning  what  we 
call  worldlings.  The  Psalmist,  after  calling  this 
class  "men  of  this  world,"  gives  the  following 
striking  definition  of  what  he  means — "who 
have  their  portion  in  this  life'^  (Ps.  xvii.  14);  and 
of  the  same  class  the  apostle  says,  they  "mind" 
[<ppouovvT€?]  or  'are  taken  up  with,'  "earthly 
things"  (Phil.  iii.  19).  Their  whole  ambition, 
whether  their  inclinations  be  grovelling  or  refined, 
is  bounded  by  the  present  sphere,  and  they  have  no 
taste  for  anjrthiug  beyond  it.  The  other  class  are 
beautifully  called  "The  children  of  light,"  as 
being  the  offspring  of  supernatural  heavenly  teach- 
ing, for  "God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine 
out  of  darkness,  hath  shined  in  our  hearts,  to  give 
the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in 
the  face  of  Jesus  Christ"  ('2  Cor.  iv.  6).  "While 
ye  have  the  Light  [to  j^oIs],  believe  in  the  light, 
that  ye  maybe  the  childi-en  of  light"  (John  xii. 
36).  "Ye  are  all  the  children  of  the  light  and  of 
the  day"  (1  Thess.  v.  5).  See  also  Eph.  v.  8,  And 
yet,  though  the  latter  class  are  to  the  former  as 
superior  as  light  is  to  darkness,  the  children  of 
this  world  have  in  one  point  the  advantage 
of  the  children  of  light  —they  excel  them  in  tlie 
shrewdness  with  which  they  prosecute  their  pro- 
lier  business.  It  is  not  that  they  are  more  truly 
Avise ;  but  that  in  their  own  sphere  they  display  a 
sagacity  which  the  children  of  light  may  well  emu- 
late, and  should  strive  to  outdo.  Their  sphere  is 
indeed  a  wretched  enough  one.  But  let  the  chil- 
dren of  light  observe  what  a  definite  and  firm 
grasp  they  take  of  the  objects  at  which  they  aim; 
how  shrewdly  they  adapt  their  means  to  their  ends, 
and  with  what  untiring  energy,  determination, 
293 


and  perseverance  they  prosecute  their  purposes. 
All  tliese  are  wasted,  to  be  sure,  on  perisnable  ob- 
jects and  in  fleeting  enjoyments.  Spiritual  and 
eternal  realities  are  a  region  they  never  penetrate 
—the  new  life  is  an  air  they  never  breathe,  an 
undiscovered  world,  an  unborn  existence:  they 
know  nothing,  sympathize  with  nothing,  live  for 
nothing  but  "their  own  generation.']  But  why 
should  such  excel  the  children  of  light  in  anything? 
This  is  exactly  what  our  Lord  here  says  they  should 
not;  and  in  giving  forth  this  parable  He  would 
stir  up  our  jealousy  to  roll  away  that  reproach — 
just  as  on  another  occasion  He  sends  us  for  les- 
sons of  this  same  "wisdom"  to  venomous  "ser- 
pents" (Matt.  X.  16). 

Further  Teaching sxiggestedhy  this  Para^ile  (9-lS). 
Having  laid  down  the  great  general  principle,  that 
'  it  is  not  enough  to  have  a  high  and  holy  sphere  of 
action,  but  there  must  be  such  a  discreet  and  deter- 
mined prosecution  of  its  objects  as  the  chikb-en  of 
this  world  so  much  excel  in'— our  Lord  now  comes 
to  particulars ;  and,  first,  to  that  point  of  wisdom 
which  the  parable  most  directly  illustrates.  9.  And 
I  say  unto  you,  Make  to  yourselves  friends  of  [th] 
—rather,  '  out  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteous- 
ness —  that  is,  by  the  help  of  it.  The  word 
"mammon"  [iiafj.wvcii\ — on  which  see  on  Matt. 
vi.  24  —  stands  here  just  for  those  riches  which 
the  children  of  this  world  idolize,  or  live  supremely 
for ;  and  it  is  called  "  the  mammon  of  unrighteous- 
ness," or  "the  unrighteous  mammon"  (r.  11), 
apparently  because  of  the  unrighteous  abuse  of  it 
which  so  prevails.  The  injunction,  then,  is  to 
this  effect :  '  Turn  to  your  own  highest  advantage 
those  riches  which  the  unrighteous  so  shamefully 
abuse,  in  the  spirit  of  that  forecasting  sagacity 
which  this  unjust  steward  displayed,'  that  when 
ye  fail  [orai/  eKXiiniTe] — that  is,  in  respect  of  life: 
a  remarkable  exijression,  but  suggested  here,  as 
we  think,  from  a  certain  analogy  which  our  depar- 
ture from  this  world  has  to  the  hrealcing  up  of 
the  steward's  comfortaVjle  condition,  and  his 
being  forced  to  quit,  [Lachmann  and  Tregelles, 
retaining  the  same  aoristic  tense,  adopt  the  sin- 
gular EKX'nn) — '  when  it  has  failed;'  while  Tischen- 
dorf  prefers  the  present  tense,  eKKeiirij,  also  in  the 
singular — 'when  it  fails.'  Meyer  and  Alford,  too, 
decide  in  favour  of  the  singular,  for  which  the 
authority  is  perhaps  greater  than  for  the  ijlural  of 
the  received  text.  But  even  if  we  should  have  to 
adopt  this  reading,  the  sense  must  be  held  the 
same;  we  must  still  understand  our  Lord  to 
speak,  on  that  supposition,  of  the  failure  of 
mammon  solely  by  our  removal  from  the 
present  scene.]  they  may  receive  you  —  that 
is,  the  "friends"  ye  make  by  the  mammon  of 
unrighteousness,  into  everlasting  habitations — 
into  "mansions"  more  durable  than  this  steward 
was  welcomed  into  when  tm'ned  out  of  doors. 
But  how  are  these  friends  to  receive  us  into  ever- 
lasting habitations  ?  By  rising  up  as  witnesses  of 
what  we  did  in  theii-  behalf  for  Jesus'  sake. 
Thus,  the  only  difference  between  this  view  of  the 
saints'  admission  to  heaven  and  that  in  our  Lord's 
grand  description  of  the  Last  Judgment  (Matt. 
XXV.  34-40)  is,  that  there  ChristHimself  as  Judge 
speaks  for  them,  in  the  character  of  omniscient 


Christ  reproveth  the  hypocrisy 


LUKE  XVI. 


of  the  covetous  Pharisees. 


10  liabitations.     He  Hliat  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least  is  faithful  also  in 

11  much;  and  he  that  is  unjust  in  the  least  is  unjust  also  in  much.  If 
therefore  ye  have  not  been  faithful  in  the  unrighteous  *  mammon,  who  will 

12  commit  to  your  trust  the  -^ true  richest  And  if  ye  have  not  been  faithful 
in  that  which  is  another  man's,  who  shall  give  you  that  which  is  your  own  ? 
No  ^servant  can  serve  two  masters :  for  either  he  will  hate  the  one,  and 
love  the  other;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the  one,  and  despise  the  other. 
Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon. 

And  the  Pharisees  also, ''who  were  covetous,  heard  all  these  things: 
and  they  derided  him.  And  he  said  unto  them.  Ye  are  they  which 
^justify  yourselves  before  men;  but  God  -^knoweth  your  hearts :  for  ^"that 
which  is  highly  esteemed  among  men  is  abomination  in  the  sight  of 

16  God.     The  'Law  and  the  Prophets  icere  until  John:  since  that  time  the 

17  kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and  every  man  presseth  into  it.  And  '"^it 
is  easier  for  heaven  and  earth  to  pass,  than  one  tittle  of  the  Law  to  fail. 

18  Whosoever  "i3uttetli  away  his  wife,  and  marrieth  another,  committeth 
adultery :  and  whosoever  marrieth  her  that  is  put  away  from  her  husband 
committeth  adultery. 


13 


14 
15 


A.  D.  33. 

"  MaU.25.i!l, 

ch.  19.  ir. 
*  Or,  riches. 
/  Eph.  3.  8. 

i!ev.  3  18. 
B  Matt.  6.  24. 
''  A'att.23.14. 
i  ch.  10.  29. 

ch.  11. 39, 10. 

Jas.  2.  21- 
25. 
!   Ps.  7.  9. 

Jer.  17.  10. 

Rev.  2.  23. 
«••  1  Sam.  16.7. 

Jas.  4.  4. 
'  Matt.  11. 12. 
"'  Ps.  102.  26, 
27. 

Isa.  40.  8. 

Isa.  51.  6. 

1  Pet.  1.  25. 
"  1  Cor.  7.  10. 


Si>ectator  of  their  acts  of  beneficence  to   "His 
brethren  ;"  while  here,  these  brethren  of  Jesus  are 
supjjosed  to  be  the  speakers  in  their  behalf.    There, 
Christ  say.s,  ''  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  Me 
meat ;"  for  "  inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  the  least 
of  these  my  brethren,  ye  did  it  unto  me."    Here, 
these  least  of  Christ's  brethren  themselves  come 
forward,  o:ie  after  another,  saying,  '  I  was  hungry, 
and  that  dear  saint  gave  me  bread;'  'and  I  was 
naked,  and  that  other  saint  clothed  me;'  'and 
I  was  sick,   and  that  saint  there  paid  me  such 
heavenly  visits;'  'and  I  was  in  prison  for  Thy 
name's  sake,  but  that  fearless  one  came  luito  me, 
and  was  not  ashamed  of  my  chain.'     'And  they 
did  it  unto  Thee,    Lord!'      "Come,  then,"    will 
the   Kiu^  say    unto    them,    "ye  blessed   of  My 
Father,   inherit  the  kingdom  prei)ared    for    you 
from  the  foundation  of  the  workL"     'Thus,  like 
this    steward    (so    teaches     Jesus     here),    when 
tiu-ned  out  of  one  home  shall  ye  secure  another; 
but  better  than  he,  a  heavenly  for  an  earthly,  an 
everlasting  for  a  temporary  habitation.'    Money 
is  not  here  made  the  key  to  heaven,  more  than 
"  the  deeds  done  in  the  body''  in  general,  accord- 
ing to  which,  as  a  test  of  character— not  by  the 
merit  of  which — men  are  to  be  judged  (2  Cor.  v.  10). 
See  on  Matt.  xxv.  31-40,  with  the  corresponding 
Remarks  at  the  c.jse  of  that  Section.     10.  He  that 
is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least  is  faithful  also 
in  much;  and  he  that  is  unjust  in  the  least  is 
unjust  also  in  much.    A  maxim  of  great  pregnancy 
and   value ;    advancing   now    from    the   prudence 
which  the  steward  had,  to  the  fidelity  which  he 
li;id  not;  to  that    ^'' harnilessness  of  the  dove"  to 
which  "the  serpent,"  with  all  his  "'  tvindom"  or 
subtilty  is  a  total  stranger.     But  what  beai'iug  has 
this  maxim  on  the  subject  of  our  i)arable  ?    A  very 
close  connection.     'As  for  me  (some  would  say)  I 
have  too  little  of  "the  unrighteous  mammon"  to 
be  much  interested  in  tliis  jiarable.'      'You  are 
wrong,'  is  the  reply:    'That  is  the  speech  of  the 
slothful  servant,  who,  because  he  A^'as  entrusted 
with  but  one  talent  by  his  master,  went  and  hid 
it  in  the  earth  instead  of  using  it.     Fidelity  de- 
pends not  on  the  amount  entrusted,   br.t  on  the 
sense  of  responsibiUtii.     He  that  feels  this  in  little 
will  feel  it  in  much,  and  conversely.'     11.  If  there- 
fore ye  have  not  been  faithful  in  the  unrighteous 
mammon — or,  "the  mammon  of  unrighteousness" 
(".  9),  who  will  commit  ta  your  trust  the  true 
riches  ?— tliat  which  makes  one  truly  rich,   the 
riches  of  the  kingdom  ubuvc.    12.  And  if  ye  have 
224 


not  been  faithful  in  that  which  is  another  man's 

— the  pecuniary  and  other  earthly  means  which 
are  but  lent  us,  aud  must  be  held  at  best  as 
only  entrusted  to  us.  Who  shall  give  you  that 
which  is  your  own  ?  This  verse  gives  an  im- 
portant tiu'u  to  the  subject.  Here  all  we  have  is 
on  trust  as  stewards,  who  have  an  account  to 
render.  Hereafter,  Avliat  the  faithful  have  will  be 
their  oiun  property,  being  no  longer  on  probation, 
but  in  secure,  uudisturbed,  rightful,  everlasting 
possession  and  enjoyment  of  all  that  is  graciously 
bestowed  on  us.  Thus  money  is  neithertobe  idolized 
nor  despised:  we  must  sit  loose  to  it,  but  use  it 
for  God's  glory.  No  servant  can  serve— or,  he 
entirely  at  the  command  of  two  masters.  This  is 
true  even  where  there  is  no  hostility  between 
them:  how  much  more  where  they  are  in  deadly 
opposition  !  for  either  he  will  hate  the  one,  and 
love  the  other ;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the  one, 
and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and 
mammon.  This  shows  that  the  two  masters  here 
intended  are  such  as  are  in  uncomproniising  hos- 
tility to  each  other.  (See  on  the  same  saying  in 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  Matt.  vi.  24.) 

14.  And  the  Pharisees  also,  who  were  covetous, 
heard  all  these  things:  and  they  derided  him. 
[iZmxvKTvpiX,ov] — sneered  at  Him;  their  master,  sin, 
being  too  iilainly  struck  at.  But  it  w;i.s  easier  to  ridi- 
cule than  to  refute  such  teaching.  15.  And  he  said 
unto  them,  Ye  are  they  which  justify  yourselves — 
make  a  show  of  righteousness  before  men;  but 
God  knoweth  your  hearts :  for  that  which  is  highly 
esteemed  among  men — ^^•ho  are  easily  carried  away 
by  plausible  ai)iiearances  (see  1  Sum.  xvi.  7;  and 
ch.  .xiv.  11),  is  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God — 
who.  Himself  true,  loathes  all  hypocrisy.  16.  The 
Law  and  the  Prophets  were  until  John:  since 
that  time  the  kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and 
every  man  pressoth  into  it.  'While  publicans 
and  sinners  are  eagerly  pressing  into  the  kingdom 
of  God,  ye,  interested  aclherents  of  the  mere  forms 
of  an  economy  which  is  passing  away,  "  discerning 
not  the  signs  of  this  time,"  are  allowing  the  tide 
to  go  past  you,  and  wUl  be  found  a  stranded 
monument  of  blindness  and  oljstinacj'.'  17.  And 
it  is  easier  for  heaven  and  earth  to  pass, 
than  one  tittle  of  the  Law  to  fail.  See  on 
Matt.  v.  17,  IS.  18.  Whosoever  putteth  away 
his  wife,  and  marrieth  another,  committeth 
adultery:  and  whosoever  marrietli  her  that  is 
put  away  from  her  husband  committeth  adul- 
tery.    See  on  Matt.  xix.  3-9.     Far  from  intend- 


The  Parable  of  the 


LUKE  XVI. 


F/.ch  Man  and  Lazarus. 


19  There  WcOS  a  certain  rich  man,  wliich  was  clothed  in  purple  and  fine 

20  linen,  and  fared  sumptuously  every  day:  and  tliere  was  a  certain  beggar 

21  named  Lazarus,  which  was  laid  at  his  gate,  "full  of  sores,  and  desiring  to 
be  fed  with  the  crumbs  which  fell  from  the  rich  man's  table :  moreover 

22  the  dogs  came  and  licked  his  sores.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  the 
beggar  died,  and  ''was  carried  by  the  angels  into  Abraham's  "^ bosom  :  the 

23  rich  man  also  died,  and  was  buried ;  and  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes, 
being  in  torments,  and  seeth  Abraham  afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in  his  bosom. 

24  And  he  cried  and  said.  Father  Abraham,  have  mercy  on  me,  and  send 
Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water,  and  'cool  my 

25  tongue;  for  I  ^am  tormented  in  this  flame.  But  Abraham  said,  Son, 
'remember  that  thou  in  thy  lifetime  receivedst  thy  good  things,  and 
likewise  Lazarus  evil  things:   but  now  he  is  comforted,  and  thou  art 


A.  D  33. 

"  Heb.  a.  37. 
P  Fs   34.  7. 

Ps    91.    10, 
12. 

Ps   103.  20. 

Heb  I.  14. 

Jas  2.  6. 
9  Matt,  8.  It. 
•■  Zee.  14.  12. 
'   Isa   C6.  24. 

in  ark  9.  44. 

Heb.  10.31. 
«  Job  21. 13. 

1  s.  17.  14. 

Ch.  6.  24. 
I\om.  8.  7. 


ing  to  weaken  the  force  of  the  law,  by  these  allu- 
sions to  a  new  economy,  our  Lord  only  sends  home, 
in  this  unexpected  way,  its  high  requirements  with 
a  pungency  which  the  Pharisees  would  not  fail  to 
feeL 

The  Parahle  of  the  Rich  Man  and  Laarus 
(lO-Sl).  This  parable,  being  precisely  the  converse 
of  the  former,  was  evidently  spoken  immediately 
after  it,  and  designed  to  complete  the  lesson  of 
The  Right  Use  of  Riches.  As  the  steward  made 
himself  friends  out  of  the  mammon  of  uurighte- 
ousueps,  so  this  rich  man  made  himself,  out 
of  the  same  mammon,  an  enemy  —  in  the 
person  of  Lazarus  —  of  a  kind  to  make  the 
ears  of  every  one  that  heareth  it  to  tingle. 
As,  by  acting  for  eternity,  in  the  spirit  of  this 
steward  for  time,  the  friends  we  thus  make  will 
on  our  removal  from  this  scene  "receive  us 
into  everlasting  habitations,"  so  by  acting,  even 
while  professing  to  be  Christians,  in  the  spirit  of 
this  rich  man,  the  enemies  we  thus  make  will  rise 
up  to  shut  us  out  for  ever  from  the  mansions  of  the 
blest.  Such  is  the  striking  connection  between 
these  two  parables.  This  last  one,  however,  is 
altogether  of  a  higher  order  and  deeper  signiti- 
cauce  than  the  former.  The  thin  v^eil — of  exclusion 
from  one  earthly  liome  only  to  be  followed  by  ad- 
mission into  others  equally  earthly — is  thrown  off"; 
and  the  awful  bearing  of  the  use  we  now  make  of 
the  mammon  of  unrighteousness  upon  our  eternal 
state  is  presented  before  the  eye  in  the  light  of 
the  eternal  flames,  insomuch  that  the  luritl  glare 
of  the  scene  abides  with  even  the  most  cui'sory 
re.ider. 

19.  There  was  a  certain  ricli  man  ["kudfiwrro-i  Ri 
Tis].  The  connecting  particle  should  not  have 
been  omitted  here — '  But  there  was  a  certain  rich 
man;'  in  contrast  with  the  man  of  the  former 
parable :  wliich  was  clotlied  in  purple  and  fine 
linen  (See  Esth.  viii.  15 ;  Rev.  xviii.  12),  and  fared 
sumptuously  every  day— wanting  for  nothing 
which  appetite  craved,  and  taste  fancied,  and 
money  could  procure.  20.  And  there  was  a  certain 
b3ggar  nam9d  Lazarus— equivalent  to  the  Old 
Testament  Elea-.er.  The  naming  of  this  precious 
saint  adds  much  to  the  liveliness  of  the  picture ; 
but  to  conclude  from  this  that  the  story  was 
founded  on  fact,  is  going  rather  far.  Cases  of  this 
heartless  nature  are,  alas,  but  too  common  every- 
where, whicli  vras  laid  at  his  gate.  So  he  had  to 
be  carried  and  laid  down  at  it.  full  of  sores — open, 
running  sores,  which,  as  appears  from  the  next 
verse,  had  not  been  closed,  nor  bound  up,  uormol- 
liliod  with  ointment  (Isa.  i.  G).  21.  And  desiring 
to  be  fed  [^kirL^uixwu  x^praa^Tjuai]  With  the  criimbs 
which  fell  from  the  rich  man's  table.  The  mean- 
ing may  either  be  (as  in  ch.  xv.  IG),  that  '  he  was 
fain  to  feed'  or  'glad'vfed,'  as  A 'ford,  Webster 
205 


and  Wilkinson,  &c.,  take  it;  or  he  'desired  to  be 
fed,'  but  was  not:  so  Grotins,  Ben;,el,  Meyer, 
Trench,  &c.,  understand  it.  The  context  seems 
rather  to  favour  this  latter  view,  moreover  the 
dogs  came  and  licked  his  sores— a  touching  act  of 
brute  pity  in  the  absence  of  human  relief.  Thus 
have  we  here  a  case  of  heartless  indifference, 
amidst  luxuries  of  every  kind,  to  one  of  God's 
poorest  and  most  afflicted  ones,  presented  daily 
before  the  view.  22.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  the 
beggar  died,  and  was  carried  by  the  angels  into 
Abraham's  bosom -as  if  he  had  been  seen  reclin- 
ing next  to  him  at  the  heavenly  feast  (see  on  ch. 
vii.  9).  the  rich  man  also  died,  and  was  buried. 
The  burial  of  the  beggar  was  too  unimportant  to 
mention;  but  it  is  said,  "the  rich  man  died,  and 
was  buried" — his  carcase  borne  in  iiomp  to  its 
earthly  resting-place.  23.  And  in  hell  he  lifted  up 
his  eyes  [ei^  Tfj^  ao?;] — not  the  final  region  of  tlie 
lost,  for  which  another  word  is  used  [■ye'cwa]  (Mark 
ix.  4;j,  45,  47,  &c.),  but  what  we  call  'the  unseen 
world.'  Yet  since  the  olyect  here  is  certainly  to 
depict  the  lohole  torment  of  the  one  and  the  perfect 
bliss  of  the  other,  it  comes  in  this  case  to  much 
tlie  same  thing,  being  in  torments,  and  seeth 
Abraham  afar  off— quite  beyond  his  reach,  yet  not 
beyond  his  view,  and  Lazarus  in  his  bosom.  24. 
And  he  cried  and  said,  Father  Abraham— a  well- 
founded  but  unavailing  claim  of  natural  descent 
(see  ch.  iii.  8;  John  viii.  37),  have  mercy  on  me 
— 'Have  mercy  on  me  who  never  showed  any 
mercy  to  my  tello\v-men.'  Not  daring  to  cry  to 
God,  he  apf)lies  in  his  desperation  to  one  who 
has  no  iiowor  to  help  him.  and  send  Lazarus 
—the  pilling  victim  of  his  merciless  neglect,  that 
he  may— do  what?  take  him  out  of  that  place 
of  torment?  Is'o,  that  he  presumes  not  to  ask ; 
but  merely,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  Ms 
finger  in  water,  and  cool  my  tongue;  for  I  am  tor- 
mented in  this  flame.  What  does  this  wretched 
man  ask?  He  asks  the  least  conceivable  and  the 
most  momentary  abatement  of  his  torment — that  is 
all.  But  even  that  is  denied  him,  for  two  awfully 
Aveighty  reasons.  First,  iT  is  unreasonable. 
25.  But  Abraham  said,  Son— a  stinging  acknow- 
ledgment this  of  the  naturcd  relationship  to  him 
which  he  had  claimed :  remember  that  thou  in 
thy  lifetime  receivedst  thy  good  things,  and  like- 
wise Lazarus  evil  things:  but  now  he  is  com- 
forted, and  thou  art  tormented.  As  it  is  a  great 
law  of  God's  kingdom  that  'the  nature  of  our  pres- 
ent desires  shall  rule  that  of  our  future  bliss,'  so 
by  that  law,  he  whose  "good  things,"  craved  and 
enjoyed,  were  all  bounded  by  time,  could  look  for 
none  after  his  connection  with  time  had  come  to 
an  end  (see  ch.  vi.  24).  But  by  the  same  law,  he 
whose  "  evil  things,"  all  croMded  into  the  present 
life,  di-ove  him  to  seek,  and  find,  consolation  in  a 


The  Parable  of  the 


LUICE  XVI. 


Tdch  Man  and  Lazarus. 


26  tormented.     And  besides  all  this,  between  us  and  you  there  is  "a  great 
gulf  fixed:  so  that  they  which  would  pass  from  hence  to  you  cannot; 

27  neither  can  they  pass  to  us,  that  icould  come  from  thence.     Then  he  said, 
I  pray  thee  therefore,  father,  that  thou  wouldest  send  him  to  my  father's 

28  house:   for  I  have  five  brethren;  that  he  may  testify  unto  them,  lest 

29  they  also  come  into  this  place  of  torment.     Abraham  saith  unto  him, 

30  ^They  have  Moses  and  the  Prophets;  let  them  hear  them.     And  he  said. 
Nay,  father  Abraham :  but  if  one  went  unto  them  from  the  dead,  they 


2  Thes,  1. 

9. 
Isa  8.  20. 
Isa  3i.  i<i. 
John  5.  39, 

45. 

Acts  1.5  21. 
Acts  17.  U. 
2  Tim.  3  1.5. 


life  beyond  the  grave,  is  by  death  released  from  all 
evil  and  ushered  into  unmixed  and  uninterrupted 
good.  See  ch.  vi.  21.  But  secondly,  it  is  impos- 
.siBLE.  26.  And  toesides  all  tMs— independently  of 
this  consideration,  between  us  and  you  there  is  a 
great  gulf  fixed :  so  that  they  which  would  pass 
from  hence  to  you  cannot ;  neither  can  they  pass 
to  us,  that  would  come  from  thence.  'By  an 
irrevocable  decree  there  has  been  established 
[ea-TjipiKTai]  a  vast  impassable  abyss  between 
the  two  states  and  the  occupants  of  each.'  27. 
Then  he  said — now  abandoning  all  hope,  not 
only  of  release  but  relief  for  himself,  and  direct- 
ing his  thoughts  to  others,  I  pray  thee  there- 
fore, father,  that  thou  wouldest  send  him  to  my 
father's  house :  28.  For  I  have  five  brethren ;  that 
he  may  testify  unto  them,  lest  they  also  come 
into  this  place  of  torment.  There  is  here  no 
waking  up  of  good  in  the  heart  of  the  lost,  but, 
as  Trench  acutely  remarks,  bitter  reproach  against 
God  and  the  old  economy,  as  not  having  warned 
him  sufficiently.  Abraham's  answer  rolls  back 
the  reproach  with  calm  dignity,  as  unmerited: 
'They  are  sufficiently  warned.'  29.  Abraham 
saith  unto  him.  They  have  Moses  and  the  Pro- 
phets ;  let  them  hear  them.  Still  this  does  not 
satisfy.  30.  And  he  said,  Nay,  father  Abraham — 
giving  him  the  lie,  but  if  one  went  unto  them 
from  the  dead,  they  will  repent.  What  a  reply 
now  is  given  to  this,  shutting  up  the  dialogue 
where  it  ought  to  close — when  nothing  more  remains 
to  be  said  on  the  one  hand,  and  nothing  can 
be  replied  on  the  other.  31.  And  he  said  unto 
him.  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  Prophets, 
neither  will  they  be  persuaded  though  one  rose 
from  the  dead.  A  principle  of  awful  magnitude 
and  importance.  The  greatest  miracle  will  have 
no  effect  on  those  who  are  determined  not  to  be- 
lieve. A  real  Lazarus  soon  "  i-ose  from  the  dead;" 
but  the  sight  of  him  by  crowds  of  peoitle,  who 
were  thereby  drawn  so  far  towards  Christ,  only 
croAvned  the  unbelief  and  hastened  the  murderous 
plots  of  the  Pharisees  against  the  Lord  of  glory; 
nor  has  His  own  resurrection,  far  more  over- 
liowering,  yet  won  over  that  'crooked  and  per- 
verse nation. " 

Remarks. — 1.  The  parable  of  the  Unjust  Steward 
has  this  in  common  with  the  Parable  of  the 
Talents  (Matt.  xxv.  14-30),  that  both  represent 
all  we  possess  as  a  sacred  Ti~iist  committed  to  us; 
for  the  right  use  of  which  we  are  responsible; 
and  the  actual  use  made  of  which  shall  go  to 
determine  our  eternal  state.  But  in  the  Parable 
of  the  Talents  the  trust  intended  comprehends 
all  endowments  whatsoever  that  may  be  turned  to 
the  service  of  Christ;  here  it  is  money  alone,  the 
love  of  which  is  the  root  of  all  evil  (1  Tim.  vi.  10), 
and  whose  slaves  and  worshiijpers  were  among  the 
audience  to  which  it  was  addressed  {v.  13,  14). 
There,  the  talents  are  to  be  used  for  the  Master's 
interest ;  here,  the  immediate  object  is  to  enforce 
such  a  use  of  money  as  may  promote  our  oxon  in- 
terest in  the  highest  sense  of  it.  Thus,  the  same 
general  subject  has  different  aspects,  which,  though 
consistent,  are  not  to  be  confounded.  2.  Let  us 
296 


ponder  the  Lord's  weighty  saying,  that  the  children 
of  this  world  are  in  their  generation  wiser  than 
the  children  of  light.     'These  religious  people  (me- 
thinks  I  hear  some  supercilious  observer  of  Chris- 
tians say — so  very  impartial  as  to  be  "neither  cold 
nor  hot")  may  be  all  very  good,  but  they  have 
small  common  sense;  their  principles  are  fine — most 
unexceptionable — but  they  are  wonderfully  airy : 
they  somehow  want  the  substance  of  things  earthly; 
they  cannot  be  gi'asped ;  and  even  those  who  make 
so  much  of  them  go  about  them  in  so  unbusiness- 
like a  fashion,  and  with  so  little  of  the  shrewdness 
and  energy  we  are  used  to  in  common  matters, 
that  one  may  be  excused  for  not   surrendering 
himself  to  such  notions,  and  resting  contented  with 
those  general  views  which  commend  themselves 
to  every  one,  and  about  which  there  is  no  dispute.' 
This  witness  is  true:  spiritual  things  are  all  too 
airy  for  such  persons;  they  have  substance  only  to 
faith  here,  and  of  that  they  have  none :   Theirs  is 
a  world  of  sense;  the  things  which  are  seen  are 
their  sphere;  and  right  easily  are  tliey  grasped,  and 
all  congenial  to  the  natiu-al  man :  in  hunting  after 
them  they  go  with  the  stream — to  which  the  remon- 
strances of  conscience  and  of  Scripture  oppose  but 
a  feeble  barrier.     No  wonder,  then,  that  shrewd- 
ness is  stamped  upon  all  that  is  done   in  this 
sphere,  and  no  thanks  for  it  to  them  and  theirs. 
But  ours  is  a  world  of  faith  and  hope;  and  hope 
that  is  seen  is  not  hope ;  for  what  a  man  seeth, 
why  doth  he  yet  hope  for?   but  if  we  hope  for 
that  we  see  not,  then  do  we  with  patience  wait 
for  it.     We  know  Whom  we  have  believed ;    we 
have  made  our  choice,  and  mean  to  abide  by  it, 
nor  will  it  ever  be  taken  from  us.     Nevertheless, 
we  stand  rebuked.     '  Thou  hast  said  too  much 
truth  of  us,  thou  cold,  supercilious  critic  of  our  poor 
Christianity,  but  our  gracious  Master  said  it  before 
thee.     We  thank  thee  not,  but  we  thank  Him, 
and  mean,  with  His  help,  to  wijie  away  this  re- 
proach.'   And  now,  will  not  my  Christian  readers 
try  to  do  it?     We  know  very  well  it  is  because 
the   things    of   this    present    world    are    "seen" 
that  they  are  more  vividly  aiiprehended,  and  so 
—all  "temiioral,"  though  they  be — more  iiower- 
fully  grasped,  than  the  things  which  are   "not 
seen,"  even  though  they  be  "eternal."    We  know 
full  well  how  keenly  we  feel  the  one,  and  how 
languidly  the  other;  what  sacritices  of  time  and 
strength,  yea,  what  risks  of  life  itself  men  will 
readily  incur-,  to  promote  their  temporal  interests, 
and  liow  little  of  all  this  even  the  children  of  God 
will  go  tlirough  Avith  for  those  which  are  eternal. 
But  as  our  Lord  holds  this  up  as  a  reproach,  and 
here  sends  us  to  the  worldling  for  wisdom — even 
as  the  sluggard  is  sent  to  the  ant  for  acti^dty — let 
us  not  rest  in  explanations  of  the  fact,  but  rather 
strive  to  reverse  it.     What  we  want  from  the  men 
of  the  world  is  not  so  much  their  shrewd  manage- 
ment of  affau's,  as  that  vivid  apprehension  of  our 
own   sphere  which  shall    convert   our  world    of 
faith  into  substance  and  sense  to  us;  then  shall 
we  have  grasp  enough  and   energy  enough;    for 
"this  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world, 
even    our  faith."     Vet    along   with    this  —  as    in 


Tlie  Parable  of  the 


LUKE  XVI. 


Tiich  Man  and  Lazarus. 


31  will  repent.  And  he  said  unto  him,  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the 
Prophets,  '^neither  will  they  he  persuaded  though  one  rose  from  the 
dead. 


'  John  Vi  10. 
2  Cor.  4.  3. 


temporal  things  —  habits  of  steady  vigilance  and 
activity  have  much  to  do  with  success  in  sjiii-itual 
things;  and  this  parable  will  not  have  produced 
its  proper  fruit  till  the  children  of  light,  ashamed 
of  being  excelled  in  anything  for  eternity  by  the 
worldly  wisdom  of  the  children  of  tliis  world, 
sliall  bend  their  efforts  to  rise  above  them  in  all 
such  things,  commanding  its  respect  and  compelling 
its  admiration  for  this  superiority.  "If  any  of 
you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  who  givetli 
to  all  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall 
be  given  him  ( Jas.  i.  5).  3.  This  and  similar  por- 
tions of  Scripture  have  been  so  sad.ly  abused  to  sup- 
port the  fatal  doctrine  of  the  merit  of  good  works, 
and  especially  of  charity  to  the  poor  and  needy, 
that  not  a  few  Christians  have  been  scared  away 
from  such  scriptures,  and  are  little  aware  what  a 
test  of  character  at  the  great  day  will  be  the  use 
they  make  of  the  pecuniary  means  with  which  they 
are  entrusted.  Should  any  say.  That  can  hardly 
apply  to  those  who  have  so  little  of  this  world's  goods 
as  I  nave,  let  them  consider  whether  they  are  not 
acting  the  unprofitable  servant  in  the  parable  of 
the  Talents,  who,  because  his  lord  had  given  him 
but  one  talent,  went  and  hid  it  in  the  earth ;  and 
let  them  remember  the  pregnant  and  comprehen- 
sive maxim,  "He  that  is  faithful  in  the  least  is 
faithful  also  in  much,  and  he  that  is  unfaithful  in 
the  least  is  unfaithful  also  in  much."  4.  How 
entirely  is  the  diviuest  teaching  thrown  away  upon 
those  who,  like  the  Phai-isaic  portion  of  our  Lord's 
audience,  are  resolved  not  to  part  with  the  sinful 
courses  Avhich  it  exposes  and  condemns !  But  the 
"  derision"  of  those  "  covetous"  Pharisees  at  such 
teaching  as  that  of  this  Section  was  the  best 
evidence  of  its  power.  5.  In  the  parable  of  the 
rich  man  and  Lazarus,  were  the  poverty  and  dis- 
ease of  this  dear  saint  of  God  so  extreme  as  is  here 
represented,  and,  to  add  to  all,  when  laid  down  at 
the  rich  man's  gate,  in  hope  of  at  length  moving 
his  compassion,  is  he  represented  as  dying  just  as 
he  Avas  ?  Then,  let  no  one  so  interpret  the  promises 
of  divine  compassion  and  provision  for  tne  godly 
poor  as  to  think  that  they  may  not  be  left  to  live 
and  die  as  poor  and  as  neglected  of  men  as  this 
Lazarus.  But  neither  let  God's  providence  be 
maligned  on  this  account,  until  we  know  how 
He  deals  with  the  spirits  of  such.  Did  we  know 
what  unseen  ministrations  of  angels  He  sends 
then'L  and  with  what  seasons  of  nearness  to  Him- 
self He  favours  them,  in  the  absence  of  human 
consolation,  with  what  light  He  irradiates  their 
darkness,  how  out  of  weakness  He  makes  them 
strong,  and  how  in  patience  and  hope  He  makes 
them  to  possess  their  souls— giving  them  "songs 
in  the  night,"  unknown  to  the  prosperous  even  of 
His  owu  children  (Rev.  xiv.  3) — we  should  per- 
haps change  our  mind,  and  be  almost  tempted  to 
envy  "Lazarus"  with  all  his  miseries.  As  he 
looked  at  the  sycophantish  visitors  who  went  in 
and  out  of  the  rich  man's  gate,  regardless  of  him, 
methinks  I  hear  him  saying  with  the  sweet  singer 
of  Israel,  "There  be  many  that  say.  Who  will  show 
us  any  good?  Lord,  lift  thou  up  the  light  of  Thy 
countenance  upon  us :  Thou  hast  put  gladness  in 
my  heart  more  than  in  the  time  when  their  corn 
and  their  wine  increased.  Deliver  my  soul  from 
the  wicked,  from  men  of  the  world,  which  have 
their  portion  in  this  life,  and  whose  belly  Thou 
tillest  with  Thy  hid  treasure :  As  for  me,  I  shall 
behold  Thy  face  in  righteousness  ;  I  shall  be  satis- 
fied, when  I  wake,  with  Thy  likeness"  (Ps.  iv.  6,  7 ; 
297 


xvii.  13-15).  And  see  him  at  last :  Those  angels 
are  not  ashamed  of  his  poverty,  nor  repelled 
aw*ay  by  his  sores.  His  wasted  skeleton — to  inen 
a  sightless  carcase — is  to  them  beautiful  as  the 
shrine  of  a  redeemed  spirit ;  and  that  sj  )irit  is  moi  e 
beautiful  still,  in  its  resemblance  to  God,  its  like- 
ness to  themselves,  its  meetness  for  glory.  They 
hover  over  the  beggarly  habitation,  and  surround 
the  mean  pallet,  and  watch  the  last  effort  of  the 
spirit  to  break  away  from  its  falling  tenement, 
that  at  the  appointed  hour  they  may  convey  it  in 
triumph  to  its  celestial  home.  0  that  men — that 
even  Christians — would  judge  less  by  the  outward 
appearance,  and  try,  like  the  Lord,  to  look  ujion 
the  heart !  6.  And  how  beautiful  is  the  view  here 
given  us  of  the  ministrations  of  angels,  especially 
at  the  death-bed  of  the  saints.  Often  do  they  tell 
us,  they  see  them  waiting  for  them  and  smiling 
on  them.  They  are  ready  to  stretch  out  their 
arms  to  them,  to  signify  their  readiness  at  that 
moment  to  be  taken  uj)  by  them ;  and  they  ask  us, 
sometimes,  if  we  do  not  see  them  too.  Of  course 
we  don't,  for  we  live  in  a  world  of  sense.  But  they 
are  then  leaving  it;  it  has  all  but  closed  upon 
them,  and  they  are  getting  within  the  precincts  of 
heaven.  Who,  then,  shall  say  that  they  see  not 
what  is  hid  from  us;  and  since  what  they  affirm 
they  see  is  only  what  is  here  represented  as  a  real- 
ity, who,  with  this  parable  before  him,  shall  say 
that  such  sights  are  but  the  fruit  of  a  distempered 
imagination,  a  picture  of  the  fevered  or  languid 
brain?  7.  How  frequently  do  the  terrors  of  hell 
recur,  and  how  terrific  are  the  representations 
given  of  it, in  the  teaching  of  our  Lord!  Here, 
its  unutterable  and  inconceivable  horrors  are  de- 
picted with  a  vividness  altogether  astonishing.  And 
the  unreasonableness  and  im])ossibility  of  the  sliyld- 
est  and  hriejest  abatement  of  them,  which  is  here 
proclaimed  as  from  the  other  world  itself,  only 
completes  the  representation.  And  mark  how 
this  unreasonableness  is  grounded  wholly  on  the 
life  and  conduct  of  the  lost  in  the  present  world — 
rendering  any  change  in  their  condition  in  eternity 
as  hopeless  as  their  being  able  to  undo  their  past 
life  by  living  over  again  and  acting  otherwise. 
Need  it  be  asked  whether  the  peryetuity  of  hell- 
torments,  and  the  character  of  them  too — as  but 
the  natural  develoi3ment  and  fitting  termination 
of  a  life  of  ungodliness — could  be  more  emphati- 
cally taught?  8.  Though  we  are  not  to  prisss  the 
language  of  the  parables  unduly,  does  it  not  seem 
a  legitimate  inference  from  the  whole  strain  of 
this  Parable,  that  the  lost  will,  as  an  aggravation 
of  their  torment,  in  some  way  or  other,  either 
see  the  bliss  of  the  saved  in  heaven,  or  have  such  a 
vivid  knowledge  of  what  it  is  as  will  amount  to 
a  kind  of  sight?  And  are  not  those  other  words 
of  Christ  confirmatory  of  this?  "Ye  shall  see 
Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  all  the 
prophets,  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  you  your- 
selves thrust  out"?  (ch.  xiii.  28).  9.  Nowhere  is 
the  sufficiency  of  revealed  truth  in  general,  and 
of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  in  particular, 
for  all  the  purposes  of  salvation,  so  emphatically 
stated  as  by  our  Lord  in  the  closing  verses  of  this 
chapter,  who  xmts  it  into  the  mouth  of  Abraham 
from  the  unseen  world.  Men  are  fain  to  believe 
that  if  they  had  this  or  that  evidence  which 
they  have  not,  they  would  repent  and  be  con- 
verted. And  because  they  are  not  startled  into 
faith — because  their  impenitence  is  not  over- 
powered  by   resistless    occurrences — they   think 


Discourse  on  Offences, 


LUKE  XVII. 


Faith,  and  Humility. 


17      THEN  said  he  unto  the  disciples,  "It  is  impossible  but  that  offences 

2  will  come:  but  ''woe  unto  him  through  whom  tliey  come!  It  were  better 
for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  he  cast  into  the 

3  sea,  than  that  he  should  offend  one  of  these  little  ones.  Take  heed  to 
yourselves:  "^ If  thy  brother  trespass  against  thee,  ''rebuke  him;  and  if  he 

4  repent,  "forgive  him.  And  if  he  trespass  against  thee  seven  times  in  a 
day,  and  seven  times  in  a  day  turn  again  to  thee,  saying,  I  repent ;  thou 
shalt  forgive  him. 

5,      And  the  apostles  said  unto  the  Lord,  Increase  our  faith.     And  -^the 
G  Lord  said.  If  ye  had  faith  as  a  gi-ain  of  mustard  seed,  ye  might  say  unto 

this  sycamine  tree,  Be  thou  plucked  up  by  the  root,  and  be  thou  planted 

in  the  sea ;  and  it  should  obey  you. 

7  But  which  of  you,  having  a  servant  plowing  or  feeding  cattle,  will  say 
unto  him  by  and  by,  when  he  is  come  from  the  field,  Go  and  sit  down  to 

8  meat?  And  will  not  rather  say  unto  him,  Make  ready  wherewith  I  may 
sup,  and  gird  th5^self,  ''and  serve  me,  till  I  have  eaten  and  drunken;  and 

9  afterward  thou  shalt  eat  and  drink  ?    Doth  he  thank  that  servant  because 

10  he  did  the  things  that  were  commanded  him?  I  trow  not.  So  likewise 
ye,  when  ye  shall  have  done  all  those  things  which  are  commanded  you, 
say.  We  are  ''unprofitable  servants:  we  have  done  that  which  was  our 
duty  to  do. 

11  And  it  came  to  pass,  'as  he  went  to  Jerusalem,  that  he  passed  through 


A.  D.  33. 


CHAP.  n. 

"  Matt.  18.  6, 
7. 

Mark  9.  42. 

1  Cor  11.19. 
»  2  Thes.  1.6. 
"  Matt.  18.15. 
d  Lev.  19.  17. 

Pro.  17.  10. 

Jas.  5.  19. 
'  1  Cor.  13.  4. 

Col.  3.  12. 
/  Matt.  17.20. 

Matt.n.2l. 

Mark 9  23. 

Mark  11  23. 
"  ch.  12.  37. 
''  Job  22.  3. 

Job  35.  7. 

Ps.  IC.  2. 

Matt  25.  .';7- 
40. 

Pom.  3.  12. 

Eom.  11.35. 

1  Cor  9.  16. 

Phiie.  11. 
•  Luke  9.  51. 

John  4.  4. 


there  will  be  some  excuse  for  them  if  at  last 
they  are  found  iiuchangecL  But  the  Lord  here 
shuts  us  absolutely  up  to  the  revealed  Woed, 
as  God's  ordained  means  of  all  saving  effect 
upon  the  heart  and  life.  (See  2  Pet.  i.  19 ;  John 
V.  39,  46,  47;  xviL  17.)  And  if  this  be  true, 
ueed  we  add,  that  the  riijJd  and  the  duty  of 
aU  to  "search  the  Scriptures,"  and  the  apostasy 
from  a  Scripture  foundation  of  any  Church  that 
would  prohibit  the  general  searching  of  them— as 
the  Church  of  Rome  does  —  follow  by  necessary 
consequence  ? 

CHAP.  XVII.  1-19.— Further  Discourse  ON 
Offences,  Faith,  and  Humility.— Ten  Lepers 
Cle.insed. — Whether  this  was  delivered  in  con- 
tinuation of  what  is  recorded  in  the  i)receding 
chapter,  it  is  impossible  to  say ;  but  probably  it 
came  close  upon  it. 

Offences  (1-4).  1,  2.  Then  said  he  unto  the 
disciples,  It  is  impossible  but  that  offences, 
&c.  It  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone, 
&c.  See  on  Mark  ix.  42.  3.  Take  heed  to 
yourselves  —  Guard  your  s])irit:  If  thy  brother 
trespass  against  thee,  rebuke  him;  and  if  he 
repent,  forgive  him.  4.  And  if  he  trespass 
against  thee  seven  times  in  a  day,  and  seven 
times  in  a  day  turn  again  to  thee,  saying,  I 
repent;  thou  shalt  forgive  him— that  is,  'however 
often;'  seven  being  the  number  of  completeness. 
8o  that  tliis  is  not  a  lower  measure  of  forgiving 
love  than  the  "seventy-times  seven  times"  was, 
enjoined  upon  Peter;  for  that  was  merely  because 
I'eter  had  asked  if  he  was  to  stop  at  seven  times — 
to  which  the  reply  was,  '  No,  not  though  it  should 
come  to  seventy  times  that  number.'  Sec  on  Matt, 
xviii.  21,  22. 

Faith  (5,  6).  5.  And  the  apostles  said  unto  the 
Lord  (see  on  Luke  xi.  1),  Increase  our  faith. 
What  i^rompted  so  peculiar  a  jietitioii?  No  doubt 
the  felt  difficulty  of  carrying  into  effect  such  holy 
direction.? — the  difficulty  first  of  avoiding  offences, 
and  next  of  forgiving  them  so  divinely.  This 
is  the  only  instance  in  which  a  spiritual  operation 
upon  their  souls  Avas  solicited  of  Christ  by  the 
Iwelve;  but  a  kindred  and  even  higher  jirayer 
had  been  offered  to  Him  before,  by  oue  with  far 
298 


fewer  opportunities,  which  in  all  likelihood  first 
suggested  to  them  this  prayer.  See  on  Mark  ix.  24, 
and  Remark  3  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  6.  And 
the  Lord  said.  If  ye  had  faith  as  a  grain  of  mus- 
tard seed,  ye  might  say  unto  this  sycamine— or 
mulberry  tree,  Be  thou  plucked  up  by  the  root, 
and  be  thou  planted  in  the  sea;  and  it  should 
obey  you.  See  on  Mark  xi.  22-24,  and  Remark  3 
at  the  close  of  that  Section. 

Humility  (7-10).  7.  But  which  of  you,  having  a 
servant  plowing  or  feeding  cattle,  will  say  unto 
him  by  and  by— or  'directly'  leicc'tos]— when  he 
is  come  from  the  field,  Go  and  sit  down  to  meat  ? 
By  this  way  of  arranging  and  pointirg  the  words, 
the  sense  is  obscured.  It  would  be  clearer  thus : 
'Which  of  you,  having  a  servant  ploughing  or 
feeding  cattle,  will  say  unto  him,  when  he  is  come 
from  the  field,  Go  directly,  and  sit  down  to  meat.' 
8.  And  will  not  rather  say  unto  him.  Make  ready 
wherewith  I  may  sup,  and  gird  thyself,  and  serve 
me,  till  I  have  eaten  and  drunken;  and  after- 
ward thou  Shalt  eat  and  drink?  9.  Doth  he  thank 
that  servant  because  he  did  the  things  that  were 
commanded  him?  I  trow  not  [oi  cokw\—ot  as  we 
say,  when  much  more  is  meant,  '  I  p)resume  not,' 
or  '  I  should  think  not.'  10.  So  likewise  ye,  when 
ye  shall  have  dene  all  those  things  which  are 
commanded  you,  say.  We  are  unprofitable  ser- 
vants. The  word  'unprofitable'  ya)(j)eioi'],  thongh 
in  modern  English  denoting  the  ojjjjosite  of  i.rolit, 
is  here  used  in  its  proper  neijaVn  e  sense,  'We  have 
not  profited'  or  'benefited  God  at  all  by  our  ser- 
vices.' The  connection  of  this  with  the  subject 
discoursed  of  may  be  thus  expressed — 'But  when 
your  faith  has  been  so  increased  as  both  to  avoid 
and  forgive  offences,  and  do  things  imy  ossible  to 
all  but  faith— even  then,  be  not  jamed  up  as 
though  you  had  laid  the  Lord  under  any  obliga- 
tions to  you.'  (Comjiare  Job  xxii.  2,  3;  Rom. 
xi.  35.) 

Ten  Lepers  Cleansed  (11-19).  11.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  as  he  went  to  Jerusalem,  that  he — The 
'He'  is  emphatic  [nal  auTos]  —  passed  through 
the  midst  of  Samaria  and  Galilee  [5ta  fiicov 
Sujuapf/as].  This  may  mean,  'if /wee?!  Samaria  and 
Galilee,'  that   is,   on  the  frontiers  of  both,  but 


The  Ten  Lepers 


LUKE  XVII. 


Cleansed. 


12  the  midst  of  Samaria  and  Galilee.     And  as  he  entered  into  a  certain 
village,  there  met  him  ten  men  that  were  lepers,  which  •'stood  afar  off: 

13  and  they  lifted  up  their  voices,  and  said,  Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy  on 

14  us.     And  when  he  saw  them,  he  said  unto  them,  ^'Go  show  ycur^elves  unto 
the  priests.     And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  they  went,  they  were  cleansed. 

15  And  one  of  them,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  healed,  turned  back,  and  with 

16  a  loud  voice  'glorified  God,  and  fell  down  on  his  face  at  his  feet,  giving 

17  him  thanks:  and  he  wa5  '"a  Samaritan.     And  Jesus   answering  said, 

18  Were  there  not  ten  cleansed?  but  wliere  are  the  nine?    There  are  not 

19  found  that  returned  to  give  gloiy  to  God,  save  this  stranger.     And  "he 
said  unto  him,  Arise,  go  thy  way :  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole. 

20  And  when  he  was  demanded  of  the  Pharisees,  when  the  kingdom  of 
God  should  come,  he  answered  them  and  said.  The  kingdom  of  God 

21  Cometh  not  ^with  observation:    neither  shall  they  say,  Lo  here!  or,  lo 
there!  for,  behold,  "the  kingdom  of  God  is  -within  you. 


A.  D.  3^ 

}  Lev.  H.  4a 
*  Lev.  13.  2. 

Lev.  14.  2. 

Matt.  8.  4. 
'  Ps.  103.  1. 
"'2  Ki.  ir.  24. 

John  8.  48. 
"  M  att.  9.  22. 

Mark  .i.  34. 

1  Cr.  with 
outward 
show. 
John  18.  31. 

"  Kom.  14.17. 
Col  1.  27. 

2  Cr,  among 
you. 

Jt'hn  1.  2C. 
Gal  C  15. 


without  passing  through  them — as  Meyer,  A  Iford, 
Webster  and  Wilkinson,  &c.,  take  it:  or,  it  may 
meau,  "through  the  nudst  of  Samaria  and  Galilee,*' 
in  the  sense  of  passing  through  those  regions 
— as  de  Wette  and  Olshausen  understand  it.  But 
in  this  sense  the  phrase  is  scarcely  a  natural  one ; 
nor  does  it  seem  to  us  likely  that  our  Evangelist 
means  his  readers  to  understand  that  this  was  a 
fresh  journey  through  those  great  divisions  of 
the  country.  We  prefer,  therefore,  the  former 
sense.  But  the  whole  chronology  of  this  large 
liortion  of  our  Gospel  is  difficult.  See  remarks 
prefixed  to  ch.  ix.  51.  12.  And  as  lie  entered 
into  a  certain  village,  there  met  him  ten 
men  that  were  lepers,  which  stood  afar  off. 
See  the  affecting  directions  laid  down  for  such 
in  Lev.  xiii.  45,  4(3.  That  there  should  be  so 
many  as  ten  in  one  locality  shows  how  nume- 
rous they,  as  well  as  possessed  persons,  must 
have  been  in  Palestine  in  our  Lord's  time  — no 
doubt  with  a  view  to  the  manifestation  of  His 
glory  in  healing  them.  13.  And  they  lifted  up 
their  voices  —  their  common  misery,  as  Trench 
remarks,  drawing  these  poor  outcasts  together 
(see  2  Ki.  vii.  3),  nay,  causing  them  to  forget  the 
tierce  national  antipathy  which  reigned  between 
Jew  and  Samaritan,  and  said,  Jesus,  Master 
[iiricTTU'ru],  have  metcy  on  us.  How  quick  a 
teacher  is  felt  misery,  even  though  in  some  cases 
(as  in  all  but  one  here)  the  teaclung  may  be  soon 
forgotten!  14.  And  when  he  saw  them,  he  said 
unto  them,  Go  show  yourselves  unto  the  priests— 
that  is,  as  cleansed  persons.  See  on  Matt.  viii.  4. 
One  of  these  was  a  Samaritan ;  but  he  too  was 
required  to  go  with  the  rest,  thus  teaching  him 
that  "Salvation  was  of  the  Jews"  (John  iv.  22). 
And  yet,  when  ordered  to  do  this,  thei/  had  not 
been  denised.  A  great  trial  of  faith  this  was. 
But  they  obeyed.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as 
they  went,  they  were  cleansed.  In  how  many 
different  ways  were  our  Lord's  cures  wrought,  and 
this  different  from  all  the  rest !  Yet  it  closely 
resembled  the  cure  of  the  nobleman's  son  (John 
iv.  50-53).  15.  And  one  of  them,  when  he  saw 
that  he  was  healed,  turned  hack,  and  with  a 
loud  voice  glorified  God.  Forgetting  all  about 
the  priests,  or  unable  to  in-oceed  further,  on  dis- 
covering the  change  upon  him,  he  returns  to  His 
wondrous  Benefactor,  his  emotions  finding  vent 
in  a  loud  burst  of  praise.  16.  And  fell  down  on 
his  face  at  his  feet,  giving  him  thanks :  and  he 
was  a  Samaritan.  While  he  rendered  his  tribute 
to  Him  from  whom  cometh  down  every  good  and 
perfect  gift,  he  gave  thanks  at  the  same  time 
to  the  mysterious,  beneficent  Hand  by  which 
the  cure  was  wrought.  And  as  these  men 
209 


must  have  had  their  faith  kindled  by  the  re- 
ported wonders  of  His  hand  on  others  like  them- 
selves, no  doubt  they  saw  in  Jesus  what  the 
Samaritans  of  Sycliar  did — "the  Christ,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world"  (John  iv.  42),  however  im- 
perfect their  conceptions.  17.  And  Jesus  answer- 
ing said,  Were  there  not  ten  cleansed?  [oix'-  "' 
^£Ka  eKadapicTBr](Tuv\ — rather,  'Were  not  the  ten 
cleansed?' — that  is,  the  whole  ten.  A  striking 
example  this  of  Christ's  omniscience,  as  Bcngel 
notices,  but  where  are  th3  nine  ?  [ol  6i  iwia  ttov] 
—'but  the  nine,  where  [are  they]?'  13.  There  are 
not  found  that  returned  to  give  glory  to  God, 
save  this  stranger  [o  uWoyevifi  cBtos] — 'this 
alien,'  'this  of  another  race.'  The  language  is 
that  of  wonder  and  admiration,  as  is  expressly 
said  of  another  exhibition  of  Gentile  faith  (Matt. 
viii.  10).  19.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Arise— for  he 
was  on  his  face  at  Jesus'  feet,  and  there,  it  seems, 
lay  prostrate,  go  thy  way :  thy  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole — not  as  the  others,  merely  in  body, 
but  in  that  higher  si^iritual  sense  with  which  His 
constant  language  has  so  familiarized  us. 

For  Remarks  on  this  Section,  see  those  on  the 
Sections  referred  to  in  the  exposition. 

20-37.— The  Coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
AND  OF  THE  SoN  OF  Man.  As  usual  in  this 
portion  of  our  Gospel,  we  have  no  notice  of  time 
or  place.  (See  opening  remarks  on  cli.  ix.  51. )  To 
meet  the  erroneous  views  not  only  of  the  Phari- 
sees, but  of  the  disciples  themselves,  our  Lord 
addresses  both,  announcing  the  coming  of  the 
Kingdom  under  different  aspects. 

20.  And  when  he  was  demanded  of  the 
Pharisees,  when  the  kingdom  of  God  should 
come,  he  answered  them  and  said,  The  king- 
dom of  God  cometh  not  with  observation  [(uexa 
Trapa'rnpnaeui's].  The  woi'd  signifies  'watching' 
or  '  lying  in  wait  for'  a  person  or  thing.  In 
this  sense,  they  "watched"  our  Lord  once  and 
again  (ch.  xiv.  1 ;  xx.  20;  Mark  iii.  2) ;  and  so  they 
"watched"  the  gates  to  kill  Paul  (Acts  ix.  24). 
Here,  the  precise  meaning  would  seem  to  be. 
The  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  '\yatching' 
or  'lying  in  wait  for  it,'  'straining  after  it,'  as  for 
something  outwardly  imposing,  and  at  once 
revealing  itself.  What  follows  confirms  this. 
21.  Neither  shall  they  say,  Lo  here !  or,  lo  there  !— 
shut  up  within  this  or  that  sharply  defined  or 
visible  limit,  geographical  or  ecclesiastical,  for 
the  kingdom  of  Cod  is  within  you— [tvxos  ufj.wv\. 
This  may  either  mean,  'inside  of  you ;' meaning, 
that  it  is  of  an  internal  and  spiritual  character, 
as  opposed  to  their  outside  views  of  it:  so  the 
best  expositors  among  the  Fathers  understood  it ; 
and  so,  of  tl.e  moderns,  Luther,  Erasmus,  Cabin. 


The  Coming  of 


LUKE  XVII. 


the  Son  of  Man. 


25 

9r. 


22  And  he  said  unto  the  disciples,  ^The  days  will  come,  when  ye  shall 
desire  to  see  one  of  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  j'^e  shall  not  see 

23  it.     And  *they  shall  say  to  you,  See  here!  or,  see  there!  go  ''not  after 

24  them,  nor  follow  them.  For  as  the  lightning,  that  lighteneth  out  of 
the  one  part  under  heaven,  shineth  unto  the  other  jr?ar^  under  heaven; 
so  shall  also  "'the  Son  of  man  be  in  his  day.  But  *  first  must  he 
suffer  many  things,  and  be  rejected  of  this  generation.  And  "as  it 
was  in  the  days  of  Noe,  so  shall  it  be  also  in  the  days  of  the  Son  of 

27  man.  They  did  eat,  they  drank,  they  mari'ied  wives,  they  were  given 
in  marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noe  entered  into  the  ark,  and  the  flood 

28  came,  and  destroyed  them  all.  Likewise  "also  as  it  was  in  the  days 
of  Lot ;  they  did  eat,  they  drank,  they  bought,  they  sold,  they  planted, 

29  they  builded;  but  the  same  day  that  Lot  went  out  of  Sodom  it  rained 

30  fire  and  brimstone  from  heaven,  and  destroyed  them  all.     Even  thus  shall 

31  it  be  in  the  day  when  the  Son  of  man  '"is  revealed.  In  that  day,  he 
^ which  shall  be  upon  the  house-top,  and  his  stuff  in  the  house,  let  him 
not  come  down  to  take  it  away :  and  he  that  is  in  the  field,  let  him  like- 


A.  D.  33. 

P  Matt.  9.  15. 

JohnlT.l:^. 
9  Matt.  24.2?. 

Mark  13. 21. 

ch.  21.  8. 
•■  1  John  4. 1. 
'  1  Tim  6.15. 

«   ch.  9.  22. 

"  Gen.  7.  1. 

Matt  21.37. 
"  Gen.  19.  1. 
■"  Matt.  24.  3, 

27-30. 

Mark  13.26. 

ch.  21.    22, 
27. 

2Thes.  1.7. 
*  Job  2.  4. 
Jer  45.  5. 
Mark  6.  25. 
Mark  13.15. 


Caviplell,  Olshausen.  Or,  it  may  mean,  'in  the 
midst  of  you.,'  or  'amongst  you' — as  already  setup 
in  its  beginnings,  if  they  had  but  eyes  to  discei-n 
it :  so  BrM,  Grvtius,  Bengel,  Mryer,  de  Wette, 
A  l/ord,  Webster  and  Wilkinson.  It  seems  a  weak 
argument  against  the  former  sense,  though  ui-ged 
by  nearly  all  who  adopt  the  latter,  that  the  king- 
dom of  God  could  not  be  said  to  be  within  or  in 
the  hearts  of  the  Pharisees,  to  whom  our  Lord 
was  addressing  himself.  For,  all  that  the  phrase, 
in  that  sense,  implies  is,  that  it  is  'within  men,' 
as  its  general  character.  The  question  must  be 
decided  by  the  whole  scope  of  the  statement ;  and 
though  others  judge  this  to  be  in  favour  of  the 
second  sense,  we  incline,  on  this  ground,  to  the 
lirst.     Compare  Deut.  xxx.  11-14;  Rom.  xiv.  17. 

22.  And  lie  said  unto  the  disciples— for  they 
needed  light  on  this  subject,  as  well  as  the  Phari- 
sees, The  days  will  come  ['Ekeva-ovTcu  iifiepai] — 
rather,  'There  shall  come  days,'  when  ye  shall  de- 
sire to  see  one  of  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man,  and 
ye  shall  not  see  it — that  is,  one  day  of  His  own 
presence  amongst  them,  such  as  they  now  had.  See 
Matt.  ix.  15.  '  So  far  will  the  kingdom  1  speak  of  be 
from  bringing  wdth  it  My  personal  presence,  that 
amidst  the  approaching  calamities  and  confusion, 
and  the  anxiety  ye  will  be  in  for  the  infant  cause — 
M'hich  will  then  be  felt  to  lie  all  upon  your  own 
feeble  shoulders — ye  will  be  fain  to  say,  U  that  we 
had  the  Master  amongst  us  again  but  for  one  day ! 
But  ye  shall  not  have  Him.'  He  was  to  make 
other  and  more  suitable  provision,  in  the  mission 
of  the  Comforter,  for  their  fluttering  hearts  ;  but 
of  that  it  was  not  now  the  time  and  place  to  speak. 
23.  And  they  shall  say  to  you,  See  here !  or,  see 
there!  go  not  after  them,  nor  follow  them.  A 
warning,  says  A  Ifovd,  to  all  so-called  expositors  of 
prophecy  and  their  followers,  who  cry,  Lo  there 
and  see  here,  every  time  that  war  breaks  out,  or 
revolutions  occur.  24.  For  as  the  lightning,  that 
lighteneth  out  of  the  one  part  under  heaven, 
shineth  unto  the  other  part  under  heaven;  so 
shall  also  the  Son  of  man  be  in  his  day.  That  is, 
it  will  be  as  manifest  as  the  lightning.  So  that 
the  kingdom  here  spoken  of  has  its  external  and 
visible  side  too.  '  The  Lord,'  says  Stier  correctly, 
'  speaks  here  of  His  coming  and  manifestation  in  a 
prophetically  indefinite  manner,  and  in  these  pre- 
paratory words  blends  into  one  the  distinrtlve  ejpocks.' 
When  the  whole  polity  of  the  Jews,  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  alike,  was  broken  up  at  once,  and  its 
continuance  rendered  imi^ossible,  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  it  became  as  manifest  to  all  as 
300 


the  lightning  of  heaven  that  the  Kingdom  of  God 
had  ceased  to  exist  in  its  old,  and  had  entered  on 
a  new  and  perfectly  difl'erent,  form.  So  it  may  be 
again,  ere  its  final  and  greatest  change  at  the  per- 
sonal coming  of  Christ,  of  which  the  words  in  their 
highest  sense  are  alone  true.  25.  But  first  must 
he  suflFer  many  things,  and  be  rejected  of  this 
generation.  This  shows  that  the  more  immediate 
reference  of  the  previous  verse  is  to  an  event  soon 
to  follow  the  death  of  Christ.  It  was  designed  to 
withdraw  the  attention  of  "  His  discixiles"  from  the 
glare  in  which  His  foregoing  words  had  invested 
the  approaching  establishment  of  His  kingdom. 
26.  And  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noe,  so  shall  it 
be  also  in  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man.  27.  They 
did  eat,  .  .  .  drank  .  .  .  married  .  .  .  were 
given  in  marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noe 
entered  into  the  ark,  and  the  flood  came,  and 
destroyed  them  all.  28.  Likewise  also  as  it  was 
in  the  days  of  Lot;  they  did  eat  .  .  .  drank, 
.  .  .  bought  .  .  .  sold  .  .  .  planted  .  .  . 
builded ;  29.  But  the  same  day  that  Lot  went  out 
of  Sodom  it  rained  fire  and  brimstone  from 
heaven,  and  destroyed  them  aU.  30.  Even  thus 
shall  it  be  in  the  day  when  the  Son  of  man  is 
revealed.  It  will  be  observed  here  that  what  the 
flood  and  the  flames  found  the  antediluvians  and 
the  Sodomites  engaged  in  were  just  all  the  ordi- 
nary and  innocent  occuijations  and  enjoyments  of 
life — ^eating  and  drinking,  marrying  and  giving  in 
marriage,  in  the  one  case;  eating  and  drinking, 
buying  and  selling,  planting  and  building,  in  the 
other.  Though  the  antediluvian  world  and  the 
cities  of  the  plain  were  awfully  wicked,  it  is  not 
their  loickedness,  but  their  loorldliness,  their  im- 
belief  and  indifference  to  the  futm-e,  their  unpre- 
paredness,  that  is  here  held  up  as  a  warning.  Let 
the  reader  mark  how  these  great  events  of  Old 
Testament  History — denied,  or  explained  away, 
now-a -days  by  not  a  few  who  profess  to  reverence 
our  Lord's  authority — are  here  referred  to  by  Him 
as  facts.  The  wretched  theory  of  accommodation 
to  the  popular  belief— as  if  our  Lord  could  lend 
Himself  to  this  in  such  cases — is  now  nearly  ex- 
ploded. 31.  In  that  day,  he  which  shall  be  upon 
the  house-top,  and  his  stuff  in  the  house,  let  him 
not  come  down  to  take  it  away:  and  he  that  is  in 
the  field,  let  him  likewise  not  return  back.  A 
warning  against  that  lingering  reluctance  to  part 
loith  present  treasit^res  which  induces  some  to  re- 
main in  a  burning  house,  in  hopes  of  saving  this 
and  that  jirecious  article,  till  consumed  and  buried 
in  its  ruins.     The  cases  here  supposed,  though 


The  Parable  of  the 


LUIvE  XVIII. 


Importunate  Widow. 


32,  wise  not  return  back.     E,emember  ^Lot's  wife.     Whosoever  ^shall  seek  to 

33  save  his  life  shall  lose  it;  and  whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  shall  preserve 

34  it.     I  "tell  you,  in  that  night  there  shall  be  two  men  in  one  bed;  the  one 

35  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  shall  be  left.     Two  icomen  shall  be  grinding 

36  together;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left.     ^Two  men  shall  be 

37  in  the  field;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left.  And  they 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  *  Where,  Lord?  And  he  said  unto  them, 
Wheresoever  the  body  is,  tliither  will  the  eagles  be  gathered  together. 

18      AND  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them  to  this  end,  that  men  ought 

2  '^ always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint;  saying,  There  was  Hn  a  city  a  judge, 

3  which  feared  not  God,  neither  regarded  man:  and  there  was  a  widow 
in  that  city;    and  she   came   unto  him,   saying,    Avenge  me  of  mine 

4  adversary.     And  he  would  not  for  a  while :  but  afterward  he  said  within 

5  himself.  Though  I  fear  not  God,  nor  regard  man;   yet  ^because  this 
widow  troubleth  me,  I  will  avenge  her,  lest  by  her  continual  coming  she 

6  weary  me.      And  the  Lord  said.  Hear  what  the  unjust  judge  saitli. 

7  And  ''shall  not  God  avenge  his  own  elect,  which  cry  day  and  night  unto 


A.  D.  33. 

y  Gen.  19.  26. 
'  Matt.  16.25. 

John  12. 2i. 
"  lThe3  4ir. 
3  This  verse 

is  wanting 

in  many 

Greek 

copies. 
b  Job  39   30. 


CHAP.  18. 

"  ch.  11.  5 
Ch.  21.  36. 
Eom.  12.12. 
Eph.  6.  18. 
Col.  4.  2. 
lThes.5.17. 

1  In  a  cer- 
tain city. 

b  ch.  11.  8. 

"  2The3. 1.6. 


different,  of  course,  are  similar.  32.  Remem'ber 
Lot's  wife — her  "look  back"  and  lier  doom.  Her 
heart  was  iu  Sodom  still,  and  that  "look"  just 
said,  'Ah,  Sodom!  and  shall  I  never  enter,  never 
see  thee  again?  must  I  bid  thee  a  final  adieu?'  33. 
Whosoever  shall  seek  to  save  his  life  shall  lose  it ; 
and  whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  shall  preserve  it. 
See  on  Matt.  x.  39.  34.  I  tell  you,  in  that  night 
there  shall  he  two  men  in  one  toed ;  the  one  shall 
be  taken,  and  the  other  shall  be  left.  35.  Two 
women  shall  be  grinding  together  (see  on  Mark 
ix.  42) ;  the  one  shall  toe  taken,  and  the  other  left. 
36.  [Two  men  shall  be  in  the  field ;  the  one  shall 
be  taken,  and  the  other  left.]  The  evidence  against 
the  genuineness  of  this  verse  is  too  strong  to  admit 
of  its  being  printed  without  brackets,  as  at  least 
doubtful,  and  probably  taken  from  Matt,  xxiv,  40. 
All  the  critical  editore  exclude  it  from  their  text, 
and  nearly  all  critical  expo.sitors  concur  with 
them.  De  Wetle,  however,  inclines  to  receive  it. 
The  prepared  and  the  unprepared  will,  says  our 
Lord,  be  found  mingled  in  closest  intercourse 
together  in  the  ordinary  walks  and  fellowships 
of  life  when  the  moment  of  severance  arrives. 
Awful  truth !  realized  before  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem,  when  the  Christians  found  themselves 
forced  by  their  Lord's  directions  (ch.  xxi.  21)  at 
once  and  for  ever  away  from  their  old  associates  ; 
but  most  of  all,  when  the  second  coming  of  Christ 
shall  burst  upon  a  heedless  world.  37.  And  they 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  Where,  Lord? 
Where  shall  this  occur?  And  he  said  unto  them, 
Wheresoever  the  body  is,  thither  will  the 
eagles  be  gathered  together.  Though  what  is 
here  said  of  the  eagles  is  true  rather  of  the  vul- 
tures, yet  as  both  are  bii'ds  of  prey,  the  former  are 
named  here  (and  in  Matt.  xxiv.  28),  with  an  evident 
allusion  to  the  Roman  eagles — the  standard  of  the 
Roman  army — to  signify  the  vengeance  more  im- 
mediately referred  to.  'As  birds  of  prey  scent 
out  the  carrion,  so  wherever  is  found  a  mass  of 
incurable  moral  and  spiritual  corruption,  there 
will  be  seen  alighting  the  ministers  of  Divine  judg- 
ment;' a  proverbial  saying  terrifically  verified  at 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  many  times 
since,  though  its  most  tremendous  illustration  will 
be  at  the  world's  final  day.  For  Remarks  on  this 
Section,  see  those  at  the  close  of  Mark  xiii. 

CHAP.  XVin.  1-8. —The  Parable  of  the 
Importunate  Widow.  This  deliglitful  parable 
was  evidently  designed  to  follow  up  the  subject  of 
the  last  Section,  on  the  Coming  of  the  Son  of  man 
(y.  8).  Iu  so  far  as  the  closing  verses  directed  the 
301 


thoughts  to  the  Second  Personal  Appearing  of  the 
Loi'd  Jesus,  it  was  as  an  event  which  would  occur 
when  least  expected.  But  lest  this  should  lead — 
as  it  has  led— to  the  inference  that  it  would  be  very 
speedy,  or  was  quite  near  at  hand,  the  more  imme- 
diate design  of  this  parable  was  to  guard  against  that 
impression,  by  intimating  that  it  might,  on  the 
contrary,  be  so  long  delayed  as  nearly  to  extinguish 
the  expectation  of  His  coming  at  all.  Accordingly, 
while  the  duty  of  persevering  prayer  iu  general  is 
here  enforced,  the  more  direct  subject  of  the  par- 
able is  unceasing  prayer  by  the  widowed  and  op- 
pressed Church  for  redress  of  all  its  wrongs,  for 
deliverance  out  of  all  its  troubles,  for  transition 
from  its  widowhood  to  its  wedded  state,  by  the 
glorious  appearing  of  its  heavenly  Bridegroom. 

1.  And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them  to  this  end, 
that  men  ought  always  to  pray.  Compare  v.  7, 
"  His  own  elect  which  cry  unto  Him  day  and 
night."  and  not  to  faint  \iKi<aKe'iv,  or,  as  the  better 
supported  reading,  perhaps,  is,  iyKUKeZv] — '  and  not 
to  lose  heart,'  or  'slacken.'  2.  Saying,  There  was 
in  a  [certain]  city  [eV  tlvl  TrdXet]  a  judge,  which 
feared  not  God,  neither  regarded  man— regardless 
alike  of  Divine  and  human  judgment;  void  of  all 
principle.  3.  And  there  was  a  widow  in  that  city 
— weak,  desolate,  defenceless.  Compare  1  Tim.  v. 
5,  a  verse  evidently  alluding  to  what  is  here  said, 
"Now  she  that  is  a  widow  indeed,  and  desolate, 
trusteth  in  God,  and  continueth  in  supplications 
and  prayers  night  and  day."  and  she  came[)?|Ox^'r''j 
— rather,  '  kept  coming,'  as  the  imperfect  tense 
implies.  Indeed  it  was  to  get  rid  of  this  "  con- 
tinual coming"  that  the  judge  at  length  gave 
her  redress,  sajdng,  Avenge  me  ['Ekoi'/cjio-oi/  ;ue 
aTro\  of  mine  adversary  —  that  is,  by  a  judicial 
interjiosition.  4.  And  he  would  not  for  a  while : 
but  afterward  he  said  within  himself,  Though  I 
fear  not  God,  nor  regard  man;  5.  Yet — I  have 
some  regard  to  my  own  comfort :  so  because  this 
widow  troubleth  me,  I  will  avenge  her,  lest  toy 
her  continual  coming  [els  t-eXos  eiixoiJ^eu^\—''  her 
incessant  coming.'  In  I  Thess.  iL  1(3  the  same 
expression  is  rendered  'to  the  uttermost.'  she 
weary — or  '  annoy '  me  [i'7r(u7rtat;»;  ^e].  6.  And  the 
Lord— a  name  expressive  of  the  authoritative  style 
in  which  He  now  interpreted  His  own  parable, 
said.  Hear  what  the  unjust  judge  saith.  7.  And 
shall  not  God— not  like  that  un]irincipled  man,  but 
the  infinitely  righteous  "Judge  of  all  the  earth," 
avenge — redeem  from  oppression,  his  own  elect  — 
who  are  not  like  this  poor  widow  in  the  eye  of 
that  selfish  wretch,  the  objects  of  indili'erence  and 


The  Parable  of  the 


LUKE  XVIII. 


Pharisee  and  the  Publica?i. 


8  him,  though  he  bear  long  with  them?  I  tell  you  'Hhat  he  will  avenge 
them  speedily.  Nevertheless  when  the  Son  of  man  cometh,  shall  he  lind 
faith  on  the  earth? 

9  And  he  spake  this  parable  unto  certain  *  which  trusted  in  themselves 

10  "that  they  were  righteous,  and  despised  others:  Two  men  went  up  into 

1 1  the  temple  to  pray ;  the  one  a  Pharisee,  and  the  other  a  publican.  The 
Pharisee  •'stood  and  prayed  thus  with  himself,  ^ God,  I  thank  thee,  that  I 
am  not  as  other  men  are,  extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this 

12  publican.     I  fast  twice  in  the  week,  I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  possess. 


A.  D.  33. 


d  Heb  10  3r. 

2  Pet.  3  8, 9. 
'  Ch.  10.  29. 

Ch.  16.  15. 

2  Or.as  being 
righteous. 

/  Ps.  135.  2. 

»  Isa.  1. 15. 
Isa.  5S,  2. 
Eev.  3.  17. 


contempt,  but  dear  to  Him  as  the  a])ple  of  the  eye 
(Zee.  ii.  8).  whicli  cry  day  and  night  unto  him 
— VA'hose  every  cry  enters  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord 
of  Sabaoth  (Jas.  v.  4);  and  how  much  more  their 
incessant  and  persevering  cries,  though  he  hear 
long  with  them?  [kcu  naKpo^uf-iiZif,  or,  according  to 
the  j)referable  reading,  fxaupodu/ji.e'i  e-n-'  au-roZsl. 
This  rendering  is  apt  to  perjilex  the  English 
reader,  to  whose  ear  it  fails  to  convey  the  obvious 
sense.  The  same  expression  is  used  in  Jas.  v.  7 — 
"  The  husbandman  waiteth  for  the  precious  fruit 
of  the  earth,  and  Jiath  long  patience  for  it "  [fiaKpodv- 
fjLwu  eir  ali-rw}.  So  we  should  render  it  here, 
'  though  he  bear  long  for  tlicm,''  or  '  on  their  ac- 
count;' that  is,  with  their  oppressors.  It  is  not 
with  His  own  elect  that  God  has  to  bear  in  the 
case  here  supposed,  but  with  those  that  oppress 
them.  And  the  meaning  is,  that  although  He  to^er- 
atcs  those  opiiressions  for  a  lon.^  time.  He  will  at 
length  interpose  in  behalf  of  His  own  elect.  8.  I 
teli  you,  he  will  avenge  them  speedily  [ej»  -rax*']- 
As  when  "His  soul  was  grieved  for  the  misery  of 
Israel"  (Judg.  x.  16),  so  "His  bowels  are  troubled" 
for  His  own  elect,  crying  to  Him  day  and  night 
from  the  depths  of  their  oppressions :  He  is  jjained, 
as  it  were,  at  the  long  delay  which  His  wisdom 
sees  necessary,  and  at  the  sore  trial  to  which  it 
puts  their  faith,  and  is  imjiatient,  so  to  speak,  till 
"the  time,  the  set  time,"  arrive  to  interpose. 
Nevertheless  when  the  Son  of  man  cometh,  shall 
he  find  faith  —  that  is,  any  belief  that  He  will 
come  at  all,  on  the  earth?  'Ytt,  ere  the  Son  of 
man  comes  to  redress  the  wrongs  of  His  Church, 
so  low  will  the  hojie  of  relief  sink,  through  the 
length  of  the  delay,  that  one  will  be  fain  to  ask,  Is 
there  any  faith  of  a  coming  Avenger,  any  expecta- 
tion that  the  Church's  Lord  will  ever  return  to 
her,  left  on  the  earth?' 

Remarks.  —  1.  Thus  the  primary,  the  Jdstori- 
cal  reference  of  this  parable  is  to  the  Church  in 
her  widowed,  desolate,  oppressed,  defenceless 
condition,  during  the  ])resent  abseuce  of  her  Lord 
in  the  heavens.  And  the  lessons  it  teaches,  in  this 
view  of  it,  which  are  two-fold,  are  most  precious. 
One  lesson  is,  that  thougli  we  are  to  be  "  always 
ready,  not  knowing  when  our  Lord  may  come,"  we 
are  at  the  same  time  not  to  be  surprised  though 
"the  Bridegroom  should  tarry,"  and  tarry  so  long  as 
to  wear  out  the  patience  of  the  most,  and  almost  ex- 
tinguish the  hope  of  His  coming.  And  the  more 
so,  as  His  coming  will  be  needed,  not  only  because 
the  Bride  can  never  be  contented  -wath  anything 
short  of  the  presence  of  her  Beloved,  but  because 
in  her  widowed  state  she  is  exposed  to  all  manner 
of  indignities  and  wrongs,  from  which  her  Lord's 
coming  alone  will  set  her  completely  free.  But 
another  lesson  is,  that  in  these  circumstances 
prayer  is  her  proper  resource,  that  though  He 
seems  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  her,  she  is  to  "  pray 
always,  and  not  faint,"  assured  that  she  is  dear  to 
her  Lord  even  when  He  seems  to  deny  her;  nay, 
that  her  incessant  crying  to  Him  is  that  which  will 
bring  Him  to  her  at  length;  but  yet,  that  the 
faith  of  His  coming,  through  the  length  of  the 
302 


delay,  will  have  reached  its  lowest  ebb,  and  nearly 
died  out,  ei'e  the  day  dawn  and  the  shadows  flee 
away !  It  may  be  added  that  it  would  seem  a  law 
of  the  divine  administration,  that  both  judgment 
and  mercy,  when  long  delayed,  come  at  last  with 
a  rapidity  proportioned  to  the  length  of  that  delay. 
Of  judgment  it  is  said,  "  He  that,  being  often  re- 
proved, hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  suddenly  be  de- 
stroyed, and  that  without  remedy"  (Pro  v.  xxix.  1); 
aud  so  it  is  said,  "Their  foot  shall  slide  in  due 
time"  (Dent,  xxxii.  35).  Of  mercy  it  is  here  said. 
When  at  length  it  comes,  it  will  come  "speedily." 
But,  2.  The  application  of  this  delightful  parable 
to  prayer  in  genercd  is  so  obvious  as  to  have  nearly 
hidden  from  most  readers  its  more  direct  reierence; 
and  this  general  application  is  so  resistless  and 
invaluable  that  it  cannot  be  allowed  to  disappear  in 
any  public  aud  historical  interpretation. 

9-14— The  Parable  of  the  Phap^lsee  and 
THE  Publican.  As  the  subject  of  this  Section 
has  no  connection  with  the  two  p)receding  ones,  so 
the  precise  time  and  place  of  it  are,  as  usual  in 
this  portion  of  our  Gospel,  left  quite  indefinite. 
But  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  spoken — the  les- 
son it  was  intended  to  convey — is  more  precisely 
expressed  than  in  most  other  cases ;  for  it  is 
expressed  both  as  a  xjreface  to  it  and  as  the  con- 
cluding moral  of  it. 

9.  And  he  spake  this  parable  unto  certain 
which  trusted  in  themselves  that  they  were 
righteous,  and  despised  otliers:  10.  Two  men 
went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray;  the  one  a 
Pharisee,  and  the  other  a  publican.  On  these 
classes,  see  on  Matt.  iii.  1-12,  P^emark  2,  at  the 
close  of  that  Section.  11.  The  Pharisee  stood— 
as  the  Jews  did  in  prayer  (Mark  xi.  25),  and 
prayed  thus  with  himself,  God,  I  thank  thee, 
that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,  extortion- 
ers, unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this  pub- 
lican. To  have  been  kept  from  gross  iniquities 
was  undoubtedly  a  just  cause  of  thankfulness 
to  God ;  but  instead  of  the  devoutly  humble, 
admiring  frame  whicli  this  should  inspire,  he 
arrogantly  severs  himself  from  the  rest  of  man- 
kind, as  quite  above  then^,  and  with  a  con- 
temptuous look  at  the  poor  publican,  thanks 
God  that  he  has  not  to  stand  afar  off  like  him, 
to  hang  down  his  head  like  a  bulrush,  and  beat  his 
breast  like  him.  But  these  are  only  his  morat 
excellences.  His  religious  merits  complete  his 
grounds  for  self-congiatulation.  12.  I  fast  twice 
in  the  week,  I  give  tithes  -or  the  tenth  of  all  that 
I  possess  [KTU'fiat] — or  '  acquire ;'  'of  all  my  gains' 
or  '  increase,'  Not  confining  himself  to  the  one 
divinely  prescribed  anniial  fast  (Lev.  xvi.  29),  he 
was  not  behind  the  most  rigid,  who,  as  Ligldfoot 
says,  fasted  on  the  second  and  fifth  days  of  every 
week,  and  gave  the  tenth  not  only  ot  what  the 
law  laid  under  tithin,^,  but  of  "all  his  gains." 
Thus,  besides  doing  aU  his  duty,  he  did  works  oj 
supererogation;  while  sins  to  confess  and  spiritual 
wants  to  be  supplied  he  seems  to  have  felt  none. 
What  a  picture  of  the  Pharisaic  character  an<l 
religion !    13.  And  the  publican,  standing  afar  off 


Little  Children 


LUKE  XVIII. 


brought  to  Christ. 


13  And  the  publican,  '^standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his 
eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smote  upon  his  breast,  saying,  God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner.  I  tell  you,  this  man  went  down  to  his  house  justified  rather 
than  the  other:  ^for  every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased;  and 
he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted. 

And  -^they  brought  unto  him  also  infants,  that  he  would  touch  them : 
but  when  his  disciples  saw  it,  they  rebuked  them.  But  Jesus  called 
them  unto  him,  and  said,  ^Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and 


U 


A,  I).  33. 

><■  Ps   40.  12. 
»  Job  2J.  ;:!). 

Job  40.9-1!. 

Isa   2.U-17. 

Jaa.  4.  c. 

1  Pet  5..i.fl. 
i  Matt  19.13. 

Iklark  0. 13. 
fc  Pro  8.  7. 


— as  unworthy  to  draw  near;  but  that  was  the  way 
to  get  near  (Ps.  xxxiv.  IS;  Isa.  \\n\.  15),  would 
not  lift  up  so  much  as  Ms  eyes  unto  beaven^ 
"blushing  and  ashamed"  to  do  so  (Ezra  ix.  6), 
but  smote  [exi/TrreJ — rather,  'kejit  smiting'  upon 
his  breast— for  anguish  (ch.  xxiii.  4S)  and  self- 
rsproach  (Jer.  xxxi.  19).  saying,  God  be  merciful 
[i/\aa6i(Ti] — 'be  i)ropitiated'  or  ' ra-opitions :'  a  very 
unusual  word  to  occur  here,  and  in  only  one  other 
place  used  in  the  New  Testament,  in  the  sense  of 
''making  reconciliation"  by  sacrifice  (Heb.  ii.  17). 
There  may  therefore  be  some  allusion  to  this  here, 
though  it  can  hardly  be  jircssed.  to  me  a  sinner 
{fxoL  x(o  afxap-TiiyXw] — literally  'to  me  the  sinner;' 
as  if  he  should  say,  '  If  ever  there  was  a  sinner,  I 
am  he.'  14.  I  tell  you— authoritxtively,  this  man 
wen'"/  down  to  his  house  justified  rather  than 
the  other.  The  meaning  is,  'and  not  the  other.' 
for  every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be 
abased ;  and  he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be 
exalted.  This  great  law  of  the  Kinr^dom  of  God 
is,  in  the  teaching  of  Christ,  inscrilied  over  its 
entrance-gate  as  in  letters  of  gold;  but  how 
\avidly  is  it  here  depicted  ?  _     _ 

Remarks. — 1.  The  grand  peculiarity  of  theEeli- 
gion  of  the  Bible  is  Salvaii'ni  by  Grace;  a  Sal- 
vation, however,  unto  holiness— not  by,  but  unto, 
good  works.  It  pervades  the  Old  Testament 
(Ex.  xxxiv.  6,  7;  Ps.  xxv.  7;  xxxiv.  IS;  cxxxviii.  (3; 
cxlvii.  6;  Isa.  Ivii.  15,  &c.);  though  its  full  dis- 
closure, in  connection  with  the  Lamb  of  God 
which  taketh  a%^ay  the  sin  of  the  world,  was 
naturally  reserved  for  the  New  Testament.  And 
yet,  so  natural  is  self-righteousness  to  the  pride 
of  the  human  heart,  that  it  has  found  its  way 
even  into  the  doctrinal  system  of  the  Church ; 
and  by  that  Apostasy  which  ]ianders  to  all  the 
corrupt  inclinations  of  our  nature,  while  pre- 
serving the  form  of  evangelical  truth,  it  has  been 
erected  into  a  most  subtle  scheme  which,  while 
apparently  ascribing  all  to  Grace,  is  in  reality  a 
doctrine  of  Salvation  by  luorts.  (See  the  Canons 
and  Decrees  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  Sess.  VI. 
Decretum  de  Justidcatione ;  particularly  c.  vii.  ix. 
with  Can.  ix.  xL  xii.  xiii. )  Even  into  Protestant 
Churches  the  very  same  doctrine  has  found 
entrance,  under  different  forms  of  language,  and 
in  times  of  religious  indifference  and  general 
degeneracy  has  spread  its  deadly  \"irus  over  whole 
regions  once  blooming  ^\■ith  health ;  nor  is  it 
effectually  dislodged  in  any  heart  save  by  Divine 
teaching.  2.  To  be  self-em\)tied,  or  "i)oor  in 
spirit,"  is  the  fundamental  and  indispensable  pre- 
])aration  for  welcoming  the  "grace  which  bringeth 
salvation."  Wherever  this  exists,  that  "mourn- 
ing" which  precedes  comfort,  that  "hungering 
and  thirsting  after  righteousness"  which  is  re- 
warded with  the  "fulness"  of  it,  is  invariably 
found — as  in  this  publican.  Such,  therefore,  and 
such  only,  are  the  truly  justified  ones.  "He 
hath  filletl  the  hungry  with  good  things ;  and  the 
rich  he  hath  sent  empty  away"  (ch.  i.  53). 

15-17. — Little  Children  ISrought  to  Christ. 
(  =  Matt.  xix.  13-15;  Mark  x.  13-16.)  Here  at 
length  our  Evangelist— after  travelling  over  three 
3J3 


Jmnclred  and  fifty-one  verses  almost  alone — gets 
again  iqwn  the  line,  travelling,  as  will  be  seen, 
in  company  with  the  tim  preceding  Evangelists, 
though  each,  if  one  might  so  speak,  on  separate 
rails. 

15.  And  they  brought  unto  him  also  infants  [ra 
ftp€(p^l].  This  shows  tiiat  some,  at  least,  of  those 
called  "little"  or  "young  children"  in  Matt.  xix. 
13,  and  Mark  x.  13,  were  literally  "babes."  that 
he  would  touch  them— or,  as  more  fully  givcu 
in  Matthew,  "that  He  should  put  his  hands 
on  them  and  pray,''  that  is,  invoke  a  blessing 
on  them  (Mark  x.  16)  ;  according  to  venerable 
custom  (Gen.  xlviii.  14,  15).  but  when  his  dis- 
ciples saw  it,  they  rebuked  them.  Ilepeatedly 
the  disciples  thus  interposed,  to  save  annoyance 
and  interruption  to  their  Master,  but,  as  the  result 
showed,  (dways  against  the  mind  of  Christ.  (Matt. 
XV.  23,  &c. ;  ch.  xviii.  39,  41).)  Here,  it  is  plain 
from  dur  Lord's  reply,  that  they  thought  the  in- 
trusion a  useless  one,  since  infants  were  not  calla- 
ble of  receiving  anything  from  Him — His  ministra- 
tions were  for  grown  people.  16.  But  Jesus  called 
them  unto  him,  and  said.  In  Mark,  however,  we 
have  a  precious  addition,  "But  vvhen  Jesus  saw 
it,  He  was  much  displ< used"  f/yyai^a/vTi/o-e],  ar.d 
said  unto  them,"  SUFFER  [THE|  LITTLE  CHIL- 
DREN [-ra  TTuioia]  TO  COME  UNTO  ME,  AND 
FORBID  THEM  NOT.  What  words  are  these  from 
the  lips  of  Christ!  The  price  of  them  is  above 
rubies.  But  the  reason  assigned,  in  the  words 
that  follow,  crowns  the  statement— FOR  OF  SUCH 
IS  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD— or,  as  in  Matt.,  "of 
HEAVEN."  17.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever 
shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little 
child  shall  in  no  wise  enter  therein.  See  on  Mark 
ix.  3d.  But  the  action  that  followed — omitted  by 
our  Evangelist,  and  only  partially  given  by 
Matthew,  but  fully  supi)lied  by  Alark — is  the  best 
of  all:  "And  He  took  them  up  in  His  arms, 

PUT  His  HANDS   UPON  them,  and  IJLE.SSED  THEM  " 

(Mark  x.  16).  Now,  is  it  to  be  conceived  that  all 
our  Lord  meant  by  this  was  to  teach  a  h  sson,  not 
about  children  at  all,  but  about  grown  people; 
namely,  that  they  must  become  childlike  if  they 
would  be  ca]iab!e  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
for  this  reason  they  should  not  hinder  infants 
from  coming  to  Him,  and  therefore  He  took  up 
and  blessed  tlie  infants  thein- elves?  Did  not 
the  grave  mistake  of  the  disciples,  which  so 
"much  displeased"  the  Lord  Jesus,  consist  just 
in  this,  that  they  thought  infants  should  not 
be  brought  to  Cln-ist,  because  only  groivn  people 
could  profit  by  Him?  And  though  He  took  the 
irresistible  opportunity  of  lowering  their  pride  of 
reason,  by  informing  them  that,  in  order  to  enter 
the  Kingdom,  instea  I  of  the  children  first  becoming 
like  them,  they  must  themselves  become  like  the  chil- 
dren— as  a  German  writer  has  well  exjiressed  it- 
yet  this  was  but  by  the  way;  and  returning  to 
the  children  themselves.  He  took  them  up  in  His 
gracious  arms,  ]iut  His  liauds  upon  them,  and 
blessed  them,  for  no  conceivable  reason  but  to 
show  that  they  were  there  y  made  capable,  as 
INFANTS,  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 


Little  children 


LUKE  XVIII. 


brought  to  Christ. 


17  forbid  them  not:  for  'of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God.  Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  Wliosoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child 
shall  in  no  wise  enter  therein. 


'  1  Cor. 

20. 


Remarks. — 1.  How  different  the  feelings  of  Jesus 
from  those  of  His  disciples,  in  this  as  in  so  many 
other  cases!     They   "marvelled  that  He  talked 
with  the  woman"  of  Samaria,  while  that  "talk" 
was  "meat  to  Him  that  they  knew  not  of"  (John 
iv.  27,  32) :  The  cries  of  the  Syroi^henician  woman 
after  Jesus  were  harsh  in  their  ears,  but  they  were 
music  in  His  (Matt.  xv.  23,  28) :  And  here,  they 
think  He  has  grown  people  enough  to  attend  to, 
without  being  annoyed  with   imtaught  children 
and  unconscious  babes,  who  could  get  no  possible 
good   from  Him ;  and  so  they  administer  to  the 
expectant   parents  their  damping,  miserable  "re- 
buke."   But  this  was  not  more  false  in  doctrine 
than  the  feeling  that  expressed  it  was  at  variance 
with  His.     It  'grievously  vexed'  Him,  as  the  word 
signifies.     His  heart  yearned  after  these  babes,  just 
as  "babes"  and  "little  children;"  nor  are  we  ca- 
])ableof  kno^ving  the  whole  heart  of  Christ  towards 
us  if  we  leave  out  of  it  this  most  touching  and  beau- 
tiful element — the  feeling  that  grievously  vexed 
Him  when  infants   were    held  back  from  Him. 
0   what  a  S]iectacle  was    that  which  presented 
itself  to  the  eye  that  was  capable  (if,  indeed,  there 
was  one)  of  seeing  into  the  interior  of  it  —  The 
Only  begotten  of  the  Father  with  an  unconscious 
Babe  in  His  arms;  His  gentle,  yet  mighty  hands 
upon  it ;  and  His  eyes  upraised  to  heaven  as  the 
blessing  descended  upon  it !     Was  not  this  one  of 
those  things  which  "angels  desired  to  look  into?" 
For  He  was  "seen  of  angels." 

'  He  raised  them  in  His  holy  arms, 
He  blessed  them  from  the  world  and  all  its  harms: 

Heirs  IhouKh  they  were  of  sin  and  sluime. 
He  blessed  tliem  in  his  own  and  in  His  Fatlicr's  name. 

'Then,  as  each  fond,  unconscious  child 
On  Ih'  everlasting  Parent  sieeelly  smil'd. 
Like  infants  sporting  on  the  share, 
Ttial  tremhli  not  at  ocean's  bi^undless  roar,'  &c.— Keblb. 

3.  If  Christ  was  "much  displeased"  with  His 
disciples  for  interfering  with  those  who  were 
bringing  their  infants  to  Him,  surely  it  is  not 
enough  that  tve  do  not  positively  hinder  them. 
Whatsoever  on  otir  part  is  fitted  to  keep  back 
children  from  Christ  is  in  effect  the  same  thing, 
and  may  be  exijected  to  cause  the  same  dis- 
j)Ieasure.  But  that  is  not  alL  For,  as  it  is  an 
acknowledged  rule,  that  whenever  any  sin  is  for- 
bidden, the  contrary  duty  is  commanded,  so  the 
displeasure  of  Christ  at  the  attempt  to  keep  back 
these  children  from  Him  carries  with  it  the  duty 
of  bringing,  or  having  them  brought  to  Him,  and 
the  assurance  of  His  benignant  satisfaction  with 
parents  that  bring  them,  and  every  one  who  does 
aaything  to  cause  them  to  be  brought  to  Him.  Be 
stirred  uji,  then,  and  emboldened,  believing  pa- 
rents, to  bring  your  babes,  even  from  their  first 
breath,  to  Jesus  ;  and  let  the  ministers  of  Christ, 
and  all  who  would  have  His  gracious  complacency 
resting  upon  them,  as  the  first  and  the  last  step  in 
"  feeding  His  lambs,"  bring  them  to  Jesus  !  4.  As 
tlte  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan  has  filled  Chris- 
tendom with  Institutions  for  the  relief  of  the 
wretched,  over  and  above  all  that  individuals  have 
done  in  iirivate,  so  this  little  incident  —  recorded 
by  three  of  the  Evangelists,  yet  occupying,  even 
in  the  most  detailed  narrative  of  it,  only  four 
brief  verses — has,  over  and  above  all  that  it  has 
given  birth  to  in  private,  filled  Christendom  with 
classes  for  the  Chi-istian  ti  aining  of  the  yoimg  ;  in 
the  earlier  ages,  in  a  less  systematic  and  compre- 
hensive form,  and  chiefly  by  jjastoral  superintend- 
Sl)4 


ence  of  parental  instruction,  but  in  these  latter 
days  on  a  vast  scale,  and  to  admirable  effect.    Nor 
can  we  doubt  that  the  eye  of  Him  who,  in  the 
days  of  His  flesh,  took  up  little  children  in  His 
arms,  put  his  hands  on  tnem,  and  blessed  them, 
looks  down  from  the  skies  in  sweet  comi^lacency 
upon  such  efforts,   blesses    richlj^  those  that  in 
obedience  and  love  to  Him  engage  in  them,  gathej-s 
many  a  lamb  from  amongst   such   Hocks,  to  fold 
them  in  Ilis  own  bosom  above,  and  sends  the  i-est 
as  they  grow  up  into  the  great  world  as  "a  seed 
to  serve  Him,"  a  leaven  to  leaven  the  lump,  that 
He  may  not  come  and  smite  it  with  a  curse  (Mai. 
iv.  6).     5.  Let  tlie  intelligent  reader  note  carefully 
the  standing  which  this  incident  gives  to  children 
— even  unconscious  "  infants  " — in  the  Kingdom  of 
God.    "  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me, 
for  of  such  is  the  Kingdom  of  God."     We  have 
given  reasons  why  this  cannot  mean  merely,  '  Let 
little  children  come  to  me,  because  grovm  peo]jle 
must  be  like  them  if  they  would  enter  the  King- 
dom.'   What  can  be  balder  than  such  an  interjae- 
tation  of  our  Lord's  words  ?    But  how  natural  and 
self-commending  is  the  following  sense  of  them : 
'  Ye  are  wrong  in  thinking  that  not  till  these  chil- 
di'en  have  grown  to  manhood  can  they  get  any 
good  from  Me.     They  also,  even  these  unconscious 
babes^  have  their  place,  and  not  the  least  place,  in 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.'     But  if  there  could  be 
any  doubt  whether  our  Lord  was  here  sjieaking  of 
the  children  ttiemselves,  or  only  of  child-like  men, 
surely  His  putting  His  hands  ui^on  them,   and 
blessing  them,  ought  to  set  that  question  at  rest. 
What  could  stich  actions  mean,  if  not  to  convey 
some  spiritual  blessing,  some  sa\ing  benefit,  to  the 
babes  themselves  ?    Does  any  one  doubt  that  chil- 
dren, dying  in  infancy,  are  capable  of  going  to 
heaven  ?    Or,  does  any  Christian  think  that  with- 
out the  new  birth,  and  the  blood  that  cleanseth 
from  all  sin,  they  will  be  fit  company  for  heaven's 
inhabitants,  or  nnd  themselves  in  an  atmosphere 
congenial  to  their  nature,  or  without  this  will  ever 
see  it?    But,  if  infants  are  capable  of  all  that  saves 
the  soul,  before  they  are  capable  of  consciously  be- 
lieving in  Christ,  and  even  though  they  die  before 
ever  doing  so,  what  follows  ?    "  Can  any  man  for- 
bid water" — said  Peter  of  the  Gentile  Cornelius 
and  his  company — "  tliat  these  should  not  he  lap- 
iiied,  which  hare  received  the  Holy  Ghost  as  well  as 
we?"  (Acts  x.  47).     Of  course,  svich  application  of 
the  baptismal  water  to  infants  can  have  no  warrant 
from  our  incident,  save  where  the  infants  have 
been  prtyiously  brought  to  Christ  Hiviself  for  his 
benediction,  and  only  as  the  sign  and  seal  of  His 
promised  benediction.     But  you  may  say,  'Is  not 
faith  explicitly  and  peremptorily  required  in  order 
to  baptism?'     Yes,  and  in  order  to  salvation  too. 
Nay,   "he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned." 
Are  those  who  die  in   infancy,   then,    damned — 
because  incapable  of  believing  V    '  0  uo,'  it  will  be 
said;  'they  were  not  contemplated  in  the  demand 
for  faith,  in  order  to  salvation.'    Just  so ;  and  for 
that  reason,  since  tiiey  are  capable  of  the  new  birth, 
and  forgiveness,  and  complete  salvation — all  in  in- 
fancy and  without  any  faith  at  all,  just  as  truly  as 
grown  people — they  are  surely  capable  of  the  mere 
outward  symbol  of  it,  which  brings  them  within 
the  sacred  enclosure,  and  separates  them  to  a  holy 
service  and  society,  and  inheritance  amongst  the 
people  of  God  (1  Cor.  vii.  14).     Within  this  sacred 
enclosure,   the  apostle  regards  them  as    "  in  the 
Lord,"  and  addresses  them  as  such  (Ei)h.  vi.  1),  in- 


A 

rich  young 

ruler 

LUKE  XVIII. 

comes 

to  Christ. 

IS 

And  ™a  certain  ruler  asked  him, 
to  inherit  eternal  life  ?    And  Jesus 

saying,  Good  Master, 
said  unto  him.  Why 

what  shall  I  do 
callest  thou  me 

A.  D.  33. 

19 

'"JIatt.l9.IG. 

culcating  on  them  obedience  to  their  parents,  as 
'''well  pleasing  ^into  the  Lord"  (Col.  iiL  20).  The 
Christian  household  is  thus  to  be  a  Christian  nur- 
sery. Sweet  view  this  of  the  standing  of  children 
that  have  been  from  their  very  birth  brought  to 
Christ,  and  blessed  of  Him,  as  believers  may  not 
doubt  that  their  children  are,  and  loved  as  dearly 
as  if  He  took  them  up  in  His  very  arms,  and  made 
the  blessing  to  descend  upon  them,  even  life  for 
evermore!  For  more  on  this  subject,  see  on  ch. 
xi.K.  28-44,  Remark  5  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 

18-30. — The  Rich  Young  Ruler,  and  Dis- 
course SUGGESTED  BY  HIS  CaSE.  (  =  Matt  xix. 
16-30;  Markx.  17-31.) 

The  Rich  Young  Ruler  (18-23).  18.  And  a  cer- 
tain ruler  asked  him,  saying.  Mark  says,  "  And 
when  He  was  gone  forth  into  the  way" — the  high 
road,  by  this  time  crowded  with  travellers  on  their 
way  to  Jerusalem,  to  keep  the  Passover — "there 
came  one  running,  and  kneeled  to  Him,  and  asked 
Him,"  Good  Master,  what  shall  I  do— in  Matthew, 
"  What  good  thing  shall  I  do,"  to  inherit  eternal 
life  ?  19.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Why  callest 
thou  me  good  ?  none  is  good,  save  one,  that  is, 

God  [Ti  fjis  Xeyeii  ayaOo'j/;  ou^ets  d.ya&6i,  ei  /xi]  els  6 
tieo's.  So  Mai'k  X.  18;  and  so  in  the  received  text 
of  Matt.  xix.  17,  with  trifling  variation.  But  all 
recent  critical  editors  —  Griesbach,  Lachmann, 
Tischendorf,  and  Tregelles — give  the  text  of  Matt. 
xix.  17  thus — Tt  fjie  epMTds  Trepl  tov  ayadoV  ;  els 
eo-Tti/  6  f^yadoi :  '  Why  askest  thou  me  concerning 
what  is  Good?  One  is  the  Good  One:''  Alford 
adopts  this  into  his  text ;  de  Wette  and  Meyer  ap- 
prove of  it ;  and  Olshausen  thinks  it  admits  of  no 
doubt  that  this  is  the  genuine  reading.  In  spite 
of  this,  we  venture  to  think  that  nothing  but  such 
overwhelming  evidence  in  its  behalf  as  it  certainly 
does  not  possess  would  entitle  it  even  to  favom-- 
able  consideration.  And  this  for  two  reasons : 
First,  It  makes  our  Lord's  reply  to  this  sincere  and 
anxious  enquirer  incredibly  inept.  The  man's 
question  was,  "  Good  Master,  w-hat  good  thing 
shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life?"  Our  Lord 
answers  by  asking  him  why  he  questioned  Him  re- 
garding what  was  good — according  to  this  reading. 
Is  it  likely  our  Lord  would  so  answer  him?  especi- 
ally as  He  jiresently  tells  him  the  thing  he  really 
wanted  to  know.  But  the  conclusion  of  our 
Lord's  reply,  according  to  this  reading,  crowns 
its  absurdity  in  oiir  judgment :  '  One  is  the  Good 
One.'  If  this  has  any  connection  at  all  with  what 
goes  before,  it  must  mean  that  the  man  had  no 
need  to  enquire  what  was  the  good  wliich  men 
were  to  do,  because  One  was  the  Good  Being!  But 
if  there  be  no  connection  here,  there  is  as  little 
in  what  follows.  And  looking  at  this  read- 
ing of  our  Lord's  reply  to  a  sincere  and  anxious 
enquirer  after  eternal  life,  nothing  could  persuade 
us  that  our  Lord  did  utter  it — in  the  absence,  at 
least,  of  overpowering  evidence  from  ancient  MSS. 
and  versions.  But  secondly,  Since  no  one  pretends 
that  this  is  the  i-eadiug  of  Mark  and  Luke,  and 
since  their  account  of  our  Lord's  reply,  while  it 
gives  a  clear  and  pregnant  answer  to  the  man's 
question,  differs  totally  from  the  sense  of  this  pe- 
culiar reading  of  Matthew,  is  it  not  a  strong  argii- 
ment  against  this  reading  that  it  yields  no  proper 
sense  at  all,  while  the  received  reading  gives  the 
clear  sense  of  the  other  two  Gospels  ?  We  are  well 
aware  of  the  tendency  of  early  transcribers  to 
assimilate  the  readings  of  one  Gospel  to  those  of 
another,  especially  of  two  othei'S  which  agree  to- 
gether ;  and  we  could  give  that  cousideiation  some 
VOL.  V.  30i5 


weight  here  if  the  evidence  otherwise  were  in 
favour  of  the  peculiar  reading.  Nor  do  we  forget 
that,  other  things  being  emcal,  the  more  peculiar  a 
reading  is  tlie  more  probably  is  it  the  right  one. 
But  other  things  are  not  equal  here,  but  far  from 
it.  It  only  remains,  then,  that  we  advei-t  to  the 
external  evidence  ou  the  subject.  Only  one  MS. 
of  the  oldest  date — the  celel>rated  Vatican  (B) — 
was  thought  to  have  this  reading ;  but  the  recently 
discovered  Sinaitic  MS.  (w),  we  now  know,  has  it 
too.  Two  others  (D  and  L)  have  it,  together 
with  three  of  the  cursive  or  more  recent  mss. 
Two  of  the  Syriac  versions,  nearly  all  copies  of 
the  Old  Latin  and  of  tlie  Vulgate,  and  the  Mem- 
phitic  or  Lower-Egyptian,  have  it.  Origen,  in 
the  third  century,  has  the  first  jiart  of  it  at  least; 
and  Lusebius,  Jerome,  and  Augustin  in  the  fourth. 
Such  is  the  evidence  for  this  unnatural  reading. 
Now,  how  stands  the  evidence  on  the  other  side? 
The  only  other  MS.  of  oldest  date  and  great- 
est authority  (A)  is  defective  here;  but  the  MSS. 
with  which  it  usually  agrees  have  the  received 
text.  The  next  weightiest  MS.  has  it — the  Codex 
Ex>hraemi  rescriptus  (C) — and  with  it  all  other 
knomn  MSS.  of  the  Gospels,  except  those  above 
referred  to.  An  overwhelming  number ;  and 
in  weight,  surely  counterbalancing  those  above- 
mentioned.  It  is  found  in  the  oldest  and  most 
venerable  of  all  the  Syriac  versions,  the  '  Peshito,' 
and  in  the  text  of  the  most  critical  one,  the 
'  Philoxenian '  or  'Harclean;'  though  the  other 
reading  is  inserted  in  the  margin.  And  it  is  found 
in  the  Thebaic  or  Ujiper-Egyptian  version,  which 
is  thought  to  have  claims  to  great  antiquity.  Of 
the  Fathers,  it  is  found  in  Ireiweus,  and  substan- 
tially in  Justin  Martyr,  both  of  the  second  cen- 
tury, besides  most  of  the  later  Fathers.  On  a 
review  of  the  whole  case,  we  hesitate  not  to  say, 
that  while  the  weight  of  external  evidence  appears 
to  us  to  be  clearly  in  favour  of  the  received  text, 
the  interned  evidence,  arising  from  the  inept  char- 
acter Avhich  the  other  reading  gives  to  oui-  Lord's 
rejily,  is  decisive  against  it.  VV'e  have  been  the 
more  full  in  our  statement  upon  this  passage,  be- 
cause, while  we  hold  that  the  true  text  of  the 
New  Testament  must  in  every  case  be  determined 
by  the  ivhole  evidence  which  we  possess,  this  passage 
affords  a  good  example  of  the  tendency  of  critics 
to  be  carried  away,  in  opposition  to  their  own 
principles,  in  favour  of  stai-tlmg  readings,  and  of  the 
necessity,  in  such  cases — even  though  one  should 
stand  almost  alone — of  expressing  the  result  of  the 
entire  evidence  in  terms  as  strong  as  that  evidence 
warrants.  Scrivener  ("Criticism  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment") vindicates  the  received  text,  though  with 
no  reference  to  the  inejit  character  which  the  other 
one  stamiis  upon  our  Lord's  rej^ly,  and  admitting 
too  much  in  favour  of  the  other  reading  from  its 
harshness,  and  the  tendency  to  assimilation.  The 
only  able  critic  who  speaks  out  upon  the  '  absurd- 
ity' of  this  various  reading  is  Fritzsche.'] 

Our  Lord's  response  consists,  first,  of  a  hint  by 
the  way,  founded  on  the  ajipellation,  "  G9od  Mas- 
ter;" and  next,  of  a  direct  rejjly  to  the  enquiry  itself. 
"  Why  callest  thou  me  good  ?  There  is  none  good 
but  One,  [that  is],  God.  Did  our  Lord  mean  by 
this  to  teach  that  God  only  ought  to  be  called 
"good?"  Impossible:  for  that  had  been  to  con- 
tradict all  Scripture  teaching  and  His  oivn  too. 
"A  good  man  showeth  favour  and  lendeth"  (Ps. 
cxii.  6) ;  "A  good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure 
of  his  heart,  bringeth  forth  good  things"  (Matt, 
xii.  35);  "Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant" 


Discourse  on  tlie  case  of 


LUKE  XVIII. 


ilie  rich  young  ruler. 


20  good?  none  is  good,  save  one,  that  is,  God.  Thou  knowest  the  com- 
mandments, "Do  not  commit  adultery,  Do  not  kill.  Do  not  steal.  Do  not 

21  bear  false  witness,  "Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother.     And  he  said, 

22  All  these  have  I  kept  from  my  youth  up.  Now  when  Jesus  heard  these 
tilings,  he  said  unto  him,  Yet  lackest  thou  one  thing:  sell  ^all  that  thou 
hast,  and  distribute  unto  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in 

23  heaven :  and  come,  follow  me.  And  when  he  heard  this,  he  was  veiy 
sorrowful :  for  he  was  very  rich. 

24  And  when  Jesus  saw  that  he  was  very  sorrowful,  he  said,  ^How  hardly 

25  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God]  For  it  is 
easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  a  needle's  eye,  than  for  a  rich  man  to 


A.  D.  33. 


"  Ex.  20.  Ij. 

Deut.  5. 16. 

Kom  13.  9. 
"  Eph.  6.  2, 

Col.  3.  20. 
P  Matt.  6.  19. 

Matt.  19.21. 

1  Tim.  6.19. 
8  Pro.  11.  28. 

Pro.  IS.  11. 

Jer.  5.  5. 

1  Tim.  6.  9. 

Jas  2.  5. 


(Matt.  XXV.  21) ;  "  Barnabas  was  a  good  man,  and 
full  of  the  Holy  Ghost"  (Acts  xi.  24).  Unless, 
therefore,  "we  are  to  ascribe  captionsness  to  onr 
Lord,  He  could  have  had  but  one  object — to  teach 
this  youth,  on  the  one  hand,  that  He  declined  to  he 
classed  along  with  other  "■  good'' peoj)le  and  "good 
masters;"  and  on  the  other  hand,  by  reminding 
him  that  the  only  other  sort  of  goodness,  namely, 
supreme  goodness,  belonged  to  God  alone,  to  leave 
liim  to  draw  the  stai'tling  inference — that  that  was 
the  goodness  which  belonged  to  Him.  Unless  this 
object  is  seen  in  the  lackgrotind  of  our  Lord's 
words,  nothing  worthy  of  Him  can  be  made  out 
of  this  first  part  of  His  reply.  But  this  hint  once 
given,  our  Loi'd  at  once  passes  from  it  to  the  proper 
subject  of  the  youth's  inquiry.  20.  Thou  knowest 
the  commandments.  In  Matthew  (xix.  17,  18)  this 
is  more  fully  given:  "But,"  passing  from  that  point, 
"if  thou  wilt  enter  into  life,  kee\>  the  command- 
ments. He  saith  unto  Him,  Which?"— as  if  He 
had  said,  'Point  me  out  one  of  them  which  I  have 
not  kept.'  "Jesus  saith  unto  him,"  Do  not  commit 
adultery,  Do  not  kill,  Do  not  steal,  Do  not  bear 
false  witness,  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother. 
Our  Lord  purposely  confines  Himself  to  the  com- 
mandments of  what  is  called  the  second  table  of 
the  law,  which  he  would  consider  easy  to  keep, 
enumerating  them  all— for  in  Mark  x.  19,  "De- 
fraud not"  stands  for  the  tenth  commandment; 
otherwise  the  eighth  is  twice  repeated.  In  Mat- 
thew the  sum  of  this  second  table  of  the  law  is 
added,  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself," 
as  if  to  see  if  he  would  venture  to  say  he  had  kept 
that.  21.  And  he  said,  All  these  have  I  kept  from 
my  youth  up :— "  What  lack  I  yet?"  (Matt.  xix.  20) 
is  an  important  addition  in  Matthew,  though 
implied  in  the  shorter  answer  of  the  other  Evan- 
gelists. Ah!  this  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  his  heart. 
Doubtless  he  was  perfectly  sincere ;  but  something 
within  whispered  to  him  that  his  keeping  of  the 
commandments  was  too  easy  a  way  of  getting  to 
heaven.  He  felt  something  beyond  this  to  be  neces- 
sary; but  since  after  keeping  all  the  command- 
ments he  was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  that  could  be, 
he  came  to  Jesus  just  upon  that  point.  "  Then," 
says  Mark  (x.  21),  "Jesus,  beholding  him,  loved 
him,"  or  'looked  lovingly  upon  him.'  His  sin- 
cerity, frankness,  and  nearness  to  the  kingdom  of 
God,"  in  themselves  most  -winning  qualities,  won 
our  Lord's  regard  even  though  he  turned  his  back 
upon  Him — a  lesson  to  those  who  can  see  nothing 
loveable  save  in  the  regenerate.  22.  Now  when 
Jesus  heard  these  things,  he  said  unto  him.  Yet 
lackest  thou  one  thing — but  that,  alas!  was  a 
fundamental,  a  fatal  lack,  sell  all  that  thou  hast, 
and  distribute  unto  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have 
treasure  in  heaven:  and  come,  follow  me.  As 
riches  were  his  idol,  our  Lord,  who  knew  this  from 
the  first,  lays  His  great  authoritative  grasp  at  once 
upon  it,  saying,  '  Now  give  Me  up  that,  and  all  is 
right.'  No  general  direction  about  the  disposal  of 
306 


riches,  then,  is  here  given,  save  that  we  are  to  sit 
loose  to  them  and  lay  them  at  the  feet  of  Him  who 
gave  them.  He  who  does  this  witli  all  he  has, 
whether  rich  or  jioor,  is  a  true  heir  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  23.  And  when  he  heard  this,  he  was 
very  sorrowful :  for  he  was  very  rich.  Matthew, 
more  fully,  "he  loent  away  sorrowful:"  Mark,  still 
more  fully,  "he  was  sad  at  that  saying,  and  went 
away  grieved,  for  he  had  great  possessions. "  Sorry 
he  was,  very  sorry,  to  part  with  Christ ;  but  to  yiart 
with  his  ricnes  would  have  cost  him  a  pang  more. 
When  Riches  or  Heaven  on  Christ's  terms  were 
the  alternatives,  the  result  showed  to  which  side 
the  balance  inclined.  Thus  was  he  shown  to  lack 
the  one  all-comprehensive  requirement  of  the  law 
—the  absolute  subjection  of  the  heart  to  God,  and 
this  want  vitiated  all  his  other  obediences.  Let 
us  now  gather  up  the  favourable  points  in  this 
man's  case,  as  here  presented.  First,  He  was  of 
irreproachable  moral  character ;  and  this  amidst 
all  the  temptations  of  youth,  for  he  was  a 
"young  man"  (Matt.  xix.  22)  and  of  wealth,  for 
he  was  "very  rich."  Secondly,  He  was  restless 
notwithstanding:  his  heart  craved  eternal  life. 
Thirdly,  Unlike  the  "rulers,"  to  whose  class  he 
belonged  {i\  18),  he  so  far  believed  in  Jesus  as  to 
be  persuaded  He  could  authoritatively  direct  him 
on  this  vital  point.  And,  Fourthly,  So  earnest  was 
he  that  he  came  "running,"  and  even  "kneeling" 
before  Him;  and  that  not  in  any  quiet  corner,  but 
"  when  He  was  gone  forth  into  the  ?««?/''— the  oi)en 
road — undeterred  by  the  virulent  opposition  of  the 
class  to  which  he  belonged,  and  by  the  shame  he 
might  be  expected  to  feel  at  broaching  such  a 
question  in  the  hearing  of  so  many.  How  much 
that  is  interesting,  attractive,  loveable,  promising, 
is  there  here !  And  yet  all  M'as  in  vain.  Eternal 
life  could  not  be  his,  for  he  was  not  prepared  to 
give  up  all  for  it.  He  had  not  found  the  treasure 
hid  in  the  field ;  he  had  not  foimd  the  one  pearl  of 
great  price ;  for  he  was  not  prepared  to  sell  all 
that  he  had  to  possess  himself  of  them  (Matt.  xiii. 
44-46). 

Discourse  suggested  by  this  case  (24-30).  24.  And 
when  Jesus  saw  that  he  was  very  sorrowful — as 
he  "went  away,"  he  said.  Mark  says  "He  looked 
round  about,  as  if  first  He  womd  follow  the 
departing  youth  with  His  eye,  "  and  saith  unto 
His  disciples,"  How  hardly  shall  they  that  have 
riches  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God !  In  Mark 
(x.  24)  an  explanation  of  the  difficulty  is  added, 

How  hard  is  it  for  them  that  trzist  in  riches  to 
enter,"  «&c.,  that  is,  'With  what  difficulty  is  this 
idolatrous  trust  conquered,  Avithout  which  they 
cannot  enter;'  and  this  is  introduced  by  the  word, 
"Childi-en"  [TeKva] — that  sweet  diminutive  of  af- 
fection and  pity.  (See  John  xxi.  5. )  25.  For  it  is 
easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  a  needle's  eye, 
than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  God— a  proverbial  expression,  denoting  literally 
a  thing  impossible,  but  figuratively  a  thing  very 


The  reward  of  those  who 


LUKE  XVIII. 


leave  all  for  Christ's  sake. 


26  enter  Into  the  kingdom  of  God.     And  they  that  heard  it  said,  Wlio  then 

27  can  be  saved?    And  he  said,  ''The  things  which  are  impossible  with  men 
are  possible  with  God. 

28,      Then  *  Peter  said,  Lo,  we  have  left  all,  and  followed  thee.     And  he  said 

29  unto  them.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  *There  is  no  man  that  hath  left  house, 
or  parents,  or  brethren,  or  wife,  or  children,  for  the  kingdom  of  God's 

30  sake,  who  "shall  not  receive  manifold  more  in  this  present  time,  and  ^in 
the  world  to  come  life  everlasting. 


A.  D.  33. 


""  Jer.  32.  17. 
Zee.  8.  6. 
Eph.  1.  19, 

20. 

'  Matt.  19.27. 
«  Deut.  33.  9. 
"  Job  42.  10. 
*  Rev.  2.  17. 
Eev.  3.  21. 


difficult.  26.  And  they  tliat  heard  it  said,  Who 
then  can  he  saved?  'At  that  rate,  how  is  any- 
one to  be  saved?'  27.  And  he  said,  The  things 
which  are  impossible  with  men  are  possible  with 
God— 'Well,  it  does  pass  liuman,  but  not  divine 
power.' 

28.  Then  Peter  said  — in  the  simplicity  of  his 
heart,  as  is  evident  from  our  Lord's  re^ily,  Lo,  we 
have  left  all,  and  followed  thee.  He  A\as  con- 
scious that  the  required  surrender,  which  that 
young  ruler  had  not  been  able  to  make,  had  been 
made,  not  only  by  himself  but  by  his  brethren 
along  with  him,  whom  he  generously  takes  in — "we 
have  left  all."  Little,  indeed,  was  Peter's  "alL" 
But,  as  Beufiel  says,  the  workman's  little  is  as 
much  to  him  as  the  prince's  much.  In  Matthew's 
narrative  Peter  adds,  "  What  shall  we  have  there- 
fore?" How  shall  it  fare  with  us?  29,  30.  And 
he  said  unto  them.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There 
is  no  man  that  hath  left  house,  or  parents,  or 
brethren,  or  wife,  or  children,  for  the  kingdom  of 
God's  sake.  Who  shall  not  receive  manifold  more 
in  this  present  time,  and  in  the  world  to  come 
life  everlasting.  In  Mark  (x.  29,  30)  the  specifi- 
cation is  so  full  as  to  take  in  erery  form  of  self- 
sacrifice:  "There  is  no  man  that  hath  left  house, 
or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or 
wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  My  sake,  and  the 
Gospel's,  but  he  shall  receive  an  hundred-fold  now 
in  tliis  present  time,  houses,  and  brethren,  and 
sisters,  and  mothers,  and  children,  and  lauds, 
with  persecutions ;  and  in  the  world  to  come 
eternal  life."  This  glorious  promise  is  worthy  of 
minute  study.  First,  Observe  how  graciously  the 
Lord  Jesus  acknowledges  at  once  the  comi^lete- 
ness  and  the  acceptableuess  of  the  surrender,  as  a 
thing  already  made  by  the  attached  followers 
whom  He  had  around  Him.  'Yes,  Peter,  thou 
and  thy  fellows  have  indeed  given  up  all  for  Me, 
and  it  makes  you  beautiful  in  Mine  eyes ;  but  ye 
shall  lose  nothing  by  this,  but  ^ain  much.'  Next, 
Observe  how  our  Lord  identities  the  interests  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  with  the  Gospel's  and  with 
His  own— saying  alternatively,  "  For  the  kingdom 
of  God's  sake,"  and  "for  My  sake  and  the  Gospel's." 
See  on  Matt.  v.  11 ;  and  on  Luke  vi.  22.  Further, 
Observe  the  very  remarkable  promise — not  of  com- 
fort and  support,  in  a  mere  general  sense,  under 
persecution,  and  ultimate  deliverance  out  of  all 
this  into  eternal  life — but  of  "an  hundred-fold 
noiv  in  this  time;  "  and  this  in  the  form  of  a  re-con- 
stniction  of  all  human  relationships  and  affections, 
on  a  Christian  basis  and  amonast  Christiaiis,  after 
they  have  been  sacrificed  in  their  natural  form,  on 
the  altar  of  love  to  Christ.  This  He  calls  "manifold 
more,"  yea,  "an  hundred-fold  more,"  than  what 
they  sacrificed  for  His  sake.  Our  Lord  was  Him- 
self the  first  to  exemplify  this  in  a  new  adjustment 
of  His  oivn  relationships.  (See  on  Matt.  xii.  49,  50, 
and  Remarks  at  the  close  of  that  Section;  see  also 
on  2  Cor.  vi.  14,  18.)  But  this,  it  is  added,  "with 
persecutions ; "  for  how  could  such  a  transfer  take 
place  without  the  most  cruel  wrenches  to  flesh 
and  blood?  Nay,  the  persecution  would  haply 
follow  them  into  their  new  and  higher  circle, 
307 


breaking  that  up  too.     Well,  but  "in  the  world  to 
come  life  everlasting."    And 

'  When  the  shore  is  won  at  last. 
Who  will  count  the  billows  past  ? '—  Keble. 

The  foregoing  promises  are  for  every  one  that 
forsakes  his  all  for  Christ—"  There  is  no  man,"  &c. 
But  in  Matthew  xix,  28,  these  promises  are  pre- 
faced by  a  special  promise  to  the  Tivelve:  "And 
Jesus  said  unto  them.  That  ye  which  have  fol- 
lowed me,  in  the  regeueration,  when  the  Son  of 
man  shall  sit  in  the  throne  of  His  glory,  ye  also 
shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel."  The  words  "in  the  regenera- 
tion" [ef  t-t;  iraXtyyerecria]  may  be  joined  either 
to  what  goes  before  or  to  what  follows  after; 
and  this,  of  course,  materially  affects  the  sense. 
In  the  former  case  it  is,  "Ye  M-hich  have  fol- 
lowed Me  in  the  regeneration;"  the  meaning  of 
which  is,  'Ye  who  have  followed  Me  in  the 
new  kingdom  or  economy  which  I  am  now  erect- 
ing— the  new  life  now  begun.'  Among  the  few 
who  take  this  view  of  it  are  Hilary  among  the 
Fathers  ;  Erasmus  anA.  Ccdvin,  among  the  moderns. 
But  by  far  the  most  and  best  interpreters,  with 
whom  we  agree,  connect  the  words  with  what 
follows :  "Ye  which  have  followed  Me  shall,  in  the 
regeneration,"  &c.  But  opinions  are  divided  as 
to  what  is  meant  in  this  case  by  "the  regenera- 
tion," and  consequently,  as  to  what  is  meant  by 
the  promise  that  the  Twelve  should  "sit  on  twelve 
thi'ones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel."  One 
class  of  interpreters,  understanding  by  "the  re- 
generation" the  new  Gospel  kingdom  which  Chritt 
was  erecting,  would  jiaraphrase  the  words  thus : 
'Ye  who  have  forsaken  all  and  followed  Me  as 
no  others  have  done  shall,  in  the  new  kingdom 
which  I  am  setting  up,  and  which  shall  soon 
become  more  visible  and  stable  than  it  now  is, 
give  law  to  and  rule  the  great  Christian  world' 
— which  is  here  set  forth  in  Jewish  dress,  as  the 
Twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  to  be  presided  over  by 
the  Twelve  apostles  on  Twelve  judicial  thrones. 
lu  this  sense  certainly  the  promise  has  been 
illustriously  fulfilled;  and  so  Grotius,  Lightfoot, 
&c.,  take  it.  But  the  majority  of  interpreters 
refer  it  to  the  yet  future  glory;  and  ch.  xxii.  28-30 
seems  to  couhrm  that  interpretation.  In  this 
case  it  points  to  the  time  or  the  restitution  of 
all  things,  when  the  great  apostolic  founders  of 
the  Christian  Church  shall  be  exalted  to  a  dis- 
tinction corresponding  with  the  services  they  have 
rendered.  Perhaps  there  is  no  need  to  cli-aw  a 
very  sharp  line  of  separation  between  these  two 
views  of  the  promise  here  made  to  the  Twelve ;  and 
we  do  better,  probably  (with  Calvin),  to  see  in  the 
Ijresent  fact,  that  the  "holy  temple"  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  is  "built  upon  the  foundation  of  the 
apostles,"  and  those  "prophets"  that  supple- 
mented their  labours,  "Jesus  Christ  Hiiu.self 
being  the  Chief  Corner-Stone,"  the  assurance  that 
in  the  future  glory  their  place  would  correspond 
with  their  services  in  that  high  office.  The  reply 
of  our  Lord  to  Peter  closes,  in  Matthew  and 
Mark,  with  the  oft-repeated  words,  "But  rusxny 


Christ  again  for etelleth 


LUKE  XVIII. 


TTis  sufferings  and  death. 


31  Then  ''lie  took  unto  him  the  twelve,  and  said  unto  them,  Behold,  we 
go  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  all  things  *'that  are  written  by  the  prophets 

32  concerning  the  Son  of  man  shall  be  accomplished.  For  ^he  shall  be 
delivered  unto  the  Gentiles,  and  shall  be  mocked,  and  si)itefully  entreated, 

33  and  spitted  on :  and  they  shall  scourge  him,  and  put  him  to  death :  and 

34  the  third  day  he  shall  rise  again.  And  ^they  understood  none  of  these 
things :  and  this  saying  was  hid  from  them,  neither  knew  they  the  things 
which  were  spoken. 

35  And  '^it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  he  was  come  nigh  unto  Jericho,  a  certain 


A.  D.  33. 

""  Matt.  le.iT 

Matt.  IT.  22. 
*  Ps.  22. 

Isa.  53. 
y  Matt.  27.  2. 

ch.  23.  1. 
^  Mark  9.  32. 

ch.  2.  50. 
"  Matt.  20  29. 

Mark  10. 4G. 


that  are  first  shall  be  last,  aod  the  last  first." 
See  on  Matt.  xx.  10,  and  Remark  4  at  the  close  of 
that  Section. 

Bemarks.—\.  Is  it  not  affecting  to  think  how 
near  this  rich  young  ruler  came  to  the  kingdom 
of  God  without  entering  it?  His  irreproachable 
morals  and  his  religious  earnestness,  amidst  so 
much  that  was  hostile  to  both;  the  ingenuousness 
■with  which  he  looked  up  to  the  Lord  Jesus  as 
qualified  to  solve  his  difficulties  and  relieve  his 
anxieties  on  the  subject  of  salvation,  though  be- 
longing to  a  class  that  regarded  Him  with  bitter 
hostility;  and  the  courage  with  which  he  ran 
to  Him,  and  knelt  before  Hin  in  the  presence  of 
so  many,  with  tlie  eager  enquiry,  "  What  shall  I 
do  to  inherit  eternal  life?" — when  one  thinks  of  all 
this,  and  then  reads  that,  after  all,  "he  went 
away"  from  Christ,  how  sad  does  it  make  the 
heart!  But  we  must  get  to  the  bottom  of  this 
case  if  we  would  fully  profit  by  it.  What,  then, 
was  the  defect?  One  thing  only  he  lacked;  but 
that,  as  we  have  said,  was  fundamental  and  fatal. 
"If  any  man  love  the  world,"  says  the  apostle, 
"the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him"  (1  John  ii. 
15).  Now  this  was  just  what  this  youth  did. 
Others  might  not  have  detected  it ;  but  He  whose 
eyes  were  as  a  fiame  of  fire  stood  before  him. 
Had  anything  else  been  asked  of  him,  he  might 
have  stood  the  test.  But  the  one  thing  that  was 
demanded  of  him  was  the  one  thing  he  could 
not  part  with — his  possessions.  He  might  have 
kept  these  and  gone  to  heaven  if  the  Lord  had  not 
expressly  demanded  them.  But  for  this,  had  he 
only  sat  loose  to  them,  and  been  prepared  to 
part  with  them  at  the  call  of  duty,  that  had 
been  quite  enough.  For  while  many  a  one  covets 
the  world  he  does  not  possess,  some  sit  loose 
to  the  world  they  do  possess.  The  former  are 
idolaters,  and  "  no  idolater  hath  any  inheritance  in 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  and  of  God."  The  latter 
have,  in  the  eye  of  Christ,  "left  all  and  followed 
Him,  and  they  shall  have  treasure  in  heaven." 
Thus  this  youth,  instead  of  keeping,  as  he 
thought,  all  the  commauilments  from  his  youth 
up,  never  kept  the  first  and  great  commandment, 
Avhich  is  to  love  the  Loi-d  our  God  with  all  our 
heart.  Had  he  done  so  he  would  not  have  gone 
away  from  Christ.  And  thus,  too,  just  as  in  the 
human  body,  one  may  want  an  eye,  or  a  hand,  or 
a  foot,  or  all  of  these,  and  other  members  too,  and 
yet  be  a  living  man,  because  none  of  these  are 
vital;  whereas  the  heart,  being  essential  to  life, 
cannot  be  wanted :  so  the  soxil  maybe  spiritually 
a'ive,  and  on  its  way  to  glory,  notwithstanding 
Many  imperfections;  but  there  are  defects,  even  one 
of  which  is  incompatible  M'ith  life:  "  Without /aifl/i 
ifc  is  impossible  to  please  God ;"  and  "  If  any  man 
liave  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  His;"  and 
'\Govetousnessis  idolatry."  2.  While  every  condi- 
tion in  life,  has  its  own  snares,  the  danger  of  wealth 
lies  in  the  tendency  to  idolize  it;  and  it  is  not  un- 
likely that  the  apostle  had  this  incident  and  the 
reflections  that  follow  it  in  view  when  he  thus 
directed  Timothy:  "  Charge  them  that  are  rich  in 
303 


this  world,  that  they  be  not  high-minded,  nor  trust 
in  uncertain  riches,  but  in  the  living  God,  who 
giveth  us  richly  all  things  to  enjoy;  that  they  do 
good,  that  they  be  rich  in  good  works,  ready  to 
distribute,  willing  to  communicate ;  laying  up  in 
store  for  themselves  a  good  foundation  against  the 
time  to  come,  that  they  may  lay  hold  on  eternal 
life"  (1  Tim.  vi.  17-19).  At  the  same  time,  this  and 
numberless  exhortations  to  the  rich  show  the 
folly  of  taking  our  Lord's  directions  to  the  rich 
young  ruler  as  a  general  direction  to  pai-t  with  all 
worldly  possessions  to  the  poor  in  order  to  get  to 
heaven.  In  that  case  s\ich  passages  as  those  just 
quoted  would  have  no  meaning  at  all.  Christianity 
was  not  designed  to  obliterate  the  distinction  of 
ranks  and  conditions  iia  life,  but  to  teach  and 
beget  in  the  different  classes  of  society  the  proper 
feelings  towards  each  other,  and  towards  the  com- 
mon Lord  of  all.  3.  Christians  should  learn  from 
Christ  Himself  to  appreciate  the  excellences  even 
of  the  unconverted,  while  not  blinded  by  these  to 
what  they  fundamentally  and  fatally  lack.  4.  The 
Human  excellences  of  the  Lord  Jesus  are  not  to  be 
regarded  as  on  a  level  ■with  those  of  mere  men. 
Thovxgh  human  in  their  nature,  they  are  the  excel- 
lences of  the  Only  begotten  of  the  Father,  which 
take  them  quite  out  of  the  category  of  ordinary 
excellences,  even  though  these  were  faultless.  If 
something  of  this  kind  was  not  underneath  our 
Lord's  hint  to  the  young  man  about  there  being 
none  §ood  but  One,  it  will  be  difficult  to  make  any 
dignified  sense  out  of  it  at  all ;  but  if  it  was,  all  is 
intelligible  and  worthy  of  Jesus.  And  thus  So- 
cinianism,  instead  of  finding  the  suppoi't  here 
which  it  is  so  fain  to  catch  at,  is  only  baffled  by  it. 

31-34.  — Third  Explicit  Announcement  of 
His  approaching  Sufferings,  Death,  and  Re- 
surrection. (=  Matt.  XX.  17-19;  Mark  x.  32-34.) 
For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  x.  32-34. 

35-43.— A  Blind  Man  Healed.  (  =  Matt.  xx. 
29-34,  "Two  Blind  Men;"  Mark  x.  40-52, 
"Blind  Bartimeu.s.") 

35.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  he  was  come 
nigh  unto  Jericho— on  his  way  through  Perrea  to 
his  last  Passover,  a  certain  blind  man  sat  by  the 
way-side  begging.  In  Mark  the  name  is  given — 
"  blind  Bartimasus,  the  son  of  Tima;us."  But  there 
and  in  Matthew  it  was  "as  they  departed  from," 
or  "  went  out  of  Jericho ; "  and  in  Matthew  it  is 
not  one,  but  "two  blind  men,"  beggai's,  that  on 
this  occasion  received  their  sight.  .Several  critics 
— as  Ch'esivell,  Elirard,  Ellicott,  Neander,  Wieseler, 
with  some  of  the  Fathers— suppose  one  to  have 
been  healed  on  entering,  the  other  on  leaving 
Jericho.  Others  to  whom  this  seems  far-fetched, 
would  leave  the  facts  as  recorded  to  speak  inde- 
pendently for  themselves.  One  thing  seems  clear, 
that  these  three  narratives  must  have  been  written 
quite  apart  from  each  other;  and  another,  that 
these  divergences  in  the  circumstantial  details 
strongly  corroborate  the  historical  truth  of  the 
facts.  Perhai)s,  if  we  kneio  all  the  particidar-:,  we 
should  see  no  difficulty ;  but  that  we  have  been 
left  so  far  in  the  dark,  shows  that  the  thing  is  of 


A  Mind 


LUKE  XVIII. 


man  healed. 


36  blind  man  sat  by  the  way-side  begging :  and  hearing  the  multitude  pass 

37  by,  he  asked  what  it  meant.     And  they  told  him,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth 

38  passeth  by.     And  he  cried,  saying,  Jesus,  tkoti  son  of  David,  have  mercy 

39  on  me!  And  they  which  went  before  rebuked  him,  that  he  should  hold 
his  peace :  but  he  cried  so  much  the  more,  T/i02t  son  of  David,  have  mercy 
on  me!  And  Jesus  ''stood,  and  commanded  him  to  be  brought  unto 
him :  and  when  he  was  come  near,  he  asked  him,  saying,  What  wilt  thou 
that  I  shall  do  unto  thee?     And  he  said.  Lord,  that  I  may  receive  my 

lit.     And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Receive  thy  sight:  "^^thy  faith  hath 
43  saved  thee.     And  immediately '^  he  received  his  sight,  and  followed  him, 
*  glorifying  God:  and  all  the  people,  when  they  saw  it,  gave  praise  unto 
God. 


40 
41 


42  sii 


A.  D.  33. 

>>  Heb.  2.  17. 
Heb  5.  2. 

"  ch.  ir.  19. 

d  Ps.  33.  9. 

Isa.  35.  5. 
'   Ps    103.  1. 

Isa.  43.  7,  8. 
21. 

ch.  4.  39. 

ch.  5.  26. 

ch.  17. 15-18. 

Acts  4.  2  . 

Acts  11.  IS. 
1  Pet.  2.  9. 


no  momeut  any  way.  Had  there  been  any  collu- 
sion among  the  authors  of  these  Gospels,  they 
would  certainly  have  taken  care  to  remove  these 
'spots  on  the  sun' — as  Chrysostom,  of  the  Fathers, 
with  Olshausen,  van  Osterzee,  and  Alford,  fail  not 
to  observe.  36.  And  hearing  the  multitude  pass 
by,  lie  asked  what  it  meant— a  most  graphic  and 
natural  touch;  the  sound  being  all  he  had  to 
tell  him  what  was  going  on.  37.  And  they  told 
him,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by.  38.  And 
he  cried,  saying,  Jesus,  son  of  David,  in  other 
words,  'Thou  promised  Messiah.'  That  this  was 
the  understood  sense  of  the  phrase  is  evident 
from  the  acclamation  with  which  the  multitude 
greeted  Him  on  his  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusa- 
lem (Matt.  xxL  9;  see  also  Matt,  xil  2.3).  have 
mercy  on  me !  39.  And  they  which  went  before — 
"the  multitude"  (Matt.  xx.  31),  rebuked  him, 
that  he  should  hold  his  peace— and  not  annoy,  or 
impede  the  iirogress  of  Jesus;  very  much  in  the 
spirit  of  the  Twelve  themselves  but  a  little  be- 
fore, when  infants  were  brought  to  Him  (see  on 
verse  15,  and  Remark  1  at  the  close  of  that  Sec- 
tion), and  when  the  Svrophenician  woman  "cried 
after  Him"  (see  on  Mark  vii.  *J(i).  But  0,  how 
differently  from  them  did  Jesus  feel !  but  he  cried 
so  much  the  more,  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on 
me!  This  is  that  Importunity,  so  highly  com- 
mended and  richly  rewarded  in  the  Syroi^heni- 
cian  woman,  and  so  often  enjoiued,  (ch.  xi.  5,  &c. ; 
xviii.  1,  &c.)  40.  And  Jesus  stood— or  "stood 
still,"  as  rendered  in  Matthew  and  Mark,  and 
commanded  him  to  be  brought  unto  him.  Mark 
(.X.  49-50)  has  this  interesting  addition  :  "  And  they 
call  the  blind  man,  saying  unto  him,  Be  of  good 
comfoi't :  rise,  He  calleth  thee. "  It  is  just  as  one 
earnestly  desiring  an  interview  with  some  exalted 
jierson,  but  told  by  one  official  after  another  that 
it  is  vain  to  wait,  for  he  will  not  succeed — they 
know  it— yet  persists  iu  waiting  for  some  answer 
to  his  suit,  and  at  length  the  door  opens,  and  a 
servant  appears,  saying  '  You  are  to  be  atlmitted 
— He  has  called  you.'  No  doubt  those  who  thus 
encouraged  the  poor  man,  knew  well  the  cure  that 
would  follow.  "  And  he,  casting  away  his  gar- 
ment, rose,  and  came  to  Jesus."  How  lively  is 
this  touch  about  the  casting  away  of  his  garment ! 
It  is  evidently  the  remark  of  an  eye-witness,  ex- 
l)ressive  of  tlie  exhilarating  hope  v/ith  which  he 
was  immediately  filled.  And  when  he  was  come 
near,  he  asked  him,  41.  Saying,  What  wilt  thou 
that  I  shall  do  unto  thee  ?  It  was  plain  enough 
to  all  present  wl  at  the  poor  blind  man  wanted: 
but  Jesus,  by  this  question,  would  try  him ; 
would  deepen  his  present  consciousness  of  need ; 
and  would  draw  out  his  faith  in  Him,  See  on 
John  V.  6.  and  he  said.  Lord  [Kvpie].  In  Mark 
the  term  rendered  "Lord"  is  ^' Hahboni" — an 
emphatic  and  confiding  exclamation  (see  on  John 
XX.  lii).    that  I  may  receive  my  sight.     42.  And 


Jesus — "had  compassion  on  them,  and  touched 
their  eyes,"  says  Matthew,  "and"  said  unto 
him,  Receive  thy  sight,  thy  faith  hath  saved 
thee.  43.  And  immediately  he  received  his 
sight,  and— now  as  a  grateful  disciple,  followed 
him,  glorifjdng  God:  and  all  the  people,  when 
they  saw  it,  gave  praise  unto  God. 

Remark. — This  gracious  ciu-e,  it  will  be  observed, 
was  quite  casual.  Blind  Bartimeus  sat  that  day, 
as  usual,  by  the  way-side  begging ;  not  dreamiuj:^ 
that  ere  its  shadows  fell  he  should  see  the  light  of 
heaven.  But,  like  other  blind  people,  his  ears  had 
doubtless  been  all  the  quicker  to  hear  whatever 
was  flying  about.  And  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  tidings  sent  to  the  imprisoned  Bajjtist — "  The 
blind  receive  their  sight" — had  flown  to  him,  with, 
very  possibly,  the  details  of  some  of  the  cures. 
And  just,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Syrophenician 
woman,  aud  in  that  of  the  woman  with  the  issue 
of  blood,  these  tidings  had  wrought  in  his  heait 
the  conviction  that  He  Mas  the  promised  Messiah, 
and  such  a  confidence  in  His  power  and  grace,  that 
he  would  say  within  himself,  '  0  if  He  would  but 
pass  this  way,  how  should  I  cry  to  Him,  as  "He 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ;"  and,  poor 
beggar  though  I  be,  the  Son  of  David  would  not 
shut  His  ear  against  vae—for  they  tell  me  He  never 
yet  did  that  to  any  suppliant.  And  who  knows  but 
He  will  come?  They  say  he  is  even  now  in  this 
region,  and  if  He  goes  up  to  Jerusalem  to  keep  the 
approaching  Passover,  He  likely  ivill  come  this 
way.  But  He  may  not  come  when  I  am  here;  and 
yet  there  is  ho])e : — but  what  is  that  stir  I  hear  ? 
What  is  it?  "Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by!" 
0  transport!  He  comes,  He  comes!  Now  is  my 
time.'  So,  ere  He  comes  up,  the  loud  cry  is  heard, 
"Jesus,  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me!"  In  a 
moving  crowd,  accompanying  some  great  person 
on  a  progress,  tliere  are  always  some  who  keep 
ahead  of  the  main  body.  These,  catching  the 
sound  first,  officiously  try  to  silence  him,  that 
there  may  be  no  commotion,  no  interruption : — 
'  Stop  that  dense  crowd  in  order  that  the  case  of 
a  beggar  may  be  attended  to?  why,  at  that  rate 
He  would  never  get  on  at  all.'  But  the  earnest 
suppliant  is  not  to  be  moved  by  that.  His  oppor- 
tunity has  come,  for  which  he  had  longed  but 
scarce  dared  to  hope ;  and  he  shall  not  be 
silenced.  Nay,  "so  much  the  more"  did  he  cry, 
"  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me !"  At  length  the 
glorious  Healer  comes  up  to  the  spot,  and  the 
whole  crowd  must  halt,  while  He  cures  this  be- 
lieving beggar.  And  first.  He  commands  him  to 
be  called.  They  hasten  through  the  crowd  to  the 
road-side,  and  bid  the  poor  man  be  of  good  cheer, 
for  the  Lord  has  sent  for  him.  This  gives  his  faith 
time  to  ripen.  '  I  thought  it  would  come  to  that : 
Long  looked  for — come  at  last :  my  hopes  refused 
to  be  damped :  they  could  not  silence  me ;  my  soul 
went  forth  to  Him  in  yet  louder  cries,  and  not  in 


Conversion  of 


LUKE  XIX. 


Zaccheus  the  publican. 


19,     AND  Jesus  entered  and  passed  through  "Jericho.     And,  behold,  there 

2  was  a  man  named  Zaccheus,  which  was  the  chief  among  the  pubhcans, 

3  and  he  was  rich.     And  he  sought  to  see  Jesus  who  he  was;  and  could 

4  not  for  the  press,  because  he  was  little  of  stature.     And  he  ran  before, 
and  climbed  up  into  a  sycamore  tree  to  see  him :  for  he  was  to  pass  that 

5  ivay.     And  when  Jesus  came  to  the  place,  he  looked  up,  and  saw  him, 
and  said  unto  him,  Zaccheus,  make  haste,  and  come  down;  ''for  to-day  I 

G  must  abide  at  thy  house.     And  he  made  haste,  and  came  down,  and 
7  received  him  jo}^"ully.      And  when   they  saw  it,  they  all  murmured, 


A.  D.  33. 


CHAP.  19. 
"  Jos.  6.  26. 

1  Ki.  16.  31. 

2  Ki.  2.  18- 
22 

Jos.  2.  1. 
6  Gen.  18   3. 
5. 

Gen.  19. .  i 
Ps.  101.2,3. 
John  14.  23. 


vain :  I'm  to  succeed ;  I  shall,  I  sliall ! '  Thus  he 
comes  into  the  presence  of  Jesus.  "What  vilt 
thou  that  I  shall  do  unto  thee?"  As  he  could  not 
see  Him,  the  Lord  takes  this  way  of  awakening 
tlirough  his  ears,  the  expectation  of  relief,  and 
gives  him  an  opportunity  of  presenting  in  explicit 
terms  the  desire  of  his  heart.  "Lord,"  is  his  ready 
answer,  "that  I  may  receive  my  sight.''  It  is 
enough.  The  Redeemer's  heart  yearns  with  com- 
passion ;  He  touches  his  eyes,  and  immediately 
He  sees  as  other  men.  Like  the  man  out  of  whom 
Avent  the  legion  of  devils,  he  cling-s  to  his  wondrous 
Benefactor,  pouring  out  his  grateful  feelings,  in 
which  the  wondering  people  also  join.  Thus  did 
this  man  catch  his  favourable  moment,  seize  his 
opportunity,  and  obtain  a  rich  reward.  At  other 
times  he  had  cried  in  vain.  And  are  there  no 
opportunities — no  favourable  moments  still — ana- 
logous to  this,  for  getting  the  higher  sight,  for 
being  healed  in  the  higher  sense  ?  Are  there  not 
some  seasons,  rather  than  others,  of  which  it  may 
be  said  that  "Jesus  of  Nazareth  passe^A  hy" ? 
Seasons  of  aiBiction  are  such ;  but  pre-eminently, 
seasons  of  religious  awakening,  of  revival,  and 
the  effusion  of  the  Spirit.  And  just  as  when, 
after  a  long,  dull  calm  at  sea,  the  wind  gets  up, 
all  hands  are  astir  to  hoist  the  sails  and  catch  the 
breeze,  so  then,  if  ever,  as  Jesus  of  Nazareth  pass- 
eth  by,  should  all  that  feel  their  need  of  healing 
stir  up  their  expectations,  and  lift  iip  their  cries  ; 
and  though  there  may  be  here  also  officious  people 
who  rebuke  them,  that  they  should  hold  their 
peace,  their  wisdom  will  be  only  to  "  cry  so  much 
the  more. "  Nor  can  they  more  readily  draw  down 
His  compassion  and  ensure  relief,  than  by  refusing 
to  be  silenced  by  such  pretended  friends. 

CHAP.  XIX.  1-10.— Conversion  OF  Zaccheus 
THE  Publican.  The  opening  verse  shows  that 
this  remarkable  incident  occurred  at  the  same 
time  with  the  foregoing. 

1.  And  Jesus  entered.  As  the  word  "  Jesus"  is 
not  in  the  original,  it  should  not  have  been  inserted 
here.  The  rendering  should  be,  'And  He  entered,' 
showing  that  the  occasion  is  the  same  as  before. 
and  passed  through  {divpxeToy-T&VmeY,  '  was  jiass- 
ing  through'  Jericho — as  to  which,  see  on  chap.  x. 
80,  31.  2.  And,  hehold,  there  was  a  man  named 
Zaccheus — the  same  as  Zacchai,  Ezra  ii.  9 ;  Neh.  vii. 
14.  From  v.  9  it  is  evident  that  he  was  a  Jew,  and 
what  he  says  in  v.  Swould  have  proved  it  too.  which 
was[halai)Tds] — 'andthe  same  was' the  Chief  among 
the  publicans — a  high  revenue  official,  and  he 
was  rich.  Ill-gotten  riches  some  of  it  certainly 
was,  as  we  shall  see  on  v.  8.  For  the  office  and 
character  of  the  jjublicans,  see  on  Matt.  v.  46, 
and  on  ch.  xv.  1.  3.  And  he  sought  to  see  Jesus— 
not  to  listen  to  His  teaching,  or  obtain  anything 
from  Him,  but  merely  to  see  who  he  was — what 
sort  of  person  this  was,  about  whom  there  was  so 
much  speculation,  and  after  whom  such  crowds 
were  following.  Curiosity,  then,  was  his  only 
motive,  though  his  determination  not  to  be 
baulked  was  overruled  for  more  than  he  sought, 
and  could  not  for  the  press,  because  he  was  little 
310 


of  stature.  4.  And  he  ran  before,  and  climbed  up 
into  a  sycamore  tree— the  Egyptian  fig,  with 
leaves  like  the  mulberry— to  see  him :  for  he  was 
to  pass  that  way.  Thus  eager  to  jjut  himself  in 
the  way  of  Jesus,  low  as  his  motive  was,  he  was 
rewarded  by  what  he  little  dreamt  of.  5.  And 
when  Jesus  came  to  the  place,  he  looked  up— in 
the  full  knowledge  of  who  was  in  that  tree,  and 
preparatory  to  addressing  him,  and  saw  him, 
and  said  unto  him,  Zaccheus— whom  He  had 
never  before  seen  in  the  flesh,  nor  iirobably  heard 
of  by  report;  but  "He  calleth  His  own  sheep  /-y 
name,  and  leadeth  them  out"  (John  x.  3).  make 
haste,  and  come  down;  for  to-day  I  must  abide 
at  thy  house.  Our  Lord  invites  Himself,  and  that 
in  right  royal  style,  which  waits  not  for  invitations, 
but — since  the  honour  is  done  to  the  subject,  not 
the  sovereign — announces  the  puri^ose  of  royalty 
to  ]:>artake  of  the  subject's  hospitalities.  Mani- 
festly om-  Lord  speaks  as  knowing  how  the  i^rivi- 
lege  would  be  appreciated.  Accordingly,  with  an 
alacrity  which  in  such  a  person  surprises  us,  he 
does  exactly  as  bidden.  "  Make  haste;"  6.  And  he 
made  haste — "  and  come  down,"  and  came  down 
— "  for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house,"  and 
received  him  joyfully.  Whence  this  so  sudden 
"joy"  in  the  cold  bosom  of  an  avaricious  publican? 
The  internal  revolution  was  as  perfect  as  it  was 
instantaneous.  He  who  spake  to  Matthew  the 
publican  but  those  witching Avords,  "Follow  me," 
and  "he  arose,  left  all,  and  followed  Him" — He 
who  said  to  the  man  with  the  withered  hand, 
"  Stretch  forth  thine  hand,"  and  "  he  stretched  it 
out,  and  it  was  restored  whole  as  the  other" — the 
same  said  to  the  heart  of  Zaccheus  at  one  and 
the  same  moment  as  to  his  ear,  "  Make  haste  and 
come  down;  for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house." 
He  with  whom  Zaccheus  had  to  do  had  but 
to  "speak,  and  it  was  done;"  though  few  pene- 
trated to  the  secret  of  this  as  the  centurion  did,  at 
whose  faith  Jesus  "marvelled"  (ch.  vii.  7-9).  At 
the  same  time  one  can  tz-ace  the  stejis  of  this  revo- 
lution in  the  mind  of  Zaccheus.  In  the  look  which 
Christ  gave  him — "  When  Jesus  came  to  the  place, 
He  looked  U]^,"  singling  him  out  from  all  others — 
he  must  have  seen  something  of  a  jmrpose  towards 
himself,  which  would  at  once  arrest  his  attention. 
Then,  His  addressing  him  Ijy  name,  as  perfectly 
familiar  with  him,  though  He  had  never  seen  or 
heard  of  him  before— this  would  fill  him  with 
amazement,  and  make  the  thought  instantly  flash 
across  his  mind,  'This  must  be  the  Christ  He 
claims  to  be !'  But  when  the  call  followed,  in 
such  wonderful  terms — "  Make  haste,  and  come 
down,  for  to-day  I  must  al)ide  at  thy  house" — 
the  conscious  majesty  of  it,  and  the  jiower 
with  which  it  was  spoken,  as  if  sure  of  instant 
and  glad  obedience,  doubtless  completed  the 
conquest  of  his  mind  and  heart.  But  these, 
though  the  avenues  through  which  Christ  found 
His  way  into  Zaccheus's  heart,  must  not  be  re- 
garded as  the  whole  explanation  of  the  change 
upon  him.  (See  on  Acts  xvi.  14.)  7.  And  when 
they  saw  it,  they  all  murmured.    We  have  got  so 


Conversion  of 


LUKE  XIX. 


Zaccheus  the  puhUcan. 


8  saying,  "^That  be  was  gone  to  be  guest  witb  a  man  tbat  is  a  sinner.  And 
Zaccbeus  stood,  and  said  unto  tbe  Lord;  Bebold,  Lord,  tbe  balf  of  my 
goods  I  give  to  tbe  poor ;  and  if  I  bave  taken  any  tbing  from  any  man 

9  by  false  accusation,  I  '^restore  him  four-fold.  And  Jesus  said  unto  bim, 
Tbis  day  is  salvation  come  to  tbis  bouse,  forsomucb  as  'be  also  is  a  son 

10  of  Abrabam.     For  -'tbe  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  tbat 
wbicli  was  lost. 


A.  D.  33. 

"  Matt.  9.  11, 

21,  28,  31. 
Ch.  5.  30. 
d  Ex.  22.  1. 

1  Sam.  12.3. 
°  ch.  13.  16. 

/  Matt.  10.  6. 
Matt  15.21. 


accustomed  to  this  in  the  Gospel  History,  that  we 
know  the  classes  that  must  be  here  referred  to — 
"  the  Pharisees  and  scribes"  (ch.  xv.  2),  or  their 
echoes  amongthe  multitude,  saying,  That  he  was 
gone  to  be  guest  [K-a-raA-Co-at]— or,  '  take  up  His 
lodging,'  as  the  same  word  is  rendered  in  ch.  ix.  12. 
The  word  signifies  to  'unloose'  or  'unyoke,'  as 
travellers  do  where  they  are  to  rest  for  the  night. 
(See  Gen.  xxiv.  23,  in  LXX.)  with  a  man  that 
is  a  sinner.  No,  cai)tious  Pharisees ;  he  was  a 
sinner  ui)  till  a  minute  ago,  but  now  he  is  a  new 
creature,  as  his  own  lips  shall  i)resently  make 
manifest.  8.  And  Zaccheus  stood— stood  forth, 
o]  leuly  before  all ;  and  said  unto  the  Lord,  Be- 
hold, Lord.  Mark  how  frequently  our  Evangelist 
uses  this  title,  especially  where  lordly  authority, 
(/ii/niti/,  grace,  or  power  is  intended,  the  half  of 
my  goods  I  give  to  the  poor;  and  if  I  have  taken 
any  thing  from  any  man  by  false  accusation— 
'defrauded,'  'overcharged,'  any  mau,  assessing 
him  on  a  false  reprcseutation  of  his  m  ans,  or 
of  the  value  of  the  articles  for  which  he  was 
rated,  which  was  but  too  common  with  this 
class  (see  ch.  iii.  12,  13),  I  restore  him  four-fold. 
The  "if"  here  is  not  meant  to  ex})ress  any  doubt 
of  the  fact,  but  only  the  difficulty,  where  there 
had  been  so  much  of  this,  to  fix  upon  the  cases 
and  the  extent  of  the  unrighteous  exactions. 
The  meaning,  then,  is,  'in  so  far  as  I  have  done 
this.'  The  Eonian  law  required  this  four-fold 
restitution ;  the  Jewish  law,  but  the  principal, 
and  a  fifth  more  (Num.  v.  7).  There  was  no  de- 
mand made  for  either;  but,  as  if  to  revenge 
himself  on  his  hitherto  reigning  sin  (see  on  John 
XX.  2S),  and  to  testify  the  change  he  had  ex- 
]ierienced,  besides  surrendering  the  half  of  his 
fair  gains  to  the  poor,  he  voluntarily  determines 
to  give  up  all  that  was  ill  gotten,  quadrupled. 
And  what  is  woiihy  of  notice,  in  the  presence  of 
all  he  gratefully  addiessed  this  to  "the  Lord,"  to 
whom  he  owed  the  wonderful  change.  9.  And 
Jesus  said  unto  him— and  this  also  before  all, 
and  for  the  information  of  all.  This  day  is  salva- 
tion come  to  this  house.  Memorable  saying! 
Salvation  has  already  come,  but  it  is  not  a  day 
nor  an  hour  old.  The  word  "to  this  house"  was 
]irobably  designed  to  meet  the  taunt,  '  He  is  gone 
to  lodge  at  a  sinner's  house.'  The  house,  says 
Jesus,  is  no  longer  a  sinner's  house,  polluted  and 
polluting :  '  'Tis  now  a  saved  house,  all  meet  for 
the  reception  of  Him  who  came  to  save.'  What 
a  ])recious  idea  is  salvation  to  a  house,  expressing 
the  new  air  that  would  henceforth  breathe  in  it, 
and  the  new  impulses  from  its  head  which  would 
reach  its  members,  forsomuch  as  he  also  [/caOoVt 
Koi  ai/xos] — 'inasmuch  as  even  he,' publican  though 
he  be,  and  acting  till  now  in  the  unprincipled  way 
which  even  himself  has  confessed- even  he  is  a 
son  of  Abraham.  He  was  that  by  birth,  but  here 
it  means  a  partaker  of  Abraham's  faith^  being 
mentioned  as  the  sufficient  explanation  of  salva- 
tion having  come  to  him.  (Gal.  iii.  26,  29;  and  for 
Abraham's  faith  as  evidenced  by  works,  as  here, 
see  Jas.  ii.  22. )  10.  For  the  Son  of  man  is  come 
to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost.  A 
remarkable  expression  —  not  '  them,^  but  '  that ' 
311 


which  was  lost  [to  d-TroXtuXo's] ;  that  is,  the  mass  of 
lost  siuners.  Zaccheus  was  simjily  one  such ;  and 
in  saying  him,  Jesus  says  He  was  not  going  out 
of  His  way,  but  just  doing  His  proper  work.  He 
even  explains  why  He  waited  not  for  Zaccheus  to 
apply  to  Him;  for,  says  He,  'My  business  is  to 
seek  as  well  as  save  such.' 

Remarks. — 1.  Whatever  brings  souls  in  contact 
with  Christ  is  hopeful.     When  Zaccheus  "sought 
to  see  Jesus,  who  He  was,"  nothing  probably  was 
further  from  his  mind  than  becoming  His  disciple, 
and  a  new  creature.     But  that  mere  curiosity  of 
his,  and  the  step  he  took  to  gratify  it,  were  the 
"cords  of  a  man"  by  which  he  was  drawn  into 
the  position  for  Christ's  eye  and  voice  of  love  and 
power  to  reach  him.     On   his  part,  all  was  the 
operation    of    natural,   ordinary,   every-day  i3riu- 
ciples  of  action:  on  Christ's  part,  all  was  super- 
natural, divine.      But  so  it  is  in  every  conversion. 
Hence  the  importance  of  bringing  those  we  love, 
and    for  whose    conversion  we    long    and    pray, 
within  the  atmosphere  of  those  means,  and  in  con- 
tact with  those  truths,  ou  the  wings  of  which 
Christ's  power  and  gi-ace  are  wont  to  reach  the 
heart.       What  thousands    have  thus,   all    unex- 
l)ectedly  to  themselves,  been  transformed  into  new 
creatures!    2.  What  a  testimony  to  instantaneous 
conversion  have  we  here !    Against  this  there  are 
groundless    prejudices    even     among    Christians; 
which,  it  is  to  be  feared,  arise  from  want  of  sufh- 
cieut  familiarity  with  the  laws  and  activities  of 
the  spiritual  life.     Though  the  fruit  of  a  sovereign 
operation  of  Grace  upon  their  own  hearts,  Chris- 
tians are  nevertheless  in  danger  of  sinking  into 
such  a  secular  spirit,  that  the  su23ernatural  char- 
acter of  their  Christian  life  is  scarcely  felt,  and 
lively  si)irituality  hardly  known.  No  wonder,  then, 
that  such  should  view  with  suspicion  changes  like 
this,  which  by  their  instantaneousuess  reveal  a 
kind  of  divine  oi^eration  to  which  they  are  them- 
selves too  great  strangers.     But  what  else  than 
instantaneous  can  any  conversion  be?    The  pre- 
jmration  for  it  may  be  very  gradual ;  it  may  take 
a  hundred  or  a  thousand  steps  to  bring  the  very 
means  which  are  to  be  effectual  right  up  to  the 
heart,  and  the  heart  itself  into  a  frame  for  yielding 
to  them.     But  once  let  it  come  to  that,  and  the 
transition  from    death    to    life    must  be    instan- 
taneous— the  last  surrender  of  the  heart  must  be 
so.     The  result  of    such  words   from  heaven  as 
"Live"!  (Ezek.  xvi.  6):  "  Be  thou  clean"  !  (Matt, 
viii.   3):    "Thy   sins    be    forgiven    thee"!    (Mark 
xi.   5):  "Make  haste,  and  comedown;  for  to-day 
I  must  abide  at  thy  house"  ! — cannot  but  be  in- 
stantaneous, as  when  they  issued  from  the   lips 
of  Jesus  in  the  days  of  His  flesh.    The  "taking 
away  of  the  stone"  before  Lazarus's  resurrection, 
and  "  loosing  and  letting  him  go"  after  it,  as  they 
were  human  operations,  so  they  took  a  little  time, 
though  not  a  great  deal.     But  when  "the  Resur- 
rection and  the  Life"  said,  "Lazarus,  come  forth !" 
his  resuscitation   was   instantaneous,   and   could 
not  but  be.     See  on  John  xi.  39,  44     3.  The  best 
evidence  of  conversion  lies  in  the  undoing  or  re- 
versal of  those  things  by  which  our  former  sinful- 
ness was   chiefly  marked— the  conquest  of  what 


The  Parable  of 


LUKE  XIX. 


the  Pounds. 


11  And  as  they  heard  these  things,  he  added  and  spake  a  parable,  because 
he  was  nigh  to  Jerusalem,  and  because  ^they  thought  that  the  kingdom 

12  of  God  should  immediately  appear.     He  ''said  therefore, 

A  certain  nobleman  went  into  a  far  country  to  receive  for  himself  a 

13  kingdom,  and  to  return.     And  he  called  his  ten  sei'vants,  and  delivered 

14  them  ten  ^pounds,  and  said  unto  them.  Occupy  till  I  come.  But  4iis 
citizens  hated  him,  and  sent  a  message  after  him,  saying.  We  will  not 

15  have  this  man  to  reign  over  us.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  when  he  was 
returned,  having  received  the  kingdom,  then  he  commanded  these  servants 
to  be  called  unto  him,  to  whom  he  had  given  the  "^  money,  that  he  might 

1 6  know  how  much  every  man  had  gained  by  trading.     Then  came  the  first, 

17  saying.  Lord,  thy  pound  hath  gained  ten  pounds.  And  he  said  unto 
him,  Well,  thou  good  servant:  because  thou  hast  been •'faitliful  in  a  very 


A.  D.  33. 


"  Acts  1.  6. 
h  Matt.  25.11. 
Mark  13.34. 

1  A  Pound 
is  twelve 
ounces  and 
a  half; 
which,  at 
five  shil- 
lings the 
ounce,  is 

3/.  2S.  6d. 
i  Johnl.  11. 

2  Silver. 

i  Matt.  25  21. 
ch.  10.  10. 


are  called  'besetting  sins.'  Had  Zacclieiis  lived 
before  chiefly  to  hoard  tip  ?  Now,  "Behold,  Lord, 
the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to  the  poor. "  A  large 
proportion  of  his  means  this,  to  part  with  at  once 
to  those  who  were  in  want.  But  further,  did 
Zaccheus  become  "rich"  by  appropriating  to  him- 
self the  excess  of  his  exactions  "  oy  false  accusa- 
tion"? "If  I  have  taken  any  thing  from  any 
man  by  false  accusation,  I  restore  him  four-fold. 
The  frozen  heart  had  melted  down,  the  clenched 
fist  had  opened,  and— unlike  the  rich  young  rider 
(ch.  xviii.  2.3) — the  idol  had  been  dethroned.  This 
was  a  change  indeed.  See  on  the  wise  injunctions 
of  the  Bajitist  to  the  different  classes  that  asked 
him  how  they  were  to  manifest  their  repentance 
— on  ch.  iii.  12.  4.  When  religion  comes  into 
the  heart,  it  will  find  its  way  into  the  house,  as 
into  that  of  Zaccheus.  For  it  is  in  one's  house 
that  one  is  most  hitnve/f.  There,  he  is  on  no  stiff 
ceremony ;  there,  if  anywhere,  he  opens  out ; 
there  he  acts  as  he  is.  Where  religion  is  not,  the 
home  is  the  place  to  reveal  it ;  where  it  is,  it  is  the 
air  of  home  that  draws  it  out,  like  perfumes  which 
the  zephyr  wafts  to  all  around.  Hence  the  bold 
langr.age  of  the  apostle  to  the  jailer  of  Philippi, 
"Bel. eve  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt 
be  saved,  and  thy  house"  (Acts  xvi.  31;  and  see 
also  vv.  14,  15).  "The  voice  of  rejoicing  and 
salvation  is"  not  only  in  the  hearts  but  in  the 
houses,  not  only  in  the  temples  but  "in  the  taber- 
nacles of  the  righteous"  (Ps.  cxviii.  15).  5.  Till 
men  are  converted  and  become  new  creatures, 
they  are  "lost,"  in  the  account  of  Christ — in  what 
sense  may  be  seen  in  the  case  of  the  Prodigal  son, 
who  was  ''^ lost"  when  a  run-away  from  his  father, 
and  "found"  when  he  returned  and  was  welcomed 
back  as  a  penitent.  (See  on  ch.  xv.  24.)  Accord- 
ingly, as  being  the  common  condition  of  all  whom 
Christ  came  to  save,  they  are  represented  as 
"that  which  is  lost."  But  if  the  worst  features  of 
men's  fallen  state  are  held  forth  without  disguise 
in  the  teaching  of  Christ,  it  is  only  to  commend 
the  remedy,  and  encourage  those  who  have  felt  it 
most  deeply  not  to  despa,ir.  For  "the  Son  of  Man 
is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost." 
It  was  His  errand ;  it  is  His  business ;  and  this 
glorious  case  of  Zaccheus — He  Himself  assures  us 
— is  but  a  specimen-case.  Multitudes  of  them 
there  have  since  been,  but  there  are  more  to  come ; 
and  when  any  are  ready  to  sink  under  insupport- 
able discoveries  of  tlieir  lost  state,  we  are  war- 
ranted to  tell  them  that  tlieii's  is  just  a  case  for 
the  Lord  Jesus — "for  the  Son  of  Man  is  come  to 
seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost ! " 

11-27.— The  Parable  of  the  Pounds.     That 
this  parable  is  quite  a  different  one  from  that  of 
The  Talents  (in  Matt.  xxv.  14-30)— although  Cal- 
vin, Olshausen,  Meyer,  &c.,  but  not  de  Wette  and 
312 


Neander,  identify  them — will  ajipear  from  the  fol- 
lowing considerations  : — First,  This  parable  was 
spoken  "when  He  was  nigh  to  Jerusalem"  {v.  11) ; 
that  one,  some  days  after  entering  it,  and  from  the 
Mount  of  Olives.  Second,  This  parable  was 
spoken  to  the  promiscuous  crowd ;  that,  to  the 
Twelve  alone.  Accordingly,  Third,  Besides  the 
"servants"  in  this  parable,  who  i^rofess  sulyection 
to  Him,  there  is  a  class  of  "citizens"  who  refuse  to 
o^vn  Him,  and  who  are  treated  differently;  whereas 
iu  tlie  Talents,  spoken  to  the  former  class  alone, 
this  latter  class  is  omitted.  Fourth,  In  the 
Talents,  each  servant  receives  a  different  number 
of  them — five,  two,  one;  in  the  Pounds,  all  receive 
the  same  one  pound  (which  is  but  about  the 
sixtieth  part  of  a  talent) ;  also,  in  the  Talents,  each 
of  the  faithful  servants  shows  the  same  fidelity  by 
doubling  what  he  received — the  five  are  made  ten, 
the  two  four;  in  the  Pounds,  each,  receiving  the 
same,  renders  a  different  return — one  making  his 
pound  ten,  another  five.  Plainly,  therefore,  the 
intended  lesson  is  different;  the  one  illustrating 
equal  fidelity  with  differetit  degrees  of  advantage ; 
the  otlier,  different  degrees  of  improvement  of  the 
same  opjwrtunities.  And  yet,  with  all  this  differ- 
ence, tlie  parables  are  remarkably  similar. 

11.  And  as  they  heard — or  were  listening  to, 
these  tilings,  lie  added  and  spake  [vpoaQeU  elirev] 
—or  'went  on  to  speak;'  which  shows  that  this 
followed  close  ujion  the  preceding  incident:  a 
parable,  because  lie  was  nigh  to  Jerusalem,  and 
because  they  thought  that  the  kingdom  of  God 
should  immediately  appear  [ava<paLve(j(iaL\—oY  be 
visibly  set  up  as  soon  as  He  reached  the  capital. 
So  that  this  was  designed  more  immediately  for 
His  own  disciples,  as  is  also  evident  from  the 
nature  of  the  i)arable  itself.  12.  He  said  there- 
fore, A  certain  nobleman  went  into  a  far  country 
— said  to  put  down  the  notion  that  He  was  just 
on  His  way  to  set  uj)  His  kingdom,  and  to  inau- 
gurate it  by  His  personal  presence,  to  receive 
for  himself  a  kingdom— to  be  invested  with 
royalty ;  as  when  Herod  went  to  Pome  and  was 
there  made  king:  a  striking  expression  of  what 
our  Lord  went  away  for  and  received,  "sitting 
down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  majesty  on  high." 
and  to  return— at  His  Second  coming.  13.  And 
he  called  his  ten  servants,  and  delivered  them 
ten  pounds,  and  said  unto  them,  Occupy  [ri(iny- 
fi.aTev<ja(jde\ — 'Negociate,'  'do  business,'  with  the 
resources  ertrusted  to  you.  till  I  come.  14.  But 
his  citizens  hated  him,  and  sent  a  message  after 
him,  saying,  We  wUl  not  have  this  man  to  reign 
over  us.  It  is  a  great  misconception  of  tliis  par- 
able to  confound  these  "citizens  with  the  "ser- 
vants." The  one  repudiate  all  subjection  to  Him  ; 
the  other,  not  excepting  the  unfaitliful  one,  ac- 
knowledge Him  as  Master.      By  the  "citizens'" 


Chrhfs  triumphal 


LUKE  XIX. 


entry  into  Jerusalem. 


18  little,  have  thou  autliority  over  ten  cities.     And  the  second  came,  saying, 

19  Lord,  thy  pound  hath  gained  five  pounds.     And  he  said  likewise  to  him, 

20  Be  thou  also  over  five  cities.     And  another  came,  saying,  Lord,  behold, 

21  here  is  thy  pound,  which  I  have  kept  laid  up  in  a  napkin:  for  ^I  feared 
thee,  because  thou  art  an  austere  man :  thou  takest  up  that  thou  layedst 

22  not  down,  and  reapest  that  thou  didst  not  sow.  And  he  saith  unto  him, 
'Out  of  thine  own  mouth  will  I  judge  thee,  thou  wicked  servant.  "'Thou 
knewest  that  I  was  an  austere  man,  taking  up  that  I  laid  not  down,  and 

23  reaping  that  I  did  not  sow :  wherefore  then  gavest  not  thou  my  money 
into  the  bank,  that  at  my  coming  I  might  have  required  mine  own  with 

2-1:  usury?    And  he  said  unto  them  that  stood  by.  Take  from  him  the  pound, 

25  and  give  it  to  him  that  hath  ten  pounds.     (And  they  said  unto  him, 

20  Lord,  he  hath  ten  pounds.)     For  I  say  unto  you,  "That  unto  every  one 

which  hath  shall  be  given ;   and  from  him  that  hath  not,  even  that  he 

27  hath  shall  be  taken  away  from  him.  But  those  mine  enemies,  which 
would  not  that  I  should  reign  over  them,  bring  hither,  and  slay  them 
before  me. 

28  And  wlien  he  had  thus  spoken,  "he  went  before,  ascending  up  to 
Jerusalem. 

29  And  ^it  came  to  pass,  when  he  was  come  nigh  to  Beth  phage  and 
Bethany,  at  the  mount  called  the  mount  of  Olives,  he  sent  two  of  his 


A.  D.  33. 


t  Ex.  20.  19, 
20. 

lSam.12.20. 

Matt.  25.24. 
2  Tim.  1.  r. 
Eom.  8.  l'>. 
Jas.  2.  1!). 
1  John4.'.S- 
Eev.  21.  8. 
'  2  Sain.  1.16. 
Job  15.  6. 
Matt  12.  sr. 
Tit.  3.  11. 

"'  Matt  25.26. 

"  Matt.  13.12. 

Matt,  ib.-i^. 

Mark  4.  25. 

ch.  S.  18. 
°  lMarklO.3-'. 

ch.  9.  51. 

ch.  12.  50. 

John  18.11. 

1  Pet.  4.  1. 
P  Matt.  21. 1. 

Mark  11.  1. 

John  12.12, 

16. 


historically  are  hei'e  meant  the  Jews  as  a  nation, 
who  were  Christ's  "own,"  as  "King  of  the  Jews," 
but  who  expressly  repudiated  Him  in  this  char- 
acter, saying,  "We  have  no  king  hut  Cesar"  (John 
xix.  15.)  But  generally,  and  in  Christendom,  this 
class  com]ireheuds  all  infidel,  open  rejecters  of 
Christ  and  Christianity,  as  distinguished  from 
professed  Christians.  15-26.  The  reckoning  here 
is  so  very  similar  to  that  in  Matt.  xxv.  19-29,  that 
the  same  exi)Osition  will  answer  for  both ;  if  only 
it  be  observed  that  here  we  have  difl'erent  degrees 
of  future  gracious  reward,  pro] portioned  to  the 
measure  of  present  fidelity.  27.  But  those  mine 
enemies,  which  would  not  that  I  should  reign 
over  them,  bring  hither,  and  slay  them  before  me. 
Compare  1  Sam.  xv.  32,  33.  The  reference  is  to 
the  awful  destruction  of  Jerusalem ;  but  it  points 
to  the  final  ijerdition  of  all  who  shall  be  found  in 
open  rebellion  against  Christ. 

For  Remarks  on  this  Section,  see  those  on 
Matt.  xxv.  14-30,  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 

28-44 — Christ's  Triumphal  Entry  into  Jeru- 
salem ON  THE  First  Day  of  the  Week— His 
Tears  over  it,  and  its  Doom  pronounced. 
(  =  Matt.  xxi.  1-11  ;  Mark  xi.  Ml  ;  John  xii.  12- 
19.)  It  will  be  seen,  from  the  parallels,  that  we 
are  now  coming  to  those  scenes  of  which  we  have 
the  concurrent  records  of  all  the  Four  Evangel- 
ists. And  no  wonder,  considering  how  pregnant 
with  the  life  of  tlie  world  are  those  scenes  of 
majesty  and  meekness,  of  grace  and  glory,  of 
patience  and  power,  of  death,  with  elements  of 
unutterable  anguish,  and  life,  with  issues  in  its 
bosom  inconceivably  glorious.  The  river,  the 
streams  whereof  make  glad  the  City  of  God— but 
0,  with  what  an  awful  gladness  !— now  parts,  as  be- 
fits the  river  of  our  Paradise,  into  its  "four  heads." 

28.  And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  went  before. 
See  on  Mark  x.  32,  and  Remark  1  at  the  close  of 
that  Section,  ascending  up  to  Jerusalem.  Here 
occurs  an  important  gap,  supplied  in  the  Foiu-th 
Gospel. 

John  xii.  1:  "Then  Jesus,  six  days  before  the 
Passover"  — iirobably  after  sunset  on  the  Fri- 
(/rt.^/  Evening,  or  at  the  commencement  of  the 
Jewish  Sahiath,  which  preceded  the  Passover— 
"came  to  Bethany,  where  Lazarus  was,  which 
313 


had  lieen  dead,  whom  He  Piad]  raised  from  the 
dead."  There,  if  we  are  right  as  to  the  time  of 
His  arrival.  He  would  spend  His  last  Sabbath 
amongst  friends  peculiarly  dear  to  Him,  and 
possibly  it  was  on  the  evening  of  that  Sabbath 
that  "there  they  made  Him  a  supper,  at  the 
house  of  Simon  the  leper."  See  on  Mark  xiv. 
3,  &c.  At  all  events,  it  was  on  the  day  following, 
which  was  the  Fimt  Day  of  the  Week;  that  He 
made  this  His  triumphal  Entry  into  Jerusalem. 
This  corresponded  to  the  tentli  day  of  the  month. 
Nisan,  in  the  Jewish  year,  the  day  on  which  the 
jiaschal  lamb  was  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
llock,  st,n<].  set  apart  for  sacrifice:  it  was  ''''kept  up 
until  the  fourteenth  day"  on  which  "the  whole 
assembly  of  the  congregation  of  Israel  were  to 
kill  it  in  the  evening"  [c.'j")?T  ]'5]  literally,  'be- 
tween the  two  evenings'  (as  in  the  marnin); 
that  is,  between  three  o'clock — the  hour  of  the 
evening  sacrifice— and  six  o'clock,  or  the  close  of 
the  Jewish  day  (Exod.  xii.  3,  6).  Who  can  be- 
lieve that  this  was  a  mere  coincidence?  Who 
that  observes  how  every  act  in  the  final  scenes 
was  alluded  to,  arranged  and  carried  out  with  a 
calm  dignity,  as  seeing  the  end  from  the  beginning, 
can  doubt  that  "Christ  our  Passover"  yf\\o  was 
to  be  ^'' sacrificed  for  lis,"  designed,  by  His  solemn 
entry  into  the  bloody  city,  yet  the  appointed 
place  of  sacrifice,  to  hold  Himself  forth  as  from 
this  time  set  apart  for  sacrifice  ?  Accordingly, 
He  never  after  this  ]iroperly  left  Jerusalem — 
merely  sleeping  at  Bethany,  but  spending  the 
whole  of  every  day  in  the  city. 

TliC  Trium2:>hal  Eidry  into  Jerusalem  (29-4<l). 
29.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  was  come 
nigh  to  Bethphage  and  Bethany,  at  the  mount 
called  [the  mount!  of  Olives.  Our  Evangelist 
alludes  thus  generally  to  Bethany,  as  if  our  Lord 
had  merely  pa.ssed  by  it,  on  His  way  to  Jerusa- 
lem, because  He  was  not  to  relate  anything 
about  His  stay  there,  but  only  that  He  took  it 
on  His  route  to  the  capital.  The  word  "  Beth- 
lihage"  [=N??  ri'^]  means  ''Fig-house,'  no  doubt 
from  the  profusion  of  that  fruit  which  this  spob 
produced.  That  it  lay,  as  Bethany  did,  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  mount  of  Olives,  or  the  side 
farthest  from  the    cai)ita],    is    certain:    but    no 


Christ's  triumphal 


LUKE  XIX. 


entry  into  Jerusalem. 


30  disciples,  saying,  Go  ye  into  the  village  over  against  ^ow;  in  the  which 
at  your  entering  ye  shall  find  a  colt  tied,  whereon  yet  never  man  sat: 

31  loose  him,  and  bring  him  hither.  And  if  any  man  ask  you.  Why  do  ye 
loose  him?  thus  shall  ye  say  unto  him,  Because  ^the  Lord  hath  need  of 
him. 

32  And  they  that  were  sent  went  their  way,  and  found  even  as  he  had 

33  said  unto  them.     And  as  they  were  loosing  the  colt,  the  owners  thereof 

34  said  unto  them.  Why  loose  ye  the  colt?     And  they  said.  The  Lord  hath 

35  need  of  him.  And  they  brought  him  to  Jesus:  '"and  they  cast  their  gar- 
ments upon  the  colt,  and  they  set  Jesus  thereon. 


A   D.  33. 
a  Ps.  24.  1. 
I'S.   50.   10- 
12. 
Matt.21.2,3. 
Mark  11.  2- 
6. 

Acts  10.  36. 
"■  2  Ki.  9.  13. 
Matt.  21.  7. 
Mark  U.  7. 
John  12.  U. 
Gal.  4.  15. 


traces  of  it  are  now  to  be  found,  and  whether  it  was 
east  or  west,  north  or  south,  of  Bethanv,  is  not 
agreed.  The  small  village  of  Bethany  Ip'P...  ri'3], 
meaning  '  Date-house,''  yet  remains,  '  pleasantly 
s.tuateJ,'  says  Thomson,  '  near  the  soutli-eastern 
base  of  the  mount,  and  having  many  fine  trees 
about  and  above  it.'  lie  sent  two  of  his  disciples, 
30.  Saying,  Go  ye  into  the  village  over  against 
you — that  is,  Bethphage;  in  the  which  at  your 
entering  ye  shall  find  a  colt  tied,  whereon  yet 
never  man  sat.  This  last  remarkable  particular 
is  mentioned  both  by  Matthew  and  Mark.  On  its 
significance,  see  on  John  xix.  41.  loose  him,  and 
bring  him  hither.  31.  And  if  any  man  ask  you, 
Why  do  ye  loose  him  ?  thus  shall  ye  say  unto 
him,  Because  the  Lord  hath  need  of  him — "  and 
straightway  he  will  send  him  hither"  (Mark 
xi.  3).  Remarkable  words  !  But  the  glorious 
Speaker  knew  all,  and  had  the  key  of  the  hu- 
man heart.  (See  on  verse  5.)  It  is  possible  the 
owner  was  a  disciple ;  but  whether  or  no,  the 
Lord  knew  full  well  what  the  result  would  be. 
A  remarkable  parallel  to  it  will  be  found  in  the 
case  of  Samuel  (see  1  Sam.  x.  2-7) ;  but  M"ith  this 
noteworthy  difference,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
read  the  narrative  of  Samuel's  directions  without 
observing  that  he  knew  himself  all  the  while  to 
be  but  a  servant  of  the  Lord,  whereas  the  Lord 
Himself  is  in  every  utterance  and  act  of  Jesus  on 
this  occasion. 

32.  And  they  that  were  sent  went  their  way, 
and  found  even  as  he  had  said  unto  them.  Mark 
is  so  singularly  precise  here,  that  it  is  impossible 
to  doubt  that  the  description  is  fresh  from  one  of 
the  two  disciples  sent  on  this  errand  ;  and  in  that 
case,  who  can  it  be  but  Peter,  of  whose  hand  in 
this  Gospel  all  antiquity  testifies  and  internal 
evidence  is  so  strong?  Probably  John  was  the 
other  (compare  Mark  xiv.  13,  with  Luke  xxii.  8). 
"And  they  went  their  way  (says  Mark),  and  found 
the  colt  tied  hy  the  door  xv'dlioiit  in  a  place  where 
two  vxtys  met;_  and  they  loose  him."  Had  not  the 
minutest  particulars  of  this  grand  entry  into  Jeru- 
salem burned  themselves  into  the  memory  of  those 
dear  disciples  that  were  honoured  to  take  part  in 
the  preparations  for  it,  such  uuimiiortant  details  had 
never  been  recorded.  33.  And  as  they  were  loosing 
the  colt,  the  owners  thereof  said  unto  them,  Why 
loose  ye  the  colt?  34.  And  they  said.  The  Lord 
hath  need  of  him— "and  (says  Mark)  they  let  them 
go. "  35.  And  they  brought  him  to  Jesus.  Matthew 
here  gives  an  important  particular,  omitted  by  the 
other  Evangelists.  He  says  "they  brought  tlie  ass 
and  the  colt."  Of  course,  the  unbroken  colt  would 
be  all  the  more  tractable  by  having  its  dam  to  go 
along  with  it.  The  bearing  of  this  minute  paiti- 
cular  on  the  prophecy  about  to  be  quoted  is  very 
striking,  and  they  cast  their  garments  upon  the 
colt,  and  they  set  Jesus  thereon— He  allowing 
them  to  act  this  part  of  attendants  on  royalty, 
as  befitting  the  state  He  was  now,  for  the  fii'st  and 
only  time,  assuming. 

314 


Matthew  here  notes  the  well-known  iirophecy 
which  was  fulfilled  in  all  this,  on  which  we  must 
pause  for  a  little:  "All  this  was  done,  that  it 
might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the  ijro- 
]ihet  (Zee.  ix.  9),  saying,  Tell  ve  (or,  '  Say  ye  to') 
the  daughter  of  Ziou" — quoting  here  another  bright 
Messianic    prophecy    (Isa.    Ixii.    11)    ia    place    of 
Zechariah's  opening  words,   "  Eejoice  greatly,   O 
daughter  of  Ziou ;  shout,  0  daughter  of  Jerusalem: 
Behold,  thy  King  cometh  unto  thee."    Here  the 
X)rophet  adds,  "  He  is  just,  and  having  salvation" 
or  'helloed' — [rtMj];  but  the  Evangelist  omits  these, 
l)assing  on  to  what  relates  to  the  loivli/  character 
of  His  royalty:  "meek,  and  sitting  upon  an  ass, 
and  a  colt,  the  foal  of  an  ass."    It  was  upon  the 
foal  that  our  Lord  sat,  as  Mark  and  Luke  expressly 
state.     While  the  hoise  was  an  animal  of  Avar,  the 
ass  was  used  for  purj)0ses  of  peace.     In  the  times 
of  the  Judges,  and  for  a  considerable  time  after- 
wards, horses  were  not  used  at  all  by  the  Israel- 
ites, and  so  even  distingiiished  persons  rode  on 
asses  ( Jud.  v.  10 ;  x.  4 ;  xii.  14) — but  not  from  any 
nobleness  in  that  animal,  or  its  being  an  emblem 
of  royalty,  as  some  say.     'Nor,'  to  use  the  words  of 
Heniistenberg,  '  in  all  our  accounts  of  the  asses  of 
the  East,  of  which  we  have  a  great  abiiodance,  is 
there  a  single  examjile  of  an  ass  being  ridden  by  a 
king,  or  even  a  distinguished  officer,  on  any  state 
occasion ;  whereas  here  it  is  expressly  in  His  royal 
capacity  that  the  prophet  says  Jerusalem's  King  is 
to  ride  upon  an  ass.'    And  there  are  not  wanting 
proofs,  aclduced  by  this  able  critic,  that  in  the  East 
the  ass  was  and  is  regarded  with  a  measure  of 
contempt.     And  does  not  the  fulfilment  of  the  pro- 
j)hecy  which  we  behold  here  itself  show  that  loivli- 
7iess  was  stamped  upon  the  act,  royal  though  it  was  ? 
'Into  the  same  city,'  adds  the  critic  just  quoted, 
'  which  David  and  Solomon  had  so  freciuently  en- 
tered on  mules  or  horses  richly  caparisoned,  and 
with  a    company    of   jiroud    horsemen    as    their 
attendants,  the  Lord  rode  on  a  borrowed  ass,  which 
had  never  been  broken  in ;  the  wretched  clothing 
of  His  disciples  sup])lying  the  place  of  a  saddle- 
cloth,  and  His  attendants  consisting  of  people 
whom  the  world  would  regard  as  a  mob  and  rabble. ' 
This  critic  also,  by  an  examination  of  the  phrase 
used  by  the  prox)het,   "the  foal  of  asses,"  infers 
that  it  means  an  ass  still  mostly  dependent  upon 
its  mother,  and  regards  the  use  of  tnis  as  a  mark 
of  yet  greater  humiliation  in  a  King.     In  short,  it 
was  the  meekness  of  majesty  which  was  thus  mani- 
fested, entering  the  city  with  royal  authority,  yet 
vsaiving,  during  His  humbled  state,   all  the  ex- 
ternal grandeur  that  shall  yet  accompany   that 
authority.       On    this    remarkable    prophecy,    so 
remarkably  fulfilled,  we  notice  two  other  points. 
First,  the   familiar   and    delightful    name    given 
to  the  chosen  people,  "The  daughter  of  Zion," 
or,  as  we  might  conceive  of  it,   'the  offspring  of 
Zion's  ordinances,^  born  and  niu'sed  amid  its  sanc- 
tities— deriving  all  their  sjiiritual   life   from   the 
Eeligion  which  had  its  centre  and  seat  iu  Zion ; 


Christ'' s  triumphal 


LUKE  XIX. 


enti'y  into  Jerusalem. 


36,      And  *as  he  went,  they  spread  their  clothes  in  the  way.     And  when  he 

37  was  come  nigh,  even  now  at  the  descent  of  the  mount  of  Olives,  the  whole 
multitude  of  the  disciples  began  to  rejoice  and  praise  God  with  a  loud 

38  voice  for  all  the  mighty  works  that  they  had  seen,  saying,  *  Blessed  be  the 
King  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord:  "peace  in  heaven,  and  glory 
in  the  highest. 

39  And  some  of  the  Pharisees  from  among  the  multitude  said  unto  him, 

40  Master,  rebuke  thy  disciples.     And  he  answertxl  and  said  unto  them,  I 


A.  D.  33. 

"  Aiatt.  ai  s. 
t  rs.72,  17,19. 

Ps.  118.  20. 

Zee.  9.  9. 

Matt.  21.  9. 

Ch.  13.  35. 

1  Tim.  1.17. 
"  ch.  2.  14. 

Eph.  2.  14. 


next,  tlie  prophetic  call  to  the  chosen  people  to 
'''Rejoice  greatly''''  at  this  comiug  of  their  King  to 
His  own  proper  city.  And  the  joy  with  which 
Jesus  was  welcomed  on  this  occasion  into  Jerusa- 
lem was  all  the  more  striking  a  fulfilment  of  this 
lirophecy,  that  it  was  far  from  being  that  intelli- 
gent, deep,  and  exultant  welcome  which  the  pro- 
phetic Spirit  would  have  had  Zion's  daughter  to 
give  to  her  King.  For  if  it  was  so  superficial  and 
fickle  a  thing  as  we  know  that  it  was,  all  the  more 
does  one  wonder  that  it  was  so  immense  in  its 
reach  and  volume;  nor  is  it  possible  to  account 
for  it  save  by  a  wave  of  feeling — a  mysterious  im- 
ymlse— sweeping  over  the  mighty  mass  from  above, 
in  conformity  with  high  arrangements,  to  give  the 
King  of  Israel  for  once  a  visible,  audible,  glad 
welcome  to  His  Own  regal  City, 

38.  And  as  lie  went— or  proceeded  onwards  to- 
wards the  city,  they  spread  their  clothes  in  the 
way — that  is,  the  gathering  crowds  did  so;  attract- 
ed, probably,  in  the  first  instance,  by  the  novelty 
of  the  spectacle,  but  a  higher  view  of  it  by  and  by 
Hashing  across  them.  Matthew  says,  "And  a  very 
gi'eat  multitude" — or  'the  immense  multitude' 
f'O  6k  TrKela-Toi  6x^09]  "spread  their  garments  in 
the  way;  others  cut  down  branches  from  the 
trees,  and  strawed  them  in  the  way."  This  cast- 
ing of  their  gamients  beneath  His  feet  was  an  an- 
cient Oriental  way  of  exjiressing  the  homage  of 
a  iieople  towards  their  sovereign,  or  one  whom 
tliey  wished  to  welcome  as  sucii — as  we  see  in 
the  case  of  Jehu  (2  Ki.  ix.  13).  And  spreading  a 
gorgeous  cloth  over  the  pathway  that  is  to  be 
trodden  by  a  monarch  on  any  great  occasion,  is  our 
modern  way  of  doing  the  same  thing.  37.  And 
when  he  was  come  nigh,  even  now  at  the  descent 
of  the  mount  of  Olives— ^just  as  He  approached  the 
city,  the  whole  multitude  of  the  disciples— in  the 
wider  sense  of  that  term — "that  went  before  and 
that  followed"  (Matt.  xxi.  9.) — both  the  van  and 
the  rear  of  this  immense  mass,  began  —  or  i)ro- 
ceeded,  to  rejoice  and  praise  God  with  aloud  voice. 
The  language  here  is  unusually  grand,  intended  to 
express  a  burst  of  admiration  far  wider  and  dee]ier 
than  ever  had  been  witnessed  before,  for  all  the 
mighty  works  —  or  'miracles'  [6vvd/x€wv]  that 
they  had  seen — the  last  and  gi-andest,  the  resur- 
rection of  Lazarus,  only  crowning  a  series  of  un- 
paralleled wonders.  38.  Sa3dng, —  "Hosanna" 
(Matthew,  Mark,  and  John) ;  that  is,  "Save  notv" 
fni  n5'\Dini   Ps.  cxviiL  25.      Blessed  [be] — or  'is,' 

as  rendered  in  Matthew  and  John.  Either  way,  it 
is  their  glad  welcome  to  the  King  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord— in  John  (xil  13),  "the 
King  of  Israel ;"  in  Matthew  (xxi.  9),  "the  Son  of 
David;"  in  Mark  (xi.  9,  10),  after  "Blessed  is  He 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  another  ex- 
clamation is  added,  "Blessed  be  the  Kingdom  of 
our  father  David,  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord."  In  all  likelihood,  the  exclamation  was 
variously  uttered  by  the  multitude,  and  the  same 
voices  may  have  varied  their  acclaim,  as  they 
re])eated  it  over  and  over  again,  peace  in  heaven, 
and  glory  in  the  highest.  The  multitude  of  the 
heaveabj  host,  remarks  Bengd,  said  at  His  birth, 
315 


"Peace  on  earth"  (ch.  ii.  14),  this  ea/'^/t '2/ multi- 
tude say,  "Peace  in  heaven."  A  great  truth,  in- 
deed, but  uttered  in  ignorance.  Christ's  entry 
into  Jerusalem  now  meant  peace  in  both  senses ; 
but,  alas,  they  "knew  not  the  things  that  belonged 
to  their  i)eace."  In  Matthew  and  Mark  another 
"Hosanna  in  the  highest"  is  substituted  for  this  ; 
and,  doubtless,  it  was  repeated  often  enough.  In 
thus  uttering  the  gi-and  Messianic  words  of  Ps. 
cxviii.  25  —  which  lie  embosomed  in  those  rich 
Evangelical  anticipations  that  formed  part  of 
the  Great  Hallel,  as  it  was  called,  or  Passover- 
Psalms,  to  be  sung  by  all  the  people  in  a  few  days, 
and  which  were  understood  to  refer  to  the 
Messiah — they  acted,  all  unconsciously,  as  the  re- 
presentatives of  the  true  Church  welcoming  Her 
King,  aye,  and  of  the  literal  Israel,  who  will  one 
day  hail  Him  with  a  transport  of  joy,  but  mingled 
with  weeping.  (Comiiare  Matt.  xxiiL  39,  Mith 
Zee.  xii.  10). 

A  very  important  addition  is  here  made  in  the 
Fourth  Gospel : 

John  xii.  16-19.  "These  things  undei-stood  not 
His  disci]iles  at  the  first ;  but  when  Jesus  was 
glorified,  then  remembered  they  (see  John  xiv. 
26)  that  these  things  were  A\Titten  of  Him" — 
referring  more  immediately  to  the  prophecies 
just  quoted  from  Ps.  cxviii.  and  Zee.  ix.,  but 
generally  to  those  Messianic  portions  of  the 
Old  Testament  which  had  till  then  been  over- 
looked—"and  that  they  had  done  these  things 
unto  him."  The  Spirit,  descending  on  them  from 
the  glorified  Sa\aour  at  Pentecost,  ojiencd  their 
eyes  suddenly  to  the  true  sense  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, brought  viv-idly  to  their  recollection  this 
and  other  Messianic  predictions,  and  to  their  un- 
speakable astonishment  showed  them  that  they, 
and  all  the  actors  in  these  scenes,  had  been  un- 
consciously fulfilling  those  inedictions.  "The 
pieople  therefore  that  was  ■with  Him  when  He 
called  Lazarus  out  of  His  grave,  and  raised  Him 
from  the  dead,  bare  record" — probably  telling 
others  in  the  cix)wd  what  they  liad  so  recently 
witnessed,  as  additional  evidence  that  this  munt 
be  "He  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 
"For  this  cause  the  people" — or  'the  multitude' 
[6  ox^-os]  "  also  met  Him,  for  that  they  heard 
that  He  had  done  this  miracle, "  The  crowd  was 
thus  largely  swelled  in  consequence  of  the  stir 
which  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus  made  in  and 
about  the  city.  "The  Pharisees  therefore  said 
among  themselves.  Perceive  ye" — or  'Ye  ]:ierceive' 
iBewpelTe],  "how  ye  prevail  nothing?  behold,  the 
world  is  gone  after  Hiin" — a  popular  way  of 
siieaking:  'He  is  drawing  all  men  after  Him,;'  a 
saying,  as  Beiu/el  remarks,  in  which  there  lay 
something  prophetic,  like  that  of  Caiaphas  (John 
xi.  50-52),  and  that  of  Pilate  (John  xix.  19).  This 
was  spoken  evidently  with  deep  indignation  ;  and 
was  as  much  as  to  say,  '  We  cannot  allow  this  to 
go  any  further,  steps  must  be  immediately  taken 
to  get  rid  of  Him,  else  all  will  be  lost.' 

39.  And  some  of  the  Pharisees  from  among 
the  multitude  said  unto  him,  Master— 'Teacher' 
— [A(ouaKa\e],  rebuke  thy  disciples- a  bold  throw 


The  Redeemer  s  tears 


LUKE  XIX. 


over  Jerusalem. 


tell  j^ou  that,  if  these  should  hold  their  peace,  'the  stones  would  imme- 
diately cry  out. 

41  And  when  he  was  come  near,  he  beheld  the  cit}%  and  '^wept  over  it, 

42  saying,  If  thou  hadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least  in  this  thy  day,  the 


A.  D.  33 


"  Hab.  2.  11. 

■«  Hos.  11.  8. 

John  11.j5. 


tliis,  evidently  to  try  Him,  for  they  could  hardly 
think  that  it  would  be  done.  40.  And  he  answered 
and  said  unto  them — using  this  Phariscaic  interrup- 
tion as  but  an  opportunity  for  giving  vent  to  His 
lient  up  feelings  in  the  hearing  of  all  around  Him, 
I  tell  you  that,  if  these  should  hold  their  peace, 
the  stones  would  immediately  cry  out  [/ce/cpdjoi/- 
T-nt,  paido-post  fut.  This  rare  tense  is  better  sup- 
liorted  here,  we  think,  than  the  sim^jle  future, 
Kpd^ovcriv,  '  will  cry  out,'  adopted  by  Tischen- 
ilorf,  Tregelles,  and  Alfonl,  but  not  Ladnnann]. 
In  Hab.  ii.  11  we  have  nearly  the  same  saying. 
But  it  was  proverbial  even  among  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  and  Webster  and  Wilkinson  quote  a  Greek 
couplet  and  a  i)assage  from  Cicero  precisely  the 
sxme.  Hitherto  the  Lord  had  discouraged  all 
demonstrations  in  his  favour  ;  lattei'ly  He  had 
le.ijun  an  opposite  course;  on  this  one  occasion  He 
seems  to  yield  His  whole  soul  to  the  wide  and 
deej)  acclaim  with  a  mysterious  satisfaction,  re- 
garding it  as  so  necessary  a  jiart  of  the  regal  dig- 
nity ill  which  as  Messiah  He  for  this  last  tmie 
entered  the  city,  that  if  not  offered  by  the  vast 
multitude,  it  would  have  heen  wrung  out  of  the 
stones  rather  than  be  withheld ! 

The  Ixedeeiner^s  Incurs  over  Jerusalem  (41,  42). 
41.  And  when  he  was  come  near,  he  beheld  the 
city,  and  wept  over  it.  "Mine  eye"  said  the 
weei)ing  prophet,  "  affecteth  mine  heart "  (Lam. 
iii.  51) ;  and  the  heart  in  turn  fills  the  eye.  Under 
tliis  sympathetic  law  of  the  relation  of  mind  and 
body,  Jesus,  in  His  beautiful,  tender  humanity, 
was  constituted  even  as  we.  What  a  contrast  to 
the  immediately  preceding  profound  joy!  But 
He  yielded  Himself  alike  freely  to  both.  42. 
Saying,  If  thou  hadst  known — 'But,  alas! 
thou  hast  not.'  This  "If"  is  the  most  em- 
jihatic  utterance  of  a  wisli,  for  that  which  can- 
not be,  or  is  not  likely  to  be  realized.  (Com- 
p  a-e  Jos.  vii.  7,  in  Hebrew,  and  Job.  xvi.  4.) 
even  thou.  This  may  be  joined  to  the  preceding 
— 'If  even  thou  hadst  known'  [et  eyi/tus  kuI  av]. 
There  is  deep  and  affecting  emphasis  on  this 
"  Thoii:" — 'Far  as  thou  art  gone,  low  as  thou 
hast  sunk,  all  but  hopeless  as  thou  art,  yet  if 
even  thou  hadst  known!'  at  least  in  this  thy 
day— even  at  this  most  moving  moment.  See  on 
ch.  xiii.  9.  the  things  [which  toelongj  unto  thy 
peace !  [tu  ttjjos  ei^vviiu  aov] — or,  as  Luther  and 
JJeza  vender  it,  'which  make  for  thy  peace'  (was 
zu  detnem  Frieden  dlenet — quce  ad  pacem  tuam 
faciunt).  It  has  been  thought,  by  Wetstein  and 
others  since,  that  there  is  some  allusion  here  to 
the  original  name  of  the  city — "  Salem,"  meaning 
'Peace'  [OTirl.  but  now  they  are  hid  from 
thine  eyes.  This  was  among  His  last  open  efforts 
to  "gather"  them,  bnt  their  eyes  were  judicially 
closed.     (See  on  Matt.  xiii.  13,  14.) 

Jerusalenis  Doom  Pronoun-ed  (43,  44).  43.  For 
the  days  sliall  come  ["On  v^ovan/  iifxepai]—^  For 
there  shall  come  days'  upon  thee,  that  thine 
enemies  shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee  [xdpaKu] 
— rather  a  palisaded  'ram]iart.'  The  word  signi- 
fies any  '  pointed  stake  ; '  but  here  it  denotes  the 
Roman  military  vallum,  a  mound  or  rampart  with 
lialisades.  In  the  present  case,  as  we  learn  from 
Josephus,  it  was  made  first  of  wood ;  and  when 
this  was  burnt,  a  wall  of  four  miles'  circuit  was 
built  in  three  days — so  determined  were  the  be- 
siegers. Tliis  ' cut  off  all  hope  of  escape,'  and  con- 
signed the  city  to  unparalleled  horrors.     (Joseph. 

am 


Jewish  War,  v.  0.  2  ;  and  xii.  3.  4. )  and  compass 
thee  round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every  side,  4i. 
And  shall  lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,  and 
thy  children  within  thee;  and  they  shall  not 
leave  in  thee  one  stone  upon  another.  All  here 
predicted  was  with  dreadful  literality  fulfilled, 
and  the  providence  which  has  preserved  such  a 
remarkable  commentary  on  it  as  the  record  of 
Josephus — an  eye-witness  from  first  to  last,  a  Jew 
of  distinguished  eminence,  p-n  ofHcer  of  high  mili- 
tary capacity  in  the  Jewish  army,  and  when 
taken  prisoner  living  in  the  Bomau  camp,  and 
acting  once  and  again  as  a  negotiator  between  the 
contending  ijarties — cannot  be  too  devoutly  ac- 
knowledged. 

Our  Evangelist  gives  no  record  of  the  first  day's 
proceedings  in  Jerusalem,  after  the  triumphal 
Entry ;  for  what  follows  (w.  45-4S)  belongs  to 
the  second  and  subsequent  days.  Mark  disposes 
of  this  in  a  single  verse  (ch.  xi.  11),  while  in  the 
Fourth  Gospel  there  is  nothing  on  the  subject. 
But  in  Matt.  xxi.  10,  11,  14-l(i,  we  have  the  fol- 
lowing precious  particulars  : 

Stir  about  Him  in  the  City  (Matt.  xxi.  10, 11).  10. 
"And  when  he  was  come  into  Jerusalem,  all  the 
city  was  moved"— as  the  cavalcade  advanced^ 
"Saying,  Who  is  this?  11.  And  the  multitude" 
— rather  '  the  multitudes  '  [ol  ux''^ot.]  from  the  pro- 
cession itself — "said.  This  is  Jesus,  the  prophet 
of,"  or  'from'— [o  airo]  "Nazareth  of  Galilee." 
By  this  they  evidently  meant  something  more 
than  a  mere  prophet ;  and  from  John  vi.  14,  1"», 
and  this  whole  scene,  it  seems  plain  that  they 
meant  by  this  exclamation  that  it  Avas  the  ex- 
jjccted  Messiah. 

Miracles  wrouffJit  in  the  Temple  (Matt.  xxi.  14). 
14  "And  the  blind  and  the  lame  came  to  him  in 
the  temple"  [evrw  Icpui] — in  the  large  sense  of  that 
word  (see  on  ch.  ii.  27),  "and  He  healed  them." 
If  these  miracles  were  wrought  after  the  cleansing 
of  the  temple — as  one  would  gather  from  Matthew 
—  since  they  were  wrought  in  the  very  temple- 
court  from  which  the  money  changers  had  beeu 
cleared  out — they  would  set  a  tlivine  seal  on  that 
act  of  mj'sterious  authority.  Bnt  as  the  second 
Gospel  is  peculiarly  precise  as  to  the  order  of  these 
events,  we  incline  to  follow  it,  in  jilacing  the 
cleansing  of  the  Temple  on  the  second  day.  Yet 
these  miracles  wrought  in  the  temple  on  the  lame 
and  the  blind  are  most  touching,  as  the  last 
recorded  miraculous  displays  of  His  glory — with 
the  single  excejjtion  of  the  majestic  Cleansing  of 
the  Temple — which  He  gave  in  public. 

Glorious  Vindication  of  the  Children's  Testimony 
(Matt.  xxi.  15,  16).  lo.  "And  when  the  chief 
I>riests  and  scribes  saw  the  wonderful  things 
which  he  did,  and  the  children  crying  in  the 
temple,  and  saying,  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of 
David" — Avhich  was  just  the  prolonged  echo  of 
the  popular  acclamations  on  His  triumphal  entry, 
but  drawn  forth  anew  from  these  children,  on 
witnessing  wliat  doubtless  filled  their  unsophis- 
ticated minds  with  wonder  and  admiration — 
"they  were  sore  displeased.  16.  And  said  unto 
him,  Hearest  thou  what  these  say?" — stung 
most  of  all  by  this  novel  testimony  to  Jesus,  as 
showing  to  what  depths  His  popularity  was  reach- 
ing down,  and  from  the  mysterious  effect  of  such 
voices  upon  the  human  spirit.  "  And  Jesus  saith 
unto  them,  Have  ye  never  read  (in  Ps.  viii.  2)  Out 
of  the  moutli  of  babes  and  sucliliugs  thou  hast 


Jerusalenis  doom 


LUKE  XIX. 


pronounced. 


things  it'hich  belong  unto  thy  peace!  but  now  they  are  hid  from  thine 

43  eyes.     For  the  days  shall  come  upon  thee,  that  thine  enemies  shall  ^'cast 

a  trench  about  thee,  and  compass  thee  round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every 


A.  D.  33. 

*  Isa.  29.  3,  4- 
Jer.  6.  3,  6. 


perfected  praise?"  This  beautiful  psalm  is  re- 
peatedly referred  to  as  prophetic  of  Christ,  and 
this  is  the  view  of  it  which  a  sound  interpretation 
of  it  will  be  found  to  yield.  The  testimony  which  it 
predicts  that  Messiah  would  receive  from  "babes" 
— a  very  remarkable  feature  of  this  prophetic 
psalm — was  indeed  here  literally  fulfilled,  as  was 
that  of  His  being  "  numbered  with  the  transgres- 
sors" (Isa.  liii.  12),  and  "pierced"  (Zee.  xii.  10); 
but  like  those  and  similar  predictions,  it  reaches 
deeper  than  literal  babes,  even  the  "babes"  to 
whom  are  revealed  the  mysteries  of  the  Gospel. 
See  on  Matt.  xi.  2;5. 

Thus,  it  would  seem,  ended  the  first  memorable 
day  of  the  Kedeemer's  last  week  in  Jerusalem. 
Of  the  close  of  it  the  following  is  the  brief  account 
of  the  First  and  Second  Gospels,  which  we  combine 
into  one :  "And  He  left  them ;  and  when  now  the 
eventide  was  come,  He  went  out  of  the  city  into 
Bethany,  with  the  Twelve,  and  he  lodged  there" 
(Matt.  xxi.  17;  Mark  xi.  11). 

Before  proceeding  to  the  Remarks  which  this 
grand  scene  suggests,  let  us  first  retrace  it.  And 
here  we  copy  entire  the  most  graphic  and  beaiitiful 
description  of  it  which  we  have  read,  by  one  of  the 
most  recent  travellers,  whose  minute  and  patient 
accuracj^  is  only  equalled  by  his  rare  faculty  of 
woi'd-painting.  '  From  Bethany,'  says  Dr.  Stanley, 
'  we  must  begin.  A  wild  mountain-hamlet  screened 
by  an  intervening  ridge  from  the  view  of  the  top  of 
Olivet,  perched  on  its  broken  plateau  of  rock,  the 
last  collection  of  human  habitations  before  the 
desert  hills  which  reach  to  Jericho— this  is  the 
modern  village  of  El-Lazarieh,  which  derives  its 
name  from  its  clustering  round  the  traditional  site 
of  the  one  house  and  grave  which  give  it  an  un- 
dying interest.  High  in  the  distance  are  the 
Peraean  mountains  ;  the  foreground  is  the  deej) 
descent  to  the  Jordan  valley.  On  the  further  side 
of  that  dark  abyss  Martha  and  Mary  knew  that 
Christ  was  abiding  when  they  sent  their  messenger; 
up  that  long  ascent  they  had  often  watched  His 
a^iproach — up  that  long  ascent  He  came,  when, 
outside  the  village,  Martha  and  Mary  met  Him, 
and  the  Jews  stood  round  weeping.  Up  that 
same  ascent  He  came  also  at  the  beginning  of  the 
week  of  His  Passion.  One  night  He  halted  in  the 
village,  as  of  old ;  the  village  and  the  Desert  were 
then  all  alive, — as  they  still  are  once  every  year  at 
the  Greek  Easter, — with  the  crowd  of  Paschal 
pilgrims  moving  to  and  fro  between  Bethany  and 
Jerusalem.  In  the  morning  He  set  forth  on  His 
joiirney.  Three  pathways  lead,  and  probably 
always  led,  from  Bethany  to  Jerusalem;  one,  a 
steep  footpath  from  the  summit  of  mount  Olivet ; 
another,  by  a  long  circuit  over  its  northern 
shoidder,  down  the  valley  which  parts  it  from 
Scopus;  the  third,  the  natural  continuation  of  the 
road  by  which  mounted  travellers  always  approach 
the  city  from  Jericho,  over  the  southern  shoulder, 
between  the  summit  which  contains  the  TomV^s  of 
the  Prophets  and  that  called  the  '  Mount  of  Offence. ' 
Thei-e  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  last  is  the  road  of 
the  Entry  of  Christ,  not  only  because,  as  just  stated, 
it  is  and  must  always  have  been  the  usual  ap- 
l)roach  for  horsemen  and  for  large  caravans,  such 
as  then  were  concerned,  but  also  because  this  is 
the  only  one  of  the  three  api^roaches  which  meets 
the  requirements  of  the  narrative  which  follows. 
Two  vast  streams  of  peoi^le  met  on  that  day.  The 
one  poured  out  from  the  city  (John  xii.  12) ;  and 
as  tliey  came  through  the  gardens  [Di-.  S.  here 
317 


woiild  read,  sk  t6ov  Aypwv,  with  Tischendorf  and 
Tregelles  —  but  not  Lachmanii  —  instead  of  Sev- 
0(>wv,  of  the  received  text],  whose  clusters  of  palm 
rose  on  the  south-eastern  corner  of  Olivet,  they  cut 
down  the  long  branches,  as  was  their  wont  at  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles,  and  moved  upwards  towards 
Bethany,  with  loud  shouts  of  welcome.  From 
Bethany  streamed  forth  the  crowds  who  had  as- 
sembled there  on  the  previous  night,  and  who 
came  testifying  (John  xii.  17)  to  the  great  event  at 
the  sepulchre  of  Lazarus.  The  road  soon  loses 
sight  of  Bethany.  It  is  now  a  rough,  but  still 
broad  and  well-defined  mountain  track,  winding 
over  rock  and  loose  stones ;  a  steep  decli\'ity  below 
on  the  left;  the  sloping  shoulder  of  Olivet  above  it 
on  the  right ;  fig-trees  below  and  al)ove,  here  and 
there  growing  out  of  the  rocky  soil.  Along  the 
road  the  multitudes  threw  down  the  branches 
which  they  cut  as  they  went  along,  or  spread  ovit 
a  rude  matting  formed  of  the  palm-branches  they 
had  already  cut  as  they  came  out.  The  larger 
portion— those,  perhaps,  who  escorted  Him  from 
Bethany — unwrajiped  their  loose  cloaks  from  their 
shoulders,  and  stretched  them  along  the  rough 
path,  to  form  a  momentary  carpet  as  He  ap- 
proached. (Matt.  xxi.  8;  Mark  xi.  8.)  The  two 
streams  met  midway.  Half  of  the  vast  mass, 
turning  round,  ])receaed;  the  other  half  followed 
(Markxi.  9).  Gradually  the  long  procession  swept 
up  and  over  the  ridge,  where  first  begins  "the  de- 
scent of  the  Mount  of  Olives"  towards  Jerusalem. 
At  this  point  the  first  view  is  caught  of  the  south- 
eastern corner  of  the  city.  The  Temple  and  the 
more  northern  portions  are  hid  by  the  slope  of 
Olivet  on  the  right ;  what  is  seen  is  only  Mount 
Zion,  now  for  the  most  jiart  a  rough  field,  crowned 
with  the  Mosqiie  of  David  and  the  angle  of  the 
western  walls,  but  then  covered  with  houses  to  its 
base,  suiinounted  by  the  Castle  of  Herod,  on  the 
supposed  site  of  the  palace  of  David,  from  which 
that  portion  of  Jerusalem  emphatically  the  "  city 
of  David  "  derived  its  name.  It  was  at  this  precise 
point,  "  As  He  drew  near,  at  the  descent  of  tlie 
mount  of  Olives"— that  is,  at  the  point  where  the 
road  over  the  mount  begins  to  descend  (may  it  not 
have  been  from  the  sight  thus  opening  upon  them?) 
—that  the  shout  of  triumph  burst  forth  from 
the  multitude,  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David! 
Blessed  is  He  that  conieth  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord.  Blessed  is  the  kingdom  that  cometli  of 
our  father  David.  Hosanna  .  .  .  j)cace  .  .  . 
glory  in  the  highest."  There  was  a  pause  as 
the  shout  rang  through  the  long  defile ;  and, 
as  the  Pharisees  who  stood  by  in  the  crowd 
(Luke  xix.  39)  complained.  He  jiointed  to  the 
stones  which,  strewn  beneath  their  feet,  would 
immediately  cry  out,  if  "these  were  to  hold  their 
peace."  Again  the  procession  advanced.  The 
road  descends  a  slight  declivity,  and  the  glimpse 
of  the  city  is  again  withdrav.m  behind  the  inter- 
vening ridge  of  Olivet.  A  few  moments,  and  the 
path  mounts  again,  it  climbs  a  rugged  ascent,  it 
reaches  a  ledge  of  smooth  rock,  and  in  an  instant 
the  whole  city  bursts  into  view.  As  now  the  dome 
of  the  Mosque  El-Aksa rises  like  a  ghost  from  the 
earth  before  the  traveller  stands  on  the  ledge,  so 
then  must  have  risen  the  Temple  tower ;  as  now 
the  vast  enclosure  of  the  Mussulman  sanctuary,  so 
then  must  have  spread  the  Temple  courts  ;  as  now 
the  gray  town  on  its  broken  hills,  so  then  the 
magnificent  city,  with  its  background — long  since 
vanished  away-  of  gardens  and  suburbs  on  the 

i 


Jerusalenis  doom 


LUKE  XIX. 


pronounced. 


44  side,  and  ^ shall  lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,  and  thy  children  within 
thee;  and  they 'shall  not  leave  in  thee  one  stone  upon  another;  "because 
thou  knewest  not  the  time  of  thy  visitation. 


A.  D.  3 !. 

"  1  Ki.  9.  7.  8. 
'  Matt.  24.  2. 
"^  Dan.  9.  24. 


western  plateau  behind.  Immediately  below  was 
the  Valley  of  the  Kedron,  here  seen  in  its  greatest 
depth  as  it  joins  the  Valley  of  Hinnom,  and  thus 
giving  full  effect  to  the  great  peculiarity  of  Jeru- 
salem, seen  only  on  its  eastern  side — its  situation 
as  of  a  city  rising  out  of  a  deep  abyss.  It  is  hardly 
possible  to  doubt  that  this  rise  and  turn  of  the 
I'oad — this  rocky  ledge — Avas  the  exact  point  where 
the  multitude  paused  again,  and  "He,  when  He 
beheld  the  city,  wept  over  it.'"  ("  Sinai  and  Pales- 
tine," chap,  iii.) 

Remarks. — 1.  Often  as  we  have  had  occasion  to 
observe  how  unlike  the  Gosjiel  History  is,  in 
almost  everything,  to  an  invented  Story,  it  is 
impossible  not  to  be  struck  wdth  it  in  the  present 
Section.  That  our  Lord  should  at  some  time  or 
other  be  made  to  enter  Jerusalem  in  triumph, 
would  be  no  surprising  invention,  considering  the 
claim  to  be  King  of  the  Jews  which  the  whole 
Narrative  makes  for  Him.  But  that  He  should 
enter  it  on  an  ass,  and  that  an  imbroken  foal  at- 
tended by  its  dam ;  that  it  should  be  found  by  the 
two  who  were  sent  for  it  precisely  "by  the  door 
without,  in  a  place  where  two  ways  met,"  and 
that  they  should  be  allowed  to  carry  it  away  on 
simply  telling  the  owners  that  "the  Lord  had  need 
of  it;"  that  notwithstanding  this  feeblest  of  all 
assumptions  of  royal  state,  the  small  following 
should  grow  to  the  proportions  of  a  vast  state-pro- 
cession, covering  His  path  with  their  garments 
as  He  drew  near  to  the  city;  and  that,  aided  by 
the  flying  reports  of  Lazarus's  resurrection,  the 
multitude  should  get  into  such  enthusiasm  as  to 
hail  Him,  in  terms  the  most  august  and  sacred 
which  the  Jewish  Sciiptures  could  furnish,  as  the 
long-promised  and  expected  Messiah ;  that  instead 
of  being  elated  with  this.  He  should  at  the  sight 
of  the  city  and  in  the  midst  of  the  popular  acclam- 
ations, dissolve  into  tears,  and  that  not  so  much 
at  the  prospect  of  His  own  apjiroaching  sufferings, 
as  at  the  blindness  of  the  nation  to  its  own  true 
interests  ;  and  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  should  feel 
those  acclamations  so  grateful  and  befltting,  as 
to  tell  those  irritated  ecclesiastics  who  foxind  fault 
with  them  that  they  hchored  to  be  uttered,  and  if 
withheld  by  human  lips,  the  predicted  welcome 
of  Jerusalem  to  its  King  would  be  wrung  out  of 
the  very  stones  ;  that  the  whole  of  this  should  be 
a  mystery  to  the  Twelve,  at  the  time  of  its  occur- 
rence, and  that  not  till  the  resurrection  and  glori- 
flcation  of  Jesus,  when  the  Spirit  shed  down  at 
Pentecost  lighted  up  all  these  events,  did  they 
comprehend  their  significance  and  behold  the 
Grand  Unity  of  this  matchless  life  ;  that  after  He 
liad  reached  Jerusalem,  and  was  amongst  the 
tenrnle-buildings,  the  echoes  of  the  popular  acclaim 
to  Him  should  be  caught  up  by  the  children  in 
so  marked  and  emphatic  a  style  as  to  deepen  the 
ecclesiastic  hate,  and  call  forth  a  demand  to  Him 
to  stop  it,  which  only  rebounded  upon  themselves 
by  the  glorious  Scriptural  vindication  of  it  which 
He  gave  them: — these  are  circumstances  so  very 
different  from  anything  which  could  be  supposed 
to  be  an  invention,  especially  when  taken  together, 
that  no  unsophisticated  mind  can  believe  it  pos- 
sible. And  as  the  first  three  narratives  can  be 
shown  to  be  independent  x>roductions,  and  yet 
each — while  agreeing  in  the  main  with  all  the  rest 
— varies  in  minute  and  irnportant  details  from  the 
others,  and  only  out  of  all  Four  can  the  full  account 
of  the  whole  transaction  be  obtained,  have  w'e 
not  in  this  the  most  convincing  evidence  of  the 
31S 


historic  reality  of  what  we  read?  No  wonder  that 
myriads  of  readers  and  hearers  of  these  wondrous 
Narratives  over  all  Christendom — of  the  educated 
classes  as  well  as  the  common  people — drink  them 
in  as  indubitable  and  living  History,  without  the 
need  of  any  laboured  arguments  to  prove  them  true ! 
2.  The  blended  meekness  and  majesty  of  this  last 
entry  into  Jerusalem  is  but  one  of  a  series  of  con- 
trasts, studding  this  matchless  History,  and  at- 
tracting the  wonder  of  every  devout  and  intelli- 
gent reader.  What,  indeed,  is  this  whole  History 
but  a  continued  meeting  of  Lord  and  Servant,  of 
riches  and  poverty,  of  strength  and  weakness,  of 
glory  and  shame,  of  life  and  death?  The  early 
Fathers  of  the  Church  delighted  to  trace  these 
stupendous  contrasts  in  the  life  of  Christ,  arising 
out  of  the  two  natures  in  His  mysterious  Person — 
in  the  one  of  which  He  was  to  humble  Himself  to 
the  uttermost,  while  the  glory  of  the  other  could 
never  be  kept  from  breaking  through  it.  Infested 
as  those  early  Fathers  of  the  Church  were  with 
all  manner  of  heresies  on  this  subject,  these  facts 
of  the  Gospel  History  formed  at  once  the  rich 
nourishment  of  their  own  souls,  and  the  ready 
armoury  whence  they  drew  the  weapons  of  their 
warfare  in  defence  and  illustration  of  the  truth. 
Hear,  for  example,  how  the  eloquent  Greek,  Gre- 
gory of  Nazianzum  (born  a.d.  300 — died,  a.d.  SilO), 
regales  himself  and  his  audience  in  one  of  his 
discourses,  kindling  at  the  assaults  to  which  the 
Person  of  his  Lord  was  subjected: — 'He  was 
wrapt,  indeed,  in  SAvaddling  clothes ;  but  rising. 
He  burst  the  wrappings  of  the  tomb.  He  lay,  it 
is  true,  in  a  manger;  but  He  was  glorified  by 
angels,  and  pointed  out  by  a  star,  and  worshipped 
by  Magi.  Why  do  you  stumble  at  the  visible  [in 
Him],  not  regarding  the  invisible?  He  had  no 
form  nor  comeliness  to  the  Jews;  but  to  David 
He  was  fairer  than  the  children  of  men,  yea.  He 
glisters  on  the  Mount,  with  a  light  above  the 
brightness  of  the  sun,  foreshadowing  the  glory  to 
come.  He  was  baptized,  indeed,  as  man,  but  He 
washed  away  sins  as  God;  not  that  He  needed 
inirification,  but  that  He  might  sanctify  the 
waters.  He  was  tempted  as  man,  but  He  over- 
came as  God ;  nay.  He  bids  us  be  of  good  cheer, 
because  He  hath  overcome  the  world.  He  hun- 
gered, but  He  fed  thousands ;  yea.  He  is  Himself 
the  living  and  Heavenly  Bread.  He  thirsted,  but 
He  cried,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  Me 
and  drink ;  nay,  He  promised  that  those  who 
believe  in  Him  should  themselves  gush  like  a  well. 
He  was  weary,  but  He  is  Himself  the  Pest  of  the 
weary  and  heavy-laden.  He  was  oveii^owered 
with  sleep ;  but  He  is  upborne  upon  the  sea,  but 
He  rebukes  the  'winds,  but  He  uiDbears  sinking 
Peter.  He  pays  tribute,  but  out  of  a  fish;  but  He 
is  the  Prince  of  dependents.  He  is  saluted 
"Samaritan,"  and  "Demoniac,"  but  He  saves  him 
that  went  down  from  Jerusalem  and  fell  among 
thieves ;  nay,  devils  own  Him,  devils  flee  before 
Him,  legions  of  spirits  He  whelms  in  the  deep,  and 
sees  the  prince  of  the  devils  falling  as  lightning. 
He  is  stoned,  but  not  laid  hold  of ;  He  prays,  but 
He  hears  prayer.  He  weeps,  but  He  puts  an  end 
to  weeping.  He  inquires  where  Lazarus  is  laid, 
for  He  -was  man,  but  He  raises  Lazarus,  for  He 
was  God.  He  is  sold,  and  at  a  contemptible  rate, 
even  thirty  pieces  of  silver ;  but  He  ransoms  the 
world,  and  at  a  great  price,  even  His  own  blood." 
After  carrying  these  contrasts  dowTi  to  the  Judg- 
ment,  the  eloquent  preacher  apologizes  for  the 


Second  cleansing 


LUKE  XIX. 


of  the  temple. 


45  And  *lie  went  into  the  temple,  and  began  to  cast  out  them  that  sold 

46  therein,  and  them  that  bought;  saying  unto  them,  "^It  is  written.  My 
house  is  the  house  of  prayer:  but  ''ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves. 


A.  D.  33. 


i-  Matt.  21. 12. 
"  Ps.  93.  0. 
d  Jer.  7.  11. 


artificial  style  in  which  lie  had  indulged,  to  meet 
the  arts  of  the  adversaries.  (Orat.  xxxv.)  3. 
Often  as  we  have  had  occasion  to  notice  the  myste- 
rious I'uilit  and  shade  which  marked  the  emotions 
of  the  Redeemer's  soul  (as  in  Matt.  xi.  lG-30),  no- 
Avhere  are  these  more  vividly  revealed  than  in  the 
liresent  Section.  The  acclamations  of  the  multi- 
tude as  He  approached  Jerusalem  were  indeed 
shallow  enough,  and  He  was  not  deceived  by 
them.  He  had  taken  their  measure,  and  knew 
their  exact  value.  But  they  were  the  truth,  and  the 
truth  uttered  for  the  first  time  by  a  multitude  of 
voices.  "Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David!  Blessed 
is  the  King  of  Israel  that  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord?  Peace  in  heaven,  and  glory  in  the 
highest ! "  His  soul,  from  its  inmost  depths,  echoed 
to  the  sound.  It  was  to  Him  as  the  sound  of 
many  waters.  When  the  Pharisees,  therefore, 
bade  Him  rebuke  it — for  it  was  as  wormwood  to 
them— He  rose  to  a  sublime  pitch  at  the  very 
thought,  and,  in  words  which  revea.led  the  intense 
coin])iacencv  with  which  He  drank  in  the  vast 
acclaim,  "He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  tell 
you  that  if  these  should  hold  their  peace,  the 
stones  would  immediately  cry  out ! "  Yet,  scarcely 
lias  this  utterance  died  away  from  His  lijis,  when, 
on  the  City  coming  into  view.  He  is  in  tears! 
What  emotions  they  were  which  drew  the  water 
from  those  eyes,  we  shall  do  better  to  try  to  con- 
ceive than  attempt  to  express.  We  do  desire  to 
look  into  them;  yet,  on  such  a  subject,  at  least, 
we  say  with  the  poet,— 

'  But  peace— still  voice  mid  closed  eye 
Suit  best  with  hearts  bejond  the  sky.' 

Our  object  in  here  again  alluding  to  it,  is  merely 
to  note  the  impressive  fact,  that  this  deep  shade 
came  over  the  Eedeemer's  spirit  almost  imme- 
diately after  the  light  with  which  the  acclamations 
of  the  multitude  seemed  to  irradiate  His  soul. 
4.  If  Christ  thus  felt  on  earth  the  wilful  blindness 
of  men  to  the  things  that  belong  to  their  peace, 
shall  He  feel  it  less  in  heaven  ?  The  tears  doubt- 
less are  not  there ;  but  can  that  which  wrung  them 
from  His  eyes  be  absent?  The  mental  paira  which 
the  sx>ectacle  occasioned  Him  on  earth  is  certainly 
a  stranger  to  His  bosom  now ;  but  I,  for  one,  shall 
never  believe  that  there  is  nothing  at  all  there 
which  a  benevolent  heart  would  feel  on  eai-th  to 
see  men  rushing  wilfully  on  their  own  destruction. 
Is  it  said  of  the  Father,  that  He  "  spared  not  His 
own  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all"?  (see  on 
Rom.  viiL  32).  And  what  is  immediately  to  our 
point,  Does  God  Himself  protest  to  us,  "As  I  live, 
saitli  the  Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasm-e  in  the  death 
of  the  wicked,  hut  'hat  the  wicked  turn  from  his  way 
and  live"'!  (Ezek.  xxxiii.  11).  In  a  word,  Is  there 
"joy  in  the  presence,"  indeed,  but  not  exclu- 
sively on  the  part,  "of  the  angels  of  God  over 
one  sinner  that  repenteth" — the  joy  properly  of 
the  Shepherd  Himself  over  His  recovered  sheep, 
of  the  Owner  Himself  over  His  found  property, 
of  the  Father  Himself  over  His  prodigaJl  son 
for  ever  restored  to  Him?  (see  on  Luke  xv.)  - 
and  can  it  be  doubted  that  in  the  bosom  of  Him 
who  descended  to  ransom  and  went  up  to  gather 
lost  souls,  as  He  watches  from  His  seat  in  the 
heavens  the  treatment  which  His  Gospel  re- 
ceives on  earth,  while  the  cordial  acceptance  of  it 
awakens  His  deepest  joy,  the  wilful  rejection 
of  it,  the  whole  consequences  of  wliich  He  only 
knows,  must  go  to  His  heart  with  equal  acute- 
319 


ness — though  beyond  that  we  may  not  describe  it? 
And  who  that  reads  this  can  fail  to  see  in  it  an 
argument  of  unspeakable  force  for  immediate  flight 
to  Jesus  on  the  part  of  all  who  till  now  have  held 
out?  You  take  such  matters  easy,  perhaps  ;  Imt 
Christ  did  not — nor  will  you  one  day.  5.  What  a 
beautiful  light  does  Christ's  complaceucy  in  the 
Hosannas  of  the  children  throw  upon  His  delight 
in  drawing  the  young  to  Him !  And  what  Chris- 
tian parent  will  not  deem  himself,  or  herself,  hon- 
oured with  a  rare  honour  whose  childi-en's  voices, 
trained  by  them  to  sing  Hosannas  to  the  Son  of 
David,  send  up  into  the  soul  of  the  now  glorified 
Redeemer  a  wave  of  delight?  See  on  ch.  xviii.  15- 
17,  with  the  Remarks  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 

45-48. — Second  Cleansing  of  the  Temple,  and 
Summary  OF  Subsequent  Proceedings.  (=  Matt, 
xxi.  12,  13;  Mark  xi.  15-19.)  That  there  was  but 
one  cleansing  of  the  temple — either  that  recorded 
in  the  Fourth  Gosjiel,  at  His  first  visit  to  Jeru- 
salem and  His  first  Passover,  or  that  recorded  in 
the  other  three  Gospels,  at  His  last  visit  to  it  at 
the  time  of  the  Passover — some  critics  have  en- 
deavoured to  make  out ;  but  all  they  have  to  allege 
for  this  is  the  supposed  improbability  of  two  such 
similar  and  unusual  occurrences,  and  the  fact  that 
while  each  of  the  Evangelists  records  one  cleansing, 
none  of  them  records  two.  The  Evangelists  do 
indeed  differ  from  each  other  considerably  as  to  the 
order  in  which  they  place  certain  events  ;  but  if  a 
cleansing  of  the  temple  occurred  at  the  outset  of  our 
Lord's  ministry — as  recorded  by  John,  who  ouglit 
certainly  to  know  the  fact — and  if  it  was  never 
afterM'ards  repeated,  it  cannot  be  believed  that  all 
the  other  Evangelists,  whose  Gospels  may  be 
shown  to  have  been  written  independently  of 
each  other,  should  agree  in  transferring  it  to  the 
very  dose  of  His  ministry.  Accordingly,  most,  if 
not  all  the  Fathers  recognized  two  cleansings  of 
the  temple — the  one  at  the  outset,  the  other  at  the 
close  of  our  Lord's  juiblic  life :  and  with  them  agree 
nearly  all  the  best  modern  critics,  Calvin,  Grofnis, 
Lampe,  Tholuck,  Olshausen,  Ebrard,  J\Iei/er,  Stier, 
Alford;  compared  with  whom,  those  who  regard 
both  as  one,  though  acute  and  learned  critics,  are, 
on  a  question  of  this  nature,  of  inferior  weight, 
Wetstein,  Pearce,  Friestlei/,  Neander,  de  Wette, 
Liiclce.  Lanr/e  once  took  the  latter  view,  but  now 
contends  decidedly  for  the  double  cleansing.  That 
our  Lord  should  put  forth  His  aidhority  in  this 
remarkable  way  at  His  first  visit  to  the  city  and 
temple,  and  so  command  attention  to  His  claims 
from  the  highest  authorities  at  the  very  outset, 
was  altogether  natural  and  approjiriate.  And  that 
He  should  reassert  it  when  He  came  to  the  city 
and  temple  for  the  last  time,  when  the  echoes  of 
the  popular  acclaim  to  Him  as  the  Son  of  David 
had  scarce  died  away,  but  were  about  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  cries  of  a  very  different  nature,  and  His 
life  was  to  pay  the  penalty  of  those  claims — that 
in  these  circumstances  He  should  vindicate  them 
once  more  was  surely  in  the  highest  degree 
natural.  Nor  are  there  wanting  in  the  narratives 
of  the  two  cleansings,  evidences  of  a  progress  in 
the  state  of  things  from  the  time  of  the  first  to 
that  of  the  last,  which  corroborates  the  fact  of 
the  deed  being  repeated.  (See  on  John  ii.  13-22, 
Remark  1,  at  the  close  of  that  Section.) 

Second  Cleansing  of  the  Temple  (45,  46).  45.  And 
lie  went  into  tlie  temple,  and  began— or  proceeded 
to  cast  out — but  no  mention  is  here  made  of  the 
"whip  of  small  cords"  with  which  this  was  done 


The  authority 


LUKE  XX. 


of  Jesus  questioned. 


47  And  lie  tai;ght  daily  in  the  temijle.     But  the  *  chief  priests  and  the 

48  scribes  and  the  chief  of  the  people  sought  to  destroy  him,  and  could 
not  find  what  they  might  do :  for  all  the  people  ^  were  very  attentive  to 
hear  him. 

20  AND  ''it  came  to  pass,  that  on  one  of  those  days,  as  he  taught  the 
people  in  the  temple,  and  preached  the  Gospel,  the  chief  priests  and  the 

2  scribes  came  upon  him  with  the  elders,  and  spake  unto  him,  saying.  Tell 
us,  by  what  ''authority  doest  thou  these  things?  or  who  is  he  that  gave 

3  thee  this  authority?    And  he  answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  will  also  ask 

4  you  one  thing;  and  answer  me :  The  baptism  of  John,  was  it  from  heaven, 

5  or  of  men  ?     And  they  reasoned  with  themselves,  saying,  If  we  shall  say, 

6  From  heaven ;  he  will  say.  Why  then  believed  ye  him  not  ?     But  and  if 
we  say.  Of  men ;  all  the  people  will  stone  us :  ''for  they  be  persuaded  that 

7  John  was  a  prophet.     And  they  answered,  That  '^they  could  not  tell 

8  whence  it  u-as.     And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  *  Neither  tell  I  you  by  what 
authority  I  do  these  things. 

9  Then  began  he  to  speak  to  the  people  this  parable:  ■'^A  certain  man 
planted  a  vineyard,  and  let  it  forth  to  husbandmen,  and  went  into  a  far 

10  country  for  a  long  time.  And  at  the  season  ^he  sent  a  servant  to  the 
husbandmen,  that  they  should  give  him  of  the  fiaiit  of  the  vineyard:  but 

11  the  husbandmen  beat  him,  and  sent  him  away  empty.  And  again  he 
sent  another  servant :  and  they  beat  him  also,  and  entreated  him  shame- 

12  full}^  and  sent  hirn  away  empty.     And  ''again  he  sent  a  third:  and  they 


A.  D.  33. 

'  Mark  11. 18. 

John  r.  ID. 

John  8.  sr. 
3  Or,  hanged 

on  him. 

Acts  16.  14. 

CHAP.  20. 

"  Matt.  21.23. 
i>  Acts  4.  7. 

Acts  7.  27. 
'  Matt.  14.  5. 

Matt.  21.20. 

eh.  1.  29. 

d  Job  24.  13. 

Eom.  1.  18, 
21. 

2  Cor.  4.  3. 
2  Thes.  2.  9, 

10. 
'  Job  5  12,13. 
/  Matt.  21.33. 

Mark  12. 1. 
"  2  Ki.  17.  13, 
14. 
2Chr36.15, 

1(!. 

Acts  7.  52. 
ft  Neh.  9.  29, 
.'0. 


tlie  fir.st  time  (John  ii.  15).  It  is  simply  said  now, 
He  cast  out  them  that  sold  therein,  and  them  that 
bought — "  and  overthrew  the  tables  of  the  money- 
changers, and  the  seats  of  them  that  sold  doves, 
and  woukl  not  suffer  that  any  man  should  carry 
any  vessel  tlirmigh  tlie  temple"  —  that  is,  the 
temple-court.  'There  was  always,'  snys  Light- 
foot,  'a  constant  market  in  the  temple,  in  that 
jilace  which  was  called  "The  Shops,"  where  eveiy 
day  was  sold  wine,  salt,  oil,  and  other  requi- 
sites to  sacrifices ;  as  also  oxeu  aud  sheep,  in  the 
spacious  court  of  the  Gentiles.'  The  'money- 
changers" were  those  who,  for  the  convenience  of 
the  people,  converted  the  current  Greek  and 
lloman  money  into  Jewish  coins,  in  which  all 
temple  dues  had  to  be  paid.  The  "doves"  being 
required  for  sacrifice,  as  well  as  young  pigeons  on 
several  prescribed  occasions,  coidd  not  conveni- 
ently be  brought  from  great  distances  at  the  annual 
festivals,  and  so  were  naturally  provided  for  them 
by  dealers,  as  a  matter  of  merchandise  (see  Deut. 
xiv.  24-2G).  Thus  the  whole  of  these  transactions 
were,  in  t/ipmselres,  not  only  harmless,  but  nearly 
indispensable.  The  one  thing  about  them  which 
kiudled  the  indignation  of  the  Lord  of  the  Temple, 
now  traversing  its  sacred  precincts  in  the  flesh, 
was  the  place  M'here  they  were  carried  on — the 
profanafio)i  involved  in  such  things  being  done 
within  an  inclosure  sacred  to  the  worship  and  ser- 
vice of  God— and  the  effecb  of  this  in  destroying  in 
the  minds  of  the  worshippers  the  sanctity  that 
should  attach  to  everything  on  which  that  worship 
cast  its  shadow.  On  His  not  suffering  any  man 
to  carry  a  vessel  through  the  temple,"  Lightfoot 
has  a  striking  extract  from  one  of  the  rab- 
binical writings,  in  answer  to  the  question, 
What  is  the  reverence  due  to  the  temple  'i 
The  reply  is,  That  none  go  through  the  court 
of  it  vdth  his  staff  and  shoes  and  purse,  and 
dust  upon  his  feet,  and  that  none  make  it  a 
common  thoroughfare,  or  let  any  of  his  spittle 
fall  upon  it.  46.  Saying  unto  them,  It  is  written 
(Isa.  Ivi.  7),  My  house  is  the  house  of  prayer :  but 
ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves  [tjirvXaiov 
Xivo-Toiv] -rather,  'of  rolibers;'  of  men  banded  to- 
320 


gether  for  plunder,  reckless  of  principle.  So  in 
Matthew  and  Mark.  This  also  is  a  quotation,  but 
from  Jeremiah  (vii.  11) — "Is  this  house,  which  is 
called  by  my  name,  become  a  den  of  robbers  in  your 
eyes  ?  Behold,  even  I  have  seen  it,  saith  the  Lord. " 
Our  Lord  uses  the  very  words  of  the  LXX  [<j7r!i- 
\aiov  XrtcTTwv].  The  milder  charge,  made  on  the 
former  occasion — "Ye  have  mate  it  a  house  of 
merchandise" — was  now  unsuitable.  Nor  was  the 
authority  of  the  prophet  expressly  referred  to  on 
that  occasion,  so  far  at  least  as  recorded,  though  it 
Avas  certainly  implied  in  the  language  of  the  re- 
buke. The  second  Gospel  is  more  exact  and  full 
iu  the  quotation  from  the  ]irophet :  "  And  He 
taught,  saying  unto  them,  Is  it  not  written.  My 
house  shall  be  called  of  all  nations  the  house  of 
jirayer?"  (Mark  xi.  17).  The  translation  should  be, 
as  m  the  margin,  \for  all  nations'  [-7ra<rt  to  is 
edvetTLv],  and  as  in  the  jirophet  "  for  all  people," 
or  rather,  'all  the  nations'  [D'prn-^:?].  The 
glimpse  here  given  of  the  extension  of  the  Church 
to  "every  peojile  and  tongue  aud  nation,"  and 
consequently  beyond  the  ancient  economy — which 
is  the  Durden  of  the  original  passage — was  not  the 
immediate  jioint  for  which  our  Lord  referred  to  it, 
but  the  character  of  the  house  as  God's — "il/.v 
house" — and  "a  house  of  prayer."  And  it  was 
the  desecration  of  it  in  this  light  that  our  Lord 
so  sternly  rebuked. 

Summary  of  Suhseqvent  Proceeding's  (47,  4S). 
47.  And  he  taught  daily  in  the  temple.  But  the 
chief  priests  and  the  scribes  and  the  chief  of  the 
people  sought  [e'(.vTovv]—or  'kept  seeking;' that 
is,  from  d.ay  to  day,  to  destroy  him,  48.  And 
could  not  find  what  they  might  do :  for  all  the 
people  were  very  attentive  to  hear  him  [e^eKpe- 
fiUTo  avTpv  Akoiiwv] — or  '  hung  upon  His  lips.' 

For  Remarks  on  this  Section,  see  those  on  John 
ii.  I3-2o.  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 

CHAP.  XX  1-19.— The  Authority  of  Jesus 
Questioned,  and  the  Reply— The  Parables 
OF  THE  Two  Sons  and  of  the  Wicked  Hus- 
bandmen. (  =  Matt.  xxi.  23-46;  Mark  xi.  27— 
xii.  12.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Matt.  xxi. 
2;^-4& 


FLAN  OF  SOLOMON^  TEMflLE 

with    the    rwr     Inner    Coiirls 


'S^>i-ii*^.'i<K5V5^/r>>J'0«<>'^':^//>t\5>l    p^^J^^^^J>«ie^^^i5^SSA^fe 


Entangling  questions 


LUKE  XX. 


about  Tribute. 


13  wounded  him  also,  and  cast  him  out.  Then  said  the  lord  of  the  vineyard, 
What  shall  I  do?     I  will  send  hwj  beloved  son:    it  may  be  they  will 

14  reverence  him  when  they  see  him.  But  when  the  husbandmen  saw  him, 
they  reasoned  among  themselves,  saying,  This  is  •'the  heir:  come,  let  us 

15  kill  him,  that  the  inheritance  may  be  ours.  So  they  cast  him  out  of  the 
vineyard,  and  ^'killed  him.     What  therefore  shall  the  lord  of  the  vineyard 

16  do  unto  them?  He  shall  come  and  destroy  these  husbandmen,  and  shall 
give  the  vineyard  to  others.  And  when  they  heard  it,  they  said,  God 
forbid. 

17  And  he  beheld  them,  and  said,  "Wliat  is  this  then  that  is  written,  'The 
stone  which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same  is  become  the  head  of  the 

18  corner?     Whosoever  shall  fall  upon  that  stone  shall  be  broken;  but  "'on 

19  whomsoever  it  shall  fall,  it  will  gi'ind  him  to  powder.  And  the  chief 
priests  and  the  scribes  the  same  hour  sought  to  lay  hands  on  him ;  and 
they  feared  the  people :  for  they  perceived  that  he  had  spoken  this 
parable  against  them. 

20  And  "they  watched  him,  and  sent  forth  spies,  which  should  feign 
themselves  just  men,  that  they  might  take  hold  of  his  words,  that  so 
they  might  deliver  him  unto  the  power  and  authority  of  the  governor. 

21  And  they  asked  him,  saying,  "Master,  we  know  that  thou  sayest  and 
teachest  rightly,  neither  acceptest  thou  the  person  of  any,  but  teachest 

22  the  way  of  God  Hruly :  Is  it  lawful  for  us  to  give  tribute  unto  Cesar,  or 

23  no?    But  he  perceived  their  craftiness,  and  said  unto  them,  Why  tempt 

24  yeme?L    Show  me  a  ^ penny.     Whose  image  and  superscription  hath  it? 

25  They  answered  and  said,  Cesar's.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Render  there- 
fore unto  Cesar  the  things  which  be  Cesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things 

26  which  be  God's.  And  they  could  not  take  hold  of  his  words  before  the 
people :  and  they  marvelled  at  his  answer,  and  held  their  peace. 

27  Then  ''came  to  him  certain  of  the  Sadducees,  '"which  deny  that  there  is 

28  any  resurrection;  and  they  asked  him,  saying.  Master,  *  Moses  wrote  unto 
us.  If  any  man's  brother  die,  having  a  wdfe,  and  he  die  without  children, 
that  his  brother  should  take  his  wife,  and  raise  up  seed  unto  his  brother. 

29  There  were  therefore  seven  brethren:  and  the  first  took  a  wife,  and  died 

30  without  children.    And  the  second  took  her  to  wife,  and  he  died  child- 

31  less.     And  the  third  took  her;  and  in  like  manner  the  seven  also:  and 

32  they  left  no  children,  and   died.      Last  of  all  the  woman  died  also. 

33  Therefore  in  the  resurrection  whose  wife  of  them  is  she?  for  seven  had 
her  to  wife. 

34  And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  them,  The  children  of  this  world  marry, 

35  and  are  given  in  marriage:  but  they  which  shall  be  *  accounted  worthy 
to  obtain  that  world,  and  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  neither  marry, 

36  nor  are  given  in  marriage:  neither  can  they  die  any  more:  for  they  ''are 
equal  unto  the  angels;  and  are  the  children  of  God,  ''being  the  children 

37  of  tlie  resurrection.  Now,  that  the  dead  are  raised,  "'even  Moses  showed 
at  the  bush,  when  he  calleth  the  Lord  the  God  of  Al^raham,  and  the  God 

38  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob.     For  ^lie  is  not  a  God  of  the  dead,  but 

39  of  the  living:    for  ^all  live   unto   him.      Then   certain  of  the   scribes 

40  answering  said,  Master,  thou  hast  well  said.  And  after  that  they  durst 
not  ask  him  any  question  at  all. 

41  And  he  said  unto  them,  ^How  say  they  that  Christ  is  David's  son? 

42  And  David  himself  saith  in  the  book  of  Psalms,  "The  Lord  said  unto  my 

43  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand,  till  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool. 

44  David  therefore  calleth  him  Lord,  how  is  he  then  his  son  ? 

45  Then,  *in  the  audience  of  all  the  people,  he  said  unto  his  disciples. 


A.  D.  33. 


>  Isa.  7.  14. 

John  3  V'. 

Eom.  8.  3. 

Gal.  4.  4. 
i  I's.  2.  6. 

Isa.  9.  6. 

Col.   1.  15, 

11. 

]:'hil.2.9-n. 

Ileb.  1.  2. 
k  John  19. 

Acts  3.  15. 

1  Cor.  2.  8. 
f  Ps.  118.  22. 

Matt.  21.42. 

1  Pet.  2.  7. 
'"Isa.  8.  15. 

Dan.  2.  34, 
35. 

Matt.21.44. 
"  Matt.  22.15. 
°  JNIatt.  22  16. 

Mark  12.14. 

1  Of  a  truth. 

P  Matt.  18.28. 

a  Matt.  16.  1, 

6,  12. 

Matt  22.23. 

Mark  12.18. 

Acts  4.  1,  2. 

Acts  5.  17. 
''  Acts  23.  6. 
'  Gen.  38.  8. 

Deut.  25.  5. 
t  2  Thes  1.  5. 

Pev.  3.  4. 
"  Zee.  3.  7. 

Matt. 22  30. 

Mark  12.25. 

1  Cor.  16. 42, 
49,  52. 

1  John  3.  2. 
Rev.  5.  6-14. 
Eev.  7.  9-12. 
Rev.  22.  9. 

"  Rom.  8.  23. 
•"  Ex.  3.  6. 

Acts  7.  32. 

Heb.  11.  9, 
35. 
^  Ps.  16.  5-11. 

Ps.73.  23-26. 

Ps.  145.  1,  2. 

John  11.  25. 

Rem.  4.  17. 

Col  3.  3,  4. 

Heb.  11  16. 
V  Rom.  6.  10, 
11. 

Rom.  14.  7- 
9. 

2  Cor.  6.  16. 
2  Cor.  13.  4. 
Col.  3.  3,  4. 

«  Matt  22.42. 

Mark  12.35. 
"  Ps.  110.  1. 

Acts  2.  34. 

1  Cor.  15. 25. 
6  Matt.  23.  1. 

Mark  12.38. 


20-40.— Entangling  Questions  about  Tribute  I  (=Matt.  xxii.  15-33;  Markxii.  13-27.)    For  the  ex- 
AND   THE    REsurvPvECTioN,   WITH    THE    REPLIES.  I  position,  See  on  Mark  xii.  13-27. 
vor     V  o21  "^ 


The  Widoics 


LUKE  XXI. 


Two  Mites. 


46  Beware  "^of  tlie  scribes,  which  desire  to  walk  in  long  robes,  and  '^love 
greetings  in  the  markets,  and  the  highest  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and 

47  the  chief  rooms  at  feasts;  which  *  devour  widows'  houses,  and  for  a  show 
make  long  prayers :  •'^the  same  shall  receive  greater  damnation. 

21       AND  he  looked  up,  "and  saw  the  rich  men  casting  their  gifts  into  the 

2  treasury.     And  he  saw  also  a  certain  poor  widow  casting  in  thither  two 

3  mites.     And  he  said,  Of  a  truth  I  say  unto  yoii,  that  ^tliis  poor  widow 

4  hath  cast  in  more  than  they  all :  for  all  these  have  of  their  abundance 
cast  in  unto  the  offerings  of  God :  but  she  of  her  penury  hath  cast  in  all 
the  living  that  she  had. 


A.  D.  33. 

"  Matt.  23.  5. 

d  Ch.  11.  43. 
'  Matt.23  14. 
/  Matt.li.  22, 
24. 
eh.  10. 10-16. 

ch.  12.47,4S. 

C'FIAP.  21. 
"  Mark  12.41. 
6  Pro.  3.  9. 

2  Cor.  8.  12. 


41-47.— Christ  Baffles  the  Pharisees  by  a 
Question  about  David  and  Messiah,  and 
Denounces  the  Scribes.  (  =  Matt.  xxiL  41-4(>, 
and  xxiii.  14  j  Mark  xii.  35-40.)  For  the  exposi- 
tion, see  on  Mark  xii.  35-40. 

CHAP.  XXI.  1-4.— The  Widow's  Two  Mites. 
(  =  Mark  xii.  41-44)  Most  touching  is  the  con- 
nection between  the  denunciations  against  those 
grasping  ecclesiastics  who  "  devoured  ividoivs' 
houses "  —  which,  according  both  to  Mark  and 
Luke,  our  Lord  had  just  uttered — and  the  case  of 
this  poor  widow,  of  highest  account  in  the  eye  of 
Jesus.  The  incident  occurred,  as  appears,  on  that 
day  of  profuse  teaching — the  third  day  (or  the 
Tuesday)  of  His  last  week.  In  Mark's  account 
of  it  we  read  that  "Jesus  sat,"  or  'sat  down' 
|K-a6icro9]  "  over  against  the  treasury"  (Mark  xii. 
41) — probably  to  rest;  for  he  had  continued  long 
teaching  on  foot  in  the  temple-court  (Mark  xi. 
27).  This  exi>lains  the  opening  words  of  our 
Evangelist. 

1.  And  he  looked  up — from  his  sitting  pos- 
ture, and  saw — doubtless  as  in  Zaccheus's  case, 
not  quite  casually,  the  rich  men  casting 
their  gifts  into  the  treasury  [yaX,o(pv\aKLov] 
— a  court  of  the  temple  where  thirteen  chests 
were  placed  to  receive  the  offerings  of  the 
people  towards  its  maintenance  (2  Ki.  xii. 
9;  John  viii.  20.)  These  chests  were  called 
tiiimpets,  from  the  trumpet-like  shape  of  the 
tubes  into  which  the  money  was  dropped,  wade 
at  the  one  end  and  narrow  at  the  other.  Mark 
(xii.  41)  says,  "He  beheld  how  the  multitude 
[()  o'x^os]  cast  money  [x^^^kov]  into  the  treasurv" 
— literally  'brass,'  but  meaning  copper-coin,  the 
offering  of  the  common  people— "and  many  that 
were  rich  cast  in  much"  [TroWn],  literally,  'many 
[coins]'  or  'large  [sums].'  2.  And  he  saw  a  cer- 
tain poor — or 'indigent'  [Trei'ivpai']  widow  casting 
in  two  mites  [XjjTTxa] — "which  make  a  farthing  " 
(Mark  xii.  42) ;  that  is,  the  smallest  Jewish  coin. 
The  term  here  rendered  "farthiii""  [ko^puvt^^^ 
quadrans]  is  the  eighth  part  of  the  Poman  as; 
and  thus  her  whole  offering  would  amount  to 
no  more  than  about  the  fifth  part  of  our  penny. 
But  it  was  her  all.  "  And  He  called  His  dis- 
ciples "  (Mark  xii.  43)  for  the  imrpose  of  teaching 
from  this  case  a  threat  general  lesson.  3.  And  he 
said,  Of  a  truth  I  say  unto  you,  that  this  poor 
widow  hath  cast  in  more  than  they  all — in  pro- 
portion to  her  means,  which  is  God's  standard 
of  judgment  (2  Cor.  ^^ii.  12).  4.  For  all  these 
have  of  their  abundance  [ek  Toii  Trejnio-o-e'joi/Tos 
fiuToIs] — 'of  their  superfluity;'  of  what  they  had 
to  spare,  beyond  what  they  needed,  cast  in  unto 
the  offerings— or  'gifts'  [&u>pa]  of  God— the  gifts 
dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  hut  she  of  her 
penury  [pa-TepnixdTO'i] — '  her  deficiency ; '  out  of 
what  was  less  than  her  owti  wants  required,  hath 
cast  in  all  the  living  that  she  had.  In  Mark  it 
is  "her  whole  subsistence"  [oXoi/ xov /Si'oi/ auxj;?]. 

Remarks. — 1.  E\'en  under  the  ancient  elaborate 
322 


and  expensive  economy,  God  made  systematic 
l)rovision  for  drawing  out  the  voluntary  liberality 
of  His  people  for  many  of  the  ])urposes  of  His 
worship  and  service.  And  here  we  have  a  quantity 
of  treasure-chests  laid  out  exjiressly  to  receive 
the  free-will  offerings  of  the  people ;  and  on  this 
the  incident  before  us  turns.  Much  more  is  the 
Christian  Church  dependent  upon  the  voluntary 
liberalities  of  its  members  for  the  maintenance, 
efficiency,  and  extension  of  its  ordinances,  at  honie 
and  abroad.  2.  As  Jesus  " looked  u])"  in  the  days 
of  His  flesh,  so  He  looks  down  now  from  the 
height  of  His  glory,  upon  "the  treasury;"  observ- 
ing who  cast  in  much,  and  who  little,  who  "of 
their  superfluity,"  and  who  "of  their  jienury." 
3.  Christ's  standard  of  commendable  liberality  to 
His  cause  is  not  what  we  give  of  our  abundance, 
but  what  we  give  of  our  deficiency— not  lohat  trill 
never  be  missed,  however  much  that  may  be,  but 
what  costs  us  some  real  sacrifice,  what  we  give  at  a 
pinch;  and  iust  in  jproi^ortion  to  the  relative 
amount  of  that  sacrihce  is  the  measure  of  our 
Christian  liberality  in  His  eye.  Do  the  majority 
of  real  Christians  act  upon  this  principle?  Are 
not  those  who  do  so  the  exct']itions  rather  than 
the  rule?  Can  it  be  doubted  that  if  this  principle 
were  faithfully  carried  out  by  those  who  love  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  wants  of  all  our  Churches, 
our  schemes  of  missionary  enterprise,  and  all  that 
pertains  to  the  maintenance  and  proiiagation  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Christ,  would  be  abundantly  suj)- 
lilied;  or  if  not  quite  that,  sup])liedto  an  extent, 
at  least,  as  yet  unknown?  The  apostle  testifies 
to  the  Corinthians  of  "the  grace  of  God  bestowed 
on  the  churches  of  Macedonia ;  how  that  in  a  gi'eat 
trial  of  affliction  the  abundance  of  their  joy  ard 
their  deep  poverty  abounded  unto  the  riches  of 
their  liberality.  For  to  their  power  (he  says),  yea, 
and  beyond  their  potcer,  they  were  willing  of  them- 
selves; (not  needing  to  be  asked,  but)  praying  us 
with  much  entreaty  that  we  would  receive  the 
gift  (towards  the  maintenance  of  the  poor  saints 
at  Jerusalem),  and  their  share  [ti)v  KowcuvLau]  of 
the  ministering  to  the  saints.  And  this  they  did, 
not  as  we  hoped,  Init  (far  beyond  our  expectation) 
first  gave  their  own  selves  unto  the  Lord,  and 
(then)  to  us  by  the  will  of  God"  (2  Cor.  viii.  1-5). 
Are  there  many  in  our  day  like  these  Macedonian 
churches?  But  it  would  seem  that  even  then 
they  were  the  exception ;  for  this  same  apostle 
says,  even  of  the  bulk  of  Christians  ^^•ith  whom  Le 
mixed,  that  "all  sought  their  own,  not  the  things 
which  were  Jesus  Christ's  "  (Phil.  ii.  21).  In  a  com- 
]iarative  sense,  no  doubt,  this  was  meant.  But 
in  any  sense  it  was  humiliating  enough.  0  will 
not  the  touching  incident  of  this  Section  rouse 
those  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  to  7'aise  their  stan- 
dard oi  what  He  claims  at  their  hands?  "How 
much  owest  thou  unto  thy  Lord?"  is  a  question 
which,  if  but  heard  by  each  believer  witliin  the 
recesses  of  his  conscience,  in  the  light  of  what 
himself  hath  experienced  of  the  grace  of  Christ, 


C/in'st's  PropJiecy  of  the 


LUKE  XXI. 


Destruction  of  Jerusalem. 


5      And  "^as  some  spake  of  the  temple,  how  it  was  adorned  with  goodly 

G  stones  and  gifts,  he  said,  As  for  these  things  which  ye  behold,  the  days 

will  come,  in  the  which  ''there  shall  not  be  left  one  stone  upon  another, 

7  that  shall  not  be  throAvn  down.     And  they  asked  him,  saying.  Master,  but 
when  shall  these  things  be?  and  what  sign  zcill  there  be  when  these  things 

8  shall  come  to  pass?    And  he  said,  ^Take  heed  that  ye  be  not  deceived: 
for  many  sliall  come  in  my  name,  saying,  I  am  Christ;  ^and  the  time 

9  draweth  near:  go  ye  not  therefore  after  them.     But  when  ye  shall  hear 
of  wars  and  commotions,  be  not  terrified :  for  these  things  must  first  come 

10  to  pass;  but  the  end  is  not  by  and  by.    Then  -^said  he  unto  them.  Nation 

11  shall  rise  against  nation,  and  kingdom  against  kingdom :  and  gi-eat  earth- 
quakes shall  be  in  divers  places,  and  famines,  and  pestilences ;  and  fearful 
sights  and  great  signs  shall  there  be  from  heaven. 

12  But  ^before  all  these,  they  shall  lay  their  hands  on  you,  and  persecute 
you,  delivering  you  up  to  the  synagogues,  and   into  ''prisons,  *being 

13  brought  before  kings  and  rulers  •'for  my  name's  sake.     And  ^it  shall 

14  turn  to  you  for  a  testimony.     Settle  ^it  therefore  in  your  hearts,  not  to 

15  meditate  before  what  ye  shall  answer:  for  I  will  give  you  a  mouth  and 
wisdom,  '"which  all  your  adversaries  shall  not  be  able  to  gainsay  nor  resist. 

16  And  "ye  shall  be  betrayed  both  by  parents,  and  brethren,  and  kinsfolks, 

17  and  friends;  and  °some  of  you  shall  they  cause  to  be  put  to  death.     And 

18  ^ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake.     But  there  shall  not 

19  an  hair  of  your  head  perish.     In  your  patience  possess  ye  your  souls. 

20  And  *wlien  ye  shall  see  Jerusalem  compassed  with  armies,  then  know 
that  the  desolation  thereof  is  nigh.  Tlien  let  them  which  are  in  Judea 
flee  to  the  mountains ;  and  let  them  which  are  in  the  midst  of  it  depart 
out;  and  let  not  them  that  are  in  the  countries  enter  thereinto.  For 
these  be  the  days  of  vengeance,  that  '"all  things  which  are  ^\Titten  may  be 
fulfilled.  But  woe  unto  them  that  are  with  child,  and  to  them  that  give 
suck,  in  those  days!  for  there  shall  be  great  distress  in  the  land,  and 

24  wrath  upon  this  people.  And  they  shall  fall  by  the  edge  of  the  sword, 
and  shall  be  led  away  captive  into  all  nations :  and  Jerusalem  shall  be 
trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles,  '"until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled. 

And  'there  shall  be  signs  in  the  sun,  and  in  the  moon,  and  in  the 
stars ;  and  upon  the  earth  distress  of  nations,  with  perplexity ;  the  sea 
and  the  waves  roaring;  men's  hearts  failing  them  for  fear,  and  for  looking 
after  those  things  which  are  coming  on  the  earth:  "for  the  powers  of 
heaven  shall  be  shaken.  And  then  shall  they  see  the  Son  of  man  coming 
"in  a  cloud,  with  power  and  great  glory.  And  when  these  things  begin 
to  come  to  pass,  then  look  up,  and  lift  up  your  heads ;  for  your  redemp- 
tion draweth  nigh. 

And  '"he  spake  to  them  a  parable;  Behold  the  fig  tree,  and  all  the 
trees;  when  they  now  shoot  forth,  ye  see  and  know  of  your  own  selves 
that  summer  is  now  nigh  at  hand.  So  likewise  ye,  when  ye  see  these 
things  come  to  pass,  know  ye  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  nigh  at  hand. 


21 


22 


23 


25 

26 

27 
28 


29 
30 
31 


A.  D.  33. 

'  Matt.  24.  1. 

Mark  13.  i. 
rf  1  Ki.  9.  7-9. 

Isa.  61. 10, 
11. 

Jer.  5.  10. 

Jer.r.  11,14. 

Lam.  2.  c-s. 

Ezek.  7.  20- 
22. 

Mic.  3.  12. 

Matt.  24.  2. 

Mark  13.  2. 

ch.  19.  44. 
'  Matt.  24.  4. 

Mark  13.  5. 

2  Cor.  11.13- 
15. 

Eph.  5.  6. 

2  Thes.  2. 3. 

2  Tim.  3.13. 

1  John  4. 1. 
Eev.  12.  9. 

1  Or,  and. 

The  time. 

Matt.  3.  2. 

Matt.  4.  17. 
/  Matt.  24.  7. 
"  John  15.  20. 

Eev.  2.  10. 
A  Acts  1  3. 

Acts  5.  IS. 

Act.s  12.  4. 

Acts  16  24. 
i  Acts  25.  23. 
i   1  Pet.  2.  13. 

*  Phil.  1.  28. 

2  Thes.  1. 5. 
'  Matt.  10.19. 
'"Acts  6.  10. 
"  Mic.  7.  6. 

"  Acts  7.  59. 

Acts  12.  2. 
P  Matt.  10.22. 

2  Tim,  3.12. 
«  Matt.  24.15. 
*■  Dan.  9.  26, 

27. 

Zee.  11. 1. 

*  Dan.  9.  27. 
Eom.  11.25. 

t  2  Pet.  3. 10, 

12. 

"Matt.  24. 29. 
"  Acts  1. 11. 

Eev.  1.  7. 

Eev.  14. 14. 
""JNUrk  13.28. 


might  put  all  his  past  givings  and  doings  to  shame. 
What  an  encouraging  word  is  this  of  Christ,  con- 
cerning the  poor  widow  and  her  two  mites,  to  the 
poor  of  His  nock  in  every  age!  Let  them  not  hide 
their  talent  in  the  earth,  because  it  is  but  one, 
but  put  it  out  to  usury,  by  "lending  it  to  the 
Lord."_  But,  indeed,  this  chiss  go  beyond  the  rich 
in  their  givings  to  Christ.  Only  we  would  that 
each  vied  with  the  other  in  this  matter.  See,  on 
this  delightful  subject,  on  Mark  xiv.  1-11,  Remark 
6  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  And,  perhaps, 
much  of  the  fault  of  the  stinted  givings  of 
Christians  lies  with  the  ministers  of  Christ  for 
not  pressing  upon  them  such  duties,  and  such 
considerations    in    support  of   them,    frequently 


enough,  urgently  enough,  lovingly  enough.  That 
is  a  maxim  which  deserves  to  be  written  in  letters 
of  gold  (2  Cor.  viii.  12):  "If  there  be  first  a  willivg 
mind,  it  is  accepted  according  to  what  a  man  hath, 
and  not  according  to ivhat  he  hath  noty  "Ye  know 
the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  though 
He  was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  He  became  poor, 
that  ye  through  His  iioverty  might  be  rich"  (2 
Cor.  viii.  9). 

5-38. — Christ's  Prophecy  of  the  Destruc- 
tion OF  Jerusalem,  and  Warnings  suggested 
BY  IT  TO  Prepare  for  His  Second  Coming- 
Summary  OF  Proceedings  during  His  Last 
Week.  (=  Matt.  xxiv.  1-51;  Mark  xiii,  1-37.) 
For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  xiii.  1-37. 


Tne  Jewish  authorities  conspire         LUKE  XXII. 


to  put  Jesus  to  death. 


32  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  This  generation  sliall  not  pass  away  till  all  be 

33  fulfilled.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away;  but  my  words  shall  not 
pass  away. 

34  And  ^take  heed  to  yourselves,  lest  at  any  time  your  hearts  be  over- 
charged with  surfeiting,  and  drunkenness,  and  cares  of  this  life,  and  so 

35  that  day  come  upon  you  unawares.     For  ^as  a  snare  shall  it  come  on  all 

36  them  that  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth.  Watch  ^ye  therefore, 
and  "^pray  always,  that  ye  may  be  accounted  worthy  to  escape  all  these 
things  that  shall  come  to  pass,  and  ^to  stand  before  the  Son  of  man. 

37  And  "^in  the  day-time  he  was  teaching  in  the  temple;  and  ''at  night  he 
went  out,  and  abode  in  the  mount  that  is  called  the  mount  of  Olives. 

38  And  all  the  people  came  early  in  the  morning  to  him  *in  the  temple,  for 
to  hear  him. 

22      NOW  "the  feast  of  unleavened  bread  drew  nigh,  which  is  called  the 

2  Passover.     And  ''the  chief  priests  and  scribes  sought   how  they  might 

3  kill  him;  for  they  feared  the  people.     Then  "^entered  Satan  into  Judas 
surnamed  Iscariot,  being  of  the  number  of  the  twelve, 

4  And  he  went  his  way,  and  comnmned  with  the   chief  priests  and 

5  captains,  how  he  might  betray  him  unto  them.     And  they  were  glad, 
G  and  ''covenanted  to  give  him  money.     And  he  promised,  and  sought 

opportunity  to  betray  him  unto  them  ^  in  the  absence  of  the  multitude. 
7       Then  ^came  the  day  of  unleavened  bread,  when  the  passover  must  be 


A.  D.  33. 


"  Eom.  13.13. 

1  Pet.  4.  ?. 
y  1  Thes.  5.  2. 

2  Pet.  3.  10. 
Eev.  3.  3. 

^  Matt.  25.13. 
Mark  13  33. 
"  ch.  18. 1. 

b  Ps    1.  5. 

Eph.  6.  13. 

lJohn2.28. 
'  John  8  1,2. 

d  ch.  22.  39. 

'  Hag.  2.  r. 
Mai.  3.  1. 


CHAP.  22. 

"  Matt.  26.  2. 

Mark  14  1. 
b  Ps.  2.  2. 

John  11.47. 
"  Matt.  26.14. 
d  Zee.  11.  12. 

1  Tim  6. 10. 
1  Or,  without 

tumult. 
«  Matt.  26. 17. 

MarkU.li 


CHAP.  XXII.  1-6.— The  Conspiracy  of  the 
Jewish  Authorities  to  put  Jesus  to  Death — 
Judas  Agrees  with  the  Chief  Priests  to  Be- 
tray his  Lord.  (=  Matt.  xxvi.  1-5,  14-16;  Mark 
xiv.  1,  2,  10,  11.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on  Mark 
xiv.  1,  2,  10,  11,  with  the  corresponding  Ptemarks 
at  the  close  of  that  Section. 

7-30.— Preparation  for  and  Last  Celebra- 
tion OF  the  Passover — Institution  of  the  Sup- 
per—  Announcement  of  the  Traitor — Fresh 
Strife  Who  should  be  Greatest.  (  =  Matt. 
xxvi.  17-30 ;Maik  xiv.  12-26;  John  xiiL  10,  11,  IS, 
19,  21-30.) 

Preparation  for  the  Passover  (7-13).  We  have 
now  arrived,  in  the  progress  of  the  Kedeemer's 
earthly  history,  at  the  fifth  day  of  His  last  week — 
the  Thursday— on  which  the  preparations  nowto 
he  described  were  made.  Here  arises  a  question 
of  extreme  difficulty,  a  question  very  early  dis- 
cus.sed  in  the  Church,  a  question  which  has  divided, 
and  to  this  day  divides,  the  ablest  critics :  '  Did 
our  Lord  eat  the  imssover  with  His  disciples  at 
all?  and  if  He  did,  was  it  on  the  same  day  on  which 
it  was  eaten  by  the  rest  of  the  Jews,  or  was  it  a 
day  earlier?'  Had  we  only  the  testimony  of  the 
first  three  Evangelists,  there  could  be  no  doubt 
both  that  He  ate  the  Passover,  and  that  He  ate  it 
on  the  usual  statutory  evening — on  the  fourteenth 
day  of  the  month  ISfisan;  for  their  testimony  to 
this  effect  is  concurrent  and  decisive  (Mark  xiv. 
12;  Luke  xxii.  7;  "ndth  which  the  whole  of  Matt, 
xxvi.  17,  &a ,  though  less  explicit,  accords).  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  if  we  had  only  the  testimony  of 
the  Fourth  Evangelist,  we  should  not  be  perfectly 
sure  that  our  Lord  ate  the  paschal  supper  at  all; 
or  if  it  should  seem  clear  enough,  though  not  ex- 
phcitly  stated,  that  tlie  "  supper"  of  John  xiii.  was 
no  other  than  the  Passover,  one  would  certainly 
have  been  apt  to  conclude,  from  some  expressions 
in  that  Gospel,  that  up  to  the  morning  of  the  Fri- 
day— when  our  Lord  was  before  the  ecclesiastical 
and  civil  ti'ibunals  for  judgment—the  Jews  had 
vot  eaten  their  Passover,  and  consequently,  that 
Jesus  and  His  disciples,  if  they  ate  it  at  all,  must 
have  eaten  it  a  day  before  the  proper  time.  One 
general  remark  on  this  question  may  here  be  made: 
a24 


— That  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  a  mistake  on 
such  a  ijoiut  by  all  the  three  first  Evangelists, 
whose  accounts  coincide  and  yet  evince  themselves 
to  be  independent  narratives,  was  hardly  i^ossible; 
and  as  to  the  Fourth  Evangelist— who  was  himself 
so  largely  concerned  in  the  whole  transaction,  and 
whose  Gospel,  written  after  the  other  three  had 
been  long  in  circulation,  bears  evidence  of  having 
been  drawn  up  to  supplement  the  others — it  is  not 
conceivable  that  there  should  have  been  any  error 
on  his  part.  And  as  there  is  not  a  trace  in  his 
Gospel  of  any  design  to  correct  an  error  on  this 
subject  in  the  other  three,  one  is  forced  to  conclude 
— apart  altogether  from  the  divine  authority  of  the 
Gospels^that  the  firet  three  Evangelists  and  the 
fourth  must  be  at  one  on  this  important  point.  Now 
since  the  testimony  of  the  first  three  is  explicit  and 
cannot  be  set  aside,  while  that  of  the  fourth  is  but 
general  and  jiresumptive,  the  conclusion  to  which 
we  feel  ourselves  shut  up  is,  that  the  Passover  was 
eaten  by  our  Lord  and  His  apostles  on  the  usual 
evening.  The  expressions  in  the  Fourth  Gospel, 
which  seem  to  imply  the  reverse,  but  which  may 
all,  as  we  think,  be  intei-^jreted  consistently  with 
the  view  we  have  stated,  will  be  taken  up  at  the 
places  where  they  occur. 

7.  Then  came  tlie  day  of  unleavened  bread, 
when  the  passover  must  be  killed.  The  day  here 
alluded  to — "the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread" 
(Matt.  xxvi.  17)— was  the  14th  Nisan,  when,  about 
mid-day,  labour  was  intermitted,  and  all  leaven  re- 
moved from  the  houses  (Exod.  xii.  15-17).  Then, 
"  between  the  two  evenings"  (Exod.  xii.  6,  margin) 
—  or  between  three  and  six  o'clock — the  paschal 
lamb  was  killed,  and  in  the  evening,  when  tne  15th 
Nisan  began,  was  eaten.  And  though  "  the  days 
of  unleavened  breatl"  i)roperly  began  with  the  15th, 
the  xireparations  for  the  festival  being  made  on 
the  14th,  it  was  jiopularly  called,  as  here,  the 
"first"  day  of  unleavened  bread — as  we  learn  from 
Josephus,  whose  way  of  si)eaking  agrees  with  that 
here  employed.  The  two  disciples  being  sent  from 
Bethany  to  make  the  necessary  prepar-ations  on 
the  Thursday,  our  Lord  and  the  other  disciples 
followed  them  to  the  city  later  in  the  day,  and 
Ijrobably  as  evening  drew  near.    8,  And  lie  sent 


Preparation  for  the 


LUKE  XXII.         last  Celebration  of  the  Passover. 


8  killed.    And  he  sent  Peter  and  John,  saying,  Go  and  prepare  us  the  pass- 

9  over,  that  we  may  eat.     And  they  said  unto  him,  Where  wilt  thou  that 

10  we  prepare?  And  he  said  unto  them.  Behold,  when  ye  are  entered  into 
the  city,  there  shall  a  man  meet  you,  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water;  follow 

1 1  him  into  the  house  where  he  entereth  in.  And  ye  sliall  say  unto  the 
goodman  of  the  house.  The  Master  saitli  unto  thee,  Wliere  is  the  guest- 

1 2  chamber,  where  I  shall  eat  the  passover  v.dth  my  disciples  ?     And  he  shall 

13  show  you  a  large  upper  room  furnished:  there  make  ready.  And  they 
went,  and  found  as  he  had  said  unto  them :  and  they  made  ready  the 
passover. 

14  And  when  the  hour  was  come,  he  sat  down,  and  the  twelve  apostles 

15  with  him.     And  he  said  unto  them,  ^With  desire  I  have  desired  to  eat 

16  this  passover  Avitli  you  before  I  sutfer:  for  I  say  unto  you,  I  wiU  not  any 

17  more  eat  thereof,  -^until  it  be  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  he 
took  the  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and  said.  Take  this,  and  divide  it  among 

18  yourselves:  for  ^I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  drink  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine, 
until  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  come. 

19  And  he  took  bread,  and  gave  thanks,  and  brake  it,  and  gave  unto 
til  em,   saying,   This  is  my  body,  which  is  given  for  you:   this  ''do  in 


A.  D.  33. 


2  Or,  I  ha\'e 
heartily 
desired. 
/  ch.  12.  37. 
ch.  14.  15. 
Acts  10.  41. 
John  C.  27, 

50. 

1  Cor.  5.  7,8. 
Heb.  10.  1- 

10. 

Rev.  19.  9. 
"  Jud.  9.  i.-J. 

Ps.  104.  15. 

Pro.  31.  G,7. 

Isa.24.  9,11. 

Isa.  25.  0. 

Isa.  65.  1. 

Zee.  9.  15. 

Matt.  23. 29. 

Mark  14.25. 
ft  Ps.  78.  4,  6. 

Ps.  111.  4. 

1  Cor.  11. 24. 


Peter  and  John,  saying,  Go  and  prepare  us  the 
passover,  that  we  may  eat.  9.  And  they  said 
unto  him,  Where  ?  ...  10.  And  he  said  unto 
them,  Behold,  when  ye  are  entered  into  the 
city,  there  shall  a  man  meet  you,  bearing  a 
pitcher  of  water;  follow  him  into  the  house 
where  he  entereth  in.  11.  And  ye  shall  say 
unto  the  goodman  of  the  house.  The  Master 
saith  unto  thee.  Where  is  the  guest-chamtoer, 
where  I  shall  eat  the  passover  with  my  disciples  ? 
12.  And  he  shall  show  you  a  large  upper  room 
furnished  [eo-rptti^ueVji/]— or  '  spread ;'  witli  tables, 
and  couches,  and  covering,  all  ready  for  supper. 
Such  large  apartments  were  set  apart  by  the  in- 
habitants of  the  city,  for  the  accommodation  of 
parties  from  the  country.  13.  And  they  went,  and 
found  as  he  had  said  unto  them:  and  they  made 
ready  the  passover.  See  the  similarly  minute 
directions  to  the  two  who  were  sent  to  procure  the 
ass  on  which  He  rode  into  Jerusalem,  ch.  xix.  30-32. 
Last  Celebration  of  the  Passover  (14-18).  14.  And 
when  the  hour  was  come— about  six  o'clock,  he 
sat  down,  and  the  twelve  apostles  with  him— the 
whole  twelve,  Judas  included.  15.  And  he  said 
unto  them.  With  desire  I  have  desired  ['E-7ri6v/nla 
iireQufx^lcra] — the  strongest  expression  of  intense 
desire.  .In  Gen.  xxxi.  30  the  same  expression 
[nnCDD3  ^!^^?,  eTTiQvfiki.  eTreSd/Lniaai]  is  rendered 
"  thou  sore  longedst>"  to  eat  this  passover  with 
you  before  I  suffer.  The  last  meal  one  is  to  par- 
take of  with  his  family  or  friends  before  his  de- 
parture even  for  a  far  distant  land,  in  all  probability 
never  to  see  them  again,  is  a  solemn  and  fond  one 
to  any  thoughtful  and  lo\aiig  person.  The  last  meal 
of  a  martyr  of  Jesus  with  his  friends  in  the  truth, 
before  being  led  forth  to  execution,  is  still  more 
touching.  But  faint  are  these  illustrations  of  the 
emotions  with  which  Jesus  now  sat  down  to  supper 
with  the  Twelve.  All  the  sweetness  and  all  the 
sadness  of  His  social  intercourse  with  them,  from 
the  day  that  He  first  chose  them  to  be  -with  Him, 
were  now  to  be  concentrated  and  heightened  to 
tlicir  utmost  intensity  during  the  brief  hour  or  two 
of  this  their  last  meal  together.  But  this  was  no 
common  meal,  nor  even  common  passover.  It 
v.'as  to  be  the  point  of  transition  between  two  divine 
economies  and  their  respective  festivals;  the  one  to 
close  for  ever,  the  other  to  run  its  majestic  career 
through  all  time,  until  from  a  terrestrial  form  it 
bhoidd  dissolve  into  a  form  celestial.  No  wonder, 
325 


then,  that  He  said,  "  With  desire  1  have  desired 
to  eat  this  passover  with  you  before  I  suffer." 
This,  as  Alford  remarks,  is  the  only  instance  in 
the  Gospels  in  which  the  word  "sutfer"  [ttoo-xw] 
is  used  in  its  absolute  sense — as  in  the  Creed, 
'  He  suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate.'  16.  For  I 
say  unto  you,  I  will  not  any  more  eat  there- 
of, until  it  be  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  of  God— or, 
as  in  Matt.  xxvi.  29,  "I  will  not  drink  henceforth  of 
this  fruit  of  the  vine,  until  that  day  when  I  drink  it 
new  with  you  in  my  Father's  kingdom,"  or  "in  the 
kingdom  of  God"  (Mark  xiv.  25).     The  primary  ap- 

§lication  of  this,  no  doubt,  is  to  the  new  Gospel  king- 
om  to  be  fully  erected  when  the  old  economy, 
with  its  Passover  and  temple-rites,  should  disap- 
pear. But  the  best  interiireters  agree  that  its  only 
full  and  proper  application  is  to  that  celestial  king- 
dom of  which  He  speaks  so  beautifully  in  v.  30 — 
"that  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  My  table  in  My 
kingdom,"  &c. 

17.  And  he  took  the  cup.  Several  cups  of  wine 
were  partaken  of,  or  tasted,  during  the  somcMliat 
elaborate  rites  observed  in  the  celebration  of  the 
Passover.  This  was  probably  the  first  one:  but  it 
is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  Eucharistic  cup 
mentioned  in  v..  20,  and  then  partaken  of  for  the 
first  time;  this  Paschal  cup  was  now  partaken  of 
for  the  last  time,  and  gave  thanks,  and  said,. 
Take  this,  and  divide  it  among  yourselves.  A 
false  inference  has  been  drawn  from  this  bj^  some 
expositors — that  Christ  did  not  Himself  drink  of 
it.  The  contiary  is  obvious  from  His  earnest 
desire  to  "  eat  this  Passover  with  them,"  and  of 
course  to  drink  the  Paschal  cup;  and  in  what  fol- 
lows He  expressly  says  that  He  did  drink  of  it. 
18.  For  I  say  unto  you,  I  wUl  not  drink  of  the 
fruit  of  the  vine,  until  the  kingdom  of  God  shall 
come.  See  on  tv  16,  of  which  this  is  but  a  repeti- 
tion, in  a  form  adapted  to  the  cup,  as  there  it  was 
uttered  in  a  form  adapted  to  the  paschal  lamb  and 
the  bread  eaten  with  it. 

Institution  of  the  S'upper  (19,  20).  19.  And  he 
took  bread,  and  gave  thanks  (see  on  Mark  vi.  41). 
In  Matthew  and  Mark  it  is  "and  blessed  it."  The 
one  act  includes  the  other.  He  "gave  thanks," 
not  so  much  here  for  the  literal  bread,  as  for 
that  higher  food  which  was  couched  under  it; 
and  He  "blessed"  it  as  the  ordained  channel  of 
spiritual  nourishment,  and  brake  it,  and  gave 
unto  them,  saying.  This  is   my  body,  which  is 


Institution  of  the 


LUKE  XXII. 


Lord's  Supper. 


20  remembrance  of  me.     Likewise  also  the  cup  after  supper,  saying,  *This 

cup  is  the  new  testament  in  my  blood,  which  is  shed  for  you. 

21  But,  •'behold,  the  hand  of  him  that  betrayeth  me  is  with  me  on  the 

22  table.     And  truly  the  Son  of  man  goeth,  as  ^it  was  determined:   but 

23  woe  unto  that  man  by  whom  he  is  betrayed !    And  they  began  to  enquire 
among  themselves,  which  of  them  it  was  that  should  do  this  thing. 

24  And  'there  was  also  a  strife  among  them,  which  of  them  should  be 

25  accounted  the  greatest.     And  '"^he  said  unto  them,  The  kings  of  the 
Gentiles  exercise  lordship  over  them ;   and  they  that  exercise  authority 

26  upon  them  are  called  benefactors.     But  "ye  shall  not  be  so:  "but  he  that 
is  greatest  among  you,  let  him  be  as  the  younger;  and  he  that  is  chief,  as 


A.  D.  33. 

•  1  Cor.  10. 16. 
J  Ps.  41.  9. 

Mark  14.18. 

John  13.21, 
26. 
t  Acts  2.  23. 

Acts  4.  2S. 
I  ]\Iark  9.  34. 

oh.  9.  46. 
"'i\]att.20  25. 
"  Jas  4.  6. 

1  Pet.  5.  3. 
0  ch.  9.  48. 


given  for  you:  this  do  in  rememlDrance  of  me. 
'The  expression,  "This  is  my  body,"'  says  Alex- 
ander most  truly,  'which  is  common  to  all  the 
accounts,  appears  so  unambiguous  and  simj)le  an 
expression,  that  it  is  hard  to  recognize  in  it  the 
occasion  and  the  subject  of  the  most  protracted 
and  exciting  controversy  that  has  rent  the  Church 
\\ithin  the  last  thousand  years.  That  controversy 
is  so  purely  theological  that  it  has  scarcely  any 
basis  m  the  exjposition  of  the  text ;  the  only  word 
upon  which  it  could  fasten  (the  verb  is)  being  one 
wnich  in  Aramaic  (or  Syro-Chaldaic),  would  not 
be  expressed,  and  therefore  belongs  merely  to 
the  Greek  tr.anslation  of  our  Sa\dour's  language. 
[But  this  supposes  our  _Lord  now  spoke  in 
Aramaic — the  contrary  of  which  we  nelieve.] 
Until  the  strong  unguarded  figures  of  the  early 
Fathers  had  been  petrified  into  a  dogma,  at 
first  by  popular  misapprehension,  and  at  last  by 
theological  perversion,  these  words  suggested  no 
idea  but  the  one  which  they  still  convey  to  every 
plain  unbiased  reader,  that  our  Saviour  calls  the 
bread  His  body  in  the  same  sense  that  He  calls 
Himself  a  door  (John  x.  9),  a  \une  (John  xv.  1)  a 
root  (Rev.  xxii.  16),  a  star,  and  is  described  by 
many  other  metaphors  in  Scripture.  The  bread 
was  an  emblem  of  His  flesh,  as  wounded  for  the 
sins  of  men,  and  as  administered  for  their  spiritual 
nourishment  and  growth  in  grace.'  20.  Likewise 
also  tlie  cup  after  supper — not  after  the  LortVs 
Supper,  as  if  the  taking  of  the  bread  and  of  the 
cup  in  it  were  separated  so  far  as  that ;  but  after 
the  vaschal  supper,  and  consequently  immediately 
after  the  distriljution  of  the  bread.  The  accounts 
of  Matthew  and  of  Mark  would  seem  to  imply  that 
He  gave  thanks  on  taking  the  cup,  as  well  as  with 
the  bread;  but  here,  at  any  rate,  and  in  the  most 
authoritative  account,  perhaps,  which  we  have,  in 
1  Cor.  xi.  23,  &c.,  that  is  not  said,  saying,  This 
cup  is  the  new  testament  in  my  blood,  which  is 
shed  for  you.  In  Matthew  (xxvi.  28),  "This  is 
my  blood  of  the  new  testament,  which  is  shed  for 
many  for  the  remission  of  sins."  In  1  Cor.  (xi.  25) 
"  This  cup  is  the  new  testament  in  my  blood :  this 
do  ye,  as  oft  as  ye  drmk  it,  in  remembrance  of  me." 
Most  critics  now  maintain  that  the  word  here  ren- 
dered "testament"  [oiadtiK^]  should  be  rendered 
covenant,  not  only  here  but  wherever  else  it  occurs 
in  the  Kew  Testament;  being  used  in  the  Old 
Testament  constantly  by  the  LXX.  translatoi-s  for 
the  well-known  Hebrew  word  signifying  '  coven- 
ant' \p'''Vr\,  which  never  signifies  'testament.' 
Here,  in  particular,  there  is  a  manifest  allusion 
to  Exod.  xxiv.  8,  "Behold,  the  blood  of  the  covenant 
['">13n-Di]  which  the  Lord  hath  made  with  you 
concerning  all  these  words."  Now  it  is  beyond 
doubt  that  'covenant'  is  the  fundamental  idea, 
and  that  in  the  Old  Testament  the  word  is 
correctly  rendered  "  covenant."  But  let  it  be 
observed,  first,  that  'testament'  or  'will'  is  the 
proiier  classical  sense  of  the  Greek  word,  and 
32G 


'  disposition'  or  '  covenant'  but  a  secondary  sense  ; 
and  next,  that  in  Heb.  ix.  15,  &c.,  the  sense  of 
'testament'  appears  to  be  so  obviously  what  the 
apostle  reasons  on,  that  to  exclude  it  there,  and 
restrict  the  meaning  to  '  covenant,'  can  only  be 
made  to  yield  the  harshest  sense.  But  the  true 
harmony  of  both  senses  of  the  word,  and  how,  in 
the  case  of  Christ's  death,  the  one  runs  into  the 
other,  will  be  seen,  not  by  any  criticism  on  the 
%Dord,  but  by  reflecting  on  the  thing.  If  it  be  true 
that  by  'covenant,'  or  eternal  divine  arrangement, 
all  the  blessings  of  salvation  become  the  rightful 
possession  of  believers  solely  in  virtue  of  Christ's 
death,  does  not  this  almost  irresistibly  suggest  to 
every  reflecting  mind  the  idea  of  a  testator's  death 
as  a  most  true  and  exalted  conception  of  the 
vu'tue  of  it?  What  can  be  a  more  natural 
view  of  the  principle  on  which  the  fruits  of 
Christ's  death,  become  ours  than  that  of  a 
testamentary  disiMsition?  Then,  observe  how 
near  to  this  idea  of  His  death  our  Lord  Him- 
self came  in  what  He  said,  when  the  Greeks 
sought  to  "see  Jesus"  on  the  eve  of  His  last  Pass- 
over, "The  hour  is  come  when  the  Son  of  man 
should  be  glorified:  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall 
into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone;  but  if 
it  die,  it  bring  eth  forth  much  fruit"  (John  xiL  23, 24). 
Observe,  too.  His  mode  of  exiiression  twice  over 
at  the  Sux)per- table,  "I  appoint  [^laxiOe/xai]  unto 
you,  as  My  Father  appointed  foie'eero]  unto  Me, 
a  kingdom"  (Luke  xxii.  29);  "Peace  I /eare  with 
you;  My  peace  I  give  unto  you"  (see  on  John 
xiv.  27) :  and  it  will  be  seen,  we  think,  how  each 
idea  suggests  the  other.  While  that  of  '■covenant^ 
is  confessedly  the  fundamental  one,  that  of  '  testa- 
menV  is  accessory  or  illustrative  onlj'.  Yet  the 
one  is  as  real  as  the  other,  and  presents  a  phase  of 
the  truth  exceeding  precious.  In  this  view  Bengel 
substantially  concurs,  and  Stier  entirely. 

Announcement  of  the  Traitor  (21-23).  21-23.  But, 
toehold,  the  hand  of  him  that  betrayeth  me  is 
with  me  on  the  table,  &c.    See  on  John  xiii.  21-26. 

Fresh  Strife  Who  should  be  Greatest  (24-30).  24. 
And  there  was — rather,  here,  '  there  had  been ' 
a  strife  among  them,  which  of  them  should  be 
accounted  the  greatest.  Some  symptoms  of  the 
former  contention  on  this  subject  seem  to  have 
reappeared  once  more ;  probably  just  before  sit- 
ting down  to  the  jiaschal  sujjper,  and  perhaps 
in  consequence  of  seeing  the  whole  paschal  ar- 
rangements committed  to  two  of  the  Twelve. 
(See  on  Mark  ix.  33,  &c.)  But  of  all  occasions  for 
giving  way  to  such  petty  ambition  and  jealousy, 
this  was  the  worst,  and  to  our  Lord  must  have 
been  the  most  painful.  And  if  so,  who  can  but 
wonder  at  the  gentleness  with  which  He  here 
rebukes  it?  25.  And  he  said  unto  them,  The 
kings  of  the  Gentiles  exercise  lordship  over 
them ;  and  they  that  exercise  authority  upon 
them  are  called  benefactors  [ei/e^yeVai]— a  title 
which    the    vanity    of    princes    eagerly    coveted. 


Strife  who  should 


LUKE  XXII. 


be  the  greatest. 


27  lie  that  doth  serve.     For  whether  is  greater,  he  that  sitteth  at  meat,  or 
he  that  serveth  ?  is  not  he  that  sitteth  at  meat  ?  but  ^  I  am  among  you  as 

28  he  that  serveth.     Ye  are  they  which  have  continued  with  me  in  '''my 

29  temptations.     And  '^I  appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father  hath 

30  appointed  unto  me;  that  *ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  my  table  in  my 
kingdom,  *and  sit  on  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 


A.  D.  33. 


P  John  13.13. 

Fhil  2.  7. 
9  Heb.  4.  16. 

•■  Ch.  12.  32. 
'  ch.  14.  15. 
t  Pa.  49.  14. 


26.  But  ye  shall  not  toe  so :  tout  lie  that  is  greatest 
among  you,  let  him  toe  as  the  younger;  and  he 
that  is  chief,  as  he  that  doth  serve.  Of  how  little 
avail  has  this  condemnatiou  of  "lordship"  and 
other  vain  titles  been  against  the  vanity  of  Christian 
ecclesiastics  !  27.  For  whether  is  greater,  he  that 
sitteth  at  meat,  or  he  that  serveth?  is  not  he 
that  sitteth  at  meat  ?  tout  I  am  among  you  as  he 
that  serveth.  See  on  Mark  x.  42-45,  with  Remarks 
3  and  4  at  the  close  of  that  Section;  also,  ou  John 
xiii.  6-8,  with  Remark  2  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 
28.  Ye  are  they  which  have  continued  with  me 
in  my  temptations.  Affecting  evidence  this,  of 
Christ's  tender  susceptibility  to  human  sympathy 
and  support !  See  on  v.  40 ;  and  on  John  vi.  66, 
(57  ;  XVI.  32.  29.  And  I  appoint  unto  you  a  king- 
dom, as  my  Father  hath  appointed  unto  me— 
or,  according  to  the  order  of  the  original  text, 
'  And  I  appoint  unto  you,  as  My  Father  hath  ap- 
[)oiuted  unto  Me,  a  kingdom.'  Who  is  this  that 
dispenses  kingdoms,  nay,  the  Kingdom  of  king- 
doms, within  an  hour  or  two  of  His  apprehension, 
and  less  than  a  day  of  His  shameful  death? 
These  sublime  contrasts,  however,  perpetually 
meet  and  entrance  us  in  this  matchless  History. 
The  'giving  of  a  given'  Kingdom  is  in  our  Lord's 
usual  style  of  speaking,  in  which  He  ever  holds 
forth  His  oneness  in  counsel  with  the  Father. 
'  So  far  from  the  high  claims  I  advance  being  an 
unwarrantable  usurpation  of  divine  prerogatives, 
dishonouring  to  the  Father,  it  is  from  Him  I  have 
My  commission  to  be  here,  to  do  all  I  do,  and 
dispense  all  I  bestow.'  See  ou  Matt,  xxviii.  18; 
and  ou  John  v.  19,  &c.  30.  That  ye  may  eat  and 
drink  at  my  table  in  my  kingdom,  and  sit  on 
thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 
See  on  ch.  xviii.  29. 

Remarks. — 1.  The  feelings  of  Jesus  Himself  have 
been  too  much  lost  sight  of  in  attention  to  His 
tvork.  in  such  portions  of  the  History — a  somewhat 
selfish  way  of  reading  it,  which  punishes  itself  by 
the  dry  and  not  very  satisfactory  views  thence 
resulting.  Blessed  Jesus !  Do  I  hear  thee,  on 
seating  Thyself  at  the  Paschal  taljle,  laying  open 
the  burden  of  Thy  heart  to  the  Twelve,  sayuig, 
"  With  desire  I  have  desii-ed  to  eat  this  Passover 
with  you  before  I  suifer,"  telling  them  it  was 
the  last  Passover  Thou  wouklst  eat  with  them  on 
earth,  and  the  last  time  Thou  wouldst  drink  with 
them  here  below  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine  ?  In  this 
I  read,  so  as  I  am  not  able  to  express  it,  Thy  one- 
ness with  us  even  in  our  social  sympathies.  All 
that  makes  a  last  meeting  and  a  last  meal  with 
one's  family,  whole  and  unbroken,  or  with  friends 
with  whom  one  has  gone  in  and  out  for  years  in 
joy  and  sorrow,  alike  in  the  commonest  and  the 
loftiest  intercourse,  an  occasion  of  peculiar  solem- 
nity and  teuder  interest— all  this,  it  seems,  was 
felt  by  Thee  ;  and  if  felt  at  all,  felt  surely  on  this 
occasion  with  an  intensity  unknown  to  us.  For 
it  was  more  than  Thy  last  meal  —  it  was  the 
last  Paschal  meal  ever  to  be  partaken  of  even 
by  Thy  disciples.  Ere  another  such  season  came 
round,  the  typical  Passover  was  to  be  exchanged 
for  the  commemorative  Supper ;  and  even  at  that 
very  table,  the  one  was  sweetly  to  be  transfigured 
into  the  other.  One  can  understand,  then,  the 
emotion  that  filled  Thy  heart,  when,  surrounded 
.327 


by  the  Twelve  in  that  upper  room,  Thou  found- 
est  Thyself  arrived  at  this  stage.  And  yet,  how 
can  we  enough  bless  Thee  for  giving  utterance  to 
this ;  for  who  else  would  have  ventured  to  pre- 
sume it?  But  there  is  something  else  here,  which 
is  at  least  as  noteworthy  as  this.  The  treason- 
hatching,  the  traitor,  the  plan,  the  end — and  all 
so  near,  so  very  imminent — were  full  before  Thee, 
blessed  Saviour;  yea,  the  traitor  himself  was  sit- 
ting at  that  table:  and  yet,  with  what  holy 
calmness  Thou  recliuest  at  this  meal !  One  word 
thou  utterest  of  direct  allusion  to  it — "  Before 
I  suffer" — just  to  reveal  the  spring  of  surx>assing 
interest  Thou  didst  feel  in  that  Passover ;  but  only 
one.  When  after  this  the  new  Feast  was  instituted 
for  all  that  should  believe  on  Thee  through  their 
word  to  the  world's  end,  it  was  only  to  explain  the 
deep  intent  of  that  Feast  that  the  bloody  scene 
was  again  alluded  to — and  so  serenely !  not  at  all 
in  the  light  of  the  dishonour  done  to  Thee,  but  of 
the  benefit  thereby  accruing  to  them — not  in  the 
li'dit  of  Thy  suffering,  but  of  the  exiiiatory  virtue 
of  that  blood  of  Thine  to  the  salvation  of  a  lost 
world !  But  liere  I  see  another  thing,  which  at 
once  ravishes  and  melts  me.  This  Feast  Thou 
wouldst  have  kejit  up  "  in  remembrance  of 
Thee" — not  Thy  death  merely,  and  the  benefits 
thence  resulting,  but  Thyself.  No  one  who  has 
a  heart  at  all  would  like  to  be  forgotten  of  those 
he  loves ;  every  one  would  like  to  be  remembered 
when  he  is  gone.  And  is  it  even  so  with  Thee,  O 
Thou  whom  my  soul  loveth  ?  Thy  love,  it  seems — 
like  all  other  love — seeks  a  response ;  it  will  have 
itself  appreciated  and  reciprocated,  and  in  that 
Thou  hast  all  Thy  desire ;  thus  to  see  of  the  tra- 
vail of  Thy  soul  is  Thy  satisfaction.  Thy  reward 
(Isa.  liii.  II).  But  had  sufficient  provision  not  been 
made  for  that  without  this  Sujijier — in  that  Thy 
love  is  shed  abroad  in  Thy  peo]ile's  hearts  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  given  unto  them— a  love  constrainhuj 
them  to  live  not  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him 
that  died  for  them  and  rose  again?  True,  but 
Thou  art  not  yet  contented.  Thou  wilt  be  en- 
shrined in  the  Church's  visible  services— and  that 
not  in  the  glory  of  Thy  Person,  Thy  character, 
Thy  teaching.  Thy  miracles,  or  all  of  these  to- 
gether, but  of  that  Decease  which  was  accom- 
plished at  Jerusalem,  of  that  dearest  act  of  Self- 
sacrifice  by  which  Thy  people's  ransom  was  paid ; 
Thou  wilt  be  held  \asibly  up  as  the  bruised 
Messiah,  the  bleeding  Lamb  that  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world.  And  who  shall  say  what 
shallow  faith  has  not  been  deepened,  what  lan- 
guishing affections  have  not  been  afresh  eidiiudled 
by  this  most  blessed  ordinance,  and  how  much 
of  its  spiritual  nourishment  in  all  time  to  come 
the  Church  of  Christ  will  not  owe  to  this 
ordinance?  0  yes,  as  we  sit  at  that  eucharistic 
table  with  robes  washed  and  made  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  as  our  faith  gazes,  through 
its  instituted  elements  of  bread  and  wane,  on  that 
bleeding  Lamb,  now  in  the  midst  of  the  Throne, 
does  not  the  hymn  of  redeeming  love  go^^"P  to 
Him  fresher  and  warmer  than  ever  before,  "  Unto 
Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins 
in  His  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and 
priests  unto  God  and  His  Father ;  to  Him  be  glory 
and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever,  Amen"?    2.  In 


The  Fall  of 


LUKE  XXll. 


Peter  foretold. 


31  And  tlie  Lord  said,  Simon,  Simon,  behold,  "Satan  liatli  desired  to 

32  have  you,  that  he  may  "sift  you  as  wheat:  but  '"I  have  prayed  for  thee, 
that  thy  faith  fail  not:  ''and  when  thou  art  converted,  strengthen  thy 


"  1  Pet  5  8. 
*  Amos  9.  9. 
""  John  17.  9. 
"  Ps  61.  13. 


the  liglit  of  these  views,  what  are  we  to  think  of 
the  moiistrons  abuses  of  this  ordiuauce,  on  the  one 
hand  by  Unitarians— v;\xo  can  celebrate  it  and 
yet  see  in  it  no  Atonement,  and  nothing  beyond  a 
memorial  banquet  in  honour  of  a  most  heroic 
Sufferer  for  virtue— and,  on  the  other  hand,  by 
Jiomanists,  who  bury  its  precious  truths  and 
destroy  its  quickening  efficacy  under  the  detest- 
able abuses  of  trausubstantiation  and  the  mass! 
On  the  'Real  Presence'  and  other  eucharistic  con- 
troversies, see  on  1  Cor.  xi.  23,  &c. 

31-39.— The  Fall  of  Peter  Foretold— The 
Disciples  Warned  of  Coming  Trials.  (=--Matt. 
xxvi.  31-.35;  Mark  xiv.  27-31;  John  xiii.  36-38.) 

Here  must  be  taken  in  an  important  particular, 
omitted  by  our  Evangelist,  but  supplied  in  the 
first  two  Gospels.  r,     ^  n 

Desertion  of  Jesus  hi  the  Apostles  ioretotd 
(Matt.  xxvi.  31,  32 ;  Alark  xiv.  27,  28).  Had  we 
only  the  first  two  Gospels,  we  should  have  con- 
cluded that  this  was  spoken  after  our  Lord  had 
left  the  upper  room,  and  either  reached  or  was  on 
His  way  to  the  Mount  of  Olives.  But  from  the 
Third  and  Fourth  Gospels,  it  would  appear  to  have 
been  spoken  while  they  were  yet  at  the  Supner- 
table.  Some  suppose  that  part  of  it  was  spoken 
before  they  left  the  suppei'-room,  and  the  rest 
during  that  last  and  most  mournful  of  all  His 
walks  with  them,  from  the  city  to  the  Mount  of 
Olives.  But  we  prefer  to  conceive  of  that  walk  as 
taken  in  silence.  Matt.  xxvi.  31,  "Then  saith 
Jesus  unto  them.  All  ye  shall  be  offended  because 
of  Me  this  night"  [a-h-«i'OaXio-6);treCT0e  ev  6/xot] — 
'shall  be  stumbled  in  me;'  temporarily  staggered 
on  seeing  their  Master  apprehended.  In  the  ex- 
pression, ''All  ye''  there  may  be  a  reference  to 
tiie  o?;e  who  had  just  "gone  out."  Great  as  was 
the  relief,  now  for  the  hrst  time  experienced  by 
the  Saviour  Himself,  on  the  traitor's  voluntary 
separation  from  a  fellowship  to  which  He  never 
in  heart  belonged  (see  on  John  xiii.  31),  even  in 
those  who  remained  there  was  something  which 
burdened  the  spirit  and  wounded  the  heart  of  the 
Man  of  Sorrows.  It  saddened  Him  to  think  that, 
within  one  brief  hour  or  two  of  the  time  when 
their  hearts  had  warmed  towards  Him  more  than 
ever  at  the  Paschal  and  Communion  table,  they 
should  everyone  of  them  be  'stumbled'  because 
of  Him:  "for  it  is  written  (Zee.  xiii.  7),  I  will 
smite  the  Shepherd,  and  the  sheep  of  the  flock 
shall  be  scattered  abroad."  32.  "But  after  I  am 
risen  again,  I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee."  He 
falls  back  upon  this  striking  prophecy,  partly  to 
confirm  their  faith  iu  what  they  would  otherwise 
hardly  think  credible ;  and  partly  to  console  Him- 
self with  the  retlectiou  that  it  was  but  one  of  "the 
things  concerning  him"  which  "would  have  an 
end"— that  they  would  be  but  links  in  the  chain, 
"doing  what  God's  hand  and  purpose  determined 
before  to  be  done."  The  whole  of  this  marvellous 
prediction,  as  it  stands  in  the  prophet,  runs  thus : 
"Awake,  0  sword,  against  My  Shepherd,  and 
against  the  Man  that  is  My  Fellow  ['nw  ins-bs]^ 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts :  smite  the  Shepherd,  and 
the  sheep  shall  be  scattered ;  and  I  will  turn  mine 
hand  upon  the  Little  ones."  Here  observe,  first, 
that  in  the  prophet,  Jehovah  calls  upon  the  sword 
to  awake  against  His  Shepherd  and  smite  Him; 
here,  Jesus  receives  the  thrust  direct  from  the 
Father's  own  hand:  -compare  John  xviii.  11, 
"The  cup  which  my  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I 
not  drink  it?"  Each  view  of  it  presents  an  aspect 
328 


of  sublime  and  affecting  truth.  Next,  in  the  pas- 
sage, as  it  stands  in  Zechariah,  two  classes  are 
spoken  of — "the  sheep,"  who  are  "scattered"  on 
the  striking  down  of  their  Shepherd  (as  might  be 
expected,  whether  Literally  or  figuratively) ;  and 
"the  little  ones,"  on  whom  Jehovah's  hand  is  to 
Lie  lovingly  "turned,"  to  gather  or  collect  them. 
The  former  class  are  the  unbelieving  nation,  wlio, 
being  staggered  and  stumbled  at  a  suffering  Mes- 
siah, turned  away  from  Jesus,  and  were  there- 
after nationally  scattered  or  dispersed.  The  latter 
are,  of  course,  the  little  fiock  of  Christ's  dis- 
ciples, who,  on  the  dispersion  of  tlie  nation, 
were  gathered  not  only  into  safety,  but  to 
honour  and  blessedness  unspeakable  as  a  re- 
deemed Church.  Now  mark  what  turn  our  Lord 
here  gives  to  the  prophecy.  Making  no  men- 
tion, at  that  solemn  moment,  of  the  dispersion  of 
the  unbelieving  nation,  He  represents  the  dis- 
ciples themselves  as  both  the  dispersed  and  the 
gathered.  When  He  their  Shepherd,  Avho  up  to 
that  moment  had  been  their  one  Bond  of  dear 
union,  should  be  smitteu — even  tha,t  night,  when 
the  first  blow  was  to  be  struck  at  Him  by  His 
apprehension — their  faith  in  Him  would  be  momen- 
tarily shaken,  and  "for  a  smalL  moment"  their 
unbelief  would  have  the  same  effect  as  on  the 
nation  at  large,  making  them  start  back  and  run 
away,  like  a  flock  of  sheep  when  their  shei)lierd  is 
struck  down.  "But" — now  viewing  them  as  "the 
little  ones"  on  whom  Jehovah  was  to  turn  His 
hand — "after  I  am  risen,  I  AviU  go  before  you  into 
Galilee;"  like  a  true  Sheijherd,  who,  "when  He 
putteth  forth  His  own  sheep,  goeth  before  them, 
and  the  sheep  follow  Him"  (Jolin  x.  4).  The  scat- 
tered in  Gethsemane  were  to  be  the  gathered  iu 
Galilee !  How  very  explicit  He  is  in  His  an- 
nouncements now,  when  on  the  eve  of  parting  with 
them  till  after  His  resiu-rection.  This  manifest 
allusion  to  the  remainder  of  the  prophecy — "I 
will  turn  mine  hand  upon  the  little  ones" — how 
beautiful  is  it !  This  He  only  began  to  do  when 
He  went  before  them  into  Galilee;  for  though 
after  His  resurrection  He  had  several  interviews 
with  them  at  Jerusalem  before  this,  it  was  in 
Galilee  that  He  appears  to  have  collected  and 
rallied  them,  as  the  Shepherd  of  His  lately  scat- 
tered flock,  aud  to  have  given  them  some  at  least 
of  those  parting  instructions  and  commissions 
which  may  be  termed  the  initial  organization  of  the 
Chujxh.  But  to  retiu-n  to  our  Evangelist,  whose 
narrative  now  is  the  f  idlest. 

I'he  Fa'l  of  Peter  Foretold  (31-34).  31.  And  the 
Lord  said,  Siinon,  Simon.  On  this  reduplication  of 
the  name,  see  on  ch.  x.  41,  and  on  Matt,  xxiii.  37. 
Satan  liatli  desired  to  have  you  [e^yniaa-ro  u/xas]. 
The  meaning  is,  'obtained  (by  aslung)  you'— not 
thee,  Peter,  but  you,  all.  that  lie  may  sift  you  as 
wheat — is  sifted.  "  The  accuser  of  the  brethren, 
who  accuseth  them  before  God  day  and  night" 
(Rev.  xii.  10),  is  here  represented  as  accusing  these 
disciples  of  Christ  of  hoUowness  in  their  attach- 
ment to  Him ;  and  alleging  that  if,  as  in  the  case  of 
Job  (i.  6-12;  ii.  1-6),  he  were  only  permitted  to  "sift 
them,"  it  would  soon  be  seen  that  there  was  chaff 
enough  among  the  wheat,  if  indeed  there  would  be 
found,  after  that  sifting  any  wheat  at  aU.  So  he 
first  '  a^ks  them,'  and  then  he  '  obtains  them'  (for 
both  ideas  are  required  to  complete  the  sense  of 
the  word  used)  for  this  sifting  purpose.  And  ob- 
serve,  it  is  not  '  hath  obtained,'  but  obtained;'  that 
is,  it  is  a  transaction  2}ast,  and  you  are  akeady  given 


The  Fall  of 


LUKE  XXII. 


Peter  foretold. 


33  brethren.     And  lie  said  unto  him,  Lord,  I  am  ready  to  go  with  thee, 

34  both  into  prison,  and  to  death.  And  ^he  said,  I  tell  thee,  Peter,  the 
cock  shall  not  crow  this  day,  before  that  thou  shalt  thrice  deny  that 
thou  knowest  me. 

35  And  ^he  said  unto  them,  When  I  sent  you  without  purse,  and  scrip, 
3G  and  shoes,  lacked  ye  any  thing?     And  -they  said.  Nothing.     Then  said 


A.  D.  33 

y  Matt  L'C.  oi. 

John  13  3S. 
*  Matt.  10.  9. 

Mark  6.  8, 

9. 

ch.  9.  3. 

ch.  10.  4. 


orer  to  him— to  the  extent  of  his  petition— to  be 
.illowed  to  sift  you.  32.  But  I  liave  prayed  for 
thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not  ['Eytb  Se  iSeiidyu  irepl 
(Tuv  'Iva  fJLi)  e/c/VeiTT?;  ?)  tti'ittis  (tov].  Here  again,  it 
is  not,  "I  have  prayed  for  thee,"  but  'I  prayed 
resardiug  thes.'  The  "/"  too  is  emphatic:  q.  d., 
'\Vhile  Satan  was  soliciting  and  obtaining  you 
all  to  sift  you  as  wheat,  I  was  engaged  in  pray- 
ing regarding  thee— as  in  greater  danger  than  all 
the  rest— that  thy  faith  fail  not ;  and  when  the 
transaction  between  God  and  Satan  was  com- 
pleted by  your  being,  every  one  of  you,  given 
over  for  sifting  purposes  into  the  enemy's  hand, 
the  transaction  between  God  and  Me  about  thee, 
Peter,  was  a  completed  one  too  —  for  Me  the 
Father  heareth  always.'  Such  is  the  import  of 
these  pregnant  words  of  Jesus.  But  all  this 
was  not  fully  expressed.  So  far  from  that,  it  is 
not  improbable  that  a  misapprehension  of  what 
our  Lord  meant  by  Peter's  faith  not  "failing" 
helped  to  bolster  him  up  in  his  false  security. 
What,  then,  did  our  Lord  mean  by  this  ?  Not,  cer- 
tainly, that  Peter's  faith  might  not  give  way  at  all, 
or  to  any  extent;  for  in  that  sense  it  did  faU,  and 
that  foully  eaough.  Cleai-ly  His  prayer  was  that 
Peter's  faith  might  not  utterly  fail — altogether  give 
way — or  perish.  How  near  it  came  to  that,  and 
how  it  only  stopped  short  of  that,  the  sequel  affect- 
ingly  showed.  See  on  v.  62.  and  when  thou  art 
converted  —  brought  back  afresh  as  a  penitent 
disciple,  strengthen  thy  brethren—'  fortify  them 
against  like  falls  by  holding  up  to  them  thine  own 
bitter  experience.'  33.  And  he  said  unto  him, 
Lord,  I  am  ready  to  go  with  thee,  both  into  prison, 
and  to  death.  In  Matthew  and  Mark  it  was  when 
our  Lord  told  them  they  should  all  be  stumbled  in 
Him  that  night,  that  Peter  said,  "Though  all 
men" — or  rather,  "  all,"  meaning  all  that  sat  with 
him  at  the  table—"  shall  be  offended  in  Thee,  yet 
will  I  never  be  offended"  (Matt.  xxvi.  3.3;  Mark 
xiv.  29).  But  as  the  answer  there  given  by  our 
Lord  is  the  same  as  that  recorded  by  our  Evan- 
gelist, he  probably  uttered  both  i^rotestatious  in 
his  vehemence  at  one  time ;  his  feeling  being 
roused  by  our  Lord  singling  him  out  from  all  the 
rest.  Poor  Peter,  thou  shalt  yet  jiay  dear  for  that 
unlovely  elevation  of  thyself  above  the  rest  of  thy 
brethren,  when  thy  risen  Lord  shall  wring  thy 
heart  by  asking  thee,  in  presence  of  these  very 
brethren,  "  Simon,  sou  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  Me 
more  than  these?"  (see  on  John  xxi.  15-17).  Yet 
no  vain-glorious  vaunt  was  this  of  Peter.  It  was 
just  the  outcoming  of  conscious  attachment:  inso- 
much that  all  the  rest,  feeling  a  cord  touched  in 
their  own  hearts  by  this  protestation,  immediately 
repeated  it  for  themselves.  For,  add  our  two  first 
Evangelists,  ^^  Likewise  also  said  all  the  disciples." 
Dear  disciples !  Ye  spoke  out  but  the  feelings  of 
your  heart  then ;  your  Lord  knew  that,  and  doubt- 
less was  comforted  by  it,  as  a  spontaneous  utter- 
ance of  your  hearts'  affection.  Bat  little  thought  ye 
how  soon  it  was  to  be  seen — in  all  of  you,  Ijut  in 
Peter  jire-cminently — that  "he  that  trusteth  in 
his  own  heart  is  a  fool"  (Prov.  xxviii.  26).  34.  And 
he  said,  I  tell  thee,  Peter,  the  cock  shall  not  crow 
this  day,  before  that  thou  shalt  thrice  deny  that 
thou  knowest  me.  Most  interesting  and  touching  is 
the  fact,  that  whereas  in  the  first,  third,  and  fourth 
329 


Gospels  only  one  crowing  of  the  cock  is  mentioned 
as  sounding  the  note  of  Peter's  fall,  in  the  second 
Gospel — which  all  ancient  tradition  X)roclaims,  and 
internal  evidence  suggests,  to  have  been  drawn 
up  under  the  immediate  eye  of  Peter — it  is  said 
that  tiw  crowings  of  the  cock  would  sound  his  fall. 
And  as  it  is  Mark  alone  who  records  the  fact  that 
the  cock  did  crow  twice — the  first  time  after  one 
denial  of  his  Lord,  and  the  second  immediately 
after  the  last — we  have  thus  an  affecting  announce- 
ment, almost  from  his  own  pen,  that  warning  after 
warning  passed  unheeded,  till  the  second  knell 
rung  in  his  ears  and  bitterly  revealed  how  muck 
wiser  his  Lord  was  than  he. 

The  fourth  Gospel  gives  all  this  in  a  somewhat 
different  and  beautiful  connection — John  xiii. 
36-38.  Our  Lord  had  been  saying  (v.  33),  "  Whither 
I  go,  ye  cannot  come.  Simon  Peter,"  not  prepared 
for  that,  "said  unto  Him,  Lord,  whither  goest 
Thou?  Jesus  answered  him,  Whither  I  go,  thou 
canst  not  follow  Me  now,  but  thou  shalt  follow  Me 
afterwards" — meaning  to  glory  through  the  gate 
of  martyrdom  (John  xxi.  18,  19).  "Peter" — get- 
ting a  glimpse  of  His  meaning,  but  only  rising  to  a 
higher  feeling  of  readiness  for  anything,  "said 
unto  Him,  Lord,  why  cannot  I  follow  Thee  now? 
I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  Thy  sake.  Jesus  an- 
swered him,  Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for  my 
sake?"_  What  deep  though  tender  irony  is  in  this 
repetition  of  his  words,  which  Peter,  as  lie  retraced 
the  painful  particulars,  would  feel  for  many  a  day 
after  his  recovery!  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee,  the  cock  shall  not  crow,  tiU  thou  hast  denied 
Me  thrice." 

The  Disciples  Warned  of  Coming  Trials  (35-3S). 
35.  And  he  said  unto  them.  When  I  sent  you  with- 
out purse,  and  scrip,  and  shoes,  lacked  ye  any 
thing?  And  they  said,  Nothing.  'Ye  see,  then, 
your  sufficiency  in  Me.'  36.  Then  said  he  unto 
them,  But  now,  he  that  hath  a  purse,  let  him  take 
it,  and  likewise  his  scrip :  and  he  that  hath  no 
sword,  let  him  sell  his  garment,  and  buy  one. 
'  But  now  that  ye  are  going  forth,  not  as  before  on 
a  temporary  mission,  i»rovided  for  without  i)urse 
or  scrip,  but  into  scenes  of  continued  and  severe 
trial,  your  methods  must  be  different ;  for  purse 
and  scrip  will  now  be  needed  for  support,  and  the 
usual  means  of  defence.'  37.  For  I  say  unto  you, 
that  this  that  is  written  (Isa.  liii.  12)  must  yet  be 
accomplished  in  me  [eVi]— or,  yet  remains  to  be 
fulfilled.  And  he  was  reckoned  among  the  trans- 
gressors. This  is  among  the  very  last  and  most 
pregnant  of  that  most  remarkable  series  of  details 
which  have  made  the  53rd  chapter  of  Isaiah  to  read 
to  the  Church  in  eveiy  age  more  like  a  history, 
than  a  prophecy,  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  and  the 
glories  that  were  to  follow  them  (see  on  John  xix. 
18).  for  the  things  concerning  me  have  an  end 
[reXos  e'x^'l — -'are  having  an  end,'  or  drawing 
rapidly  to  a  close.  38.  And  they  said,  Lord,  behold, 
here  are  two  swords.  Honest  souls!  They  thought 
He  referred  to  present  defence,  for  which  they  de- 
clare themselves  ready,  no  matter  what  might  be 
the  issue ;  though  they  significantly  hint  that  two 
swords  woidd  make  sorry  enough  work.  But  His 
answer  shows  that  He  meant  something  else. 
And  he  said  unto  them.  It  is  enough — not  '  Two 
will  suffice,'  but  'Enough  of  this  for  the  present.' 


The  Disci'ples  warned 


LUKE  XXII. 


of  coming  trials. 


he  unto  them,  But  now,  he  that  hath  a  purse,  let  him  take  it,  and  like- 
wise his  scrip :  and  he  that  hatli  no  sword,  let  him  sell  his  garment,  and 

37  buy  one.     For  I  say  unto  you,  that  this  that  is  written  must  yet  be 
accomplished  in  me.  And  "'he  was  reckoned  among  the  trangressors :  for 

38  the  things  concerning  me  have  an  end.     And  they  said,  Lord,  behold, 
here  are  two  swords.     And  he  said  unto  them,  It  is  enough. 


A.  D.  33. 

Isa.  53  li. 
Mark  15.28. 
29. 

ch.  23.  32. 
2  Cor.  5.  21. 
Gal.  3.  13. 


The  warning  had  been  given,  and  preparation  for 
coming  dangers  hinted  at ;  but  as  His  meaning  had 
not  been  apprehended  in  the  comprehensive  sense  in 
which  it  was  meant.  He  wished  to  leave  the  subject. 
The  Evening  in  the  upper  room  had  now  passed 
into  night;  for  Jesus  seemed  to  linger  over  that 
hallowed  scene,  breathing  forth  heavenly  dis- 
course after  the  Paschal  and  Eucharistic  services 
were  over,  not  caring  to  break  up  His  last  aud 
sweetest  fellowship  with  them  a  moment  sooner 
than  the  dark  work  before  Him  reguirecL  But 
the  closing  act  of  that  heavenly  fellowship  is 
omitted  by  our  Evangelist,  though  hajipily  sup- 
l)lied  in  the  fu-st  two  Gospels. 

The  Closing  Hymn  (JSIatt.  xxvi.  30 ;  Mark  xiv. 
26).  "And  when  they  had  sung  an  hymn,  they 
went  out  unto  the  mount  of  Olives  \liixvy]aavre<s\ — 
literally,  'having  hymned;'  that  is,  having  chanted, 
according  to  the  Jewish  practice  at  the  close  of  the 
Passover,  the  second  part  of  what  the  Jews  call 
TJie  Great  Hallel.  It  consisted  of  Ps.  cxv. ,  cx\a. , 
cxvii.,  cxviii. ;  the  first  i^art  of  it,  embracing 
Ps.  cxiii.,  cxiv.,  having  been  sun"  during  the 
Paschal  supper.  Or,  if  our  Lord  and  His  apostles 
saug  the  second  part  of  this  immediately  after  the 
Passover,  and  before  instituting  the  Supper,  what 
they  closed  their  hallowed  meeting  with  may 
have  been  portions  of  Ps.  cxx. — cxxxvi.,  which 
were  sometimes  sung  on  that  occasion.  At  any 
rate,  the  strain  wag  from  a  portion  of  the  Psalter 
eminently  Messianic ;  a  portion  in  which  the  mys- 
tery of  redemption  is  richly  conveyed  to  the  spir- 
itual mind.  Bengel  has  a  remark  here,  more  quaint 
than  correct.  '  That  Jesus  prayed,''  he  says,  '  we 
often  read;  that  He  sang,  never.'  But  to  "sing 
forth  the  honour  of  God's  name,  aud  make  His 
l)raise  glorious,"  is  a  duty  so  frequently  and  jjeremp- 
torily  mculcated  on  men,  that  it  is  inconceivable 
that  "the  Man  Christ  Jesus"  should  have  passed 
His  life  without  ever  so  using  His  voice ;  and  if 
the  saints  feel  this  independently  of  the  command, 
to  be  the  most  exalted  and  delightful  exercise  of 
heart  aud  flesh,  aud  a  bright  earnest  of  heaven 
itself,  who  shall  say  that  Jesus,  amidst  the  "sor- 
rows" with  which  He  was  so  familiar,  and  the 
"grief"  with  which  He  was  "  acquainted,"  did  not 
get  such  "  songs  in  the  night,"  as  turned  His 
darkness  into  light?  What  a  spectacle  would  that 
have  been — the  eleven  disciples  trying,  as  best 
they  could,  to  cheer  their  sorrowing  hearts  with 
those  songs  of  Zion  which  the  Pascnal  season  in- 
variably broughc  round,  and  their  Lord  standing 
dumb  beside  them.  To  me  this  is  inconceivable. 
But  the  Hymn  is  over.  The  scenes  of  the  uinier 
room  have  closed,  and  for  the  last  time  the  clis- 
ciples  go  forth  with  their  blessed  Master  to  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  in  whose  garden  was  now  to  be 
transacted  the  most  mysterious  of  all  passages  in 
the  Redeemer's  History. 

Remarks. — 1.  The  heart-breaking  reproach  which 
Jesus  had  already  experienced,  but  which  was  soon 
to  come  down  upon  Him  in  its  crudest  and  most 
cutting  form  would  seem  enough  to  bear  without 
Iteing  aggravated  by  the  desertion  of  His  own  dis- 
ciples. But  both  these  were  in  the  cup  which 
was  given  him  to  drink,  and  both  seem  to  be  com- 
]treh ended  in  that  aflFecting  prophetic  complaint, 
"Eeproach  hath  broken  My  heart,  and  I  am  full 

aso 


of  heaviness,  and  I  looked  for  some  to  take  pity, 
but  there  was  none;  and  for  comforters,  but  I  found 
none"  (Ps.  Ixix.  20).     See  on  John  xvL  32.     2.  Who 
can  fathom  the  mingled  bitterness  aud  sweetness 
of  the  cup  which  was  given  to  Christ  to  drink  ? 
That  there  were  high  ends  of  righteousness  and 
grace  which  demanded  that  penal  death,  who  cau 
doubt  with  those  words  of  Jehovah  ringing  in 
his  ears,  "Awake.  0  sword,  against  My  Shepherd, 
and  against  the  Man  that  is  My  Fellow,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts ;  smite  the  Shepherd !"    Jesus  heard 
those  words,  aud  knew  that,  summoned  by  tliat  call, 
the  Jewish  olHcers,  with  Judas  at  their  head,  were 
coming  to  apprehend  Him,  and  even  then  making 
their  arrangements.    Little  did  any  one  then  think 
that  Jewish  malignity  and  the  awful  treachery  of 
covetous  Judas  were  but  "  doing  what  God's  hand 
and  counsel  determined  before  to  be  done."    But 
Jesus  knew  it,  and  knew  that  those  unconscious 
instruments  of  His  approaching  apprehension,  con- 
demnation, and  death,  were  only  held  back  till 
the  Voice  should  say.  Awake  now,  and  smite  the 
Shepherd !    Mysterious  words,  considering  Whence 
they  came,  and  against  Whom  they  were  directed ! 
Who,  in  the  view  of  this,  shall  say  that  the  death 
of  Christ  had  not  penal  ingredients,  of  bitterest 
taste?    But  0  the  sweetness  of  those  words,  "  My 
Shepherd—the  Man  that  is  My  Fellow!"    What 
inconceivable    solace  would  they  carry  in    their 
bosom  to  Him  who  now  referred  to  them!     Ac- 
cordingly, as  if  this  predicted  smiting  was  hardly 
S-esent  to  His  mind  at  all,  it  is  the  desertion  of 
im  by  those  whom  most  He  loved — their  being 
"  stumbled  in  Him"  that  very  night — that  seemed 
so  painfully  to  occupy  His  thoughts.     And  yet, 
with  what  affecting  gentleness  and  love  does  He 
announce  it— adding,  as  if  unwilling  to  leave  the 
wound  sticking  in  them,  "But  after  I  am  risen,  I 
will  go  before  you  into  Galilee ! "  a  bright  glimpse 
of  the  coming  fruits  of  His  sufferings  which  to 
Himself,   who    understood  it  better    than    they, 
would  be  like  sunshine  from  out  the  cloud.     3. 
After  Peter,  let  none  trust  to  the  conscious  strength 
of  his  attachment  and  the  warmth  of  his  love  to 
Christ,  as  any  security  against  the  foulest  denial 
of  Him  in  the  hour  of  trial.     Of  all  the  Eleven, 
Peter  was  foremost  in  these.      Whatever  others 
might  afterwards  prove  themselves  to  be^  none  \\\) 
to  that  time  had  stood  so  high  as  he.     "i  et  this  is 
the  disciple  whom  His  loving  yet  penetrating  and 
faithful  Master  singles  out  aud  warns  as  of  all  the 
Eleven  in  the  greatest  peril ;  and  we  know  what 
an  affecting  commentary  on  this  the  result  gave. 
Yet  the    last  to  discern    such    danger  as  Peter 
was  in  are  just  those  who  are  most  exposed  to 
it    and  least    prejjared    successfully  to  n  eet  it. 
'Me,  Lord,  me?    Why  single  out  me?     Once  at 
least  have  I  been  singled  out  from  all  the  rest  for 
clear  perception  of  Tny  glory  and  firm  attachment 
to  Thy  Person  ;  aud  am  I  to  be  the  one  man  to 
give  way  on  the    approach  of    danger?     Others 
may,  but  I  never.'    This  was  just  the  stone  at 
which  Peter  stumbled.     Had  he  distrusted  him- 
self,  and  betaken  himself  to  his  knees,   he  had 
there    got    strength    to    stand.      "The    name    of 
the  Lord  is  a  strong  tower :   the  righteous  run- 
neth into  it,  and  is  safe"  (Prov.  xviii.  10).     But 
what  needed  Peter  this?     He  was  safe  enough — 


The  Agony 


LUKE  XXII. 


in  the  Garden. 


39  And  he  came  out,  and  went,  as  he  was  wont,  to  the  mount  of  Olives ; 

40  and  his  disciples  also  followed  him.     And  *when  he  was  at  the  place,  he 

41  said  unto  them.  Pray  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation.    And  he  was 


A   D.  33. 


*  Matt  6.  13. 
Mark  n.  38. 


lie  knew  it.  His  Master  knew  better,  and  bid  bijn 
"watch  and  pray,  that  he  enter  not  into  tempta- 
tion ; "  but  we  do  not  read  that  he  did  it.  0  if  be- 
lievers would  but  know  that  the  secret  of  all  their 
strength  lies  in  that  consciousness  of  their  own 
weakness  which  seuds  them  to  the  "  Strong  Tower" 
to  find  it,  how  many  such  falls  would  be  averted ! 

39-40. — The  Agony  in  the  Garden.  (=Matt. 
xxvi.  36^46;  Mark  xiv.  32-42;  John  xviii.  1.) 

This  is  one  of  those  scenes  iu  the  Evangelical 
History  which,  to  have  been  written,  must  have 
been  real.  If  we  could  conceive  the  life  of  Christ 
to  be  but  a  pious  Romance  or  a  mythical  Legend, 
such  a  scene  would  have  been  the  last  to  be 
thought  of,  or  imagined  only  to  be  rejected  as  a 
discordant  note,  a  literary  blemish.  But  the  ex- 
istence of  such  a  scene  in  the  Gospel  History  does 
more  than  prove  the  historic  reality  of  the  scene 
itself :  it  is  a  bright  testimony  to  the  severe  fidel- 
ity of  the  Narrative  that  contains  it.  Had  the 
three  Evangelists  who  record  this  scene,  and  the 
fourth  who  has  one  remarkably  like  it  (John  xii. 
27,  &c.),  been  guided  in  their  selection  of  the  ma- 
terials before  them  by  the  desire  to  glorify  their 
Master  in  the  eyes  of  their  readers,  we  may  be 
pretty  sure  they  would  have  omitted  what  could 
not  fail  to  repel  many  well-iucliued  readers,  to 
stagger  for  a  time  even  attached  disciples,  and  oc- 
casion per]ilexity  and  discordance  among  the  most 
established  in  the  faith.  Certain  it  is  that  in  the 
age  immediately  succeeding  that  of  the  apostles, 
some  vindication  of  it  was  felt  to  be  necessary 
even  for  those  who  were  well  affected  to  Chris- 
tianity (see  a  remarkable  allusion  to  this  scene  in 
the  Apocryphal  "Gospel  of  Nicodemus,"  or  "Acts 
of  Pilate,"  ch.  xx.);  while  its  enemies— as  Celsus 
at  the  beginning  of  the  second  century,  and  Julian 
in  the  fourth — held  it  up  to  contempt  for  the 
pusillanimity  which  it  displayed,  in  contrast  with 
the  magnanimity  of  dying  Pagans.  Some  of  the 
vindicatious  of  this  scene  in  later  times  have  laid 
themselves  open  to  the  hostile  criticism  of  Strauss 
("Leben  Jesu,"  iii.  3,  §  125,  4th  edit.);  although 
his  own  mythical  theory  cuts  a  pitiful  figure  when 
it  has  to  deal  with  such  unique  materials  as  those 
of  Gethsemane. 

The  three  narratives  of  this  scene,  when  studied 
together,  will  be  found  to  have  just  that  diversity 
which  throws  additional  light  on  the  whole  trans- 
action. That  the  fourth  Evangelist,  though  him- 
self an  eye-witness,  has  not  recorded  it,  is  only  in 
accordance  with  the  plan  of  his  Gospel,  Avhich 
omits  the  other  two  scenes  of  which  he  was  one  of 
three  chosen  witnesses — the  resurrection  of  Jairus' 
daughter,  and  the  transfiguration.  But  just  as  in 
place  of  the  one  of  these— the  resurrection  of 
Jairus'  daughter— it  is  the  beloved  disciple  alone 
who  records  the  grander  resurrection  of  Lazarus ; 
and  in  place  of  the  other  of  these — the  transfigura- 
tion— that  beloved  disciple  records  a  series  of  pas- 
sages in  the  life,  and  discourses  from  the  lips,  of 
his  Master,  which  are  like  a  continued  transfigura- 
tion :  so  it  is  he  alone  who  records  that  mysterious 
prelude  to  Gethsemane,  which  the  visit  of  the 
(ireeks  to  Him,  after  His  last  entry  into  Jerusa- 
lem, seems  to  have  occasioned,  (John  xii.  27,  &c.) 
In  the  three  priceless  narratives  of  this  scene,  the 
fulness  of  the  picture  is  such  as  to  leave  nothing 
to  be  desired,  except  what  probably  could  not 
have  been  supplied  in  any  narrative;  the  lines  are 
so  vivid  and  minute  ancl  life-like,  that  we  seem 
ourselves  to  be  eye  and  ear  witnesses  of  the  whole 
331 


transaction;  and  no  one  who  has  had  it  brought 
fully  before  him  can  ever  again  have  it  eti'aced 
from  his  mind. 

In  this  instance,  we  must  deviate  somewhat  from 
our  usual  plan  of  comment  fu'st,  and  Remarks 
following.  We  shall  try  to  sketch  the  scene,  inter- 
weaving the  triple  text,  with  such  slight  exposi- 
tory remarks  as  it  requires ;  and  in  place  of  clos- 
ing Remarks,  we  shall  expatiate  at  some  length 
upon  the  successive  phases  of  the  scene  as  they 
open  upon  us. 

Jesus  had  passed  through  every  stage  of  His 
suffering  history  except  the  last,  but  that  last  was 
to  be  the  great  aud  dreadful  stage.  Nothing  now 
remained  but  that  He  should  be  apprehended,  ar- 
raigned, condemned,  and  led  forth  to  Calvary.  And 
how  far  off  was  this  seizure?  Not  more  probably 
t\\a,u.  one  brief  hour.  Lilie  the  "silence  in  heaven 
for  the  space  of  half  an  hour,"  between  the  breaking 
of  the  apocalyptic  seals  and  the  peal  of  the  trum- 
pets of  war,  so  was  this  brief,  breathless  silence, 
before  the  final  stage  of  Christ's  career.  How, 
then,  was  it  spent  ?  It  was  night.  Men  slept. 
A  profound,  Sodom-like  security  oversi)read  the 
city  that  "killed  the  prophets  and  stoned  them 
that  were  sent  unto  it."  But  our  Shepherd  of 
Israel  slept  not.  "He  went  forth" — from  the 
ujjper  room  and  from  the  city — "  over  the  brook 
Cedron,  where  was  a  garden,  into  the  which  he 
entered,  with  his  (eleven)  disciples.  And  Judas 
which  betrayed  him  knew  the  place  ;  for  Jesus  oft- 
times  resorted  thither  with  his  disciples"  (John 
xviii.  1,  2j.  With  what  calm  sobriety  does  the 
basest  of  all  treacheries  begin  here  to  be  related ! 
No  straining  after  effect.  The  traitor  knows  His 
favourite  resort,  and  takes  it  for  granted  he  shall 
find  Him  there.  Perhaps  the  family  of  Bethany 
were  told  the  night  before,  in  the  hearing  of  the 
Twelve,  that  that  night  the  Lord  would  not  be 
with  them.  Be  this  as  it  may,  if  Jesus  had 
wished  to  elude  His  enemies,  nothing  would  have 
been  easier.  But  he  would  not.  Already  He  had 
said,  "No  man  taketh  My  life  from  me;  but  I 
lay  it  down  of  myself."  So  He  "went  as  a  lamb 
to  the  slaughter."  The  spot  selected  was  well 
suited  to  His  present  purpose.  The  upper  room 
would  not  have  done ;  nor  would  he  cloud  the  hal- 
lowed associations  of  the  last  Passover,  aud  the 
first  Supper,  the  heaven-breathing  discourse  at  the 
supper  table  and  the  high-priestly  i^rayer  which 
wound  up  the  whole,  by  discharging  the  anguish 
of  His  soul  there.  Nor  was  Bethany  so  suitable. 
But  the  garden  was  ample  enough,  while  the 
stillness,  and  the  shady  olives,  and  the  endeared 
recollections  of  former  visits,  rendered  it  con- 
genial to  His  soul.  Here  He  had  space  enough  to 
withdraw  from  His  disciples,  and  yet  be  within 
view  of  them ;  and  the  solitude  that  reigned  here 
would  only  be  broken,  at  the  close  of  the  scene, 
by  the  tread  of  the  traitor  and  his  accomplices. 

The  walk  to  Gethsemane,  we  incline  to  think, 
was  taken  in  silence.  But  no  sooner  was  He  on 
the  spot,  than  having  said  to  the  whole  of  them, 
"Pray  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation"  (Luke 
xxii.  40),  the  internal  commotion— which  may  have 
begun  as  soon  as  the  "hymn"  that  closed  the 
proceedings  of  the  uiiper  room  died  away  in  silence 
— would  no  longer  conceal.  As  soon  as  He  was 
"at  the  place,"  having  said  to  eight  out  of  the 
eleven,  "Sit  ye  here  while  I  go  and  pray  yonder," 
He  took  Peter  and  James  and  John  aside  by  them- 
selves, or  a   little  in  advance  of   the  rest,   and 


The  Agony 


LUKE  XXII. 


in  the  Garden. 


■withdrawn  from  tliem  about  a  stone's  cast,  and  kneeled  down,  and  prayed, 

42  saying,  Father,  if  thou  be  ^wiUing,  remove  this  cup  from  me :  nevertheless 

43  'not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done.     And  there  appeared  ''an  angel  unto 


3  WUling  to 

remove 
"  John  6  3?. 
d  Matt.  4. 11. 


"saitli  unto  them,  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful, 
even  uuto  death:  tarry  ye  here  and  watch  with 
Me"  (Matt.  xxvi.  38;  Mark  xiv.  34).  Not,  Come 
and  see  Me,  to  be  My  witnesses ;  but,  Come  and 
wat'-li  rmth  Me,  to  bear  Me  company.  It  did  Him 
good,  it  seems,  to  have  them  by  Him.  For  He 
had  a  true  humanity,  only  all  the  more  tender  and 
susc3ptible  than  ours,  that  it  was  not  blunted  and 
dulled  by  sin.  You  may  say,  indeed,  if  company 
was  what  He  wanted,  He  got  little  of  it.  True 
enough.  They  fell  asleep.  " I  looked  for  some  to 
take  i)ity,  but  there  was  none;  and  for  comforters, 
but  I  found  none"  (Ps.  Ixix.  20).  It  looidd  have 
soothed  His  burdened  spirit  to  have  had  their 
sympathy,  contracted  at  its  best  though  it  behoved 
to  be.  But  He  did  not  get  it.  They  were  broken 
reeds.  And  so  He  had  to  tread  the  wine-press 
alone.  Yet  was  their  presence,  even  while  asleep, 
not  quite  in  vain.  Perhaps  the  spectacle  would 
only  touch  His  sensibilities  the  more,  and  rouse 
into  quickened  action  His  great-hearted  compas- 
sions. In  fact,  He  did  not  want  even  them  too 
near  Him.  For  it  is  said,  "He  went  forward  a 
little;"  or,  as  Luke  (xxii.  41),  more  precisely  ex- 
presses it,  "was  withdrawn  from  them  about  a 
stone's  cast."  Yes,  company  is  good,  but  there 
are  times  when  even  the  best  company  can  hardly 
be  borne. 

But  now  let  us  reverently  draw  near  and  see 
this  great  sight,  the  Son  of  God  in  a  tempest  of 
mysterious  internal  commotion — "the  bush  burn- 
ing, and  the  bush  not  consumed."  Every  word  of 
the  three-fold  recoixl  is  weighty,  every  line  of  the 
picture  awfully  bright.  "Let  us  put  off  the  shoes 
from  oif  our  feet,  for  the  jjlace  whereon  we  stand 
is  holy  grounci"  "He  began,"  says  Matthew,  "  to 
be  sorrowful  and  very  heavy,"  or,  "to  be  sorrow- 
ful and  oppressed "  [\u7rel(r6ai  koI  a.5->]fXovel:v\,  Matt, 
xxvi.  37.  Mark  uses  the  last  of  these  words,  but 
places  before  it  one  more  remarkable:  "He  began 
to  be  sore  amazed,  and  to  be  very  hea%T7;"  or  better, 
perhaps,  "to  be  appalled  and  to  be  ojii^ressed" 
[eKOa^u^eto-Ortt  kul  doi/z-toi/eiv],  Mark  xiv.  33;  and 
see  tlie  former  word  again  in  ch.  xvi.  5,  6.  Al- 
though through  life  He  had  been  "a  man  of  sor- 
rows, and  acquainted  with  grief,"  there  is  no 
groimd  to  think  that  even  the  selectest  circle  of 
His  followers  was  made  privy  to  them,  save  on 
one  occasion  before  this,  alter  His  final  entry  into 
Jerusalem,  when,  upon  the  Greeks  "desiring  to 
see  Jesus" — which  seems  to  have  brought  the 
hour  of  His  "uplifting"  overwhelmingly  before 
Him — He  exclaimed,  "Now  is  my  soul  troubled, 
and  what  shall  I  say?  Father,  save  me  from  this 
hour  ?  But  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this  hour. 
Father,  glorify  thy  name"  (John  xii.  27,  28).  This 
was  just  Getlisemane  antic'qjated.  But  now  the 
tempest  rose  as  never  before.  "He  began  to  be 
sorrowful,"  as  if  till  this  moment  unacquainted 
with  grief.  So  new  to  Him,  indeed,  was  the  feel- 
ing, that  Mark,  using  a  singularly  bold  word,  says. 
He  was  "appalled"  at  it;  and  under  the  joint 
action  of  this  "soitow"  and  "amazement,"  He 
was  "very  heavy,"  oppressed,  weighed  down — so 
nuich  so,  that  He  was  fain  to  tell  it  to  the  three 
He  had  taken  aside,  and  most  atfectingly  gave  this 
as  His  reason  for  wishing  their  company:  "My 
soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  imto  death; 
tarry  ye  here  and  watch  with  me."  'I  feel  as  if 
nature  were  sinking  iinder  this  load — as  if  life  were 
ebbing  out— as  if  death  were  coming  before  its 
time— as  if  I  could  not  survive  this.'  It  is  usual  to 
•Xi2 


compare  here  such  passages  as  that  of  Jonah, 
"I  do  well  to  be  angry  even  unto  death"  (ch.  iv. 
9),  and  even  some  classical  jiassages  of  similar  im- 
port ;  but  these  are  all  too  low.  In  dealing  with 
such  scenes  as  this,  one  feels  as  if  even  the  most 
ordinary  phraseology  must  be  interpreted  with 
reference  to  the  unique  circumstances  of  the  case. 

What  next?  He  "kneeled  dowTi,"  says  Luke; 
He  "fell  on  his  face  "  says  Matthew;  or  "fell  on 
the  ground,"  as  Mark  expresses  it  (Luke  xxii.  41; 
Matt.  xxvi.  39;  Mark  xiv.  35).  Perhaps  the  kneel- 
ing posture  was  tiied  for  a  moment,  but  quickly 
became  intolerable :  and  unaljle  to  bear  up  under 
a  pressure  of  spirit  which  felt  like  the  ebbing  out 
of  life  itself,  He  was  fain  to  seek  the  dust !  And 
now  went  u])  a  cry  such  as  never  before  ascended 
from  this  earth ;  no,  not  from  those  lips  which 
droi)t  as  an  honeycomb:  "0  my  Father,  if  it  be 
possible,  let  this  cup  jxass  from  me ;  nevertheless 
not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt  (Matt.  xxvi.  39). 
The  variations  in  Mark  (xiv.  36)  and  Lidic  (xxii. 
42)  are  worthy  of  note.  Marit's  double  form  of 
the  invocation,  "Abba,  Father,"  we  may  pretty 
confidently  conjecture  was  the  very  one  our  Lord 
used — the  hallowed,  endeared  form  of  the  mother- 
tongue  "Abba,"  followed  emphatically  by  the  term 
"Father,"  that  of  educated  life  (Bonuviii.  15).  Then 
Mark  breaks  up  the  one  expression  of  Llatthew, 
"If  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass,"  into  these 
two,  identical  in  meaning,  "All  things  are  possible 
unto  thee;  take  away  tliis  cup;"  while  Lnie's  ex- 
pression, "If  thou  be  w>i//««5r  to  remove  this  cup" 
(as  in  the  Greek),  shows  that  the  "possibihty  "  of 
the  other  two  Evangelists  was  understood  to  be  one 
purely  of  Divine  w'dl  or  arrangement,  insomuch  that 
the  one  word  came  natiu-ally  to  be  interchanged 
with  the  other.  (To  suppose  that  our  Lord  used  the 
identical  words  of  all  the  three  accounts  is  absui-d. ) 
That  tears  accompanied  this  piercing  cry,  is  not 
reported  by  any  of  the  Evangelists— who  appear  to 
give  rigidly  what  was  seen  by  the  three  favoured 
disciples  in  the  clear  moonlight,  and  lieay-d  by  them 
in  the  unbroken  stillness  of  the  ni^ht-air  of  Geth- 
semane,  ere  sleep  overpowered  tlieir  exhausted 
frames.  But  those  remarkable  words  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews — which,  though  they  seem  to  ex- 
press what  often  took  place,  have,  beyond  all 
doubt,  a  special  reference  to  this  night  of  nights — 
leave  no  doubt  of  it,  as  a  fact  well  knowm  in  the 
Christian  churches,  that  on  this  occasion  the  tears 
of  the  Son  of  God  fell  fast  upon  the  earth,  while 
His  cries  rent  the  heavens  :  "Who  in  the  days  of 
His  flesh,  when  He  had  offered  up  prayers  and 
supplications,  lo'ith  strong  crying  and  tears,"  &c. 
(HeD.  V.  7).  Exquisite  here  are  the  words  of  old 
Traill,  which,  though  before  quoted,  are  peculiarly 
appropriate  here:  "He  filled  the  silent  night  with 
His  ciying,  and  watered  the  cold  earth  with  His 
tears,  more  precious  than  the  dew  of  Hermon,  or 
any  moisture,  next  unto  His  own  blood,  that  ever 
fell  on  God's  earth  since  the  creation." 

But  now  let  us  listen  to  the  cry  itself.  "The 
cup"  to  which  the  Son  of  God  was  so  averse — "the 
cup,"  the  very  prospect  of  drinking  which  so  ap- 
palled and  oppressed  Him — "the  cup,"  for  the 
removal  of  which,  if  it  were  possible.  He  ]3rayed 
so  affectingly  —  that  cup  was  assuredly  no  other 
than  the  death  He  was  about  to  die.  Come,  then, 
thoughtful  reader,  and  let  us  reason  together  about 
this  matter.  Ye  that  see  nothing  in  Christ's  death 
but  the  injustice  of  it  at  the  hands  of  men,  the  ex- 
cruciating mode  of  it,  and  the  uncomplaining  sub- 


The  Agony 


LUKE  XXII. 


in  the  Garden. 


44  him  from  heaven,  strengthening  him.     And  *  being  in  an  agony  he  ])rayed 
more  earnestly :  and  his  sweat  was  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  falling 

45  down  to  the  ground.     And  when  he  rose  up  from  prayer,  and  was  come 


A.  D.  33. 


John  12.27 
Heb.  5.  r. 


mission  to  it  of  the  innocent  victim  —  pnt  me 
through  this  scene  of  agonies  and  cries  at  the  near 
approach  of  it.  I  will  not  ask  you  whether  you 
go  the  length  of  those  pagan  enemies  of  the  Gospel, 
Velsiis  and  Julian,  who  could  see  nothing  out 
cowardice  in  this  Gethseniane-scene,  as  compared 
v.ith  the  last  hours  of  Socrates  and  other  magna- 
nimous pagans ;  or  whether  you  ai-e  prepared  to 
applaud  that  wretch  who,  iu  the  days  of  Henry  IV. 
of  France,  went  to  execution  jeering  at  our  Lord 
for  the  bloocly  sweat  which  the  jirospect  of  death 
drew  from  Him,  while  he  himself  was  about  to 
die  immoved.  But  I  do  ask  you,  in  view  of  hun- 
dreds, if  not  thousands  of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus 
who  have  gone  to  the  rack  or  to  the  flames  for  His 
sake,  rejoicing  that  they  were  counted  worthy  to 
suffer  for  His  name.  Are  you  prepared  to  exalt  the 
servants  above  their  Master,  or,  if  not,  can  3'ou 
give  any  rational  account  of  the  amazing  difference 
between  them,  to  the  advantage  of  the  Master? 
You  cannot,  nor  on  your  principles  is  the  thing 
possibla  Yet  which  of  these  dear  servants  of 
Jesus  would  not  have  shuddered  at  the  thought  of 
comparing  themselves  with  their  Lord  ?  Is  not 
your  system,  then,  radically  at  fault  ?  I  am  not 
now  addressing  myself  to  professed  Unitarians, 
■who,  with  the  Atonement,  have  expunged  the 
Divinity  of  Christ  from  their  biblical  beliefs.  If 
any  such  would  but  give  me  a  hearing,  I  think 
I  have  something  to  say  which  is  not  unworthy 
of  their  attention.  But  I  address  myself  more 
immediately  to  an  increasing  class  within  the 
pale  of  orthodox  Christianity — a  class  embracing 
many  cultivate*!  minds— a  class  who,  while  cling- 
ing sincerely,  though  vaguely,  to  the  DiWuity  of 
Christ,  have  allowed  themselves  to  let  go,  as  some- 
thing antiquated  and  scholastic,  the  ricarious  ele- 
ment in  the  sufierings  and  death  of  Christ,  and 
now  view  them  x'urely  in  the  light  of  a  sublime 
model  of  self-sacrifice.  According  to  this  view, 
Christ  suffered  nothing  whatever  in  the  stead  of 
the  guilty,  or  in  order  that  they  might  not  suffer, 
but  rather  that  men  might  learn  from  Him  how  to 
suffer :  Christ  simjily  inaugurated  in  His  own 
Person  a  new  Humanity,  to  be  "made  perfect 
through  sufferings,"  and  hath  thus  "left  us  an 
Example  that  we  should  follow  His  steps."  Now, 
I  have  no  quarrel  with  this  eiemplary  theory  of 
Christ's  sufferings.  It  is  too  clearly  «xiiressed  by 
our  Lord  Himself,  and  by  His  apostles  too  fre- 
quently echoed,  for  any  Christian  to  have  a  doubt 
of  it.  But  my  question  is.  Will  it  solve  the  mystery 
of  Gethsemane  ?  Will  any  one  venture  to  say  that 
for  a  Christian  man,  who  would  know  how  to  suf- 
fer and  die,  the  best  model  he  can  follow  is  Christ 
in  Gethsemane — Christ,  in  the  prospect  of  His 
own  death,  "sore  amazed  and  very  heavy,  exceed- 
ing sorrowful  even  unto  death" — Christ  piercing 
the  heavens  with  that  affecting  cry,  thrice  re- 
peated, with  His  face  upon  the  ground,  "0  my 
Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  ]:)ass  from  me  " 
■ — Christ  agonizing  till  the  sweat  fell  in  bloody 
drops  from  His  face  upon  the  ground:  and  all 
this  at  the  mere  prospect  of  the  death  He  was 
going  to  die?  But  He  added,  you  say,  "Never- 
theless, not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done."  I  know 
it  well.  It  is  my  sheet-anchor.  But  for  this, 
my  faith  in  the  Son  of  God  as  the  Redeemer  of 
the  world  would  reel  to  and  fro  and  stagger  like  a 
drunken  man.  But  with  all  this,  will  you  affirm 
that  these  feelings  of  Christ  in  Gethsemane  are 
those  which  best  befit  any  other  dying  man  ?  You 
333 


cannot.  And  if  not,  does  not  the  hoUowuess  of 
this  view  of  Christ's  sufferings,  as  an  exhaustive 
account  of  them,  or  even  as  the  chief  feature  of 
them,  stand  fi'ightfully  revealed! 

How,  then,  do  yoit  ex]ilain  them?  may  the 
reader  ask.  It  is  a  pertinent  question,  and  I  re- 
fuse not  to  meet  it.  Tell  me,  then,  what  means 
that  statement  of  the  apostle  Paid,  "  He  lictli 
made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us.  Who  hiew  no  sin:  that 
we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in 
Him"  (2  Cor.  v.  21) ;  and  that  other,  "  Christ  hath 
redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being  made 
a  curse  for  us"  (Gal.  iii.  13).  The  ablest  and 
most  recent  rationalizing  ciitics  of  Germany — de 
Wette,  for  example — candidly  admit  that  such 
statements  can  mean  nothing  but  this,  that  the 
absolutely  Sinless  One  was  regarded  and  treated 
as  the  Guilty  one,  in  order  that  the  really  guilty 
might  in  Him  be  regarded  and  treated  as  righ- 
teous. If  it  be  asked  in  what  sense  and  to  what 
extent  Christ  was  regarded  and  treated  as  the 
Guilty  One,  the  second  [lassage  replies,  "He  was 
"made  a  cui-se  for  us" — language  so  appallingly 
strong,  that  B-engel  with  reason  exclaims,  as  he 
does  also  on  the  other  passage,  'Who  would 
have  dared  to  use  such  language  if  the  apostle 
had  not  gone  before  him?'  Says  Meyer— s,  critic 
not  over  fastidious  in  his  orthodoxy  but  honest 
as  an  interpreter — 'The  curse  of  the  law  would 
have  had  to  be  realized ;  all  who  render  not  com- 
plete satisfaction  to  the  law  (which  no  one  can 
do)  must  experience  the  infiietion  of  the  Divine 
"wrath;"  but  that  Christ,  to  rescue  them  from 
this  outlawry  by  the  curse,  is  intioduced  dyii^g 
as  the  Accursed  One,  and  as  by  a  purchase-price, 
dissolving  that  curse-i-elation  of  the  law  to  them. 
Compare  1  Cor.  vi.  20;  vii.  23.' 

Now,  is  this  to  be  regarded  as  a  true  representa- 
tion of  the  character  in  which  Christ  suflered  and 
died  ?  With  those  who  sit  quite  loose  to  apostolic 
authority,  and  regard  all  such  statements  as  ex- 
pressing merely  Paul's  opinions,  we  have  here 
nothing  to  do.  Strange  to  say,  we  have  now-a-days 
men  high  in  our  schools  of  learning  and  in  eccle- 
siastical place,  who  scruple  not  to  affirm  this 
and  many  other  strange  things.  But  we  write  for 
those  who  regard  the  statements  of  the  apostle  as 
authoritative,  and  to  them  we  submit  tliis  ques- 
tion :  If  Christ  felt  the  pje7ml  character  of  the  suf- 
ferings and  death  ^^'hi<;h  He  had  to  undergo — if, 
though  feeling  this  more  or  less  throughout  all 
His  piiblic  life,  it  was  now  borne  in  upon  His 
spirit  in  unrelieved,  unmitigated,  total  force, 
cTuring  the  dread,  still  hour  between  the  transac- 
tions of  the  upj)er  room  and  the  ajiproach  of  the 
traitor — does  not  this  furnish  an  adequate  key  to 
the  horror  and  sinking  of  S]iirit  which  he  then 
exj)erieuced  ?  Just  try  it  with  this  key.  In  itself, 
the  death  He  had  to  die — being  in  that  case  not 
the  mere  surrender  of  life  in  circumstances  of 
pain  and  shame,  but  the  surrender  of  it  raider 
the  doom  of  nn,  the  surrender  of  it  to  the  ven- 
yeance  of  the  laiv,  which  regarded  Him  as  the 
Representative  of  the  guilty  (to  use  again  the 
language  even  of  de  Wette),  coidd  not  but  be  purely 
revolting.  Nor  is  it  possible  for  lis  otherwise  to 
realize  the  horror  of  His  position,  as  the  abso- 
lutely Sinless  One,  now  emiihatically  made  sin  for 
us.  In  this  view  of  it  we  can  understand  how 
He  could  only  brace  Himself  up  to  di-ink  the  cup 
because  it  was  the  Father's  will  that  He  should 
do  it,  but  that  in  that  view  of  it  He  was  quite 


Ike  Agony 


LUKE  XXII. 


in  the  Garden. 


46  to  Lis  rlisciples,  he  found  them  sleeping  for  sorrow,  and  said  unto  them, 
•^  Why  sleep  ye  ?  rise  and  pray,  leet  ye  enter  into  temptation. 


A.  D.  33. 
/  Jon.  1.  6. 


prepared  to  do  it.  And  thus  have  we  here  no 
straggle  between  a  reluctant  and  a  comj^-)linnt  will, 
nor  between  a  human  and  a  divine  will ;  but 
simply  between  two  views  of  one  event :  between 
lienal  sutferings  and  death  considered  in  them- 
selves— in  other  words,  being  "  bruised,  put  to 
grief,  made  an  offering  for  sin " — and  all  this 
considered  as  the  Father's  will.  In  the  one 
view,  this  was,  and  could  not  but  have  been, 
appalling,  oxipressing,  ineffably  repnhive:  in  the 
other  view,  it  was  sublimely  ivelcome.  When 
He  says,  "  If  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass 
from  ile,"  He  tells  me  He  didn't  like  it,  and 
couldn't  like  it;  its  ingredients  were  too  bitter, 
too  revolting;  but  when  He  says,  "Nevertheless, 
not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done,"  He  proclaims 
in  mine  ear  His  absolute  obediential  subjection 
to  the  Father.  This  view  of  the  cup  quite 
changed  its  character,  and  by  the  expulsive  power 
of  a  new  affection — I  will  not  say,  turned  its 
bitterness  into  sweetness,  for  I  see  no  signs  of 
sweetness  even  in  that  sense,  but— absorbed  and 
dissolved  His  natural  i-epugnance  to  drink  it  up. 
If  you  still  feel  the  theology  of  the  matter  en- 
compassed with  difiiculty,  let  it  alone.  It  wall 
take  care  of  itself.  You  will  never  get  to  the 
bottom  of  it  here.  But  take  it  as  it  stands,  in 
all  its  wonderful  naturalness  and  awfid  freshness, 
and  rest  assured  that  just  as,  if  this  scene  had  not 
actually  occurred,  it  never  would  nor  could  have 
been  written  down,  so  on  any  other  view  of  the 
Redeemer's  extraordinary  repugnance  to  drink  the 
cup  than  the  penal  ingredient  which  He  found  in 
it.  His  magnanimity  and  fortitude,  as  comijared 
with  those  of  myriads  of  His  adoring  followers, 
must  be  (jicen  up. 

But  to  return  to  the  conflict,  whose  crisis  is  yet 
to  come.  Getting  a  momentary  relief — for  the 
agitation  of  His  spirit  seems  to  have  come  upon 
Him  by  surges— He  returns  to  tlie  three  disciples, 
and  finding  them  sleeiiiug.  He  chides  them,  par- 
ticularly Peter,  in  terms  deeply  affecting :  "  He 
saith  unto  Peter,  What !  could  ye  not  watch  with 
me  one  hour?"  In  Mark  (which  may  almost  be 
called  Peter's  own  Gosjiel)  this  is  particiilarly 
affecting,  "He  saith  unto  Peter,  Simon,  sleep- 
est  thou?  Couldest  not  thou  watch  one  hour? 
Watch  ye  and  pray,  lest  ye  enter  into  tempta- 
tion. The  spirit  truly  is  ready,  but  the  flesh  is 
Aveak."  How  considerate  and  comjiassionate  this 
allusion  to  the  weakness  of  the  flesh  was  at 
that  moment,  appears  liy  the  explanation  which 
Luke  gives  of  the  cause  of  it — an  explanation 
beautifully  in  accordance  with  his  iirofession  as 
"the  beloved  physician"  (Col.  iv.  14) — "that  He 
found  them  sleeping  for  sorroiv"  (Luke  xxii.  45). 
What  now  ?  "  Again  He  went  away,  and  prayed, 
and  siiake  the  same  woids"  (Mark  xiv.  39).  He 
had  nothing  more,  it  seems,  and  nothing  else  to 
say.  But  now  the  surges  rise  higher,  beat  more 
tempestuoxisly,  and  threaten  to  overwhelm  Him. 
To  fortify  Him  against  this,  "there  appeared  an 
angel  unto  Him  from  heaven,  strengthening  Him :" 
not  to  minister  to  Him  spiritually,  by  supi^lies  of 
heavenly  light  or  comfort — of  that  He  vyas  to  have 
none  during  this  awful  scone ;  nor  if  it  had  been 
otherwise,  would  it  seem  competent  for  an  angel  to 
convey  it  —but  simply  to  sustain  and  brace  up  sink- 
ing nature  for  a  yet  hotter  and  fiercer  struggle. 
(On  this  interesting  subject,  see  on  John  v.  1-47, 
Eemark  1  at  the  close  of  that  Section.)  And  now 
that  He  can  stand  it,  "He  is  in  an  agony,  and 
prays  more  earnestly"  \kK-rive(y-repov\  'more  in- 
33-1 


tensely  or  vehemently.'  What!  Christ  pray  at 
one  time  more  earnestly  than  at  another?  will 
some  exclaim.  0  if  peoxile  would  but  think  less 
of  a  systematic  or  theological  Christ,  and  believe 
more  in  the  biblical,  historical  Christ,  their  faith 
would  be  a  warmer,  aye,  and  a  mightier  thing,  be- 
cause it  would  then  be  not  human  but  divine. 
Take  it  as  it  stands  in  the  record.  Christ's  prayer, 
it  teaches  you,  did  at  this  moment  not  only  admit 
of  more  vehemence,  but  demand  it.  For  "His 
sweat  was  as  it  were  great  drops,"  literally, 
'clots'  [^pofxlioi]  "of  blood  falling  down  to  the 
ground."  [We  cannot  stay  to  defend  the  text 
here.]  What  was  this?  It  was  just  the  internal 
struggle,  apparently  hushed  somewhat  before,  but 
now  swelling  up  again,  couAiilsing  His  wdiole  inner 
man,  and  this  so  affecting  His  animal  nature,  that 
the  sweat  oozed  out  from  every  i^ore  in  thick  dro]is 
of  blood,  falling  to  the  ground.  It  was  just  shud- 
dering nature  and  iyulomitahle  will  struggling  to- 
gether. Now,  if  death  was  to  Christ  only  the 
separation  of  soiil  and  body  in  circumstances  of 
shame  and  torture,  I  cannot  understand  this  in 
one  whom  I  am  asked  to  take  as  my  Example,  that 
I  should  follow  His  steps.  On  this  view  of  His 
death,  I  cannot  but  feel  that  I -am  asked  to  copy  a 
model  far  beneath  that  of  many  of  His  followers. 
But  if  death  in  Christ's  case  had  those  elements  of 
peiial  vengeance,  which  the  apostle  explicitly  affirms 
that  it  had— if  the  Sinless  One  felt  Himself  diAanely 
regarded  and  treated  as  the  Sinful  and  Accursed 
One,  then  I  can  understand  all  this  scene;  and 
even  its  most  terrific  features  have  to  me  some- 
thing sublimely  congenial  with  s^ich  circumstances, 
although  only  its  having  really  occurred  could  ex- 
plain its  being  so  tvritten. 

But  again  there  is  a  lull ;  and  returning  to  the 
three,  "He  found  them  asleep  again  (for  their  eyes 
were  hea^'y),  neither  wist  they  what  to  answer 
Him"  (Mark  xiv.  40),  Avhen  He  chid  them,  perhaps 
in  nearly  the  same  terms.  And  now,  once  more, 
returning  to  His  solitary  spot,  He  "prayed  the 
third  time,"  saying  the  same  words ;  but  this  time 
slightly  varied.  It  is  not  now,  "  0  my  Father,  if 
it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me ;"  but, 
"  0  my  Father,  if  this  cup  may  not  pass  from  me, 
except  I  fb-ink  it,  thy  will  be  done."  Had  only  one 
of  these  two  forms  of  the  petition  occurred  in  the 
same  Gospel,  Ave  might  have  thought  that  they 
were  but  verbal  differences  in  the  different  reports 
of  one  and  the  same  iietition.  But  as  they  both 
occur  in  the  same  Gospel  of  Matthew,  we  are  war- 
ranted in  regarding  the  second  as  an  intentional, 
and  in  that  case  momentous,  modification  of  the 
first.  The  worst  is  over.  The  bitterness  of  death 
is  past.  He  has  anticipated  and  rehearsed  His 
final  conflict.  The  victory  has  now  been  won  on 
the  theatre  of  an  invincihle  will — to  "give  His  life 
a  ransom  for  many. "  He  shall  win  it  next  on  the 
arena  of  the  Cross,  where  it  is  to  become  an  accom- 
plished fact.  "I  icill  suffer,"  is  the  result  of 
Gethsemane:  "It  is  finished,"  bursts  from  the 
Cress.  Without  the  deed,  the  luill  had  been  all  in 
vain.  But  His  work  was  then  consummated  when 
into  the  palpable  deed  He  carried  the  now  mani- 
fested will — "  hy  the  luhich  will  we  are  sanctified 

THKOUGH  THE  OFFERING   OF   THE   BODY   OF  JeSUS 

Christ  once  for  all"  (Heb.  x.  10). 

At  the  close  of  the  whole  scene,  returning  once 
more  to  His  three  disciiiles,  and  finding  them  still 
sleeping,  worn  out  with  continued  sorrow  and 
rackinw  anxiety.  He  says  to  them,  ■with  an  irony 
of  tender  but  deep  emotion,  "Sl^ep  on  now,  anil 


Betrayal  and 


LUKE  XXII. 


ApprekensioJi  of  Jesus 


47  And  while  he  yet  spake,  behold  a  multitude,  and  he  that  was  called 
Judas,  one  of  the  twelve,  went  before  them,  and  drew  near  unto  Jesus  to 

48  kiss  liim.     But  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Judas,  betrayest  thou  the  Son  of 

49  man  with  a  kiss  ?    "Wlien  they  wliich  were  about  him  saw  what  would 

50  follow,  they  said  unto  him.  Lord,  shall  we  smite  with  the  sword?  And 
^one  of  them  smote  a  servant  of  the  high  priest,  and  cut  off  his  right  ear. 

51  And  Jesus  answered  and  said,  Suffer  ye  thus  far.     And  he  touched  his 

52  ear,  and  healed  him.  Then  Jesus  said  unto  the  chief  priests,  and 
captains  of  the  temple,  and  the  elders,  which  were  come  to  him.  Be  ye 

53  come  out,  as  against  a  thief,  with  swords  and  staves?  When  I  was  daily 
with  you  in  the  temple,  ye  stretched  forth  no  hands  against  me :  ''but 

54  this  is  your  hour,  and  the  power  of  darkness.  Then  Hook  they  him, 
and  led  kim,  and  brought  him  into  the  high  priest's  house.  •'And  Peter 
followed  afar  off. 

55  And  ^"when  they  had  kindled  a  fire  in  the  midst  of  the  hall,  and 
5(j  were  set  down  together,  Peter  sat  down  among  them.     But  a  certain 

maid  beheld  him  as  he  sat  by  the  fire,  and  earnestly  looked  upon  him, 

57  and  said.  This  man  was  also  with  him.     And  he  denied  him,  saying, 

58  Woman,  I  know  him  not.     And,  'after  a  little  while,  another  saw  him, 

59  and  said,  Thou  art  also  of  them.  And  Peter  said,  Man,  I  am  not.  And 
about  the  space  of  one  hour  after,  another  confidently  affirmed,  saying, 

GO  Of  a  truth  this  felloio  also  was  with  him ;  for  he  is  a  Galilean.     And 

Peter  said,  ]\Ian,  I  know  not  what  thou  sayest.     And  immediately,  while 
Gl  he  yet  spake,  the  cock  crew.     And  the  Lord  turned,  and  looked  upon 

Peter.     '"'And  Peter  remembered  the  word  of  the  Lord,  how  he  had  said 
G2  unto  liim.  Before  'Hhe  cock  crow,  thou  slialt  deny  me  thrice.     And  Peter 

went  out,  and  "wept  bitterly. 
G3,      And  "^the  men  that  held  Jesus  mocked  him,  and  smote  him.     And 
64  when  they  had  blindfolded  him,  they  struck  him  on  the  face,  and  asked 
G5  him,  saying.  Prophesy,  wdio  is  it  that  smote  thee?     And  many  other 

things  blasphemously  spake  they  against  him. 
G6       And  *as  soon  as  it  was  day,  '"the  elders  of  the  people,  and  the  chief 

priests,  and  the  scribes,  came  together,  and  led  him  into  their  council, 

67  saying.  Art  *thou  the  Christ?  tell  us.     And  he  said  unto  them.  If  I  tell 

68  you,  ye  will  not  believe :  and  if  I  also  ask  you,  ye  will  not  answer  me,  nor 

69  let  me  go.     Hereafter  *shall  the  Son  of  man  sit  on  the  right  hand  of  the 

70  power  of  God.     Then  said  they  all.  Art  thou  then  the  Son  of  God?    And 

71  he  said  unto  them,  "Ye  say  that  I  am.  And  ''they  said.  What  need  we 
any  further  witness  ?  for  we  ourselves  have  heard  of  his  own  mouth. 


A.  D.  33. 

"  Matt.  20  .51. 
Mark  14.47. 
John  18.1(1. 
Eom  12.  If). 
2  Cor.  10.  4. 

*  Gen.  3. 15. 
John  12.27. 
Acts  2.  23. 
Acts  4.  27. 

i  Matt  26  57. 

Acts  8.  32. 

3  John  IS.  15. 

*  Matt,  20  09. 
Mark  14  CO. 
John  18. 17, 

IS. 
!  Watt  CO  71. 

Mark  14  Gl. 

John  IS  2.5. 
'"Matt  20.75. 

Mark  14.72. 
"  John  13.  3?. 
"  Isa.  06.  2. 

Ezek.  7.  10. 

2  Cor.  7.  10. 
P  Ps  69.  1-21. 

Isa  50.  6. 

Isa.  52.  14. 

Matt.  26. 07, 
6S. 

Mark  14  05. 
1  Matt.  27.  1. 
•■  Ps.  2.  1. 

Ps.    22.   12, 

16. 

Acts  4.  26 

Acts  22.  5. 
'  Matt  20  C3. 

Mark  14.01. 
«  Ps.  110.  1. 

Dan.  7.  13, 
14. 

Actsl.  11. 

Acts  3.  21. 

lThes.4  10. 

Heb.  1.  3. 

Heb  8.  1. 
"  Matt  26  04. 

Mark  14.62. 
"  Jlatt  21.  0.'.. 

Mark  14  03. 


tike  your  rest :  behold,  the  hour  is  at  hand,  and 
the  Son  of  man  is  hetrayed  into  the  hands  of  sin- 
ners. Rise,  let  us  be  going :  behold,  he  is  at  hand 
that  doth  betray  me"  (Matt.  xxvL  45,  46).  While 
He  yet  spake,  Judas  apjieared  Avith  his  armed  band, 
and  so  they  proved  miserable  comforters,  broken 
reeds.  But  thus  in  His  whole  work  He  was  alone, 
and  "of  the  peojile  there  was  none  with  Him." 

Much  is  said  about  the  necessity  of  an  atone- 
ment, some  stoutly  affirming  it,  while  others 
accuse  the  thought  of  presumption.  Of  ante- 
cedent necessity,  on  such  subjects,  I  know  nothing 
at  all ;  and  it  is  possible  that  some  who  dispute  the 
position  mean  nothing  more  than  this.  But  one 
thing  I  know,  that  God  under  the  law  did  so 
educate  the  con-science  that  there  was  seen  ■wi-it- 
ten,  as  in  letters  of  fire,  over  the  whole  Levitical 
economy — 

Without  the  shedding  of  blood  no  remission; 
while  the  great  proclamation  of  the  Gospel  is-  - 
Peace  thkough  the  Blood  of  the  Cross. 

And  ever  as  I  deal  with  God  on  this  principle, 
1  find  my  whole  ethical  nature  so  exalted  and  puri- 
335 


fied— my  views  and  feelings  as  to  sin  and  holiness 
and  the  sinner  s  relation  to  Him  Avith  Whom  he 
has  to  do,  so  deepenedj  enlarged,  and  sublimed — 
while  on  no  other  do  I  hnd  any  footing  at  all — that 
I  feel  I  have  been  taught  what  I  am  sure  I  could 
never  have  antecedently  discovered,  the  necessity, 
in  its  highest  sense— the  necessity,  that  is,  in  order 
to  any  right  relation  between  God  and  me— of  the 
expiatory  death  of  the  Lord  Jesus ;  and  when, 
thus  educated,  I  anew  approach  Gethsemane,  that 
I  may  witness  the  conflict  of  the  Son  of  God  there, 
and  listen  to  His  "strong  crying  and  tears  to  Him 
that  was  able  to  save  Him  from  death,"  I  seem  to 
myself  to  have  found  that  key  to  it  all,  without 
which  it  is  a  blot  in  His  life  that  will  not  wipe  out, 
but  in  the  use  of  which  I  can  open  its  most  diffi- 
cult wards,  and  let  in  light  upon  its  darkest 
chambers. 

47-54 — Betrayal  and  Apprehension  of  Jesus. 
(  =  Matt.  xx"\a.  47-56;  Mark  xiv.  43-52;  John  xviii. 
1-12.)    For  the  exposition,  see  on  John  xviii.  1-12. 

55-71. — Jesus  Arraigned  before  Caiaphas, 
Condemned    to    Die,    and    Shamefully   En- 


Jesus  is  brought 


LUKE  XXIII. 


before  Pilate  and  condemned. 


8 


23      AND  '^the  whole  multitude  of  them  arose,  and  led  him  unto  Pilate. 

2  And  they  began  to  accuse  him,  saying,  We  found  this  Jelloic  ^perverting 
the  nation,  and  'forbidding  to  give  tribute  to  Cesar,  saying  '^that  he 

3  himself  is  Christ  a  king.  And  ^Pilate  asked  him,  saying,  Art  thou  the 
King  of  the  Jews?  And  he  answered  him  and  said,  Thou  sayest  it. 
Then  said  Pilate  to  the  chief  priests  and  to  the  people,  -^I  find  no  fault 
in  this  man.  And  they  were  the  more  fierce,  saying,  He  stirreth  up  the 
people,  teaching  throughout  all  Jewry,  beginning  from  Galilee  to  this 
place.  When  Pila;te  heard  of  Galilee,  he  asked  whether  the  man  were  a 
Galilean.  And  as  soon  as  he  knew  that  he  belonged  unto  ^Herod's 
jurisdiction,  he  sent  him  to  Herod,  who  himself  also  was  at  Jerusalem 
at  that  time. 

And  when  Herod  saw  Jesus,  he  was  exceeding  glad:  for  ''he  was 
desirous  to  see  him  of  a  long  season,  because  *he  had  heard  many 
things  of  him ;  and  he  hoped  to  have  seen  some  miracle  done  b}^  him. 
Then  he  questioned  with  him  in  many  words;  but  he  answered  him 
nothing.  And  the  chief  jmests  and  scribes  stood  and  vehemently  accused 
him.  And -^ Herod  with  his  men  of  war  set  him  at  nought,  and  mocked 
him,  and  arrayed  him  in  a  gorgeous  robe,  and  sent  him  again  to  Pilate. 
And  the  same  day  ^Pilate  and  Herod  were  made  friends  together:  for 
before  they  were  at  enmity  between  themselves. 

And  Tilate,  when  he  had  called  together  the  chief  priests  and  the 
rulers  and  the  people,  said  unto  them.  Ye  have  brovight  this  man  unto 
me,  as  one  that  perverteth  the  people ;  and,  behold,  I,  having  examined 
him  before  you,  have  "'found  no  fault  in  this  man  touching  those  things 
whereof  ye  accuse  him :  no,  nor  yet  Herod :  for  I  sent  you  to  him ;  and, 
lo,  nothing  worthy  of  death  is  done  unto  him.  I  "will  therefore  chastise 
him,  and  release  him.  (For  "of  necessity  he  must  release  one  unto  them 
at  the  feast.)     And  ''they  cried  out  all  at  once,  saying,  Away  with  this 

19  man,  and  release  unto  us  Barabbas:  (who  for  a  certain  sedition  made  in 

20  the  city,  and  for  murder,  was  cast  into  prison.)     Pilate  therefore,  willing 

21  to  release  Jesus,  spake  again  to  them.     But  they  cried,  saying,  Crucify 

22  him,  crucify  him.  And  he  said  unto  them  the  third  time.  Why,  what 
evil  hath  he  done  ?     I  have  found  no  cause  of  death  in  him :  I  will  there- 

23  fore  chastise  him,  and  let  him  go.  And  they  were  instant  with  loud 
voices,  requiring  that  he  might  be  crucified :  and  the  voices  of  them  and 

24  of  the  chief  priests  prevailed.     And  Pilate  ^gave  sentence  that  it  should 

25  be  as  they  required.  And  'he  released  unto  them  him  that  for  sedi- 
tion and  murder  was  cast  into  prison,  whom  they  had  desired ;  but  he 
delivered  Jesus  to  their  will. 

26  And  '"  as  they  led  him  away,  they  laid  hold  upon  one  Simon,  a  Cyre- 
nian,  coming  out  of  the  countiy,  and  on  him  they  laid  the  cross,  that  he 

27  might  bear  it  after  Jesus.     And  there  followed  him  a  gxeat  company  of 

28  people,  and  of  women,  which  also  bewailed  and  lamented  him.  But 
Jesus,  turning  unto  them,  said,  Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me, 

29  but  weep  for  yourselves,  and  for  your  children.  For,  *  behold,  the  days 
are  coming,  in  the  which  they  shall  say,  Blessed  are  the  barren,  and  the 
wombs  that  never  bare,  and  the  paps  which  never  gave  sudc.  Then  'shall 
they  begin  to  say  to  the  mountains,  Fall  on  us ;  and  to  the  hills.  Cover 
us.  For  "if  they  do  these  things  in  a  green  tree,  what  shall  be  done  in 
the  dry? 


9 
10 
11 

12 

13 
14 


15 
16 
17 

18 


30 


;i 


A.  D.  33. 


CHA.P.  23. 
"Matt.  27.2. 
Mark  15.  1. 
John  18.28. 
6  1  Ki  21. 10- 
13. 
Ps  35.  11. 

Ps.  63.  4. 
J'S   Gl.  3  fi. 

Jer.  20. 10. 
Jer.  sr.  13- 

1.5. 

Dan.  3.  12. 
Acts  11.  7. 

Acts  24.  5. 

1  Pet.  3.  IG- 

18. 
'  Matt.  17.27. 

Matt.  22. 21. 

Mark  12. 17. 
<*  Johni9.i2. 
'  Matt. 27. 11. 

1  Tim.  6  13. 
/  Matt.  27.  ly, 

24. 

Mark;5.i4. 
John  1S.3S. 

2  Cor.  5.  21. 
1  Pet.  2. 22. 

0  oh.  3.  1. 
''  ch  9.  9. 

i  Matt.  14  1. 
Mark  6.  14. 
J  Isa.  53.  3. 
«:  Acts  4.  27. 

Jas,  4.  4. 
'  Matt. 27.  23. 

Mark  15  14. 

John  18.38. 
'"  Pan.  G.  4. 
"  Rj  alt. 27. 23. 

Mark  15. 15. 

John  19.  1. 

Acts  5.  -iO, 
41. 
"  Matt.  27. 15. 

ftiarki5.  0. 

John  18.39. 
''  Acts  3.  14. 

1  Or. 
assented. 
Ex.  23.  2. 
Johnig.  10. 

"i  Fro.  17.  15. 
''  John  19,17. 
'  ch.  21.  23 
<  Isa.  2.  19. 

Hos  10.  S. 

Eev.  6.  16. 

Eev.  9.  6. 
"  Pro.  11.  31. 

Jer.  25.  29. 

Ezek.20  47. 

Ezek.  21.  3. 

4. 
1  Pet.  4.  17. 


TREATED — The  Fall  OF  Peter.  (  -  Matt.  xxvi. 
57-75;  Mark  xiv.  53-72;  John  xviii.  13-27.)  For 
the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  xiv.  53-72. 

CHAP.  XXIII.  1-12.— Jesus  is  Brought  be- 
fore Pilate,  who  Pronounces  Him  Innocent, 
AND  Sends  Him  to  Herod — Failing  to  draw 
anything  out  of  Him,  Herod,  with  his  Men  of 


War,  sets  Him  at  nought,  and  sends  Him  back 
TO  Pilate.  (=-Matt.  xxvii.  1,2;  Mark  xv.  1-5; 
John  xviii.  28-38.)  For  the  exposition,  see  on 
John  xviii.  28-38. 

13-38.— Jesus  is  again  before  Pilate,  who, 
after  again  Proclaiming  His  Innocence  and 
Seeking  to  Release  Him,  Delivers  Him  Up— 


Jesus  is  Criicijied 


LUKE  XXIII. 


between  two  thieves 


6S> 


36 


32  And  "tliere  were  also  two  otliers,  malefactors,  led  with  liim  to  be  put 

33  to  death.  And  "'when  they  were  come  to  the  place  wdiich  is  called 
^Calvary,  there  they  crucified  him,  and  the  malefactors,  one  on  the  riglit 

34  hand,  and  the  other  on  the  left.  Then  said  Jesus,  Father,  ^'forgive  them ; 
for  ^they  know  not  what  they  do.  And  Hhey  parted  his  raiment,  and 
cast  lots.  And  "the  people  stood  beholding.  And  the  rulers  also  with 
them  derided  him,  saying,  He  saved  others ;  let  him  save  himself,  if  he 
be  Clmst,  the  chosen  of  God.     And  the  soldiers  also  mocked  him,  coming 

37  to  him,  and  offering  him  vinegar,  and  saying.  If  thou  be  tlie  King  of  the 

38  Jews,  save  thyself.  And  *a  superscription  also  was  written  over  him  in 
letters  of  Greek,  and  Latin,  and  Hebrew,  THIS  IS  THE  KING  OF 
THE  JEWS. 

39  And  '^one  of  the  malefactors  which  were  hanged  railed  on  him,  saying, 

40  If  thou  be  Christ,  save  thyself  and  us.  But  the  other  answering ''  rebuked 
him,  saying.  Dost  not  thou  fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  in  the  same  con- 

41  demnation?     And  we  indeed  justly;  for  we  receive  the  due  reward  of 


A.  r».  33. 


"  Isa.  53.  12. 

Matt  27. 3R. 
""Mark  15.22. 

John  19.17. 
2  Or,  the 

place  of  a 

skull. 

Ileb.  13  12. 
"  Watt.  5.  44. 

Acts  1.  cu. 

1  Cor.  4. 12. 
V  Acts  3.  17. 
^  Mark  15.24. 

John  19.  24. 
"  Ps.  22.  17. 

Zee.  12.  10. 
b  John  19. 19. 

"  ISlatt  27.44. 

Mark  15.32. 

d  Eph.  6.  11. 


Touching  Incidents  on  the  Way  to  Calvary 

AND   AT   THE    PlACE   OF   EXECUTION— ThE  CeUCI- 

FixiON.  (=Matt.  xxvii.  31-50;  Mark  x v.  C-37; 
John  xviii.  38 — xix.  30. )  For  the  expositiou,  see  on 
John  xviii.  38 — xix.  30. 

39-43.  —The  Two  Thieves  between  whom 
Jesus  was  Crucified.  Tliis  episode — peculiar  to 
Liilce — is  one  of  the  grandest  in  the  Gospel  His- 
tory. If  only  hellish  ingenuity  could  have  sug- 
gested the  expedient  of  crucifying  our  Lord  be- 
tween two  malefactors,  in  order  to  hold  Him  forth 
as  the  worst  of  the  three,  only  that  wisdom  which 
"taketh  the  M^ise  in  their  own  craftiness "  could 
have  made  this  very  expedient  irradiate  the  Re- 
deemer, in  His  hour  of  deepest  gloom,  with  a 
glory  as  bright  to  the  spiritual  eye  as  it  was  un- 
expected, 

39.  And  one  of  the  malefactors  (see  on  John  xix, 
IS)  ■whicli  were  hanged  railed  on  him.  The  first 
two  Evangelists  say  that  the  thieves  did  so  (Matt. 
xxviL  44 ;  Mark  xv.  32).  Now,  if  we  had  no  more 
than  this  general  statement,  we  should  naturally 
conclude  that  both  of  them  were  meant.  But  after 
reading  what  is  here  recorded — of  one  that  did  so, 
and  the  other  that  rebuked  him  for  doing  it— it  is 
to  us  astonishing  that  some  sensible  commenta- 
tors should  think  it  necessary  to  take  the  state- 
ment of  the  first  two  Evangelists  so  strictly  as  to 
imply  that  both  of  them  reviled  our  Lord;  and 
then  to  infer,  without  a  shadow  of  ground  for  it  in 
the  text,  that  some  sudden  change  came  over  the 
penitent  one,  wliich  turned  him  from  an  unfeeling 
railer  into  a  trembling  petitioner.  Is  it  conceiv- 
able that  this  penitent  thief,  after  first  him- 
self reviling  the  Saviour,  should  then,  on  his 
views  of  Christ  suddenly  changing,  have  turned 
u])on  his  fellow-sufferer  and  fellow-reviler,  and 
rebuked  him,  not  only  with  dignified  sharpness, 
but  in  the  language  of  astonishment  that  he  should 
be  capable  of  such  conduct?  Besides,  there  is  a 
deep  calmness  in  all  that  he  utters,  extremely  un- 
like what  we  should  expect  from  one  who  had  been 
the  subject  of  a  mental  revolution  so  sudden  and 
so  total  Ko,  when  it  is  said  that  "the  thieves 
which  were  crucified  with  Him  cast  the  same  in 
His  teeth,"  it  is  merely  what  grammarians  call  an 
'indeterminate'  plural,  denoting  no  more  than  the 
unexpected  quarter  or  class  whence,  in  addition  to 
all  others,  the  taunts  proceeded  The  Evangelists 
had  Iseen  telling  us  that  scoff's  at  the  Eedeemer 
proceeded  from  the  jxissers  hy,  from  the  ecclesiastics, 
and  from  the  soldiery;  but,  as  if  that  had  not 
been  enough,  they  tell  us  that  they  proceeded  even 
from  the  thieves — a  mode  of  speaking  which  no  one 

VOL.  V.  337 


would  think  necessarily  meant  Ijoth  of  them. 
Thus  Matthew  says,  ^'' They  say  unto  Him,  We 
have  here  but  five  loaves,"  &c. ;  whereas  we  learn 
from  the  Fourth  Gospel  that  it  was  o?ifi  only- 
Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother — that  said  this 
(Matt.  xiv.  17;  John  vi.  8).  And  wlien  Mary 
poured  her  precious  ointment  on  her  Lord's  head, 
Matthew  says  that  '''His  disciples  had  indignation 
at  it,"  and  exclaimed  against  such  waste;  whereas 
from  the  Fourth  Gospel  we  learn  that  it  was  tlie 
traitor  that  said  this.  It  was  but  one  of  the 
malefactors,  then,  that,  catching  up  the  general 
derision,  "cast  the  same  in  His  teeth."  But 
Iris  taunt  had  a  turn  of  its  own,  a  sting  which 
the  others  had  not.  Baying;,  If  thou  be  ('the') 
Christ  [6  Xpto-xos],  save  thyself  and  us.  Jesus, 
"reviled,  reviles  not  again;"  but  another  voice 
from  the  cross  shall  nobly  wipe  out  this  dis- 
honour, and  turn  it  to  the  unspeakable  glory 
of  the  divine  llcdeemer.  40.  But  the  other 
answering  rebuked  him,  saying,  Dost  not  thou 
fear  God  [Oi/^g  <^oft7  c"  tov  Qe6v'\ — rather,  'Dost 
thou  too  not  fear  God?'  or,  'Dost  not  even  thou 
fear  God?'  There  is  a  tacit  reference  to  the  god- 
less, recldess  sjiirit  which  reigned  among  the  by- 
standers and  shot  such  envenomed  shafts  at 
the  meek  Sufferer  that  hung  between  them.  In 
tliem  such  treatment  might  be  bad  enough;  but 
was  it  indeed  coming  from  one  of  themselves? 
'  Let  others  jeer ;  but  dost  thou .?'  "  Dost  not  thou 
fear  God?"  he  asks.  'Hast  thou  no  fear  of  meet- 
ing Him  so  soon  as  thy  righteous  Judge?  Thou 
art  within  an  hour  or  two  of  eternity,  and  dost 
thou  spend  it  in  reckless  disregard  of  coming  judg- 
ment?' seeing  thou  art  in  the  same  condemna- 
tion ?  '  He  has  been  condemned  to  die,  indeed,  but 
is  it  better  with  thee?  Doth  even  a  common  lot 
kindle  no  sympatliy  in  thy  breast?'  But  he  goes 
on  with  his  expostulations,  and  rises  higher.  41. 
And  we  indeed  justly;  for  we  receive  the  due 
reward  of  our  deeds.  Owning  his  crimes,  and  the 
justice  with  which  he  .was  paying  their  awful  pen- 
alty, he  would  fain  shame  his  fellow-sufferer  into 
the  same  feeling,  which  would  have  quickly  closed 
his  mouth,      but   this  man  hath  done  nothing 

amiss  [outo^  ch  ovSev  aTOTTov  CTrpu^ev] — 'this  ].)er- 
son  did  nothing  amiss;'  literally,  'out  of  place,' 
and  well  rendered  here  "amiss."  A  very  remark- 
able declaration.  He  does  not  acquit  Him  of  aU 
ordinary  crimes,  such  as  bring  men  to  a  judicial 
death;  for  with  these  he  knew  that  our  Loid  was 
not  charged.  The  charge  of  treason  had  not  even 
a  show  of  truth,  as  Pilate  told  His  enemies.  The 
one  charge  against  Him  M\as  His  claim  to  office  and 


Incidents  of 


LUKE  XXIII. 


the  Crucifixion. 


42  our  dee'ds :  but  this  man  hath  clone  nothing  amiss.     And  he  said  unto 

43  Jesus,  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  Hhy  kin,^dom.  And 
Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with 
me  in  ■''paradise. 


A.  D.  33. 

"  Heb.  1.  3. 

Heb.  8.  1. 

/  Rev.  2.  r. 


honours,  wliicli  in  the  eyes  of  His  judges  camounted 
to  blasphemy.  Hear,  then,  this  remarkable  testi- 
mony in  that  light :  '  He  made  Himself  the  pro- 
mised Messiah,  "the  Son  of  God — but  in  this  He 
"(/«i  notlilng  amiss:"  He  ate  with  publicans  and 
sinners,  and  bid  all  the  weary  and  hea^'y  laden 
come  and  rest  under  His  wing—  but  in  this  He 
"did  nothing  amiss:"  He  claimed  to  be  Lord  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  to  shut  it  at  will,  but  also 
to  ojieu  it  at  pleasure  even  to  such  as  we  are— but 
in  this  He  "did  not/tiiiff  amiss f"^  Does  his  next 
speech  imjjly  less  than  this?  Turning  now  to  the 
Lord  Himself,  how  wonderful  is  his  address !  42. 
And  he  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  remember  me  wlieu 
thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom  [iv  th  fSaa-LXeia  (rov] 
—rather,  '  iu  tliy  kingdom  ;'  that  is,  in  the  glory  of 
it  (^Latt.  XXV.  .31;  Luke  ix.  2fj).  Let  us  analyze  and 
.study  this  marvellous  petition.  First,  the  "King- 
dom" he  meant  could  he  no  earthli/  one,  but  one 
hfli/ond  the  grave;  for  it  is  inconceivable  that  he 
should  have  expected  Him  to  come  down  from  the 
cross  to  erect  any  temporal  kingdom.  Next,  he 
calls  this  Christ's  own  Kingdom— "thy  Kingdom." 
Then,  he  sees  in  Christ  the  absolute  right  to  dis- 
pose of  that  Kingdom  to  whom  He  X'^Gased- 
but  further,  he  does  not  presume  to  ask  a  place 
in  that  kingdom — though  no  doubt  that  is  what  he 
means — but  with  a  humility  quite  affecting,  just 
saj's,  "  Lord,  remember  me  when,"  &c.  Yet  was 
there  mighty  faith  in  that  word.  If  Christ  ^^•ill 
but  "think  iiiiou  him"  (Neh.  y.  19),  at  that  august 
moment  when  He  "cometh  in  His  kingdom,"  it 
will  do.  '  Only  assure  me  that  then  Ihou  wilt 
not  forget  such  a  Avretch  as  I,  that  once  hung 
by  Thy  side,  and  I  am  content.'  Now  contrast 
with  this  bright  act  of  faith  the  darkness  even  of 
the  apostles'  minds,  who  could  hardly  be  got  to 
believe  that  their  Master  would  die  at  all,  who 
now  were  almost  desiiairing  of  Him,  ancl  who 
when  dead  had  almost  buried  their  hopes  in  His 
grave.  Consider,  too,  the  man's  ];irevious  disadran- 
tages  and  bcul  life.  And  then  mark  how  his  faith 
comes  out— not  in  jirotestations,  '  Lord,  I  cannot 
doubt— I  am  lirmly  persuaded  that  Thou  art  Lord 
of  a  kingdom — that  death  cannot  disannul  Thy 
title  nor  im]iede  the  assumjitiou  of  it  in  due  time,' 
and  so  on — but  as  having  no  shadow  of  doubt, 
and  rising  al)ove  it  as  a  cpiestion  altogether,  he 
just  says,  "Lord,  remember  me -(y/icn  thou  comest," 
&c.  —  Was  ever  faith  like  this  exhibited  upon 
earth  ?  It  looks  as  if  the  brightest  crown  had 
been  reserved  for  the  Saviour's  head  at  His  dark- 
est moment!  43.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  To 
the  taunt  of  the  other  criminal  He  answered 
nothing;  but  a  response  to  this  was  resistless. 
The  dying  Redeemer  had  not  seen  so  great  faith,  no 
not  in  His  nearest  and  dearest  ajiostles.  It  was  to 
Him  a  "song  in  the  night."  It  ministered  cheer  to 
His  spirit  in  the  thick  midnight  gloom  that  now 
euwrapt  it.  Verily  I  say  unto  thee.  '  Since  thou 
si)eakest  as  to  the  King,  with  kingly  authority 
si)eakIto  thee.'  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me 
in  paradise.  '  Thou  art  prepared  for  a  long  delay 
ere  I  come  in  JSIy  Kingdom,  but  not  a  day's  de- 
lay shall  there  be  for  thee;  thou  shalt  not  be 
l>arted  from  Me  even  for  a  moment,.  Ijut  together 
we  shall  go,  and  with  Me,  ere  this  day  exi)ire, 
shalt  thou  be  in  paradise.'  On  the  meaning  of 
this  word  "paradise" — employed  by  the  LXX.  for 
the  Garden  of  Eden  (Gen.  ii  8,  &c.)— it  is  only 
o3S 


necessary  to  observe  that  it  was  employed  by  the 
Jews  to  express  the  state  of  future  bliss,  both  in 
its  lower  and  higher  stages  ;  that,  iu  keejiing  with 
this  general  idea,  it  is  used  by  the  apostle  to  ex- 
press  "the  third  heaven"  (2  Cor.  xii.  2j  4);  and 
that  our  Lord  Himself,  in  His  apocalyijtic  epistle 
to  the  chi.rch  of  Ephesus,  manifestly  uses  it  to 
express  the  hnal  glory  and  bliss  of  the  redeemed, 
under  the  figure  of  Paradise  Restored:  "To  him 
that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of 
life,  M'hich  is  in  the  midst  of  the  jiaradise  of  God" 
(Rev.  ii.  7).      In  our  passage,  of  course,  the  im- 
mediate reference  is  to  sucli  bliss  as  the  disem- 
bodied spirit  is  cajiable  of,  and  expei'iences,  imme- 
diately after  death;  for  it  was  to  be  on  that  very 
day  that  the  penitent  thief  was  to  be  with  his 
dying  Lord  in  paradise.     But  this  is  viewed  as  a 
thing  understood,  and  so  the  promise  amoimts  to 
this,  that  they  were  never  more  to  be  parted ;  that 
he  would  go  with  Him  into  heavenly  bliss  iuuue- 
diately  on  his  departiu-e ;  and  though  the  One  was 
to  reassnme  His  body  in  a  few   days,  while  the 
dust  of  the  other  would  sleep  till  the  resurrection, 
that  their  fellowship  would  never  be  interrupted ! 
Remarks. — I.  Of  all  the  possible  conceptions  of  a 
writer  of  imaginary  history,  tliis  incident  is  about 
the  last  that  would  enter  the  mind  even  of  the 
most  ingenious.     While  its  presence  in  the  Gospel 
History  is  to  every  unsojihisticated  reader  its  owu 
eAadence  of  actual  occurrence,  the  glory  with  which 
it  invests  the  Cross  of  Christ  is  beyond  the  power 
of  langiiage  to  express.     Verily  "  Hedisappointeth 
the  devices  of  tlie   crafty,    so  that  their  hands 
cannot  i>erform  their  enterprise:    He  taketh  the 
■wise  in  their  own  craftiness,  and  the  coiinselof  the 
froward  is  carried  headlong:  with  Hun  is  strength 
and  wisdom;  the  deceived  and  the  deceiver  are 
His.     He  leadeth  counsellors  away  spoiled,  ancl 
maketh  the  judges  fools"  (Job  v.  12, 13;  xii.  16.  17). 
2.  How  true  is  that  saying  of  Christ,  "  One  shall 
be  taken  and  another  left!"  (ch.  xvii.  34-36).     It  is 
possible,  indeed,  that  the  religious  ojiportunities  of 
the  penitent  criminal  may  have  been  superior  to  his 
fellow's.     But  we  have  too  much  evidence,  even  in 
this  Gospel  History,  that  far  better  oppoi-tunities 
than  he  could  possibly  have  enjoyed  left  the  heart 
all  unsoftened.     Nor  is  it  the  reach  of  this  man's 
knoicledge  which  contrasts  so  remarkably  with  the 
demeanour  of  the  impenitent  criminal.     It  is  his 
ingenuous  self-condemnation;  his  mingled  astonish- 
ment and  horror  at  the  very  different  temper  of  his 
fellow's  mind;  his  anxiety  to  bring  him  to  a  better 
state  of  mind,  while  yet  there  was  hope ;  and  the 
pain  "s^ith  which  he  listened  to  the  scoff's  of  his 
companion  in  crime  at  suffering  innocence.     Sucli 
deep    and  tender  feeling,   iu  contrast  with    the 
other's  heartlessness  on  the  brink  of  eternity,  is 
but  superficially  aiiprehended  until  we  trace  it  up 
to  that  distinguishing  grace  which,  while  it  "  left" 
one  hardened  criminal  to  go  to  his  own  place, 
''  took"    the    other    as    a    brand    from   the    fire, 
lighted  up  into  a  blaze  of  light  the  few  scattered 
rays  of  information  about  Jesus   wluch  beamed 
into  his  mind,  and  made  him  a  bright  jewel  in 
that  crown  of  glory  that  encircled  the  dying  Re- 
deemer!   3.  How  easily  can  divine  grace  elevate 
the  rudest  and  the  worst  above  the  best  instructed 
and  most  devoted  servants  of  Christ !    We  are  such 
slaves  of  average  e^cperience  in  morals  and  religion, 
that  we  are   apt  to  treat  whatever  greatly  tran- 


Incidents  of  the  Crucifixion 


LUKE  XXIII. 


and  Death  of  Jesus 


44  And  ^it  was  about  the  sixth  hour,  and  there  was  a  darkness  OA'er  all 

45  the  ^ earth  until  the  ninth  hour.     And  the  sun  was  darkened,  and  ''the 


46 


47 


veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  in  the  midst.  And  when  Jesus  had  cried 
with  a  loud  voice,  he  said,  *  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit: 
•'and  having  said  thus,  he  gave  up  the  ghost. 

Now  ^'when  the  centurion  saw  what  was  done,  he  glorified  God,  saying, 


A.  D.  33. 


^  Mark  15  33. 
3  Or,  land. 
ft  Matt  27  61. 
i  Ps.  31.  5. 
j  John  19.30. 
fc  Matt.  27.54. 


scends  it,  however  well  attested, with  a  measure  of 
scepticism.     But  however  exceptional  such  cases 
may  seem,  the  laws  of  the  divine  administration 
in  spiritual  things— of  which  our  knowledge  is  but 
very  partial — will  be  found  comprehensive  enough 
to  embrace  them  all     Think  how  limited  must 
have  been  the  means  of   knowledge  which    the 
Centurion  x:)ossessed;   and  yet,  in  regard  to  the 
power   and   glory  of    Christ,   Avhat    a    reach    of 
perception   and    deep    humility  did    he   display, 
with    a    faith    at    which    Jesus    Himself    mar- 
velled !  (Luke  vii.  6-9).     And  did  not  the  faith  of 
the  Syrophenician  woman — heathen  though  her 
upbringing  had  been— draw  forth  the  Redeemer's 
admiration?  (Matt.  xv.  28).     And  what  an  un- 
wonted spectacle  was    the  woman   that  washed 
the    Sav-iour's   feet  with  her  tears !     (Luke  vii. 
S^,  &c.)    And  who,  even  of  the  Twelve,  got  such  a 
grasp  of  the  Redeemer's  power  over  the  subtlest 
exercises  of  the  human  spirit  as  the  man  that, 
without  any  such  opportunities  as  they  enjoyed,  ex- 
claimed, "Lord,  I  believe;  help  Thou  mine  un- 
belief"?   And  what  but  a  very  unusual  display  of 
converting  grace  was  that  in  the  case  of  Zaccheus  ? 
(Luke  xix).     And  yet,  in  some  of  these  cases  at 
least,  it  is  not  ditBcult  to  see  what  principles  were 
at  work,  and  how  they  wrought.     As  trials  are 
fitted  to  open  tlie  heart,  to  direct  it  to  the  true 
source  of  relief,  and  to  make  it  accessible  to  divine 
compassion  and  grace,  so  a  deep  sense  of  sin  and  a 
consciousness  of  hell-deserving  di-aw  the  spiritual 
eye  with  a  quick  instinct  to  Him  who  came  to  seek 
and-  to  save  the  lost,  and  rivet  it  ujion  Him  with 
reviving  and  transforming  efficacy.     While  others 
fasten  on  features  of  divine  truth  of  lesser  moment, 
and  miss,  through  prejudice,  the  right  view  even 
of  these,  such  deep-taught  souls,  with  a  kind  of 
unerring  scent,   discover  the  direction  in  which 
rehef  for  tliem  is  alone  to  be  found.     What  to  the 
penitent  woman  whose  tears  watered  His  blessed 
feet,  and  what  to  this  poor  dying  criminal,  who 
felt  himself  ready  to  drop  into  hell,  were  all  the 
Messianic  honours  and  dignities  about  which  the 
Twelve  kept  dreaming  and  disputing  till  within  an 
hour  or  two  of  their  Lord's  apiirehension  ?  To  them 
one  gracious  look  from  that  eye  of  His  was  more 
than  all  such  things : 

'  Poor  fragments  all  of  this  low  earth; 
Such  as  in  sleep  would  liardly  soothe 
A  soul  that  once  had  tasted  of  immortal  truth.'— Keble. 

And  thus  it  was  that,  divinely  taught  in  tlie 
school  of  conscious  unworthiness  and  soid-distyctis, 
they  shot  far  ahead  of  the  best  instructed  but  less 
schooled  disciples.  And  so  it  still  is.  Schools  of 
theological  and  critical  training  in  the  knowledge 
of  Scripture  are  excellent  things.  But  he  who 
trusts  in  them  as  his  sole  key  to  divine  truth 
and  guide  to  heaven  will  find  them  blind  guides, 
while  many  a  one,  ignorant  of  all  but  his  own 
tongue,  and  little  versed  in  the  literature  even  of 
that,  has  made  religious  attainments  that 
might  put  divines  and  scholars  to  shame.  4  Pre- 
sumption and  despair,  it  has  been  long  ago  and 
well  remarked,  are  equally  discountenanced  here ; 
the  one  in  the  impenitent  thief,  the  other  in  his 
penitent  fellow.  He  who  flatters  himself  in  his 
sins,  hoping  that,  as  one  man  was  saved  in  the 
339 


agonies  of  death,  another  may— and  why  not  he  ? — 
should  turn  to  the  man  who,  in  the  same  circum- 
stances and  at  the  same  moment,  died  unsaved. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  he  who,  conscious  that  he 
has  worse  than  wasted  his  life,  is  sceptical  as  to 
both  the  reality  and  the  value  of  what  are  calleil 
death -bed  repentances,  and  so  is  ready  to  sink  into 
despair,  should  study  the  case  of  this  penitent 
thief.     If  reed,  the  value  of  such  death -bed  changes 
is  beyond  dispute;  since  Jesus  took  this   man, 
dying  for  his  crimes,  straight  with  Him  to  para- 
dise. _  What,   in    fact,   is    wanting    to    any  one's 
entering  into  the  kingdom  of  God?     Only   that 
he  be  born  again.     How  instantaneous  that  change 
may  be,  and  in  fact  in  every  case  essentially  is,  we 
have  already  had  occasion  to  observe.     See  on  ch. 
xix.  1-10,  Remark  2  at  the  close  of  that  Section. 
And  what  though  there  be  no  time  left  in  one's  life 
to  develop  the  change  and  make  it  manifest  to  the 
world?    If  it  be  real — and  the  Searcher  of  hearts, 
the  Judge  of  quick  and  dead,  at  least  knows  that 
— it  is  enough.     And  just  as  we  nothing  doubt 
that  infants  dying  ere  they  attain  to  the  sense  of 
responsibility  are  capable  of  heaven,  so  the  un- 
developed infancy  of  the  new  life  in  dying  peni- 
tents has  in  it  a  germ  which  will  surely  expand  in 
the  paradise  of  God,     On  the  one  hand,  then,  ''Be 
not  high-minded,  but  fear,"  0  sinner,  sleeping  on 
a  pillo%y  of  baseless  hope  that,  after  a  reckless  life, 
one  dying  glance  at  the  Savioiu-  will  set  thee  all 
right.     But,  on  the  other  hand,  fear  not,  poor  de- 
spairing sinner,  to  behold  even  at  the  last  the  Lamb 
of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.    For 
His  word  is  not,  "Him  that  cometli  unto  me" 
early,  or  up  to  a  certain  period  of  life  and  measure 
of  guilt ;  but, '  ''Hhn  that  cometh  " — if  only  he  do  com  e, 
and  come  "  unto  Me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 
No  limitation  at  all,  either  of  time  or  measure  of 
gtnlt.^    It  is  the  'coming  unto  Jesus'  that  secures 
the  sinner  against  being  cast  out.    5.  How  false  as 
well  as  cheerless,  in  the  light  of  our  Lord's  words 
to  this  penitent,  is  the  notion  of  the  soul's  sleep, 
or  total  unconsciousness,  diuiug  the  intermediate 
state  between  death  and  the  resurrection !     "  To- 
day shalt  thou  be  with  Me  in  paradise."    Who  can 
take  that  to  mean  the  mere  transference  of  the 
soul  to  some  iilace  or  state  of  safety,  without  the 
consciousness  of  it,  or  to  the  mere  certainty  of  bliss 
at  the  resurrection?     Nor  is  it  that  notion  only 
which  is  rebuked  here,  but  along  with  it  tlie  specu- 
lations of  not  a  few  who  would  so  cripple  the  capa- 
cities of  the  disembodied  sj^irit  as  to  admit  little 
beyond  that  '  sleej)  of  the  soul '  before  its  re-union 
with  the  body.     The  more  our  Lord's  words  here 
are  considered — in  the  light  of  such  i:)assages  as 
2  Cor.  V.  6-8— the  more  will  it  be  seen,  that  the 
spirits  of  the  just,  on  their  being  disengaged  from 
this  earthly  tabernacle,  are  immediately  ushered 
into  paradise  in  the   bud,   and  find  themselves 
tasting  the  bHss  of  heaven  in  substance;  and  thus 
it  is  that  the  language  which  describes  the  one 
merges    naturally    in    that    which    properly    de- 
scribes only  the  other       So  let  us  labour  that 
whether  present  or  absent,  we  may  be  accepted 
of  Him! 

44-56.— The  Cetjcifixion  Completed — Signs 
AND  Circumstances  following  the  Death  of 
THE  Lord  Jesus— He  is  Taken  down  from  the 


Angelic  announcement 


LUKE  XXIV. 


tliCtt  Christ  is  risen. 


48  Certainly  this  was  a  righteous  man.      And  all  the  people  that  came 
together  to  that  sight,  beholding  the  things  which  were  done,  smote  their 

49  breasts,  and  returned.     And  'all  his  acquaintance,  and  the  women  that 
followed  him  from  Galilee,  stood  afar  off,  beholding  these  things. 

50  And,  '"^ behold,  there  teas  a  man  named  Joseph,  a  counsellor;  and  he 

51  icas  a  good  man,  and  a  just:   (the  same  "^had  not  consented  to  the 
counsel  and  deed  of  them :)  he  ivas  of  Arimathea,  a  city  of  the  Jews : 

52  "who  also  himself  waited  for  the  kingdom  of  God.     This  man  went  unto 

53  Pilate,  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus.      And  ^he  took  it  down,  and 
WTapped  it  in  linen,  and  laid  it  in  ^a  sepulchre  that  was  hewn  in  stone, 

54  wherein  never  man  before  was  laid.     And  that  day  was  the  preparation, 
and  the  sabbath  drew  on. 

55  And  the  women  also,  'which  came  with  him  from  Galilee,  followed 
66  after,  and  beheld  Hhe  sepulchre,  and  how  his  body  was  laid.     And  they 

returned,  and  'prepared  spices  and  ointments;  and  rested  the  sabbath 
day,  "according  to  the  commandment. 
24      NOW  ''upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,  very  early  in  the  morning,  they 
came  unto  the  sepulchre,  ^bringing  the  spices  which  they  had  prepared, 

2  and  certain  others  with  them.     And  they  found  the  stone  rolled  away 

3  from  the  sepulchre.     And  "^they  entered  in,  and  found  not  the  body  of 

4  the  Lord  Jesus.     And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  were  much  perplexed 

5  thereabout,  '^ behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in  shining  garments:  and  as 
they  were  afraid,  and  bowed  down  their  faces  to  the  earth,  they  said  unto 

6  them,  Yfiij  seek  ye  ^the  li\-ing  among  the  dead?     He  is  not  here,  but  is 

7  risen :  ^remember  how  he  spake  unto  you  when  he  was  yet  in  Galilee,  say- 
ing, The  Son  of  man  must  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  sinful  men,  and 

8  be  crucified,  and  the  third  day  rise  again.    And  -^'they  remembered  his  words, 

9  And    ^returned    from    the    sepulchre,    and    told    all    these    things 

10  unto  the   eleven,  and  to  all  the  rest.     It  was  Mary  Magdalene,    and 
''Joanna,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James,  and  other  women  that  icere 

1 1  with  them,  which  told  these  things  unto  the  apostles.      And  their  words 
seemed  to  them  as  idle  tales,  and   they   believed    them    not.      Then 


A.  D.  33. 

<   Ps.  38.  11. 

John  19.25. 
'"Matt.  27.  .57. 

Mark  15.42. 

John  19.38. 
"  Gen  37.  21, 
22. 

Gen.  42.  21, 
22. 

Ex.  23.  2. 

1  Tim  5  22. 
"  Ch.  2.  25, 3S. 
P  Matt. 27.  53. 
«  Isa.  £3.  9. 
"■  ch.  8.  2. 
»  Mark  15.47. 
(  Mark  16.  1. 
"  Ex.  20.  10. 

Isa.  5C.  2,  G. 

Isa  58.  IX 

Jer.  17.  24. 


CHAP.  24. 

°-  Matt.  i8.  1. 

]Mark  IC.  1. 

John  20  1. 
!-  ch.  2.3.  56 
"  Mark  16.  5. 
d  John  20. 12. 

Acts  1. 10. 
1  Or,  Him 

that 

liveth  ? 

1  Tim.  1. 17. 

Eev.  1  18. 
*  Matt.16.21. 

Mark  8.  31. 

eh.  9.  22. 
/  John  2.  22. 
»  Matt.  28.  8. 

Mark  16.10. 
'I  ch.  S.  3. 


Cross  and  Buried— The  Women  Observe  the 
Spot.  (=  Matt,  xxvii.  51-66;  Mark  xv.  3S-47; 
John  xix.  31-42.)  For  the  exposition,  see  ou  Matt, 
xxvii.  51-06  ;  and  on  John  xix.  31-42. 

CHAP.  XXIV.  1-12.— Angelic  Announce- 
ment TO  THE  Women,  on  the  First  Day  of 
THE  Week,  that  Christ  is  Eisen — They  carry 
the  Transporting  1ve\vs  to  the  Eleven,  who 
receive  it  Incredulously  —  Peter's  Visit 
TO  the  Empty  Sepulchre.  (=Matt.  xxviii.  1-S; 
MarkxH  1-S;  John  xx.  1-10.) 

Tlte  liesin'rectlon  Announced  to  the  Women  (IS). 
1.  Now  upon  tlie  first  day  of  the  week,  very  early 
in  the  morning,  they  came  unto  the  sepulchre, 
bringing  the  spices  which  they  had  prepared,  and 
certain  others  with  them.  2.  And  they  found  the 
stone  rolled  away  from  the  sepulchre.  3.  And 
they  entered  in,  and  found  not  the  body  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  See  on  Matt,  xxviii.  1-4;  and  on  Mark 
xvi.  1-4.  4.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  were 
much  perplexed  thereabout.  ]\Iark  reports  their 
perplexity,  before  they  reached  the  sepulchre,  as  to 
■who  should  roll  them  away  the  stone  that  covered 
the  body  of  their  dear  Lord;  while  our  Evangelist 
here,  who  simply  tells  us  that  they  found  the 
stone  rolled  away,  records  their  next  and  still 
greater  perplexity  at  finding  the  sepulchre  empty. 
But  as  the  one  vanished  as  soon  as  they  arrived 
at  the  spot,  so  the  other  was  soon  dissijiated  by  the 
shining  ones  that  appeared  to  them,  behold,  two 
men  stood  by  them  in  shining  garments  [aaTpairT- 
ouo-ais] — garments  of  dazzling  brightness.  See 
34() 


on  Mark  xvi.  5.  5.  And  as  they  were  afraid,  and 
bowed  down  their  faces  to  the  earth  (see  on  ch.  i. 
12),  they  said  unto  them,  Vi^hy  seek  ye  the  living 
[xoi- ^wvT-a]- '  the  Living  One,' among  the  dead? 
Astonishing  question !  It  is  not,  Why  seek  ye  the 
risen  One?  but  "Why  seek  ye  the  Living  One 
among  the  dead?"  See  on  Piev.  i.  IS.  The  sur- 
prise ex])ressed  in  the  question  implies  a  certain 
incongi'uity  in  His  being  there  at  all ;  as  if,  though 
He  might  suhnit  to  it,  "  it  was  impossible  tliat  He 
should  be  holden  of  it"  (Acts  ii.  24).  6.  He  is  not 
here,  but  is  risen :  remember  how  he  spake  unto 
you  when  he  was  yet  in  Galilee— to  which  these 
women  themselves  belonged  (ch.  xxiii.  55. )  7.  Say- 
ing— in  those  explicit  announcements,  which  He 
made  once  and  again,  of  His  approaching  suffer- 
ings, death,  and  resurrection,  The  Son  of  man 
must  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  sinful  men, 
and  be  crucified,  and  the  third  day  rise  again. 
How  remarkable  it  is  to  hear  angels  quoting  a 
Avhole  sentence  of  Christ's  to  the  disciples,  men- 
tioning where  it  was  uttered,  and  wondering  it 
was  not  fresh  on  their  memory,  a.s  doubtless  it  was 
in  their.-?!  See  1  Tim.  iii.  10,  "Seen  of  angels;" 
and  1  Pet.  i.  12.  8.  And  they  remembered  his 
words. 

The  JncreduUtu  of  the  Eleven — Pcier^s  Visit  to 
C'hrisfs  SepvJchre  (9-12).  9.  And  returned  from 
the  sepulchre,  and  told  all  these  things  unto 
the  eleven,  and  to  all  the  rest.  10.  It  was  Mary 
Magdalene,  and  Joanna  (see  ou  ch.  viii.  1-3),  and 
Mary  the  mother  of  James,   and  other  [km  ai 


Peter  s  visit  to  the 


LUKE  XXIV. 


em2)ty  sepulchre. 


12  'arose  Peter,  and  ran  unto  the  sepulchre;  and  stoophig  down,  he  beheld 
the  linen  clothes  laid  by  themselves,  and  departed,  wondering  in  himself 
at  that  which  was  come  to  pass. 

13  And,  behold,  two  of  them  went  that  same  day  to  a  village  called 

14  Emmaus,   which  was  from  Jerusalem  about  threescore  furlongs.      And 
\5  they -^talked  together  of  all  these  things  which  had  happened.     And  it 

came  to  pass,  that,  while  they  communed  together  and  reasoned,  ^' Jesus 
IG  himself  drew  near,  and  went  with  them.  But  ^  their  eyes  were  holden 
17  that  they  should  not  know  him.     And  he  said  unto  them.  What  manner 

of  communications  are  these  that  ye  have  one  to  another,  as  ye  walk, 

15  and  are  sad?  And  the  one  of  them,  '"whose  name  was  Cleopas,  answering 
said  unto  him,  Art  thou  only  a  stranger  in  Jerasalem,  and  hast  not 

1 9  known  the  things  which  are  come  to  pass  there  in  these  days  ?  And  he 
said  unto  them,  What  things?  And  they  said  unto  him,  Concerning 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  "which  was  a  prophet  "mighty  in  deed  and  word 

20  before  God  and  all  the  people:  and  '^how  the  chief  priests  and  our  nilers 

21  delivered  him  to  be  condemned  to  death,  and  have  crucified  him.  But 
we  trusted  ^that  it  had  been  he  which  should  have  redeemed  Israel:  and 
besides  all  this,  to-day  is  the  third  day  since  these  things  were  done. 

22  Yea,  and  certain  women  also  of  our  company  made  us  astonished,  which 

23  were  early  at  the  sepulchre;  and  when  they  found  not  his  body,  they 
came,  saying,  that  they  had  also  seen  a  vision  of  angels,  which  said  that 

24  he  was  alive.  And  certain  of  them  which  were  with  us  went  to  the 
sepulchre,  and  found  it  even  so  as  the  women  had  said :  but  him  they 


A.  D.  33. 

'  John  iO.  3, 

10. 
J  Deut.  6.  7. 
jral.  3.  16. 
ch.  6.  45. 
k  STatt.  IS.  20. 
John  14.  IS. 
19. 
'  2  Ki.  6.  18, 
20. 

Mark  16.12. 

John  20. 14- 

John  21.  4. 
'"John  19.25. 
"  John  3.  2. 

John  6.  14. 

Acts  2.  22. 
"  Acts  7.  22. 
P  Matt.  27.  1, 
2,20. 

Mark  15.  1. 

ch.  22.60,71. 

ch.  23.  1,  \ 

Acts  3.  13, 

15. 

Acts  4  8,10, 

27. 

Acts  5.  30, 

31. 

Acts  13.  27. 
5  Acts  1.  6. 


Xonrai] — rather,  'and  the  others,'  that  were  wltli 
them,  wMch  told  these  things  unto  the  apostles. 
•See  ou  Mark  xvi.  1.  11.  And  their  words  seemed 
to  them  as  idle  tales,  and  they  Relieved  them 
not.  See  on  v.  41,  and  on  Mark  xvi.  11.  12.  Then 
arose  Peter,  &c.  For  the  details  of  this,  see  on 
John  XX.  1,  &c. 

For  Eemark.s  on  this  Section,  see  those  on  the 
corresponding  Section  of  the  First  Gospel,  Matt. 
xxAaii.  1-15. 

13-53.— Jesus  Appears  to  the  Two  Going  to 
E.MMAus— Then  to  the  Assembled  Disciples — 
His  Glorious  Ascension,  and  Return  of  the 
Eleven  to  Jerusalem.  (= Mark  xvL  12-19;  John 
XX.  19-23.) 

JesvM  Appears  to  The  Two  Gohuj  to  Emmans,  &c. 
(13-35).  This  most  exquisite  scene  is  ijeculiar  to 
our  Evangelist.  13.  And,  behold,  two  of  them. 
For  the  name  of  the  one,  see  on  v.  IS.  Who  the 
other  was  is  mere  conjecture,  went — or  'were 
proceeding'  {i^nav  'TropevofxevoL]  that  same  day  to 
a  village  called  Emmaus,  which  was  from  Jeru- 
salem about  threescore  furlongs— or,  about  seven 
and  a  half  miles;  but  the  spot  has  not  been  satisr 
factorily  determined.  Perhaps  they  were  return- 
ing,^ home  after  the  Passover.  14.  And  they  talked 
together  of  all  these  things  which  had  happened. 
15.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  while  they  com- 
muned together  and  reasoned— as  they  exchanged 
views  and  feelings,  weighing  afresh  all  the  facts 
detailed  in  vv.  18-24,  Jesus  himself  drew  near, 
and  went  with  them— coming  up  behind  them,  as 
from  Jerusalem  {v.  18).  16.  But  their  eyes  were 
holden  that  they  should  not  know  him  [rod  fxii 
c-rriyuwucu] — or  'did  not  recognize  Him.'  Certainly, 
as  they  did  not  believe  that  He  was  alive,  His 
company,  as  a  Fellovv'-traveller,  was  the  last  thing 
they  would  expect.  But  the  words,  "their  eyes 
were  holden,"  and  the  express  intimation,  in  an- 
other Gospel,  that  "He  appeared  to  them  in 
another  form'  (MarkxvL  12),  make  it  evident  that 
there  was  a  divine  operation  hindering  the  recog- 
nition of  Him  until  the  fitting  time,  17.  And  he 
311 


said  unto  them.  What  manner  of  communications 
are  these  that  ye  have  one  to  another  [auTi.- 
(idWeTeJ.  The  Word  "have"  is  too  weak.  Liter- 
ally it  is,  'tliat  ye  cast  about'  from  one  to  the 
other,  and  denotes  the  earnest  discussion  that 
seemed  to  be  going  on  between  them,  as  ye  walk, 
and  are  sad?  18.  And  the  one  of  them,  whose 
name  was  Cleopas  (see  on  Matt.  x.  3),  answering 
said  unto  him,  Art  thou  only  a  stranger  in  Jeru- 
salem, and  hast  not  known  the  things  which  are 
come  to  pass  there  in  these  days?  If  he  knew 
not  the  events  of  the  last  few  days  in  Jei-usalem, 
he  must  be  a  mere  sojourner ;  if  he  did,  how  could 
he  suppose  they  would  be  talking  of  anything  el.?e? 
How  artless  is  all  this !  19.  And  he  said  unto  them, 
What  things  ?  And  they  said  unto  him.  Concern- 
ing Jesus  of  Nazareth,  which  was  a  prophet 
mighty  in  deed  and  word  before  God  and  all  the 
people:  20.  And  how  the  chief  priests  and  our 
rulers  delivered  him  to  be  condemned  to  death — 
that  is,  handed  Him  over  to  Pilate,  that  he  might 
order  Him  to  be  put  to  death,  and  have  crucified 
him.  As  if  feeling  it  a  relief  to  have  some  one  to 
unburden  his  thoughts  and  feelings  to,  this  dis- 
ciple goes  over  the  main  facts,  in  his  own  despond- 
ing style,  and  this  was  just  what  our  Lord  wished. 
21.  But  we  trusted  that  it  had  been  he  which 
should  have  redeemed  Israel  ['H/ueTs  oe  nX-n-iX^oixev 
oTi  avToi  ecTTiv  6  fxeWwv  XuTpovcrdai] — rather,  'But 
we  were  hoping  that  it  was  He  that  was  to  redeem,' 
&c.  The  "we"  is  emiihatic: — q,  d.,  'Others,  we 
know,  thought  differently ;  Ijut  for  our  part  we,' 
&c.,  implying  expectations  kept  up  till  the  recent 
events  so  dashed  them.  Tlicy  expected,  indeed,  the 
promised  Deliverance  at  His  hand;  but  certainly  not 
by  His  death,  and  besides  all  this,  to-day  is  the 
third  day  since  these  things  were  done.  22.  Yea, 
and  certain  women  also  of  our  company  made  us 
astonished,  which  were  early  at  the  sepulchre ; 
23.  And  when  they  found  not  his  body,  they  came, 
saying,  that  they  had  also  seen  a  vision  of  angels, 
which  said  that  he  was  alive.  24.  And  certain  of 
them  which  were  with  us  went  to  the  sepulchre. 


Jesus  appears  to  two  disciples 


LUKE  XXIV. 


going  to  Emmaus. 


25  saw  not.     Then  lie  said  unto  them,  0  fools,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe 

26  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken!  ought ''not  Christ  to  have  suffered 

27  these  things,  and  to  enter  into  his  glory?  And  beginning  at  'Moses  and 
*all  the  Prophets,  he  expounded  unto  them  in  all  the  Scriptures  the 

28  things  concerning  himself.     And  they  drew  nigh  unto  the  village  whither 

29  they  went:  and  "he  made  as  though  he  would  have  gone  farther.  But 
they  constrained  him,  saying.  Abide  with  us ;  for  it  is  toward  evening, 

30  and  the  day  is  far  spent.  And  he  went  in  to  tarry  with  them.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  as  he  sat  at  meat  with  them,  he  took  bread,  and  blessed  it, 

31  and  brake,  and  gave  to  them.     And  their  e)^es  were  opened,  and  they 

32  knew  him;  and  he  ^vanished  out  of  their  sight.  And  they  said  one  to 
another,  Did  not  our  heart  burn  within  us,  while  he  talked  with  us  by 
the  way,  and  while  he  opened  to  us  the  Scriptures? 

33  And  they  rose  up  the  same  hour,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and  found 

34  the  eleven  gathered  together,' and  them  that  were  with  them,  saying.  The 

35  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath  "appeared  to  Simon.     And  they  told  what 


A.D.  ?3 


"■  Acts  17.  3. 

PhU.  2.6-11. 

1  Pet.  1. 11. 
'  Gen.  3.  15. 

Gen.  22. 18. 

Gen.  26.  4. 

Num.  21.9. 
«  Ps.  16.  9. 

Ps.  22. 

Jer.  23.  5. 

Jer.  33.  14. 

Ezek.3J.23. 

Ezek.37.25. 

Dan.  9.  24. 

Mic.  7.  20. 
"  Gen.  32.  26. 
-  Or,  ceased 

to  be  seen 

of  them. 
"  1  Cor.  15.  5. 


and  found  it  even  so  as  the  women  had  said ;  but 
him  they  saw  not.  Not  only  did  His  death  seem 
to  give  the  fatal  blow  to  their  hopes,  but  He  had 
been  two  days  dead  already,  and  this  was  the 
thiixl.  'It  is  true,'  they  add,  'some  of  our  women 
gave  us  a  surprise,  telling  us  of  a  vision  of  angels 
tliey  had  at  the  empty  grave  this  morning  that 
said  He  was  alive,  and  some  of  ourselves  who  went 
thither  confirmed  their  statement;  but  then,  Him- 
sbK  they  saw  not.'  A  doleful  tale  truly,  and  told 
out  of  the  deepest  despondency.  25.  Then  he  said 
unto  them,  0  fools  ['il  av6i]Toi\ — This  is  too  strong 
a  word.  Oiu-  Lord  never  calls  His  true  disciples 
"fools"  [m'"P'"']'  It  should  be,  '0  senseless;'  that 
is,  void  of  discernment,  and  slow  of  heart  to 
believe  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken!— or 
'spake'  \eXa\i)tTav\.  26.  Ought  not  Christ  [eoei 
TradeTv  tod  Xpiarroi/]  to  have  suffered  these  things, 
and  to  enter  into  his  glory? — 'Behoved  it  not  the 
iVlessiah  to  suffer  these  things,  and  to  enter  into 
His  glory;'  that  is.  Was  it  not  necessary  to  the 
fulfilment  of  the  Scrii)t\u-es  that  the  predicted 
Messiah  should,  through  the  gate  of  these  very 
sufferings,  enter  into  His  glory?  It  is  doubtless 
to  these  words  that  the  apostle  Peter  alludes, 
^^  hen  he  speaks  of  the  Sphit  of  Christ  who  testi- 
fied in  the  prophets  'the  sufferincrs  that  were  to 
Ught  upon  Messiah  and  the  followiug  glories' 
[irpofiapTvpofxevpv  to.  eis  H-piarTOV  Tratiij/^ara  /cat 
Ta^  fifTo.  TciuTa  oogas],  1  Pet.  L  11.  'Ye  have  had 
your  eye  fixed  so  exclusively  on  the  "glories" 
(says  our  Lord),  that  ye  have  overlooked  the  "suf- 
ferings" which  the  pz-ophets  told  you  were  to  go 
before  and  jiave  the  way  for  them.'  27.  And  be- 
ginning at  Moses  and  all  the  Prophets,  he  ex- 
pounded unto  them  in  all  the  Scriptures  the 
things  concerning  himself — the  great  Burden  of 
all  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures.  28.  And  they 
drew  nigh  unto  the  village  whither  they  went— 
or  'were  going'  [eTropeuouTo].  and  he  made  as 
though  he  would  have  gone  farther— but  only 
"as  though;"  for  He  had  no  intention  of  going 
farther.  So  when  He  walked  towards  them  on 
the  sea  of  Galilee,  "He  would  have  passed  by 
them  " — but  never  meant  to  do  it.  So  Gen.  xxxii. 
2ii.  (Compare  Gen.  x\dii.  3,  5;  xlii.  7.)  29.  But 
they  constrained  him,  saying,  Abide  with  us ;  for 
it  is  toward  evening,  and  the  day  is  far  spent. 
And  he  went  in  to  tarry  with  them.  But  for  this, 
the  whole  design  of  the  interview  had  been  lost ; 
but  it  was  not  to  be  lost,  for  He  who  only  Avished 
to  be  constrained  had  kindled  a  longing  in  the 
liearts  of  His  travelling  companions  which  was  not 
to  be  so  easily  put  off  30.  And  it  came  to  pass, 
342 


as  he  sat  at  meat  with  them,  he  took  bread,  and 
blessed  it,  and  brake,  and  gave  to  them.  31. 
And  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  knew 
— or  'recognized'  [eireyvwaav]  him;  and  he  van- 
ished out  of  their  sight  [kuI  ain-ds  ucpavTO^ 
eyeveTo  air  ahTwv\  —  or  'ceased  to  be  seen  of 
them;'  supernaturally  disappearing.  The  stranger 
first  startles  them  by  taking  the  place  of  Master 
at  their  own  table,  but  on  jiroceeding  to  that  act 
whicli  reproduced  the  whole  scene  of  the  last 
Supper,  a  rush  of  associations  and  recollections 
disclosed  their  Guest,  and  He  stood  confessed 
before  their  astonished  gaze— their  bisen  Lord  ! 
They  were  going  to  gaze  on  Him,  perhaps  embrace 
Him,  but  that  moment  He  is  gone !  It  was  enough ; 
the  end  of  the  whole  inter\Tiew  had  been  gained. 
32.  And  they  said  one  to  another,  Did  not  our 
heart  burn  within  us,  while  he  talked  with  us  by 
the  way,  and  while  he  opened  to  us  the  Scrip- 
tures? The  force  of  the  imperfect  tenses  here 
\Kaioixivi]  7)1/ — t/\«\ei — C}ii'\uoLyev\  denoting  what 
they  felt  during  the  ichole  time  of  His  walk  and 
talk  Avith  them,  should  if  possible  be  preserved; 
as  thus:  'Was  not  our  heart  burning  within  us 
whilst  He  Avas  talking  with  us  on  the  Avay,  and 
Avhilst  He  Avas  opening  to  us  the  Scriptures?' 
'Ah!  this  accounts  for  it:  We  could  not  under- 
stand the  gloAv  of  self-eA^dencing  light,  love,  glory, 
that  raAdshed  our  liearts:  but  now  Ave  do.'  They 
cannot  rest  —  hoAv  could  they?  —  they  must  go 
straight  back  and  tell  the  ucavs.  They  cannot 
think  of  sleei^ing  o\'er  it. 

33.  And  they  rose  up  the  same  hour,  and  re- 
turned to  Jerusalem,  and  found  the  eleven 
gathered  together.  This  does  not  sIioav  that  the 
tAvo  disciples  themseWes  Avere  not  of  "the  Eleven;" 
for  the  expression  is  used  here  to  denote  the  com- 
2KUUJ  or  class,  not  the  fact  of  the  whole  number  of 
them  being  present  on  this  occasion,  and  them 
that  were  with  them.  34.  Saying,  The  Lord  is 
risen  indeed,  and  hath  appeared  to  Simon.  They 
think  they  Avill  brmg  strange  tidings — thrilling 
intelligence — to  their  doAvncast  brethren.  But  ere 
they  have  time  to  tell  their  tale,  their  OAvn  ears 
are  saluted  AA-ith  tidings  not  less  thrilling:  "The 
Lord  is  risen  indeed  [oi/tws],  and  hath  a])peared  to 
SiMO>\"  Most  touching  and  precious  intelligence 
this.  The  only  one  of  the  EleA-en  to  AA'hom  He 
appeared  alone  Avas  he,  it  seems,  who  had  so  shame- 
fidly  denied  Him.  What  2}assed  at  that  interview 
we  shall  never  know  here.  Prohahly  it  was  too 
sacred  for  disclosure.  See  on  Mark  xA'i.  7.  35. 
And  they  told  what  things  were  done  in  the  way, 
I  and  how  he  was  known  of  them  in  breaking  of 


Jesus  appears  to  the 


LUKE  XXIV. 


assembled  disciples. 


36 
37 

38 

39 
40 


things  icei'e  done  in  the  way,  and  how  he  was  known  of  them  in  breaking 
of  bread. 

And  as  they  thus  spake,  Jesus  himself  stood  in  the  midst  of  them, 
and  saith  unto  them,  Peace  he  unto  you.  But  they  were  terrified  and 
aftrighted,  and  supposed  that  they  had  seen  a  spirit.  And  he  said  unto 
them,  A\niy  are  ye  troubled?  and  why  do  thoughts  arise  in  your  hearts? 
Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet,  that  it  is  I  myself:  handle  me,  and  see; 
for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  ye  see  me  have.     And  when  he 

41  had  thus  spoken,  he  showed  them  his  hands  and  his  feet.  And  while 
they  yet  believed  not  for  joy,  and  wondered,  he  said  unto  them.  Have  ye 

42  here  an}^  meat  ?     And  they  gave  him  a  piece  of  a  broiled  fish,  and  of  an 

43  honey-comb.     And  ^lie  took  it,  and  did  eat  before  them. 

44  And  he  said  unto  them,  ^' These  are  the  words  which  I  spake  unto  you, 
while  I  was  yet  with  you,  that  all  things  must  be  fulfilled  which  were 
written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  in  the  Prophets,  and  in  the  Psalms, 
concerning  me.  Then  ^opened  he  their  understanding,  that  they  might 
understand  the  Scriptures,  and  said  unto  them,  Thus  it  is  -wi-itten,  and 
thus  it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day : 

47  and  that  repentance  and  ^remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his 

48  name  among  all  "nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem.  And  ^ye  are  witnesses 
of  these  things.  And,  "^ behold,  I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father  iipon 
j'ou :  but  tarry  yo,  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with 
power  from  on  high. 


45 
4G 


49 


A.  D.  33. 

"'  Acts  10.  41. 

^  Matt  16.21. 

JlarkS.  31, 
32. 

Mark  9.  31. 

Cll   9.  22. 

Ch.  18.  31, 

32. 
^J  Acts  16.  14. 

2  Cor.  4.  6. 
^  Dan.  9.  ai. 

Acts  13.  38. 

lJohn2.l2. 
"  Gen.  12.  3. 

Ps.  22.  27. 

Isa.  49.  6. 

Jer.  31.  3t. 

Hos.  2.  23. 

Mic.  4.  2. 

Mai.  1.  11. 

Gal.  3.  23. 
*>  John  15.  'it. 

Acts  1.  22. 
"  Isa.  44.  3. 

Joel  2.  28. 

John  14. 16, 

17. 

John  15.  26. 
Acts  2.  1. 


bread.  The  two  from  Enimaus  have  now  their 
turn,  and  relate  tlie  marvellous  manifestation 
made  to  them.  While  thus  comparing  notes  of 
their  Lord's  appearances,  lo!  Himself  stands  in 
the  midst  of  them. 

Jesus  Appears  to  the  Assembled  Disciples— Con- 
vinces them  loondrously  of  the  Recdity  of  His  Re- 
surrection—Opens  to  them  the  Scriptures  on  the 
Suhject,  and  Directs  them  to  Wait  for  the  promised 
Spirit  (3G-49).  36.  And  as  they  thus  spake,  Jesus 
himself  stood  iu  the  midst  of  them,  and  saith  unto 
them,  Peace  he  unto  you.    See  on  .John  xx.  19-21. 

37.  But  they  were  terrified  and  affrighted,  and 
supposed  that  they  had  seen  a  spirit— the  ghost 
of  their  dead  Lord  rather  than  Himself  in  the 
Ijodj'.     (See  on  Acts  xii.  15;  and  Matt.  xiv.  26.) 

38.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  troubled? 
and  why  do  thoughts  arise  in  your  hearts  ?  [ctaXo- 
yiTjuoiJ  —  rather  'reasonings;'  that  is,  whether 
He  were  risen  or  no,  and  whether  this  was  His 
very  Self.  39.  Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet, 
that  it  is  I  myself:  handle  me,  and  see — lovingly 
offering  them  both  ocular  and  tanf/ihle  demonstra- 
tion of  tlie  reality  of  His  resurrection,  for  a  spirit 
hath  not  flesh  and  hones,  as  ye  see  me  have— an 
imi)orfcant  statement  regarding 's])irits.'  He  says 
not  "  flesh  and  blood;"  for  the  blood  is  the  life  of 
the  animal  and  corruptible  body  (Gen.  ix.  4)  which 
"cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God"  (1  Cor.  xv. 
50);  bnt  "fle.sli  and  bones" — implying  the  identity, 
l)ut  with,  diversity  of  laws,  of  the  resurreution-body. 

40.  And  when  he'had  thus  spoken,  he  shewed  them 
his  hands  and  his  feet.    See  on  John  xx.  24-28. 

41.  And  while  they  yet  believed  not  for  joy,  and 
wondered.  They  did  believe,  else,  as  Benyel  beauti- 
tifuUy  remarks,  they  had  not  ".joyed."  Bnt  it 
seemed  too  r/ood  to  be  true.  Like  the  captives  from 
Babylon,  "they  were  as  men  tliat  dreamed"  (Ps. 
cxxvi.  1,  2).  he  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  here  any 
meat?  42.  And  they  gave  him  a  piece  of  a  broiled 
fish,  and  of  an  honey-comb — common,  frugal  fare, 
anciently.  43.  And  he  took  it,  and  did  eat  before 
them — that  is,  so  as  to  let  them  see  Him  eating ; 
not  for  His  own  necessity,  but  their  conviction. 

44.  And  he  said  unto  them,  These  are  the  words 
34;i 


which  I  spake  unto  you,  while  I  was  yet  with  you. 
]\Iark  this  last  ex]iression — "while  I  was  yet  with 
you" — that  is,  in  the  days  of  His  flesh.  Now,  He 
was  as  good  as  removed  from  them ;  His  life  being 
a  new  one,  the  atmosphere  He  breathed  no  longer 
that  of  this  lower  worlrl,  and  His  pro]>er  home, 
even  for  their  interests,  His  Father  s  house.  But 
'  now  ye  will  understand  what  I  said  to  you,  once 
and  again,  to  your  so  great  surprise  and  distress, 
about  the  Sou  of  man  requiring  to  be  put  to  death 
and  to  rise  again,  that  all  things  must  be  fulfilled 
which  were  written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  in 
the  Prophets,  and  in  the  Psal^ns — the  three  current 
Jewish  divisions  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures, 
concerning  me.  45.  Then  opened  he  their  un- 
derstanding, that  they  might  understand  the 
Scriptures.  A  statement  of  unspeakable  A^alue: 
expressing,  on  the  one  hand,  Chri.st's  immediate 
access  to  the  human  spirit  and  absolute  poiver  over  it, 
to  the  adjustment  of  its  vision,  and  its  perma- 
nent rectihcatiou  for  spiritual  discernment;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  showing  that  the  apostolic 
manner  of  interpreting  the  Old  Testament,  in  the 
Acts  and  Epistles,  Ilus  the  direct  sanction  of  Christ 
Himself.  46.  And  said  unto  them.  Thus  it  is 
written,  and  thus  it  behoved  Christ — or  'the  Mes- 
siah' [Toy  Xpio-rov],  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the 
dead  the  third  day— sec  on  v.  2(5.  47.  And  that 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be 
preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations,  be- 
ginning at  Jerusalem ;  flrst,  1  )ecause  Jerusalem 
was  the  metroi)olitan  centre  of  the  then  existing 
kingdom  of  God  (see  Rom.  i.  16 — "  tothe  Jewfu'st;" 
Acts  xiii.  46  ;  Isa.  ii.  3 ;  and  see  on  Matt.  x.  6) ;  and 
next,  because  it  was  the  gi-eat  laboratory  and 
reservoir  of  all  the  sin  and  all  the  crime  of  the 
nation  (ch.  xiii.  33),  and  by  be.ginning  there,  it 
would  be  proclaimed  for  all  time  that  there  was 
mercy  in  Christ  for  the  chief  of  sinners  (see  on 
Matt,  xxiii.  37).  48.  And  ye  are  witnesses  of  these 
things  (see  on  Acts  i.  8,  22).  49.  And,  behold,  I 
send  [aTTocrxeWto] — or,  'I  am  sending,'  in  the  pres- 
ent tense,  to  intimate  its  nearness,  the  promise 
of  my  Father — that  is,  what  my  Father  hath  pro- 
mised; or  the  Holy  Ghost,  of  which  Christ  is  the 


Glorious  Ascension 


LUKE  XXIV. 


of  the  Risen  Bedeemer. 


50  And  he  led  them  out  as  far  as  to  Bethany ;  and  he  lifted  up  his  hands, 

51  and  blessed  thera.     And  '4t  came  to  pass,  while  he  blessed  them,  he  was 

52  parted  from  them,  and  carried  up  into  heaven.     And  they  worshipped 


A.  D.  c3. 

"i  2Ki.  2.  II. 

Eph.  1.  CO. 


authoritative  Dispenser  (Jolm  xiv.  7;  Eev.  iii.  1; 
V.  G) ;  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until 
ye  toe'  endued  {6vcvTaa:de}—ov  '  clothed'  witli  power 
from  on  high— implying  (as  the  i>arallels  show— 
Eom.  xiii.  14 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  53 ;  Gal.  iii.  27 ;  Col.  iii. 
!»,  K))  their  being  so  penetrated  and  acted  upon  bv 
conscious  supernatural  "power"  as  to  stanip  with 
divine  authority  the  whole  exercise  of  their  apos- 
tolic office,  including,  certainly,  their  jpe/i  as  well 
as  their  mouth. 

Glorious  Ascension  of  the  BisenBedecmer  (50, 51). 
50.  And  he  led  them  out  as  far  as  to  Bethany— not 
to  the  village  itself,  which  would  be  no  congenial 
spot;  but  "  as  far  as  to  Bethany"— meaning,  prob- 
ably, to  that  side  of  the  mount  of  Olives  where 
the  road  strikes  down  to  Bethany;  for  there  is 
every  reason  to  concur  in  the  early  tradition  that 
from  Mount  Olivet  our  Lord  took  His  flight 
on  high.  But  how  came  Jesus  and  the  Eleven  to 
be  now  toicether  at  Bethany,  having  been  last  to- 
gether in  tialilee?  The  feast  of  Pentecost,  now 
within  ten  days,  would  bring  the  discii)les  to 
Jerusalem,  and  no  doubt  their  Lord  appointed  to 
meet  them  in  the  neighbourhood  of  it,  probably 
somewhere  on  the  way  to  Bethany,  and  he  lifted 
up  his  hands,  and  hlessed  them.  51.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  while  he  blessed  theni,  he  was  parted 
from  them,  and  carried  up  into  heaven.  Sweet 
intimation !  The  Incarnate,  Crucified,  Risen  One, 
now  on  the  wing  for  heaven — waiting  only  for  those 
od(jrous  gales  which  were  to  waft  Him  to  the  skies 
-  -goes  away  in  benedictions,  only  to  continue 
them,  in  yet  higher  style,  as  the  Glorified  and 
Enthroned  One,  until  lie  come  again.  And  0,  if 
augely  were  so  transported  at  His  bii'th  into  this 
scene  of  tears  and  death,  what  must  have  been 
their  ecstasy  as  they  welcomed  and  attended  Him 
v.\)  "far  above  all  heavens  "  into  the  i)resence-cham- 
1)er,  and  conducted  Him  to  the  right  hand,  of  the 
Majesty  on  High !  Thou  hast  an  everlasting  right, 
0  my  Saviour,  to  that  august  place.  _  The  Bright- 
ness of  the  Father's  glory,  enshrined  in  our  nature, 
liath  won  it  well,  for  He  poured  out  His  soul  unto 
death.  Therefore  hath  He  ascended  on  high,  and 
led  captivity  captive,  receiving  gifts  for  men,  yea 
for  the  reljellious,  that  the  Lord  God  might  dwell 
among  them.  '  Thou  art  the  King  of  glory,  0 
Christ.'  Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates,  be  lifted 
up,  ye  everlasting  doors,  that--  the  King  of  glory 
may  come  in  !  Even  so  wilt  thou  change  these 
vile  bixlies  of  ours,  that  they  may  be  like  unto 
Thine  own  glorious  body ;  and  then,  with  gladness 
and  rejoicing  sliall  they  be  brought,  they  shall 
enter  into  the  King's  palace !  For  fuller  particu- 
lars of  the  Ascension,  by  the  same  Evangelist,  see 
on  Acts  i.  9-11. 

Beturn  of  the  Eleven  to  Jerusalem  (52,  53).  And 
they  worshipped  him— beyond  all  doubt,  in  the 
sense  of  suprerae  worship.  In  the  whole  Gospel 
of  St.  Luke,  remarks  Stier,  we  have  this  word  to 
'worship'  [Trpoaicvvelv]  but  in  one  other  place  — 
eh.  iv.  7,  8— where  it  is  used  of  the  honour  due  to 
God  alone;  and  in  the  Acts  only  in  the  following 
passages,  all  in  the  same  sense :  ch.  [vii.  43] ;  viii.  27  ; 
xxiv.  11;  X.  25,  26.  In  this  last  passage,  though 
Cornelius  meant  only  subordiiiate  worship,  Peter 
rejected  it— as  only  a  ynan.  And  what  was 
the  worship  of  His  bright  escort  on  His  way  u])- 
wards,  and  of  His  reception  above?  (Ps.  Ixviii.  18, 
19).  and  returned  to  Jerusalem — as  instructed 
to  do ;  but  not  till,  after  gazing  as  if  entranced  up 
into  the  blue  vault  in  which  He  had  disappeared, 
344 


they  were  gently  checked  by  two  shining  ones, 
who  assured  them  He  would  come  again  to  them 
ill  the  like  manner  as  He  had  gone  into  heaven. 
(See  on  Acts  i.  10,  11.)  This  made  them  return, 
not  with  disappointment  at  His  removal,  but 
with  great  joy:  53.  And  were  continually  in  the 
temple — that  is,  every  day  at  the  regular  hours  of 
prayer  until  the  day  of  Pentecost,  "praising  and 
blessing  God — in  higher  than  Jewish  strains  now, 
though  in  the  accustomed  forms.  Amen.  This 
"Amen"  is  excluded  from  the  text  by  Tischendorf 
and  Tregelles,  in  which  they  are  followed  \>y  Al- 
ford.  But  the  authorities  in  its  favour  are,  in  our 
judgment,  decisive.  Lachmann  inserts  it.  _  Prob- 
ably some  might  less  see  the  import  of  it  here 
than  in  the  other  Gospels.  But  who  that  has  fol- 
lowed our  Evangelist,  till  he  leaves  his  readers 
with  the  Eleven,  "praising  and  blessing  God" 
after  their  Lord's  ascension  to  the  Father,  could 
refrain  from  adding  his  own  "Amen,"  even  though 
the  Evangelist  had  not  written  it?  It  is  as  though 
he  had  said,  'For  such  wonders,  the  record  of  which 
is  here  closed,  let  every  reader  join  with  those 
Eleven  continually  in  praising  and  blessing  God.' 

For  Eemarks  on  the  Eesurrectiou- scene,  see 
those  on  the  corresponding  Section  of  the  First 
Gospel — IVIatt.  xxviii.  1-15.  But  on  the  remaining 
portion  of  this  chapter  we  add  the  following— 

Bemarks.—l.  Were  we  asked  to  select  from  the 
Four  Gospels  the  six  verses  which  bear  the  most 
indubitable  marks  of  exact  historic  reality,  we 
might  be  at  some  loss,  from  the  i^rofusion  of  such 
that  stud  the  jiages  of  the  Evangelical  Narrative. 
But  certainly  the  doleful  tale  of  the  two  discipiles 
going  to  Emmaus— of  expectations  regarding  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  raised  only  to  be  crushed  to  the 
lowest,  with  the  half-trembling,  half-hoping  allu- 
sion to  the  reports  of  His  resurrection  by  "cer- 
tain women  of  their  company,"  and  all  this  poured 
into  the  ear  of  the  risen  Saviour  Himself,  who  had 
overtaken  and  made  up  to  them  as  an  unknown 
fellow-traveller  (rr.  19-24) — this  must  be  held  by 
every  competent  and  candid  judge  to  jiass  all 
the  jiowers  of  human  invention.  Some,  perhajis, 
will  think  that  the  subsequent  manifestation  ia 
the  breaking  of  bread  is  stamped  with  a  self- 
evidencing  glory  at  least  equally  great.  Perhaps  it 
is.  Or  that  scene  in  the  apartment  at  Jerusalem, 
where  the  disciples  were  met  the  same  evening, 
when  the  two  who  had  hastened  back  from  Em- 
maus entered  it  to  tell  their  tale  of  transport,  Init 
were  anticipated  by  one  equally  thrilling,  and  while 
they  M'ere  all  unburdening  themselves,  breathless 
witli  joy,  the  Eedeemer  made  His  own  appearance 
in  the  midst  of  them !  But  the  dithculty  of  deciding 
which  is  most  life-like  arises  from  the  multitude 
of  such  scenes,  whose  reality  those  j)hotOfrraphic 
Eecords  have  ]irinted  indelibly  on  the  minds  of  all 
unsophisticated  readers  in  every  age  and  all  lands. 
And  what  those  Records  do  not  relate  bears  higher 
testimony  to  them,  perhaps,  than  even  their  posi- 
tive statements.  Apocryphal  Gosiiels  would  have 
been  ready  enough  to  tell  us  what  passed  between 
the  risen  Redeemer  and  the  disciple  who  thrice 
denied  Him,  at  their  first  meeting  on  the  resurrec- 
tion-morn. But  while  only  one  of  the  Fqm-  Evan- 
gelists notices  the  fact  at  all,  even  from  him  all  the 
information  we  have  is  contained  in  the  thrilling 
announcement  by  the  company  assembled  in  the 
evening  to  the  two  from  Emmaus,  "The  Lord  is 
risen  indeed,  and  hath  appeared  to  Simon!'''  Not 
for  the  pierplexed  only  do  we  recur  to  this  subject 


Return  of  the 

LUKE  XXIV. 

Eleven  to  J 

eriisaJem. 

53  him,  and  returned  to  JeniScalem  with  great  joy : 
the  temple,  pi-aising  and  blessing  God.     Amen. 

and 

were 

continually  "in 

A.  D.  3:1. 

"  Acts  2.  40. 

again  and  again.  To  look  into  these  tilings  is  an 
exercise  as  liealtliv  as  delightful  to  those  who  love 
the  Lord  Jesus.  For  thus  do  we  find  ourselves  in 
the  midst  of  them;  and  the  views  which  such 
scenes  disclose  to  us  of  the  person  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  His  Work  in  the  flesh,  His  dying  love.  His 
resurrection-power  and  glory,  have  such  a  lilstori- 
cal  form  as  imparts  to  them  undying  life,  immortal 
youth  and  beauty.  2.  How  often  in  hours  of  dark- 
est despondency  are  the  disciples  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
favoured  with  His  ra-escnce,  though  their  eyes  for 
a  time  are  holden  that  they  shall  not  know  Him? 
For  all  He  does,  perhaps,  at  such  seasons  is  to  keep 
them  from  sinking,  and  cheer  them  with  hopes  of 
relief,  through  the  talk,  it  may  be,  of  some  friend 
who  speaks  to  their  case  and  reminds  them  of  for 
gotten  truths  and  promises.  But  this  is  itself  re- 
lief enoiigh  to  be  sweet  in  the  meantime;  and 
dimly  though  Himself  may  be  discerned  in  all  this, 
the  feeling  which  it  begets  finds  vent  in  such 
strains  as  these, — 

'  Abide  with  me  from  morn  to  eve, 

For  -n-ithout  Thee  I  cannot  live: 

Abide  with  me  when  nij^iit  is  niyh. 

For  without  Tliee  1  cannot  die.'— Kkui.r. 

But  there  are  times  M'hen  the  presence  of  Jesus 
makes  itself  almost  as  manifest  as  when  the 
eyes  of  the  two  at  Emmaus  were  opened  and 
tiiey  knew  Him.  And  never,  perhaps,  more 
than  "in  the  breaking  of  bread."  It  was  in- 
deed a  common  meal  which  those  two  prepared 
for  their  unknown  Guest.  But  Plis  taking  the 
place  of  Master  at  their  own  table,  and  His  "tak- 
ing the  bread,  and  blessing,  and.  breaking,  and 
giving  to  them  " — bringing  up  the  whole  scene  of  the 
Last  8up]  ler,  and  disclosing  to  thejn  in  this  Guest 
their  own  risen  Loi-d  —  converted  it  into  a  com- 
munion in  the  most  exalted  sense.  And  thus 
sometimes,  when  we  sit  down  to  that  table  which 
He  hath  ordered  to  bespread,  with  no  higher  feel- 
ing at  the  uiomeut  than  of  simple  obedience  to  a 
commanded  duty.  He  "makes  Himself  known  to  us 
in  the  breaking  of  bread"  as  evidently  as  if  Him- 
self said  to  lis  with  His  own  lips,  "This  is  my 
body  which  is  broken  for  thee.  This  cup  is  the 
New  Testament  in  my  blood  shed  for  many,  for 
the  remission  of  sins ;  drink  thou  and  all  of  it. "  But 
such  vivid  disclosures  of  Jesus  to  the  spirit,  like 
cordials  to  a  sinking  frame,  are  not  what  we  live 
upon ;  and  just  as,  wlien  the  end  was  answered.  He 
vanished  out  of  the  sight  of  the  two  wondering 
disciples,  and,  when  on  tlie  mount  of  transfigura- 
tion the  voice  was  past,  Jesus  was  left  alone,  the 
glory  gone,  and  Jesus  only,  as  before,  v.'ith  the 
three  astonished  disciples— so  are  we  left  to  go 
up  through  this  wilderness  leaning  on  our  Beloved 
through  the  medium  of  the  ivord,  of  which  Jesus 
Himself  says,  "  Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth  : 
Thy  word  is  truth."  3.  What  a  testimony  to  the 
(Heine  authoriti/  and  erain/elical  sense  of  the  Old 
Testament  Scriptures  have  we  in  the  expositions 
of  them  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  first  to  the  two  going 
to  Emmaus,  and  afterwards  to  the  comyiany  of 
disciples  assembled  at  Jerusalem  on  the  same 
evening  of  the  resurrection-day?  He  who  denies, 
or  would  explain  away,  either  of  these — and  both 
ceitainly  stand  or  fall  together  —  must  settle  it 
with  Christ  Himself;  but  with  those  who,  in  our 
day,  disjiute  even  His  authority,  and  yet  call  them- 
selves Christians,  this  is  not  the  place  to  dispute 
—nor,  perhaps,  would  it  be  of  much  avail.  But, 
4.  Who  that  reads  with  simple  faith  what  is  here 
written  of  Clirist's  direct  access  to  the  human 
345 


spirit,  and  power  to  open  its  faculties  to  the  re- 
ception of  truth  (r.  4;5),  can  doubt  His   pro]ier 
Divinity?    It  is,  indeed,  no  more  than  He  is  said 
to  have  done  to  Lydia  (sec  on  Acts  xvi.  14);  nor  is 
it  more  than  the  father  of  the  lunatic  boy  ascribed 
to  Him  with  tears  (see  on  Mark  ix.  24);  and  we 
must  get  rid  of  the  whole  Gospel  History  ere  we 
can  free  ourselves  of   the  necessity  of  believing 
that  Jesus  has  this  glorious  power  over  the  human 
heart.     But  to  free  ourselves  from  this  obligation 
we  want  not.     It  is  our  joy  that  it  is  v;ritten  in 
the  Evangelical  Narrative  as  with  a  sunbeam,  and 
reflected  in  all  the  subsequent  writings  of  the  New 
Testament.     But  for  this,  who  would  commit  the 
keeping  of  his  eternal  all  to  Him?    But  "  we  know 
in  Whom  we  have  believed,  and  are  persuaded 
that  He  is  alile  to  keep  that  which  we  have  com- 
mitted unto  Him  against  that  day"  (see  on  2  Tim. 
i.  12).     5.  The  identity  of  the  Eisen  with  the  Cruci- 
fied body  of  the  Lord  Jesiis  is  beyond  all_ doubt 
what  our  Lord   intended  to    convince    His   dis- 
ciples of,  by  eating  before  them,  and  by  showing 
them  His  hands  and  His  feet,  with  "the  piint 
of  the  nails."    This  is  a  truth  of  unspeakable  im- 
Ijortance,  and  delightful  beyond  the  power  of  lan- 
guage to  express.     The  varying  forms  in  which  He 
appeared  to  the  disciples,  in  consequence  of  which 
He  was   not  always    immediately  recognized   by 
them,  suggests  the  high  probability  that  the  resur- 
rection bodies  of  the  saints  too  will  possess  the 
same  or  analogous  properties;  and  the  conjecture 
that  a  process  of  progressive  glorification  during 
the  forty  days  of  His  sojourn  on  earth,  and  con- 
summated as  He  "  went  uj)  where  He  was  before" 
— though  it  derives  but  slender  support  from  the 
words  of  John  XX.  17,  "  I  tim  not  yet  ascended" — 
may  possibly  have  something  in  it.  _  Butoue  little 
fact  speaks  volumes  on  the  i)erfect  identity  of  the 
Eisen  Jesus  Himself  with  Him  who  in  the  days  of 
His  flesh  endeared  Himself  to  the  disciples  in  the 
familiar  intercourses  of  life — that  when  His  ap- 
peaiance  in  the  garden  quite  deceived  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, tliat  one  word  ''Mary.'"  fixed  His  identity 
to  her  beyond  what  all  other  proofs  perhaiis  couhl 
have  done  (see  on  John  xx.  l(j).     And  is  it  beyond 
the  bounds  of  legitimate  inference  from  this,  that 
personcd  recognition,  implymg  of  course  the  vivid 
recollection   of  those   scenes   of    the  present   life 
which  constitute   the  ties  of  dearest  fellowship, 
will  be  found  so  to  connect  the  future  with  the 
pi'esent  state — the  perfection  and  glory  of  the  one 
with  the  weakness,  and  wants,  and  tears,  and  vani- 
ties of  the  other— as  to  make  it  for  ever  delight- 
fully manifest  that  with  all  its  glory  it  is  but  the 
efflorescence  of  the  iiresent  life  of  the  redeemed? 
0.  And  Thou  art  gone  up  to  the  Father,  0  Thcu 
whom  my  soul  loveth !    It  is  Thy  pro)  er  home. 
Thou   hast  but  ascended  up  where   Thou  wast 
before.     And  it  was  expedient  for  us  that  Thou 
shouldst  go  away.     For  otherwise  the  Comforter 
would  not  have  come.     But  He  is  come.     Thou 
hast  sent  Him  to  us  ;  and  He  hath  glorified  Thee 
as  Thou  never  wast  nor,  without  Him,  would  have 
been  in  the  Church.     Now,  repentance  and  remis- 
sion of  sins  is  in  course  of  being  preached  in  Thy 
name  among  all  nations.     Beginning  at  Jerusalem, 
bloody  Jerusalem,  it  shall  reach  in  its  triumphs 
the  most  desperate  cases  of  human  guilt.      But 
Thou  shalt  come  again,  and  receive  us  to  Thyself, 
that  where    Thou  art  we    may  be    also.      Even 
so,  come.  Lord   Jesus!    The    grace  of   our  Lord 
Jesus   Christ  be  with  all  that  read  these  lines. 
Amen. 


THE    GOSPEL    ACCORDING    TO 

ST.  JOHN. 


II 


'was  tlie  Word,  and  the  Word  was  ^witli  God,  '^and 
the  Word  was  God.  The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God. 
?>  All  things  were  made  by  him ;  and  without  him  was  not  any  thing  made 
4  that  was  made.     In  him  was  life;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men. 


CHAP.  1. 
"  Rev.  19.  13. 
6  Zee.  13.  7. 
"  Isa.  9.  6. 

ch.  10.  39. 

Phil.  2.  6. 


CHAP.  I.  1-18.— The  Word  Made  Flesh. 
As  the  Fourth  Gospel  was  not  written  xintil  the 
other  three  had  become  the  household  words  and 
daily  bread  of  the  Chnrch  of  Christ— thus  prepar- 
in<^  it,  as  babes  are  by  milk,  for  the  strong  meat  of 
this  final  Gosi)el — so,  even  in  this  Gospel,  the  great 
key-note  of  it,  that  "'  l^he  Word  tvas  made  Flesh" 
is  not  sounded  until,  by  thirteen  introductory 
verses,  the  reader  has  been  raised  to  the  altitude 
and  attempered  to  the  air  of  so  stupendous  a 
truth.  1.  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and 
the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God. 

Thi-ee  great  things  are  here  said  of  The  Word : 

First,  flewas  '"in  the  beginning"  [ew«,ox!)  =  n';rsn3^ 
Gen.  i.  1].  Thus  does  oiir  Evangelist  commence 
his  Gospel  with  the  ojiening  words  of  the  book  of 
Genesis.  Only,  as  Mei/er  remarks,  he  raises  the  his- 
torical concej^itiou  of  the  phrase,  which  in  Genesis 
denotes  the  first  moment  of  thiie,  to  the  absolute 
idea  of  2^'''''-f^^^^2^oraUf>j.  That  the  words  "In 
the  beginning"  are  here  meant  to  signify,  'Before 
all  time '  and  all  created  existence,  is  evident  from 
?'.  S,  where  all  creation  is  ascribed  to  this  Word, 
who  Himself,  therefore,  is  regarded  as  uncreated 
and  eternal.     See  ch.  xvii.  5,  2-1 ;  Col.  i.  17. 

Second,  The  Word  "was  with  God"  [irpos  tov 
Qeoi/].  This  conveys  two  ideas — that  He  '  had  a 
conscious  personal  existence  distinct  from  God,' 
as  one  is  distiuct  from  the  person  he  is  "  with ;" 
and  that  He  '  was  associated  with  Him  in  mutual 
fellowship.'  See  on  r.  18,  and  observe  Zee.  xiii. 
7,  "My  Fellow,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts"  ['^V?., 
^ 3fy  Associate'].  01>serve,  that  He  who  is  called 
"God"  here,  is  in  1  John  i.  1,  2,  called  "The 
Father:" — "The  Word  of  Life  (says  this  same 
exalted  penman)  was  with  the  Father,  and  was 
manifested  unto  us."  And  such  is  the  familiar 
language  of  Scripture,  with  resiiect  to  Him  who 
absolutely  is  "God,"  but  personalli/,  and  relatively 
to  the  Son,  is  "  the  Father." 

Third,  The  Word  "was  God"  [Oeos  yv  6  Xoyos]. 
No  other  translation  of  this  great  clause  is  gram- 
matically i^ossible.  Even  should  the  order  of  the 
original  words  be  retained  (as  in  Luther's  German 
version) — "  and  God  was  the  Word,"  the  seuse 
will  still  be  the  same:  'and  God  the  Word  was.' 
But  this  is  against  the  genius  of  the  English  lan- 
guage. _ 

Each  of  these  three  pregnant  statements  is  the 
complement  of  the  other;  each  successive  one  cor- 
recting any  misai)prehension  to  which  the  others 
might  give  rise.  Thus :  The  Word,  says  the  Evan- 
gelist, was  eternal.  Yet  this  was  not  the  eter- 
nity of  the  Father,  nor  the  eternity  of  a  mere  at- 
tribute of  the  Father,  but  of  One  who  is  con- 
sciously and  personally  distinct  from,  and  asso- 
ciated "with,  the  Father.  But  neither  is  this  the 
distinctness  and  fellowship  of  two  different  Beings 
^as  if  there  were  a  plurality  of  Gods,  but  of  two 
subsistences  in  the  one  absolute  Godhead;  in 
such  sort  that  the  absolute  Unity  of  the  God- 
head— the  great  principle  of  all  Religion — instead 
34G 


of  being  thereby  compromised,  is  only  transferred 
from  the  region  of  shadowy  abstraction  to  that 
of  warm  personal  life  and  love. 

But  why  all  these  sharji  definitions?  it  maybe 
asked.  Not  to  tell  us  of  certain  mvsterious  in- 
ternal distinctions  in  the  Godhead,  which  but  for 
the  Incarnation  could  never,  perhaps,  have  been 
apjirehended  at  all ;  but  for  the  purpose  of  throw- 
ing light  upon  that  stupendous  assumption  of  our 
nature  about  to  be  announced,  even  as  that  as- 
sumption throws  light  back  again  upon  the  eternal 
distinctions  and  fellowships  of  the  Godhead. 

2.  The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God. 
Here  the  first  and  second  statements  are  com- 
bined into  one ;  emphatically  reiterating  the 
eternal  distinctness  of  the  Word  from  Gotl 
("the  Father"),  and  His  association  with  Him 
in  the  Unity  of  the  Godhead.  But  now  what 
does  this  ])eculiar  title  '"The  Word"  imjiort? 
The  sim]ilest  explanation  of  it,  we  think,  is  this : 
that  what  a  man's  v)ord  is  to  himself — the  index, 
manifestation,  or  expression  of  himself  to  others^ 
such,  in  some  faint  sense,  is  "The  Word"  in  rela- 
tion to  God;  "  He  hath  declared  Him"  {r.  18).  For 
the  origin  and  growth  of  this  coucejition,  see  Ee- 
mark  3  at  the  close  of  this  Section.  So  much  for 
the  Person  of  The  Word.  Now  for  His  actings.  3. 
All  things  were  made  by  him— that  is,  "  all  things" 
in  the  most  absolute  sense ;  as  the  next  clause  is 
intended  to  make  evident ;  and  without  him  was 
not  any  thing  made  that  was  made  [ohoh  ev  '6 
yeyovev].  The  statement  is  most  em])hatic — 
'  without  Him  was  not  one  thing  made  that 
hath  been  made.'  To  blunt  the  force  of  this, 
it  is  alleged  that  the  word  "by"  [oia]  in 
"by  him"  here  means  no  more  than  'through,' 
or  '  by  means  of ' — in  the  seuse  of  subordinate 
instrumentality,  not  efficient  agency.  But  this 
same  preposition  is  once  and  again  used  in  the 
New  lestameut  of  God's  own  efficient  agency  in 
the  production  of  all  things.  Thus,  Rom.  xi.  3l5, 
"Of  Him"  [ej] — as  their  eternal  Source — "and 
through  Him"  [^t'ai/Toi;]— by  His  efficient  Agency 
• — "and  to  Him"  [eis]— as  their  last  End — "are 
all  things."  And  in  Col.  i.  IG  the  creation  of  all 
things — in  the  most  absolute  sense  and  in  the  way 
of  efficient  agency — is  ascribed  to  Christ :  "For  by 
Him  [ef  ai)Tw\  were  created  all  things"  frfi  Trai/T-aJ 
— that  is,  the  entire  universality  of  created  things, 
as  the  all-comprehensive  details  that  follow  are  in- 
tended to  show — "whether  they  le  thrones,  or 
dominions,  or  principalities,  or  powers:  all  things 
were  created  /?/  Him  and  for  Him"  {ra-Travraoi' 
auTov  Kal  eh  avTOv  CKTicnai].  See  also  Heb.  i.  10-12, 
where  creation,  in  the  most  alisolute  sense,  is 
ascribed  to  Christ.  4.  In  him  was  life.  From 
simple  creation,  or  calling  into  existence,  the  Evan- 
gelist now  advances  to  a  higher  idea — the  commu- 
nication of  life.  But  he  begins  by  announcing  its 
essential  and  original  existence  in  Himself,  in 
virtue  of  which  He  became  the  gi-eat  Fontal  Prin- 
ciple of  life  in  all  living,  but  specially  iu  the  high- 


The  divinity,  humanity, 


JOHN  I. 


end  office  of  Jesiis  Christ. 


5  And  ''the  liglit  shiuetli  iu  darkness;   and  the  darkness  comprehended 

it  not. 
6,      There  ^was  a  man  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was  John.     The  same 

7  came  for  a  witness,  to  bear  witness  of  the  Light,  that  all  men  through 

8  him  might  believe.     He  ■'was  not  that  Light,  but  was  sent  to  bear  witness 
of  that  Light. 

9  IViat  "'was  the  tme  Light,  wliich  lighteth  every  man  that  cometli  into 

10  the  world.     He  was  in  the  world,  and  ''the  world  was  made  by  him,  and 

11  the  world  knew  him  not.     He  *came  unto  his  own,  and  his  own  received 

12  him  not     But  •'as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  ^ power  to 


'  ch.  3.  19. 
Mai.  3.  1. 
Acts  IS.  25. 
Isa.  49.  6. 
Ps.  33.  6. 
1  Cor.  8.  6. 
Luke  ly.l+. 
Isa.  56.  5. 
Eora  8.  15. 
Gal.  3.  20. 
Or,  the 
ri.i:;ht,  or. 
privilege. 


est  sense  of  life.  Accordingly,  He  is  styled  "The 
Word  of  life"  (1  John  i.  1,  2).  and  the  life  was 
the  light  of  men.  It  is  remarkable,  as  Benr/el 
notes,  how  frequently  in  Scriptni-o  llf/hl  and  l/fe, 
on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other,  clarLness  and 
death,  are  associated:  "I  am  the  Light  of  the 
world,"  said  Christ:  "he  th^t  followeth  Me  shall 
not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  liyht  of 
life"  (John  viii.  12).  Contrariwise,  "Yea,  though 
I  walk,"  sings  the  sweet  Psalmist,  "in  the  valley  of 
the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil"  (Ps. 
xxiii.  4).  Compare  Job  x.  21,  22.  Even  of  God, 
it  is  said,  "  Who  only  hath  immorlaliti/,  dwelling 
in  the  liaht  which  no  man  can  approach  unto" 
(1  Tim.  vi.  16).  Here  "the  light  of  men"  seems 
to  denote  all  that  distinctive  light  in  men  which 
Hows  from  the  life  given  them  —  intellectual, 
moral,  spiritual:  *'For  with  Thee,"  says  the 
Psalmist,  "is  the  fountain  of  life :  in  Thy  lif/ht  shall 
we  see  light"  (Ps.  xxxvi.  9).  5.  And  the  light 
shineth  in  darkness— that  is,  in  this  dark  fallen 
world ;  for  though  the  Life  was  the  light  of  men," 
they  were  "sitting  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of 
death  "  when  He  came  of  whom  our  Evangelist  is 
aljout  to  speak,  with  no  ability  to  find  the  Avay 
either  of  truth  or  of  holiness.  In  this  thick  dark- 
ness, then— in  this  obliquity,  intellectual  and  moral, 
the  light  of  the  Living  Word  "shineth;"  that  is, 
by  all  the  rays  of  natural  or  revealed  teaching 
with  which  men  were  favoured  before  the  Incarna- 
tion, and  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not 
\ou  KaTeXaliev] — 'did  uot  take  it  in.'  Compare 
Horn.  i.  2S,  "They  did  not  like  to  retain  God  in 
their  knowledge."  Thus  does  our  Evangelist,  by 
hinting  at  the  inefficacy  of  all  the  strivings  of  the 
unincarnate  Word,  gradually  jiave  the  way  for  the 
announcement  of  that  final  remedy — the  Incarna- 
tion.    Com|iare  1  Cor.  i.  21. 

6.  There  was  a  man  sent  from  God,  whose  name 
was  John.  In  approaching  his  grand  thesis— the 
historical  manifestation  of  the  Word— our  Evan- 
gelist begins  with  him  who  was  at  once  a  herald  to 
announce  Him  and  &foil  to  set  off  His  surpassing 
glory.  This — by  the  way — is  sufficient  to  show  that 
the  five  foregoing  verses  are  not  to  be  understood 
of  the  Incarnate  Word,  or  of  Christ's  life  and  ac- 
tions while  He  was  upon  the  earth  ;  as  is  alleged, 
not  by  Socinians  only,  Init  by  some  sound  critics 
too — over-jealous  of  anything  that  seems  to  savour 
of  the  mystical,  metaphysical,  or  transcendental 
in  Scripture.  7.  The  same  came  for  a  witness — 
{eis  fj.upTvpiav\ — rather,  '  for  witness,'  to  bear  wit- 
ness of  the  Light,  that  all  men  through  him  (John) 
might  believe.  8.  He  was  not  that  Light— rather, 
'TheLight'[xo'I'o;)«],'but  [was  sent]  to  bear  witness 
of  that — or  '  The'  Light.  Noble  testimony  this  to 
John,  that  it  should  be  necessary,  or  even  per- 
tinent, to  explain  that  he  was  not  T*he  Light !  But 
John  found  it  necessary  himself  to  make  this  dis- 
avowal {v.  19-21) ;  and  cei'tainly  none  could  be  more 
deeply  penetrated  and  affected  by  the  contrast 
between  himself  and  his  blessed  Master  than  he. 
347 


(See  on  Luke  iii.  15,  16;  and  on  John  iii.  27-34.) 
From  the  very  first  he  saw  and  rejoiced  to  think 
that  his  own  night-taper  was  to  wax  dim  before 
the  Day-spring  from  on  high  (ch.  iii.  oO). 

9.  That  was  the  true  Light,  which  lighteth  every 
man  that  cometh  into  the  world.  So  certainly 
this  verse  may  be  rendered  (with  most  of  the 
Fathers  and  the  Vulgate;  and  of  the  moderns, 
with  Luther,  Erasmus,  Calvin,  Be:a,  Ben(jel, 
Meyer,  van  Osterzee).  But  "coming  into  tl-.e 
world,"  besides  being  rather  a  superfluous,  is 
in  Scripture  quite  an  unusual,  description  of 
"every  man."  [It  has  been  observed  too— and 
the  remark  has  great  force — that  the  article  t()i; 
should  ill  that  case  haA^e  been  inserted  before 
ipXOfj.evoy.']  On  the  other  hand,  of  all  our 
Evangelist's  descriiitions  of  Christ,  none  is  more 
familiar  than  His  "coming  into  the  workl." 
See  ch.  iii.  19;  vi.  14;  xii.  40;  xviii.  37;  and  com- 
pare 1  John  iv.  9;  1  Tim.  i.  15,  &c.  In  this  view 
of  the  words  the  sense  will  be,  '  That  was  the  true 
Light  which,  coming  into  the  world,  light«th  every 
man,'  or  became  "  The  Light  of  the  W  orld."  [So 
substantially  Lampe,  Lucke,  de  Wetfe,  Tholurk, 
Olshausen,  Luthardt,  Ewald,  Alford,  Webster  and 
Wilkinson.}  If  this  be  the  Evangelist's  meaning,  it 
beautifully  carries  on  his  train  of  thought  in  rv. 
4  and  5 :  </.  d, '  The  Life  was  the  Light  of  men;  and 
though  men  resisted  it  when  it  shone  but  faintly 
before  tlie  Incarnation,  yet  when  it  came  into  the 
world  (l:)y  the  Personal  assumiition  of  flesh,  about 
to  be  mentioned),  it  proved  itself  the  one  all- 
illuminating  Light.'  10.  He  was  in  the  world — as 
already  hinted,  and  presently  to  be  more  €xi)Iicitly 
announced,  and  the  world  was  made  by  him— for, 
as  has  been  said,  "  all  things  were  made  by  Him," 
and  the  world  —  that  is,  ^the  intelligent  world, 
knew  him  not.  The  language  here  is  hardly  less 
wonderful  than  the  thought.  Observe  its  compact 
simplicity  and  grand  sonorousness— "tlie  world" 
resounding  in  each  successive  member  of  the  sen- 
tence, and  the  enigmatic  form  in  which  it  is 
couched  startling  the  reader,  and  setting  his  in- 
genuity a-working  to  solve  the  vast  enigma  of 
'The  world's  Maker  treading  on  and  yet  ig- 
nored by  the  world  He  made !  IL  He  came  unto 
his  own  [xa  Uia],  and  his  own  [ol  Uloi].  It  is 
impossible  to  give  in  English  the  full  force  of 
this  verse.  In  the  first  clause  it  is  'His  own 
[things]' — meaning  'His  own  Messianic  rights  and 
possessions : '  in  the  second  clause,  it  is  '  His  own 
[peopk];' meaning  the  peculiar  peo])le  who  were 
the  more  immediate  subjects  of  His  Messianic 
kingdom  (see  on  Matt.  xxii.  1).  received  him  not 
— that  is,  as  a  people;  for  there  were  some  noble 
exceptions,  to  whose  case  the  Evangelist  comes  in 
the  next  clause.  As  for  the  nation,  they  said  of 
Him,  "This  is  the  heir,  come  let  us  kill  Him" 
(Luke  XX.  14).  12.  But  as  many  as  received  him 
— as  many  individuals,  out  of  the  mass  of  that 
"disobedient  and  gainsaying  people,"  as  owned 
and  embraced  Him  in  His  true  character,  to  them 


The  divinity,  humanity, 


JOHN  I. 


caul  office  of  Jesus  Christ. 


13  become  the  sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his  name:  which 
^"were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  tlie  will  of 

14  man,  but  of  God.  And  Hhe  Word  '"was  made  "flesh,  and  dwelt  among 
us,  (and  °we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the 
Father,)  ^fuU  of  gTace  and  truth. 


*  Deut  30.  6. 
i  Matt.  1.  20. 
'"Rom.  1.  3. 
"  Heb.  2.  14. 
"  Isa.  40.  5. 

P  Col.  2.  3,  9. 


cave  lie  power  [egouo-tftj/].  The  ^Yord  signifies 
cither  autltoriUj  ('potestas')  or  ahilitii  ('potentia') 
or  both.  Here  certainly  both  are  iucluded ;  nor  is 
it  easy  to  say  which  is  the  prevailing  shade  of 
thought,  to  become  the  sons  of  God  [xe/ci-a  GeoD] 
^or  rather,  'to  become  children  of  God;' not  in 
name  and  dignity  only,  but  in  nature  also,  as  the 
next  verse  makes  evident,  even  to  tliem  that 
believe  ou  Ms  name  [eis  to  ovofxa  avTod],  This  is 
a  ijhrase  never  tised  of  any  creature  in  Scripture. 
To  'believe  one'  {Tric-TeCew  tivl\  nieaus  to  'give 
credit  to  a  jierson's  testimony.'  This  is  used  not 
only  of  prophets  and  apostles,  but  of  Christ  Him- 
self, to  signify  the  credit  due  to  His  testimony 
(as  ch.  iv.  21;  v.  40,  47).  But  to  'believe  iipon 
one,'  or  '  on  the  name  of  one,'  signities  that  trust 
Avliich  is  proper  to  be  placed  on  God  only;  and 
v/hen  aiiplicd,  as  it  is  here  and  in  so  many  other 
]places,  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  it  signities  that  the  per- 
sons spoken  of  placed  supreme  faith  in  Him.  Eut 
■what  kind  of  sonsliip  is  this  to  which  Christ  intro- 
duces such  believers  in  Him?  The  next  verse  tells 
us.  13.  V/Meli  were  born  [eyewvdnaav].  Observe 
this  word  "born,"  or  'begotten.'  It  was  not  a 
name  only,  a  dignity  only,  which  Christ  conferred 
on  them :  it  was  a  new  birth,  it  was  a  change  of 
nature — the  soul  being  made  conscious,  in  virtue  of 
it,  of  the  vital  capacities,  pei'ceptions,  and  emo- 
tions of  a  '  child  of  God,'  to  wliich  before  it  was  a 
total  stranger.  But  now  for  the  Source  and  Author 
of  that  new  birth— both  negatively  and  positively. 
not  of  blood— not  of  'superior  human  descent,'  as 
we  judge  the  meaning  to  be,  nor  of  the  will  of 
the  flesh— not  of  'human  generation'  at  all,  nor  of 
the  will  of  man — not  of  man  in  any  of  the  ways 
in  which  his  will  biings  anything  about.  By  this 
elaborate,  three-fold  deni;{l  of  the  human  and 
earthly  source  of  this  sonshii>,  how  emphatic  does 
the  following  declaration  of  its  real  source  become! 
but  of  God.  A  souship  strictly  divine,  then,  in  its 
source  this  was  which  Christ  conferred  on  as  many 
as  received  Him.  Eight  royal  gift,  which  Whoso 
confers  must  be  absolutely  Divine.  For  who  would 
not  worship  Him  who  can  briuj^  him  into  the 
family,  and  evoke  within  him  the  life,  of  the  chil- 
dren of  (jod?  Now  comes  the  great  climax, 
to  introduce  and  raise  «3  to  the  altitude 
of  v.-hich  the  foregoing  thirteen  verses  were 
penned. 

14.  And  the  Word  was  made  flesh- -or  'made 
man,''  or  took  Human  Nature  in  its  present  state 
of  frailty  and  inlirmity — in  contrast  Vioth  with 
what  it  was  before  the  fall,  and  with  what  it  will 
be  in  the  state  of  Glory — svithout  refaremie  to 
its  sinfulness.  So  we  read,  "All  flesh  is  Grass" 
(1  Pet.  i.  24) ;  "  I  will  pour  out  my  Spiiit  upon 
all  flesh"  (Acts  ii.  17);  "Thou  hast  given  Him 
]iower  over  all  flesh"  (ch.  xvii.  2);  "All  flesh 
Siiall  see  the  salvation  of  God"  (Liike  iii.  6).  In 
this  sense  the  word  '"flesh"  is  aiiplied  to  Christ's 
human  nature  liefore  His  resurrection  in  Hek  v.  7, 
''  Who  in  the  days  of  His  flesh,"  &,c.  And  this 
is  plainly  the  meaning  of  "flesh"  here — 'The 
Word  was  made,'  or  became  Man,  in  the  pres- 
ent condition  of  manhood,  apart  from  its  sinful- 
ness in  us.  The  other  sense  of  "flesh"  as  ap- 
plied to  man  in  Scrijiture — '  human  nature  iinder 
the  law  of  sin  and  death,'  as  in  Gen.  vi.  3 ;  John 
iii.  G ;  Eom.  vii.  viii.  —  is  wholly  inapplicable 
34S 


to  Him  who  was  born  "  the  Holy  Thing;" 
who  in  life  was  "holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  sepa- 
rate from  sinners;"  and  who  in  death  "oftered 
Himself  without  _  spot  to  God."  Thus,  by  His 
Incarnation,  married  to  our  nature.  He  is  hence- 
forth and  for  ever  pei'sonaliy  conscious  of  all  that 
is  strictly  human,  as  ti-uly  as  of  all  that  is  pro- 
perly divine  ;  and  our  nature  in  His  Person  is  re- 
deemed and  quickened,  ennobled  and  transflgured. 
This  glorious  statement  of  our  Evangelist  was 
probably  dii'ccted  specially  against  those  who 
alleged  that  Christ  took  flesh  not  really,  but  only 
apparently  (afterwards  called  '' Docetce',  or  advo- 
cates of  'the  apparent  theory').  Against  these 
this  gentle  spirit  is  vehement  in  his  Epistles — 1 
John  iv.  3;  2  John  7,  10,  II.  Nor  could  he  be 
too  miich  so;  for  v.ith  the  vei'ity  of  the  Incarna- 
tion all  that  is  sulistantial  in  Christianity  van- 
ishes, and  dwelt  among  us  [eai^i'iuwaev  ev  I'lfiivX 
The  word  strictly  signities  'tabernacled'  or  'pitched 
His  tent;'  a  word  peculiar  to  Joliu,  who  uses  it 
four  times  in  the  Eevelation — and  in  every  case 
in  the  sense,  not  of  a  temporary  sojoiu'n,  as  might 
be  supposed,  but  of  a  permanent  stay:  Eev.  vii. 
15,  "  Therefore  are  they  befoi'e  the  Throne  of  God, 
and  serve  Him  day  and  night  in  His  temple,  and 
He  that  sitteth  upon  the  Throne  shall  diceU, 
[(Tk-j)i'a)cret]  among  them;"  and  ch.  xxi.  3,  "And  1 
heard  a  great  voice  out  of  heaven,  saying.  Behold, 
the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  nreu,  and  He  will 
dwell  [<yKj]vu>GeL\  wth  them."  (So  Rev.  xii.  12;  xiii. 
6.)  Thus,  then,  is  He  wedded  for  ever  to  our 
flesh;  He  has  entered  this  tabernacle  to  go  no 
more  out.  Biit  the  spcciflc  allusion  in  this  word 
is  doubtless  to  that  tabernacle  where  dwelt  the 
Shechinah,  as  the  Jews  called  the  manifested 
"glory  of  the  Lord"  (see  on  Matt,  xxiii.  38,  39): 
and  this  again  shadowed  forth  God's  glorious 
residence,  in  the  person  of  Christ,  in  the  midst  of 
His  redeemed  people:  Ps.  Ixviii.  18,  "Thou  hast 
ascended  on  liigli,  Thou  hast  led  captivity  captive : 
Thou  hast  received  gifts  for  men ;  j-ea,  for  the 
rebellious  also,  that  the  Lord  God  might  dwell 
[among  them]"  ho'iV,  tou  KUTaa-Kiivwarcu].  See 
also  Lev.  xxvi.  11,  12,  "And  I  will  set  my  taber- 
nacle among  yon,  and  my  soul  shall  not  abhor 
you.  And  I  will  M^alk  among  you,  and  be  your 
God,  and  ye  shall  be  my  people;"  and  Ps.  cxxxii. 
13,  14 ;  Ezek.  xxxvii.  27.  That  all  this  was  before 
the  Evangelist's  mind,  is  p\it  almost  beyond  doubt 
by  what  immediately  follows.  So  JLiicke,  OU- 
Itausen,  Meyer,  de  Wette — which  last  critic,  rising 
higher  than  usual,  says  that  thus  were  perfected 
all  former  partial  manifestations  of  God  in  an 
essentially  personal  and  historically  human  mani- 
festation, (and  we  beheld  his  glory.  The  word 
[edeaac'cfj.£6a]  is  more  emphatic  than  the  simple 
"saw"  [euuifiev]:  'This  glory,'  the  Evangelist 
would  say,  'was  revealed  to  our  gaze;  yet  not  to 
se/ise,  which  saw  in  Him  only  "the  cai'penter" — 
no,  it  was  spiritually  discei-ued'  (1  Cor.  ii.  14). 
Hence  it  was  that  Peter's  noble  testimony  is 
ascribed,  by  Him  who  knew  its  Som-ce,  to  Divine 
teaching  (Matt.  xvi.  16,  17).  the  glory  as  [(is]  of 
the  only  begotten  of  the  Father)— not  a  glory 
'resembling'  or  'like  to;'  but,  according  to  a 
well-known  sense  of  the  word,  a  glory  'such 
as  became'  or  'was  befitting'  the  Only  begotten  of 
the  Father.    (So  Chrysostom,  Calrin,  Lucke,  Tho- 


The  Baptist's  testimony 


JOHN  I. 


to  Jesus  Christ. 


15  John  bare  witness  of  him,  and  cried,  saying,  This  was  he  of  whom  I 
sjDake,  He  that  cometh  after  me  is  preferred  before  me:    ^for  he  was 

16  before  me.     And  of  his  ''fuhiess  have  all  we  received,  and  grace  for  grace. 

17  For  the  *Law  was  given  by  Moses,  ^but  gTace  and  "truth  came  by  Jesus 
Christ. 


A.  D.  30. 

9  Col.  1.  ir. 

''  Eph.  1.  (i. 
«  Ex.  20.  1. 
«  Eom.  5.  21 
"  ch.  14.  6. 


luc!:,  Olshauseti,  &c.)  Ou  the  meauins  of  the  ■word 
"Only  begotten"  [novoy€vii<i\  see  on  v.  IS.  But 
the  whole  ijhrase  is  expressed  somewhat  x>eciiliarly 
here:  it  is  'the  Only  begotten' — not  of  [sk],  but 
'[forth]  from  the  Father'  [irapa  IlaT^os];  on  the 
sense  of  which,  see  on  v.  18.  full  of  grace  and 
truth.  Our  translators  have  here  followed  the 
grammatical  construction  of  the  verse,  connecting 
this  last  clause  with  "the  Word"  [o  Aoyos — 
7r/\?;p)/9],  audthiis  throwing  the  intermediate  words 
into  a  long  parenthesis.  Bxit  if  we  take  it  other- 
wise, and  view  this  last  as  an  independent  clause, 
not  uniisual  in  the  New  Testament,  and  not  re- 
f'uiring  to  be  grainmaticaUy  connected  with  any 
of  the  preceding  words— which  we  prefer  —  the 
sense  will  still  be  the  same.  These  words  "Grace 
and  Truth" — or  in  Old  Testament  phraseology, 
' '  JSIercy  and  Truth " — are  the  gi-eat  key-notes  of  the 
Bible.  By  "grace"  is  meant  'the  whole  riches  of 
God's  redeeming  love  to  sinners  of  mankind  in 
Christ.'  Up  to  the  pei-iod  of  the  Incarnation,  this 
was,  strictly  speaking,  only  \n  promise;  but  in  the 
fulness  of  time  it  was  turned  into  performance  or 
"truth" — that  is,  fulfilment.  The  Old  Testa- 
ment word,  "Mercy,"  denotes  the  rich  Messianic 
]_iromises  made  to  David;  while  "Truth"  stands 
tor  God's  faithfulness  to  these  promises.  Thus, 
Psalm  Ixxxix.  sings,  almost  from  beginning  to  end, 
of  these  two  things,  and  pleads  iiiion  them,  as  the 
t\\'o  great  features  of  one  and  the  same  thing :  "  I 
will  sing  of  the  mercies  of  the  Lord  for  ever:  wath 
my  mouth  will  I  make  known  thy  faithfidness  to  all 
generations.  For  I  have  said,  Mercy  shall  be  built 
up  for  ever:  thj  faithfulness  shalt  thou  establish  in 
the  very  heavens.  I  have  found  David  my  servant 
.  .  .  my  faithfulness  and  my  mercy  shall  be  with 
Him.  My  loving-kindness  will  I  not  utterly  take 
from  Him,  nor  suffer  my  faithfulness  to  fail.  0 
Lord,  where  are  thy  former  loving-kindnesses  which 
thou  swearest  nuto  David  in  thy  truth?"  And, 
not  to  quote  more  passages,  in  one  great  word  of 
the  evangelical  i»rophet,  and  in  one  of  his  richest 
evan.gelical  predictions,  we  have  both  ideas  com- 
bined in  that  one  now  familiar  expression,  "The 
Sure  Mercies  of  David."  (Isa.  Iv.  3  ;  see  also  Acts 
xiii.  34;  2  Sam.  xxiii.  5.)  In  Christ's  Person  all 
that  Grace  and  Truth  which  had  for  long  ages 
been  floating  in  shadowy  forms,  and  darting  into 
the  souls  of  the  poor  and  needy  its  broken  beams, 
took  everlasting  possession  of  human  flesh,  and 
filled  it  full.  By  this  Incarnation  of  Grace  and 
Truth,  the  teaching  of  thousands  of  years  was  at 
once  transcended  and  beggared,  and  the  family  of 
God  sprang  into  manhood. 

15.  Jolm  tare  witness  of  him,  and  cried— in 
testimony  of  the  certainty  and  grandeur  of  the 
triith  he  was  pioclaiming,  and  the  deep  interest  of 
all  in  it.  The  strict  sense  of  the  words  {napTvpel 
KOI  KSKnayev]  is,  'beareth  witness  and  hath  cried;' 
as  if  the  testimony  were  still  continued  and  the 
cry  still  resoimding.  But  such  delicate  shades  of 
meaning  cannot  easily  be  conveyed  in  any  toleralde 
translation,  saying,  This  was  he  of  whom  I  spake, 
He  that  cometh  after  me  is  preferred  before  me 

f'O  OTricTio  ixov  epx6fxevo9  e/xTrp otrOJv  /xov  yeyoveu]  or 
better,  perhaps,  'has  got  before  (that  is,  'above') 
me.'  for  he  was  before  me  [-Trpaj-ros  fj.ov].  Our 
translators  h&\e  here  xised  one  English  word, 
"before,"  to  convey  the  sense  of  two  different 
349 


Greek  vrords — the  one  [ifxirpoadev]  primarily  signi- 
fying 'before'  in  respect  of  place,  and  here  of 
ofUcicd  rank;  the  other  [Trpw-ros]  'before' in  point 
of  time.  Nor  would  it  be  easy  to  improve  the 
translation  without  either  marring  the  intentional 
terseness  of  the  saying  by  too  many  words,  or 
departing  from  the  chaste  simjilicity  required  in 
any  version  of  the  Scriptures,  and  so  characteristic 
of  ours.  Were  we  to  render  it,  'My  Successor  has 
become  my  Su]ierior,  for  He  ■was  my  Predecessor,' 
we  should,  indeed,  convey  to  the  mere  English 
reader  some  idea  of  the  enigmcUic  chai'acter  and 
quaint  structure  of  the  sayin";,  but  we  should  fail 
to  convey  the  true  sense  of  the  statement ;  for 
Christ,  though  posterior  to  John,  was  in  no  sense 
his  Successor,  and  though  jn-ior  to  Him  was  in 
no  projier  sense  his  Predecessor.  Doubtless,  this 
enigmatic  play  upon  the  ditterent  senses  of  the 
words  "before"  and  "after"  was  purposely  de- 
vised by  the  Baptist  to  startle  his  readers,  to  set 
their  ingenuity  a-working  to  resolve  his  riddle, 
and  when  found,  to  rivet  the  truth  conveyed  by  it 
upon  their  mind  and  memory.  It  may  here  be 
observed,  that  though  it  was  no  part  of  our  Evan- 
gelist's plan  to  relate  in  detail  the  calling  and 
ministry  of  John  the  Bai)tist — that  having  been 
sufficiently  done  in  the  preceding  Gospels  —  he 
studiously  introduces  all  his  weightiest  testimonies 
to  his  blessed  Master;  and  the  one  now  given 
seems  to  have  been  suggested  by  what  had  just 
been  said  of  the  glory  of  the  Only  be.gotten,  and 
designed  to  confirm  it.  16.  And  of  his  fulness — 
that  is,  of  grace  and  truth;  resuming  the  thread 
of  V.  14,  which  had  only  been  interrupted  for 
the  pur]iose  of  inserting  'that  testimony  of  John, 
have  all  we  received,  and  grace  for  grace  [x^V'"^ 
avrl  •)(ap'.TO's\ — that  is,  as  we  say,  '  grace  upon 
grace;'  in  successive  communications  and  larger 
measures,  as  each  was  able  to  take  it  in.  So  the 
best  critics understand  the  clause;  other  and  older 
interi:)retations  are  less  natural,  and  not  more  ac- 
cordant with  the  Greek.  The  word  "  truth,"  it 
will  be  observed,  is  droiit  here;  and  "Grace" 
stands  alone,  as  the  chosen  New  Testament  word 
for  "all  si)iritual  blessings"  with  which  believers 
are  emiched  out  of  the  fulness  of  Christ.  17.  For 
the  Law  was  given  by  Moses,  but  grace  and  truth 
came  by  Jesus  Christ.  The  law  is  here  placed  in 
opposition  both  to  "grace"  and  to  "truth" — but 
in  different  respects,  of  course.  The  law  is  oji- 
posed  to  grace  only  in  that  sense  in  which  the  law 
contains  no  grace.  "  The  law,"  says  the  apostle, 
"  worketh  wrath"  (Rom.  iv.  15),  that  is,  against  all 
who  break  it;  pronouncing  a  curse  uxwn  "every  one 
that  continueth  not  in  all  things  which  are  written 
in  the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them "  (Gal.  iii.  10). 
If,  then,  under  Moses,  there  was  any  grace  for  the 
guilty,  it  could  not  issue  out  of  the  bosom  of  tlie 
law,  as  a  proclamation  of  moral  duty;  for  "by  the 
deeds  of  the  law  there  shall  no  flesh  be  justified  in 
His  sight,  for  by  the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin" 
(Rom.  iii.  20).  I5ut  the  law  was  not  given  only  to 
condemn.  It  "had  a  shadow  of  good  things  to 
come,  though  not  the  very  image  of  the  things" 
(Heb.  X.  1);  and  it  was  this  s/ia(/ow  of  Gospel  bless- 
ings which  was  given  by  Moses,  while  the  "truth" 
or  substance  of  them  came  by  Jesus  Christ.  The 
law  was  but  "  a  figure  for  the  time  then  present, 
that  could  not  make  the  worshippers  perfect  as 


The  Baptist'' s  testimony 


JOHN  I. 


to  Jesus  Christ. 


18       No  "man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time;  the  '"only  begotten  Son,  which 
is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  dechxred  him. 


A.  D.  30. 

Ex.  33.  20. 
'  1  John  4.  9, 


pertaining  to  the  con.science ;  for  it  was  not  possible 
that  tlie  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  sliouid  take 
away  sins  "  (Heb.  ix.  9 ;  x.  4).  All  the  salvation, 
therefore,  that  was  gotten  under  Moses  was  on  the 
credit  of  that  one  ollering  for  sins  which  perfects 
for  ever  them  that  are  sanctified ;  and  so  they 
without  us  could  not  be  made  perfect  (Heb.  xi.  40). 
18.  No  man — '  No  one'  [oi^oeisj  hatb  seen  God  at 
any  time— that  is,  by  immediate  gaze ;  by  direct, 
naked  perception.  In  the  light  of  this  emphatic 
negation  of  all  creature  vision  of  God,  how  striking 
is  what  follows  !  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is 
in  the  bosom  of  the  Fath;r,  he  hath  declared  him. 
Had  such  a  statement  not  come  from  the  pen 
of  apostolic  authority  and  inspiration,  who  could 
have  ventured  to  write  or  to  utter  it?  Let  us  study 
it  a  little.  [The  extraordinary  and  extremely 
liarsh  reading  which  Tregelles  here  adopts,  in 
deference  to  three  of  the  oldest  MSS.,  and  some 
other  authorities — 'the  only  begotten  God' — read- 
ing 00  for  10  —  is  met  bj'  such  a  weight  of 
counter-authority  in  favour  of  the  receivecl  read- 
ing, so  thorouglily  Joannean,  that  Tischendorf 
al)ides  by  it,  and  all  but  every  ci-itic  approves  it.] 
What  now  is  the  import  of  this  phrase,  "  The 
Oaly  hegotten  Son"  as  applied  to  Ohrist  hei-e  by 
the  beloved  discijile,  and  in  three  other  places 
(ch.  iii.  16,  18;  1  John  iv.  9),  and  of  "</ie  Only 
hegotten  /rom  the  Father"  in  v.  14?  To  say,  with 
the  Sociuians  and  some  others,  that  it  means  no 
more  than  "  well  beloved,"  is  quite  unsatisfactory. 
For  when  our  Lord  Himself  spoke  to  the  Jews  of 
"7/is  Fathej-,"  they  understood  Him  to  mean  that 
God  was  His  'proper  Father'  [Traxeprt  'i6Lov\  and  so 
to  claim  equality  with  God ;  nor  did  He  deny  the 
charge  (see  on  ch.  v.  IS).  And  that  yirecious  assur- 
ance of  the  Father's  love  which  the  apostle  derives 
from  His  "not  sparing  His  own  Son"  depends  for 
its  whole  force  on  His  being  His  essential  Son,  or 
partaker  of  His  very  nature  \tov  Wiov  Ylov  ovk 
e(peLa-aTo];  see  on  Rom.  viii.  32.  We  are  shut  up, 
then,  to  understand  the  phrase,  "Only  begotten," 
as  applied  to  Ohrist,  of  the  Son's  essential  relation 
to  the  Father.  The  word  "begotten,"  however — 
like  every  imaginable  term  on  such  a  subject — is 
liable  to  be  misunderstood,  and  care  must  be  taken 
not  to  press  it  beyond  the  limits  of  what  is  clearly 
sustained  by  Scripture.  That  the  Son  is  essentially 
and  eternally  related  to  the  Father,  in  some  real 
sense,  as  Father  and  Son  ;  but  that  while  distinct  in 
Person  (for  "  The  Word  was  -with  God"),  He  is 
neither  posterior  to  Him  in  time  (for  "In  the 
beginning  was  The  Woi-d"),  nor  inferior  to  Him 
in  nature  (for  "The  Word  was  God"),  nor  separate 
from  Him  in  being  (for  "  The  same  was  in  the 
beginning  with  God"),  but  One  Godhead  with  the 
Father :— this  would  seem  to  come  as  near  to  the 
full_  testimony  of  Scripture  on  this  mysterious 
subject  as  can  be  reached  by  our  finite  under- 
standing, without  darkening  counsel  by  words 
without  knowledge.  The  peculiar  expression  in 
the  14th  verse— "The  Only  begotten  Son  [forth] 
from  the  Father"  [irapa  YlaTp6<i\  and  that  equally 
remarkable  one  in  v.  IS,  "  The  Only  begotten  Son 
which  is  in  (or  'into,'  or  'upon')  the  bosom  of  the 
Father"  [eis  t6v  koXttou  t»o  llaTpd^]  seem  to  be  the 
complement  of  each  other :  the  one  expressing,  as 
we  might  say.  His  relation  to  the  Father's  essence 
— as  'forth  from'  it;  the  other,  if  we  might  so 
speak,  His  non-separation  from  Him,  biit  this  in 
the  form  of  inconceivable  Personal  and  loving 
nearness  to  Him.  Thus  does  our  Evangelist  posi- 
tively afSi-m  of  Christ,  not  only  what  he  had  just 
350 


before  denied  of  all  creatures— that  He  "hath 
seen  God"  (see  ch.  vi.  46) — but  that  being  'in,' 
'into,'  or  'on'  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  He  had 
access  to  His  very  heart,  or,  without  a  figure,  that 
He,  and  He  only,  tias  ahaolute  knowle<lge  of  God. 
Well,  he  hath  declared  him  [eKelvoi  egijyjjo-aT-o] — 
'  He  declared  him '  who  only  coidd,  as  The 
Word,  the  Reflection,  the  Expression  of  His  very 
Self ;  He,  who,  living  ever  on  His  bosom,  gazes  on 
Him  eA'er,  knows  Him  ever,  with  an  intimate  per- 
ception, an  absolute  kiiowledge  peciiliar  to  Himself 
— He  it  is  whom  the  Father  hath  sent  to  "declare 
Him."  And  thus  does  our  Evangelist  close  this 
great  Introductory  Section  of  his  Gospel  as  he 
began  it,  with  The  Word. 

RemarJcs. — 1.  Since  God  so  ordered  it  that  the 
first  converts  and  the  infant  churches  should  be 
thoroughly  familiarized  with  the  History  of  His 
Son's  work  in  the  flesh  on  the  lower  platform  of 
the  First  Three  Gospels,  ere  they  were  lifted  up 
by  this  Fourth  Gospel  to  the  highest  view  of  it, 
we  may  infer,  that  just  as  M^e  also  have  thriven 
upon  the  milk  of  the  other  Gos])els  will  be  our 
ability  to  digest  and  to  grow  w^ion  the  strong  meat 
of  this  last  and  crowning  Gospeh  And  might  it 
not  be  well,  in  the  public  exposition  of  the  Gosi:)el 
Histoiy,  to  advance  fi'om  the  corjwreal  Gospels,  as 
the  Fathers  of  the  Church  were  wont  to  call  them, 
[ra  cru}fi.aTLKa\  to  what  by  way  of  eminence  they 
called  the  spiritual  Gospel  [to  irvevfxaTLKov^  ? 
Nevertheless,  even  in  this  Gosi)el  there  is  an  ex- 
quisite net-work  of  concrete  outward  History, 
which  cajjtivates  even  the  rudest  and  youngest 
readers  ;  and  it  breathes  such  an  atmosphere  of 
love  a,nd.  heaven,  that  the  deep  truths  which  are 
enshrined  in  it  possess  attractions  they  would  not 
otherwise  have  had.  Thus,  each  is  perfect  in  its 
own  kind,  and  all  are  one  pearl  of  great  price. 
2.  Did  our  Evangelist,  before  uttering  the  key- 
note of  his  whole  Gospel,  pave  the  way  for  it  by 
so  many  introductory  verses?  What  need,  then, 
to  put  off  the  shoe  from  off'  our  feet  when  we  come 
to  tread  such  holy  ground !  3.  With  respect  to  the 
origin  and  growth  of  this  term,  "The  Woi-d,"  in 
the  sense  in  which  it  is  here  used — for  it  certainly 
was  not  used  by  our  Evangelist  for  the  first  time — 
we  find  the  teaching  of  the  Old  Tesf^ anient  froiu 
the  first  tending  gradually  towards  that  conception 
of  it  which  is  hei-e  presented:  "The  word  of  tlie 
Lord"  is  said  to  have  given  birth  to  creation,  and 
to  carry  into  effect  all  the  divine  purposes;  "wis- 
dom" is  spoken  of  as  eternally  with  God,  and 
rejoicing  in  the  habitable  parts  of  His  earth ;  "  The 
Angel  of  Jehovah"  is  identified  with  Jehovah 
Himself;  men  are  warned  to  "kiss  the  Son,  lest 
He  be  angry,  and  they  perish  from  the  way;"  and 
the  form  of  that  fourth  mysterious  Person  who 
was  seen  walking  in  Nebuchadnezzar's  burning 
fiery  furnace,  with  the  three  Hebrew  youths,  was 
"like  the  Son  of  God."  These  conceptions,  com- 
bined, would  familiarize  the  thoughtful  with 
something  very  like  what  is  here  said  of  The 
Word.  _  Accordingly,  the  more  profound  Jewish 
theologians  constantly  represented  "The  Word  of 
the  Lord"  ['"  H  ^1^"^^  as  the  Personal  Agent  by 
whom  all  divine  operations  were  performed.  In 
a  word,  about  the  time  of  our  Lord  the  Alex- 
andrian Jews,  with  Pliilo  at  their  head,  engrafting 
the  Platonic  jihilosophy  upon  their  own  reading  of 
the  Old  Testament,  had  fallen  into  the  familiar 
use  of  language  closely  resembling  that  employed 
here  ;  and  this  phraseology  was  doubtless  cm-rent 
throughout  all  the  region  in  winch  our  Evangelist 


The  Baptist's  testimony 


JOHN  I. 


of  himself. 


19  And  this  is  the  record  of  John,  when  the  Jews  sent  priests  and  Levites 

20  from  Jerusalem  to  ask  him,  Who  art  thou?     And  ^'he  confessed,  and 

21  denied  not;  but  confessed,  I  am  not  the  Christ.     And  they  asked  him, 
What  then?     Art  thou  ^EHas?     And  he  saith,  'I  am  not.     Art  thou 


A.  D.  30 

"  ch.  3.  28 
Acts  13   25- 

'-'  Mai.  4.  5. 
'  Luke  1.  17. 


)irobably  wrote  his  Gospel,  aud  must  have  been 
familiar  to  him.  Aud  yut,  iii  two  im]iortaiit  iioiuts, 
this  language  of  the  Jewish  Platonists,  even  where 
it  seems  to  come  the  nearest  to  that  of  our  Evan- 
gelist, is  vastly  removed  from  it.  First,  it  was  so 
]ia-:y,  that  scholars  who  have  studied  their  writings 
tlie  most  deeply  are  not  agreed  whether  by  The 
Word  [o  Aoyos]  they  me mt  a  Person  s.t  all;  and 
next,  even  if  that  were  certain,  this  "'Word"  was 
never  identified  by  them  with  the  promised 
Messiah.  The  truth  seems  to  be,  that  this  beloved 
disciple,  having  often  reflected  on  such  matters  in 
the  stillness  of  his  own  meditative  and  lofty  spirit, 
and  now,  after  so  long  a  silence,  addressed  himself 
to  the  task  of  drawing  up  one  more  and  final  Gos- 
jiel,  did,  under  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit,  ad- 
risedli/  take  up  the  current  phraseology,  and  not 
only  thread  his  way  through  the  corrupt  elements 
whicli  had  mixed  themselves  up  with  the  true 
doctrine  of  "The  Word,'^  but  stamp  upon  that 
lihraseolo.gy  new  conceptions,  and  enshrine  for 
ever  in  these  eighteen  introductory  verses  of  his 
Gospel  the  mo.st  sublime  of  all  truths  regarding 
the  Incarnate  Redeemer.  4.  Within  the  limits  of 
this  Section  all  the  heresies  that  have  ever  been 
broached  regarding  the  Person  of  Christ — and  they 
are  legion — find  the  materials  of  their  refutation. 
Thus,  to  the  JJ6io?iit('s  a.nd  the  A rtemoiiites  oi  the 
second  century,  to  Noetus  and  Paul  of  Samosata 
of  the  third,  aud  to  Socinus  and  his  followers  at 
and  since  the  Reformation — who  all  affirmed  that 
Christ  was  a  mere  man,  more  or  less  filled  with  the 
Divinity,  but  having  no  existence  till  He  was  born 
into  our  world — our  Evangelist  here  cries,  "In 
THE  BEGINNING  was  the  Word."  To  Arius,  in  the 
fourth  century,  and  to  a  host  of  modern  followers — 
who  affirmed  that  Christ,  though  he  existed  befoi'e 
all  other  created  beings,  was  himself  but  a  creature; 
the  first  and  highest  indeed,  but  still  a  creature 
—  our  Evangelist  here  cries,  "The  Word  was 
GoD: "  All  things  were  made  by  Him,  aud  without 
Him  was  not  one  thing  made  that  was  made:  lu 
Him  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men  : 
as  many  as  received  Him  to  them  gave  He  power 
to  become  children  of  God.  The  Only  begotten 
Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  He  de- 
clared Him."  To  Sahelliiis,  in  tlie  third  century, 
and  not  a  few  speculative  moderns  —  who  hekl 
that  there  is  but  one  Person  in  the  Godhead ;  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  being  but  three 
modes  in  which  the  one  Person  has  been  i^leasedto 
manifest  Himself  for  man's  salvation — our  Evan- 
gelist cries,  "  The  Word  was  in  the  beginning  with 
God:  He  is  the  Only  begotten  from  the  Father, 
and  He  it  is  that  declared  Him."  To  those  after- 
wards called  DoceUz — who,  as  early  as  the  first  cen- 
tury, held  that  Christ  took  only  an  apparent,  not 
a  real,  humanity;  and  Apolllna7'is,  in  the  fourth 
century,  and  some  modern  followers — who  affirmed 
that  Christ,  though  He  took  a  human  body,  took 
no  rational  human  spirit,  the  Word  supplying  its 
place  as  the  only  intelligence  by  which  He  acted ; 
and  the  Nestorians  of  the  fifth  century — who  held, 
or  were  charged  with  holding,  that  that  Holy 
Thing  which  was  born  of  the  virgin  was  not  "  the 
Son  of  God,"  but  only  the  son  of  Mary,  to  whom 
the  Son  of  God  joined  Himself,  making  two  sepa- 
rate persons,  though  closely  united;  and  finally 
to  the  Eutychians — who,  in  the  same  century,  af- 
firmed that  the  divine  and  human  natures  were  so 
blended  as  to  constitute  together  but  one  nature. 


having  the  ])roperties  of  both:  to  one  and  all  of 
these  errorists  (in  language  at  least,  though  there 
is  reason  to  think  not  always  in  actual  belief)  our 
Evangelist  here  cries,  in  words  of  majestic  simpli- 
city and  transiiareut  clearness,  "The  AVord  wa.s 
MADE  FLESH;"  usiug  that  term  "Flesh"  in  its  well- 
known  sense  when  a])plied  to  human  natiu-e,  and 
leaving  no  room  for  doubt  in  the  iiusophisticated 
reader  that  He  hecame  Man  in  the  only  sense 
which  those  words  naturally  convey.  The  Fathers 
of  the  Church,  who  were  driven  to  the  accurate 
study  of  this  subject  by  all  sorts  of  loose  language 
and  floating  heresies  regarding  the  person  of  Christ, 
did  not  fail  to  observe  how  warily  our  Evangelist 
changes  his  language  from  "was"  to  "became" 
[jjiz-eyeVeTo]  when  he  passes  from  the  jwe-existent 
to  the  incarnate  condition  of  the  Word,  saying, 
"  In  the  beginning  ivas  the  Word — and  the  Word 
was  made  flesh. "  To  express  this  they  were  wont 
to  say,  '  Remaining  what  He  was.  He  became  M'hat 
He  was  not.'  5.  I)id  the  truth  of  Christ's  Person 
cost  the  Church  so  much  study  and  controversy 
from  age  to  age  against  persevering  and  ever- 
varying  attempts  to  corrupt  it?  How  dear,  then, 
should  it  be  to  us,  and  how  jealously  should  we 
guard  it,  at  the  risk  of  being  charged  with  stick- 
ling for  human  refinements,  and  pi-olonging  ifruit- 
less  and  forgotten  controversies !  At  the  same 
time,  7.  The  glory  of  the  Only  begotten  of  the 
Father  is  best  seen  and  felt,  not  in  the^light  of  mere 
abstract  ] ihraseology  —  sanctioned  though  it  he 
by  the  whole  orthodox  Church,  unexceptionable  in 
form,  and  in  its  own  ]")lace  most  valualile — but  hy 
tracing  in  this  matchless  History  His  footsteps 
upon  earth,  as  He  walked  amid  all  the  elements  of 
nature,  the  diseases  of  men,  and  death  itself, 
amidst  the  secrets  of  the  luiman  heart,  and  the 
rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world — in  all  their 
number,  subtlety,  and  malignity — not  only  with 
absolute  ease  as  their  conscious  Lord,  but  as  if 
themseh'es  had  been  conscious  of  their  Ma.ster's 
presence  and  felt  His  will  to  be  their  resistless 
law. 

19-51. — Testimonies  of  the  Baptist  to  Jesus 
addressed  to  a  Jewish  Deputation  and  to 
HIS  own  Disciples— Jesus  begins  to  Gather 
Disciples. 

Testimony  Addressed  to  a  Jewish  Deputation 
(19-28).  19.  And  this  is  the  record— or  '  testimony,' 
of  John,  when  the  Jews  sent  priests  and  Levites 
from  Jerusalem  to  ask  Mm,  Who  art  thou  ?  By 
"  the  Jews"  here,  and  almost  always  in  this  Gospel, 
is  meant — not  the  Jewish  ration,  as  contrasted  with 
the  Gentiles,  but — '  the  rulers '  of  the  nation.  20. 
And  he  confessed,  and  denied  not ;  but  confessed, 
I  am  not  the  Christ.  In  thus  disclaiming  the  Mes- 
siahship  for  himself,  he  re.sisted  a  strong  tempta- 
tion ;  for  many  were  ready  to  hail  the  Baptist  as 
himself  the  Christ.  But  as  he  gave  not  the  least 
ground  for  such  impressions  of  him,  so  neither  did 
he  give  them  a  moment's  entertainment.  21.  And 
they  asked  Mm,  What  then?  Art  thou  Elias? 
And  he  saith,  I  am  not— that  is,  not  Elijah  in  his 
own  proper  person,  whom  the  Jew.s  exjiected,  and 
still  expect,  before  the  coming  of  their  Messiah. 
Art  thou  that  prophet?  [o  7rpo<^)ix))s]— rather,  'the 
prophet;'  announced  in  Dent,  xviii.  15,  &c.,  about 
whom  they  seem  not  to  have  been  agreed  whether 
he  were  the  same  with  the  promised  Messiah  or 
no.  And  he  answered,  Vo.  22.  Then  said  they 
unto  Mm,  Who  art  thou  ?  that  we  may  give  an 


The  BajJtisfs  testimony 


JOHN  I. 


addressed  to  Ids  oicn  dlsaples. 


22  2 that  prophet?     And  he  answered,  No.     Then  said  they  unto  him,  Who 
art  thou?  that  we  may  give  an  answer  to  them  that  sent  us.    What  sayest 

23  thou  of  thyself?     He  said,  I  am  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness. 

24  Llake  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord,  as  "said  the  prophet  Esaias.     And 
2o  they  which  Avere  sent  were  of  the  Pharisees.     And  they  asked  him,  and 

said  unto  him.  Why  baptizest  thou  then,  if  thou  be  not  that  Christ,  nor 

26  Eiias,  neither  that  prophet?     John  answered  them,  saying,  1  baptize  with 

27  water:  ''but  there  standeth  one  among  you,  whom  ye  know  not;  he  it 
is,  who  coming  after  me,  is  preferred  before  me,  whose  shoe's  latchet  I 

25  am  not  worthy  to  unloose.     These  things  were  done  in  Bethabara  beyond 
Jordan,  where  John  was  baptizing. 

29  The  next  day  John  seetli  Jesus  coming  unto  him,  and  saith.  Behold 

30  "^tlie  Lamb  of  God,  '%hich  ^taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world!     This  is 
he  of  whom  I  said.  After  me  cometli  a  man  Avliich  is  preferred  before  me : 

31  for  he  was  before  me.     And  I  knew  him  not:  but  that  he  should  be 
made  manifest  to  Israel,  therefore   am  I  come   baptizing  with  water. 

32  And  John  bare  record,  saying,  I  saw  the  S])irit  descending  from  heaven 


A.  D. 


2  UT,  a 

prophet. 
"  Isa.  40.  3. 
>>  Mai.  3.  1. 
■^  Gen.22.  r,8. 

Ex.  12.  3. 

Kum.  28.  3- 
10. 

Isa.  53.  7. 

1  Pet  1.  19. 

Eev.  5.  6. 
d  1  Cor.  1.5.  3. 

Gal.  1.  4. 

Heb.  1.  3. 

Heb.  2. 17. 

Heb.  9.  28. 

1  Pet.  2.  21. 

1  John  2.  2. 

Eev.  1.  5. 

3  Or. 
beareth. 


answer  to  tliem  that  sent  us.  V/hat  sayest  tbou 
of  thyself?  23.  He  said,  I  am  the  voice  of  one 
crying  in  the  -wilderness.  His  Waster  was  "  The 
Word  ;"  the  herald  was  but  a  voice  cryiug  tlirough 
the  Judeau  desert,  Make  ready  for  the  coming 
Lord!  See  on  Matt.  iii.  1-3.  24.  And  they  whicii 
■were  sent  were  of  the  Pharisees.  As  the  Sad- 
ducees  could  hardly  be  expected  to  take  much 
interest  in  such  matters,  this  exiilanation  is  jirob- 
ably  intended  to  do  more  than  tell  the  reader  that 
tliis  deputation  was  of  the  other  sect.  It  probably 
refers  to  their  peculiar  jealousy  about  any  innova- 
tions on  the  traditional  way  of  thinking  and  acting, 
and  to  prepare  the  reader  for  their  question  in  the 
next  verse.  25.  And  they  asked  him,  and  said 
unto  him,  Why  baptizest  thou  then,  if  thou  be  not 
that  —  '  the  '  Christ,  nor  Elias,  neither  that  — 
'the'  prophet?  Thinking  that  he  disclaimed 
any  sp'ecial  connection  with  the  Messiah's  king- 
dom, they  very  naturally  demand  his  right  to 
gather  disciples  by  ba]>tism.  (See  on  ch.  iii.  28.) 
26.  John  answered  them,  saying,  I  baptize 
V7ith  water — with  water  only;  the  higher,  inter- 
nal, baptism  v,ath  the  Holy  C41iost  being  the 
exclusive  ]irerogative  of  Iiis  Master.  (See  on 
IMatt.  iii.  11.)  but  there  standeth  one  among 
you,  whom  ye  know  not.  This  must  have  been 
s})oken  after  Christ's  Baptism,  and  probably 
almost  immediately  after  it.  27.  He  it  is,  who 
coming  after  me,  is  preferred  before  me — see  on 
V.  15.  whose  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not  worthy  to 
unloose— see  on  Matt.  iii.  11.  28.  These  things 
were  done  in  Bethabara  [^"|3V  n-2]— 'ferry-house'  or 
'  crossing-place. '  But  the  true  reading,  as  nearly 
all  the  best  and  most  ancieut  MSS.  attest,  is 
'Bethany:'  not,  of  course,  the  well-known  Beth- 
any, at  the  foot  of  mount  Olivet,  but  some 
village  lying  on  the  east  side  of  the  Jordan, 
whicn  in  the  time  of  Or'fjcn  had  disajjpeaied. 
beyond  Jordan,  where  John  was  baptizing. 

Testimony  of  the  Baptist,  addressed  to  Aw  own  dis- 
ciples (29-3G).  29.  The  next  day— the  crowd,  as  we 
take  it,  having  dispersed,  and  only  his  own  dis- 
ciples being  present,  John  seeth  Jesus  coming 
unto  him.  This  was  probably  immediately  after 
the  Temptation,  when  Jesus,  emerging  from  the 
wilderness  of  Judea  on  His  way  to  Clalilee  {v.  43), 
came  up  to  tiie  Baptist.  But  it  was  not  to  hold 
intercourse  with  him,  however  congenial  that 
would  have  been;  for  of  this  thei-e  appears  to  have 
t-een  none  at  all  from  the  time  of  His  baptism  even 
till  the  Baptisfs  imprisonment  and  death.  The  sole 
object  of  this  approach  to  the  Baptist  would  ap- 
352 


pear  to  have  been  to  receive  from  him  that 
wonderful  testimony  which  follows :  and  saith 
—  immediately  catching  a  sublime  inspiration  at 
the  sight  of  Him  approaching:  Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God,  which  taketh  awa.y  the  sin  of  the  world ! 
Evei'y  word  here  is  emphatic," and  precious  beyond 
all  expression.  "The  Lame"  here,  beyond  all 
doubt,  points  to  the  death  of  Christ,  and  the 
sacrificicd  character  of  that  death.  The  offering 
of  a  lamb  every  morning  and  evening,  and  of  two 
on  the  morning  and  evening  of  every  Sabbath  day, 
throughout  all  the  ages  of  the  Jewish  economy, 
had  furnished  such  a  language  on  this  subject  as  to 
those  who  heard  these  words  of  the  Baptist  could 
need  no  explanation,  however  the  trutli  thus  ex- 
pressed miglit  startle  them.  But  in  calling  Jesus 
''the  Lamb,"  and  "the  Lamb  of  God,"  he  held 
Him  up  as  the  one  'God-ordained,  God-gifted, 
God-accepted'  sacrificial  offering.  If,  however, 
there  could  remain  a  doubt  whether  this  Mas  what 
the  words  were  designed  to  convey,  the  explana- 
tion which  follows  would  set  it  at  rest — "  Which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  The  word 
[ai'ijcui-]  here  used,  and  the  corresponding  Hebrew 
word  [Nffi]]  signify  both  'taking  up'  and  'taking 
away.'  Applied  to  sin,  they  mean  to  'be  charge- 
able with  the  guilt  of  it'  (Exod.  xxviii.  38;  Lev.  y. 
1 ;  Ezek.  xviii.  20),  and  to  '  bear  it  away '  (as  in 
many  places).  In  the  Levitical  victims  both  ideas 
met,  as  they  do  in  Christ ;  the  people's  guilt  being 
viewed  as  transferred  to  them,  avenged  in  their 
death,  and  thus  borne  away  by  them  (Lev.  iv. 
15;  xvi.  15,  21,  22;  and  compare  Isa.  liii.  6-12; 
2  Cor.  v.  21).  "  The  sin,"  says  the  Baptist,  using 
the  singular  number  to  denote  the  collective 
burden  laid  upon  the  Lamb,  and  the  all-embrac- 
ing efficacy  of  the  great  Sacrifice;  and  "the  sin  of 
the  world" — in  contrast  with  the  typical  victims 
which  were  offered  for  Israel  exclusively  :  '  Wher- 
ever there  shall  live  a  sinner  throughout  the  wide 
world,  sinking  under  that  burden  too  hea^•y  for 
him  to  bear,  he  .shall  find  in  this  "Lamb  of  God" 
a  shoulder  equal  to  the  weight.'  Thus  was  the 
right  note  struck  at  the  very  outset.  And  what 
balm  must  it  have  been  to  Christ's  own  spirit  to 
hear  it !  Never,  indeed,  was  a  more  glorious  utter- 
ance heard  on  earth  ;  no,  nor  ever  shall  be.  But  it 
was  uttered,  as  we  think,  in  the  hearing  only  of 
those  who  were  in  some  measure  ]irei">ared  for  it. 
30.  This  is  he  of  whom  I  said,  After  me  cometh, 
&c. — recalling  the  testimony  he  had  borne  before, 
and  recorded  in  r.  15.  31.  And  I  knew  him  not : 
but  that  he  should  be  made  manifest  to  Israel, 


The  calling  of 


JOHN  I. 


Johi  and  Andreii'. 


33  like  a  dove,  and  it  abode  upon  him.  And  I  knew  liim  not :  but  lie  tliat 
sent  me  to  baptize  with  water,  the  same  said  unto  me,  Upon  whom  thou 
shalt  see  the  Spirit  descending,  and  remaining  on  him,  the  'same  is  he 

34  whicli  baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  I  saw,  and  bare  record  that 
this  is  the  Sou  of  God. 

35,      Again,  the  next  day  after,  John  stood,  and  two  of  his  disciples;  and 

36  looking  upon  Jesus  as  he  walked,  he  saith.  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God! 

37  And  the  two  disciples  heard  him  speak,  and  they  followed  Jesus. 

38  Then  Jesus  turned,  and  saw  them  following,  and  saith  unto  them. 
What  seek  ye?     They  said  unto  him,  Eabbi,  (which  is  to  say,  being 

39  interpreted.  Master,)  where  ^ dwellest  thou?  He  saith  unto  them.  Come 
and  see.     They  came  and  saw  where  he  dwelt,  and  abode  with  him  that 

40  day:  for  it  was  ^ about  the  tenth  hour.  One  of  the  two  which  heard 
John  speak,  and  followed  him,  was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother. 


A.  D.  30. 


"  ch,  14.  2il. 

Ch.  20.  22. 

Acts  1.  5. 

Acts  2.  4. 

Acts  4.  8, 
31. 

Acts  6.  3,0, 
8. 

Acts  7.  55. 

Acts  9.  17. 

Titus  3.  5,0. 
i  Or, 

abidest. 
5  That  was 

two  hours 

before 

night. 


tiierefore  am  I  come  baptizing  with  water.  32. 
And  Jolin  bare  record,  saying,  I  saw  {reQeaixai] 
— or  'I  have  seen'  the  Spirit  descending  from 
heaven  like  a  dove,  and  it  abode  upon  him. 
33.  And  I  knew  him  not:  but  he  that  sent  me 
to  baptize  with  water,  the  same  said  unto  me. 
Upon  whora  thou  shalt  see  the  Spirit  descend- 
ing, and  remaining  on  him,  the  same  is  he  which 
baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  34.  And  I  saw 
— or  'have  seen' — [kwpaKci\  that  this  is  the  Son 
of  God.  There  is  some  appearance  of  inconsis- 
tency between  the  First  and  the  Fourth  Gospels, 
as  to  the  Baptist's  knowledge  of  his  Master  ):>e- 
fore  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  iipon  Him. 
Matthew  seems  to  write  as  if  tlie  Baptist  had  im- 
mediately reco.c^nized  Him,  and  accordingly  recoiled, 
as  a  servant,  from  baptizing  his  Master :  whereas 
John  makes  the  Baptist  himself  to  say  that  he 
"knew  Him  not,"  and  seem  to  say  that  until  the 
Spirit  descended  upon  Him  he  perceived  no  differ- 
ence lietweeu  Him  and  the  other  applicants  for  bap- 
tism that  day.  But  by  viewing  the  transaction  m 
the  follomng  light  the  two  statements  may  be  har- 
monized. Living  mostly  apart— the  One  at  Naza- 
reth, the  other  in  the  Judean  desert,  to  prevent 
all  a]ipearance  of  collusion — John  only  knew  that  at 
adehuite  time  after  his  own  call  his  Master  would 
show  Himself.  As  He  drew  near  for  ba])tism  one 
day,  the  last  of  all  the  crowd,  the  spirit  of  the  Bap- 
tist, perhaps,  heaving  under  a  divine  pi-esentimeut 
that  the  moment  had  at  length  arrived,  and  an  air  of 
unwonted  serenity  and  dignity — not  without  traits, 
probably,  of  the  family  features — appearing  in  this 
(Stranger,  the  Spirit,  we  may  imagine,  said  to  him 
as  to  Samuel  of  his  youthful  type,  "  Arise,  anoint 
Him,  for  this  is  He ! "  (1  Sam.  xvi.  12).  But  just 
then  would  the  incongruity  be  felt  of  the  servant 
baptizing  the  Master,  nay,  a  sinner  the  iSaviour 
Himself;  and  then  would  take  jilace  the  dialogue, 
recorded  by  Matthew,  between  John  and  Jesus. 
Then  followed  the  Baptism,  and  thereupon  the 
descent  of  the  Spirit.  And  this  visible  descent  of 
the  Spirit  upon  Him,  as  He  emerged  out  of  the 
ba]  itismal  water,  being  the  very  sign  whicli  he  was 
told  to  expect,  he  now  knew  the  whole  transaction 
to  be  divine;  and  catching  up  the  voice  from 
heaven,  "he  saw,  and  bare  record  that  this  is  the 
Son  of  God."  So,  substantially,  the  best  inter- 
l)reters. 

35.  Again,  the  next  day  after,  John  stood  [el- 
cTTJ/fcet— or  '  was  standing ;'  probably  at  his  accns- 
tomed  place.  The  reader  will  do  well  to  observe 
that  here,  and  in  v.  29,  Ave  have  the  beginning  of 
that  chronological  yirecision  which  is  so  marlced 
a  characteristic  of  this  Gospel,  and  two  of  his 
disciples  ;  36.  And  looking  [6/^/:iX6i,'/as]— fixing  his 
eyes  with  significant  gaze  upon  Jesus  as  he  walked. 

VOL.  V.  353 


Observe,  it  is  not  said  this  time  that  Jesus  was 
coining  to  John.  To  have  done  that  once  (v.  29) 
was  humility  enough,  as  Bemjel  notes.  But  John 
saw  Him  simply  "walking"  [7re;ji7raT(ii;i'Ti],  as  if  in 
solitary  meditation ;  j^et  evidently  designing  to 
bring  about  that  interview  with  two  of  John's  dis- 
ciples Avhich  was  to  be  properly  His  first  public 
act.  he  saith.  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God !  The  re- 
petition, in  brief,  of  that  wonderful  proclamation, 
m  identical  terms  and  without  an  additional  word, 
was  meant  Ijoth  as  a  gentle  hint  to  go  after  Him, 
and  to  fix  the  light  in  which  they  were  to  regard 
Him.  And  it  had  the  desired  effect— as  we  are 
now  to  hear. 

The  Callhi:!  of  John  and  Andrcio  (37-40).  37. 
And  the  two  disciples  heard  him  speak,  and 
they  followed   Jesus.     38.  Then   Jesus   turned, 

and  saw  them  following  [Kal  deaadiJtevo^  auTous 
aKo\ov6ovvTai\ — 'and  looked  upon  them  as  they 
followed'  (see  on  v.  36),  and  saith  unto  them. 
What  seek  ye?  Gentle,  winning  question;  re- 
markable as  the  Eedeemer's  first  pulilic  ittterance. 
They  said  unto  him.  Rabbi  (which  is  to  say,  being 
interpreted.  Master,) — an  explanation  which  shows 
that  this  Gospel  was  designed  for  those  who  had 
little  or  no  knowledge  of  Jewish  phraseology  or 
usages,  where  dwellest  thou?  As  if  to  say, 
'  Lord,  that  is  a  question  not  to  be  answered  in  a 
moment;  but  had  we  Thy  comi^any  for  a  calm 
hour  in  private,  gladly  should  we  open  our  bur- 
den.' 39.  He  saith  unto  them.  Come  and  see— 
His  second  utterance;  more  winning  still.  They 
came  and  saw  where  he  dwelt  [ue'v et] — '  where  He 
stayed'  or  'abode,'  and  abode— rather  'remained' 
[eiieivav\  With  Mm  that  day:  [for].  This  word"  for  " 
[ce]  is  no  part  of  the  original  text,  as  the  evidence 
decisively  shows,  it  was  about  the  tenth  hour. 
According  to  the  Pvoman  reckoning  —  from  mid- 
night to  midnight  — this  would  be  with  us  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning:  accordin.g  to  the  Jewish 
reckoning — from  six  in  the  morning  to  six  in  the 
evening— the  tenth  hour  here  would  be  with  us 
four  in  the  afternoon,  or  within  two  hours  of 
the  close  of  the  day.  Olshausen,  Tholuck,  Eb- 
rard,  Eivald  understand  the  Evangelist  in  the 
former  sense ;  in  which  case  they  must  have  spent 
with  our  Lord  a  far  greater  length  of  time  than, 
we  tliink,  is  at  all  probable.  To  us  there  appears 
to  be  no  reasona,ble  doubt  that  the  latter  reckon- 
ing is  here  meant,  which  would  make  their  stay 
about  two  hours,  if  they  left  ])iecisely  at  the  close 
of  the  Jewish  day,  though  there  is  no  reason  to 
suppose  this.  Indeed,  the  Greeks  of  Asia  Minor 
and  the  Romans  themselves  had  latterly  begun  to 
reckon  time  popularly  by  the  u-orldng  day— from 
six  to  six.  In  this  sense,  Cede  in,  Bern,  Benriel, 
Meyer,  dt  Wette,  van  Ostertee,  Alford,  Webster 
2  A 


The  calling  of  PhlUji, 


JOHN  I. 


Peter,  and  Nathanael. 


41 
42 


43 

44 

45 
46 
47 


lie  first  findeth  liis  own  brother  Simon,  and  saith  unto  him,  We  have 
found  the  Messias,  which  is,  being  interpreted,  *'the  Christ.  And  he 
brought  him  to  Jesus.  And  when  Jesus  behekl  him,  he  said.  Thou  art 
Simon  the  son  of  Jona:  thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas,  which  is,  by  inter- 
pretation, '^A  stone. 

The  day  following  Jesus  would  go  forth  into  Galilee,  and  findeth  Philip, 
and  saith  unto  him,  Follow  me.  Now  Philip  was  of  Bethsaida,  the  city 
of  Andrew  and  Peter. 

Philip  findeth  Nathanael,  and  saith  unto  him.  We  have  found  him 
of  whom  Moses  •''in  the  Law,  and  the  ''Prophets,  did  ^vrite,  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  the  son  of  Joseph.  And  Nathanael  said  unto  him, 
Can  there  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth?  Philip  saith  unto 
him.  Come  and  see,     Jesus  saw  Nathanael  coming  to  him,  and  saith 


A.  D.  30. 

6  Or,  the       ' 

Anointed. 

Ps.  2.  2. 

Dan  9.  2? 
'  Or,  f  eter. 

Matt.  16  18. 
/  Gen.  3.  16. 

Gen.  22.  IS. 

Num.  21.  a 

Dent.  18.  IS. 
"  Isa.  9.  6. 

Tsa.  63. 

Mic.  5.  2. 

Zee.  6.  12. 

Zee.  9.  9. 

Mai.  3.  1. 


N 


and  WULinson,  miderstand  the  Evangelist.  40. 
One  of  the  two  wliich  heard  John  speak,  and 
followed  him,  was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother. 
It  would  ayipear  that  Andrew  was  Peter's  elder 
hrother.  The  other  was  certainly  our  Evangelist 
himself — because  otherwise  there  seems  no  reason 
why  he  should  not  have  named  him;  because,  if  not, 
lie  has  not  even  alluded  to  his  owu  calling ;  but 
chiefly,  because  it  is  according  to  his  usual  manner 
to  allude  to  himself  while  avoiding  the  express 
mention  of  his  name,  and  the  narrative  here  is  so 
graphic  and  detailed  as  to  leave  an  irresistible  im- 
pression on  the  reader's  mind  that  the  writer  was 
himself  a  party  to  what  he  describes.  His  great 
sensitiveness,  as  Ohhausen  says,  is  touchingly 
shown  in  his  representation  of  tliis  first  contact 
with  the  Lord;  the  circumstances  are  present  to 
him  ill  the  minutest  details ;  he  still  remembers 
the  very  hour:  but  he  reports  no  particxilars  of 
those  discourses  of  the  Lord,  by  which  he  was 
bound  to  Him  for  the  whole  of  his  life ;  he  allows 
everything  iiersonal  to  retire. 

Tlie   Calling  of  Simon  (41,  42).      41.   He  first 
findeth  his  own  brother  Simon.     Possibly,   this 
may  mean  'own  brother'  in  contrast  with  step- 
brothers in  the  family.     But  the  expiression  may 
here  be   used  merely  for  emphasis.      According 
to  the  received  text  [Trpui-ro^],  the  meaning  is,  '  He 
was  the   first  to  find ; '   but,    according  to   what 
we  think  with  Lachniann  and  Tregelles— hut  not 
Tischendorf~-t\\e  better  supported  reading  [Trpco- 
Toi/],   our  lEnglish  version  gives  the  true  sense. 
The  meaning  ])robably  is,  as  we  familiarly  express 
it,   '  the  first  thing ;'  that  is,  immediately  on  re- 
turning home.     But  the  word  "findeth"  seems  to 
imply  that  he  had  to  seek  for   him,   and  could 
not  rest  until  he  was  able  to  open  to    him  his 
swelling  heart,     and  saith  unto  him,   We  have 
found  the  Messias,  which  is,  being  interpreted, 
the  Christ.     See  on  ]\Iatt.  i.  16,  21.     The  previous 
preparation  of  their  simi>le  hearts,  under  the  Baj^- 
tist  s  ministry,  made  quick  work  of  this  blessed 
conviction,  while  others  keyit  hesitating  till  doubt 
settled  into  o1)duracy.     And  so  it  is  still.     42.  And 
he  brought  him  to  Jesus.    Happy  brothers,  thus 
knit  together  by  a  new  tie !    If  Peter  soon  out- 
stripped not  only  Andrew  but  all  the  rest,  he 
would  still  remember  that  his  brother  "  was  in 
Christ  before  him,"  and  was  the  blessed  instrument 
of  bringing  him  to  Jesus.     And  when  Jesus  beheld 
him  (see  on  36),  he  said,  Thou  art  Simon  the  son 
of  Jona,  or  rather,  "/ona.?,"  as  rendered  in  ch. 
xxi.  17— the  full  name  serving,   as  Thohick  says, 
to  give  solemnity  to  the  language  (Matt.  xvi.  17 ; 
John  xxi.  17):  thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas  [^'r?^ 
'  rock'],    which    is,    by   interpretation,  A  stone 
[ne'T;oos]— '  Rock.'     See  on  Matt.  xvi.  18. 

2  he  Calling  of  Phili}-)  (43,  44).     43.  The  day  fol- 
354 


lowing  Jesus  would  go  forth  [;'/0e\>]o-ejj] — or,  'was 
minded  to  go  forth'  into  Galilee.  From  the  time 
when  He  "came  from  Nazareth"  to  be  bajitized  of 
John,  He  had  lived  in  Judea  until  now,  when  He 
Avas  on  His  way  back  to  Galilee.  This  makes  it 
quite  evident  that  the  calling  of  Simon  and  Andrew 
at  the  sea  of  Galilee,  recorded  in  Matt.  iv.  18, 
must  have  been  a  sub.sequent  transaction.  But 
see  on  Matt.  iv.  IS ;  and  on  Luke  v.  1.  and  findeth 
Philip,  and  saith  unto  him,  Follow  me.  The  other 
three  might  be  said  to  find  Jesus,  but  Philip  was 
found  of  Jesus.  Yet  in  every  case,  "we  love 
Him  because  He  first  loved  us,"  and  in  every  case 
the  response  on  our  part  must  be  as  cordial  as  the 
call  on  His.  44.  Now  Philip  was  of— rather,  '  from' 
[aTTo]  Bethsaida,  the  city  [e/c  t?js  TroXeojs] — it  should 
be  'of  the  city'  of  Andrew  and  Peter — the  city  of 
their  birth  probably;  for  their  place  of  residence 
was  Capernaum  (Mark  i.  29).  The  fact  mentioned 
in  this  vei-se  throws  light  on  a  very  small  incident 
in  ch.  vi.  5  (on  which  see).  That  Philip  did  follow 
Jesus  is  not  here  recorded;  but  the  next  two  verses 
more  than  exjjress  this. 

The   Calling  of  Nathanael  (45-51).     45.   Philip 
findeth  Nathanael.    For  the  evidence  that  this  dis- 
ciple was  no  other  than  "Bartholomew,"  in  the  cata- 
logues of  the  Twelve,  see  on  Matt.  x.  3.     and  saith 
unto  him.  We  have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  in  the 
Law — "for  he  wrote  of  Me,"  says  our  Lord  Himself, 
ch.   v.  '^,  and  the  Prophets— "who  testified  be- 
forehand the  sufferings   of  Christ,  and  the  glory 
that  should  follow"  [Tas  fxeTo.  tuvtu  ^o'gus],  1  Pet.  i. 
11,  did  write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth  the  son  of  Joseph. 
This  was  the  current  way  of  speaking,  and  legalbj 
true.     See  on  Matt.  i.     46.  And  Nathanael   said 
unto  him,  Can  there  any  good  thing  come  out  of 
Nazareth?    Bethlehem,  he  perhaps  remembered, 
was  Messiah's  predicted  birth-place  :  Kazareth  as  a 
town  had  no  place  in  prophecy,  nor  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment at  all.     But  its  proverbial   ill-repute  may 
have    been  what    directly  suggested    tiie  doubt 
whether  that    could  possibly  be  the  place,  of  all 
places,  whence  Messiah  was  to  issue.     Philip  saith 
unto  him,  Come  and  see.    Noble  remedy  agaiust 
pre-conceived  opinions  !  exclaims  Bengel.     Philip, 
though  probably  unable  to  solve  the  difiiculty,  couki 
show  him  where  to  get  rid  of  it ;  and  Nathanael 
takes  his  advice.     See  on  ch.   vi.  68.     47.  Jesus 
saw  Nathanael  coming  to  him,  and  saith  of  him, 
Behold  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile ! 
— not  only  no  hypocrite,  but,  with  a  guileless  sim- 
plicity not  always  found  even  in  God's  own  people, 
ready  to  follow  wherever  truth  might  lead  him, 
saying,  Samuel-like,  "Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant 
heareth."    48.  Nathanael  saith  unto  him.  Whence 
knowest  thou  me  ?    Conscious  that  his  veiy  heart 
had  been  read,  and  that  at  this  critical  moment 
that  which  he  most  deeply  felt—  a  single  desire  to 


Jezui  conversation 


JOHN  I. 


with  Nathanael. 


48  of  him,  Behold  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile!  Nathanael 
saith  unto  him,  ^Vhence  knowest  thou  me?  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  him.  Before  that  Philip  called  thee,  when  thou  wast  under  the  fig 

49  tree,  I  saw  thee.     Nathanael  answered  and  saith  unto  him.  Rabbi,  thou 

50  art  the  Son  of  God ;  thou  art  ''the  King  of  Israel.  Jesus  answered  and 
said  unto  him,  Because  I  said  unto  thee,  I  saw  thee  under  the  fig  tree. 


A.  D,  30. 


know  and  embrace  tlie  truth — had  been  expi-essed. 
Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Before  that 
Philip  called  thee— showing  He  knew  all  that  had 
passed  at  a  distance  between  Philip  and  him,  when 
thou  wast  under  the  fig  tree,  I  saw  thee.  Of  His 
being  there  at  all  the  Evangelist  says  nothing, 
but  tells  us  that  Jesus,  to  the  amazement  of  Ka- 
thanael,  saw  him  there,  and  Avhat  he  was  there 
engaged  in.  What  could  He  be  doing?  Fortu- 
nately we  can  answer  that  question  with  all  but 
certainty.  Lu/htfoot  and  Wetstein  quote  passages 
from  the  Jewish  rabbins,  showing  that  lii,tle  knots 
of  earnest  stiidents  were  wont  to  meet  with  a 
teacher  early  in  the  morning,  and  sit  and  study 
under  a  shady  fig  tree.  Thither,  probably— hear- 
ing that  his  master's  Master  had  at  length  ap- 
peared, and  heaving  with  mingled  eagerness  to 
behold  Him  and  dread  of  deception— he  had  retired 
to  pour  oiit  his  guileless  heart  for  light  aud  guid- 
ance. "Good  and  upright  is  the  Lord,"  we  think 
we  hear  him  saying;  "therefore  will  He  teach 
sinners  iu  the  way :  The  meek  will  He  guide 
in  judgment,  aud  tlie  meek  will  He  teach  His 
way:  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that 
fear  Him,  and  He  will  show  them  His  covenant. 
My  heart  is  inditing  a  good  matter,  I  will  speak 
of  the  things  which  I  have  made  touching  the 
King,  my  tongue  shall  be  the  pen  of  a  ready 
writer:  Thou  art  fairer  than  the  children  of 
men,  Grace  is  poured  into  Thy  lips,  therefore 
God  hath  blessed  Thee  for  ever.  0  that  the  sal- 
vation of  Israel  were  come  out  of  Zion !  Why 
is  His  chariot  so  long  iu  coming?  Why  tarry  the 
wheels  of  His  chariot?  0  that  Thou  wouldest 
rend  the  heavens,  that  Thou  wouldest  come  down, 
that  the  mountains  might  flow  down  at  Thy 
jiresence.  For  from  the  beginning  of  the  world 
meu  have  not  heard,  nor  perceived  by  the  ear, 
neither  hath  the  eye  seen,  0  God,  beside  Thee, 
what  He  hath  ijrepared  for  him  that  waiteth  for 
Him.  My  soid,  wait  thou  only  upon  God,  for  my 
expectation  is  from  Him.  Let  integrity  and  up- 
rigntness  preserve  me,  for  I  wait  on  Thee.  Till 
the  day  dawn,  and  the  shadows  flee  away,  I  will 
get  me  to  the  mountain  of  myrrh,  to  the  hill  of 
frankincense.  Show  me  a  token  for  good ! "  (See 
on  Luke  iL  8.)  At  that  moment,  of  calm  yet  out- 
stretched expectancy,  returning  from  his  tig  tree, 
"Philip" — missing  him  probably  at  his  house, 
whither  he  had  gone  to  seek  him,  and  coming  out 
in  search  of  him — "findeth  Nathanael,  and  saith 
xmto  him,  AVe  have  found  Him  of  whom  Moses 
and  the  prophets  wrote,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the 
son  of  Joseph. "  'Of  Nazareth ?  How  can  that  be? ' 
'  I  cannot  tell,  but  Come  and  see,  and  that  will 
Buflice.'  He  comes;  and  as  he  draws  near,  the  first 
words  of  Jesus,  who  breaks  the  silence,  fill  him 
with  wonder.  'Would  ye  see  a  guileless,  true- 
hearted  Israelite,  whose  one  object  is  to  be  right 
with  God,  to  be  taught  of  Him,  and  be  led  by 
Him?  this  is  he!'  'Rabbi,  whence  knowest 
thou  me?'  'Guileless  soul!  that  fig  tree,  with 
all  its  hea-Kdng  anxieties,  earnest  jileadings,  and 
tremulous  hopes  —  without  an  eye  or  an  ear,  as 
thou  thoughtest,  upon  thee — Mine  eye  saw  it, 
Mine  ear  heard  it  all ! '  The  first  words  of  Jesus  had 
astonished,  but  this  quite  overpowered  and  more 
than  won  him.  Accordingly,  49.  Nathanael  an- 
355 


swered  and  saith  unto  him,  Rabbi,  thou  art  the 
Son  of  God ;  thou  art  the  King  of  Israel — the  one 
denoting  His  Personal,  the  other  His  Official 
dignity.  How  much  loftier  this  than  anything 
Philip  had  said  to  him!  But  just  as  the  earth's 
vital  powers,  the  longer  they  are  frost-bound,  take 
the  gi-eater  spring  when  at  length  set  free,  so  souls, 
like  Nathanael  and  Thomas  (see  on  ch.  xx.  28),  the 
outgoings  of  whose  faith  are  hindered  for  a  time, 
take  the  start  of  their  more  easy-going  brethren 
when  once  loosed  and  let  go.  It  may,  indeed,  be 
asked  how  Nathanael  came  so  far  ahead  of  the 
current  views  of  his  day  as  these  words  of  his  ex- 
press. For  though  "The  King  of  Israel"  was  a 
phrase  familiar  enough  to  the  Jews,  in  their  om'u 
sense  of  it,  the  plu-ase  "Son  of  God"  was  so  far 
from  being  familiar  to  them  as  a  title  of  their 
promised  Messiah,  that  they  never  took  up  stones 
to  stone  our  Lord  till  He  called  Himself,  and 
claimed  the  prerogatives  of,  God's  own  Son.  We 
think  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Nathanael  got 
this  from  the  Baptist's  teaching — not  his  popular 
teaching,  recorded  in  detail,  biit  his  inner  teaching 
to  the  circle  of  his  own  select  disciples,  whom  he 
ta\ight  to  recognize  in  the  Messiah  not  only  "the 
Lamb  of  God,"  but  "the  Son  of  God"  (see  on  ch. 
iii.  27-36).  60.  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him, 
Because  I  said  unto  thee,  I  saw  thee  under  the 
fig  tree,  helievest  thou?  '  So  quickly  convinced, 
Nathanael,  and  on  this  evidence  only?  — an  expres- 
sion of  admiration.  Jesus  saw  in  the  quickness 
and  the  rapture  of  this  guileless  Israelite's  faith  a 
noble  susceptibility,  which  He  tells  hiin  shoiild 
soon  have  food  enough.  And,  no  doubt,  He  felt  the 
fragrance  to  His  own  spirit  of  siich  a  testimony. 
thou  Shalt  see  greater  things  than  these.  51.  And 
he  saith  unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
Hereafter.  [This  phrase  "hereafter" — air' apTi— 
is  excluded  from  the  text  by  Lachmann,  Tregelles, 
and  Tischendorf,  in  his  earlier  editions,  whom 
Alford  follows.  But  the  evidence  in  its  favoiir  is, 
in  oiu:  judgment,  decisive,  and  Tischendorf  has 
restored  it  to  the  text  in  his  last  edition,  pe 
Wette,  Meyer,  and  Ohhausen  concur  in  regarding 
it  as  part  of  the  original  text.]  ye  shall  see 
heaven  open,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascending 
and  descending  upon  the  Son  of  man.  The  key 
to  this  great  saying  is  Jacob's  vision  on  his  way 
to  Padanaram,  (Gen.  xxviii.  12,  &c. )  To  show 
the  patriarch  that  though  alone  and  friendless 
on  earth  his  interests  were  busying  all  heaven, 
he  was  made  to  see  "  heaven  opened,  and  the 
angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  upon 
a"  mystic  ''''ladder  reaching  from  heaven  to 
earth."  'By  and  by,'  says  Jesus  here,  'ye  shall 
see  this  communication  between  heaven  and  eartli 
thrown  wide  open,  and  the  Son  of  Man  to  be  the 
real  Ladder  of  this  intercom-se. '  On  the  meaning 
of  the  word  "hereafter" — or,  as  it  should  rather 
be,  '  henceforth ' — see  on  Mark  xiv.  62.  Here,  for 
the  first  time,  and  at  the  very  opening  of  His 
public  ministry,  our  Lord  gives  Himself  that 
peculiar  title — "  The  Son  of  Man" — by  which  He 
designates  Himself  almost  mvariably  throughout, 
even  till  just  before  He  was  adjudged  to  die, 
when  to  the  Jewish  Sanhedi-im  He  said,  "Never- 
theless I  say  unto  you,  Henceforth  [cnr  ap-Ti]  shall 
ye  see  The  Son  of  Man  sitting  at  the  right  hand  oi 


Jesus  conversation 


JOHN  I. 


with  Nathanael. 


51  believest  thou  ?  thou  shalt  see  gTeater  things  than  these.  And  he  saith 
unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you^  '^  Hereafter  ye  shall  see  heaven 
open,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  upon  the  Sou 
of  man. 


A.  D.  30. 


i  Gen.  28.  12. 
Matt.  3.  IG. 
Luke  3.  21. 

Acts  r.  56. 


power,  and  coming  in  the  clonds  of  heaven"  (Matt, 
xxvi.  64).  But  whilst  our  Lord  hardly  ever  called 
Himself  by  any  other  name,  it  is  a  striking  fact 
that  by  that  name  He  was  never  once  addressed, 
and  never  once  spoken  of,  while  He  was  on  earth, 
and  that,  with  two  exceptions.  He  is  never  so 
styled  in  the  succeeding  iiarts  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. And  even  these  two  passages  are  no  proper 
exceptions.  For  in  the  one  (see  on  Acts  vii.  5<3) 
the  martyr  Stephen  is  only  recalling  our  Lord's 
own  words  to  the  Jewish  council,  as  already  ful- 
tilled  before  His  own  vision  in  the  presence  of 
that  same  council:  in  the  other  passage  (see  on 
Rev.  i.  13)  the  beloved  discii)le— having  a  vision  of 
Jesus  in  the  symbols  of  majesty  and  glory,  power 
and  grace,  in  the  midst  of  the  churches,  as  their 
living  Lord— only  recalls  the  language  of  Daniel's 
night  vision  of  "  The  Son  of  Man^"  and  tells  us 
how  he  was  able  to  identify  this  glorious  OneM'ith 
Him  on  whose  bosom  himself  had  leaned  at  every 
meal  when  He  was  on  earth,  saving  that  He 
was  "  like  unto  the  Son  of  Man."  These  peculiar 
passages,  then,  instead  of  contradicting,  only  con- 
firm the  remark,  that  by  this  name  He  was  never 
spoken  to,  never  spoken  of,  and  in  the  churches 
never  styled,  and  that  it  stands  alone  as  His  own 
chosen  designation  of  Himself.  Of  the  seventy- 
nine  times  in  which  it  occurs  in  the  Gospels,  it  is 
found  seldomest  in  John — only  eleven  times — being 
there  overshadowed  by  a  still  more  august  name, 
"The  Son  of  God."  Mark  uses  it  but  one  time 
more ;  Luke  twenty -six  times ;  but  in  Matthew  it 
occm-s  thirty  times.  This  suggests  a  Hebraic 
origin  of  the  phrase ;  and  indeed  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  it  is  fetched  directly  from  Dan.  vii. 
13,  14  (on  the  occasion  and  scope  of  which,  see  on 
Mark  xiii.  26):  "I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and 
behold  [one]  like  The  Son  of  Man  {t^ii  -q3, 
to?  ulos  'Av6|0(o7roi;]  came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven," 
&c.  But  what  is  the  import  of  this  i)eculiar  title  ? 
It  has  a  two-fold  significance,  we  amirehend. 
Putting  the  emphasis  on  the  last  word,  '  The  Son 
of  Man"  or  of  Humanity,  it  expresses  the  great 
fact  that  He  took  flesh  of  our  flesh,  that  He  "  was 
made  in  the  likeness  of  men,"  that  "  as  the  chil- 
dren were  iiai'takers  of  flesh  and  blood.  He  also 
Himself  likewise  took  part  of  the  same. "  Accord- 
ingly, in  several  jjassages  it  will  be  found  that  our 
Lord  designed  by  this  phrase  to  express  emphati- 
cally the  humiliation  to  which  He  had  submitted 
in  being  formed  in  fashion  as  a  man."  But  when 
we  put  the  emphasis  upon  the  deflnite  article, 
"  The  Son  of  Man,"  it  will  be  seen  that  He  thereby 
severs  Himself  from  all  other  men,  or  takes  Him- 
self out  of  the  category  of  ordinary  humanity. 
And  we  believe  that  He  thus  holds  Himself  forth 
as  "The  Second  Man,"  in  contrast  with  "  the  first 
man,  Adam,"  or,  as  He  is  otherwise  called,  "  The 
Second  Adam;"  that  is,  the  second  Rejiresenta- 
tive  Man,  in  whose  Person  Humanity^  stood  and 
was  recovered,  in  opposition  to  the  first  Eepre- 
seutative  man,  in  whom  Humanity  fell  and  was 
ruined.  So  much  for  this  peculiar  phrase.  But 
wliat  is  meant  by  "the  angels  of  God  ascending 
aud  descending  upon  the  Son  of  Man?"  Almo.st 
all  ex]>ositors  of  any  depth,  fi'om  Oric/en  to  Calvin, 
aud  from  Calvin  to  Liicke,  and  Olshausen,  aud 
Tholuck,  and  Sder,  and  Alford,  set  aside  all  refer- 
ence to  miraculous  events,  aud  see  in  it  the  o|ien- 
.ing  up  of  a  gracious  intercourse  between  heaven 
o3G 


and  earth  through  the  mediation  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
If  it  be  asked  why,  both  in  Jacob's  vision  and  in 
our  Lord's  reference  to  it  here,  the  angels  are  noh 
said  to  "  descend  aud  ascend  " — as  we  should  ex- 
pect, from  and  to  their  proper  abode  —  but  to 
"  ascend  and  descend,"  we  may  give  LUcke's 
beautiful  suggestion,  that  tliey  are  left  in  their 
descending  office,  as  if  they  went  up  only  to  come 
down  to  us  again  on  yet  other  errands,  and  exer- 
cise an  ahiding  ministry. 

Hemarks. — 1.  How  sublimely  noiseless  were  the 
first  footsteps  of  that  Ministry  whose  effects  were 
to  be  world-wide  andfor  all  time — reaching  even  into 
eternity!  How  quietly  were  those  iive  disciples  first 
called — under  one  of  whom  the  Christian  Church 
rose  first  into  visible  existence,  and  achieved  its 
earliest  triumphs ;  while  another — the  youngest  of 
them  all,  and  Peter's  companion  and  coadjutor  in 
all  his  early  sufferings  and  laliours— after  surviv- 
ing them  all,  contributed  to  the  Canon  of  Scrip- 
ture writings  which  transcend,  may  we  not  say, 
all  the  rest  in  the  imi)ress  which  they  bear  of 
Christ  Himself !  See  on  Matt.  xii.  lG-21,  with  Re- 
mark 6  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  2.  Every 
disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  called  in  his  own 
way.  John  and  Andrew  are  drawn  to  Jesus,  after 
the  training  they  had  received  from  the  Bai)tist, 
by  the  sublime  strain  in  which  tlieir  master  di- 
rected their  attention  to  Him,  and  the  Savioui-'s 
Minning  encouragement  of  their  own  advances. 
Simon  is  brought  to  Jesus  by  his  brother  Andrew. 
Jesus  "  fiudeth"  Philip,  and  at  once  gives  him  that 
call  to  follow  Him  which  needed  not  to  be  re- 
peated. But  Philip  "findeth"  Nathanael  and 
fetches  him  to  Jesus.  Ditficidties  exist  in  that 
guileless  man ;  but  they  vanish  in  a  transport  of 
wonder  and  exultation,  on  the  SaA^our  revealing 
him  all  to  himself.  Even  so  it  is  still.  But  as  He 
to  Whom  all  come  is  One,  so  the  grace  that 
worketh  in  all  to  bring  them  is  one ;  and  a  goodly 
fellowship  it  is,  whose  diversity  only  enhances  the 
charm  of  their  imity.  Even  as  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Nature, 

'  Wisely  Thou  givest— all  around 
Thine  equal  rays  are  resting  found, 
Yet  varying  so  on  various  ground 

They  pierce  and  stiike 
That  not  two  rose.ite  cups  are  crown'd 
With  dew  alike,' 

so  in  the  kingdom  of  grace.  3.  What  a  glorious 
note  was  that  to  strUie  at  the  very  outset  of  the  Gos- 
pel— ere  yet  the  Lord  Jesus  had  opened  His  own 
'  mouth  most  sweet' — "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God, 
which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world!"  and 
as  it  was  so  soon  again  repeated  to  the  same 
audience,  is  it  not  cleai'  that  this  was  designed 
to  be  the  great  jirimary  proclamation  of  Christ's 
servants  in  every  land  and  in  all  ages?  They  are 
not  to  think  it  enough  to  show  to  sinners  of  man- 
kind that  there  has  lieen  given  a  Lamb  of  God 
for  the  taking  away  of  the  sin  of  the  world,  and 
that  this  is  the  one  all-availing  sacrifice  for  sin  ; 
but  when  they  have  done  this,  they  are  to  hold 
Him  forth  and  bid  burdened  sinners  hehojd  Him, 
and  know  their  burden  removed  in  Him.  Never,  we 
may  safely  eay,  was  any  ministry  divinely  owned 
and  honoured  of  which  this  has  not  been  the  alpha 
and  the  omega;  nor  has  any  such  ministry  been  with- 
out the  seals  of  Heaven's  ajiproval.  4.  Difficul- 
ties in  religion  are  best  dealt  with  by  taking  a  firm 


Christ's  First  Miracle 


JOHN  11. 


at  the  Marriage  in  Cana. 


2      AND  the  third  clay  there  was  a  marriage  ia  Cana  of  Galilee;  and 

2  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  there :  and  both  Jesus  was  called,  and  his  disci- 

3  pies,  to  the  marriage.     And  when  they  wanted  wine,  the  mother  of  Jesus 

4  saith  unto  him,  They  have  no  wine.     Jesus  saith  unto  her,  "Woman, 


A.  D.  30, 

'Matt.  15. 28. 
Ch.  19.  ^6. 
oh.   20.  13, 
15. 


grasp  of  fundamental  and  undeniable  truths.     Na- 
thanael's  difficulties,  though  they  wei-e  tJiose  of 
a  sincere  enquirer,  were  certainly  not  removed  be- 
fore he  conseuted.  to   come  to    Jesus ;    nor  did 
Christ  Himself  remove  them  as  a  preliminary  to 
Nathanael's  believing  on    Him.     But  bein^  fur- 
nished with  transparent  evidence  of  His  claims, 
that  honest  heart  waited  not  for  more,  but  uttered 
forth  its  convictions  at  once.     Difficulties  may  be 
removed,  but  even  if  they  never  be  on  this  side  of 
time,  let  us  not  spend  our  days  in  doubt  and  dark- 
ness ;  let  us  plant  our  foot  upon  the  rock  of  mani- 
fest trutli,  and  for  the  rest  wait  till  the  day  dawn 
and  the  shadows  flee  away. ,  5.  As  guile  in  every 
form  vitiates   the   religious  character  and  shuts 
out  divine  teaching,  so  to  be  "without  guile"  is 
the  beginning  of  all  that  is  acceptable  to  God  (Ps. 
xxxii.   2),    and  carries  mth   it   the  assurance  of 
Divine  guidance  in  the  path  of  truth  and  duty. 
It  is  one  of  the  great  characteristics  of  the  pre- 
dicted Clirist  that  no  deceit  should  be  found  in 
His  mouth  (Lsa.  liii.  9);  and  of  a  class  of  Chris- 
tians distinguished  for  their  fidelity  to  Him  in 
times  of  general  defection,  that  in  their  mouth 
was  found  no  guile  (Rev.  xiv.  5) ;  and  of  the  re- 
stored remnant  of  Israel  that  they  shall  not  speak 
lies;  neither  shall  a  deceitful  tonj^ue  be  found  in 
their  mouth  (Zeiih.  iii.  13).     All  this  would  seem 
to  imply  that  entire  simplicity  and  freedom  from 
guile  is    a    character    remarkable    rather  for  its 
rarity  even  among  God'sown  iieople.     6.  As  the 
joy  of  discovered  truth  is  in   proportion  to  the 
difficulties  experienced  in  finding  it,  so  when  firm- 
ness of   conviction  bui-sts  forth   from  the  heart 
that   has   found    Christ    in    a   tide   of   emotion, 
it  is  to  Him  peculiarly  grateful,  as  was  that  noble 
exclamation  of  Nathanael's.      7.  If  Christ  be  Jm- 
manuel,  "God  with  us,"  we  can  understand  His 
being  the  Ladder  of  mediatorial  communication 
between  heaven  and  earth — uniting  in  his  glorious 
Person  the  nature  of  both,  but  on  no  other  view  of 
Christ  is  this  explainable ;  and,  in  fact,  none  who 
dispute  the  one  really  believe  tlie  other.     But  8. 
What  thoughts  does  this  idea  of  the  "Ladder" 
suggest !    Jv  ever  a  groaning  that  cannot  be  uttered 
entei's  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  sabaoth,  but  it 
first  passes  tcp  this  Laddei* — for  no  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father  but  by  Him :  Never  a  ray  of  light, 
never    a  breath    of  love  divine,    irradiates   and 
cheers  the  dark  and  drooiiing  spirit,  liut  it  first 
passes  dovm  this  Ladder;  for  the  Father  loveth 
the  Son  and  hath  given  all  things  into  his  hand, 
and,  if  we  are  "  blessed  with  all  spiritual  blessings," 
it  is  "in  Christ."    Thus  is  He  not  only  our  "  way" 
to  the  Father,   but  the  Father's   "  way"  to  us. 
Needcst  thou,  then,  poor  burdened  heart,  aught 
from  thy  Father   to  keep  thee  from  sinking,  to 
bear  thee  through  the  trials  of  life,  and  to  bring 
thee  home  at  length  to  thy  Father's  house  in  peace? 
Lie  like  Jacob  at  the  foot  of  this  glorious  Ladder, 
planted  close  by  thee  on  this  ground  but  whose 
top  reacheth  to  heaven,  and  send  up  thy  petition 
on  this  Ladder — make  known  thy  request  through 
Him :  then  look  and  listen,  and  thou  shalt  see,  as 
Jacob  did,  "the  Lord  standing  above  it,  and  hear 
Him  speaking  down  this  Ladder  into  thine  own  ear 
the  rich  assurances  of  His  love  and  power,  His 
grace  and  truth,  pledged  "  not  to  leave  thee  until 
He  hath  done  that  which  He  hath  spoken  to  thee 
of, "   And  with  Jacob  thou  shalt  say,   '  How  dread- 
357 


ful  is  this  place!  This  is  none  other  than  the 
house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven." 
Well  may  the  angels  of  God  be  the  winged  messen- 
gers of  such  an  intercourse;  and  what  a  crowded 
Ladder,  and  what  busy  activities,  are  suggested  to 
us  by  their  thus  "ascending  and  descending"  on 
errands  of  love  to  us,  the  ''descending"  flight  of 
them  being  the  thought  with  which  the  curtain  of 
this  beautiful  scene  cU'ops  upon  us ! 

CHAP.  II.  1-12,— Christ's  First  Miracle,  or 
The  Turning  of  Water  into  Wine,  at  the 
Marriage  in  Cana — Brief  Visit  to  Caper- 
naum. Tlie  time  of  this  Section  is  clearly  ex- 
liressed  in  the  opening  verse;  and  here,  again,  let 
the  reader  note  the  chronological  precision  of  this 
Gospel. 

Water   Tv,rned   into   Wine   (1-11).     1.  And  tlia 
third   day  there   was   a  marriage  in  Cana  of 
Galilee.    It  would  take  two  days  to  travel  from 
the  Judean  valley  of  the  Jordan,  where  He  partecl 
with  John— never  to  meet  again,  so  far  as  we  are 
informed— to  Cana;  and  this  marriage-day  was  the 
day  following,  or  the  third.     It  is  not  called  Cana 
in  Galilee  to  distinguish  it,  as  Eusehius  and  Jerome 
thought,  from  Kaueh  in  the  tribe  of  A  slier  (Jos. 
xix.  28),  for  that  also  would  be  reckoned  to  Galilee, 
according  to  the  New  Testament  division  of  the 
country— but  merely  to   note  its  geographical  lo- 
cality, and  to  let  the  render  know  that  Jesus  had 
jiow  returned  to  His  own  region,  which  He  left  iu 
order  to  lie  baptized  of  .John  in  Jordan.     No  re- 
mains of  the  village  of  Cana  now  exist;  Imt  the 
most  probable  site  of  it  was  a  spot  about  three 
hour.s  northward  of  Nazareth.    Nathanael  belonged 
to  this  village  (ch.  xxi.  2).    and  the  mother  of 
Jesus  was  there— whether  as  a  relative  or  as  an 
intimate  acquaintance  we  have  no  means  of  know- 
ing.    Our  Evangelist,  it  will  be  oliserved,  never 
names  the  Virgin,  but  styles  her  "  the  mother  of 
Jesus,"  from  that  i-everence,  probably,  with  whicii 
he  had  learnt  to  look  up  to  her,  especially  since 
he  "  took  her  to  his  own  home."     2.  And  tooth 
Jesus   was   called,    and   his    disciples,   to    the 
marriage — liy  special  invitation,  probably,  at  the 
instance  of  Jesus'  mother.      3.  And  when  they 
wanted  wine  [ixjTepiiiiuvTO'i  oiVou] — 'the  wine  hav- 
ing failed ;'  perhaijs,  as  Bengel  suggests,  from  more 
being  present  than  had.  been  arranged  for,   the 
mother  of  Jesus  saith  unto  hijn,  They  have  no 
wine— evidently  expecting  some   disjilay  of  His 
glory,  and  hinting  that  now  was  His  time.     Not 
that  she  had  witnessed  any  display.?  of  His  mira- 
culous power  before  this  at  home,  as  Caldn  thinks. 
The  Evangelist,  indeed,  by  calling  this  the  "be- 
ginning of  His  miracles"  (v.  11),  seems  to  say  the 
reverse ;  nor  can  we  suppose  He  would  make  such 
needless  disjilays  before  the  time.     But  she  had 
gathered  iirobably  enough  from  Him  regarding  tlie 
miraciilous  credentials  which  He  was  to  furnish  of 
His  divine  commission,  to  infer  that  He  would 
on  this  occasion  make  a  beginning;  and  with  a 
natural  impatience  for  the  revelation  to  others  of 
what  she  knew  Him  to  be,  and  a  certain  womanly 
eagerness— mixed  pos.'^,ibly  with  feelings  of  a  less 
commendable  kind—  slie  brings  the  state  of  matters 
before  Him.     4.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Woman 
[yui/ai] — no  term  of  disrespect  in  the  language  of 
that  day.     (See  ch.  xix.  26;  xx.  13.)    what  have  I 
to   do   with  thee?  [Ti  eiwl  koI  (to\;=  r^7\  '^h'd]. 
If  such  passages  as  Jos.  xxii.  24;  Jud.  xi.  12;  2  Sanij 


Christ's  brief  visit 


JOHN  11. 


to  Capernaum. 


5  ''what  have  I  to  do  with  thee?  '^miue  hour  is  not  yet  come.     His  mother 

6  saith  unto  the  servants,  Wliatsoever  he  saith  unto  you,  do  it.  And  there 
were  set  there  six  water-pots  of  stone,  ''after  the  manner  of  the  puri- 

7  fying  of  the  Jews,  containing  two  or  three  firkins  apiece.  Jesus  saith 
unto  them,  Fill  the  water-pots  with  water.     And  they  filled  them  up  to 

8  the  brim.     And  he  saith  unto  them.  Draw  out  now,  and  bear  unto  the 

9  governor  of  the  feast.  And  they  bear  it.  Wlieii  the  ruler  of  the  feast 
had  tasted  the  Svater  that  was  made  wine,  and  knew  not  whence  it  was, 
(but  the  servants  which  drew  the  water  knew,)  the  governor  of  the  feast 

10  called  the  bridegToom,  and  saith  unto  him.  Every  man  at  the  beginning 
doth  set  forth  good  wine;  and  when  men  liave  well  drunk,  then  that 

11  which  is  worse:  but  thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine  until  now.  This 
beginning  of  miracles  did  Jesus  in  •'"Cana  of  Galilee,  ^and  manifested 
forth  his  glory ;  and  his  disciples  believed  on  him. 

12  After  this  he  went  down  to  Capernaum,  he,  and  his  mother,  and  ''his 
brethren,  and  his  disciples :  and  they  continued  there  not  many  days. 


A.  D.  30. 

b  2Sam.l6.lO. 

2Sam.l9.23. 

Luke  2.49. 

2  Cor.  5. 10. 
"  Eccl.  3.  1. 

ch.  7.  6. 
d  Mark  7.  3. 

Eph.  5.  20. 

Heb.  6.  2. 

Heb.  9.  10- 
19. 

Heb  10.22. 
°  ch.  4.  46. 
;  Jos.  19.  28. 
»  Deut.  6.  24. 

Ps  72.  19. 

ch.  1.  14. 

ch.  5.  23. 

ch.  12.  41. 
h  Matt.  12.  46. 


xvi.  10,  be  compared  with  Matt.  viii.  29 ;  Mark 
i.  24 ;  Luke  viii.  28,  it  will  be  seen  that  this,  in 
the  current  language  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ment, is  the  strougest  exiiression  of  no-connection 
between  the  party  speaking  and  the  party  spioken 
of.  Here,  it  is  an  intimation  on  the  part  of  Jesus 
to  His  mother  that  in  thus  officiously  interfering 
with  Him  she  was  entering  a  region  from  which 
all  creatures  were  excluded.  A  gentle,  yet  decided 
rebuke.  (See  Acts  iv.  19,  20.)  mine  hour  is  not 
yet  come— a  hint  that  He  would,  nevertheless,  do 
something,  but  at  His  own  time ;  and  so  she  un- 
derstood it,  as  the  next  verse  shows.  5.  His 
mother  saith  unto  the  servants,  Whatsoever  he 
saith  unto  you,  do  it.  6.  And — or,  'Now'  [ot] 
there  were  set  there  six  water-pots  of  stone,  after 
the  manner  of  the  purifying  of  the  Jews,  con- 
taining two  or  three  firkins  apiece.  The  "firkin" 
here  mentioned  [/xeTpijTiis],  when  it  stands  for  the 
Jewish  "  bath,"  is  a  measure  containing  about  seven 
and  a  half  gallons ;  in  Attic  measure  it  held  nine  and 
a  half  gallons.  Each  of  these  hu"e  water-jars,  then, 
must  have  held  some  twenty  gallons  ;  designed  for 
"the  purifying"  of  the  Jews  (see  Mark  vii.  4). 
7.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Fill  the  water-pots  with 
water.  And  they  filled  them  up  to  the  brim.  8. 
And  he  saith  unto  them,  Draw  out  now,  and  hear 
unto  the  governor  of  the  feast.  And  they  bare  it. 
It  vi'ill  be  observed  that  our  Lord  here  directs 
everything,  but  Himself  touches  nothing:  thus 
excluding  all  apjiearauce  or  suspicion  of  collu- 
.sion.  Compare  Elijah's  methoils  on  Carmel,  1  Ki. 
xviii.  33-35.  9.  When  the  ruler  of  the  feast  had 
tasted  the  water  that  was  made  wine— the  total 
quantity  being  al)out  a  hundred  gallons!  and 
knew  not  whence  it  was  (but  the  servants  which 
drew  the  water  knew,)  the  governor — or,  'the 
ruler;'  it  is  the  same  word  as  before  [«px't- 
TpiKXivo'i],  of  the  feast  called— or  'calleth'  [<pu}ve'i] 
the  bridegroom,  10.  And  saith  unto  him,  Every 
man  at  the  beginning  doth  set  forth— or  'place,' 
that  is,  on  his  table,  ['the']  good  wine;  and. when 
men  have  well  drunk  [fietioutiwaiv  =  ii?^.'],  or 
'drunk  freely,'  as  Song  v.  i.  The  man  is  speaking 
of  the  general  practice,  then  that  which  is  worse 
— or  inferior :  but  thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine 
until  now — thus  testifying,  while  ignorant  of  the 
source  of  supply,  not  only  that  it  was  real  wine, 
but  better  than  any  at  the  feast.  11.  This  begin- 
ning of  miracles  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and 
manifested  forth  his  glory.  Nothing  in  the  least 
like  this  is  said  of  the  miracles  of  either  prophets 
or  apostles,  nor  could  be  said  without  manifest 
blasijhemy  of  aiw  mere  creature.  Being  said  here, 
358 


then,  by  our  Evangelist  of  the  very  first  miracle 
of  Christ,  it  isas  if  he  had  said,  '  This  was  but  the 
first  of  a  series  of  such  manifestations  of  the  .glory 
of  Christ.'  and  his  disciples  believed  on  him— 
that  is,  were  confirmed  in  the  faith  which  they  had 
reposed  in  Hiin  before  they  had  any  miraculous 
attestation  of  what  He  was. 

Brief  Visit  to  Capernaum  (12).  12.  After  this 
he  went  down  to  Capernaum — said  to  be  "down" 
because  it  lay  on  the  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 
See  on  Matt.  iv.  13.  he,  and  his  mother,  and  his 
brethren.  See  on  Matt.  xiii.  55,  50.  and  his  dis- 
ciples— the  five  so  recently  gathered,  and  they 
continued  there  not  many  days — for  the  reason 
mentioned  in  the  next  verse,  because  the  Passover 
was  at  hand. 

Remarks. — 1.  All  sorts  of  attempts  have  been 
made  to  reduce  this  miracle  to  the  level  of  some- 
thing natural ;  some  of  them  too  ridiculous  to  be 
wortli  a  moment's  notice,  save  to  show  how  des- 
perate are  the  shifts  to  which  those  are  driven 
who  are  not  able  to  dispute  the  genuineness  of 
the  text,  and  yet  are  determined  not  to  boAV  to  the 
miraculous.  Nor  is  that  half-and-half  theory  of 
a  mere  acceleration  in  the  ordinary  i^rocesses  of 
nature  in  the  vintage — first  suggested,  in  the 
honesty  of  his  heart,  by  Augustin,  and  since  de- 
fended by  Olshansen— nor  Neander's  theory,  that 
He  merely  intensified  the  po\\'ers  of  water  so  as 
to  produce  the  same  effects  as  wine,  more  worthy 
of  acceptance  as  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  the 
miracle ;  which  stands,  and  while  the  world  lasts 
will  stand,  a  glorious  monument  of  the  power  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  in  a  form  which,  as  we  shall 
presently  see,  is  j^^iregnant  wdth  the  richest  lessons. 

2.  In  this  His  first  miracle  Christ  would  show 
what  He  meant  to  be  throughout  His  whole  min- 
istry^in  entire  contrast  to  the  ascetic  retirement 
which  suited  the  legcd  position  of  John.  "John 
came  neither  eating  nor  drinking"  socially  with 
others:  "The  Sou  of  Man,"  says  Christ  Himself, 
"came  eating  and  drinking"  in  that  very  sense. 

3.  At  a  marriage  Christ  made  His  fust  public  ap- 
pearance in  any  company,  and  at  a  marriage  He 
wrought  this  His  first  miracle — the  noblest  sanc- 
tion t.hat  could  be  given  to  that  divinely  appointed 
institution.  4  As  all  the  miracles  of  Christ  were 
designed  to  hold  forth  the  characteristic  features 
of  His  mission — not  only  to  redeem  humanity  from 
the  effects  of  the  Fall,  but  to  raise  it  to  a  higher 
platform  of  existence  even  than  at  first — so  in  the 
present  miracle  we  see  this  gloriously  set  forth. 
For  as  the  miracle  did  not  make  had  good,  but  good 
letter,  so  Christianity  only  redeems,  sanctifies,  and 


Chrisf  s  first  2')uhUc 


JOHN  II. 


visit  to  Jerusalem. 


13       And  Hhe  Jews'  passover  was  at  hand;  and  Jesus  went  up  to  Jerusalem, 
l-i  and  •'found  in  the  temple  those  that  sold  oxen  and  sheep  and  doves,  and 

15  the  changers  of  money  sitting:  and  when  he  had  made  a  scourge  of  small 
cords,  he  drove  them  all  out  of  the  temple,  and  the  sheep,  and  i\\Q  oxen ; 

16  and  poured  out  the  changers'  money,  and  overthrew  the  tables;  and  said 
unto  them  that  sold  doves.  Take  these  things  hence;   'nnake  not  my 

17  Father's  house  an  house  of  merchandise.     And  his  disciples  remembered 
that  it  was  written,  ^The  zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up. 

1 8  Then  answered  the  Jews  and  said  unto  him,  What  sign  showest  thou 

19  unto  us,  seeing  that  thou  doest  these  things?    Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  Destroy  "'this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up. 

20  Then  said  the  Jews,  Forty  and  six  years  was  this  temple  in  building, 

21  and  wilt  thou  rear  it  up  in  three  days?     But  he  spake  ^of  the  temple  of 


A.  D.  30. 

«'  Ex.  12  14. 

K'um.28.1G. 

ch.  5.  1. 
J  Matt  21. 12. 

Mark  11.1.5. 

Luke  19.45. 

fc  Ps.  93.  5. 

1  Tim.  0.  9, 
10. 
<■  Ps.  C9.  9. 
"'Matt.  26.01. 

Matt.  27. 40. 

Mark  14.5S. 
"  1  Cor.  .S.  16. 

1  Cor.  6. 19. 

Col.  2.  9. 


ennobles  the  beneficent  bnt  abu.sed  institution  of 
marriage ;  and  Clirist's  whole  work  only  turns  the 
water  of  earth  into  the  wine  of  heaven.  Thus 
"this  beginning  of  miracles"  exhibited  the  char- 
acter and  "manifested  forth  the  glory"  of  His 
entire  Mission.  5.  As  Christ  countenanced  our 
seasons  of'  festivltij,  so  also  that  greater  fulnenK 
which  befits  such ;  so  far  was  He  from  encouraging 
that  asceticism  which  has  since  been  so  often  put 
for  all  religion.  6.  In  what  a  light  does  this  scene 
place  the  Komish  views  of  the  blessed  Virgin! 
The  doctrine  of  the  '  immaculate  concejjtion  of  the 
Virgin' — in  our  day  for  the  first  time,  even  in  the 
Church  of  Rome,  erected  into  a  dogma  of  the  faith 
—is  so  outrageous  a  contradiction  of  Scriptural 
truth  that  none  who  can  take  it  in  are  likely  to 
be  staggered  by  the  teaching  of  this  or  any  other 
portion  of  Scripture.  But  even  those  Eomanists 
who  in  past  times  have  stopped  short  of  this,  as 
the  sober  and  excellent  MnUtonat,  while  admittin,^ 
that  there  was  hardly  one  of  the  fathers  who  did 
not  acknowledge  some  fault,  or  error  at  least,  in 
the  Virgin  ou  this  occasion,  endeavour  to  explain 
it  away,  and  refuse  to  admit  that  there  ever  was 
anything  faulty  in  her,  and  much  less  here.  But 
the  passage  may  well  be  left  to  si^eak  for  itself  with 
all  candid  readers,  7.  Christ's  presence  is  that 
which  turns  the  water  of  this  and  all  other  social 
gatherings  into  wine. 

13-22. — Christ's  First  Public  Visit  to  Jeru- 
salem. AT  THE  Passover,  and  First  Purifying 
OF  THE  Temple, 

13.  And  the  Jews'  passover— as  to  which  see  on 
Mark  xiv.  1,  was  at  hand.  Here  begins  our  Evan- 
gelist's distinct  mention  of  the  successive  pass- 
overs  which  occurred  during  our  Lord's  public 
ministry,  and  which  are  our  only  sure  materials 
for  deteraiining  the  duration  of  it.  See  more  on 
this  subject  on  ch,  v.  1.  and  Jesus  went  up  to 
Jerusalem,  14.  And  found  in  the  temple  [ev  rw 
iepw] — in  the  large  sense  of  that  word,  for  whicli 
see  on  Luke  iL  27.  Here  it  probal>ly  means  the 
temple-court,  those  that  sold  oxen  and  sheep 
and  doves — for  the  convenience  of  those  who  had 
to  offer  them  in  sacrifice.  See  Deut.  xiv.  24-26. 
and  the  changers  of  money— of  Ptoman  into 
Jewish  money,  in  which  the  temple  dues,  &c. ,  had 
to  be  paid  (see  on  Matt.  xvii.  24).  sitting:  15. 
And  when  he  had  made  a  scourge  [<t>paye\Xiov= 
rlageUum]  of  small  cords  — likely  some  of  the 
rushes  spread  for  bedding,  and  when  twisted  used 
to  tie  up  the  cattle  there  collected.  '  Not  by  this 
slender  whip,'  says  Groiius  admirably,  '  but  by 
divine  majesty  was  the  ejection  accomplished,  the 
whip  being  but  a  sign  of  the  scourge  of  divine 
anger.'  he  drove  them  all  out  of  the  temple,  and 
the  sheep,  and  the  oxen  [vravxas  .  .  raT-  irpofiaTu 
Kol  Tous  flo'asl— rather,  'drove  out  all,  both  the 
359 


sheep  and  the  oxen.'  The  men  would  naturally 
enough  go  with  them,  and  poured  out  the 
changers  money,  and  overthrew  the  tables- 
expressing  the  mingled  indignation  and  authority 
of  the  impulse.  16.  And  said  unto  them  that 
sold  doves,  Take  these  things  hence;  make  not 
ray  Father's  house  an  house  of  merchandise. 
How  close  is  the  resemblance  of  these  remarkable 
words  to  those  in  Luke  ii.  49,  "Wist  ye  not  that 
I  must  be  about  my  Father's  business ! "  or  '  at  my 
Father's'  (see  on  that  passage).  Both  express 
the  same  consciousness  of  intrinsic  relation  to  the 
Temple,  as  the  seat  of  His  Father's  most  august 
\^-orship,  and  so  the  symbol  of  all  that  is  due  to 
Him  on  earth.  Only,  when  but  a  Youth  toith 
vo  autJioritij,  He  was  simply  "a  Son  in  His 
own  house;"  now  He  was  "a  Son  over  His 
own  house"  (Heb.  iii.  G),  the  proper  Representa- 
tive, and  in  hesh  "  the  Heir,"  of  His  Father's 
rights.  There  was  nothing  wrong  in  the  mer- 
chandise; but  to  bring  it,  for  their  own  and 
others'  convenience,  into  that  most  sacred  place, 
was  a  high-handed  profanation  which  the  eye  of 
Jesus  could  not  endur&  17.  And  his  disciples  re- 
membered that  it  was  written  (Ps.  Ixix.  9),  The 
zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up— a  glorious 
feature  in  the  predicted  character  of  the  suffering 
Messiah,  and  rising  high  even  iu  some  not  worthj'' 
to  loose  the  latchet  of  His  shoes.  (See,  for  example, 
Exod.  xxxil  19,  &c.) 

18.  Then  answered  the  Jews  and  said  unto  him, 
What  sign  showest  thou  unto  us,  seeing  that  thou 
doest  these  things?  Though  the  act  itself,  and 
the  words  that  accompanied  it,  when  taken  to- 
gether, were  sign  enough,  they  are  not  convinced. 
Yet  were  they  aived;  insomuch  that  though  at  His 
very  next  ap])earance  at  Jerusalem  they  "sought 
to  kill  him"  for  speaking  of  "  His  Father"  just  as 
He  did  now  (ch.  v.  IS),  they,  at  this  early  stage, 
only  ask  a  sign.  19.  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  Destroy  this  temple— not  now  the 
mere  temple-court  [tepoj;],  but  the  temple  proper 
\va6s\  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up.  See  on 
Mark  xiv.  58,  59.  20.  Then  said  the  Jews,  Forty 
and  six  years  was  this  temple  in  building.  From 
the  eighteenth  year  of  Herod,  from  which  we  are 
to  date  this  building  work  of  his,  until  this  time, 
was  just  a  period  of  forty-six  years  [Joseph.  Antt. 
XV.  ]L  1).  The  word  {wKo&o|x^W^|]  is  rigiitly  ren- 
dered '  was  in  building,'  by  a  peculiar  application 
of  the  tense — the  same  tense  being  similarly  used 
by  the  LXX.  in  Ezra  v.  16,  where  the  sense  is 
manifestly  the  same  as  here,  and  wilt  thou  rear 
it  up  in  three  days?  21.  But  he  spake  of  the 
temple  of  his  body — in  which  was  enshrined  the 
glory  of  the  eternal  Word.  (See  on  ch.  L  14. )  By 
its  resurrection  the  true  Temple  of  God  uv)on  earth 
was  reared  up,  of  which  the  stone  temple  was 


Christ  for  etelletJi  his 


JOHN  11. 


Death  and  Resurrectioii. 


i2  his  body.  When  therefore  he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  "liis  disciples 
remembered  that  he  had  said  this  unto  them;  and  they  behoved  the 
Scripture,  and  the  word  which  Jesus  had  said. 


A.  D.  30. 


"  Luke  24.  8, 


but  a  shadow ;  so  that  the  allusion,  though  to 
Himself,  may  be  said  to  take  in  that  temple  of 
which  He  is  the  Foundation,  and  all  believers  are 
the  "lively  stones"  (1  Pet.  ii.  4,  5).  22.  When 
tlisrefore  he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  his  dis- 
ciples remembered  that  he  had  said  this  unto 
them ;  and  they  toelieved  the  Scripture — that  is, 
with  an  intelligent  apprehension  of  what  its  testi- 
mony on  this  subject  meant,  v/hich  imtil  then  Vv'as 
hid  from  them,  and  the  word  which  Jesus  had 
said.  They  believed  it  before,  as  they  did  the 
iScriptui-e;  but  their  faith  in  both  was  another 
thing  after  they  came  to  imderstand  it  by  seeing 
it  verified. 

Remarks. — 1.  On  the  question,  whether  this 
purification  of  the  temple  is  oue  and  the  same 
action  with  th-at  recorded  in  the  first  three  Gos- 
pels (Matt.  xxi.  12,  13;  Mark  xi.  15-19;  Lidie  xix. 
4o-4S),  see  introductory  remarlis  to  Luke  xix.  45- 
48.  But  the  points  of  difference  between  the  two 
scenes  may  here  be  stated:  First,  The  oue  took 
place  at  the  very  outset  of  our  Lord's  public 
ministry,  and  at  His  lirst  visit  to  Jerusalem : 
the  other  at  the  very  close  of  it,  and  at  His  last 
visit  to  Jerusalem.  Second,  At  the  former  cleans- 
ing He  used  a  whip  of  small  cords  in  clearing  the 
temiile-court ;  at  the  latter  cleansing  we  read  of 
nothing  of  this  sort.  If,  then,  they  were  one  and 
the  same  action,  how  is  it  that  three  Evangelists 
have  recorded  it  without  any  mention  of  this  part 
of  it;  while  the  mention  of  so  peculiar  a  pro- 
cedure even  by  one  Evangelist  can  only  be  ex- 
plained by  its  having  actually  occurred  ?  Third, 
At  the  first  cleansing  all  that  the  Lord  said  was, 
"  Take  these  things  hence;  make  not  my  Father's 
house  an  house  of  merchandise."  At  the  last 
cleansing  His  rebuke  was  vithering — "It  is 
written,  J\Iy  house  shall  be  called  the  house  of 
prayer ;  but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  robbers " 
[X.);(rTaJi/].  And  it  may  be  added,  that  on  this 
second  occasion  He  "  would  not  suffer  that  any 
man  should  carry  any  vessel  through  the  temple, 
Avhicli  would  hardly  have  been  said,  perha^js,  of 
the  first  cleansing.  Fourth,  On  the  first  occa- 
sion "the  Jews,"  or  members  of  the  Sanhedrim 
(see  on  ch.  i.  li)),  asked  of  our  Lord  a  "sign" 
of  His  right  to  do  such  things ;  and  it  was  then 
that  He  spake  that  saying  about  destroying 
the  temple  and  rearing  it  up  in  three  days 
Avhicli  was  adduced,  though  imjiotently,  as  evi- 
dence against  Him  on  His  trial  before  the  Council; 
whereas  nothing  of  this  is  recorded  in  any  of  the 
three  accounts  of  the  second  cleansing.  Indeed, 
the  time  for  asking  of  Him  signs  of  His  authority 
was  then  over.  Lastly,  At  the  second  cleansing 
"the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes,  and  the  chief  of 
the  people" — exasperated  at  His  high-handed  expo- 
sure of  their  temxole- traffic, ' '  sought  how  they  might 
destroy  Him,"  but  could  not  find  what  they  might 
do,  "for  all  the  people  were  astonished  at  His 
teaching" — all  betokening  that  the  crisis  of  oiir 
Lord's  public  life  had  arrived ;  whereas  the  first 
cleansing  passed  away  with  the  simple  demand 
for  a  sign,  and  our  Lord's  reply.  However 
dissatisfied  they  may  have  been,  the  matter 
aijpears  to  have  rested  there,  in  the  meantime 
—  just  as  we  might  presume  it  would  at  so 
early  a  period  in  om-  Lord's  ministry,  when  even 
many  who  were  sincere  enough  might  be  unable 
to  make  xm  their  minds,  and  the  prejudices  of 
others  had  not  acquired  depth  and  stren,;rth 
enough  for  any  open  opposition.  2.  Had  this 
3G0 


remarkable  clearing  of  the  temple-co\irt  not 
actually  occurred,  what  inventor  of  a  life  that 
never  was  lived  would  have  thought  of  such  a 
thing  ?  Or,  if  the  idea  itself  should  not  have  been 
so  entirely  beyond  the  range  of  probable  concep- 
tion, who  woiild  ever  have  thought  of  introducing 
the  idea  of  the  whip  of  small  cords?  Of  all  things, 
this  at  least,  one  should  think,  must  have  been 
real,  else  it  could  never  have  been  written.  But  if 
this  was  real,  the  whole  scene  must  have  been  so 
— the  sa,nctity  claimed  for  the  temple-ser^'ice  and 
the  desecration  Avhich  kindled  the  jealousy  of  this 
Holy  One  of  God,  the  Son  for  the  honour  of  His 
Father's  house;  the  demand  for  a  sign,  tacitly 
o^vning  the  actual  exercise  of  resistless  authority, 
with  tlie  remarkable  reply,  too  peculiar  to  have 
been  penned  save  as  having  been  uttered ;  and  the 
darkness  of  the  speech  even  to  the  disciples 
themselves  until  the  resurrection  of  their  Lord 
cleared  it  all  up.  ISio  wonder  that  the  bare  read- 
ing of  such  a  Narrative  carries  its  own  evidence 
in  the  minds  of  all  the  unprejudiced.  3.  In 
Christ's  jealonsy  for  the  sanctity  and  honour  of 
His  Father's  house — both  when  He  came  first  to 
it,  in  His  official  character,  and  when  He  came  to 
it  for  the  last  time — what  a  glorious  commentary 
have  we  on  those  words  of  the  last  of  the  projihets : 
"  The  Lord,  whom  ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come 
to  His  temi)le,  even  the  Messenger  of  the  covenant, 
v/hom  ye  delight  in  :  beheld.  He  shall  come,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts.  But  who  may  abide  the  day  of 
His  coming  ?  and  who  shall  stand  when  He  ap- 
peareth?  for  He  is  like  a  refiner's  fire,  and  like 
fuller's  soap :  And  He  shall  sit  as  a  refiner  and 
purifier  of  silver :  and  He  shall  purify  the  sons  of 
Levi,  and  purge  them  as  gold  and  silver^  that 
they  may  oH'er  unto  the  Lord  an  offering  in 
righteousness"  (Mai.  iii.  1-3).  Thus  was  He  re- 
vealed as  "a  Son  over  His  own  House,"  the  Lord 
of  the  temple,  the  Hefiner  and  Purifier  of  the 
Church,  of  aU  its  assemblies,  and  of  each  of  its 
worshipiiers.  Conrpare  this :  "  Jehovah  is  in 
His  holy  temple ;  His  eyes  behold,  His  eyelids 
try,  the  children  of  men"  (Ps.  xi.  4) — with 
this:  "Unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Thya- 
tira  write ;  These  things  saith  the  Son  of  Goi), 
who  hath  His  eyes  as  a  flame  of  fire,  and  Hia 
feet  are  like  fine  brass;  I  know  thy  works  .  .  . 
and  all  the  churches  shall  know  that  I  am  He 
which  searcheth  the  reins  and  hearts :  and 
I  will  give  unto  every  one  of  yon  according  to 
your  works"  (Pvev.  ii.  18,  19,  23).  This  whip  of 
small  cords  was  like  the  fan  in  His  hand  with 
which  He  purged  His  floor;"  not  "throughly" 
indeed,  but  sufficiently  to  foreshadow  His  last  act 
towards  that  faithless  people — sweeping  them  out  of 
God's  house.  The  sign  which  He  gives  of  His 
authority  to  do  this  is  a  very  remarkable  one — the 
announcement,  at  this  the  very  outset  of  His  min- 
istry, of  that  coming  death  by  their  hands  and  re- 
surrection by  His  oivn,  which  were  to  pave  the 
way  for  their  judicial  ejection.  This,  however, 
was  uttered— as  was  fitting  at  so  early  a  period — 
in  language  only  to  be  fully  understood,  even  by 
His  disciijles,  after  His  resurrection.  4.  When 
Christ  says  He  will  Himself  rear  up  the  temple  of 
His  body,  in  three  days  after  they  had  destroyed 
it,  He  makes  a  claim  and  uses .  language  which 
would  be  manifest  presumi^tion  in  any  creature — 
claiming  absolute  power  over  His  own  life.  But 
on  this  important  subject,  see  more  on  ch.  x.  18. 
2.3— iii.  21.— Eesults  of  Cueist's  First  Public 


Results  of  CJirisf  s  first 


JOHN  III. 


public  visit  to  Jerusalem. 


23  Now  wlien  he  was  in  Jerusalem  at  tlie  passover,  in  the  feast  daj/,  many 

24  beheved  in  his  name,  when  they  saw  the  miracles  which  he  did.     But 

25  Jesus  did  not  connnit  himself  unto  them,  because  he  knew  all  7nen,  and 
needed  not  that  any  should  testify  of  man:  for  ''he  knew  what  was  in 
man. 

3      THERE  was  a  man  of  the  Pharisees,  named  Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the 

2  Jews :  the  same  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  and  said  unto  him,  Kabbi,  we 
know  that  thou  art  a  teacher  come  from  God:  for  "no  man  can  do  these 
miracles  that  thou  doest,  except ''  God  be  with  him. 

3  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee, 
'Except  a  man  be  born  ^ again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God. 


A.  D.  30. 

Pi  Sam.  1(3- 7. 

1  Chr.  28.  9. 
Matt.  0.  4. 

CHAP.  3. 
"  Ch  9.  16,  .33. 

Acts  2.  ■22. 
b  Acts  10  38. 
■^  Cll.  1.  13. 

2  Cor.  5.  ir. 
Gal.  6.  15. 
Jas.  1.  18. 

1  Or,  from 
above. 


Visit  to  Jerusalem,  in'  Many  Shallow  Con- 
versions AND  One  Precious  Accession.  The 
three  last  verses  of  the  second  chapter,  and  the 
first  twenty-one  verses  of  the  thhxl,  form  mani- 
festly one  subject,  in  two  divisions ;  the  former 
one  brief,  because  unsatisfactory,  the  latter  of  too 
deep  importance  in  itself  and  too  pregnant  with 
in.stniction  for  all,  not  to  be  given  in  full  detail. 

Unsatisfactory  Accessions  to  Christ  at  His  First 
Visit  to  Jemsalem  (23-25).  23.  Now  when  he  was 
in  Jerusalem  at  the  passover,  in  the  feast  [day] 
[ev  TV  eop-rrj] — rather,  '  during  the  feast,'  which 
lasted  seven  days.  What  is  now  to  be  related  is 
not  the  result  of  one  day,  but  of  the  whole  period 
of  this  festival  The  Cleansing  of  the  Temple, 
recorded  in  the  preceding  verses,  occurred  i')robaljly 
before  the  feast  began,  many  believed  in  his  name 
— see  on  ch.  i.  12.  These  converts,  persuaded  that 
His  claims  were  well  founded,  reposed  trust  in 
Him  in  that  sense,  and  to  that  extent  when  they 
saw  the  miracles  which  he  did.  "What  these  were 
is  not  here  recorded;  nor  can  we  get  any  light 
from  the  other  Evangelists,  as  they  speak  of 
no  public  visit  to  Jerusalem  but  the  last.  It 
is  singular  that  none  of  these  miracles  are  re- 
corded, since  in  the  very  opening  of  the  next 
chapter  Nicodemus  refers  to  the  immense  force  of 
conviction  which  they  carried  (ch.  iii.  2),  and  they 
are  again  referred  to  in  ch.  iv.  45.  24.  But  Jesus 
[A(!/T-(5s  oe  6  'IijcroDs] — '  But  Jesus  Himself,'  or  'Jesus, 
for  His  part,'    did  not  commit— or  '  trust'  himself 

unto  them  [ovk  eTria-Tevev  uvtov  avTol'i].  Though 
they  confided  in  Him,  He  did  not  conlide  in  them, 
or  let  Himself  down  to  them  familiarly,  as  He  did 
to  His  genuine  disciples,  because  he  knew  all 
men.  He  saw  through  them,  as  He  did  through 
all  men,  and,  perceiving  the  suiierticial  character 
of  the  trust  they  reposed  in  Him,  He  reposed  none 
in  them.  25.  And  needed  not—'  And  because  He 
needed  not'  [Kal  otl  oh  xfe'"!"  ^^X^^l  that  any 
should  testify  of  man :  for  He  knew  [auTos  yap]. 
The  language  is  emi^hatic,  as  in  the  previous  verse: 
'  For  Himself  knew '  what  was  in  man— in  other 
words,  that  all-penetrating  perception  of  what  was 
in  man  resided  in  Himself;  the  strongest  possible 
expression  of  absolute  knowledge  of  77ian,  as  in  ch. 
i.  IS  of  God. 

CHAP.  III. — Night-Interview  of  Nicodemus  with 
Jesus,  issuing  in  His  Accession  as  a  genuine  Dis- 
ciple (1-21).  See  introductory  remark  at  the  com- 
mencement of  this  Section. 

1.  There  was  a  man  of  the  Pharisees, 
named  Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews.  The 
connecting  particle  [oej  with  which  the  original 
introduces  this  scene  should  not  have  been  omitted, 
as  the  Evangelist  is  now  going  to  show,  in  con- 
tinuation of  his  subject,  that  cdl  the  accessions  to 
Christ  during  this  His  first  public  visit  to  Jerusa- 
lem were  not  like  those  of  Avhom  he  had  spoken  at 
the  close  of  the  preceding  chapter.  It  should  have 
begun  thus :  ' But  (or  ' Now ')  there  was  a  man. '  &c. 
361 


Nicodemus  is  a  i3urely  Greek  name,  of  frequent 
occurrence  among  the  later  Greeks,  whose  names 
were  often  apjiropriated  by  the  Jews,  especially 
those  of  foreign  extraction.  This  Nicodemus, 
besides  being  of  the  stricter  sect  of  the  Pharisees, 
was  a  "ruler"  \apy;wv\  or  one  of  the  Sanhedrim. 
In  V.  10  he  is  called  a  '  master,"  or  '  doctor'  of  the 
law.  It  is  useless  attempting,  as  Light  foot  has 
done,  to  identify  him  with  a  rabbi  of  this  name 
who  lived  at  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  2.  The 
same  came  to  Jesus.  The  true  text  here  clearly 
is  '  to  Him '  [-Trpos  uutoV]  ;  this  being  regarded  as 
but  a  continuation  of  the  same  suliject  with  which 
the  preceding  chapter  closed.  The  word  "Jesus" 
no  doubt  came  in  first  in  those  Church  Lessons 
which  began  with  ch.  iii.,  and  so  required  it ;  just 
as  many  in  the  public  reading  of  the  Scriptures 
insert  the  name  of  the  person  instead  of  "he" 
or  "him,"  for  clearness'  saKe.  So  all  recent  criti- 
cal editors  agree,  toy  night — "for  fear  of  the  Jews," 
as  is  evident  from  all  we  read  of  him :  see  on  ch. 
vii.  50-52 ;  and  on  ch.  xix.  38,  39.  and  said  unto 
him,  Ratobi  [=  ^i^ao-KaXos],  we  know — meaning, 
probably,  that  a  general  conviction  to  that  effect 
had  been  diffusing  itself  through  the  thoughtful 
portion  of  the  worshippers  with  whom  Jerusalem 
was  then  crowded,  though  much  yet  remaiued  for 
anxious  enquiry  regarding  His  claims,  and  that  as 
the  representative  of  this  class  he  had  now  come 
to  solicit  an  interview  with  Him.  that  thou  art 
a  teacher  come  from  God  [^-tto  GeoD  eXilXutias]— 
not  "  sent  from  God,"  as  is  said  of  the  Baptist,  ch. 
L  6.  Stier  and  Luthardt  call  attention  to  this,  as 
expressing  more  than  a  conviction  that  Jesus  was 
divinely  commissioned,  as  were  all  the  prophets. 
Certain  it  is  that  the  expression  "  come  fi'om  God" 
is  nowhere  used  of  any  merely  human  messenger, 
while  this  Gospel  of  ours  teems  with  phraseology 
of  this  kind  applied  to  Christ.  It  is  possible, 
therefore,  that  Nicodemus  mag  have  designed  to 
express  something  indehnite  as  to  Christ's  higher 
claims;  though  what  follows  hardly  l)ears  that 
out.  for  no  man  can  do  these  miracles  that  thou 
doest,  except  God  be  with  him.  See  on  ch.  ii.  23. 
From  all  these  particulars  about  Nicodemus,  we 
may  gather  that  sincerity  and  timidity  struggled 
together  in  his  mind.  The  one  imjielled  him,  in 
spite  of  hii  i^ersonal  and  official  position,  to  solicit 
an  interview  with  Jesus ;  the  other,  to  choose  the 
"  night "  time  for  his  visit,  that  none  might  know 
of  it.  The  one  led  him  frankly  to  tell  the  Lord 
Jesus  what  conviction  he  had  been  constrained  to 
come  to,  and  the  ground  of  that  conviction;  the 
other,  so  to  measure  his  language  as  not  to  commit 
himself  to  more  than  a  bare  acknowledgment  of  a 
miraculously  attested  commission  from  God  to  . 
men. 

3.  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Except  a  man  be  born 
again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God-  This 
blunt  and  curt  reply  was  plainly  meant  to  shake 


Niglit  inter tleic  of 


JOHN  III. 


Nicodemus  U'ith  Jesus. 


Nicodemus  saitli  unto  him,  How  can  a  man  be  born  when  he  is  old? 
can  he  enter  the  second  time  into  his  mother's  womb,  and  be  born  ? 

Jesus  answered,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  ''Except  a  man  be  born 
of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh ;  and  that  which  is  born  of  the 
Spirit  is  sj)irit.     Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee,  Ye  must  be  born 


A.  D.  30. 

ri  Isa.  44.  3, 4. 
Matt  3.  IL 
Hark  16.16. 
Acts  2.  38. 
Titus  3.  5. 
1  Pet.  3.  21. 


the  whole  edifice  of  the  man's  religion,  in  order 
to  lay  a  deejier  and  more  enduring  foundation. 
Kicodemus  probably  thought  he  had  gone  a  lonij 
way,  aud  expected,  perhaps,  to  be  complimented 
ou  his  candour.  Instead  of  tliis,  he  is  virtually 
told  that  he  has  raised  a  question  which  he  is  not 
in  a  capacity  to  solve,  and  that  before  appi-oaching 
it,  his  sjArituat  vision  required  to  he  rectified  Ly  an 
entire  revolution  on  his  inner  man.  Had  the  man 
been  less  sincere,  this  would  certainly  have  re- 
pelled him ;  but  with  persons  in  his  mixed  state  of 
mind — to  which  Jesus  was  no  stranger  (ch.  ii.  25) 
— such  methods  speed  better  than  more  honeyed 
words  and  gradual  api^roaches.  Let  us  analyze 
this  gi'eat  brief  saying.  "Except  a  man"  [tis] — 'a 
person,' or 'one'  "beborn  again,'  the  most  universal 
form  of  expression.  The  Jews  were  accustomed  to 
say  of  a  heathen  proselyte,  on  his  public  admis- 
sion into  the  Jewish  faith  by  baptism,  that  he  was 
a  new-born  child.  But  our  Lord  here  extends  the 
necessity  of  the  new  birth  to  Jew  aud  Gentile  alike 
— to  every  one.  be  born  again  [ai/mQev] — or,  as  the 
word  admits  of  being  rendered,  'from  above.' 
Since  both  are  undoubted  truths,  the  question  is, 
Which  is  the  sense  here  intended?  Origen  aud 
others  of  the  fathers  take  the  latter  view,  though 
Chrysostom  leaves  it  undecided;  and  with  them 
agree  Erasmus,  Lifildfoot,  Benoel,  Meyer,  de  Wette, 
LiicJce,  Lange,  and  others.  But  as  it  is  evident 
that  Nicodemus  understood  our  Lord  in  the  sense 
of  a  second  birth,  so  the  scope  of  our  Lord's  way  of 
dealing  with  him  was  to  drive  home  the  conviction 
of  the  nature  rather  than  the  source  of  the  change. 
And  accordingly,  as  the  word  employed  is  stronger 
than  "  again  "  [ttuXiu]  it  should  be  rendered  by  some 
such  word  as  '  anew,'  '  of  new,'  'afresh.'  In  this 
sense  it  is  understood,  with  our  translators,  by  the 
Vulgate,  Luther,  C'cdvin,  Beta,  Maldonat,  Lampe, 
Olshausen,  Neander,  Tholuck,  Stier,  Luthardt, 
Campbell,  Alford,  Webster  and  Wilkinson.  Con- 
sidering this  to  be  the  undoubted  sense  of  the  term, 
we  imderstand  our  Lord  to  say  that  unless  one 
begin  life  aneio,  in  relation  to  God — his  manner  of 
thinking,  and  feeling,  and  acting,  in  reference  to 
spiritual  things,  undergoing  a  fundamental  and 
permanent  revolution,  he  cannot  see — that  is,  'can 
have  no  part  in' — ^just  as  one  is  said  to  "  see  life," 
"  see  death,"  &c.  the  kingdom  of  God— whether 
in  its  beginnings  here  or  its  consummation  here- 
after. (See  on  Matt.  v.  3;  and  compare  Luke 
xvi.  16;  Matt.  xxv.  34;  Eph.  v.  5.) 

4.  Nicodemus  saith  unto  him,  How  can  a  man 
be  born  when  he  is  old?  Nicodemus  probably 
referred  here  to  himself,  can  he  enter  the  secoad 
time  into  his  mother's  womb,  and  be  born  ?  The 
figure  of  the  new  birth,  as  we  have  seen,  would 
have  been  intelligible  enough  to  Nicodemus  if  it 
had  been  meant  only  of  Gentile  proselytes  to  the 
Jewish  Religion;  but  that  Jews  themselves  showid 
need  a  new  birth  was  to  him  incomprehensible. 

5.  Jesus  answered,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee,  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the 
Spirit  [eg  lioa-ros  kul  •Trj/ey/xaxos]— or,  more  simply, 
'of  water  and  the  Spuit,'  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God.  We  have  here  a  two-fold 
explanation  of  the  new  birth,  so  startling  to  Nico- 
demus. To  a  Jewish  ecclesiastic,  so  familiar  with 
the   symbolical  application   of  water,    in   every 

362 


variety  of  way  and  form  of  expression,  this  lan- 
giiage  was  fitted  to  sliow  that  the  thing  intended 
was  no  other  than  '  a  thorough  spiritual  purification 
by  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost.'  Indeed,  this 
element  of  ivater  and  operation  of  the  Spirit  are 
brought  together  in  a  glorious  evangelical  pre- 
diction of  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-27,  which  Nicodemus 
might  have  been  reminded  of  had  such  spiritu- 
alities not  been  almost  lost  in  the  reigning  for- 
malism. Already  had  the  sjnnbol  of  water  been 
embodied  in  an  initiatory  ordinance,  in  the  baptism 
of  the  Jewish  expectants  of  Messiah  by  the 
Baptist,  not  to  speak  of  the  baptism  of  Gentile 
proselytes  before  that;  and  in  the  Christian 
Church  it  was  soon  to  become  the  great  visible 
door  of  entrance  into  "the  kingdom  of  God,"  the 
reality  being  the  sole  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  In 
this  way  of  viewing  the  two  elements — "water" 
and  "the  Spirit" — we  avoid  the  unsatisfactory  in- 
terpretation of  the  "water,"  as  if  our  Lord  had 
meant  no  more  than  'Except  a  man  be  regenerated 
by  the  oixlinance  of  bajitism  and  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.'  We  call  this  unsatisfactory,  because,  as 
the  ordinance  of  baptism  was  not  instituted  until 
Jesus  was  on  the  wing  for  glory,  we  think  it  harsh 
to  suppose  any  direct  allusion  here  to  that  institu- 
tion. But  neither  is  it  to  be  reduced,  wdth  Lampe, 
&c. ,  to  a  mere  figure  for  the  truth.  It  is  undoubt- 
edly the  cleansing  or  purifying  property  of  water 
which  is  referred  to,  in  conformity  with  the 
familiar  ideas  of  the  Jewish  ritual  and  the  current 
language  of  the  Old  Testament.  But  since  this 
was  already  taking  form  in  an  initiatory  ordinance, 
in  the  waj's  jiist  mentioned,  it  would  be  unreason- 
able to  exclude  all  reference  to  baptism;  although  it 
would  be  nearer  the  truth,  iierhaps,  to  say  that 
Baptism  itself  only  embodies  in  a  public  ordinance 
the  great  general  truth  here  announced — that  a 
cleansing  or  purifying  operation  of  the  Spirit  in 
every  one  is  indisi^ensable  to  entrance  into  the 
kingdom  of  God.  6.  That  which  is  born  of  the 
flesh  is  flesh;  and  that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit 
is  spirit.  A  most  weighty  general  proposition. 
As  Olshausen  expresses  it,  '  That  Avhich  is  begotten 
partakes  of  the  nature  of  that  which  begat  it.'  By 
flesh"  here  is  meant,  not  the  mere  matei'ial  body, 
but  all  that  comes  into  the  world  by  birth — the  en- 
tire man:  yet  since  "flesh"  is  here  opposed  to 
"spirit,"  it  plainly  denotes  in  this  place,  not  hu- 
manity merely,  but  lum:ianity  in  its  corrupted,  de- 
l")raved  condition — humanity  in  entire  subjection 
to  the  law  of  the  fall,  called  in  Rom.  viii.  "the 
law  of  sin  and  death."  (See  on  Rom.  viii.  1-9.) 
So  that  though  a  man  could  "enter  a  second  time 
into  his  mothers  M'omb,  and  be  born,"  he  would  be 
no  nearer  this  new  birth  than  before.  (See  Job 
xiv.  4;  Ps.  li.  5.)  Contrariwise,  when  it  is  said, 
"  that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit,"  the 
meaning  is,  that  the  fruit  of  that  operation  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  ui^ou  the  inner  man,  which  had  been 
pronounced  indispensable,  is  the  production  of  a 
spiritual  nature,  of  the  same  moral  qualities  as 
His  own.  7.  Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee, 
Ye  must  be  born  again.  If  a  spiiitual  nature  only 
can  Bee  and  enter  the  kingdom  of  God,  if  all  we 
bring  into  the  w'orld  -with  us  be  the  reverse  of 
spiritual,  and  if  this  spirituality  be  solely  of  the 
Holy  Ghost — no  wonder  a  new  birth  is  indispens- 


Christ  teacheth  the 


JOHN  III. 


necessity  of  Begeneration. 


8  ^ again.  The  *wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  souiid 
thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth :  so  is 
every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit. 

9  Nicodemus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  How  •''can  these  things  be  ? 

10  Jesus  answered  and  said  ixnto  him,  Art  thou  a  master  of  Israel,  and 

11  knowest  not  these  things?     Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee.  We  speak  that 
we  do  know,  and  testify  that  we  have  seen :  and  ye  receive  not  our 

12  witness.     If  I  have  told  you  earthly  things,  and  ye  believe  not,  how  shall 

13  ye  believe,  if  I  tell  you  o/ heavenly  things?    And  ''no  man  hath  ascended 
up  to  heaven,  but  he  that  came  down  from  heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man 

14  which  is  in  heaven.     And  '*as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilder- 


A.  D.  30. 

2  Or,  from 

above. 
«  Eccl.  11.  5. 

1  Cor.  2, 11. 

/  ch.  6.  52. 
"  Pro.  30.  4. 

ch.  0.  33. 

Cll    16.  23. 

Acts'-'.  31. 

1  Cor.  15.47. 

Eph.  i.  9. 
*  Num.21.  9. 

ch.  S.  2S. 


able.  Bengel,  ^Adtll  his  usual  acuteness,  notices 
that  our  Lord  here  says,  not  'we,'  but  ''ye  must  be 
born  again.'  And  surely  after  those  universal 
propositions,  about  what  "«  man''''  must  be,  to 
'  enter  the  kingdom  of  God,"  this  is  remarkable  ; 
showing  clearly  that  our  Lord  meant  to  hold  Him- 
self forth  as  "i'e^^araf'e/rort  s/H»eri."  8.  Tliewind 
blowetli  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the 
sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it 
cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth:  so  is  every  one 
that  is  born  of  the  Spirit.  The  word  for  wind 
here  is  not  that  usually  so  rendered  [aj/e/^ios],  which 
means  a  gale ;  but  that  which  signilies  the  'Jareath' 
of  life  {wveufjia  =  nn,  anima^f.  or  the  gentle  zejyhyr. 
Hence  it  is  tliat  in  the  Old  Testament,  "  breath  " 
and  "spirit"  are  constantly  interchanged,  as  anal- 
ogous (see  Job  xxvii.  3 ;  xxxiii.  4 ;  Ezek.  xxxvii. 
9-14).  The  laws  which  govern  the  motion  of  the 
ivinds  have,  indeed,  been  partially  discovered ; 
but  the  risings,  fallings,  and  change  in  direction 
many  times  in  a  day,  of  those  gentle  breezes  here 
referred  to,  will  probab'y  ever  be  a  mystery  to  us  : 
So  of  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  new 
birth. 

9.  Nicodemus  answered  and  said  unto  him, 
Hq-w  can  these  things  be?  Though  the  subject, 
says  Luthardt,  still  confounds  him,  the  necessity 
and  ijossibility  of  the  new  birth  is  no  longer  the 

Eoint  with  him,  but  the  nature  of  it  and  how  it  is 
rouglit  about.  From  this  moment,  to  use  the 
words  of  Slier,  Nicodemus  says  mtliing  more,  but 
has  sunk  into  a  disciple  who  has  found  his  true 
teacher.  Therefore  the  Saviour  now  graciously 
advances  in  His  communications  of  truth,  and 
once  more  solemnly  brings  to  the  mind  of  this 
teacher  in  Israel,  now  become  a  learner,  his  own 
not  guiltless  ignorance,  that  He  may  then  pro- 
ceed to  utter,  out  of  the  fulness  of  His  divine 
knowledge,  such  further  testimonies,  both  of 
earthly  and  heavenly  things,  as  his  docile  scholar 
may  to  his  own  profit  receive.  10.  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  a  master  [Su  el  6  di- 
ono-tcaXos] — rather,  'Art  thou  the  teacher.'  Per- 
haps this  means  only,  '  Dost  thou  occupy  the  im- 
portant post  of  the  teacher,'  or  doctor  of  the  law ; 
not,  as  some  good  critics  understand  it,  '  Art  thou 
the  well-known,'  or  '  distinguished  teacher,'  of 
Israel,  and  knowest  not  these  things?  The 
question  clearly  implies  that  the  doctrine  of  Re- 
generation was  so  far  disclosed  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment as  to  render  Nicodemus's  ignorance  of  it 
culpable.  Nor  is  it  merely  as  something  that 
should  be  experienced  under  the  Gospel  that  the 
Old  Testament  holds  it  forth— as  many  distin- 
guished critics  allege,  denying  that  there  was  any 
such  thing  as  regeneration  before  Christ.  For  our 
Lord's  proposition  is  universal,  that  no  fallen  man 
is  or  can  be  spiritual  without  a  regenerating  opera- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  surely  the  necessity 
of  a  spiritual  obedience,  under  whatever  name,  in 
opposition  to  mere  mechanical  services,  which  is 
363 


proclaimed  throughout  all  the  Old  Testament, 
amounts  to  a  proclamation  of  the  necessity  of 
regeneration.  11.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee, 
We  speak  that  we  do  know,  and  testify  that  we 
have  seen — that  is,  by  absolute  knowledge  and  im- 
mediate vision  of  God,  which  "the  Only  begotten 
Son  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father"  claims  as  exclu- 
sively His  own  (ch.  i.  IS),  and  ye  receive  not 
our  witness — referring  to  the  class  to  which  Nico- 
demus belonged,  but  from  which  he  was  now  be- 
ginning to  be  separated.  Though  our  Lord  says, 
"tfe  speak"  and  ^' our  testimony,"  Himself  only 
is  intended — probably  in  emjihatic  contrast  with 
the  opening  words  of  Nicodemus,  "Kabbi,  we 
know,"  &c.  12.  If  I  have  told  you  earthly  things, 
[xa  ETriyeia],  and  yc  belicve  not,  how  shall  ye 
believe,  if  I  tell  you  of  heavenly  things?  [tu 
eTTovpaviu] — rather  simply,  '  tell  you  heavenly 
things.'  By  the  "earthly  things"  which  Christ 
had  just  told  Nicodemus  of  is  certainly  meant 
Begeneration,  the  one  subject  of  His  teaching  to 
him  up  to  this  point ;  and  it  is  so  called,  it 
would  seem — in  contrast  with  the  "heavenly 
things" — as  being  a  truth  even  of  that  more 
earthly  economy  to  which  Nicodemus  belonged, 
and  as  the  gate  of  entrance  to  the  kingdom  of 
God  u]}on  earth.  The  "  In. avenly  things"  are  the 
things  of  the  new  and  more  heavenly  evangelical 
economy,  esi^ecially  that  great  truth  of  salvation 
by  faith  in  the  atoning  death  of  the  Son  of  God, 
which  He  was  now  about  to  "tell"  Nicodemus; 
though  He  forewarns  him  of  the  probability  of 
people  stumbling  much  more  at  that  than  he  had 
done  at  the  former  truth — since  it  had  been  but 
dimly  unfolded  under  the  earthly  economy,  and 
was  only  to  be  fully  understood  after  the  ett'usion 
of  the  Spirit  from  hearen  through  the  exalted 
Saviour.  13.  And  no  man  hath  ascended  up  to 
heaven,  but  he  that  came  down  from  heaven, 
even  the  Son  of  man  which  is  in  heaven.  How 
paradoxical  this  sounds:  '  No  one  has  gone  up  Imt 
He  that  came  down,  even  He  who  is  at  once  botli 
up  and  down.'  Doulitless  it  was  intended  to 
startle  and  constrain  his  auditor  to  think  that 
there  must  be  mysterious  elements  in  His  Person. 
The  old  SocinianSj  to  subveit  the  doctrine  of  the 
pre-existence  of  Christ,  seized  upon  this  passage 
as  teaching  that  the  man  Jesus  was  secretly  caught 
up  to  heaven  to  receive  his  instructions,  and  then 
"  came  down  from  heaven "  to  deliver  them.  But 
the  sense  manifestly  is  this  :  '  The  jierfect  know- 
ledge of  God  is  not  obtained  by  any  man's  going  up 
from  earth  to  heaven  to  receive  it — no  man  hath 
so  ascended;  but  He  v^hose proper  habitation,  in  His 
essential  and  eternal  nature,  is  heaven,  hath,  by 
taking  human  flesh,  descended  as  "the  Son  of 
Man"  to  disclose  the  Father,  whom  He  knows  by 
immediate  gaze  alike  in  the  flesh  as  before  He  as- 
sumed it,  being  essentiallv  and  imchangeably  "  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Father,  (ch.  i.  18.)  Now  conies 
He  to  tell  him  the  heavenly  things.    14.  Aad  as 


CJirist  teaclieth  the  great 


JOHN  III. 


love  of  God  to  manJcincI. 


1 5  ness,  even  so  must  tlie  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up ;  that  whosoever  beheveth 

16  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life.     For  *God  so  loved  tlie 
world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in 

17  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.     For  •'God  sent  not  his 
Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world ;  but  that  the  world  through 

18  him  might  be  saved.     He  that  believeth  on  him  ^is  not  condemned:  but 
he  that  believeth  not  is  condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not  believed 

19  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God.    And  this  is  the  condemna- 


A.  D.  30. 

'  Luke  2.  14. 

Eom.  5.  8. 

Titus  3.  4. 

1  John  4.  9. 
i  Luke  9.  56. 

lJohn4.i4. 

Eom.  5  1. 
*  Rom.  8.  1. 

1  John  5.' 2. 


Hoses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness 
(.see  Kum.  xxi.  4-9),  even  so  must  the  Son  of 
man  be  lifted  up ;  15.  That  whosoever  believeth 
in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life. 

Since  this  most  heavenly  thing,  for  the  reason  just 
inentioned,  might  be  apt  to  stumble,  Jesus  holds 
it  forth  under  a  somewhat  veiled  form,  but  with 
sublime  precisioia — calling^  His  death  His  '  ui^-lift- 
iug'  (compare  viii.  28;  xii.  32,  33);  and  by  com- 
pai-iug  it  to  the  iip-lifting  of  the  brazen  serpent, 
He  still  further  veiled  it.  And  yet  to  us,  who 
know  Avhat  it  all  means,  it  is,  by  being  cast  in 
this  form,  unspeakably  more  lively  and  pregnant 
with  instruction.  But  what  instruction  ?  Lotus 
see.  The  venom  of  the  fiery  serpents,  shooting 
through  the  veins  of  the  rebellious  Israelites, 
was  spreading  death  through  the  camp — lively 
emblem  of  the  perishing  condition  of  men  by 
reason  of  sin.  In  both  cases  the  remedy  was  di- 
vinely provided.  In  both  the  way  of  cure  strik- 
ingly resembled  that  of  the  disease.  Stung  by  ser- 
pents, by  a  serpent  they  are  healed.  By  "fiery 
serpents"  bitten— serpents,  probably,  with  sldn 
spotted  fiery-red— the  instrument  of  cure  is  a  ser- 
pent of  brass  or  copper,  having  at  a  distance  tlie 
same  appearance.  So  in  redemption,  as  by  man 
came  death,  by  Man  also  comes  life^Mau  too,  "  in 
the  U/ceness  of  sinful  Jfesh,"  differing  in  nothing 
outward  and  apparent  from  those  who,  pervaded 
by  the  poison  of  the  serpent,  were  ready  to  perish. 
But  as  the  uplifted  serpent  had  none  of  the 
venom  of  which  the  serpent-bitten  jjcople  were 
dying,  so  while  the  whole  human  family  were 
perishing  of  the  deadly  wound  inflicted  on  it  by 
the  old  serpent,  "  the  Second  Man,"  who  arose 
over  humanity  with  healing  in  His  wings,  was  witli- 
out  spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such  thing.  In  both 
oases  the  remedy  is  conspicuoushj  displayed :  in  the 
one  case  on  a  j.'ole;  in  the  other  on  the  cross,  to 
"  draw  all  men  unto  Him"  (ch.  xii.  .32).  In  both 
cases  it  is  by  directing  the  eye  to  the  uplifted  Remedy 
that  the  cure  is  effected :  in  the  one  case  it  was 
the  bodily  eye,  in  the  other  it  is  the  gaze  of  the  soul 
by  "  believing  in  Him,"  as  in  that  glorious  ancient 
proclamation — "  Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved, 
all  the  ends  of  the  earth,"  &c.  (Is.  xlv.  22.)  Both 
methods  are  stumbling  to  human  reason.  What, 
to  any  thinking  Israelite,  could  seem  more  un- 
likely than  that  a  deadly  poison  should  be  di-ied 
U13  in  his  body  1)y  simply  looking  on  a  reiitile  of 
brass  ?  Such  a  stumbling-block  to  the  Jews  and 
to  the  Greeks  foolishness  was  faith  in  the  cruci- 
tied  Nazarene,  as  a  way  of  deliverance  from  eternal 
perdition.  Yet  was  the  wan-ant  in  both  cases  to 
expect  a  cure  equally  rational  and  well-grounded. 
As  the  serpent  was_6-'orf's  ordinance  for  the  cure  of 
every  bitten  Israelite,  so  is  Christ  for  the  salva- 
tion of  every  perishing  sinner;  the  one  however 
a  purely  arbitrary  ordinance,  the  other  divinely 
adapted  to  man's  complicated  maladies.  In  both 
cases  the  efficacy  is  the  same.  As  one  simple  look 
at  the  serpent,  hoAvever  distant  and  however  weak, 
brought  an  instantaneous  cure;  even  so,  real  faith 
in  the  Lord  Jesus,  however  tremulous,  however 
distant — be  it  but  real  faith — brings  certain  and 
334 


instant  healing  to  the  perishing  soul.  In  awoid, 
the  consequences  of  disobedience  are  the  same  in 
both.  Doubtless  many  bitten  Israelites,  galling  as 
their  case  was,  would  reason  rather  than  obeii, 
would  sioeculate  on  the  absurdity  of  expecting  the 
bite  of  a  living  seriient  to  ha  cured  by  looking  at  a 
piece  of  dead  metal  in  the  shape  of  one^spoculate 
thus  till  they  died.  Alas!  is  not  salvation  by  a 
crucified  Eedeemer  subjected  to  like  treatment  ? 
Has  "the  offence  of  the  Cross"  yet  ceased?  (com- 
pare 2  Ki.  V.  12.)  16.  For  God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life.  Who  shall  speak  or 
write  worthily  of  such  a  verse  ?  What  proclama- 
tion of  the  Gosi^el  has  been  so  oft  on  the  lips  of 
missionaries  and  i)reachers  in  CA'ery  age  since  it 
was  first  utter,  d— what  has  sent  such  thrilling 
sensations  through  millions  of  mankind — what  has 
been  honoured  to  bring  such  multitudes  to  the  feet 
of  Christ— what  to  kindle  in  the  cold  and  selfish 
breasts  of  mortals  the  fires  of  self-saciiticing  love 
to  mankind,  as  these  words  of  transparent  sim- 
phcity  yet  overpowering  majesty  have  done  ?  The 
picture  embraces  several  distinct  con\partmeuts. 
First,  we  have  the  object  of  regard,  "The  World" 

&6v  K-o'tr/iof] — in  its  widest  sense,  ready  to  ''^perish:" 
ext,  "The  Love  of  God"  to  tliat  perishing  world 
— measured  by,  and  only  measurable  and  con- 
ceivable by,  the  gift  which  it  drew  forth  from  Him 
— He  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave,"  &c. :  Then, 
The  Gift  itself,  He  so  loved  the  world,  that  He 
gave  His  Only  begotten  Son ;  or,  in  the  language  of 
the  apostle,  He  "  spared  not  His  own  Son"  (Rom. 
viii.  32) :  Further,  The  Fruit  of  this  stupendous 
gift — negatively,  in  deliverance  from  impending 
perdition,  that  tliey  "might  not  perish;"  and  posi- 
tively, iu  the  bestowal  of  " everlastin.ij  life:"  and 
finally,  The  Mode  in  which  all  takes  eftect— simply 
by  "  believing  on  the  Son  of  God."  How  would 
jN  icodemus's  narrow  Judaism  become  invisible  in 
the  blaze  of  this  Sun  of  righteoiisness  seen  rising 
on  "the  world"  with  healing  in  His  wings !  17. 
For  God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  con- 
demn the  world ;  but  that  the  world  through  him 
might  be  saved.  A  statement  of  vast  importance. 
Though  "condemnation"  is  to  many  tlie  issue  ol 
Christ's  mission  {v.  19),  it  is  not  the  ohject  of 
His  mission,  which  is  jiurely  a  saving  one.  18. 
He  that  believeth  on  him  is  not  condemned 
Yob  KpiveTUL\ — lit.,  'is  not  being  judged,' or  'is  not 
coming  into  judgment.'  The  meaning  is,  as  the 
apostle  expresses  it,  that  "  there  is  now  no  con- 
demnation to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus" 
(Rom.  viii.  1).  Compai-e  ch.  v.  24,  "  He  that 
heareth  my  word,  and  .believeth  on  Him  that 
sent  me  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not  come 
into  condemnation,  but  is  (or  hath)  passed  from 
death  unto  life."  but  he  that  believeth  not  is 
condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not  believed 
in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God. 
Rejecting  the  one  way  of  deliverance  from  that 
condemnation  which  God  gave  His  Son  to  re- 
move,  they  thus  Avilfidly  remain  condemned.  19. 
And  this  is  the  condemnation— emi^haticaUy  so ; 


On  the  condemnation 


JOHN  III. 


for  nnhelief. 


tion,  Hhat  light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved  darkness  rather 

20  than  light,  because  their  deeds  were  evil.     For  every  one  that  doeth  evil 

hateth  the  light,  neither  cometh  to  the  light,  lest  his  deeds  should  be 


Isa.  5.  20. 
ch.  1.  4. 


rercaling  the  condemnation  already  existin^:,  and 
sealinfi  iip  under  it  those  who  will  not  be  delivered 
from  it.  that  light  [to  (pwi] — rather,  'the  light' 
is  come  into  the  world— in  the  Person  of  Him  to 
wdiom  Nicodemus  was  listening,  and  men  loved 
['the']  darkness  [to  o kotos]  rather  than  ['the'] 
light,  because  their  deeds  were  evil.  [On  the  aorist 
—  iiyaTnicrav — hei^,  see  on  ch.  X.  4.]  The  deliberate 
rejection  of  Himself  was  doii)>tles.s  that  to  which 
Jesus  here  referred,  as  that  which  Avould  fearfully 
reveal  men's  preference  for  the  darkness.  20.  For 
every  one  that  doeth  evil  hateth  the  light,  nei- 
ther cometh  to  the  light,  lest  his  deeds  shou'd  be 
reproved— by  being  bvouglit  out  to  the  light.  21. 
But  he  that  doeth  ['the^J  truth  [t)>  dXi'jdeiav] — 
whose  one  object  in  life  is  to  be,  and  to  do  what 
will  bear  the  light,  cometh  to  the  light,  that  his 
deeds  may  be  made  manifest,  that  they  are 
wrought  in  God— that  all  he  is  and  does,  being 
thus  thoroRglily  tested,  may  be  seen  to  have 
nothing  in  iit  but  what  is  divinely  wrought  and 
divinely  approved.  This  is  the  "  Israelite  indeed, 
in  wliom  is  no  guile." 

Bemarks. — 1.  What  an  air  of  naturalness  is  there 
in  the  first  part  of  this  Section,  regarding  the 
■"  many"  who  believed  in  Jesus'  name  when  they 
saw  the  miracles  which  He  did  at  His  first  official 
visit  to  Jerusalem,  and  during  the  paschal  feast. 
One  might  have  expected  that  all  with  whom  He 
came  in  contact  would  be  dix-ided  simply  into  two 
classes— those  who  recognized  and  those  who  re- 
pudiated His  claims  ;  or,  if  another  class  should 
emerge,  it  would  be  of  the  undecided,  or  the 
waverers— either  unable  to  make  up  their  minds, 
or  oscillating  between  the  two  Disposing  views 
of  His  claims.  But  here  we  have  a  fourth 
class,  or  the  first  class  separated  into  two 
divisions — the  cordial  and  thorough  accessions 
to  Him  and  the  shallow  and  fickle  believers ;  and 
of  these  latter  it  seems  there  were  "many" 
who  came  over  on  this  occasion.  Auother  thing 
which  strikes  one— as  betokening  the  absence  of 
everything  art'i tidal  in  the  di'awing  \\y>  of  this 
narrative— is,  that  "the  miracles"  which  He  did 
during  the  feast  are  not  recorded  at  all;  although 
they  were  such  that  not  only  they  were  won  over 
by  them,  but  the  class  of  which  Nicodemus  was 
the  most  hopeful  specimen  weve  convinced  by  them 
of  our  Lord's  divine  commission.  No  wonder  that 
iiniirejudiced  readers,  even  of  the  highest  class, 
as  they  bend  over  these  wonderful  Records,  feel 
them  to  be  true  without,  perhaps,  one  conscious 
reflection  on  the  question,  whether  they  are  so  or 
not — guided  by  that  experience  and  sound  judg- 
ment which,  with  the  force  of  an  instinct,  tells 
them  that  such  a  Tale  canu  ot  deceive.  But  2.  If  this 
may  be  said  of  the  first  part  of  this  Section,  what 
shall  be  said  of  the  sequel  of  it — the  night  inter- 
view of  Nicodemus  with  Jesxis — a  historical  picture 
which,  for  graphic  vividness,  interest,  and  power, 
surpasses  almost  -everything  even  in  the  Gospel 
History?  Two  figures  only  appear  on  the  canvas ; 
but  to  us  it  seems  that  there  must  have  been  one 
other  in  the  scene,  whose  young  and  meditative  ey« 
scanned,  by  the  niglit-lam]i,  the  Jewish  ruler  and 
Him  he  had  come  to  talk  with,  and  whose  ear  drank 
in  every  v>'ord  that  fell  from  both.  Our  Evangelist 
himself — was  not  he  there?  What  pen  but  that 
of  an  eye-and-ear  witness  could  have  re]wrted  to 
us  a  scene  whose  minute  details  and  life-like 
touches  rivet,  aud  have  riveted  from  the  begin- 
ning, the  very  children  that  read  it,  never  again 
3ti5 


to  forget  it,  while  the  depths  and  heights  of  its 
teaching  kee)5  the  most  mature  ever  bending  over 
it,  and  its  grandeui-,  undiminished  by  time,   will 
stand  out  to  arrest  and  astonish,  to  delight  arid 
feed  the  Church  so  long  as  a  Bible  shall  be  needed 
by  it  here  below?    If  this  Gospel  was  written  when 
it  lu'obably  was,  some  su  ty  or  more  years  must 
have  elapsed  between  the  occurrence  itself  and 
tliis  Record  of  it  for  the  ages  to  come.     And  yet 
how  fresh,  how  life-like,  how  new  and  waj-ni  it  all 
is — as  if  our  Evangelist  had  taken   down   every 
word  of  it  that  very  night,  immediately  on  the 
departure  of  Nicodemus.     W' e  think  we  see  this 
anxious  ruler — not  luiaware  of  his  own  imyiortance, 
and  the  possible  consequences  of  |.his  stej)  to  one 
in  his  position,  yet  imable  any  longer  to  rest  in 
doubt  —  stealing  along,   approaching  the   humble 
dwelling  where  lodged  the  Lord  of  glory,  and,  as 
he  enters,  surveying  the  countenance  of  this  mys- 
terious_  Person,  who  courteously  receives  him  and 
asks  him  to  seat  himself.     It  is  Nicodenuis  who 
first  breaks   that   silence  which  was   only  to   l^e 
resumed  as  the  last  words  of  the  most  wonderful 
announcements  ever  yet  made  to  any  hmnan  being 
fell  from  the  lips  of  the  Son  of  God,  aud  he  who 
came  a  trembling  enquirer,  departed  a  humble, 
though  secret,   disciple.      If   no  other  fruit  had 
come  of  that  first  visit  to  Jerusalem  but  the  acces- 
sion of  this  disciple,  woiil-d  it  not,  even  by  angel- 
eyes,  have  been  regarded  as  ■enough?    For,  as  was 
said  of  the  precious  ointment  which  Mary  piu-chased 
to  anoint  her  Lord  withal  at  the  supper  m  Bethany, 
Init  in  which  the  Lord  Himself  saw  another  and  yt  t 
dearer  piu'])Ose — "  She  is  come  aforehand  to  anoint 
My  body  to  the  biu-ying  " — so  may  we  say  of  this 
Nicodemus,  that  he  was  gained,  and  kept  in  re- 
serve all  the  time  of  Christ's  public  ministry  even 
till  His  death,  in  order  that,  having  pui'chased  an 
hiindred  ix)nnd  weight  of  myrrh  and  aloes  where- 
with to  anoint  the  body,  he  and  Joseph  of  Arima- 
thea,  another  secret  disciple,  might  be  the  honoured 
instruments  of  wrajiping  and  laying  it  in  the  vir- 
gin-sepulchre.    Nay,  but  even  if  this  service  had 
not  been  rendered  by  Nicodemus  to  his  dead  Lord, 
that  such  an  interview  should  have  ttvkeu  place 
between  them  in  order  to    its    being    reproduced 
here  for  cdl  time,  was  itself  alone  sufficient  fruit 
of  this  first  visit  to  Jerusalem;  and  doubtless  the 
Lord,  as  He  sees  of  tltis  travail  of  His  soul,  is 
satisfied.     3.  Nothing  is  more  remarkalile  in  this 
scene  than  the  A^aried  lights  in  which  the  Loid 
Jesus  is  exhibited  in  it.      Observe,   first  of  all, 
how  entirely  this  "Man,  Christ  Jesus,"  isolates 
Himself  from  all  other  men,  as  not  witliiu  the  cate- 
gory of  that    Iramauity  wdiose   regeneration   He 
pronounces    indispensaljle  to    entrance    into    th.e 
kingdom  of    God : — "  Except  one    [tjs]    be  bori^^ 
again."    And  after  giving  a  reason  for  this,  arising 
from  that  kind  of  hun;ian  nature  v.'hich  is  propa- 
gated from  piarent  to  child  in  every  descendant  of 
Adam,  He  adds,  "Mai-^'el  not  that  I  said  unto 
thee,  Ye  must  [i^el  u^^as]  he  born  again, "    Nor  can 
it  be  alleged  that  this  is  a  strain  upon  the  words, 
which  need  not  be  pressed  so  far  as  to  exclude 
Himself._     For  in  almost  every  succeeding  verse 
He  contimies  to  speak  of  Himself  as  if,  though 
truly  man,   His  connection  with   humanity  were 
something  voluntarily  assumed — something  sui^er- 
induced  upon   His   own   proper    being  —  that  by 
thus  coming  into  our  world  He  might  discharge 
a  great  mission  of  love  to  the  world  from  His 
Father  in  heaven:  "We  speak  that  we  do  inow. 


On  the  condemnation 


JOHN  III. 


for  unbelief. 


21  ^reproved.     But  he  that  doeth  truth  cometh  to  the  light,  that  his  deeds 
may  be  made  manifest,  that  they  are  wrought  in  God. 


and  testify  that  we  have  seen:  No  man  hath  as- 
cended uji  to  heaven  bat  He  that  came  cloivn  from 
heaven,  even  the  Son  of  Man  which  is  in  heaven: 
(xod  sent  His  Only  begotten  Sou."  Putting  all 
these  statements  together,  how  evident  is  it  that 
onr  Lord  does  mean  to  isolate  Himself  as  Man 
from  that  universal  humanity  which  cannot  with- 
out regeuej-ation  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
And,  in  connection  with  this,  it  may  be  stated  that 
He  never  once  mixes  Himself  up  with  other  indi- 
vidual men  by  the  use  of  such  pronouns  as  "we," 
and  "us,"  anil  "our" — save  whei-e  no  false  infer- 
ence could  iiossibly  be  drawn — but  always  says, 
"I"  and  "they,"  "I"  and  "you,"  "Me"  and 
"them,"  "My"  and  "your:" — remarkable  and 
most  pregnant  fact.  But  next,  observe  the  lofty 
style  into  which  He  rises  when  speaking  of  Himself. 
He  could  suggest  no  measure  by  which  to  gauge 
the  love  of  God  to  a  perishing  world  save  the  gift 
of  Himself  for  it:  "God  so  loved  the  world  that 
He  (lave  His  Only  begotten  Son."  What  creature, 
not  lost  to  all  sense  of  his  proper  place,  would  have 
dared  to  use  such  language  as  this  ?  Then,  notice 
how  warily — if  we  may  so  express  it — our  Lord 
uses  the  two  names  by  which  Himself  is  desig- 
nated, "The  Son  of  Man"  aiul  "The  Son  of  God." 
When  He  would  speak  of  His  uplifting  from 
Icneath,  He  uses  the  former — "Even  so  must  the 
Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up  :"  When  He  woidd  speak 
of  His  descending  from  ahore,  as  the  Father's  gift 
to  the  world,  He  uses  the  latter — "God  gave  His 
Only  begotten  Sou."  And  yet,  as  if  to  show  that 
it  is  One  glorious  Person  who  is  both  these.  He 
uses  the  one  of  these— and  the  lower  one  too — to 
express  both  His  higher  and  His  lower  natures 
and  His  actings  in  both:  "No  one  [ouoeis]  hath 
ascended  up  to  heaven  but  He  that  descended  from 
heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man  who  is  in  heaven." 
This  Avas  much  observed  and  dwelt  on  by  the 
Greek  Fatiiers,  who  called  it  'the  communication' 
or  'interctiange  of  properties'  [Koivwvia  iSiwfxdTwv], 
in  virtue  of  the  Oneness  of  the  Person  [oid  tiji/  riji 
uTToo-T-ao-etti?  TauTOTi/ra].  But  once  more,  with  all 
this  lofty  bearing,  when  speaking  of  Himself,  with 
what  meekness,  with  what  xiatience,  with  what 
spiritual  skill,  does  He  deal  with  this  soul,  in 
whom  candour  and  caution  seem  to  struggle  for 
the  mastery — a  jealousy,  on  the  one  hand,  for  his 
own  position,  and  an  anxiety,  on  the  other,  to  get 
to  the  bottom  of  Christ's  claims!  4.  What  a 
directory  for  the  preachers  of  the  Gospel,  and  for 
all  who  would  save  soids,  have  we  here !  The  two 
great  truths,  of  Itegeneration  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  Beconciliation  ly  the  death  of  Christ,  are  here 
held  forth  as  the  tiro-fold  need  of  every  sinner  who 
would  be  saved.  Over  the  portals  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  may  be  seen  two  iuscviptions,  as  in  great 
letters  of  fire, — 

No   PiEGENERATION — No  ENTRANCE  HeRE  : 

Without  the  Shedding  of  BLoao  — 
No  Remission. 
Or,  to  turn  it  out  of  the  negative  into  the  positive 
form, — 

The  Pure  in  Heart  see  God  « 
Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and 
BE  saved. 
As  the  one  of  these  gives  us  the  capacity  for  the 
kingdom,  so  the  other  gives  us  the  right  to  it.     The 
onerectities  our  nature;  the  other  adjusts  our  rela- 
tion to  God.     Without  the  one  loe  cannot  see  Him; 
without  the  other  He  will  not  see  2is.    As  upon 
these  two  pivots  saved  souls  must  ever  turn,  so  on 
these  must  turn  all  ];>ieaching  and  teaching  that 


would  be  divinely  ownecL     5.  Is  it  true  that  the 
quickening  oiierations  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  like 
tlie  gentle  breath  of  heaven — imseen  but  not  un- 
felt — with  laws  of   movement  divinely  ordained, 
yet  to  us  inscrutable ;  or  if  to  some  small  extent 
so  to  be  traced  that  our    exiiectations    may  be 
stimulated,  yet  as  little  to  be  laid  down  by  us  as 
the  laws  of  heaven's  breath  ?    Then  let  the  Church 
at  large,  let  every  section  of  it,  and  every  Chris- 
tian, beware  of  tyini/  doimi  the  Spirit  of  God  to 
their  own  notions  of  the  iv((y  in  which,  the  measure 
in  which,  the  time  in  which,  and  the  agencies  by 
Avhich  He  shall  work.    There  has  been  far  too  much 
of  this  in  all  past  time,  and  even  until  now;  and 
how  much  the  Sjiirit  of  the  Lord  has  been  thus 
hindered  and  restrained,  grieved  and  quenched, 
who  shall  tell?     He  is  a      free  Spirit,"  but  as 
Himself  Divine,  is  sajing,  "  I  will  work,  and  who 
shall  let  it?"    The  one  test  of  His  presence  is  its 
effects.     "  Every  good  gift  and  every  perfect  is  from 
above."     "Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns  or  figs 
of  thistles  ?"    Since  nothing  can  be  done  eftectually 
without  the  Si)irit,  and  Christ  Himself  without 
the  Spirit  is  no  Saviour  at  all  to  xis  (John  xvi.  8-lo; 
Rom.  viii.  9),  our  business  is  to  be  lying  in  wait 
for  His  blessed  breathings,  expecting  them  froin 
above  (Luke  xi.  13),  and  prepared  both  to  welcome 
and  use  them,  to  hail  them  wheresoever  and  in 
whomsoever  we  find  them,  and  to  put  ourselves 
alongside  of  those  operations  of  His,  gi^^ng  them 
our  countenance  and  lending  them  our  agency  for 
carrying  them  out  to  their  proper  ends — ^just  as 
sailors  in  a  calm  watch  for  the  moment  when  a 
breeze  shall  spring  uji,  which  they  know  well  may 
be  when  they  least  expect  it,  and  hoist  and  adjust 
their  sails  to  it  with  a  sjjeed  and  a  skill  at  which 
others  wonder,  so  as  to  let  none  of  it  be  lost.     6. 
Definite,  sharp,  authoritative,  spiritual  teaching  of 
divine  truth  is  what  alone  we  may  expect  will  be 
divinely  blessed.     It  was  our  Lord's  ti'ansparent 
Ijerception  of  the  difference  between  truth  and 
error,  and  of  wha,t  Nicodemus  needed,  as  theriglit 
beginning  of  a  religioTis  character,  that  prompted 
His  peculiar  manner  of  dealing  with  him.    But  the 
weiglity  brevity,  the  sharpness  of  those  lines  of 
distinction  between  "perdition"  and  "salvation," 
the  high  authority  with  which  He  bore  in  these 
great  truths  upon  this  enquirer,  mingled  with  such 
gentle  and  winning  spirituality — it  is  this  that  is 
so  remarkable  and  so  pregnant  with  wisdom  for 
all  that  \^ould  follow  Him  in  dealing  with  souls. 
Nor  is  He  in  these  inimitable.      The  authority 
with  which  He  uttered  these  great  truths  is  indeed 
His  own ;  and  of  this  God  says  from  the  excellent 
glory,  "Hear  Him."     But  when  zve  utter  them, 
we  CIO  it  with  His  authority,  and  have  a  right  to 
use  it,  as  did  the  apostolic  iireachers.     Nay,  this 
is  our  strength.     The   apologetical   tone,   or  the 
reasoning  tone — if  it  be  the  main  characteristic  of 
our  preaching — will  leave  no  divine  impress,  no 
stamp  of   heaven,  upon  it.     Weak  in   itself,  its, 
effects  will  be  weak  too.     And  do  not  the  facts  of 
the    pulpit    attest   this?     "My  speech  and  my 
jireaching  was  not  with  enticing  words  of  man's 
wisdom,  but  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of 
power;  that  your  faith  should  not  stand  in  the 
wisdom  of  men,  but  in  the  power  of  God." 

22-36.— Jesus  Withdraws  from  the  City  to 
the  Rural  Parts  of  Judea,  and  Baptizes — 
The  Baptist  also,  still  at  large.  Continues 
his  Work,  and  Bears  his  last  a^jd  noblest 
Testimony  to  his  Master. 
22,  After  tUesQ  tilings  came   Jesug   and  bis 


y...y«5  tcit/idraics 


JOHN  III. 


from  the  city. 


22 
23 

24 

25 

2G 


27 
2S 
29 


30 
31 


After  these  things  came  Jesus  and  his  disciples  into  the  land  of  Judea ; 
and  there  he  tarried  with  tliem,  '"'and  baptized.  And  John  also  was 
baptizing  in  -Sin on  near  to  ^Salim,  because  there  was  much  water  there: 
and  they  came,  and  were  baptized.  For  "John  was  not  j^et  cast  into 
prison. 

Then  there  arose  a  question  between  some  of  John's  disciples  and  the 
Jews  about  purifying.  And  they  came  unto  John,  and  said  unto  him, 
Rabbi,  he  that  was  with  thee  beyond  Jordan,  ^to  whom  thou  barest 
witness,  behold,  the  same  baptizeth,  and  all  men  come  to  him. 

John  answered  and  said,  ''A  man  can  *  receive  nothing,  except  it  be 
given  him  from  heaven.  Ye  j'ourselves  bear  me  witness,  that  I  said,  I 
am  not  the  Christ,  but  'that  I  am  sent  before  him.  He  Hhat  hath 
the  bride  is  the  bridegroom :  but  '■  the  friend  of  the  bridegToom,  which 
standeth  and  heareth  him,  rejoiceth  greatly  because  of  the  bridegroom's 
voice.  This  my  joy  therefore  is  fulhlled.  He  "must  increase,  but  ^I 
must  decrease.  Pie  '"that  cometh  from  above  ''^is  above  all:  ^he  that  is 
of  the  earth  is  earthly,  and  speaketh  of  the  earth:  'he  that  cometh  from 


A.  D.  30. 


'"  ch.  4.  2. 
"  Gen.  14.  18. 

Gen.  33.  18. 

1  Sam.  9.  4. 
»  Matt.  14.  3. 

Luke  3.  19, 
20. 

P  ch  1.  31. 

9  Heb.  5.  4. 

4  Or,  take 
unto  him- 
self. 

■•■  Mai.  3.  1. 

«  Matt.  23.  2. 

«  Song  5.  1. 

"  Isa  9.  7. 

''  Phil  3  8,  a 

'"  ch.  8.  23. 

^  Matt.28.  la 

y  1  Cor.  15. 47. 

'  ch.  6.  33. 


disciples  into  the  land  of  Judea  \eU  xiV  '\o\)f>aiav 
ynv\ — not  the  province  of  Judea,  as  distinguished 
from  Galilee  and  Samaria,  for  the  foregoing  con- 
versation was  held  in  its  capital.  But  the  mean- 
ing is,  that  leaving  the  city  He  withdrew  to  the 
rural  districts,  and,  it  would  appear,  to  some 
part  of  the  valley-district  of  the  Jordan  northward. 
and  there  he  tarried  with  them,  and  baptized 
[e/Sa-TTTj^ey]  or,  as  we  should  say,  '  kept  bap- 
tizing;' but  only  in  the  sense  explained  in  ch. 
iv.  2.  23.  And  [oe]— rather,  'Now,'  or  'But' 
John  also  was  baptizing  in  .ffinon  [=U'^\  "?] — 'an 
eye,'  'a  fountain,'  which  accords  with  the  Evan- 
gelist's explanation  at  the  end  of  this  verse,  near 
to  Salim.  The  site  of  these  places  cannot  now 
be  certainly  ascertained.  But  the  scenes  of 
the  Master's  and  the  servant's  labours  could  not 
have  been  very  far  apart,  because  there  was 
much  water  there :    and  they  came,  and  were 

baptized  [•Trapeyty.n/TO  mu  e^a-nTi.\ovTo\ — or  'ke])t 
coming  and  getting  baptized.'  24.  For  John  was 
not  yet  cast  into  prison.  From  the  first  three 
Evangelists  one  would  naturally  conclude  that  our 
Lord's  public  ministry  only  began  after  the  Bap- 
tist's imprisonment.  But  here,  about  six  months, 
probably,  after  our  Lord  had  entered  on  His  pub- 
lic ministry  we  find  the  Baptist  still  at  his  work. 
How  much  longer  this  continued  cannot  be  deter- 
mined with  certainty ;  but  probal^ly  not  very  long. 
For  the  great  importance  of  this  little  verse  for  the 
right  harmonizing  of  the  Gospels,  and  determining 
the  probable  duration  of  our  Lord's  ministry,  see 
on  Matt.  iv.  12. 

25.  Then  there  arose  a  question  between  [some 
of]  John's  disciples  and  the  Jews  [e/c  twv  fxa'd^Twu 
''luiavvov  fie-ra  ''lovoalcou] — rather,  '  Oil  the  part  of 
John's  disciples  with  the  Jews.'  But  the  true 
reading  beyond  doubt  is,  '  with  a  Jew'  ['louoaioi']. 
The  received  text  has  but  inferior  support,  about 
purifying  —  that  is,  l^aptizing;  the  symbolical 
meaning  of  washing  with  water  being  put  (as  in 
ch.  ii.  (i)  for  the  act  itself.  As  ,lohu  and  Jesus 
were  the  only  teachers  who  baptized  Jeivs,  dis- 
cussions might  easily  arise  between  the  Baptist's 
disciijles  and  such  Jews  as  declined  to  submit  to 
that  rite.  26.  And  they  came  unto  John,  and 
said  unto  him,  Rabbi,  he  that  was  with  thee  be- 
yond Jordan.  '  He  was  with  thee,''  they  say— not 
'thou  with  him,'  to  whom  thou  barest  witness 
fo-ii  ^e^((pxu(ji)Ka«] — rather,  'to  whom  thou  hast 
borne  witness ;'  that  is,  hast  been  doing  it  all  this 
time;  behold,  the  same  baptizeth,  and  all  men  come 
to  him : — q.  d. ,  '  blaster,  this  man  tells  us  that  he  to 


whom  thou  barest  such  generous  witness  beyond 
Jordan  is  requiting  thy  generosity  by  drawing  all 
the  people  away  to  himself.  At  this  rate,  thou 
shalt  soon  have  no  disciples  at  all.'  The  reply  to 
this  is  one  of  the  noblest  and  most  affecting  utter- 
ances that  ever  came  from  the  lips  of  man. 
27.  John  answered  and  said,  A  man  can  receive 

nothing  [Ou  ^uuaTai  ai/OfXiJTros  \afji(3uveii>  ovSev] — 
rather,  as  in  the  margin,  'A  man  can  take  to 
himself,'  or  '  assume  nothing ;'  that  is,  lawfully, 
and  with  any  success,  except  it  be  given— or 
'have  been  given'  [y  ^edofxevov"\  him  from  heaven.--— 
q.  d.,  '  Every  divinely  commissioned  iierson  has  liis 
own  Avork  and  sphere  assigned  him  from  above.' 
Even  Christ  Himself  came  under  this  law.  See  on 
Heb.  V.  4  28.  Ye  yourselves  bear  me  witness, 
that  I  said,  I  am  not  the  Christ,  but  that  I  am 
sent  before  him.  29.  He  that  hath  the  bride  is 
the  bridegroom :  but  the  friend  of  the  bridegroom, 
which  standeth  and  heareth  him,  rejoiceth  greatly 
—or  'with  joy'  [x«P?  X"'.'"^'!  because  of  the  bride- 
groom's voice.  This  my  joy  therefore  is  fulfilled. 
30.  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease: — q.  d., 
'  I  do  my  heaven-prescribed  work,  and  that  is 
enough  for  me.  Would  you  have  me  mount  into 
my  Master's  place  ?  Said  I  not  unto  you,  I  am  not 
the  Christ?  The  Biide  is  not  mine,  why  should 
the  people  stay  with  me?  Mine  it  is  to  jioint  the 
burdened  to  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world,  to  tell  them  there  is  balm  in 
Gilead,  and  a  Physician  there.  And  shall  I 
grudge  to  see  them,  in  obedience  to  the  call,  fly- 
ing as  a  cloud,  and  as  doves  to  their  windoMs? 
Whose  is  the  Bride  but  the  Bridegroom's  ?  Enou.gh 
for  me  to  be  the  Bridegi-oom's  Friend,  sent  by  Him 
to  negotiate  the  match,  privileged  to  bring  together 
the  Saviour  and  those  he  is  come  to  seek  and  to 
save,  and  rejoicing  with  joy  unspeakable,  if  I  may 
but  "stand  and  hear  the  Bridegroom's  voice,"  wit- 
nessing the  blessed  espousals.  Say  ye,  then,  they 
go  from  me  to  Him?  Ye  bring  me  glad  tidings  of 
great  joy.  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease  ; 
this,  my  joy,  therefore,  is  fulfilled.'  31.  He  that 
cometh  from  above  is  above  all :  he  that  is  of  the 
earth  is  earthly.  As  the  words  in  this  last  clause 
are  precisely  the  same,  they  had  better  have  been 
so  rendered: — 'He  that  is  of  the  earth  is  of  the 
earth ;'  although  the  sense  is  correctly  given  by 
our  translators,  namely,  that  those  sprung  of  the 
earth,  even  though  divinely  commissioned,  bear  the 
stamp  of  earth  in  their  A-ery  work :  but,  he  that 
cometh  from  heaven  is  above  all.  Here,  then,  is 
the  reason  why  He  must  increase,  while  all  human 


The  Baptist's  last  and  nolle 


JOHN  III. 


testimony  to  his  Master. 


32  heaven  is  above  all.     And  "what  he  hath  seen  and  heard,  that  he  testi- 

33  fieth ;  and  no  man  receiveth  his  testimony.     He  that  hath  received  his 

34  testimony  hath  ^set  to  his  seal  that  God  is  true.  For  ''he  whom  God 
hath  sent  speaketh  the  words  of  God:  for  God  giveth  not  the  Spirit  ''by 

35  measure  unto  him.     The  '^  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given  all 

36  things  into  his  hand.  He  -^that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting 
life:  and  he  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life;  but  ^the  wrath 
of  God  abidetli  on  him. 


A.  D.  30. 

"  Cll.  15.  15. 
>  2  Cor.  1.  22. 
"  ch.  7.  16. 
i  ch.  1.  10. 

Col.  1.  19. 
^  Dan.  7.  14. 
/  Hab.  2.  4. 
»  Gal.  3.  10. 

Heb.  10.  29. 


teachers  must  decrease.  The  Master  "cometh 
fi-om  above"— clesceiidiug  from  His  jyroper  element, 
the  region  of  those  "heavenly  things'  which  He 
came  to  reveal— and  so,  although  mingling  with  men 
and  things  on  the  earth,  He  is  not  "  of  tlie  earth," 
either  in  Person  or  Word:  The  servants,  on  the 
contrary,  springing  of  earth,  are  of  the  earth,  and 
their  testimony,  even  though  divine  in  aiithority, 
partakes  necessarily  of  their  own  earthiness.  8o 
strongly  did  the  Baptist  feel  this  contrast  that  the 
last  clause  just  repeats  the  first.  It  is  impossible 
for  a  sharper  line  of  distinction  to  be  drawn  Ijetween 
Christ  and  all  human  teachers,  even  when  divinely 
commissioned  and  speaking  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  And  w-lio  does  not  perceive  it?  The 
words  of  iirophets  and  apostles  are  undeniable  and 
most  precious  truth ;  but  in  the  Avords  of  Christ 
■  we  hear  a  voice  as  from  the  excellent  Glory,  the 
Eternal  Word  making  Himself  heard  in  our  own 
fiesh.  32.  And  what  he  hath  seen  and  heard, 
that  he  testifleth.  See  on  v.  11,  and  on  ch.  i.  IS. 
and  no  man  receiveth  his  testimony.  John's  dis- 
ciples had  said,  ^^All  come  to  Him"  {v.  26),  Would 
it  were  so,  saystlie  Baptist,  but,  alas !  they  are  next 
to  none.  Nay,  they  were  far  readier  to  receive 
himself,  insomuch  that  he  was  obliged  to  say,  I  am 
not  the  Christ ;  and  this  seems  to  have  pained  him. 
33.  He  that  hath  received  his  testimony  hath  set 
to  his  seal  that  God  is  true— gives  glory  to  God 
whose  words  Christ  speaks,  not  as  pro]>hets  and 
apostles,  by  a  partial  communication  of  the  Spirit 
to  tliem.  34.  For  he  whom  God  hath  sent  speak- 
eth the  words  of  God:  for  God  giveth  not  the  Spirit 
toy  meas'are  [unto  him].  Here,  again,  the  sharpest 
conceivable  line  of  distinction  is  drawn  between 
Christ  and  all  human  insjiired  teachers :  '  They 
have  the  Spirit  in  a  limited  degree ;  but  God  giveth 
not  [to  him]  the  Spirit  iy  measure.^  It  means,  as 
Ol-shausensAys,  the  entire  fulness  of  divine  Life  and 
divine  ]"iower.  The  present  tense  ^'gireth"  [oiowa-iv] 
very  aptly  points  out  the  ever-renewed  communica- 
tion of  tlie  Spirit  liy  the  Father  to  the  Son,  so  that 
a  constant  flow  and  re-tiow  of  living  power  is  to  be 
undei-stood  (see  ch.  i.  51).  35.  The  Father  loveth 
the  Son  [JfiyaTra'",  not  cpiXel — dilif/it,  not  amcit].  _  The 
word  denotes  the  love  of  character,  as  distinguished 
from  the  mere  love  of  jierson.  But  this  shade  of 
distinction  cannot  be  exjiressed  in  the  translation, 
nor  in  the  present  case  ought  they  to  he  separatecL 
and  hath  given  all  things  into  his  hand.  See  on 
Matt.  xi.  27,  where  we  have  the  same  delivering 
orer  of  all  things  into  the  hand  of  the  Son,  while 
here,  over  and  above  that,  we  have  the  deep  spring 
of  that  august  act,  in  the  Fatliers  ineffal^le  loi-e  (if 
the  Son.  36.  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath 
everlasting  life — akeady  hath  it.  See  on  v.  IS; 
and  on  ch.  v.  24.  and — or  rather,  'but'  [oe]  he 
tUat  helieveth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life. 
The  contrast  here  is  striking.  The  one  has  already 
a  life  that  will  endure  for  ever :  the  other  not  only 
has  it  not  now,  but  shall  never  have  it — never  see 
it ;  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him.  It  was 
on  Him  before,  and  not  being  removed  in  the  only 
l^ossible  way,  by  "believing  on  the  Son,"  it  neces- 
sarily remaiiieth  on  him. 

338 


Remarlcs. — 1.  Here  a.gam  we  have  the  marriage- 
relation  of  Jehovah  to  the  Church  —  one  of  the 
leading  Evangelical  ideas  of  the  Old  Testament — 
M'hich  in  Ps.  xlv.  is  transferred  to  Messiah,  and  is 
here,  as  in  the  First  Gospel,  appropriated  by 
Christ  to  Himself,  who  thereby  serves  Himself 
Heir  to  all  that  the  Old  Testament  holds  forth  of 
Jehovah's  gracious  affections,  piirposes,  and  rela- 
tions towai-ds  the  Church.  See  on  Matt.  xxii.  2, 
and  Remark  1  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  2. 
AVhat  a  beautiful  and  comprehensive  idea  of  the 
office  of  the  ministry  is  this,  of  "  Friends  of  the 
Bridegroom" — iustrumentally  briu.ging  the  parties 
together ;  equally  interested  in  botfi  of  them  and 
in  tiieir  blessed  union;  rejoicing  as  they  listen  to 
the  Bridegroom's  voice,  with  whom  the  whole 
originates,  by  whom  all  is  effected,  and  from 
whom  Hows  all  the  bliss  of  those  united  to  Him! 
.3.  Kg  test  of  fidelity  in  the  service  of  Clmst  can 
be  more  decisive  than  the  spirit  here  displayed  by 
the  Baptist— absorption  in  his  Master's  interests, 
joy  at  the  ingathering  of  souls  to  Him,  and  a  wil- 
lingness to  decrease  that  He  may  increase,  as  stars 
before  the  rising  sun.  4.  The  difference  between 
Christ  and  all  other,  even  inspired,  teachers  is 
carefully  to  be  observed,  and  never  lost  sight  of. 
By  this  the  honour  in  which  the  early  Church  held 
the  Gospels  above  every  other  portion  of  the  iu- 
spu'ed  Scriptm'e  is  fully  justified;  nor  are  the  other 
portions  of  canonical  Scripture  thereby  disparaged, 
but  rather  the  contrary,  being  thiis  seen  in  their 
right  place,  as  all  either  preparatory  to  or  exposi- 
tory of  The  Gospel,  as  the  Four  Evangelical 
Records  were  called  —  Christ  Himself  being  the 
chief  Corner-stone.  5.  When  Christ  "syieaketh 
the  words  of  God,"  it  is  not  simply  as  "  The  Word 
made  flesh,"  but  (according  to  tfie  teaching  of  the 
Baptist  in  i'.  34)  as  x)lenai'ily  gifted  with  the  Holy 
Ghost — that  "oil  of  gladness  with  which  God, 
even  His  God,  anointed  Him  above  His  feUows." 
As  this  was  prophetically  announced  in  Isa.  Ixi. 
1-3,  so  it  was  recognized  by  Christ  Himself  (Luke 
iv.  IS).  But  to  guard  against  the  abuse  of  this 
truth,  as  if  Christ  differed  from  other  teachers 
only  in  having  the  Spirit  given  Him  in  larger 
measure,  we  shall  do  well  to  observe  how  jealous 
the  fathers  of  the  Church  found  it  necessary  to  be 
on  this  point,  when,  having  to  combat  such  abuses, 
they  decreed  in  one  of  their  councils,  that  if  any 
one  said  that  Christ  '  spake  or  wrought  miracles  b'y 
the  Spirit  of  God,  as  by  a  ^Jover  foreign  to  Himself,' 
he  was  to  be  condemned.  Thus  then— as  at  His 
baptism  and  elsewhere,  so  here — we  have  the 
Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  all  present, 
and  each  in  His  respective  office  in  the  work  of 
redemxition.  6.  The  Son  of  God  is  the  great  Ad- 
ministrator of  the  kingdom  of  grace.  As  this  is 
part  of  the  closing  testimony  of  the  Baptist  to  Him, 
so  does  the  last  book  of  the  New  Testament  canon 
conclude  with  it — "Behold,  I  come  quickly,  and 
My  reiuard  is  ivith  Me,  to  give  to  everv  man  accord- 
ing as  his  work  is"  (Ilev.  xxii.  12).  But  this  is  not 
held  forth  here  merely  as  a  great  fact.  It  is  to 
give  meaning  and  weight  to  yvh&t  follows  [v.  30) — 
that  the  destinies  of  all  that  hear  the  Gospel,  their 


Jesus  li'ltMraics  from 


JOHN  IV. 


Judea  to  Galilee. 


4      WHEN  therefore  the  Lord  knew  how  the  Pharisees  had  heard  that 

2  Jesus  made  and  baptized  more  disciples  than  John,  (though  Jesus  himself 

3  baptized  not,  but  his  disciples,)  "he  left  Judea,  and  departed  again  into 
Galilee. 


A.  D.  30. 


CHAP.  4. 

'  Ch.  10.  40. 
Matt.lO.a.'i. 
Mark  .3.  7. 


blissful  or  blighted  eternity,  hang  upon  their  re- 
ception or  rejection  of  the  Son  of  God.  7.  God's 
attitude  towards  the  unbelieving  is  that  of 
"^vrath"  [ppyn],  that  is,  righteous  displeasure, 
whose  judicial  expression  is  called  "vengeance" 
feivSi/vijois].  While  it  repays  \airo(il8wa-L\  the  un- 
l)elieving  by  excluding  them  from  "  seeing  life,"  it 
does  so  still  more  awfully  by  leaving  them  under 
the  weight  of  God's  settled,  abiding  displeasure. 
And  yet,  with  such  teaching  sounding  in  their 
ears,  there  are  those  who  confidently  teach  that 
there  never  was,  is  not,  nor  can  be  anything  in 
God  against  sinners,  needing  to  be  removed  by 
Christ,  but  solely  in  men  against  God.  Having 
formed  to  themselves  certain  notions  of  the  lore. 
and  unchawieahleness  of  God,  which  they  think 
incompatible  with  there  being  anything  in  Him 
against  the  sinner  needing  to  be  removed  in  order 
to  his  salvation,  they  make  the  Scripture  to  bend 
to  these  notions,  instead  of  adjixsting  their  own 
views  to  its  indisputable  teaching.  This  may  be 
consistent  enough  in  those  _  who  believe  in  no 
authoritative  divine  Eevelation,  and  regard  the 
Scripture,  and  Christianity  itself,  as  only  designed 
to  quicken  and  develoii  the  natural  religiousness 
of  the  human  heart.  But  none  who  profess  to  bow- 
to  the  teaching  of  Scripture  as  aiithoritative  and 
conclusive  can,  consistently  with  the  concluding 
words  of  this  chapter,  deny  that  God's  view  and 
treatment  of  the  sinner  will  be  that  of  reconcilia- 
tion, complacency,  and  admission  to  life  everlast- 
ing, or  of  abiding  wra  h  or  judicial  displeasure, 
and  permanent  exclusion  from  life,  according  as 
he  believes  or  believes  not  on  the  Son ;  in  other 
words,  that  we  must  be  not  only  internally  but 
relatively  right  with  God,  or  that  He  must  be 
gained  to  us  as  well  as  we  to  Him.  That  He  is 
willing  and  waiting  to  be  so  is  indeed  most  true, 
as  His  whole  procedure  in  the  matter  of  salvation 
shows ;  and  that  neither  Christ's  death  nor  our 
faith  in  it  make  Him  so — as  we  be  slanderously 
r  .'iiorted  and  as  some  aflirm  that  we  say — is  equally 
true.  But  until  the  sinner  meets  Him  at  the 
Cross,  and  sets  to  his  own  seal  to  the  reconciliation 
effected  by  it— until  both  the  Offended  and  the 
offending  parties  emlirace  each  other  over  the 
same  Sacrifice  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world,  that  love  of  God  which  yearns  towards 
the  sinner  cannot,  and  will  not,  reach  him.  See 
on  Matt.  V.  23-26,  Remark  7  at  the  close  of  that 
Section.  8.  The  language  of  the  last  six  verses  of 
this  chaptei",  regarding  Christ,  has  been  thought 
by  not  a  few  critics  to  go  so  far  beyond  the  Bap- 
tist's point  of  view,  that  they  cannot  persuade 
themselves  that  he  uttered  it  as  it  stands  reported 
here ;  and  they  think  that  the  Evangelist  himself 
has,  in  the  exercise  of  his  apostolic  illumination  and 
authority,  blended  the  Baptist's  fainter  and  his  own 
cleai'cr  views  into  one  full-orbed  testimony,  as  that 
of  the  Baptist  himself — being  his  in  sense  if  not 
in  form.  We  have  put  this  view  of  Bengel,  Wet- 
stein,  LvcJce,  Olshausen,  de  Wette,  da  Costa,  and 
Thoiuck,  as  favourably  as  we  could.  But  first,  if 
this  princijile  is  to  be  admitted,  we  can  have  no 
confidence  that  even  Christ's  own  discourses  are 
correctly  reported,  save  that  they  are  too  lofty  to 
have  been  expressed  as  they  are  by  any  human 
pen ;  and  though  this  may  do  very  well  to  authen- 
tit  ate  them  in  the  general,  there  are  some  state- 
ments of  our  Lord  of  so  peculiar  a  nature  that 
we  should  not  feel  bound  to  abide  by  them  as 
vol,.  V.  3(59 


they  stand,  if  we  could  persiuide  ourselves  that 
they  were,  in  the  forvi  of  them  at  least,  due  to  the 
Evangelist  himself.  Thus  is  a  ijriuciple  of  un- 
certainty in  the  testimony  of  the  Gospels  intro- 
duced, of  which  no  one  can  see  the  end,  or  rather, 
the  end  of  which  has  1  >een  too  sadly  seen  in  the 
criticism  oi Schleiermacher  (on  the  Gospel  of  Luke, 
for  example),  and  after  him  of  Strauss.  But  again, 
this  Avhole  testimony  of  the  Baptist — from  ?'.  27 — 
is  so  homogeneous,  as  Meyer  well  remarks,  so 
uniform,  consistent,  and  continuous,  that  one  can- 
not see  why  the  former  portion  of  it  should  be 
thought  to  be  strictly  his,  and  the  rest  betray  the 
Evangelist's  own  pen.  But  once  more,  we  have 
seen  already  how  glorious  are  the  rays  of  Gosiiel 
truth— regarding  the  Person  and  the  Work  of 
Christ  alike — which  darted  fi-om  the  lips  of  His 
honoured  herald  (see  on  ch.  i.  2D;  and  on  i.  49): 
and  as  from  Luke  xi.  1  it  is  clear  that  John's 
teaching  to  his  discii)les  took  a  wider  range  than 
anything  expressly  reported  in  the  Gos]iels,  we 
have  no  reason  for  doubting  that  this  testimony — 
explicitly  related  as  his,  and  so  entirely  in  har- 
mony with  all  his  recorded  testimonies — was  really 
his,  merely  because  it  widens  out  into  something 
singularly  clear  and  lofty;  more  especially  when 
we  consider  that  it  must  have  been  among  the 
very  last  testimonies,  if  not  altogether  the  last, 
which  he  was  permitted  to  bear  to  his  blessed 
Master  before  his  imprisonment. 

CHAP.  IV.  1-42.— The  Eisixg  Jealoxisy  of 
THE  Pharisees  at  the  Success  op  our  Lord's 
Ministry  Induces  Him  to  Withdraw  from 
Judea  to  Galilee— On  the  Way,  He  Meets 
WT[TH  AND  Gains  the  Woman  of  Samaria,  and 
through  her,  many  of  the  Samaritans,  with 
WHOM  He  Abides  Two  Days.  (  =  Matt.  iv.  12; 
Marki.  14;  Luke  iv.  14) 

Jesus  Leaves  Judea  for  Galilee  (1-3).  1.  When 
therefore— referring  back  to  ch.  iii.  22,  from  which 
the  narrative  is  now  resumed,  the  Lord  knew 
how  the  Pharisees  had  heard  that  Jesus  made 
and  baptized  {iroLei  kuI  /Ja-TTTiJei] — or  'was  mak- 
ing and  baptizing '  more  disciples  than  John. 
Word  to  this  effect  may  have  been  brought  to  Him; 
but,  perhaps,  by  styling  Him  here  "the  Lord" — 
which  he  does  only  once  again  before  His  resur- 
rection—our Evangelist  means  that  He  "knew" 
it  as  "  knowing  all  men  "  (ch.  ii.  24,  25).  2.  (Though 
[KaiTotye] — or,  'And  yet'  Jesus  himself  baptized 
not,  but  his  disciples.)  John,  being  but  a  servant, 
baptized  with  his  own  hand :  Jesus,  as  the  Master, 
whose  exclusive  prerogative  it  was  to  baptize  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  seems  to  have  deemed  it  fitting 
that  He  should  administer  the  outward  symbol  only 
through  His  disciples.  Besides,  had  it  been  other- 
wise, undue  eminence  might  have  been  siipposed 
to -attach  to  the  Christ-baptized.  3.  He  left  Judea 
— that  opposition  to  Him  might  not  be  too  soon 
organized,  which  at  that  early  stage  would  have 
marred  His  work ;  and  departed  again  into 
Ga,lilee — by  which  time  John  had  been  cast  into 
prison.  Here,  then,  our  Evangelist  takes  up  the 
thread  of  the  three  first  Gosiiels :  Matt.  iv.  12 ; 
Mark  i.  14;  Luke  iv.  14.  The  period  during  which 
our  Lord  continued  in  Judea,  from  the  time  of  His 
first  Passover,  ajipears  to  have  been  at  least  eight 
months — it  being,  as  we  shall  see  from  v.  35,  now 
"four  months  to  harvest,"  which,  as  usually  reck- 
oned, would  be  late  in  the  month  of  December; 
but  as  this  makes  the  harvest,  it  would  seem,  too 
2b 


Jesus  passing  through  Samaria  JOHN  IV. 


resteth  at  JacoVs  Well. 


4,  And  he  must  needs  go  through  Samaria,  Then  cometh  lie  to  a 
5  city  of  Samaria,  which  is  called  Sycliar,  near  to  the  parcel  of  gi'ound 
G  ^that  Jacob  gave  to  his  sou  Joseph.     Now  Jacob's  well  was  there.     Jesus 

therefore,  being  wearied  with  his  journey,  sat  thus  on  the  well :  and  it 

was  about  the  sixth  hour. 

7  There  cometh  a  woman  of  Samaria  to  draw  water :  Jesus  saith  unto 

8  her,  Give  me  to  drink.     (For  his  disciples  were  gone  away  unto  the  city 

9  to  buy  meat.)  Then  saith  the  woman  of  Samaria  unto  him,  Plow  is  it 
that  thou,  being  a  Jew,  askest  drink  of  me,  which  am  a  woman  of 
Samaria?  for  '"the  Jews  have  no  dealings  with  the  Samaritans. 

10      Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her.  If  thou  knewest  '^the  gift  of  God, 
and  who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee,  Give  me  to  drink ;  thou  wouldest  have 


A.  T>.  30. 

b  Gen.  33.  19. 
Gen.  48.  22 

Jos  24.  32. 
"  2  Ki.  17.  24. 

Ezra  4.  3. 

Nell.  4.  1,2. 

Luke  9.  52. 

Ac'.s  I.  8. 

Acts  10.  28. 
d  Isa.  9.  6. 

Isa.  42.  6. 

Luke  11  13. 

Eom.  8.  32. 

1  Cor.  1.  30. 

2  Cor.  9.  15. 


early,  perhaps  our  Lord  did  not  leave  till  late  in 
January. 

Jesus  at  JacoVs  Well  Converses  with  and  Gains 
the  Woman  of  Samaria  (4-26).  4.  And  [oe]— or, 
'Now'  lie  must  needs  go  through  Samaria— for 
a  geographical  reason,  no  doubt ;  the  nearest  way 
from  Judea  to  Galilee  being  through  the  inter- 
mediate province  of  Samaria:  but  certainly  it 
was  not  without  a  higher  design  — He  "needed" 
to  meet  with  the  woman  at  Jacob's  well,  and  to 
reap  the  blessed  fruit  of  that  meeting.  5.  Then 
cometh  he  to  a  city  of  Samaria,  called  Sychar — 
the  "Shechem"  of  the  Old  Testament,  about 
thirty-four  miles  north  of  Jerusalem.  From  the 
Eomans  it  got  the  name  of  "Neapolis,"  and  is  now 
called  "Nablous."  But  see  on  p.  20.  In  "coming 
to  "  this  town,  however,  He  came  only  to  its  neigh- 
bourhood, remaining  in  the  first  instance,  at 
Jacob's  well,  near  to  the  parcel  of  ground  that 
Jacob  gave  to  his  son  Joseph.  This  fact,  though 
not  expressly  stated  in  the  Old  Testament,  was 
inferred,  by  the  Jews  from  Gen.  xxxiii.  19 ;  xlviii. 
22  (according  to  the  LXX.  translation) ;  Jos.  xxiv. 
32.  6.  Now  Jacob's  well  was  there.  'We  en- 
quired of  the  Samaritans,'  says  Dr.  Robinson, 
'respecting  Jacob's  well.  They  said  they  acknow- 
ledged the  tradition,  and  regarded  it  as  having 
belonged  to  the  patriarch.  It  lies  at  the  mouth  of 
the  valley  (the  narrow  valley  of  Nablous)  near  the 
south-side.  Late  as  it  was,  we  took  a  guide  and 
set  off  for  Jacob's  well.  We  were  thirty-five 
minutes  in  coming  to  it  from  the  city.  The  well 
bears  evident  marks  of  antiquity,  but  was  now 
dry  and  deserted ;  it  was  said  usually  to  contain 
living  water,  and  not  merely  to  be  tilled  by  the 
rains.  A  large  stone  was  laid  loosely  over,  or 
rather  in  its  mouth,  and  as  the  hour  was  now  late, 
we  made  no  attempt  to  remove  the  stone  aod  ex- 
amine the  vaulted  entrance  below.  We  had  also 
no  line  with  us  at  the  moment,  to  measure  the 
well;  but  by  droiipiug  in  stones,  we  could  per- 
ceive that  it  was  deep  (v.  11).  Maundrell,  who 
measured  the  well,  found  it  dug  in  a  firm  rock, 
about  three  yards  m  diameter,  aud  thirty-five  in 
depth;  five  yards  being  full  of  water.  In  1839,  it 
was  found  to  be  only  seventy-five  feet  deep  below 
the  vault  by  which  it  is  covered,  with  only  ten  or 
twelve  feet  of  water;  while  in  1843,  the  bottom 
was  found  scarcely  covered  with  water.'  Various 
difficnlties  in  the  way  of  this  tradition  and  the 
identity  of  the  well  are  satisfactorily  disposed  of 
by  Dr.  Robinson.  Jesus  therefore,  being  wearied 
with  his  journey,  sat  thus  [outojs]  on.  the  well 
[67rt  T?;  TT)) 7)1]— rather,  'by  the  well' — that  is,  just 
as  one  would  do  in  such  circumstances,  loimgingly 
or  at  ease  ;  an  instance  of  the  graphic  style  of  our 
Evangelist.  In  fact,  this  is  perhaps  the  most 
human  of  all  the  scenes  of  our  Lord's  earthly  his- 
tory. We  seem  to  be  beside  Him,  overhearing  all 
that  is  here  recorded;  nor  could  any  painting  of 

3;o 


the  scene  on  canvas,  however  perfect,  do  other 
than  lower  the  conception  which  this  exquisite 
narrative  conveys  to  the  devout  and  intelligent 
reader.  But  with  all  that  is  human,  how  much 
also  of  the  divine  have  we  here,  both  blended  in 
one  glorious  manifestation  of  the  majesty,  grace, 
pity,  patience  with  which  "the  Lord"  imparts 
light  and  life  to  this  unlikeliest  of  strangers, 
standing  midway  between  Jews  and  heathens, 
[and]  it  was  about  the  sixth  hour — or  noon-day; 
reckoning  from  six  o'clock  a.m.  From  Cant  i.  7, 
we  know,  as  fi-om  other  soiirces,  that  the  very 
flocks  "rested  at  noon."  But  Jesus,  whose  maxim 
was,  "I  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that  sent 
me  while  it  is  day"  (ch.  ix.  4),  seems  to  have 
denied  Himself  that  repose,  at  least  on  this  occa- 
sion, probably  that  He  might  reach  this  well  when 
He  knew  the  woman  would  be  there.  Once  there, 
however.  He  accepts  the  grateful  ease  of  a  seat  on 
the  patriarchal  stone.  But,  while  Himself  is  rest- 
ing, what  music  is  that  which  I  hear  from  His  li])s, 
"  Come  unto  Me  all  ye  that  lal)0ur  aud  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  7-<st?"    (Matt  xi.  28). 

7.  There  cometh  a  woman  of  Samaria  to  draw 
water :  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Give  me  to  drink. 
For  the  heat  of  a  noon-day  sun  had  parched  His 
lips.  But,  while  Himself  thirsting,  "  In  the  last, 
that  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  stood  aud  cried, 
saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me 
and  drink'"  (ch.  vii.  37).  8.  (For  his  disciples  were 
gone  away  unto  the  city  to  buy  meat)  [■rpocpd's] 
— 'victuals,'  or  'provisions.'  This  was  wisely 
ordered,  that  Jesus  might  be  alone  Avith  the 
woman ;  nor  did  the  disciples  return  till  the  dia- 
logue was  concluded,  and  our  Lord's  object  in  it 
entirely  gained.  9.  Then  saith  the  woman  of 
Samaria  unto  him,  How  is  it  that  thou,  being  a 
Jew,  askest  drink  of  me,  which  am  a  woman  of 
Samaria  ? — not  altogether  refusing,  yet  wondering 
at  so  unusual  a  request  from  a  Jew,  as  His  dress 
and  dialect  would  at  once  discover  Him  to  be,  to  a 
Samaritan,  for  the  Jews  have  no  dealings  with 
the  Samaritans — or  better  without  the  article,  as 
in  the  originalj  'Jews  have  no  dealings  wi^h 
Samaritans.'  !Not  absolutely  none,  for  the  dis- 
ciples at  this  very  time  had  gone  to  buy  of  the 
Sycharites,  and  brought  their  jiurchase  with  them. 
But  the  reference  is  to  friendly  dealings,  such  as 
exchange  of  hospitalities  and  acts  of  kindness. 
It  is  this  national  antipathy  that  gives  point  to  the 
parable  of  The  Good  Samaritan  (Luke  x.  30,  &c. ), 
and  to  the  thankfulness  of  the  Samaritan  leper, 
when  he  found  himself  ciu-ed  by  the  Lord  Jesus 
(Luke  xvii.  16,  IS).  Robinso7i  says  the  Samaritans 
'still  maintain  their  ancient  hatred  against  the 
Jews,  and  neither  eat,  nor  drink,  nor  mai'ry,  nor 
associate  with  the  Jews;  but  only  trade  with 
them.' 

10.  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  If  thou 
knewest  the  r-'t  c-  God,  aud  v.'l-O  it  is  that  saith 


Jesus  conmrses  with 


JOHN  IV. 


the  Woman  of  Samaria. 


11 


asked  of  him,  and  he  would  have  given  thee  *  living  water.  The  woman 
saith  unto  him,  Sir,  thou  hast  nothing  to  draw  with,  and  the  well  is 
deep:  from  whence  then  hast  thou  that  living  water?  Art  thou  greater 
than  our  father  Jacob,  which  gave  us  the  well,  and  drank  thereof  himself, 
and  his  children,  and  his  cattle  ? 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  Whosoever  drinketh  of  this  water 
shall  thirst  again :  hut  whosoever  drinketh  of  tlie  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  never  thirst;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  ■''shall  be  in 
15  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into  everlasting  life.  The  ^Avoman  saith 
unto  him,  Sir,  give  me  this  water,  that  I  thirst  not,  neither  come  hither 
to  draw. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Go,  call  thy  husband,  and  come  hither.  The 
woman  answered  and  said,  I  have  no  husband. 

Jesus  said  unto  her.  Thou  hast  well  said,  I  have  no  husband :  for  thou 
hast  had  five  husbands ;  and  he  whom  thou  now  hast  is  not  thy  husband : 
in  that  saidst  thou  truly.  The  woman  saith  unto  him.  Sir,  '*I  perceive 
20  that  thou  art  a  prophet.  Our  fathers  worshipped  in  Hhis  mountain;  and 
ye  say,  that  in  •'Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men  ought  to  w^orship. 


12 


13 
14 


16, 
17 

18 

19 


A.  D.  30. 

'  Ex.  ir.  6. 

Isa.  12.  3. 

Isa.  44.  3. 

Jer.  2.  13. 

Zee.  13.  1. 

Zee.  14.  ?. 

Eev.  7.  17. 
/  ch.  7.  3S. 

ch.  10.  10. 

Kom.  5.  21. 

2  Cor.  1.  22. 
*  Kom.  0.  23. 

1  John5.:o. 
h  Luke  7.  10. 

Luke  24. 19. 

ch.  6.  14. 

ch.  7.  40. 
i  Gen.  12.  6. 

Jud.  9.  7. 
}  Deut,  12.  5. 

2  Chr.  7.  12. 
Ps.  7S.  63. 


to  thee,  Give  me  to  drink;  thou  wouldest  have 
asked  of  him,  and  he  would  have  given  thee 
living  water  :—  q.  d.,  '  In  Me  tliou  seest  only  a 
petitioner  to  thee  ;  but  if  tlioii  knewcst  Who  that 
Petitioner  is,  and  the  gift  that  God  is  giving  to 
men,  thou  wouldst  have  changed  places  with  Him, 
gladly  suing  of  Him  living  water — nor  shoiddst 
thou  have  sued  in  vain,'  gently  reflecting  on  her 
for  not  immediately  meeting  His  request.  11.  The 
woman  saith  unto' him,  Sir,  thou  hast  nothing  to 
draw  with,  and  the  well  is  deep:  from  whence 
then  hast  thou  that  living  water?  This  is  the 
language  of  one  who,  though  startled  by  what  was 
said  to  her,  saw  that  it  must  have  some  meaning, 
and  sought  Ijy  this  question  to  get  at  the  bottom  of 
it.  12.  Art  thou  greater — already  perceiving  in 
this  Stranger  a  claim  to  some  mysterious  greatness, 
than  our  father  Jacob,  which  gave  us  the  well, 
and  drank  thereof  himself,  and  his  children,  and 
his  cattle?  For,  says  Joseplms  (Antt.  ix.  14.  3), 
when  it  went  well  with  the  Jews  the  Samaritans 
claimed  kindi-ed  with  them,  as  being  descended 
from  Joseph,  but  when  misfortunes  befell  the  Jews 
they  disowned  all  connection  with  them.  13. 
Jesiis  answered  and  said  unto  her,  Whosoever 
[rias  6] — rather,  '  Every  one  that'  drinketh  of  this 
water  shall  thirst  again:  14.  But  whosoever 
drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall 
never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him 
shall  be  in  him  [yevvaeTaL  kv  aiiTw] — rather,  'shall 
become  in  him'  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into 
everlasting  life.  The  contrast  here  is  funda- 
mental and  all-comprehensive.  "This  water" 
plainly  means  '  this  natural  water  and  all  satisfac- 
tions of  a  like  earthly  and  perishable  nature.' 
Coming  to  us  from  without,  and  reaching  only  the 
su]ierticial  parts  of  our  nature,  they  are  soon  sjient, 
and  need  to  be  anew  supplied  as  much  as  if  we 
had  never  exjierienced  them  Ijefore,  while  the 
deeper  want  i  of  our  being  are  not  reached  by  them 
at  all;  whereas  the  "water"  tliat  Christ  gives — 
spiritual  life — is  struck  out  of  the  very  depths  of 
our  being,  making  the  soul  not  a  cistern,  for  hold- 
ing water  poured  into  it  from  without,  hut  a, fountain 
^the  word  [ttij^'')]  had  been  better  so  rendered,  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  word  rendered  "well"  in 
*'.  \\\(i>peap\ — springing,  gushing,  bubbling  ui)  and 
flowing  forth  from  witlun  us,  ever  fresh,  ever 
livin.g.  The  indivellin;/  of  the  Holt/  Ghost  as  the 
Sjiiritof  Christ  is  the  secret  of  this  life,  with  all  its 
enduring  energies  and  satisfactions,  as  is  exiiressly 
said  (eh.  viL  37-39).  "Never  thiisting,"  then,  just 
371 


means  that  such  souls  have  the  supplies  at  home. 
It  is  an  internal  well,  "  siiriuging  up  into  ever- 
lasting life" — by  which  words  our  Lord  carries  the 
thoughts  up  from  the  eternal  freshness  and  vitality 
of  these  waters  in  us  to  the  great  ocean  in  which 
they  have  their  confluence.  '  Thither,'  says 
devout  Ben;/el,  '  may  I  arrive ! '  15.  The  woman 
saith  unto  him,  Sir,  give  me  this  water,  that  I 
thirst  not,  neither  come  hither  to  draw.  This  is 
not  obtuseness,  for  that  is  giving  Avay:  it  expresses 
a  wondering  desire  after  she  scarce  knew  what 
from  this  mysterious  Stranger. 

16.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Go  call  thy  husband, 
and  come  hither — now  proceeding  to  arouse  her 
slumbering  conscience  by  laying  bare  the  guilty 
life  she  was  leading,  and,  by  the  minute  details 
which  that  life  furnished,  not  only  bringing  her  sin 
vividly  up  before  her,  but  preparing  her  to  receive 
in  His  true  character  that  wonderful  Stranger  to 
whom  her  whole  life,  in  its  minutest  particulars, 
evidently  lay  open.  17.  The  woman  answered  and 
said,  I  have  no  husband.  Jesus  said  unto  her, 
Thou  hast  well  said,  I  have  no  husband :  18.  For 
thou  hast  had  Ave  husbands ;  and  he  whom  thou 
now  hast  is  not  thy  husband :  in  that  saidst  thou 
truly.  19.  The  woman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  I  per- 
ceive that  thou  art  a  prophet.  20.  Our  fathers 
worshipped  in  this  mountain  —  that  is,  mount 
Gerlzim  (Deut.  xL  29;  xxvii.  12;  Jos.  viii.  33; 
Jud.  ix.  7).  In  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch,  instead 
of  "  Elial"  (Dent,  xxvii.  4)— on  which  Moses  com- 
manded the  altar  to  be  erected,  with  the  ten  com- 
mandments written  upon  the  stones  of  it  (see 
Deut.  xxvii.  1-8)— the  word  "  Gerizim"  stands ;  and 
the  Samaritans  are  tenacious  of  this  readiiig  as 
their  warrant  for  holding  Gerizim  to  be  the 
divinely-ordained  place  of  public  worship,  on 
which  they  have  acted  from  age  to  age,  and  do 
even  to  this  day.  ^There  is,'  sa,ys  Stanlei/,  'prob- 
ably no  other  locality  in  which  the  same  worship 
has  been  sustained  with  so  little  change  or  inter- 
ruption for  so  great  a  series  of  years  as  that  of 
this  mountain,  from  Abraham  to  the  present 
day.  In  their  humble  synagogue,  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain,  the  Samaritans  still  worshiii — 
the  oldest  and  the  smallest  sect  in  the  world.' 
Eohinson  found  their  whole  number  scarcely  to 
exceed  a  hnndi-ed  and  fifty  souls.  '  Mounts  Geri- 
zim and  Ebal,'  says  this  last  distinguished  tra- 
veller, 'rise  in  steep  rocky  precipices  from  the 
valley  on  each  side,  apparently  sume  eight  huudred 
feet  in  height.     The  sides  of  both  these  mountains, 


Ji'sus  revealetk  Himself 


JOHN  IV. 


to  the  Woman  of  Samaria. 


21  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometh,  ^'when  ye 
shall  neither  in  this  mountain,  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  wor.ship  the  Father. 

22  Ye  worship 'ye  know  not  what:  we  know  what  we  worship:  for  '"\galva- 

23  tion  is  of  the  Jews.     But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  Avhen  the  true 
worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father  in  "'spirit  "and  in  truth:  for  the 

24  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  him.     God  ^ is  a  Spirit:  and  they  that 

25  worship  him  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth.     The  woman  saith 
unto  him,  I  know  that  ^Messias  cometh,  which  is  called  Christ:  when  he 

2G  is  come,  he  will  tell  us  all  things.     Jesus  saith  unto  her,  I  that  speak 
unto  thee  am  he. 


A.  D.  30. 

■  Mai.  1.  11. 

Matt.  18. 20. 
1  Tim.  2.  8. 

1  Kt  ir.  29. 

'  I.sa.  2.  3. 

Luke  24.47. 

Rom.  9.  4,5. 

Phil.  3.  3. 

ch.  1.  17. 
'  2  Cor.  3.  17. 

Deut.18.15. 

Tan.  9.  24. 


£is  here  seen,  were  to  our  eyes  equally  uaked  and 
sterile.'  and  ye  say,  that  in  Jerusalem  is  tlie 
place  wliere  men  ought  to  worship.  Was  this 
question  asked— as  (S'<*er,  Alford,  aud  others  think 
— merely  for  information  on  an  imiiortant  religious 
question?  In  that  case  it  seems  a  strange  waj^  of 
meeting  our  Lord's  home-tlirust.  But  if  we  view 
it  as  the  question  of  one  who  had  been  stunned 
l)y  so  unexiiected  a  revelation  of  her  sinful  life, 
made  to  her  by  one  whom  she  had  begun  to  re- 
gard in  no  common  light— all  seems  clear  enough. 
Though  she  saw  herself  all  disclosed,  she  is  not 
yet  i)repared  to  break  dowu  and  ask  what 
hopes  there  might  be  for  one  so  guilty.  Her 
convictions  have  come  upon  her  too  suddenly 
for  that.  She  shifts  the  question,  therefore,  from 
a  personal  to  a  public  one,  though  the  sequel  shows 
how  this  revelation  of  her  past  life  had  told  upon 
her.  So  her  reply  is  not,  'Alas,  what  a  wicked 
life  have  I  been  leading ! '  but,  '  Lo,  what  a  wonder- 
ful pro]jliet  have  I  got  into  conversation  with !  He 
will  be  aljle  to  settle  that  interminable  dispute 
between  us  and  the  Jews.  Sir,  our  fathers  hold  to 
this  mountain,'  pointing  to  Geridm,  'as  the  divinely 
consecrated  place  of  worship,  but  ye  Jews  say  that 
Jerusalem  is  the  proper  place :  say,  which  of  us  is 
right,  thou  to  whom  all  such  things  are  doubtless 
known.'  How  slowly  does  the  human  heart  sub- 
mit to  thorowjli,  humiliation  !  Compare  the  ]irodi- 
gal  (see  on  Luke  xv.  15).  Doubtless  our  Lord  saw 
through  her,  and  perceived  the  more  immediate 
object  of  her  question.  But  how  does  He  meet  it? 
Does  He  say  '  That  is  not  the  point  just  now ;  but 
how  stands  it  with  thy  heart  and  life  ?  Till  that 
is  disposed  of  theological  controversies  must 
be  let  alone?'  The  Prince  of  preachers  takes 
another  method:  He  humours  the  poor  Avoman, 
letting  her  take  her  own  way,  allowing  her  to  lead 
while  He  follows — but  thus  only  the  more  effectu- 
ally gaining  His  object.  He  answers  her  question, 
poiu's  light  into  her  mind  on  the  spirituality  of  all 
true  worship,  even  as  of  its  glorious  Oljject,  and  so 
brings  her  insensibly  to  the  poiot  at  which  He 
could  disclose  to  her  wondering  mind  Whom  she 
was  all  the  while  speaking  to. 

21.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Woman,  believe  me, 
the  hour  cometh  [epxeTcu  «ip«]— rather,  'there 
cometh  an  hour,'  when  ye  shall  neither  in 
this  mountain,  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  wor- 
ship the  Father— that  is,  shall  worshiii  Him 
at  neither  place  and  at  no  jilace  as  an  ex- 
clusively chosen,  consecrated,  central  place  of 
worship.  (See  Mai.  i.  11;  1  Tim.  ii.  8.)  Observe 
how  our  Lord  gently  and  indii-ectly  raises  the 
woman's  views  of  the  great  Object  of  all  acceptable 
worship.  She  had  talked  simply  of  "worship." 
He  says,  "The  worship  of  the  Father"  shall  soon 
Ije  everywhere.  '  The  point  raised  will  very  soon 
cease  to  be  of  any  moment,  for  a  total  change  of 
dispensation  is  about  to  come  over  the  Church : — 
1)ut  now,  as  to  the  question  itself.'  22.  Ye  worship 
ye  know  not  what :  we  know  what  we  worship  To 
372 


uvK  oi'oaTe— o  oica/xey] — rather,  '  Ye  worship  what 
ye  know  not:  we  worshi^i  what  we  know' — q.  d., 
'  Ye  worship  without  any  revealed  authority,  and 
so,  very  much  in  the  dark ;  l)ut  in  this  sense  the 
Jews  know  what  they  are  about.'  for  salvation 
is  of  the  Jews.  The  Samaritans  are  wrong,  not 
only  as  to  the  place,  but  the  A^hole  (ircmnds  and 
nature  of  their  worship;  while  in  all  these  re- 
spects the  truth  lies  with  us  Jevrs.  For  Salvation 
is  not  a  thing  left  to  be  reached  by  any  one  who 
may  vaguely  desire  it  of  a  God  of  mercy,  but 
something  that  has  been  revealed,  prejiared,  de- 
liosited  with  a  particular  peojile,  and  must  be 
sought  in  connection  with,  and  as  issuing  from 
them;  aud  that  people  "the  Jews."  Here,  aud 
almost  here  only,  our  Lord  uses  the  pronoun 
"we."  But  observe  in  what  sense.  It  is  not,  He 
and  other  individual  men :  It  is  He  and  the  Jew- 
ish nation,  "of  whom  as  concerning  the  flesh, 
Christ  came"  (Rom.  ix.  5).  It  is,  We  Jetcs.  In 
other  words,  Christ  here  identifies  Himself  with 
others  only  as  touching  the  family  to  which  as 
man  He  belonged;  and  even  that  but  once  or 
twice.  Hence  it  seems  no  proper  exce]ition  to  Re- 
mark ,3  at  the  close  of  the  Section  on  Nicodemus 
(ch.  iii.  1-21).  23.  But  the  hour  cometh— or,  'But 
there  cometh  an  hour,'  and  now  is— evidently 
meaning  her  to  understand  that  this  new  economy 
was  in  some  sense  in  course  of  being  set  up  while 
He  was  talking  to  her;  a  sense  which  would  in 
a  few  minutes  so  far  appear,  when  He  told  her 
plainly  that  He  was  the  Christ,  when  the  true 
worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit 
and  in  truth — or  'in  spirit  and  truth'  [eu  Tnieuficn i 
Kul  a\i)6eia];  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to 
worship  him— or  'seeketh  such  to  be  His  wor- 
shippers' [toiuvtov^  ^iiTei  Toiis  TTfyoaKWovvTa^ 
avTov].  24.  God  is  a  spirit :  and  they  that  wor- 
ship him  must  worship  [him]  in  spirit  and  [in] 
truth.  '  As  God  is  a  Spirit,  so  He  both  invites 
and  demands  a  spiritual  worship,  and  already  all 
is  in  iireparation  for  a  spiritual  economy,  more  in 
harmony  with  the  true  nature  of  acceptable  service 
than  the  ceremonial  worship  liy  consecrated  per- 
sons, j^laces,  and  times,  which  God  for  a  time  has 
seen  meet  to  keep  up  till  the  fulness  of  the  time 
should  come. '  25.  The  woman  saith  unto  him,  I 
know  that  Messias  cometh,  which  is  called  Christ: 
when  he  is  come,  he  will  tell  us  all  things. 
If  we  take  our  Lord's  immediate  disclosure  of 
Himself,  in  answer  to  these  words,  as  the  proper 
key  to  their  meaning  to  His  ear,  we  can  hardly 
doubt  that  the  woman  was  already  all  but  pre- 
pared for  even  this  startling  announcement,  which 
indeed  she  seems  (from  v.  29)  to  have  already  be- 
gun to  susjiect  by  His  revealing  her  to  herself. 
Thus  quickly,  under  so  matchless  a  Teacher,  was 
she  brought  up  from  her  sunken  condition  to  a 
frame  of  mind  and  heart  capable  of  receiving  the 
noblest  revelations.  When  she  says  of  the  ex- 
pected Messiah,  that  He  would  ''  tell  them  all 
things,"  this  belief  was  jiroljably  founded  on  Dent. 


The  Woman  of  Samaria 


JOHN  IV. 


brings  the  Sycharites  to  Jesus. 


27  And  upon  this  came  his  disciples,  and  marvelled  that  he  talked  with 
the  woman :  yet  no  man  said,  What  seekest  thou  ?  or,  Why  talkest  thou 

28  with  her?     The  woman  then  left  her  Avater-pot,  and  went  her  way  into 

29  the  city,  and  saith  to  the  men.  Come,  see  a  man  which  told  me  all  things 

30  that  ever  I  did :  is  not  this  the  Christ  ?     Then  they  went  out  of  the  city, 
and  came  vmto  him. 

31  In  the    meanwhile   his   disciples   prayed    him,    saying.    Master,   eat. 

32  But  he   said  unto  them,  'I  have  meat  to  eat   that  ye  know  not  of. 

33  Therefore  said  the  disciples  one  to  another.  Hath  any  man  brought  him 

34  ought  to  eat?     Jesus  saith  unto  them,  *My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him 


A.  D.  30. 

Job  2  J.  12. 
Ps.  63.  5. 
Ps.  119. 10'; 
Pro.  18.  20. 

Isa.  53.  11. 
Jer.  15.  l(j. 
Acts  20.  35. 
Job  23.  12. 
Ch.  6.  3S. 
ch.  17.  4. 
ch.  19.  3i'. 


xviii.  15.  26.  Jesus  saitli  unto  her,  I  tliat  speak 
unto  thee  am  he.  Never  did  our  Lord  utter  Him- 
self so  nakedly  to  His  own  people  the  Jews.  He 
had  ma.sjuitied  them  to  the  woman ;  but  to  them- 
selves lie  was  to  the  last  far  more  reserved  than 
to  her — proving  to  them  rather  than  plainly  tdling 
them  that  He  was  the  Christ.  But  what  would 
not  have  been  safe  among  them  ^^as  safe  enough 
with  her,  whose  simjjlkUi/  and  docUltt/  at  this  stage 
of  the  conversation  appear  from  the  sequel  to  have 
become  perfect.  What  now  will  the  woman  say  ? 
We  listen,  but  all  is  over.  The  curtain  has  drop- 
ped. The  scene  has  changed.  A  new.  party  has 
arrived. 

The  Disciples  Return  from  Sychar,  and  the 
Woman  Returns  to  it —  What  passed  hetiveen  Jesiis 
and  the  Disciples  on  this  case,  and  hoio  the  Woman 
Brought  the  Sycharites  to  Jesus  (27-38).  27.  And 
upon  this  came  his  disciples— who  had  been  to 
Sychar  to  buy  provisions  (r.  8).  and  marvelled 
that  he  talked— or  'was  talking'  [eXaXet]  with  the 
woman.  Being  a  Samaritan,  they  would  not  ex- 
pect such  a  thing.  But  though  our  Lord  never 
went  out  of  His  way  to  seek  either  Samaritans  or 
Gentiles — ever  observing  His  own  direction  to  the 
Twelve  when  they  went  forth  to  preach  (see  on 
Matt.  X  5,  6)— neither  did  He  ever  go  out  of  His 
way  to  avoid  them,  when,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
Syrophenician  Gentile,  they  came  seeking  Him 
(see  on  Alark  vii.  24,  25),  or,  as  in  the  case  of  this 
Samaritan  woman,  Providence  thi-ew  them  in  His 
way.  In  this  He  acted  on  the  great  principle 
which  He  Himself  laid  down  in  regard  to  the 
Sabbath — that  'iVo<  to  do  good,  when  it  is  in  the 
power  of  our  hand  to  do  it,  is  to  do  evi'.'  See  on 
Matt.  xii.  12.  Had  the  disciples  scm  with  the 
eyes  and  felt  with  the  heart  of  their  Master,  they 
would  less  have  marvelled  that  He  "talked  with 
the  woman" — and  many  a  time  have  marvelled 
that  He  talked  ^^'ith  themselves,  yet  no  man 
— 'no  one'  said,  What  seekest  thou?— 'What  ob- 
ject hadst  Thou?  or,  Why  talkest  thou  with 
ner  ?  —  awed,  no  doubt,  -by  the  spectacle,  and 
thinking  there  must  be  something  under  it,  yet 
afraid  to  meddle  with  it.  28.  The  woman  then 
left  her  water-pot,  and  went  her  way  into  the 
city,  and  saith  to  the  men,  29.  Come  [AeuTe], 
see  a  man  which  told  me  all  things  that  ever  I 
did :  is  not  this  the  Christ  ?  [fnWt  ovt6^  eo-Tw  6 
Xpio-To's;]  The  grammatical  form  of  this  question, 
which  expects  a  negative  answer,  requires  that  it 
should  be  rendered,  '  Is  this' — or  rather,  'Can  this 
be  the  Christ?'  The  woman  put  it  thus,  as  if  they 
would  naturally  reply,  'Impossible.'  But  beneath 
that  modest  way  of  putting  it  was  the  conviction, 
that  if  they  would  but  come  and  judge  for  them- 
selves, she  would  have  no  need  to  obtrude  upon 
them  any  opinions  of  hers — which  she  well  knew 
would  appear  vmworthy  of  attention.  Thus,  by 
asking  if  this  could  iiossibly  be  the  Christ — and 
so,  rather  asking  to  be  helped  by  them  than  pre- 
tending to  be  their  teacher — she  in  reality  drew 


their  attention  to  the  point,  in  the  least  offensive 
and  yet  most  effectual  way.  Observe,  too,  how 
she  confines  herself  to  the  marvel  of  His  disclosing 
to  her  the  particulars  of  her  own  life,  without 
touching  on  what  He  had  said  of  Himself.  If  tlie 
woman's  past  life  was  known  to  the  Sycharites — 
as  who  can  doubt  it  was,  in  so  small  a  place? — 
this  would  at  once  disarm  their  iirejudices  and 
add  weight  to  her  statement.  How  exquisitely 
natural  is  all  this !  Up  to  our  Lord's  last  words 
her  attention  had  been  enchained,  and  her  awe 
deepened ;  and  certainly  the  last  disclosure  was 
fitted  to  hold  her  faster  to  the  spot  than  ever. 
But  the  arrival  of  strangers  made  her  feel  that  it 
was  time  for  her  to  withdraw;  and  He  who  knew 
what  was  in  her  heart,  and  what  she  was  going 
to  the  city  to  do,  having  said  all  to  her  that  she 
was  then  able  to  bear,  let  her  go  without  exchang- 
ing a  word  with  her  in  the  hearing  of  others. 
Their  interAuew  was  too  sacred,  and  the  effect  on 
the  woman  too  overpowering  (not  to  speak  of  His 
own  deep  emotion),  to  allow  of  its  being  continued. 
But  this  one  artless  touch — that  she  "left  her 
water-i)ot" — speaks  volumes.  The  living  water 
was  already  beginninjj  to  spring  up  within  her; 
she  found  that  man  cloth  not  live  by  bread  nor 
by  water  only,  and  that  th' re  was  a  water  of 
wondrous  virtue  that  raised  peojde  above  meat 
and  drink,  and  the  vessels  that  held  them,  and 
all  human  things.  In  short,  she  was  transported, 
forgot  everything  but  one,  or  felt  that  her  water- 
pot  now  would  be  an  encumbrance ;  and  her  heart 
running  over  with  the  tale  she  had  to  tell,  she 
hastens  home  and  pours  it  out.  30.  Then  they 
went  out  of  the  city,  and  came  unto  him.  How 
different,  in  this,  from  the  Jews !  and  richly  was 
this  their  openness  to  conviction  rewarded.  But 
first  the  Evangelist  relates  what  ]iassed  between 
Jesus  and  the  disci]iles  after  the  woman's  depar- 
ture. 

31.  In  the  meanwhile — during  her  absence — his 
disciples  prayed  him,  saying.  Master,  eat.  Fatigue 
and  tldrst  we  saw  He  felt ;  here  is  revealed  another 
of  our  common  infirmities  to  which  the  Lord  was 
subject — hunger.  32.  But  he  said  unto  them,  I 
have,  meat  to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of.  What 
SI lirituality  of  mind  does  this  answer  breathe! 
The  pronouns,  "/"  and  "ye"  are  emrihatically 
expressed  ['Eyw — iV^'^],  sharply  to  mark  the  con- 
trast between  His  thoughts  and  theirs  at  this  time. 
'  As  for  Me,  I  have  been  eating  all  this  time,  and 
such  food  as  ye  dream  not  of.'  What  can  that  be? 
they  ask  each  other ;  have  any  supplies  been 
brought  Him  in  our  absence?  He  knows  what 
they  are  saying,  though  He  hears  it  not.  33. 
Therefore  said  the  disciples  one  to  another,  Hath 
any  man  brought  him  [ought]  to  eat  ?  34.  Jesus 
saith  unto  them,  My  meat  ['E/xdi/  /3paJMa].  Here, 
again,  the  "My  "  is  en\\  ihatic,  in  the  same  sense,  is 
to  do — or  rather,  '  to  be  doing'  [tVa  iroiiZ]  the  will 
of  Him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work  [re- 
Xetcoao)]— changing  the  tense  to  that  of  a  completed 


Jesus  declares  his 


JOHN  IV. 


•ieal  for  God's  glory. 


35  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work.  Say  not  ye,  There  are  yet  four 
months,  and  then  cometh  harvest?  behold,  I  say  unto  you.  Lift  up  your 

3G  eyes,  and  look  on  the  fields;  *for  they  are  white  already  to  harvest.  And 
"he  that  reapeth  receiveth  wages,  and  gathereth  fruit  unto  life  eternal; 

37  that  both  he  that  soweth  and  he  that  reapeth  may  rejoice  together.    And 

38  herein  is  that  saying  true.  One  soweth,  and  another  reapeth.  I  sent  you 
to  reap  that  whereon  ye  bestowed  no  labour :  ^'other  men  laboured,  and 
ye  are  entered  into  their  labours. 


A.  D.  30. 


Matt.  9.  37. 

Luke  10.  2. 

'  Pro.  11. 18. 

Tan.  12.  3. 

1  Cor.  3.  8. 

2  John  8. 
Jas.  5  20. 
Acts  10.  43. 

1  Pet.  1. 12. 


vrork.  '  A  Servant  here  to  fulfil  a  prescribed  work, 
ti.i  do  and  to  finish  that  woi-k  is  "meat"  to  Me; 
and  of  this,  while  ye  were  away,  I  have  had  my 
fill.'  And  of  what  does  He  speak  thus?  Of  the 
condescension,  pity,  patience,  wisdom,  He  had  been 
laying  out  upon  one  eoul—st,  very  humble  woman, 
and  one  in  some  respects  repulsive  too !  But  He 
had  gained  her,  and  through  ^er  was  going  to  gain 
luiire,  and  lay  perhaps  the  foundation  of  a  great 
work  in  the  country  of  Samaria;  and  this  hlled 
His  whole  soul,  and  raised  Him  above  the  sense  of 
natural  hunger.  (See  on  Matt.  iv.  4.)  35.  Say 
not  ye,  There  are  yet  four  months,  and  then 
cometh  harvest?  That  this  was  intended  to  ex- 
press the  actual  interval  between  the  time  when 
our  Lord  was  speaking  and  the  hai'vest-time  that 
vear,  we  cannot  doubt.  The  arguments  against  it, 
hy  A  Iford  and  others,  as  if  this  were  a  proverbial 
speech  without  any  defiuite  reference  to  the  actual 
time  of  its  utterance — which  to  us  is  scarcely  in- 
telligible—seem feeble,  and  the  best  critics  and 
harmonist.s  regard  it  here  as  a  note  of  the  actual 
season  of  the  year  at  which  our  Lord  spoke— late 
in  December,  but  more  probably  January,  and,  as 
Stanley  affirms,  from  his  own  observation,  even  so 
late  as  February;  though  the  year  he  refers  to 
was  perhaps  an  exceptional  one,  and  the  month 
of  February  seems  too  lata  behold,  I  say  unto 
you,  Lift  up  your  eyes,  and  look  on  the  fields; 
for  they  are  white  already  to  harvest.  '  It  wants 
four  months  to  harvest,  yc  would  say  at  this  sea- 
son of  the  natural  harvest :  but  lift  w]}  your  eyes 
and  look  upon  those  fields  in  the  light  of  another 
husbandry,  for,  lo !  in  that  sense,  it  wants  not  four 
months  nor  four  days,  for  they  are  even  now  white 
to  harvest,  ready  for  the  sickle.'  The  simple 
Leauty  of  this  langua.ge  is  only  surpassed  by  the 
glow  of  holy  emotion  in  the  Redeemer's  own  soul 
which  it  expresses.  It  refers  to  the  ripeness  of 
these  Sychai-ites  for  accession  to  Him,  and  the  joy 
of  this  great  Lord  of  the  reapere  over  the  anti- 
cipated ingathering.  0  could  we  but  so  "  lift  up 
our  eyes  and  look"  upon  many  fields  abroad  and  at 
home,  which  to  dull  sense  appear  unpromising,  as 
He  beheld  those  of  Samaria,  what  movements, 
now  scarce  in  embryo,  and  accessions  to  Christ, 
seemingly  far  distant,  might  we  not  discern  as 
quite  near  at  hand,  and  thus,  amidst  difficulties 
and  discouragements  too  much  for  nature  to  sus- 
tain, be  cheered — as  our  Lord  Himself  was  in  cir- 
cumstances far  more  overwhelming — with  "songs 
in  the  night"!  [It  is  surprising  that  Tischendorf 
should  adhere  to  the  punctuation  of  some  certainly 
ancient  MSS.  and  versions  here,  in  connecting  the 
word  "already" — vh] — with  the  following  verse; 
no  doubt,  because  the  usual  place  of  that  adverb 
is  before,  not  after,  ku'l.  But  as  this  would  utterly 
destroy  the  sense  of  our  Lord's  statements  in  the 
two  verses,  so  in  the  matter  of  mere  punctuation 
the  MSS.  and  versions  are  of  no  authority;  and 
we  are  as  good  judges  as  the  ancient  transcribers 
and  translators  where  the  punctuation  in  every 
case  ought  to  be.  Both  Lachmann  and  'J regelles 
follow  here  the  punctuation  of  the  received  text.] 
36.  And  he  that  reapeth  receiveth  wages,  and 
371 


gathereth  fruit  unto  life  eternal;  that  hoth  he 
that  soweth  and  he  that  reapeth  may  rejoice 
together.  37.  And  herein  is  that  saying  true, 
One  soweth,  and  another  reapeth.  As  our  Loid 
could  not  mean  that  the  reaper  only,  and  not  the 
sower,  received  "  wages,"  in  the  sense  of  personai 
reivard  for  his  work,  the  "wages"  here  can  be  no 
other  than  the  joy  of  having  such  a  harvest  to 
gather  in — the  joy  of  "gathering  fruit  unto  life 
eternal."  The  blessed  issue  of  the  whole  ingather- 
ing is  the  interest  alike  of  the  sower  and  of  the 
reaper ;  it  is  no  more  the  fruit  of  the  last  operation 
than  of  the  first ;  and  just  as  there  can  be  no  reap- 
ing without  previous  sowing,  so  have  those  servants 
of  Christ,  to  whom  is  assigned  the  pleasant  task  of 
merely  reaping  the  spiritual  harvest,  no  work  to 
do,  and  no  joy  to  taste,  that  has  not  been  prepared 
to  their  hand  by  the  toilsome  and  often  thankless 
work  of  their  predecessors  in  the  field.  The  joy, 
thereforCj  of  the  great  harvest  festivity  will  be  the 
common  joy  of  all  who  have  taken  any  part  in  the 
work  from  tlie  fii'st  operation  to  the  last.  (See 
Deut.  xvi.  II,  14;  Ps.  cxxvi.  C;  Isa.  ix.  3).  38. 
I  sent  you  ['Eyto  aTre<jT€i\a].  The  "I"  here  is  em- 
phatic: I,  the  Lord  of  the  whole  harvest.  When 
He  says,  "I  sc?ii  you,"  He  refers  back  to  their ^o.s< 
appointment  to  the  apostleship,  though  it  points 
only  to  the  f tit  lire  discharge  of  it,  for  they  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  present  ingathering  of  the 
Sycharites.  to  reap  that  whereon  ye  bestowed 
no  labour — meaning  that  much  of  theii'  future 
success  would  arise  from  the  preiiaration  already 
made  for  them,  other  men  laboured — referring, 
as  we  think,  to  the  Old  Testament  labourers,  the 
Baptist,  and  by  implication  Himself,  though  He 
studiously  keeps  this  in  the  background,  that  the 
line  of  distinction  between  Himself  and  all  His 
servants  might  not  be  lost  sight  of. 

The  Sycharites,  Believing  the  Woman\s  Testimony 
concerning  Jesus,  are  Confirmed  in  their  Faith  by 
2)ersojial  intercourse  with  Him — On  their  invitation 
Jesus  spends  tivo  days  in  Sychar,  by  tvhich  the 
number  of  believers  in  Him  is  greatly  increased 
(.39-42).  39.  And  many  of  the  Samai'itans  of  that 
city  believed  on  him  for  the  sajang  of  the  woman, 
which  testified,  He  told  me  all  that  ever  I  did. 
What  a  commentary  is  this  on  ii  'So,  "Lift  up  your 
eyes,  and  look  on  the  fields,  for  they  are  Avhite 
already  to  harvest " !  40.  So  when  the  Samaritans 
were  come  unto  him,  they  besought  him  that  he 
would  tarry  with  them:  and  he  abode— or  'tarried' 
— it  is  the  same  word  [e/tetFeu] — there  two  days. 
41.  And  many  more  believed  because  of  his  [own] 
word;  42.  And  said  unto  the  woman.  Now  we 
believe,  not  because  of  thy  saying  [ovk  t-rj  cia  T?;y 
m)i/  XaXiuu] — or,  '  No  longer  do  we  believe  because 
of  thy  saying  ;'  for  we  have  heard  him  ourselves, 
and  know  that  this  is  indeed  the  Christ,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world — or,  according  to  the  order 
in  the  original,  'that  this  is  indeed  the  SaAdour  of 
the  world,  the  Christ.'  What  a  mai'vellous  sim- 
plicity and  docility  do  these  Samaritans  display ! 
They  fu'st  credit  the  woman's  simple  testimony, 
and  let  her  bring  them  to  Jesus;  then  they  are 
satisfied  by  one  brief  interview  with  Himself  that 


Jesus  abides  in 


JOHN  IV. 


Sychar  two  days. 


39  And  ''many  of  the  Samaritans  of  that  city  believed  on  him  for  the 

40  saying  of  the  woman,  which  testified,  He  told  me  all  that  ever  I  did.     So 
^wlien  the  Samaritans  were  come  unto  him,  they  besought  him  that  he 

41  would  tarry  with  them :  and  he  abode  there  two  days.     And  ^many  more 


A.  D.  30. 


^  Gen.  49.  10. 
^  Gen.  32.  20. 
y  Isa.  42. 1. 
Eom.  15.  8. 


He  is  the  Christ,  and  invite  Him  to  visit  them; 
and  when  He  condescends  to  do  so,  His  two  days' 
stay  not  only  brings  over  many  more  to  the  same 
faith  in  Him,  but  raises  that  faith  to  a  conA-ictiou — 
never  reached  by  the  Jews,  and  hardly  as  yet 
attained  by  His  own  disciples — that  as  the  Christ 
He  was  "  the  Sacioiu-  of  the  vorkV  And  yet, 
Ijeyond  the  sni  lernatural  knowledge  which  He  had 
displayed  in  His  interview  with  the  woman,  He 
does  not  appear  to  have  wrought  any  mii-acle  be- 
fore these  Samaritans.  Is  there  anything  in  the 
Gospel  History  more  remarkable  than  this  ?  those 
were  two  precious  days,  surely,  to  the  Redeemer 
Himself !  Unsought,  He  had  come  to  His  own, 
yet  His  own  received  Him  not ;  now  those  who 
were  not  His  own  had  come  to  Him,  been  won  by 
Him,  and  invited  Him  to  their  town  that  others 
might  share  with  them  in  the  benefit  of  His  won- 
derful ministry.  Here,  then,  would  He  solace  His 
already  wounded  spirit,  and  have  in  this  outfield 
village-triumph  of  His  grace  a  sublime  foretaste  of 
the  inbringing  of  the  whole  Gentile  world  into  the 
Church.  Olshausen  correctly  notes  this  as  '  a  rare 
instance  of  the  Lord's  ministry  x>^'oducing  an 
axoalceninfi  on  a  larfie  srale.' 

Iianarks. — 1.  Did  He  who,  when  the  time  to 
sufl'er  arrived,  "set  His  face  like  a  Hint,"  withdi-aw 
from  Judea  to  Galilee  when  Pharisaic  jealousy  at 
Jerusalem  would  have  come  too  soon  to  a  head, 
and  arrested  the  work  given  Him  to  do  ?  Let  His 
followers  learn  from  Him  this  wisdom  of  the  ser- 
pent while  manifesting,  with  Him,  the  harmless- 
uess  of  tlie  dove.  Needless  exposure  is  as  much  to 
be  avoided  as  a  cowardly  flight,  in  times  when  the 
truth  cannot  be  confessed  without  personal  danger. 
2.  In  what  a  light  do  the  condescension,  the  zeal, 
the  skill,  the  patience,  which  Jesus  bestowed  upon 
the  woman  ot  Samaria  place  the  value  of  a  single 
soul !  Ajiart  from  all  that  followed,  what  a  rescue 
was  effected  in  that  one  cause !  See  a  similar  care 
of  one  soul  in  the  case  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch, 
with  a  view  to  whose  illumination  Philip  the 
Evangelist  was  taken  out  of  full  and  glorious  work 
in  the  city  of  Samaria,  away  to  the  desert  road 
from  Jerusalem  to  Gaza  (Acts  viii.  2(),  &c.,  on 
which  sec).  "  Brethren,"  says  James,  "  if  any  [one] 
of  you  [tl^  ei/  iifuv']  do  err  from  the  truth,  and  one 
convert  him,  let  him  know  that  he  which  convert- 
eth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  way  shall  save 
a  soul  from  death,  and  shall  hide  a  multitude  of 
sins"  (see  on  Jas.  v.  19,  20).  And  observe  how 
casiially  this  woman  of  Samaria  was  gained. 
Jesus  and  she  were  each  on  their  own  business 
at  this  well ;  He  on  His  way  from  Judea  to  Gali- 
lee, and  she  come  from  the  neighbouring  village 
to  draw  water.  Doubtless  such  meetings  of  Jew- 
ish men  and  Samaritan  women  at  that  well  were 
customary  enough ;  and  had  Jesus  preserved  the 
usual  silence,  nothing  had  come  of  it.  But  the 
o]  >poi-tuuity  was  to  Him  too  precious  to  be  lost. 
Though  the  thirst  was  as  real  as  the  weariness, 
and  water  as  desirable  as  repose.  He  certainly 
disregarded  the  national  antipathies,  not  so  much 
to  mark  His  superiority  to  them  and  disa]  >]  iroba- 
tion  of  them,  nor  yet  merely  to  slake  His  thirst, 
but  to  draw  tliis  woman  into  a  conversation  which 
should  not  cease  till  He  had  gained  her  soul.  0, 
if  such  casual  opportunities  of  usefulness  were  em- 
braced by  the  followers  of  Christ  as  by  Christ 
Himself,  how  many  might  be  won  to  Him  with- 
out ever  going  out  of  their  wav !  All  that  i-s 
3X5 


wanted  is  that  love  of  souls  which  burned  in 
Him,  that  constant  readiness  to  avail  ourselves 
of  openings  for  Christian  usefulness,  the  present 
sense  of  the  truth  upon  the  heart,  and  a  spirit 
of  dependence  upon  Him  for  that  power  to 
open  the  mind  and  heart  which  He  possessed 
and  we  must  get  from  Him.  If  we  could  but 
say  with  Him— and  just  in  proportion  as  we  can 
say  with  Him — "  My  meat  is  to  be  doing  the  will 
of  Him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  His  work;"  if 
we  do  but  remember  that  this  was  said  of  what 
He  had  been  doing  for  one  soul,  and  that  of  the 
fruit  He  was  reaping  in  that  one  case.  He  said, 
■'I  have  meat  to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of  " — we 
should  need  no  stimulants  to  follow  Him,  and 
hardly  any  directions  for  doing  it.  But  who  can 
tell  what  may  issue  out  of  one  conversion?  Think 
of  the  little  maid  of  Israel  (2  Ki.  v.  1-14.)  See 
what  this  once  disreputable  woman  of  Samaria  did 
for  her  fellow-villagers ;  and  who  shall  say  what 
wide-spread  influences,  preparing  Samaria  for  the 
eventual  reception  of  the  Gospel,  may  not  have 
flowed  fi'om  the  jirecious  events  of  those  two  days 
which  Jesus  spent  there  ?  (See  on  Acts  viii.  9-l."j.) 
No  conversion  ought  to  stand  alone.  Every  dis- 
ciple of  the  Lord  Jesus  should  feel  himself,  like 
this  woman,  a  missionary  for  Christ,  and  every 
conversion  should  be  like  a  wave  of  the  sea,  beget- 
ting another.  So  that  the  jiaius  taken  on  one  soul — 
while  of  itself,  if  it  issue  in  com'ersion,  it  will  be 
"meat"  to  any  who  have  the  Spirit  of  Christ — ■ 
ought  to  be  taken  with  all  the  more  eagerness  and 
hope,  as  we  have  ground  to  believe  that  we  are 
thus,  in  all  likelihood,  doing  good  on  a  large  scale. 

3.  How  vividly  does  the  reality  of  our  Lord's  hiinan 
nature — His  \\-arm,  quivering  humanity — His  iden- 
tity with  ourselves,  not  only  in  all  the  essential 
properties  but  in  all  the  sinless  infirmities  of  our 
nature,  come  out  here!  He  is  weary  with  a  journey, 
just  as  we  are ;  His  tongue,  like  ours,  is  parched 
with  thirst;  He  feels,  as  we  do,  the  cravings  of 
hunger :  So  He  rests  Him  by  Jacob's  well,  as  we 
should  do  in  like  case,  and  asks,  as  a  thirsty  man 
would  do,  for  a  draught  of  water  from  the  woman  of 
Samaria;  and  He  is  provided  by  His  disciples  with 
victuals  from  Sychar,  just  as  other  men.  And 
the  life-like,  minute  lines  of  detail  are  so  drawn 
that  we  feel  as  if  we  saw  and  heard  the  whole, 
and  the  very  children  that  read  it  feel  the  same. 
And  yet  this  is  the  loftie-st  and  deepest  of  all  the 
Gospels.  Nay,  iu  the  dialogue  which  the  Evangel- 
ist rex)orts  between  Jesus  and  the  Woman,  these 
details  seem  but  like  the  finest  net-work  of  gold 
in  which  are  set  jewels  of  heavenly  lustre  and  in- 
comparable price— the  jewel  of  unfathomable  Dig- 
nity, Authority,  Grace,  Penetration,  Patience,  in 
this  Petitioner  for  water ;  besides  all  the  jewels 
of  spiritual  truth  never  before  uttered  in  such  a 
style.  No  wonder  that  this  should  be  regarded 
as  emphatically  the  (4os])el  of  the  Pei'son  and 
Grace  of  the  Loi-d  Jesus,  and  that  our  Evan- 
gelist should  get  the   suiname   of    "the   divine.'' 

4.  Mark  how  Jesus  liolds  Himself  forth  here  as 
tlie  sovereign  Giver,  the  authoritative  Dispenser  of 
the  living  water;  which  living  water  is  nothing 
less  than  a  well-spring  of  eternal  satisfaction 
opened  up  in  a  man  s  soul,  never  to  dry  up.  Such 
a  claim  on  the  part  of  a  mere  creature  would  not 
be  more  ofi'ensive  than  ridiculous.  Search  the 
whole  Scripture,  and  see  if  anything  approaching 
to  it  was  ever  taken  into  the  lips  of  the  most  emi 


Many  of  the  SycJiar'des 


JOHN  IV. 


believe  in  Hi 


42  believed  because  of  his  own  word;  and  said  unto  the  woman,  Now  we 
believe,  not  because  of  thy  saying;  for  ^we  have  heard  him  ourselves,  and 
know  that  this  is  indeed  the  Christ,  "the  Saviour  of  the  world. 


ch.  17.  8. 
iJohnlH. 
'  1  Jolin  2.  2. 


iient  and  inspired  servants  of  God.  But  how 
lUcajestic,  appropriate,  and  self-evidencing  are  such 
claims  from  the  lips  of  this  Speaker !  As  we  read 
and  re-read  this  dialogue,  we  feel  ourselves  in  the 
presence  of  Grace  Incarnate — enshrined,  too,  not 
in  celestial  humanity,  but  (0  wonder  of  wonders!) 
in  weary,  thirsty,  hungry  flesh,  just  like  our  o\vn ; 
sitting  down  beside  us,  talking  ^\ith  us,  breathing 
on  us  its  tender  love,  and  laying  its  warm,  fleshly 
hand  upon  us,  drawing  us  with  cords  of  a  man 
and  bauds  of  love.  See  on  Matt.  xi.  28,  and 
I'emark  5  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  5.  With 
what  charming  simplicity  and  transparent  clear- 
ness does  one  line  of  this  dialogiie  express  the  un- 
satisfactoriness  of  all  earthly  satisfactions — "Every 
one  that  driuketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again." 
Under  the  figure  of  cold  waters  to  a  thirsty  soul, 
it  covers  the  whole  field  of  earth's  satisfactions, 
but  stami)S  them  as  external  to  us,  and  coming 
into  us  from  without;  while  it  represents  the  soul 
as  the  mere  reservoir  of  them,  drying  up  like  other 
cisterns,  and  needing  to  be  ever  replenished.  But 
what  a  contrast  to  this  immediately  follows.  Still 
keeping  to  the  figure  of  water,  Jesus  claims  it  as 
His  prerogative  to  open  in  the  soul  a  fountain  of 
living  waters  that  shall  never  cease  to  flow,  a 
spring  of  enduring  satisfaction  and  eternal  fresh- 
ness; thus  expressing,  with  matchless  brevity, 
force,  and  beauty,  the  spirituality,  the  vitality,  the 
joy,  the  perpetuity  of  that  religious  change  which 
He  effects  in  all  that  believe  on  His  name.  But 
now,  6.  When  we  advance  to  the  woman's  question 
about  the  place  where  men  ought  to  worship,  how 
wonderful  is  the  breadth  and  richness  of  the 
ausAver  given  her.  First,  our  Lord  will  not  dash 
her  by  telling  her  that  her  countrymen  were  in 
the  wrong,  until  He  has  first  told  her  how  soon 
the  whole  question  will  be  at  an  end.  Biit  when 
He  does  do  so,  how  definite  and  positive  is  the 
verdict  pronounced  upon  the  Samaritan  worship. 
Men  talk  as  if  sincerity  were  the  only  thing  of  con- 
sequence in  the  worship  of  God.  That  the  Samar- 
itans were  more  wautmg  in  this  than  the  Jews 
there  is  no  evidence ;  and  the  very  diflerent  recep- 
tion which  our  Lord  met  with  from  the  one  than 
the  other  would  seem  to  show  that  they  were  the 
more  unsophisticated  of  the  two.  And  yet  He 
says  the  Samaritans  knew  not  the  Object  they  wor- 
shipped, while  the  Jews  did,  because  Salvation  was 
of  the  Jews.  What  can  this  mean,  if  it  be  not 
that  the  Samaritans  worshipped  after  ideas  and 
modes  of  their  own,  and  in  doing  so  were  wrong; 
while  the  Jews  followed  divinely  communicated 
ideas  and  prescribed  modes,  and  therefore  theirs 
was,  in  that  respect,  the  only  acceptalile  worship? 
But  again,  when  our  Lord  says  that  all  was  right 
with  the  Jewish  worship,  "because  Salvation  is 
of  the  Jews,"  He  enunciates  the  great  truth,  that 
in  the  worship  of  sinful  men,  as  all  worshippers  on 
earth  are.  Salvation  must  ever  be  the  key-note 
—Salvation  needed,  sought,  obtained,  extolled ; 
that  historically  the  whole  economy  of  salvation 
in  its  preparatory  form  had  been  entrusted  for 
conservation  to  the  seed  of  Abraham;  and 
that  so  long  as  they  occupied  the  important 
positiou  of  the  ordained  depositaries  of  all  Saving 
Truth,  Jerusalem  must  be  regarded  as  the  city  of 
divine  solemnities,  and  its  temple  as  the  visible 
dwelling-place  of  the  Most  Higk  (See  Isa.  ii.  3.) 
What  a  recognition  i?  this  of  the  Old  Testament 
and  its  Faith,  and  of  the  Jews  and  the  Jewish 
Economy  as  the  living  embodiment  of  it  \\\}  to 
370 


that  time !  But  further,  mark  how  explicitly  our 
Lord  announces  the  speedy  cessation  of  all  religious 
distinction  between  Jew  and  Gentde,  and  between 
one  place  and  another  for  the  worship  of  GocL 
"  There  cometh  an  hour,  and  now  is,"  when  a 
world-wide  worship  shall  be  set  up.  The  rending 
of  the  veil  of  the  temple  in  twain,  from  the  top 
to  the  bottom,  was  the  signal-note  of  that  mighty 
event — the  death  of  Christ — which  dissolved  for 
ever  these  distinctions.  From  that  time  forth  the 
middle  wall  of  partition  was  bi-oken  down,  and  iu 
every  place  the  true  incense  and  a  pure  ofi'ering 
was  free  to  rise  to  heaven  (Mai.  i.  11).  How 
strange  it  seems  (one  cannot  avoid  adding)  that 
notwithstanding  these  announcements,  and  the 
commentaries  on  them  in  Gal.  iv.  and  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  throughout,  there  shoidd  be  an 
influential  section  of  the  students  of  i)rophecy 
who  contend  that  the  temiile-services  and  the 
ritual  distinctions  of  Jew  and  Gentile  have  not 
been  absolutely  and  finally  abolished,  and  that 
they  will  all  be  re-established  during  the  Millen- 
nimn!  Another  thing  worthy  of  especial  notice 
in  this  comprehensive  reply  to  the  woman  of 
Samaria,  is  the  emphatic  manner  in  which  the 
spiritxtality  of  all  acceptable  worship  is  proclaimed, 
and — what  is  even  of  more  imjiortance — its  being 
based  upon  the  Spirituality  of  God  Himself.  This 
was  as  true  under  the  Jewish  Economy  as  it  has 
been  since  its  cessation.  But  since,  under  an 
elaborate  external  and  exclusive  worship,  this 
neither  was  nor  could  be  so  manifest,  nor  yet  so 
fully  realized  by  the  worshippers  themselves,  the 
Lord  here  speaks  as  if  only  now  such  a  spiritual 
worshii^  was  going  to  be  established,  because  now 
for  the  first  time  since  Moses— and  in  one  sense 
even  since  the  fall  itself — to  be  stripped  of  sacri- 
ficial rites  and  the  observance  of  time  and  place. 
Once  more,  in  this  rejily;,  our  Lord '  raises  the 
woman's  views  of  the  glorious  Object  of  worship, 
saying,  "  The  Father  seekcth  such  to  Avorshiy 
Him."  This  is  the  more  remarkable,  because  to 
the  unbelieving  Jews  He  never  so  speaks  of  God, 
and  seems  studiously  to  avoid  it  (ch.  viii.  38).  In 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  addressing  His  own 
disciples.  He  calls  tlim  "your  Father,"  and  He 
teaches  them  in  prayer  to  say,  "  Our  Father."  In 
His  OAvu  iirayers  He  says  ever,  "Father,"  and 
once  His  Agony  in  the  Garden  drew  from  Kim 
the  emphatic  form,  "My  Father."  From  these 
facts  we  infer  that  though  this  woman  was  not 
yet  within  the  circle  of  those  to  whom  He  says, 
"Your  Father,"  this  was  so  soon  to  be,  that  He 
could  with  jiropriety  invite  her  to  regard  Him  as 
"The  Father."  So  much  for  the  dialogue  between 
our  Lord  and  the  woman  of  Samaria.  Turning 
next  to  that  between  Him  and  the  disciples  on 
the  woman's  deijarture,  we  may  notice,  7.  What 
rich  encouragement  it  affords  to  those  "fishers  of 
men"  who  "have  toiled  all  the  night"  of  their 
official  life,  and,  to  human  aiipearance,  have  "taken 
nothing."  How  little  might  any  other  than  one 
Eye  have  seen  that  the  fields  of  Samaria  were 
white  already  to  harvest ;  and  yet  the  event  proves 
it  to  a  very  remarkable  degree,  as  far  as  Sychar 
was  concerned.  Even  so  may  the  desert  all  unex- 
pectedly rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose ;  yet 
never  is  a  harvest  reaiied  that  has  not  first  been 
sown.  The  sowers  may  live  and  die  before  the 
harvest-time  arrive,  and  the  fruit  of  their  laboui's 
be  gathered.  Yet  can  the  reajiers  not  say  to  the 
sowers,  We  have  no  need  of  you.      "They  that 


Jcsus  again  visits 


J-JHN  IV. 


Cana  of  Galilee. 


43  Now   after  two   clays   he   departed    tlience,   and   went   into   Galilee. 

44  For  ''Jesus  himself  testified,  that  a  prophet   hath   no  honour  in   his 

45  own  country.  Then,  when  he  was  come  into  Galilee,  the  Galileans 
received  him,  '^having  seen  all  the  things  that  he  did  at  Jerusalem  at 
the  feast:  ''for  they  also  went  unto  the  feast. 

46  So  Jesus  came  again  into  Cana  of  Galilee,  ^where  he  made  the  water 
wine.  And  there  was  a  certain  ^  nobleman,  whose  sou  was  sick  at 
Capernaum. 

47  When  he  heard  that  Jesus  was  come  out  of  Judea  into  Galilee,  lie  went 
unto  him,  and  besought  him  that  he  would  come  down,  and  heal  his  son : 

48  for  he  was  at  the  point  of  death.     Then  said  Jesus  unto  him,  •'Except  je 


A.  D.  30. 

Matt.  33  57. 
Mark  e.  4. 
Luke  4.  JJ. 
ch.  2.  23. 

Ch.  3.  2. 

:  Deut  16.1  a 
ch.  2.  ),  11. 
Or, 

courtier, 
or,  ruler. 
Jlatt.  10.  1 
Luke  16  31. 
1  Cor.  1.  22. 


sow  iu  tears  shall  reap  in  joy,"  though  others  may 
do  the  actual  reaping  work  after  they- are  in  their 
graves.  _  And  if  the  work  of  the  latter  is  the  more 
joyous,  it  should  bind  them  sweetly  to  the  sowers 
to  recollect  that  ''other  men  laboured,  and  they 
have  but  entered  into  their  labours."  But  may  not 
the  spiritual  eye  be  trained  so  as  to  see  what  Jesus 
here  saw — the  whitening  tields,  the  yellow  grain, 
all  invisible  to  the  eye  of  sense?  We  have,  in- 
deed, much  to  learn  ere  we  come  to  this,  and  the 
Lord  overrules  our  spiritual  obtuseness  to  try  our 
faith,  and  then  overpower  us  with  the  spectacle 
of  nations  born  iu  a  day.  But  even  then,  all  might 
])robably  be  seen  by  the  eye  of  faith.  In  Tahiti, 
aftt-r  nearly  twenty  years'  missionary  labour,  not 
one  conversion  was  known  to  have  occurred,  and 
the  abandonment  of  the  Mission  was  all  but  agreed 
on.  But  on  the  return  of  the  missionaries  to  tlie 
island,  after  a  native  war  which  had  driven  them 
from  it,  they  found  that  two  natives,  who,  un- 
known to  them,  had  received  serious  impressions 
as  servants  in  their  families,  and  had  met  together 
for  prayer  in  their  absence,  had  been  joined  by  a 
number  more,  and  that  little  remained  for  the  mis- 
sionaries but  to  help  forward  what  God  Himself 
had  so  marvellously  begun.  Aleanwhile,  the  Di- 
rectors in  London,  urged  by  one  or  two  of  their 
number,  who  could  not  endure  to  see  the  Mission 
abandoned  hail,  after  a  season  of  sjiecial  prayer, 
despatched  letters  of  encoiu-agement  to  the  mis- 
sionaries. AVhile  these  were  on  their  way  out,  a 
ship  was  conveying  the  news  to  England  of  the 
entire  overthrow  of  idolatry  in  the  island. 
43-54— Jesus  Reaches  (iALiLEE— He  makes  a 

BRIEF   STAY  AT   CaNA,  AND   THERE  PERFORMS  HiS 

SECOND  Galilean  Miracle,  Healing  a  Noble- 
man's Son  lying  dangerously  ill  at  Caper- 
naum. 

43.  Now  after  two  (Jo.ys  [-rris  ouo  vn£pa9]—it 
should  be,  '  after  the  tA\-o  days ; '  that  is,  of 
His  stay  at  Sychar  {v.  40),  he  departed  thence,  and 
went  into  Galilee.  44.  For  Jesus  himself  testi- 
fied, that  a  prophet  hath  no  honour  in  his  own 
country  [iu  tv  icia  iraTpiot],  If  "  his  own  country" 
here  meant  Galilee,  His  having  no  honour  in  it 
would  seem  to  be  a  reason  why  he  should  not 
go  to  it.  Hence  some  of  those  who  think  so  render 
tlie  words.  He  "  went  into  Galilee,  although  He 
Himself  testified,"  &c.  But  this  is  against  the 
sense  of  the  word  "  for"  [ynp],  and  is  inadmissible. 
Others  of  those  who  understand  "His  own  coun- 
try" here  to  mean  Galilee  get  ov^er  the  difficulty 
by  connecting  the  "  for"  with  what  follows  iu  the 
next  verse  rather  than  with  what  goes  before, 
thus  :  '  The  Galileans  received  Him,  not  because 
they  api^reciated  His  character  and  claims — "for" 
He  had  grown  too  common  among  them  for  that, 
according  to  the  proverb  —but  merely  because  they 
had  seen  His  receut  miracles  at  Jerusalem. '  This 
is  the  view  of  Tlioluek,  supported  by  Liklce  in 
his  3d  Edition,  de  Wette,  and  A I  ford.  But  it  is 
377 


too  far-fetched.  Hence,  some  give  up  Galilee  as 
"His  own  country,"  and  think  Judea,  or  Bethle- 
hem as  His  birth-place,  to  be  meant.  So  Origen, 
Meddonat  LUcke,  2d  Edition,  Eolunson,  Wieseler. 
But  our  Lord  was  never  either  at  Bethlehem  or 
in  Judea  at  all  from  the  time  of  His  birth  till  the 
commencement  of  His  ministry ;  and  therefore 
"  His  own  country"  can  only  mean  the  ijlace  of 
His  early  life— the  scene  of  such  familiar  inter- 
course with  others  as  would  tend  to  make 
Him  grow  common  amongst  them.  _  And  what 
can  that  be  but  Nazareth? — which  is  expressly 
called  "His  country"  [xi/f  ■nuTpioa  aiiToO]  in 
Matt.  xiii.  5-1,  57,  in  precisely  the  same  connec- 
tion; as  also  in  Mark  vi.  4;  Luke  iv.  24.  In 
this  sense  all  is  clear  and  natural :  '  Now  after  the 
two  days,  Jesus,  having  left  the  ^irovince  of  iSa- 
maria  as  He  had  done  that  of  Judea,  went  into 
the  province  of  Galilee ;  but  not,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  to  that  part  of  it  where  He  had 
been  brought  up,  for  Jesus  knew  that  there— in 
His  own  country — He  would  have  no  honour,  ac- 
cording to  the  proverb :  He  went,  therefore,  as  the 
reader  shall  learn  present^,  to  Cana  of  Galilee.' 
So  Calvin,  Beza,  Grotius,  Bengel,  Olshaiisen,  &c. 
45.  Then,  when  he  was  come  into  GalHee,  the 
Galileans  received— or  welcomed  him,  havin.? 
seen  all  the  things  that  he  did  at — '  in'  [ev\  Jeru- 
salem at  the  feast :  for  they  also  went  unto  the 
feast  —  proud,  perhajis,  of  their  countryman's 
wonderful  works  at  Jerusalem,  and  possibly  won 
by  this  circumstance  to  regard  His  claims  as  at 
least  worthy  of  respectful  investigation.  Even 
this  our  Lord  did  not  despise,  for  saving  conver- 
sion often  begins  in  less  tlian  this  (so  Zaccheus, . 
Luke  xix.  3). 

46.  So  Jesus  came  again  into  Cana  of  Galilee 
(see  on  ch.  ii.  1),  where  he  made  the  water  wine. 
And  there  was  a  certain  nobleman  [/^ao-tXthos] — 
'  courtier,'  or  king's  servant,  one  connected  with  a 
royal  household;  such  as  "Cliuza"  (Luke  viii.  3) 
or  Mauaen  (Acts  xiii.  1).  So  Josephus  often  uses 
the  word,  whose  son  v/as  sick  at  Capernaum. 
47.  When  he  heard  that  Jesus  was  come  out 
of  Judea— whence  the  report  of  His  mkacles  at 
the  paschal  feast  had  doulitless  reached  him,  be- 
getting in  Him  the  hope  that  He  would  extend 
His  healing  power  to  his  dying  son,  into  Galilee, 
he  went  unto  him,  and  besought  him  that  he 
would  come  down — Capernaum  being  "down" 
from  Cana  on  the  N.W.  shore  of  the  sea  of  Gali- 
lee, and  heal  his  son:  for  he  was  at  the  point 
of  death.  43.  Then  said  Jesus,  Except  ye  see 
signs  and  wonders  [crmxela  kcu  TepaTa\.  The  lat- 
ter word  expresses  simply  the  miracidous  charac- 
ter of  an  act ;  the  former  the  attest.atio7i  which  it 
gave  of  a  higher  jiresence  and  a  divine  commission. 
(See  on  ch.  vi.  26.)  ye  will  not  believe.  The 
poor  man  did  believe,  as  both  his  coming  and  his 
urgent  entreaty  show.  But  how  imjierfect  that 
faith   was,   we    shall    see,   and  our  Lord  would 


Jesus  heals  a  Nobleman  s  Bon 


JOHN  V. 


ly'inrj  sick  at  Cajjernaiim. 


49  see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  not  believe.     The  nobleman  saith  unto  him, 

50  Sir,  come  down  ere  m}^  child  die.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  ^Go  thy  way; 
thy  son  liveth.     And  the  man  believed  the  word  that  Jesus  had  spoken 

51  unto  him,  and  he  went  his  way.     And  as  he  was  now  going  down,  his 

52  servants  met  him,  and  told  /mn,  saying,  Thy  son  liveth.  Then  enquired 
he  of  them  the  hour  when  he  began  to  amend.     And  they  said  unto  him, 

53  Yesterday  at  the  seventh  hour  the  fever  left  him.  So  the  father  knew 
that  ii  teas  at  the  same  hour  in  the  which  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Thy 

54  son  liveth;  and  ''himself  believed,  and  his  whole  house.  This  is  again 
the  second  miracle  t/iat  Jesus  did,  when  he  was  come  out  of  Judea  into 
Galilee. 

5      AFTER  "this  there  was  a  feast  of  the  Jews;  and  Jesus  went  up  to 


"  1  Ivi.  17. 13- 
15. 

Matt.  8.  13. 

Mark  7.  29. 

Luke  17.14. 

ch.  11.  40. 

Acts  14.  9. 
''  Luke  19.  9. 

Acts  2.  39 

Acts  10  31. 


CHAP.  5. 
"  Lev.  23.  2. 
Deut.  16.  1. 
ch  2.  13. 


deepen  it  Tov  sucli  a  bluut,  and  seemingly  rough, 
answer  as  lie  made  to  Nicodemus  (ch.  iii.  3).  49. 
The  nobleman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  come  down 
ere  my  child  die.  '  Ah  !  -while  we  talk,  my  child 
i.s  dying,  and  if  Thou  come  not  instantly,  all  will 
be  over.'  This  was  faith,  but  i^artial,  and  our 
Lord  would  perfect  it.  The  man  cannot  believe 
the  cure  could  be  wrought  without  the  Physician 
coming  to  the  patient — the  thought  of  such  a  thing 
evidently  never  occun-ed  to  him.  But  .Jesus  will 
in  a  moment  bring  hirn  up  to  this.  50.  Jesus  saith 
unto  him,  Go  thy  way;  thy  son  liveth.  And  the 
man  believed  the  word  that  Jesus  had  spoken 
unto  him,  and  he  went  his  way.  Both  effects 
instantaneously  followed:  the  man  believed  the 
word,  and  the  cure  shooting  quicker  than  light- 
ning from  Cana  to  Capernaum,  was  felt  by  the 
dying  youth.  In  token  of  faith,  the  father  takes 
his  leave  of  Christ — in  the  circumstances  this  evi- 
denced full  faith.  The  servants  hasten  to  con- 
vey the  joyful  tidings  to  the  anxious  parent, 
whose  faith    now  only  wants  one  confirmation. 

51.  And  as  he  was  now  going  down,  his  servants 
met  him,  ar.d  told  him,  saying.  Thy  son  liveth. 

52.  Then  enquired  he  of  them  the  hour  when 
he  began  to  amend.  And  they  said  unto  him. 
Yesterday  at  the  seventh  hour  the  fever  left 
him.  53.  So  the  father  knew  that  it  was  at  the 
same  hour  in  the  which  Jesus  said  unto  him. 
Thy  son  liveth;  and  himself  believed,  and  his 
whole  house.  He  had  believed  before  this — first 
very  imperfectly,  then  with  assured  confidence  in 
Christ's  word ;  but  now  with  a  faith  crowned  by 
"sight."  And  the  wave  rolled  from  the  head  to 
the  members  of  his  household.  "To-day  is  salva- 
tion come  to  this  hotise"  (Luke  xix.  9);  and  no  mean 
house  this.  54.  This  is  again  the  second  miracle 
that  Jesus  did,  when  he  was  come  out  of  Judea 
into  Galilee — that  is,  not  His  second  miracle  after 
coming  out  of  Judea  into  Galilee  ;  but  '  His  second 
Galilean  miracle,  and  it  was  wrought  after  his  re- 
turn from  Judea' — as  the  former  was  before  He 
went  to  it. 

Remarks. — 1.  If  we  are  right  as  to  the  sense  of 
in\  43,  44 — if  Jesus,  on  His  return  into  Galilee, 
w'ent  to  Cana,  avoiding  Nazareth  as  "  His  own 
country, "  in  which  He  knew  that  He  would  have 
"  no  honour,"  according  to  the  proverb  which 
Himself  uttered — we  have  here  a  stroug  confirma- 
tion of  the  judgment  we  have  given  on  the  much- 
disputed  question,  Avhether  Jesus  jiaid  two  visits 
to  Nazareth  after  His  public  ministry  commenced, 
or  onlji  one.  See  on  Matt.  iv.  12,  and  more  fully 
on  Luke  iv.  16,  &c.  As  in  our  view  He  avoided 
Nazareth  on  this  occasion,  because  He  had  become 
too  common  among  them  during  His  early  life,  so 
wdien  He  did  visit  it  (Luke  iv.  16,  &c.),  it  was  only 
to  be  upbraided  for  never  having  yet  exhibited  to 
His  own  town's-people  the  miraculous  powers  with 
the  fame  of  which  other  places  were  ringing ;  and 
378 


His  reception  on  that  one  occasion  when  He  visited 
Nazareth  was  quite  enough  to  show  that  a  repeti- 
tion of  His  visit  would  be  but  "  giving  that  which 
was  holy  to  the  dogs."  So  He  left  it,  as  we  believe, 
never  to  return.  2.  On  conii)aring  the  faith  of  the 
nobleman  whose  sou  Jesus  healed,  with  that  of 
the  centurion  whose  servant  was  restored  by  the 
same  healing  jjower,  we  are  not  to  conclude  that 
the  believing  disposition  of  the  one  was  at  all 
behind  that  of  the  other.  Did  the  nobleman 
"beseech  Jesus  that  He  would  come  duicn  and 
heal  his  son " — as  if  the  thing  could  not  be  done 
at  a  distance?  The  centurion  also  "sent  elders 
of  the  Jews,  beseeching  Him  that  He  w^ould  come 
and  heal  his  servant."  It  is  true  that  Jesus  replied 
to  the  nobleman,  "Except  ye  see  signs  and 
wonders  ye  will  not  believe"  —  referring  to  the 
general  unpreparedness  even  of  those  who  believed 
in  Him  to  recognize  His  tinlimited  power — and  it 
is  true  that  the  nobleman  only  proved  this  by 
replying,  "Sir,  come  down  ere  my  child  die;'' 
while  the  centurion  sent  a  noble  message  to  Jesus 
not  to  come  to  Him,  as  that  would  be  too  great 
an  honour,  and  besides  there  was  no  need,  as  it 
could  be  done  equally  well  by  a  Mord  uttered  at  a 
distance.  But  we  must  rememlier  that  the  noble- 
man's case  occurred  almost  at  the  outset  of  our 
Lord's  ministry,  when  faith  had  much  less  to  work 
upon  than  when  the  centurion  a]iplied  (Luke  vii. 
2,  &c).  But  what  shows  that  the  two  cases  are 
as  nearly  as  possible  on  a  par  is,  that  whereas 
even  the  centurion's  noble  message  seems  to  have 
been  an  after  thought — his  faith  rising,  jierhajis, 
after  his  first  messengers  were  desjiatched — the 
nobleman,  as  his  case  became  more  urgent,  reached 
to  the  very  same  faith  by  another  method.  For 
when  Jesus  answered  his  entreaty  to  "come 
down"  by  saying,  "  Go  thy  way;  thy  son  liveth," 
"  the  man  believed  the  word  that  Jesus  had  spoken 
unto  him,  and  he  M'ent  his  way,"  persuaded 
the  cure  could  and  would  be  wrought  without 
the  great  Healer's  presence.  Thus  may  two  cases, 
differing  in  their  circumstances  and  features,  be 
essentially  of  one  character,  and  thus  may  a 
weaker  manifestation  of  faith  be  consistent  with 
an  equal  capariti/  for  faith — the  ojjportunities  and 
advantages  of  each  being  different.  This  might 
indeed  baffle  man's  power  to  detect  and  deter- 
mine. But  it  is  our  comfort  to  know  that  it  is 
He  with  whom  both  had  to  do,  and  from  Whom 
they  both  experienced  such  love  and  grace,  who  is 
"  ordained  to  be  the  Judge  of  quick  and  dead." 

CHAP.  V.  1-47. — The  Impotent  Man  Healed 
AT  THE  Pool  of  Bethesda  on  the  Sabbath  Day 
—Discourse  occasioned  by  the  Peksecution 

ARISING  thereupon. 

The  Impotent  Man  Healed  (1-9).  The  first  verse 
of  this  chapter  raises  the  most  difficult,  x^erhaps, 
and  most  controverted,  of  all  questions  touching 
the  Harmony  of  the  Gospels  and  the  Diu-ation  of 


The  Impotent  Man  healed 


JOHN  V. 


at  the  Pool  of  Bethesda, 


2  Jerusalem.     Now  there  is  at  Jerusalem,  *by  the  sheep  '^market,  a  pool, 

3  which  is  called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  -Bethesda,  having  five  porches.     In 
these  lay  a  great  multitude  of  impotent  folk,  of  blind,  halt,  withered. 


b  Nell.  3.  1. 

1  Or,  gate. 

2  House  of 
merc7. 


oiir  Lord's  ministry.  1.  After  this  there  was  a 
feast  of  the  Jews;  and  Jesus  went  up  to  Jeru- 
salem. Three  Pa.ssovers  are  distinctly  mentioned 
in  this  Gospel  as  occurriug  durin";  our  Lord's 
public  ministry :  the  tirst  in  ch.  ii.  1.3,  when  Jesus 
])aid  His  tirst  official  visit  to  .Jerusalem;  another, 
quite  incidentally  mentioned  in  ch.  vi.  4 ;  and  the 
last,  when  .Tesus  went  up  to  become  "  our  Passover, 
sacrificed  for  us"  (ch.  xii.  2,  12;  xiii.  1,  2).  If  no 
other  Passover  occurred  than  these  three,  durin.^ 
Christ's  public  life,  then  it  could  not  have  lasted 
more  than  two  years  and  a  half :  whereas,  if  the 
feast  mentioned  in  the  tirst  verse  of  this  chapter 
was  a  Passover — making  four  in  all — then  the 
Diu-ation  of  our  Lord's  public  ministry  was  towai-ds 
three  years  and  a  half.  That  this  feast  loas  a 
Passover,  Avas  certainly  tlie  most  ancient  ojjiuion, 
and  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  great  majority  of  critics, 
(being  that  of  Irenmii^,  as  early  as  the  second  cen- 
tury, Eiisehhus  and  llieodoret,  among  the  fathers  ; 
and  of  Luther,  Be:a,  MaUlonat,  Grotius,  Lvjht- 
foot.  La  C'lerc,  Lampe,  Menr/sfenhcrg,  Gresivell, 
Bo'Jn-soii,  Tlioluck  in  his  6tli  Edition,  and  apyia- 
rently  in  his  7th  and  last,  Middleton,  Trench, 
Webster  and  Wilkinson,  &c.)  Those  who  object  to 
this  view  all  differ  among  themselves  as  to  what 
otlier  feast  it  was,  and  some  of  the  most  acute  have 
given  up  the  hoiie  of  determining  which  it  was. 
(So  L'llcke,  at  length,  de  Wette,  and  Alford.)  That 
it  was  a  Pentecost  (as  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  Chry- 
sostom  and  Theophylaet,  among  the  fathers ;  and 
Erasmus,  Crdrin,  and  Benyel  have  since  thought) 
is  inadmissil)le,  as  this  Feast — which  occurred  fifty 
days  after  the  Passover,  or  towards  the  end  of 
May — will  appear  too  late,  if  we  consider  that  our 
Lord  retm-ued  to  Galilee  in  the  month  of  Decem- 
ber or  January  (ch.  iv.  3.5).  The  Feast  of  Taher- 
nacles  (as  Coccehis  and  J'Jhrard)  is,  for  the  same 
reason,  still  more  out  of  the  question,  as  it  did  not 
occur  till  the  end  of  Sep'  ember.  All  these  theories 
are  now  given  up,  l)y  those  who  object  to  the  Pass- 
over, in  favour  of  the  Feast  of  Purim,  which  was 
observed  rather  less  than  a  month  before  the  Pass- 
over. (So  Keppler — who  first  suggested  it,  but 
doubtfully — and  now  Hug,  Olshausen,  Wieseler, 
Meyer,  Neander,  Tischendorf,  Lamje,  and  Elli- 
cott.)  But  there  are  very  strong  objections 
to  this  view.  First,  The  Feast  of  Purim  was 
celeltrated  over  all  the  couutiy  equally  with  the 
capital;  none  went  up  to  Jerusalem  to  keep  it; 
and  the  observance  of  it  consisted  merely  in  the 
reading  of  the  book  of  Esther  in  the  different 
synagogues,  and  spending  the  two  days  of  it  in 
feasting  (Esth.  ix.  21,  22):  whei-eas  the  "multi- 
tude" referred  to  in  i\  13  seems  to  imply  that  it 
was  one  of  those  greater  festivals  that  drew  large 
numbers  from  the  pi'ovinces  to  the  capital.  It  is 
difficult,  indeed,  to  see  why  our  Lord  should  have 
gone  up  to  Jerusalem  expressly  to  keep  a  feast  of 
this  nature,  as  the  words  of  the  first  verse  clearly 
imply.  For  though  He  was  there  at  the  Feast  of 
Dedication  (ch.  x.  22) — which  also  was  not  a  prin- 
cipal one — He  did  not  go  on  purpose  to  keeji  it, 
but  was  there,  or  thereabouts,  at  any  rate.  But 
once  more  the  Impotent  j\Ian,  healed  at  this  feast, 
was  healed  on  the  Sabl/aih — and  by  comparing  vr. 
9  and  13,  one  would  naturally  conclude  that  this 
Sabbath  was  one  of  the  days  of  the  Feast ;  whereas 
there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  Purim  was 
so  far  from  being  celebrated  on  a  Sabbath,  that 
when  it  fell  on  that  day,  it  was  put  off  till  after  it 
was  over.  The  only  objections  to  its  being  a  Pass- 
379 


over  worth  noticing  are  two.  First,  that  our  Evan- 
gelist, when  he  means  a  Passover,  expressly  names 
it ;  whereas  here  he  mei-ely  calls  it  "  a  feast  of  the 
Jews:"  and  next,  that  if  this  be  a  Passover,  it 
leaves  too  little  time  between  this  one  and  that  of 
ch.  vi.  4,  and  further,  that  since  Jesus  confessedly 
did  not  go  up  to  Jerusalem  at  the  next  Passover, 
naentioned  in  ch.  vi.  4—"  l)eeause  the  Jews  sought 
to  kill  Him"  (ch.  vii.  1)— it  would  follow  that  our 
Lord  was  about  a  vear  and  a  half  absent  from 
Jerusalem— a  thing  liard  to  believe.  These  objec- 
tions are  certainly  weighty;  but  they  are  not  in- 
superable. We  lay  no  str.  ss  upon  the  fact  that 
the  definite  article  [j;  fofiTi;],  '  the  feast  of  the  Jews' 
is  foimd  in  several  MSS. — (eight  xmckd,  and  two 
of  the  best  cursive  ones)— supported  by  the  two 
ancient  Egyptian  versions ;  for  this  reading  has  not 
support  enough.  At  th-j  same  time  it  m\ist  be  ob- 
served that  all  who  held  to  this  reading  certainly 
understood  the  feast  intended  to  be  tlie  feast,  by- 
way of  distinction  from  all  the  rest,  that  is,  the 
Passover.  But  even  with  the  article  omitted,  it  has 
been  shown  by  Middleton  (Greek  Article  I.,  iii.  1) 
and  Winer  (xix.  2.  b.)  that  its  presence  is  implied, 
and  the  sense  definite,  just  in  siich  cases  as  the  pres- 
ent. As  to  the  shortness  of  the  interval  between  the 
Passover  of  ch.  v.  1  (supposing^  it  to  be  one)  and 
that  of  ch.  vi.  4,  it  does  not  follow  that  the  in- 
terval of  <iniewas  short,  hQCA\\^Qt\\e  events  recorded 
between  them  in  this  Gosi)el  ai-e  so  few ;  since  it  is 
manifest  that  our  Evangelist,  till  he  comes  to  the 
final  scenes,  confines  himself  almost  wholly  to 
what  had  been  omitted  by  the  other  Evangelists. 
To  them,  therefore,  we  are  to  go  for  the  Galilean 
ev^ents  which  occurred  between  those  Passovers. 
Finally,  as  to  the  long  interval  of  a  year  and  a  half 
between  this  His  second  Passover  (if  so  it  be),  and 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  after  the  third  one,  when 
He  next  went  up  to  Jerusalem  (ch.  vii.  2,  10),  the 
reason  given  for  it,  in  ch.  vii.  1,  appears  sufficient ; 
and  as  He  was  to  take  His  final  leave  of  Galilee 
not  very  long  after,  He  m'otiIcI  have  abundant 
occupation  there  to  fill  up  the  time,  while  His 
continuing  either  in  the  capital  or  its  neighbour- 
hood nearly  all  the  time  between  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles  and  His  final  Passover — a  period  of 
about  seven  months — would  sufficiently  compen- 
sate for  His  longer  absence  from  it  at  an  earlier 
period.  On  a  review  of  the  whole  evidence,  then, 
we  are  decidedly  of  opinion  that  the  "  Feast"  here 
referred  to  by  our  Evangelist  was  the  Passover — 
and  consequently,  the  second  of  four  occuri'ing 
during  our  Lord's  public  ministry. 

2.  Now  there  is  at  Jerusalem,  by  the  sheep 
[market].  The  supplement  here  is  an  unhappy 
one,  as  no  such  mai-ket-place  is  known.  But  as 
the  sheep  gate  is  mentioned  in  Neli.  iii.  1,  32,  and 
is  familiar  in  the  Jewish  references  to  the  temple, 
no  doubt  the  siqiplement  ought  to  be,  as  in  the 
margin,  "by  the  sheep  [gate]."  a  pool,  which 
is  called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  Bethesda  [=  n'2 
«ipn]  — that  is,  'Mercy -house;'  doubtless  from 
the  cures  wrought  there,  having  five  porches— 
for  shelter  to  the  patients.  That  Jerusalem  was 
yet  standing  when  this  Gosjiel  was  written  cannot 
be  inferi  ed,  as  Benyel  thought,  from  the  use  of  the 
present  tense  "is."  The  water  here  referred  to 
did  not  necessarily  disappear  with  the  overthrow 
of  the  city.  There  are  indeed  two  distinct  sites 
yet  to  be  seen  which  have  been  identified  with 
this  pool:  one,  and  the  more  probable  site,  a 
ruined  reservoir  near  St.  Stephen's  gate,  wliich 


The  Impotent  Man  healed 


JOPIN  V. 


at  the  Pool  of  Bethesda. 


4  waiting  for  tlie  moving  of  the  Wcater.  For  an  angel  went  down  at  a 
certain  season  into  the  pool,  and  troubled  the  water:  whosoever  then 
first  after  the  troubhng  of  the  water  stepped  in  was  made  whole  of 

5  whatsoever  disease  he  had.     And  a  certain  man  was  there,  which  had 

6  an  infirmity  thirty  and  eight  years.  When  Jesus  saAv  him  lie,  and  "knew 
that  he  had  been  now  a  long  time  iii  that  case,  he  saith  unto  him,  "■Wilt 

7  thou  be  made  whole  ?  The  impotent  man  answered  him.  Sir,  I  have  no 
man,  when  the  water  is  troubled,  to  put  me  into  the  pool :  but  while  I 

8  am  coming,  another  steppeth  down  before  me.     Jesus  saith  unto  him, 

9  'Rise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk.  And  immediately  the  man  was  made 
whole,  and  took  up  his  bed,  and  wallced : 


A.  D.  30 


Ps.  142.  3. 
Ch.  21.  17. 

Heb.  4.  13. 
'■  Ps.  72.  13. 
Ps.  113.   5, 
6. 

Isa.  55. 1. 
Jer.  13.  27. 
Luke  IS.  41. 
Matt.  9.  G. 
Mark  2.  U. 
Luke  5.  24. 
Acts  9.  34. 


ancient  tradition  has  lixed  upon  and  late  investi- 
gations strongly  confirm  ;  the  other,  what  is  known 
as  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin.  But  even  though 
all  remains  of  it  had  dis.aiipeared  with  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  the  Evangelist  might  have  no 
Icnowledge  of  the  fact ;  nor  did  he  require  to  know 
it,  as  its  well-known  existence  at  the  time  of  this 
incident  is  all  that  the  word  necessarily  implies. 
3.  In  these  lay  a  great  multitude  of  impotent 
folk— or  infirm  people,  of  blind,  halt,  withered 
[5))iO(Dj/]— or  'paralvzed'  (as  Mark  iii.  1),  waiting 
for  the  moving  of  the  water.  4.  For  an  angel 
went  down  at  a  certain  season  into  the  pool,  and 
troubled  the  wa,ter:  whosoever  then  first  after 
the  troubling  of  the  water  stepped  in  was  made 
whole  of  whatsoever  disease  he  had.  The  imper- 
fect tense  in  which  these  verbs  are  expressed  con- 
veys the  idea  of  use  and  wont  {Ka-rijiaivev — 
eTupacrae — eylveTo] — 'was  wont  to  descend' — 'to 
trouble  the  pool'— 'to  be  made  whole.'  5.  And— 
or  rather,  'Now'  [Sh]  a  certain  man  was  there, 
which  had  an  infirmity  thirty  and  eight  years— 
a  length  of  time  which  to  the  man  himself  might 
seem  to  render  a  cure  hopeless,  and  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  a  mere  medkhial  virtue  in  this  water, 
which  some  even  sound  critics  are  too  ready  to 
tamper  with,  undoubtedly  would.  This,  then, 
was  iirobably  the  most  pitiable  of  all  the  patients 
asseml^led  at  the  pool,  and  for  that  very  reason,  no 
doubt,  was  selected  by  the  Lord  for  the  disjilay  of 
His  glory.  6.  When  Jesus  saw  him  lie,  and  knew 
that  he 'had  been  now  a  long  time  in  that  case. 
As  He  doubtless  visited  the  spot  just  to  perform 
this  cure,  so  He  knew  where  to  find  His  i)atieut, 
and  the  whole  previous  history  of  His  case  (ch. 
ii.  2.5).  he  saith  unto  him,  Wilt  thou  be  made 
whole?  Could  any  one  doubt  that  a  sick  man 
would  like  to  be  made  whole,  or  that  the  patients 
came  thither,  and  this  man  had  retiu-ned  again 
and  again,  just  in  hope  of  a  cure?  But  our  Lord 
asked  the  question,  first,  to  fasten  attention 
upon  Himself;  next,  by  making  him  detail  his 
case,  to  deepen  in  him  the  feeling  of  eutii-e  help- 
lessness; and  further,  by  so  singular  a  question, 
to  beget  in  his  desponding  heart  the  hope  of  a 
cure.  (See  on  Mark  x.  51. )  7.  The  impotent  man 
answered  him.  Sir,  I  have  no  man,  when  the 
water  is  troubled,  to  put  me  into  the  pool :  but 
while  I  am  coining,  another  steppeth  down  before 
me.  Instead  of  .sa.yin'/  he  wished  to  be  cured,  he 
just  tells  with  piteous  simplicity  how  fruitless  had 
been  all  his  ettbrts  to  obtain  it,  and  how  helpless 
and  all  but  hopeless  he  was.  Yet  not  quite.  For 
here  he  is  at  the  pool,  waiting  on.  It  seemed  of 
no  use;  nay,  only  tantalizing— "  While  lam  com- 
ing, another  steppeth  down  before  me"- the  fruit 
was  snatched  from  His  lips.  Yet  he  will  not  go 
away.  He  may  get  nothing  by  staying;  he  may 
drop  into  his  grave  ere  he  get  into  the  pool ;  but 
l)y  going  from  the  appointed,  divine  way  of  heal- 
ing, he  can  get  nothing.  ^Vait  therefore  he  will, 
3S0 


wait  he  does,  and  when  Christ  comes  to  heal  him, 
lo !  he  is  waiting  his  turn.  What  an  attitude  for 
a  sinner  at  Mercy's  gate !  The  nian's  hojies  seemed 
low  enough  ere  Christ  came  to  him.  He  might 
have  said,  just  before  "Jesus  i)assed  by  that  way," 
'This  is  no  use;  111  never  get  in;  let  me  die  at 
home.'  Then  all  had  been  lost.  But  he  held  on, 
and  his  perseverance  was  rewarded  with  a  glorious 
cure.  Probably  some  rays  of  hope  darted  into  his 
heart  as  he  told  his  tale  before  those  Eyes  whose 
glance  measured  his  whole  case.  But  the  word  of 
command  consummates  his  preiiaration  to  receive 
the  cure,  and  instantaneously  works  it.  8.  Jesus 
saith  unto  him,  Rise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk. 
9.  And  immediately  the  man  was  made  whole, 
and  took  up  his  bed,  and  walked.  "He  spake, 
and  it  was  done."  The  slinging  of  his  portable 
couch  over  his  shoulders  was  designed  to  show  the 
perfection  of  the  cure. 

Such  is  this  glorious  miracle.  Now  let  us  look  at 
it,  as  it  stands  here  in  the  received  text ;  and  next 
let  us  examine  the  shortened  text  presented  by  most 
modern  Editors  of  the  Greek  Testament — which 
leaves  out  the  last  clause  of  v.  3,  "waiting  for 
the  moving  of  the  Avaters,"  and  the  whole  of  i'.  4. 
The  miracle,  as  it  here  stands,  differs  in  two  points 
from  all  otlier  miracles  recorded  in  Scripture  : 
First,  It  was  not  one,  but  a  succession  of  miracles 
periodically  wrought:  Next,  As  it  was  only 
wi'ought  "  when  the  waters  were  troubled,"  so 
only  upon  one  patient  at  a  time,  and  that  the 
patient  "  who  first  step])ed  in  after  the  troubling 
of  the  waters."  But  this  only  the  more  undeni' 
ably  fixed  its  miraculous  character.  We  have 
heard  of  many  waters  having  a  medicinal  virtue ; 
but  what  v.-ater  was  ever  kuov/n  to.  cure  instan- 
taneously a  single  disease?  And  who  ever  heard 
of  any  water  curing  all,  even  the  most  diverse 
diseases — "blind,  halt,  withered" — alike?  Above 
all,  who  ever  heard  of  such  a  thing  being  done 
only  "  at  a  certain  season,"  and  most  singularly  of 
all,  doing  it  only  to  the  first  jierson  who  stepiied 
in  after  the  moving  of  the  waters  ?  Any  of  tliese 
peculiarities — much  more  all  taken  together  — 
must  have  proclaimed  the  supernatural  character 
of  the  cures  wrought.  If  the  text,  then,  be 
genuine,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  miracle,  as 
there  were  multitudes  living  when  this  Gospel 
was  published  who,  from  their  own  knowledge  of 
Jerusalem,  could  have  exposed  the  falsehood  of 
the  Evangelist,  if  no  such  cure  had  been  known 
thera  It  only  remains,  then,  that  we  enquire  on 
what  authority  the  omission  of  the  last  clause  oi 
('.  3,  and  the  whole  of  r.  4,  from  the  text  (by 
Tlschendorf  and  Tregelles,  and  approved  by 
Tholuck;  Meyer,  Olshausen,  Alford,  &c.)  is  sup- 
ported. The  external  evidence  against  it  is  cer- 
tainly very  strong.  [It  is  wanting  in  the  newly- 
discovered  Codex  Sinaitlcus,  and  the  Codex  Vati- 
camis — N  and  B — the  two  earliest  known  MSS.  of 
the  New  Testament;  in  C,   not  much  later;  in 


Consequences  of  the  Miracle  being        JOHN  V. 


icrourjht  on  the  Sabbath  Day. 


10 


And  on  -^'the  same  day  was  the  sabbath.  The  Jews  therefore  said 
nnto  liim  that  was  cured,  It  is  the  sabbath  day:  ^it  is  not  lawful 
for  thee  to  carry  thy  bed.  He  answered  them,  He  that  made  me 
whole,  the  same  said  unto  me.  Take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk.  Then 
asked  they  him,  What  man  is  that  which  said  unto  thee,  Take  up  thy 
bed,  and  walk  ?  And  he  that  was  healed  wist  not  who  it  was ;  for 
Jesus  had  conveyed  himself  away,  ^a  multitude  being  in  that  place. 

14  Afterward  Jesus  findeth  him  ''in  the  temple,  and  said  unto  him,  Behold, 
thou  art  made  whole:   'sin  no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  come  unto  thee. 

15  The  man  departed,  and  told  the  Jews  that  it  was  Jesus  which  had  made 

16  him  whole.     And  therefore  did  the  Jews  persecute  Jesus,  and  sought  to 
slay  him,  because  he  had  done  these  things  on  the  sabbath  day. 


A.  D.  30. 

/  Ch.  9.  U. 

"  Ex,  20.  10. 
Neh.  13. 19. 
Jer.  17.  21. 
Matt.  12.  2. 
Mark  2.  24. 
Mark  3.  4. 
Luke  6.  2. 

3  Or,  from 
tlie  multi- 
tude that 
was. 

''  Ps.  103  2. 

'  Matt.  12,45. 


D — which,  however,  has  the  disputed  clause  of  v.  3 ; 
and  ill  three  of  the  cursive  or  later  MSS. ;  iii  the 
ancient  version  called  the  Cnretonian  Syrlac,  and 
in  the  two  ancient  E(jyptian  versions,  according  to 
some  cojjies.  Besides  this,  it  is  fair  to  add,  that 
there  is  considerable  variety  in  the  words  used  by 
the  MSS.  that  have  the  disputed  passage,  and 
that  in  some  MSS.  and  versions  the  passage  is  so 
marked  as  to  imi)ly  that  it  was  not  universally 
received.]  But  when  all  the  evidence  in  favour  of 
the  disimted  nassage^external  and  internal — is 
combined  and  well  weighed,  we  think  it  will 
appear  quite  decisive.  The  external  evidence  for 
it  is  much  stronger  in  fact  than  in  appearance. 
[It  is  found— though  not  in  the  first,  but  the 
second  hand — in  the  Alexandrian  MS.  of  date 
scarcely  second  to  the  two  oldest,  and,  in  the 
opinion  of  some  of  the  best  critics,  of  almost 
equal  authority;  in  ten  other  uncial  MSS.;  in 
the  oldest  or  Peshito,  and  indeed  all  but  the 
Cnretonian  Syriac,  and  in  l)oth  the  Old  Latin 
and  Vulgate  Latin  versions  —  which  very  rarely 
agree  wiibh  the  Alexandrian  MS.  when  it  differs 
from  the  Vatican  —  showing  how  very  early 
the  disputed  words  were  diffused  and  recognized: 
in  confirmation  of  which  we  have  an  undoubted 
reference  to  the  passage  by  TertuUian,  in  the  end 
of  the  second  and  beginning  of  the  third  century. 
Moved  by  this  consideration,  no  doubt,  Lach- 
mann  inserts  the  passage.]  But  the  internal  evi- 
dence is,  in  our  judgment,  quite  sufficient  to  out- 
weigh even  stronger  external  evidence  against  it 
than  there  is.  First,  While  the  very  strangeness 
and,  as  some  venture  to  say,  the  legendary  air  of 
the  miracle  may  easily  account  for  its  omission, 
we  cannot  see  how  such  a  passage  could  have  crept 
in  if  it  did  not  belong  to  the  original  text.  But 
secondly,  The  text  seems  to  us  to  yield  no  sense, 
or  but  an  inept  sense,  without  the  disputed  words. 
Just  try  to  explain  without  them  this  statement 
of  w.  7:  "  Sir,  I  have  no  man,  when  the  water  is 
troubled,  to  put  me  into  the  pool :  but  while  I  am 
coming,  another  steppeth  down  before  me."  Who 
would  ever  understand  how  the  mere  inability  of 
this  impotent  man  to  step  first  into  the  pool  should 
deprive  him  of  its  virtue— from  whence  soever 
that  proceeded— when  the  water  was  troubled? 
Clearly  the  explanation  given  in  v.  4— along  with 
the  last  clause  of  v.  3— is  necessary  to  the  under- 
standing of  i\  7.  The  two,  therefore,  must  stand 
or  fall  together ;  and  as  the  seventh  verse  is  ad- 
mitted to  be  genuine,  so,  in  our  judgment,  must 
the  rest. 

Consequences  of  this  Miracle  being  wrought  on  the 
Sabbath  Day  (9-16).  9.  and  on  the  same  day  was 
the  sabbath.  Beyond  all  doubt  this  was  inten- 
tional, as  in  so  many  other  healings,  in  order  that, 
when  opposition  arose  on  this  account,  men  might 
be  compelled  to  listen  to  the  claims  and  teaching 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  10.  The  Jews — that  is,  those  in 
381 


authority  (see  on  ch.  i.  19),  therefore  said  unto 
him  that  was  cured,  It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to 
carry  thy  bed— a  glorious  testimony  to  the  cure, 
as  instantaneous  and  comijlete,  from  the  lips  of  the 
most  prejudiced!  In  ordinary  circumstances  the 
rulers  had  the  law  on  their  side  (Neh.  xiii.  15; 
Jer.  xvii.  21).  But  when  the  man  referred  them  to 
"  Him  that  had  made  him  whole"  as  his  authority, 
the  argument  was  resistless.  11.  He  answered 
them,  He  that  made  me  whole,  the  same  said  unto 
me,  Take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk.  12.  Then  asked 
they  him,  What  man  is  that  which  said  unto  thee, 
Take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk?  They  ingeniously 
jiarry  the  man's  thrust,  asking  him,  not  who  had 
"made  him  whole"'— that  would  have  condemned 
themselves  and  defeated  their  purpose — but  who 
had  bidden  him  "take  up  his  bed,  and  walk,"  in 
other  words,  who  had  dared  to  order  a  breach  of 
the  Sabbath  ?  '  'Tis  time  we  were  looking  after  him' 
— thus  hoping  to  shake  the  man's  faith  in  his 
Healer.  13.  And  [oe]— or  rather,  'But'  he  that 
was  healed  wist  not  who  it  was.  That  some  one 
with  uii]  laralleled  generosity,  tenderness,  and 
power  had  done  it,  the  man  knew  well  enough ;  but 
as  he  had  never  heard  of  Him  before,  so  He  had  dis- 
appeared too  quickly  for  any  enquiries,  for  Jesus 
had  conveyed  himself  away  [egei/euo-ei/]  —  had 
'slipped  out'  of  the  crowd  that  had  gathered,  a 
multitude  being  in  that  place— to  avoid  both  too 
hasty  popularity  and  too  iirecipitate  hatred  (Matt, 
xii.  14-19 ;  ch.  iv.  1,  3).  14.  Afterward  Jesus  findeth 
him  in  the  temple — saying,  jierhaps,  "I  will  go 
into  thy  house  with  burnt  offerings;  I  will  pay  my 
vows,  which  my  lips  have  uttered,  and  my  mouth 
hath  spoken,  when  I  was  in  trouble"  (rs.  Ixvi. 
13,  14).  Jesus,  there  Himself  for  His  own  ends, 
"nudeth  him  there" — not  all  accidentally,  be  as- 
sured, and  said  unto  him,  Behold,  thou  art  made 
whole:  sin   no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  come 

unto  thee  [iVa  /ui;  \eLp6v  TL  (Tot  yemiTai] — or,  '  lest 
some  worse  thing  befal  thee—  a  glimiise  this  of  the 
reckless  life  he  had  probably  led  before  his  thii'ty- 
ei"ht  years'  infirmity  had  come  u])on  him,  and 
which  not  improbably  had  brought  on,  in  the  just 
judgment  of  God,  his  chronic  complaint.  Fear- 
ful illustration  this  of  "  the  severity  of  God,"  but 
glorious  manifestation  of  our  Lord's  insight  into 
"what  was  in  man."  15.  The  man  departed,  and 
told  the  Jews  that  it  was  Jesus  which  had  made 
him  whole — little  thinking  how  unwelcome  his 
grateful  and  eager  testimony  would  be.  "The 
darkness,"  as  Olshajisen  says,  "received  not  the 
light  which  was  pouring  its  rays  upon  it "  (ch.  i. 
5-11).  16.  And  therefore  did  the  Jews  persecute 
Jesus,  and  sougiit  to  slay  him.  [This  last  clause 
— KUL  e'(,i'lTow  auTou  airoKTeXvai — is  excluded  from  the 
text  by  Tischendorf  and  Tregelles,  on  weighty  but, 
as  we  judge,  insufficient  authority.  Alfora  does 
the  same,  and  Lucke,  Meyer,  and  de  Wette,  approve 
of  the  omission,  which  they  regard  as  a  gloss  to 


Dlscoitrse  occasioned  hy  the 


JOHN  V. 


Oppositioti  of  the  Rulers, 


17  But  Jesus  answered  them,  •^' j\Iy  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work. 

18  Therefore  the  Jews  '^sought  the  more  to  kill  him,  because  he  not  only  had 
broken  the  sabbath,  but  said  also  that  God  was  his  Father,  'making 
himself  equal  with  God. 

19  Then  answered  Jesus  and  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
'"■The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but  what  he  seeth  the  Father  do: 

20  for  what  things  soever  he  doeth,  these  also  doeth  the  Son  likewise.  For 
"the  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  showeth  him  all  things  that  himself 
doeth:    and  he  will  show  him  greater  works  than  these,  that  ye  may 

21  marvel.     For  as  the  Father  raiseth  up  the  dead,  and  quickeneth  them; 

22  "even  so  the  Son  quickeneth  whom  he  will.     For  the  Father  judgeth  no 

23  man,  but  hath  '^committed  all  judgment  unto  the  Son;  that  all  men 


A.  D.  30. 


J  Ch.  9.  4. 

ch  14.  10. 
fc  ch.  7.  19 
'  Zee.  13.  7. 

ch.  10.  30. 
'"ch   8.  2'. 

ch.  9.  4. 
"  Matt.  3.  17. 

ch.  3.  35. 
"  Luke  7.  14. 

Luke  S.  54. 
»  Matt.n.  27. 

ch.  3.  35. 

ch.  17.  2. 

Acts  17.  31. 


explain!'.  18.  But  the  word /oi«XXow — "the  more" — 
■svhich  none  propose  to  exclude  from  the  text,  pre- 
supposes the  clause  in  v.  16,  and  is  the  strongest 
argument  in  favour  of  it.  Lachmann  retains  the 
clause.]  because  lie  had  done  these  things  on  the 
sabbath  day.  What  to  these  hypocritical  religion- 
ists was  the  doing  of  the  most  glorious  and  bene- 
ficent miracles,  compared  wdth  the  atrocity  of 
doing  them  on  the  ISabbath  day!  Ha^^ng  given 
them  this  handle,  on  pm-pose  to  raise  the  first 
public  controversy  with  them,  and  thus  open  a 
fitting  opportunity  for  laying  His  claims  before 
them,  He  rises  at  once  to  the  whole  height  of  them, 
in  a  statement  which  for  gxandeur,  weight,  and 
terseness  exceeds  almost  anything  that  ever  after- 
wards fell  from  Him— at  least  to  His  enemies. 

Discourse  occasioned  hy  the  opposition  of  the 
rulers  to  Christ's  Working  His  glorious  Miracles 
on  the  Sahbath  Day  (17-47).  17.  But  Jesus  an- 
swered them,  My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and 
I  work.  The  "I"  here  is  emphatic  {Kayw\—q.  d., 
'The  creative  and  conservative  activity  of  My 
Father  has  known  no  Sabbath-cessation  from  the 
beginning  until  now,  and  that  is  the  law  of 
Mij  ivorkintj.''  18.  Therefore— or  'for  this  cause' 
{&ia.  toCto],  the  Jews  sought  the  more  to  kill 
him,  because  he  not  only  had  broken  the  sabbath, 
but  said  also  that  God  was  his  Father  {iraTepa 
i5iov\.  This  is  not  strong  enough.  It  should  be, 
'  that  God  was  His  own  Father;'  in  the  sense  of 
Eom.  viii.  32  (see  there),  making  himself  equal 
with  God.  This  last  clause  expresses  the  sense  in 
which  they  understood  His  words.  And  they 
were  right  in  gathering  this  to  be  His  meaning, 
not  from  the  mere  words  "  ISIy  Father,"  but  from 
His  claim  of  right  to  act  as  His  Father  did,  in  the 
like  high  sphere  and  by  the  same  law  of  ceaseless 
activity  in  that  sphere.  And  since,  instead  of  in- 
stantly disclaiming  any  such  meaning— as  He  must 
have  clone  if  it  was  false — He  positively  sets  His 
seal  to  it  in  the  following  verses,  merely  explain- 
ing how  consistent  such  claim  was  with  the  pre- 
rogatives of  His  Father,  it  is  beyond  all  doubt 
that  we  have  here  an  assumption  of  i^ecuUar,  -per- 
sonal Sonship,  or  participation  in  the  Father's 
essential  nature. 

19.  Then  answered  Jesus  and  said  unto  them, 
The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself  [a(^'  eaurov} 
—or  'from  Himself,'  that  is,  as  an  originating  and 
independent  Actor,  apart  from  and  in  rivalry  of 
the  Father;  which  was  what  they  supposed;  but 
what  he  seeth  the  Father  do  \kav  fxii  n  ftXeinj  t6v 
■wuTepa  iroiovvTo]—'' hilt  only  what  He  seeth  the 
Father  doing.'  The  meaning  is,  '  The  Son  has  and 
cau  have  no  separate  interest  or  action  from  the 
Father.'  for  what  things  soever  he  doeth,  these 
also  doeth  the  Son  likewise  [o/uotcos]— or  '  in  the 
like  manner : '—  q.  d. ,  '  On  the  contrary,  whatever 
the  Father  doeth,  that  same  doeth  the  Son,  and 
just  as  He  doeth  it.'  What  claim  to  absolute 
3S2 


equality  with  the  Father  could  exceed  this — not 
only  to  do  whatecer  the  Father  does,  but  to  do  it 
as  the  Father  does  it  ?  And  yet,  in  perfect  con- 
formity with  the  natural  relation  of  Father  and 
Son,  everything  originates  with  the  Former,  and  is 
carried  out  by  the  Latter.  20.  For  the  Father 
loveth  the  Son.  The  word  here  for  "loveth" 
[</)i\er]  is  that  which  peculiarly  denotes  personal 
afiection,  as  distinguished  from  that  in  the  similar 
statement  of  the  Baptist  [nyaTro],  which  peculiarly 
marks  comjilacency  in  the  c/tar'acter  of  the  person 
loved  (see  on  ch.  iii.  35).  and  showeth  him  all 
things  that  himself  doeth.  As  love  has  no  con- 
cealments, so  it  results  from  the  perfect  fellowship 
and  mutual  endearment  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son  (see  on  ch.  i.  1,  18,)  Whose  interests  are  one, 
even  as  Their  nature,  that  the  Father  communi- 
cates to  the  Son  all  His  counsels ;  and  what  has 
been  thus  shown  to  the  Son  is  by  Him  executed 
in  His  mediatorial  character.  For,  as  A  Iford  pro- 
perly says,  with  the  Father  doing  is  %viliing :  it  is 
the  Son  only  who  acts  in  Time,  and  he  will  show 
him  greater  works  than  these.  The  order  is 
more  lively  in  the  original — '  and  greater  works 
than  these  will  He  show  Him,'  that  ye  may  mar- 
vel— referring  to  what  He  goes  ou  to  mention  (in 
vv.  21-31),  and  which  may  be  comprised  in  two 
great  words — "Life"  and  "Judgment" — which 
A'^ier  beautifully  calls  ^  God's  Regalia.''  Yet  these 
Christ  says  the  Father  and  He  have,  and  put  forth, 
in  common.  21.  For  as  the  Father  raiseth  up 
the  dead,  and  quickeneth  them— one  act  in  two 
stages,  the  resurrection  of  the  body  and  the  resto- 
ration of  life  to  it.  This  surely  is  the  Father's 
absolute  prerogative,  if  He  have  any.  even  so 
the  Son  quickeneth  whom  he  will — not  only 
doing  the  same  divine  act,  but  doing  it  as  the  re- 
sult of  His  oivn  ivill,  even  as  the  Father  does  it. 
This  statement  is  of  immense  importance  in  rela- 
tion to  the  miracles  of  Christ,  distinguishing  them 
from  similar  miracles  of  prophets  and  apostles, 
who  as  /( uman  instruments  were  employed  to  per- 
form supernatural  actions,  while  Christ  did  all — as 
the  Father's  commissioned  Servant  indeed,  but — hi 
the  exercise  of  His  otvn  ahsolute  rigid  of  action. 
22.  For  the  Father  judgeth  no  man  [OvSk  yap  « 
■n-aTiip  Kpiuei  ovSeua] — '  For  neither  doth  the  Father 
judge  any  man : '  imjilying  that  the  same  tiling  was 
meant  in  the  former  verse  of  the  "quickening  of 
the  dead;"  both  acts  being  done,  not  by  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  as  though  twice  done,  but  by 
the  Father  through  the  Son  as  His  voluntary 
Agent.  Our  Lord  has  now  passed  to  the  second 
of  the  "greater  works"  which  He  was  to  show 
them,  to  their  astonishment  {v.  20).  but  hath 
committed  all  judgment  unto  the  Son— judg- 
ment in  its  most  comprehensive  sense,  or  as  we 
should  say,  all  admirnstration.  23.  That  all  [men] 
should  honour  the  Son,  even  as  they  honour  the 
Father.    As  he  who  believes  that  Christ,  in  the 


T^ie  Son's  relation 


JOHN  V. 


to  the  Father. 


should  *  honour  the  Son,  even  as  they  honour  the  Father.     He  that 
honoureth  not  the  Son  honoureth  not  the  Father  which  hath  sent  him. 

24  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  heareth  my  word,  and  believeth 
on  him  that  sent  me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not  come  into 

25  condemnation;  ''but  is  passed  from  death  unto  life.  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you.  The  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when  *the  dead  shall  hear  the 
voice  of  the  Son  of  God :  and  they  that  hear  shall  live.  For  as  the 
Father  hath  life  in  himself,  so  hath  he  given  to  the  Son  to  have  life 
in  himself;  and  'hath  given  him  authority  to  execute  judgment  also, 
^'because  he  is  the  Son  of  man.  Marvel  not  at  this:  for  the  hour  is 
coming,  in  the  which  all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and 
^ shall  come  forth;  "" they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of 
life ;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation. 
I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothing :  as  I  hear,  I  judge :  and  my  judgment 


26 

27 
28 
29 


30 


A.  D.  30. 

2  Matt.  28.1  a 

1  John::  2J. 

Eev.  5.  8 
*■  1  John  3  14. 
«  Gal.  2.  20. 

£ph.  2. 1,  5. 

Eph.  5.  11. 

Col.  2.  13. 

Eev.  3.  1. 
t  Jer.  10.  10. 

Acts  10.  42. 

Acts  17.  31. 
"  Dan.  7.  13. 
"  lThes.4  16. 

lC'or.l5.52. 
"  Dan  12.  2. 

Matt.  25.  32. 


foregoing  verses,  has  given  a  true  account  of  His 
relation  to  the  Father  must  of  necessity  hold  Him 
entitled  to  the  same  honour  as  the  Father,  so  He 
here  adds  that  it  was  the  Father's  express  inten- 
tion, in  making  over  all  judgment  to  the  Son,  that 
men  should  thus  honour  Him.  He  that  honouretli 
not  tlie  Son  honoureth  not  the  Father  which 
hath  sent  Him  [t6u  'Tre/xxJ/avTa  uutuv] — '  which 
sent  Him : '  he  does  not  do  it  in  fact,  whatever  he 
may  imagine,  and  will  be  held  as  not  doing  it  by 
the  Father  Himself,  who  will  accept  no  homage 
which  is  not  accorded  to  His  own  Son.  24.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  heareth  my  word, 
and  believeth  on  him  that  sent  me— that  is, 
'  believeth  in  Him  as  haviyig  sent  Me,'  hath  ever- 
lasting life — hath  it  immediately  on  his  believing : 
see  on  ch.  iii.  IS ;  and  compare  1  John  v.  12, 
13;  and  shall  not  come  [epxETf"]— rather,  'and 
cometh  not'  into  condemnation.  So  absolved  is 
he  from  guilt— so  released  from  the  sentence  of 
condemnation,  which  as  a  sinner  the  divine  law 
had  fastened  upon  him— that  the  life  which  he 
enjoys  is  henceforth  and  for  ever  a  life  of  uncon- 
demned,  unrebuked  right  to  stand  before  a  holy 
God  on  terms  of  peace  and  acceptance,  hut  is 
passed  from  [ixeTapefijiKev  sk] — literally,  'hath 
passed  over  out  of  death  unto  life.  What  a  tran- 
sition !  But  though  '  freedom  from  condemnation' 
is  that  feature  of  this  new  life  which  our  Lord  here 
emphatically  dAvells  on,  it  is  quite  evident — both 
from  what  goes  before  and  what  follows  after— that 
it  is  life  from  the  dead  in  the  widest  sense  which 
our  Lord  means  us  to  understand  as  communi- 
cated, of  His  own  inherent  will,  to  all  who  believe 
in  Him.  (Compare  1  John  iii.  14.)  It  is  as  if  He 
had  said,  '  I  have  sjioken  of  the  Son's  right  not  only 
to  heal  the  sick,  but  to  raise  from  the  dead,  and 
quicken  whom  He  will :  And  now  I  say  unto  you, 
That  life-giving  operation  has  already  passed  upon 
all  who  receive  my  words  as  the  Sent  of  the  Father 
on  the  great  errand  of  mercy.'  25.  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you.  The  hour  is  coming  [epxe-rai  aifia] — 
or,  '  There  cometh  an  hour;'  that  is,  in  its  whole 
fulness  it  was  only  "coming,"  namely,  at  Pente- 
cost, and  now  is— in  its  beginnings,  when  the 
dead — the  sjjiritually  dead,  as  is  clear  from  i\  28, 
(see  on  Luke  ix.  60,)  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the 
Son  of  God.  Here  our  Lord  rises  from  the  calmer 
phrase  "  hearing  His  ivord"  {v.  24)  to  the  grander 
expression,  "  hearing  i/te  ?'oice  of  the  Son  of  God," 
to  signify  that  as  it  finds  men  in  a  dead  condition, 
so  it  carries  mth  it  a  divine  resurrection-power. 
and  they  that  hear  shall  live — in  the  largest  sense 
of  the  word,  as  at  the  close  of  v.  24.  26.  For  as 
the  Father  hath  life  in  himself,  so  hath  he  given 
|eov)hey]— or  'gave  He'  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in 
himself.  Does  this  refer  to  the  essential  life  of 
383 


the  Son  before  all  time?  (in  the  sense  of  ch.  i.  4) — 
as  most  of  the  fathers  understood  it,  and  Ols- 
hatisen,  Stier,  Alford,  &c.,  among  the  moderns 
understand  it ;  or,  does  it  refer  to  the  purpose  of 
God  that  this  essential  life  should  reside  in  the 
Person  of  the  incarnate  Son,  and  be  manifested 
thus  to  the  world? — as  Calvin,  Lilcke,  Luthardt, 
&c. ,  view  it.  The  question  is  as  difficult  as  the 
subject  is  high.  But  as  all  that  Christ  says  of 
His  essential  relation  to  the  Father  is  intended 
to  explain  and  exalt  his  mediatorial  functions,  so 
the  one  seems  in  our  Lord's  own  mind  and  lan- 
guage mainly  the  starting-point  of  the  other.  27. 
And  hath  given  him — or,  as  before,  'gave  Him' 
authority  to  execute  judgment  also— as  well  as 
to  quicken  whom  He  will  (r.  21),  because  he  is 
the  Son  of  man.  This  seems  to  confirm  the  last 
remark,  that  what  Christ  had  properly  in  view 
M^as  the  indwelling  of  the  Son's  essential  life  in 
humanity  as  the  great  theatre  and  medium  of  di- 
vine display,  in  both  the  great  departments  of  His 
work^— life-givinff  a,nd  judgment.  The  appointment 
of  a  Judge  in  our  oicn  nature  is  one  of  the  most 
august  and  beautiful  arrangements  of  divine  wis- 
dom in  Redemption.  28.  Marvel  not  at  this— 
this  committal  of  all  judgment  to  the  Sou  of  Man, 
for  the  hour  is  coming — or, '  there  cometh  an  hour.' 
But  here  our  Lord  adds  not,  "and  now  is,"  as  in 
V.  25;  because  the  hour  there  intended  was  to 
arrive  almost  immediately,  and  in  one  sense  had 
ab'eady  come,  wliereas  the  hour  here  meant  was  not 
to  an'ive  till  the  close  of  the  whole  dispensation  of 
mercy,  in  the  which  all  that  are  in  the  graves 
shall  hear  his  voice,  29.  And  shall  come  forth; 
they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of 
life — that  is,  the  resurrection  unto  life  everlasting 
(Matt.  XXV.  4(3),  and  they  that  have  done  evil 
unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation  [h-piVfios]- or, 
'of  judgment,'  but  in  the  sense  of  condemnation. 
It  would  have  been  harsh,  as  Bengel  remarks, 
to  say,  '  the  resurrection  of  death,'  though  that  is 
meant ;  for  sinners  rise  only  from  death  to  death. 
The  resurrection  of  both  classes  is  an  exercise  of 
sovereign  authority;  but  in  the  one  case  it  is  an 
act  of  grace,  in  the  other  of  justice.  Compare 
Dan.  xii.  2,  from  which  the  language  is  taken. 
How  awfully  grand  are  these  uufoklings  of  His 
dignity  and  authority  from  the  mouth  of  Christ 
Himself !  And  they  are  all,  it  will  be  observed, 
uttered  in  the  third  person— as  great  principles 
and  arrangements  from  everlasting,  independent 
of  the  utterance  of  them  on  this  occasion.  Im- 
mediately after  this,  however.  He  resumes  the 
first  i^erson.  30.  I  can  of— or 'from'  [off>']  mine 
own  self  do  nothing— apart  from,  or  in  rivalry  of, 
the  Father,  and  in  any  scj'arate  interest  of  My 
own  (see  on  v.  191 :  as  I  hear,  I  judge :  and  my 


Ckrisfs  iestimonj/ 


JOHN  V. 


concerning  John. 


is  just;  because  "^'I  seek  not  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  the  Father 

31  which  hath  sent  me.     If  ^I  bear  witness  of  myself,  my  witness  is  not 

32  true.     There  is  another  that  beareth  witness  of  me;  and  I  know  that 
the  witness  which  he  witnesseth  of  me  is  true. 

83,      Ye  sent  unto  John,  ^and  he  bare  witness  unto  the  truth.     But  I  receive 

34  not  testimony  from  man :  but  these  things  I  say,  that  ye  might  be  saved. 

35  He  was  a  burning  and  "a  shining  light:  and  ''ye  were  willing  for  a  season 

36  to  rejoice  in  his  light.     But  'I  have  greater  witness  than  that  of  John : 
for  '^the  works  which  the  Father  hath  given  me  to  finish,  the  same  works 

37  that  I  do,  bear  witness  of  me,  that  the  Father  hath  sent  me.     And  the 
Father  himself,  which  hath  sent  me,  ^hath  borne  witness  of  me.    Ye  have 

38  neither  heard  his  voice  at  any  time,  nor  -^'seen  his  slmpe.     And  ye  have 
not  his  word  abiding  in  you :  for  whom  he  hath  sent,  him  ye  believe  not 

39  Search  ^ the  Scriptures;  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life:  and 

40  ''they  are  they  which  testify  of  me.  And  ye  will  not  come  to  me,  that 
41, 3^e  might  have  life.  I  ^receive  not  honour  from  men.  But  I  know  you, 
42,  that  ye  have  not  the  love  of  God  in  you.     I  am  come  in  my  Father's 


A.  D.  30. 


*  Matt  26.  39. 
Ch.  4.  34. 
Ch.  6.  38. 

V  ch.  8.  14. 

Eev.  3.  14. 
'  ch.  1.  15. 
"  2  Pet.  1.  10. 
6  Matt  13.  20. 

Matt.2J.2i-i. 
"  1  John  5,  9. 
d  ch.  15.  24. 

*  Matt.  3. 17. 
Matt.  ir.  5. 

/  Deut.  4. 12. 

ch.  1.  18. 
£'  Isa.  8.  20. 

Luke  16  29. 
ft  Deut.  18. 15. 

Luke  24.27, 
44. 
»  1  Thes.  2.  6. 


judgment  is  just ;  because  I  seek  not  mine  own 
will,  tout  tlie  will  of  the  Father  which  hath  sent 
me: — g.  (Z.,  '  My  judgments  are  all  anticipated  iu 
the  bosom  of  my  Father,  to  which  I  have  imme- 
diate access,  and  by  Me  they  are  only  responded  to 
and  reflected.  They  cannot,  therefore,  err,  since  I 
live  for  one  end  only,  to  carry  into  effect  the  will 
of  Him  that  sent  Me.'  31.  If  I  bear  witness  of 
myself  [-Treoi  | — '  concerning  Myself ;'  that  is,  in  the 
sense  already  explained — standing  alone,  and  set- 
ting up  a  separate  interest  of  my  own,  my  witness 
is  not  true.  32.  There  is  another  that  beareth 
witness  of  me — meaning,  The  Father,  as  is  plain 
from  the  connection.  How  brightly  the  distinction 
of  the  Pei-sons  shines  out  here!  and  I  know  that 
the  witness  which  he  witnesseth  of  me  is  true. 
How  affecting  is  this  allusion!  Thus  did  Jesus 
cheer  His  own  spirit  under  the  cloud  of  human 
opposition  which  was  already  gathering  over  His 
head. 

33.  Ye  sent  unto  John— referring  to  the  deputa- 
tion which  these  same  rulers  sent  to  the  Baptist 
(ch.  i.  19,  kc),  of  which,  though  not  present,  Jesus 
was  fully  cognizant,  as  of  the  answer  which  the 
Baptist  returned,  and  he  bare  witness  unto  the 
truth.  34.  But  I  receive  not  testimony  from  man 
— that  is,  I  dejieud  not  on  human  testimony.  That 
He  should  have  permitted  Himself  to  receive  testi- 
mony from  the  Baptist,  seemed  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
to  need  some  explanation,  lest  it  should  be  sup- 
posed that  He  stood  in  need  of  it,  which  therefore 
He  here  explicitly  says  He  did  not.  but  these 
things  I  say,  that  ye  might— or  'may'  be  saved. 
'If  I  refer  to  John's  testimony  at  all,  it  is  but  to 
aid  your  faith,  in  order  to  your  salvation.'  35.  He 
was  a  burning  and  a  shining  light  [6  Xux^os  6  km- 
oixevo^  Kul  (^aiyo)!/]— literally, '  the  burning  and  shin- 
ing lamp,'  or  'torch:' — g.  d.,  'the  great  light  of 
his  day.  Christ  is  never  called  by  the  humble 
word  here  applied  to  John — a  Ught-bectiyr—studi- 
ously  used  to  distinguish  him  from  his  Master, 
but  ever  The  Light  [to  (puii]  in  the  most  absolute 
sense.  See  on  ch.  i.  6.  and  ye  were  willing  for  a 
season — that  is,  till  they  saw  that  it  pointed 
whither  they  were  not  prepared  to  go,  to  rejoice 
in  his  light.  There  is  a  play  of  irony  here,  refer- 
ring to  the  hollow  delight  with  which  his  testi- 
mony excited  them.  36.  But  I  have  greater  wit- 
ness ['Eyu)  06  ex*"  ''"'/■'  MctpTuptaii  fxeiX^w] — rather, 
'The  witness  which  I  have  is  greater'  than  that 
of  John:  for  the  works  which  the  Father  hath 
given  me  to  finish,  the  same  works  that  I  do, 
bear  witness  of  me,  that  the  Father  hath  sent  me 
384 


— not  simi»ly  as  miracles,  nor  even  as  miracles  of 
mercy,  but  these  miracles  as  He  did  them,  mth  a 
will  and  a,  power,  a  maje.sti/  and  a  grace  manifestly 
His  own.  37.  And  the  Father  himself  hath  borne 
witness  of  me — not  referring,  probably,  to  the 
voice,  at  His  baptism,  but,  as  seems  from  what 
follows,  to  the  testimony  of  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures.  (So  Calvin,  Liicl-e,  Meyer,  Luthai'dt.) 
Ye  have  neither  heard  his  voice  at  any  time,  nor 
seen  his  shape — never  recognized  Him  in  this  char- 
acter. The  words,  as  Stier  remarks,  are  design- 
edly mysterious,  like  many  others  which  our  Lord 
uttered.  38.  And  ye  have  not  his  word  abiding 
in  you — passing  now  from  the  Witness-hearer  to 
the  testimony  borne  by  the  Father  in  "the  lively 
oracles :"  both  were  alike  strangers  to  their  breasts, 
as  was  evidenced  by  their  rejecting  Him  to  whom 
all  that  witness  was  borne.  39.  Search  the  Scrip- 
tures ['Epeui/a-re] — or  'Ye  Search.'  As  either  sense 
may  be  adopted  consistently  with  the  word  itself, 
we  must  be  guided  by  what  seems  to  be  the  strain 
of  our  Lord's  statement.  But  on  this  interpreters 
are  entirely  divided,  and  most  are  satisfied  that 
theirs  is  the  only  tenable  sense.  The  indicative 
sense — 'Ye  search' — is  adopted  by  Cyril  among 
the  fathers,  and  of  moderns  by  Erasmus,  Beza, 
Lampe,  Bengel,  Cam2)l'ell,  Olshaiisen,  Meyer,  de 
Wette,  Lucke,  Tholuck,  Webster  and  Wilkinson. 
In  the  imperative  sense— 'Search' — our  translators 
are  supported  by  Chrysostom  and  Augustin  among 
the  fathers,  and  of  moderns  by  Luther,  Calvin, 
Grotius,  Mcddonat,  Wetstein,  Stier,  Alford.  Per- 
hajis  the  former  sense— '  Ye  search ' — best  accords 
with  what  follows,  for  in  them  ye  think  [^oh-erxe] 
— 'deem,'  'consider';  in  a  good  sense,  ye  have 
eternal  life :  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of 
me.  40.  And  ye  will  not  come  [ov  Oe'Aere  kXdeiv]— 
rather,  'ye  are  not  willing  to  come'  to  me,  that 
ye  might  have  life :— g.  d. ,  '  With  disregarding  the 
Scriptures  I  charge  you  not :  Ye  do  indeed  busy 
yourselves  al)ont  them  (He  was  adcb-essing,  it 
will  be  remembered,  the  rulers— see  on  v.  16); 
rightly  deeming  them  your  Charter  of  eternal  life: 
But  ye  miss  the  great  Burden  of  them :  Of  Me  it 
is  they  testify;  and  yet  to  Me  ye  will  not  come 
for  that  eternal  life  which  ye  profess  to  find  there, 
and  of  which  they  proclaim  Me  the  ordained  Dis- 
l>enser.'  (See  Acts  xvii.  11,  12.)  Severe  thoiigh 
this  rebuke  was,  there  is  something  most  touching 
and  gracious  in  it.  41.  I  receive  not  honour  [So^av] 
— 'applause,'  'glory,'  from  men — contrasting  His 
own  end  with  theirs,  which  was  to  obtain  human 
applause.    42.  But  I  know  you,  that  ye  have  not 


The  testimony  of  the 


JOHN  V. 


Scrir'tures  concerning  Christ. 


43  name,  and  ye  receive  nie  not :  if  another  shall  come  in  his  own  name, 

44  him  ye  will  receive.     How  can  ye  believe,  which  receive  honour  one  of 

45  another,  and  seek  not  •'the  honour  that  cometh  from  God  only?     Do  not 
think  that  I  will  accuse  you  to  the  Father:  ^' there  is  one  that  accuse th 

46  you,  even  Moses,  in  whom  ye  trust.     For  had  ye  believed  Moses,  ye 

47  Vi'ould  have  believed  me:   ^for  he  wrote  of  me.     But  if  ™ ye  believe  not 
his  writings,  how  shall  ye  believe  my  words? 


3  Eom 

2. 

23. 

*:  Kom 

2. 

12. 

I  Gen 

3. 

15. 

Gen. 

12 

3. 

Gen. 

18 

IS. 

Acts 

26. 

22. 

'^  Luke  16.2!), 

31. 

tlie  love  of  God  in  you — which  would  have  in- 
spired you  ■^^^ith  a  single  desire  to  know  His  mind 
and  aWIi,  and  yield  yourselves  to  it,  in  spite  of 
prejudice,  and  regardless  of  consequences.  43.  I 
am  come  in  my  Father's  name,  and  ye  receive  me 
not :  if  another  shall  come  in  his  own  name,  him 
ye  will  receive.  How  strikingly  has  this  been 
verified  in  the  history  of  the  Jews.  From  the  time 
of  the  true  Christ  to  our  time,  says  Benijel,  sixty- 
four  false  Christs  have  been  reckoned,  by  whom 
the  Jews  have  been  deceived.  44.  How  can  ye 
believe,  which  receive  honour  one  of  another, 
and  seek  not  the  honour  that  cometh  from  God 
only.  The  "en?;"  not  here,  and  the  "ic///"  not  of 
?'.  40,  are  but  different  aspects  of  one  and  the  same 
state  of  the  human  heart,  under  the  conscious  and 
entire  dominion  of  corrujit  princijiles  and  affec- 
tions—  as  contrasted  with  that  simplicitjr  and 
godly  sincerity  which,  as  in  Nathanael  (ch.  i.  47), 
seeks  only  to  know  and  receive  the  truth.  45.  Do 
not  think  that  I  will  accuse  you  to  the  Father: — 
q.  d. ,  '  j\Iy  eri'and  hither  is  not  to  collect  evidence 
to  condemn  you  at  God's  bar.'  there  is  one  that 
accuseth  you,  even  Moses,  in  whom  ye  trust 
[iiXTTiKUTe] — or  'hope': — q.  d.,  'Alas!  that  will  be 
too  well  done  by  another,  and  him  the  object  of 
all  your  religious  boastings— Moses ; '  here  jiut  for 
")!Ae  Lain"  the  l^asis  of  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures. 46.  For  had  ye  helisved  Moses,  ye  would 
have  feelieved  me  [eTrto-Teue-re] — rather,  'If  ye  be- 
lieved Moses,  ye  would  believe  Me,'  for  he  wrote 
of  me  —  an  important  testimony,  as  A  Iford  re- 
marks, to  the  subject  of  the  whole  Pentateuch,  "  of 
INTe."  47.  But  if  ye  believe  not  his  writings  (see 
on  Luke  xvi.  31),  how  shall  ye  believe  my  words  ? 
— a  remarkable  contrast,  not  absolutely  putting 
Old  Testament  tScri]itnre  below  His  own  words, 
but  pointing  to  the  office  of  those  venerable  docu- 
ments to  prejiare  Christ's  way,  to  the  necessity 
universally  felt  for  documentary  testimony  in  re- 
vealed religion,  and  perhajis,  as  St'ter  adds,  to  the 
relation  which  the  comparative  "letter^'  of  the  Old 
Testament  holds  to  the  more  flowing  "words"  of 
"spirit  and  life"  which  characterize  the  New 
Testament. 

Remarks. — 1.  The  light  in  which  the  ministry  of 
angels  is  presented  to  us  in  connection  with  the 
piool  of  Bethesda  is  most  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive. First,  it  would  appear  that  one  particular 
angel  had  charge  over  the  miraculous  virtue  of 
this  pool.  And  next,  all  that  he  did  was  to 
"trouble"  tlie  water.  That  the  patient  who  first 
stepped  in  after  this  owed  his  cure  to  angelical 
virtue  is  not  said.  The  contrary  is  rather  imiilied, 
and  is  in  accordance  with  all  else  that  we  read  of 
their  ministry.  They  ministered  to  the  tempted 
SaAdour,  but  o'dy  in  the  way  of  bringing  Him,  as 
one  of  them  did  to  Elijah  (1  Ki.  xix.  5-8),  the  bodily 
sustenance  for  which  He  had  so  long  confidingly 
waited  (Matt.  iv.  11).  In  the  extremity  of  His 
agony,  there  appeared  an  angel  unto  Him  from 
heaven,  streng-thening  Him ;  but  for  spiritual 
etrength  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  Jesus 
was  indebted  to  an  angel,  save  in  so  far  as  the 
oonsciousness  of  supernatural  vigour  of  body  and 
spirit  to  sustain,  the  Conflict,  certainly  imparted 
oy  this  angel,  would  tend  to  reassure  Him  of  Hia 

voT„  V  3S5 


Father's  love  and  presence  with  Him  in  that  awful 
hour.     When  apiirehended.  He  expressed  His  con- 
fidence that  He  could  immediately  have,  for  the 
asking,  more  than  twelve  legions  of  angels,  to  free 
Him— if  He  desired  it — from  the  hands  of  men;  but 
that  only.     In  heaven.  He  tells  us,  the  angels  of 
His  dear  "little  ones"  always  behold  the  face  of 
His  Father  which  is  in  heaven  (Matt,  xviii.  10)— 
to  receive,  we  may  suppose.  His  commands  con- 
cerning them.     And  Lazarus,  in  the  parable,  when 
he  died,  was  carried  by  angels  into  Abraham's 
bosom.      But  in  no  case  do  their  ministrations 
extend  beyond  what  is  outivard.     That  they  have 
either  command  or  ability  to  interfere  hetween  the 
sold  and  God  in  tltings  piirely  spiriiucd,  or  to  affect 
the  spiritual  life  at  all  save  in  the  way  of  external 
ministration,  we  are  bound— with  such  Scripture 
statements  before  us — positively  to  deny.     How 
difl'erent  from  this  is  the  teaching  of  the  Church 
of  Kome,  is  known  to  all.     2.  Those  who  can  see 
in  the  Discourse  which  our  Lord  uttered  on  this 
occasion  no  claim  to  essential  equality  \yith  God, 
and  no  assertion  of  the  distinct  conscious  Per- 
sonality of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  are  not  likely 
to  see  it  anywhere  else.     It  is  not,  in  fact,  more 
evidence  that  such  want :  it  is  the  right  aiiprecia- 
tion  of  the  evidence  they  possess.     Nor  can  there 
be  any  doubt  that  unwillingness — -whether  con- 
scious or  not — to  credit  these  truths  on  any  evidence 
lies  at  the  bottom  of  the  rejection  of  them.     But 
those  who  recognize  in  this  Discourse  the  Personal 
distinctions  in  the  Godhead  should  not  overlook 
these  further  intimations  clearly  to  be  gathered 
from  it — that  iinity  of  action  among  the  Persons 
results  from  minify  of  natiire;  and  that  Their  one- 
ness of  interest  is  no  unconscious  or  involuntary 
tiling,  but  a  thing  of  glorious  consciousness,  will, 
and  love,  of  which  the  Persons  themseh'cs  are  the 
proper  Objects.     3.  In  the  announcement  that  the 
dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
hearing  shall  live — first,  spiritually  at  this  present 
time,  and  then  corporeally  at  the  resurrection-day 
(vv.   2i5,  28,   29) — we  have  one  of  those  api>arent 
]iaradoxes  which  "  the  wise  and  prudent"  ever 
s'umble  at,  but  to  faith  are  full  of  glory.     See  on 
Matt.  xii.  9-21,  Remark  3  at  the  close  of  that 
Section.     4.  Observe  the  honour  accorded  to  the 
Scriptures  generally,  and  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures in  particular,  by  the  Lord  Jesus.     Whether 
we  understand  Him  to  bid  them   "  Search  the 
Scriptures,"  or  in  the  way  of  commendation  to  say, 
"Ye  do  search  the  Scriptures,"  even  though  this 
was  adcb-essed  more  immediately  to  the  rulers, 
the  reason    assigned   for  it — that  in  them  they 
thouijht  they  had  eternal  life — is  enough  to  show 
that  m  His  view  it  was  alike  the  interest  and  the 
duty  of  all  to  search  them.     How  directly  in  the 
teeth  of  this  is  the  teaching  of  the  Church  of 
Pvome,  none  need  to  be  told.     See  on  Luke  x\4. 
1-31,  Eemark  9  at  the  close  of  that  Section.     But 
5.  In  that  miserable  "  searching  of  the  Scriptures" 
to  which   the  Jewish  ecclesiastics  certainly  ad- 
dicted themselves — and  in  which  they  have  been 
even  exceedecl  by  the  learned  rabbins  of  later 
times — we  see  how  possible  it  is  to  rest  in  the 
mere  Book  without  the  living  spArit  of  it,  and 
above  all  without  the  li\ang  Christ  of  it — to  dii'ect 
2c 


Jesus  crosseth  the 


JOHN  VI. 


Sea  of  Galilee. 


6  AFTER  "these  things  Jesus  went  over  the  sea  of  Galilee,  which  is  the 

2  sea  of  Tiberias.     And  a  great  multitude  followed  him,  because  they  saw 

3  his  miracles  which  he  did  on  them  that  were  diseased.     And  Jesus  went 

4  up  into  a  mountain,  and  there  he  sat  with  his  disciples.     And  ^the  pass- 

5  over,  a  feast  of  the  Jews,  was  nigh.     When  *  Jesus  then  lifted  up  his  eyes, 
and  saw  a  great  company  come  unto  him,  he  saith  unto  Philip,  Whence 

G  shall  we  buy  bread,  that  these  may  eat  ?    (And  this  he  said  to  prove  him : 

7  for  he  himself  knew  Avhat  he  would  do.)     Philip  answered  him,  '^Two 
hundred  penny-worth  of  bread  is  not  sufficient  for  them,  that  every  one 

8  of  them  may  take  a  little.     One  of  his  disciples,  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's 

9  brother,  saith  unto  him.  There  is  a  lad  here,  which  hath  five  barley 

10  loaves,  and  two  small  fishes:  *but  what  are  they  among  so  many?  And 
Jesus  said,  ]\iake  the  men  sit  down.     Now  there  was  much  grass  in  the 

11  place.  So  the  men  sat  down,  in  number  about  five  thousand.  And  Jesus 
took  the  loaves;  and  when  he  had  -^given  thanks,  he  distributed  to  the 
disciples,  and  the  disciples  to  them  that  were  set  down;  and  likewise  of 

12  the  fishes  as  much  as  they  would.  When  they  were  filled,  he  said  unto 
his  disciples.  Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain,  that  nothing  be  lost. 

13  Therefore  they  gathered  them  together,  and  filled  twelve  baskets  with  the 
fragments  of  the  five  barley  loaves,  which  remained  over  and  above  unto 
them  that  had  eaten. 

14  Then  those  men,  when  they  had  seen  the  miracle  that  Jesus  did,  said, 

15  This  is  of  a  truth  ^that  prophet  that  should  come  into  the  world.  When 
Jesus  therefore  perceived  that  they  would  come  and  take  him  by  force,  to 
make  him  a  king,  he  departed  again  into  a  mountain  himself  alone. 

16  And  ''when  even  was  noio  come,  his  disciples  went  down  unto  the  sea, 

1 7  and  entered  into  a  ship,  and  went  over  the  sea  toward  Capernaum.     And 

1 8  it  was  now  dark,  and  Jesus  was  not  come  to  them.     And  the  sea  arose, 

19  by  reason  of  a  gToat  wind  that  blew.  So  when  they  had  rowed  about  five 
and  twenty  or  thirty  furlongs,  they  see  Jesus  walking  on  the  sea,  and 

20  drawing  nigh  unto  the  ship :  and  they  were  afraid.     But  he  saith  unto 

21  them.  It  is  I ;  be  not  afraid.  Then  they  willingly  received  him  into  the 
ship :  and  immediately  the  ship  was  at  the  land  whither  they  went. 

22  The  day  following,  when  the  people  which  stood  on  the  other  side  of 
the  sea  saw  that  there  was  none  other  boat  there,  save  that  one  whereinto 
his  disciples  were  entered,  and  that  Jesus  went  not  with  his  disciples  into 

23  the  boat,  but  that  his  disciples  were  gone  away  alone;  (liowbeit  there 
came  other  boats  from  Tiberias,  nigh  unto  the  place  where  they  did  eat 


A.  D.  32. 

CHAP.  6. 
"Matt  14.15. 

Mark  C.  35. 

Luke  9. 10. 
t>  Ex.  12.  6. 

Lev.  23.  5,7. 

Num.28.ie. 

Deut.  16.  1. 

ch.  2.  13. 

ch  5.  1. 

ch,  U.  55. 

ch.  12.  1. 

ch  13.  1. 
'  Matt.  14. 14. 

Mark  6.  35. 

Luke  9.  12 
d  Knm.ll.2l, 
22. 

2  Ki.  t.  2. 

Matt.  15  3a 

Mark  6.  37. 

Mark  8.  4. 
'  2  Ki  4.  43. 

Ps.  78. 19,20. 

Matt.  14. 16, 
17. 

Luke  9.  13. 
/  Ex.  23.  25. 

lSam.9. 13. 

Matt.  14.19. 

Matt,  15  36. 

Watt,  26. 20. 

Luke  24  30. 

1  Tim.  4.  5. 
"  Gen.  49.  10. 

Deut.  IS.  16, 
18. 

Isa  1.  14. 

Isa.  9.  6. 

Isa.  35.  5. 

Matt.  11.  3. 

Matt.21.11. 

Luke  7.  16. 

ch  1.  21. 

ch.  4. 19, 25. 

ch.  7.  40. 

Acts  7.  37. 
h  Matt.  14  2,3. 

Mark  6.  47. 


the  soul  to  Whom  is  its  main  use  and  chiefest 
glory. 

CHAP.  VI.  1-21.  —  Jesus  Crosses  to  the 
Eastern  Side  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  followed 
BY  A  Great  Multitude — He  Feeds  them  Mir- 
aculously TO  THE  Number  of  Five  Thousand, 

AND     SENDS    HiS    DiSCIPLES    BY    ShIP   AGAIN    TO 

THE  Western  Side,  Himself  returning  after- 
wards Walking  on  the  Sea.  (=Matt.  xiv. 
13-36;  Mark  vi.  30  5G;  Luke  ix.  10-17.)  For  the 
exposition,  see  on  ^Mark  vi.  30-56.  But  the  reader 
will  do  well  to  mark  here  again  the  important 
note  of  time  introduced  quite  parenthetically  at 
V.  4 — And  the  passover,  the  feast  of  the  Jews, 
was  nigh.  This,  according  to  our  reckoning,  was 
the  third  passover  since  our  Lord  entered  on  His 
public  ministry.     See  on  Mark  vi.  .34. 

22-71.— Jesus,  followed  by  the  Multitudes  to 
Capernaum,  Discourses  to  them,  chiefly  in 
the  Synagogue,  of  the  Bread  of  Life — Effect 
OF  THIS  ON  Two  Classes  of  Disciples. 

T]ie  Multitudes,  finding  Jesus  gone,  cross  to  the 
Weste7-ti  Side  of  the  Lake,  and  find  Him  at  Caper- 
naum (22-25).    These  verses  are  a  little  involved, 
386 


from  the  Evangelist's  desire  to  mention  every  cir- 
cumstance, however  minute,  that  might  call  up  the 
scene  as  vividly  to  the  reader  as  it  stood  before 
his  own  view.  22.  The  day  following— that  is,  the 
day  after  the  miracle  of  the  loaves  and  the  stormy 
night,  or  the  day  on  which  Jesus  and  His  disciples 
landed  at  Capernaum,  when  the  people — '  the  mul- 
titude' [o  oxXos],  which  stood  on  the  other  side  of 
the  sea — not  the  whole  multitude  that  had  been 
fed,  but  onlv  such  of  them  as  remained  over  night 
about  the  shore,  that  is,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
lake;  for  we  are  supposed  to  have  come,  with 
Jesus  and  His  disciples  in  the  ship,  to  the  iccst 
side,  to  Caxiernaum;  saw  that  there  was  none 
other  tooat  there,  save  that  one  whereinto  his  dis- 
ciples were  entered  .  .  .  tut  that  his  disciples  were 
gone  away  alone.  The  meaning  is,  the  people  had 
observed  that  there  had  been  only  one  boat  on 
the  East  side  where  they  were,  namely,  the  one  in 
which  the  disciples  had  crossed  at  night  to  the 
other,  the  West  side,  and  they  had  also  observed 
that  Jesus  had  not  gone  on  board  that  boat,  but 
His  disciples  had  put  off  without  Him.  23.  (How- 
beit-— adds  the  Evangelist,  in  a  lively  parenthesis, 


J esiis  followed  hy  the 


JOHN  VI. 


multitudes  to  Capernaum. 


24  bread,  after  that  the  Lord  had  given  thanks :)  when  the  people  therefore 
saw  that  Jesus  was  not  there,  neither  his  disciples,  they  also  took  shipping, 
and  came  to  Capernanm,  seeking  for  Jesus. 

25  And  when  they  had  found  liim  on  the  other  side  of  the  sea,  they  said 
unto  him,  Rabbi,  when  earnest  thou  hither? 

26  Jesus  answered  them  and  said,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Ye  seek 
me,  not  because  ye  saw  the  miracles,  but  because  ye  did  eat  of  the 

27  loaves,  and  were  filled.  ^Labour  not  for  the  meat  which  perisheth,  but 
4br  that  meat  which  endureth  unto  everlasting  life,  which  the  Son  of 
man  shall  give  unto  you :  •'for  him  hath  God  the  Father  sealed.  Then 
said  they  unto  him.  What  shall  we  do,  that  we  might  work  the  works  of 
God?    Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  This  ''is  the  work  of  God, 

30  that  ye  believe  on  him  whom  he  hath  sent.  They  said  therefore  unto 
him,  ^What  sign  showest  thou  then,  that  we  may  see,  and  believe  thee? 


28 


29 


A.  D.  33. 


1  Or,  Work 

not. 
'  ch.  4.  14. 

Eom.  6.  'a. 

}  Matt.  3  17. 

Matt.  17.  5. 

Mark  1.  11. 

Mark  9.  7. 

Luke  3.  22. 

Luke  9.  35. 

ch.  1.  S3. 

ch.  5.  37. 

A  cts  2.  22. 

2  Pet.  1.  17. 
*  lJohn3.'.:3. 
'  Mark  8.  11. 

1  Cor.  1.  iJ. 


there  came  otiier  boats  from  Tiberias — which  lay 
near  the  south-west  coast  of  the  lake,  whose  passen- 
gers were  part  of  the  nmltitiide  that  had  followed 
Jesus  to  the  East  side,  and  been  miraculously  fed: 
these  boats  were  fastened  somewhere,  says  the 
Evangelist,  nigh  unto  tlie  place  where  they  did 
eat  bread,  after  that  the  Lord  had  given  thanks) 
— thus  he  refers  to  tlie  glorious  "  miracle  of  the 
loaves : "  and  now  these  boats  were  put  in  requisi- 
tion to  convey  the  people  back  again  to  the  West 
side.  For,  says  our  Evangelist,  24.  When  the 
people  —  'the  multitude,'  therefore  saw  that 
Jesus  was  not  there,  neither  his  disciples,  they 
also  took  shipping — in  these  boats,  and  came 
to  Capernaum,  seeking  for  Jesus.  25.  And 
when  they  had  found  him  on  the  other  side 
of  the  sea  —  at  Capernaum,  iirobably,  as  may 
be  gatiiered  perhaps  from  vv.  17-59 ;  although 
one  would  infer  from  tlie  other  Gospels  that  He 
and  the  disciyiles  had  landed  rather  somewhere 
else— it  may  be  in  the  neighbourhood  of  it  (Matt. 
xiv.  34,  35 ;  Mark  vi.  55). 

/esws,  questioned  hy  the  Mull'diides  that  had 
run  after  Him,  ahout  His  haring  got  the  start  of 
them,  changes  the  &W>ject,  and,  from  the  Loaves 
they  had  been  filled  tcith,  JJiscourses  to  them  of  the 
Bread  of  Life  (25-59).  25.  And  when  they  had 
found  him  on  the  other  side  of  the  sea,  they  said 
unto  him,  Rabbi,  when  earnest  thou  hither? — 
astonished  at  His  heing  there,  and  wondering  hoio 
He  could  have  accomplished  it,  whether  by  land  or 
water,  and  lohen  He  came;  for  being  quite  un- 
aware of  His  having  Malked  upon  the  sea  and 
landed  with  the  disci) iles  in  the  ship,  they  could 
not  see  how,  unless  He  had  travelled  all  night 
lound  the  head  of  the  lake  alone,  He  could  have 
reached  Cax)ernaum,  and  even  then  how  He  could 
liave  arrived  before  themselves.     Jesus  does  not 

iiut  them  through  their  ditticulty,  says  nothing  of 
lis  ti-eading  on  the  waves  of  the  sea,  nor  even 
notices  their  question,  but  takes  advantage  of  the 
favourable  moment  for  pointing  out  to  them  how 
forward,  flippant,  and  superficial  were  their  spirit 
and  views,  and  how  low  their  desires. 

26.  Jesus  answered  them,  Verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  you,  Ye  seek  me,  not  because  ye 
saw  the  miracles  [umxeXa]  —  literally  'signs;' 
that  is,  supernatural  tokens  of  a  higher  presence 
and  a  divine  commissiou,  but  because  ye  did 
eat  of  the  loaves,  and  were  filled.  From  this 
He  proceeds  at  once  to  that  other  Bread,  just  as, 
with  the  woman  of  Samaria,  to  that  other  Water, 
(ch.  iv.)  We  should  have  su]iiiosed  all  that  fol- 
lows to  have  been  delivered  by  the  way-side,  or 
wherever  they  hapjiened  first  to  meet.  But  from 
V.  59  we  gather  that  they  had  probably  met  aliout 
the  door  of  the  synagogue — '  for  that,'  says  Liyht- 
3S7 


foot,  'was  the  day  in  which  they  assembled  in 
their  synagogues' — and  that  on  being  asked,  at  the 
close  of  the  service,  if  He  had  any  word  of  exhor- 
tation to  the  people.  He  had  taken  the  two  breads, 
the  perishing  and  the  living  bread,  for  the  subject 
of  His  profound  and  extraordinary  Discourse. 
27.  Labour  ['Epydleade]  —  or  '  Avork '  not  for  the 
meat  which  perisheth,  but  for  that  meat  which 
endureth  unto  everlasting  life,  which  the  Son  of 
man — taking  that  title  of  Himself  which  denoted 
His  incarnate  life,  shall  give  unto  you  —  in  the 
sense  of   v.  51:    for  him  hath  God  the  Father 

sealed  [tovtov  yap  6  Traxi;/?  ecrcppdyia-eu  b  Geo?] — 
rather,  perhaps,  '  for  Him  hath  the  Father  sealed, 
even  God ; '  that  is,  marked  out  and  authenticated 
for  that  transcendent  office,  to  imjiart  to  the  world 
the  bread  of  an  everlasting  life,  and  this  in  the 
character  of  "the  Son  of  Man."  28.  Then  said 
they  unto  him,  What  shall  we  do,  that  we  might 
work  the  works  of  God?— such  works,  that  is,  as 
God  will  ai>prove.  To  this  question  difierent 
answers  may  be  given,  according  to  the  spirit 
which  prompts  the  enquiry  (see  Mic.  vi.  6-8;  Luke 
iiL  12-14).  Here  our  Lord,  knowing  whom  He 
had  to  deal  vnth,  shapes  His  reply  accordingly. 
29.  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Thik  is 
the  work  of  God,  that  ye  believe  on  him  whom  he 
hath  sent  [airerTTeCKev] — 'Him  whom  He  sent.' 
This  lies  at  the  threshold  of  all  acce])table  obedi- 
ence, being  not  only  the  pre-requisite  to  it  but  the 
proper  spring  of  i^in  that  sense  it  is  the  work 
of  works,  emphatically  '' tJie  work  of  God."  30. 
They  said  therefore  unto  him,  What  sign  showest 
thou  then,  that  we  may  see,  and  believe  thee? 
what  dost  thou  work  ?  But  liow  could  they  ask 
"a  sign,"  when  many  of  them  scarce  a  day  before 
had  witnessed  such  a  "sign"  as  had  never  till 
then  been  vouchsafed  to  men ;  when  after  witness- 
ing it  they  could  hardly  be  restrained  from  mak- 
ing Him  a  king;  when  they  followed  Him  fi-om  the 
one  side  of  the  lake  to  the  other ;  and  when,  in 
the  opening  words  of  this  very  Discourse,  He  had 
chid  them  for  seeking  Him,  "  not  because  they  saiu 
the  signs,"  but  for  the  loaves?  The  truth  seems  to 
be,  that  they  were  confounded  by  the  novel  claims 
which  our  Lord  had  just  advanced.  In  pro^xising 
to  make  Him  a  king,  it  was  for  far  other  jiurposes 
than  dispensing  to  the  world  the  bread  of  an  ever- 
lasting life;  and  when  He  seemed  to  raise  His 
claims  even  higher  still,  by  rei>reseuting  it  as  the 
gi-and  "work  of  God,"  that  they  should  believe 
on  Himself  as  His  Sent  One,  they  saw  very  clearly 
that  He  was  making  a  demand  upon  them  beyond 
anything  they  were  prepared  to  accord  to  Him, 
and  beyond  all  that  man  had  ever  before  made. 
Hence  their  question,  "What  dost  thou  work?" 
31.  Our  fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  desert ;  as 


Tesus  discourses  of 


JOHN  VL 


the  Bread  of  Life. 


31  wliat  dost  thou  work?  Our  '"' fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  desert;  as  it 
is  written,  ''He  gave  them  bread  from  heaven  to  eat. 

82  Then  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  ]\Ioses  gave 
you  not  that  bread  from  heaven;  but  my  Father  giveth  you  the  true 
bread  from  heaven.  For  the  bread  of  God  is  he  which  cometh  down  from 
heaven,  and  giveth  life  unto  the  world.     Then  said  they  unto  him,  Lord, 

3o  evermore  give  us  this  bread.  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  I  am  the  bread 
of  life :  °he  that  cometh  to  me  shall  never  hunger;  and  he  that  belie vetli 

30  on  me  shall  never  thirst.     But  I  said  unto  you,  That  je  also  have  seen 

37  me,  and  believe  not.  All  that  the  Father  giveth  me  shall  come  to  me : 
and  ^^him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.  For  I  came 
down  from  heaven,  ^not  to  do  mine  own  will,  'but  the  will  of  him  that 
sent  me.  And  this  is  the  Father's  will  which  hath  sent  me,  Hhatof  all 
which  he  hath  given  me  I  should  lose  nothing,  but  should  raise  it  up 
again  at  the  last  day.  And  this  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that 
*  every  one  which  seeth  the  Son,  and  believeth  on  him,  may  have  ever- 
lasting life :  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day. 


33 
34 


38 


39 


40 


A.  D.  9.2. 

'"Ex.  16.  15. 

Kum.  11.  7. 

Keh.  9.  15. 

1  Cor.  10.  3. 
"  i  S.  78.  24. 

Keh.  9.  15. 

1  Cor.  10  3. 

Eev.  2. 17. 
°  Matt.  11. 28. 

ch.  7.  37. 

Eev.  22.  17. 
J' 2  Tim.  2.19. 

lJohn2.19. 
9  Matt. 26.39. 

ch.  5.  30. 
»■  ch.  4.  34. 
"  ch.  10.  2S. 

ch.  18.  9. 

Col   3.  3. 

Jude  1. 
«  ch.  4. 14. 


it  is  written,  He  gave  tliem  bread  from  heaven  to 
eat— iiLsiniuating  the  inferiority  of  Christ's  miracle 
of  the  loaves  to  those  of  Moses: — q.  d.,  'When 
Moses  claimed  the  confidence  of  the  fathers,  "he 
gave  them  bread  from  heaven  to  eat" — not  for  a 
few  thousands,  but  for  millions,  and  not  once  only, 
but  daily  throughout  their  wilderness  journey.' 

32.  Then— or  'therefore'  [ovv]  Jesus  said  unto 
them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Moses  gave 
you  not  that  bread  [cecMKev  tov] — '  hath  not  given 
you  the  bread'  from  heaven;  but  my  Father 
giveth  you  the  true  bread  from  heaven.  Every 
word  here  is  an  emphatic  contradiction  to  their 
statement.  '  It  was  not  Moses  that  gave  you  the 
manna,  and  even  it  was  but  from  the  lower 
heavens;  "but  il/y  Father  giveth  you  the  true 
hread"  and  that  ''from  heaven.'"  33.  For  the 
bread  of  God  is  he  which  cometh  down  from 
heaven,  and  giveth  life  unto  the  world.  This 
verse  is  perhayis  best  left  in  its  own  transparent 
grandeur — holding  uji,  as  it  does,  the  Bread  itself 
as  divine,  spiritual,  and  eternal;  its  ordained 
Fountain  and  essential  Substance,  Him  who 
came  down  from  heaven  to  give  it,  that  Eternal 
Life  which  was  with  the  Father,  and  was  mani- 
fested unto  us  (1  John  i.  2) ;  and  its  designed 
oV)jects,  "the  world."  34.  Then— or  'therefore' 
said  they  unto  him.  Lord,  evermore  give  us  this 
bread — speaking  now  with  a  certain  reverence,  as 
at  r.  25;  the  perpetuity  of  the  manna  floating  per- 
haps in  their  minds,  and  much  like  the  Samaritan 
woman,  when  her  eyes  were  but  half  opened, 
"Sir,  give  me  this  water,"  &c.  (ch.  iv.  15).  35. 
And— or,  'But'  Jesus  said  unto  them,  I  am  the 
bread  of  life.  Henceforth  the  discoiu'se  is  all  in 
the  first  person — "I,"  "  Me" — which  occurs  in  one 
form  or  other,  as  Stier  reckons,  thirty-five  times, 
he  that  cometh  to  me— to  obtain  what  the  soul 
craves,  and  as  the  only  all-sufHcient  and  ordained 
Source  of  suiiply,  shall  never  hunger;  and  he 
that  believeth  on  me  shall  never  thirst— shall 
have  conscious  and  abiding  satisfaction.  36.  But  I 
said  unto  you,  That  ye  also  have  seen  me— rather 
'  feliat  ye  ha^•e  even  seen  Me,'  and  believe  not— 
that  is,  seen  Him  not  in  His  mere  bodily  presence, 
I'ut  in  all  the  majesty  of  His  life.  His  teaching. 
His  works.  37.  All  that  [which]  the  Father  giveth 
me  shall  come  to  me :  and  him  that  ccmeth  to 
me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.  38.  For  I  came 
down — or  'have  come  down'  [KaTaftejSijKa]  from 
heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of 
him  that  sent  me.  39.  And  this  is  the  Father's 
will  which  hath  sent  me.  The  true  reading 
3£S 


Ijeyond  doubt  here  is,  '  This  is  the  will  of  Him 
that  sent  Me'  [7ra-r|o6s  having  no  sufficient  author- 
ity], that  of  all  [that]  which  he  hath  given  me  I 
should  lose  nothing,  but  should  raise  it  up  again 
at  the  last  day.  40.  And  this  is  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me.  fiere  the  reading  of  'the  Father 
which  hath  sent  Me '  has  much  better  suiiport  than 
in  V.  39,  though  scarcely  sufficient,  pei-haps,  to 
justify  its  insertion  (Avith  Lachman)i,  'l  isrhendorj, 
and  Tregelles).  that  evei-y  one  which  seeth 
[0ea);owi/]— rather,  'beholdeth'  the  Son,  and  be- 
lieveth on  him,  may — or  should  have  everlast- 
ing life:  and  I  will  raise  him  up— rather,  'and 
that  I  should  raise  him  up '  at  the  last  day. 
This  comprehensive  and  very  grand  passage  is 
expressed  with  a  peculiar  artistic  precision.  The 
opening  general  statement  {r.  37)  consists  of  two 
members :  First,  "  All  that  the  Father  giveth 
ME  SHALL  COME  TO  ME:" — q.  d..  ' Thougli  ye,  as  I 
told  you,  have  no  faith  in  !Me,  My  errand  into  the 
world  shall  in  no  ■^"ise  be  defeated ;  for  all  that  the 
Father  giveth  Me  shall  infallibly  come  to  ISIe.' 
Observe,  what  is  given  Him  liy  the  Father  is  ex- 
pressed in  the  singular  numlier  and  neuter  gender 
— literally,  'all  [that]  which'  [-n-dvij];  while  those 
who  come  to  Him  are  put  in  the  mascidine  gender 
and  singidar  number — '  him  that  cometh '  \t6v 
ep^6jx€vov\.  The  u'hole  mass,  so  to  speak,  is  gifted 
by  the  Father  to  the  Son  as  a  unity,  which  the 
Son  evolves,  one  by  one,  in  the  execution  of  His 
trust;  so  (ch.  xvii.  2)  "that  He  should  give 
eternal  life  to  all  that  which  thou  hast  given  him" 
[•nil/  o  bicwKa^l.  The  "  shall  come"  of  v.  37  ex- 
presses the  glorious  certainty  of  it;  the  Father 
being  isledged  to  see  to  it  that  the  gift  become  a 
reality.  Second,  "And  him  that  cometh  to 
ME  I  "WILL  IN  KO  WISE  CAST  OUT."  As  the  former 
was  the  divine,  this  is  just  the  human  side  of  the 
same  thing.  True,  the  "  coming"  ones  of  the 
second  clause  are  just  the  "given"  ones  of  the 
first.  But  had  our  Lord  merely  said,  '  When  those 
that  have  been  given  me  of  My  Father  shall  come 
to  Me,  I  will  receive  them,' — besides  being  very 
flat,  the  impression  convej'ed  would  have  been  quite 
chfl'ereut,  sounding  as  if  there  were  no  other  laws 
in  operation,  in  the  movement  of  sinners  towards 
Christ,  but  such  as  are  wholly  divine  and  inso'u- 
table  to  us ;  whereas,  though  He  does  spe^k  of  it 
as  a  sublime  certainty  whic-li  men's  refusals  cannot 
frustrate.  He  speaks  of  that  certainty  as  taking 
effect  only  by  men's  voluntary  adv<inces  to  Him 
and  acceptance  of  Him — "Him  that  cometh  tome," 
"whosoever  will"— thus  throwing  tlie  door  wide 


Jesus  discourses  of 


JOHN  VI. 


the  Bread  of  Life. 


41  The  Jews  then  murmured  at  him,  because  he  said,  I  am  the  bread 

42  which  came  down  from  heaven.     And  they  said,  Is  not  this  Jesus,  the 
Son  of  Joseph,  whose  father  and  mother  we  know  ?  how  is  it  then  that  he 

43  saith,  I  came  down  from  heaven?     Jesus  therefore  answered  and  said 

44  unto  them.  Murmur  not  among  yourselves.     No  man  can  come  to  me, 
except  the  Father  which  hath  sent  me  draw  him :  and  I  will  raise  him  up 

45  at  the  last  day.     It  "is  written  in  the  Prophets,  And  they  shall  be  all 
taught  of  God.     Every  man  therefore  that  hath  heard,  and  hath  learned 

46  of  the  Father,  cometli  unto  me.     Not  ^that  any  man  hath  seen  the 

47  Father,  save  '"he  which  is  of  God,  he  hath  seen  the  Father.     Verily, 

48  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  '''He  that  believeth  on  me  hath  everlasting  life.     I 

49  am  that  bread  of  life.     Your  fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  wilderness, 

50  and  are  dead.     This  is  the  bread  which  cometh  down  from  heaven,  that 


A.  D.  32. 


"  Isa.  54.  13. 

Jer.  31.  34. 

Mic.  4.  2. 

Heb.  8.  10. 

Heb.  10  iij. 
"  ch.  1.  18. 

Ch.  5.  37. 
'"Matt.  11. 27. 

Luke  10.22. 

ch.  1.  IS. 

ch  7.  29. 

ch  8.  19. 

2  Cor.  4.  6. 
"  ch.  3. 16.  ;.c. 

ch.  5.  24. 

1  John  5  12. 


open.  Only  it  is  not  the  simply  luillbig,  but  the 
actually  coming,  whom  He  will  not  cast  out.  "  In 
no  wdse"  [oh  /.ii';]  is  an  emphatic  negative,  to  meet 
the  fears  of  the  timid — as  in  Rev.  xxi.  27,  to 
meet  the  presumption  of  the  hardeneci  These, 
then,  being  the  emphatic  members  of  the  general 
opening  statement,  what  follows  is  meant  to 
resume  and  reiterate  them  both  in  another  form. 
But  first,  we  have  a  jiarenthetic  and  emphatic  ex- 
planation that  His  mission  from  heaven  to  earth 
had  but  one  object— to  cany  into  effect  the 
Father's  purposes:  '"For  I  came  down  from 
heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will " — not  to  act 
an  independent  part — "  l)ut,"  in  respect  of  both 
the  foregoing  things,  both  the  divine  and  i\\e  Im- 
man  side  of  salvation,  to  do  "the  will  of  Him 
that  sent  Me "  \v.  38).  What  this  two-fold  will 
of  Him  that  sent  Him  is,  we  are  next  sublimely 
told,  vv.  39,  40.     Thus : 

First,         "All  th.^t  which  the  Father  giv- 
ETH  Me  shall  come  to  Me." 
This  is  now  emphatically  reiterated: 
"And  THIS  IS  the  will  of  Him  that 
sent  Me,  that  op  all  that  which 
He  hath  given  Me  I  should  lose 
nothing,  but  should  raise  it  up 
again  at  the  last  day." 
So  much  for  the  divine  side  of  man's 
salvation,  whose  every  stage  and 
movement  is    inscrutable  to  us, 
but  infallibly  certain. 
Secondly,  "And  him  that  cometh  to  Me  I  will 

IN  NO  wise  cast  out." 

This  also  is  now  emphatically  reit- 
erated : 
"  And  this  is  the  will  of  the  Father 

WHICH  HATH  SENT  Me,  THAT  EVERY 
ONE  WHICH  SEETH  THE  SON,  AND 
BELIEVETH  ON  HiM,  MAY  HAVE  EVER- 
LASTING life:    and  I  waLL   raise 

HIM  UP  AT  THE  LAST  DAY." 

This  is  just  the  human  side  of  the 
same  thing.     (See  on  v.  54.) 

Thus  G  od  has  a  two-fold  will  about  the  salvation 
of  men.  He  wills  that  those  whom  He  has  given 
in  trust  to  His  Son  shall  be  presented  faultless  be- 
fore the  presence  of  His  gloiy — redeemed  from  all 
iniquity,  and  their  sleeping  dust  raised  incorrup- 
tible. But  He  further  wills  that  if  any  poor  sinner, 
all  ignorant  of  this  secret  purpose,  but  attracted 

Mthe  grace  and  glory  of  His  Sou,  shall  believe  on 
m,  he  shall  have  eternal  life  and  be  raised  up 
at  the  last  day. 

41.  The  Jews  then  murmured  at  him — or  '  mut- 
tered' [eyoyyi'^oj/],  not  iu  our  Lord's  hearing,  but 
He  knew  it  (v.  43 ;  ch.  ii.  25),  because  lie  said  I 
3S9    ■ 


am  the  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven. 
42.  And  they  said,  Is  not  this  Jesus,  the  son  of 
Joseph,  whose  father  and  mother  we  know  ?  hovr 
is  it  then  that  he — or  'this  man'  [oCtos],  saith  I 
came  down  from  heaven?  Missing  the  sense  and 
glory  of  this,  and  having  no  relish  for  such  sub- 
limities, they  harp  upon  the  "Bread  from  heaven." 
'What  can  this  mean?  Do  vvc  not  know  all 
about  him — where,  when,  and  of  v/hom  he  was 
born?  And  yet  he  says  he  came  down  from 
heaven?'  43.  Jesus  therefore  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  Murmur  not  among  yourselves.  44. 
No  man  can  come  to  me  (in  the  sense  of  v.  35), 
except  the  Father  which  hath  sent  me— that  is, 
except  the  Father  as  the  Sender  of  Me,  and  to 
carry  out  the  design  of  My  mission  draw  him — 
by  an  internal  and  efficacious  operation;  though 
by  all  the  means  of  rational  conviction,  and  in  a 
way  altogether  consonant  to  their  moral  nature. 
(Song  i.  4  ;  Jer.  xxxi.  3 ;  Hos.  xi.  3,  4 )  and  I  will 
raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  See  on  v.  54  Thus 
this  weighty  statement  amounts  to  the  following : 
'  Be  not  either  startled  or  stumbled  at  these  say- 
ings ;  for  it  needs  divine  teaching  to  understand 
them,  divine  drawing  to  submit  to  them.'  45.  It 
is  written  in  the  Prophets  (in  Isa.  liv.  13;  Jer. 
xxxi.  33,  34.)  Other  similar  passages  may  also 
have  been  in  view.  Our  Lord  thus  falls  back  uiion 
Scripture  authority  for  this  seemingly  hard  say- 
ing. And  they  shall  be  all  taught  of  God — not  l>y 
external  revelation  merely,  but  hy  internal  illiuni- 
nation,  corresponding  to  the  "drawing"  of  v.  4i. 
Every  man  therefore  that  hath  heard,  and  hath 
learned  of  the  Father— who  hath  been  thus  elli- 
caciously  taught  of  Him,  cometh  unto  me — zvit/i 
ahsolute  certainty,  yet  in  every  case  voluntarily,  as 
above  explained : — q.  d.,  'As  none  can  come  to  Me 
save  as  divinely  drawn,  so  none  thus  drawn  shall 
fail  to  come. '  46.  Not  that  any  man  hath  seen  the 
Father,  save  he  which  is  of  God  [irupcc  tov  Qeov] — 
or  'from  God;'  but  in  the  sense  of  ch.  i.  14,  "the 
Only  begotten  [forth]  from  the  Father."  Lest 
they  should  confound  that  "hearing  and  learning 
of  the  Father,"  to  which  believers  are  admitted 
by  divine  teaching,  with  His  own  immediate  access 
to  Him,  He  here  throws  in  a  parenthetical  explan- 
ation ;  stating,  as  explicitly  as  words  could  do  it, 
how  totally  different  the  two  cases  were,  and  that 
only  He  who  is  "from  God"  hath  this  naked,  im- 
mediate access  to  the  Father.  47.  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  He  that  believeth  on  me  hath 
everlasting  life.  See  on  ch.  iii.  36;  and  on  ch.  v.  24. 
48. 1  am  that  bread  of  life.  This  is  repeated  from 
V.  35,  'As  he  that  believeth  in  Me  hath  everlasting 
life,  so  I  am  Myself  the  everlasting  Sustenance  of 
that  life.'  49. 'Your  fathers— of  whom  ye  spake 
(v.  31).  Observe,  He  does  not  say  '  Our  fathei s ' 
— by  which,  as  Bengel  remarks,  He  would  hint 


Jesus  discourses  of 


JOHN  VI. 


the  Bread  ofLije. 


51  a  man  may  eat  thereof,  and  not  die.  I  am  the  living  bread  which  came 
down  from  heaven.  If  any  man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever : 
and  ^the  bread  that  I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  Avliich  I  will  give  for  the  life 
of  the  world. 

52  The  Jews  therefore  ^strove  among  themselves,  saying,  "IIow  can  this 

53  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat  \  Then  Jesus  said  unto  them.  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto   you.   Except   *ye   eat   the   flesh  of  the   Son  of  man,  and 

54  drink  his  blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you.  Whoso  eateth  my  flesh,  and 
drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life;   and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the 

55  last  day.     For  my  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed. 

56  He  that  eateth  my  flesh,  and  di-inketh  my  blood,  '^dwelleth  in  me,  and  I 

57  in  him.     As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  me,  and  I  live  by  the  Father;  so 


A.  D.  32. 

y  Heb.  10.  5, 
10. 

^  ch.  r.  43. 

ch.  9. 16. 

ch.  10.  19. 
"  ch.  3.  9. 
*  Matt.  26.  26. 
"  1  Cor.  6.  17. 

1  Cor.l2.2T. 

2  Cor.  6. 16. 
Eph.  3.  17. 
Eph.  5.  30. 
lJohn3  24. 
1  John  4. 15, 

16. 


that  He  had  a  higher  descent  of  which  they 
di-eamt  uot.  did  eat  manna  in  the  wilderness,  and 
are  dead — reciirriug  to  tlieir  own  point  about  the 
mauna,  as  one  of  the  noisiest  of  the  ordained  pre- 
paratory ilhistratious  of  His  own  office:  '"iour 
fathers,  ye  say,  ate  mauna  in  the  wilderness,  and 
ye  say  well,  for  so  they  did ;  hut  they  are  dead — 
even  they  whose  carcases  fell  in  the  wilderness 
did  eat  of  that  bread:  the  Bread  whereof  I  si)eak 
Cometh  down  from  heaven,  which  the  manna  never 
did,  tliat  men,  eating  of  it,  may  live  for  erer.'  50. 
This,  &c.  51.  I  am  the  living  bread  which  came 
down  from  heaven.  If  any  man  eat  of  this  bread, 
he  shall  live  for  ever:  and  the  bread  [kuI  6  dpTos 
6e] — 'aye,  and,'  or  'j'ea,  and  the  Bread'  that  I  will 
give  is  my  flesh,  which  I  will  give  for  the  life  of 
the  world.  '  Understand,  it  is  of  Myself  I  now 
speak  as  the  Bread  from  heaven ;  of  Me  if  a  man 
eat  he  shall  live    for    ever;    and   "the    Bread 

WHICH  I  WILL  GIVE  IS  My  FLESH  WHICH  I  WILL 
GIVE    FOR   THE    LIFE    OF    THE    WORLD."      Here,    for 

the  first  time  in  this  high  discourse,  our  Lord  ex- 
plicitly introduces  His  sacrificial  death — for  what 
impartial  student  of  Scripture  can  doubt  this  ? — 
not  only  as  that  which  eoustitutes  Him  the  Bread 
of  life  to  men,  but  as  that  very  element  in  Him 

WHICH  POSSESSE.S  THE  LIFE-GIVING  VIRTUE.      FrOUl 

this  time  forth,  observes  Siier—emd  the  remark  is 
an  imjiortaut  one — we  hear  no  more  in  this  Dis- 
course of  "Bread :"  that  figure  is  di-opped,  and  the 
Reality  takes  its  place.  The  words  "I  will  yire" 
may  be  compared  with  the  words  of  institution  at 
the  Supper,  "This  is  My  body  which  is  gii-en  ior 
you  (Luke  xxii.  I'J),  and,  as  the  apostle  reports  it, 
"broken  for  you"  {1  Cor.  xi.  24). 

52.  The  Jews  therefore  strove  among  them- 
selves—  argidng  the  point  keenly  among  them- 
selves, saying,  How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh 
to  eat? — 'Give  us  his  flesh  to  eat?  AljsurcL'  53. 
Then  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verUy,  I  say 
unto  you,  Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of 
man,  and  drink  his  blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you. 
This  is  the  harshest  word  He  had  yet  uttered  in 
their  ears.  They  asked  how  it  was  possible  to  eat 
His  flesh.  He  answers  with  gi-eat  solemnity,  'It 
is  indispensa'ile.'  Yet  even  here  a  thoughtful 
hearer  might  find  something  to  temper  the  harsh- 
ness. He  says  they  must  uot  only  "  eat  iiis_fiesh" 
but  "drink  His  hlood,"  Avliich  could  not  but  sug- 
gest the  idea  of  His  f/ea</t— im]ilied  in  the  separ- 
ation of  one's  flesh  from  his  blood.  And  as  He 
had  already  hiuted  that  it  was  to  be  something 
very  different  from  a  naturcd  death,  saying,  "My 
flesh  I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the  world"  (f.  51), 
it  must  have  been  pretty  plain  to  candid  hearers 
that  He  meant  something  above  the  gross  idea 
which  the  bare  terms  expressed.  And  farther, 
when  He  added  that  they  "had  no  life  in  them 
unless  they  thus  ate  and  drank,"  it  was  impossible 
they  should  think  He  meant  that  the  temporal  life 
390 


tliey  were  then  living  was    dependent  on  their 
eating  and  drinking,  iu  this  gross  sense,  His  flesh 
and  blood.      Yet  the  whole  statement  was  cer- 
tainly confounding,  and  beyond  doubt  was  meant 
to  be  so.     Our  Lord  had  told  them  that  in  spite 
of  all  they  had  "seen"  in  Him  they  "did  not  be- 
lieve" (v.  36).     For  their  conviction,  therefore,  He 
does  not  here  lay  Himself  out ;  but  having  the  ear 
not  only  of  them  but  of  the  more  candid  and 
thoughtful    ill  the  crowded    synagogue,   and   the 
miracle  of  the  loaves  havin»  led  uj)  to  the  most 
exalted  of  all  views  of  His  Person  and  Office,  He 
takes  advantage  of  their  veiy  difficulties  and  ob- 
jections  to  announce,   for   all  time,   those  most 
profound  truths  which  are  here  ex]>ressed,  regard- 
less of  the  disgust  of  the  unteachable,  and  the 
prejudices  even   of  the  most  sincei-e,   which  His 
language  would   seem  only  designed   to   deepen. 
The  truth  really  conveyed  here  is  no  other  than 
that  expressed  in  v.  51,  though  in  more  emphatic 
terms — that  Himself,  iu  the  virtue  of  His  sacrifi- 
cial death,  is  the  spiritual  and  eternal  life  of  men ; 
and  that  unless  men  voluntarily  apjiropriate  to 
themselves  this  death,  in  its  sacrificial  virtue,  so 
as  to  become  the  very  life  and  nourishment  of 
their  inner  man,  they  have  no  spiritual  and  eternal 
life  at  all.     Not  as  if  His  death  were  the  07ily  thing 
of  value,  but  it  is  what  gives  all  else  in  Christ's  In- 
carnate Person,  Life,  and  Office,  their  whole  value 
toils  sinners.     54.  Whoso— or  'He  that'  eateth  my 
flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life. 
This  is  just  the  positive  expression  of  what  in  the 
former  verse  He  had  expressed  negatively.     There 
it  was  '  Unless  ye  so  i)artake  of  Me,  ye  have  not 
life ;'  here  it  is,  '  Whosoever  does  so  hath  life  ever- 
lasting.'   and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day. 
For  the  fourth  time  this  is  re]ieated  (see  it.  39, 
40,  44) — showing  most  clearly  that  the    "eternal 
life"   which   such  a  man    "hath"  cannot  be  the 
saine  with  the  future  resurrection-life,  from  which, 
it  is  carefully  distinguished  each  time,  but  a  life 
communicated  here  heloiv  immediately  on  believing 
(ch.  iii.  30;  v.  24,  2."i);  but  at  the  same  time  giving  to 
tJie  resurrection  of  the  body,  as  that  which  consum- 
mates the  redemption  of  the  entire  man,  a  promin- 
ence which,  in  the  current  theology,  it  is  to  be 
feared,  it  has  seldom  had.     (See  on  Kom.  "vaii.  23; 
and  on  1  Cor.  xv.  throughout.)    55.  For  my  flesh 
is  meat  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.    56. 
He  that  eateth  my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood, 
dwelleth  in  me,  and  I  in  him.    As  our  food  be- 
comes incorporated  with  ourselves,  so  Christ  aud 
those  Avho  eat  His  flesh  and  di'iuk  His  blood  be- 
come spiritually  one  life,  though  2^ersonalhj  distinct. 
57.  As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  me  [aTreVxeiXe:'] 
— '  sent  Me,'  to  communicate  His  owu  life,  and  I 
live  by  the  Father  [Sid  t6i>  TraTcpa]— not  'through,' 
but  'byrea,son  of  the  Father;'  My  life  and  His 
being  one  life,  thougli  Mine  is  that  of  Son,  whose 
it  is  to  be  "o/  the  Father"  (see  ch.  i.  18;  v.  20). 


Effect  of  Christ'' s  Discourse 


JOHN  VI. 


on   tico  classes  of  Hearers. 


58  lie  that  eateth  me,  even  he  shall  live  by  me.     This  is  that  bread  which 
came  clown  from  heaven :   not  as  your  fathers  did  eat  manna,  and  are 

59  dead :  he  that  eateth  of  this  bread  shall  live  for  ever.     These  things  said 
he  in  the  synagogue,  as  he  taught  in  Capernaum. 

GO       Many  '^ therefore  of  his  disciples,  when  they  had  heard  tJiis,  said,  This 

6 1  is  an  hard  saying ;  who  can  hear  it  ?    When  Jesus  knew  in  himself  that 
his  disciples  murmured  at  it,  he  said  unto  them.  Doth  this  offend  you  ? 

62  What  *and  if  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  ascend  up  where  he  was  before? 

63  It  •'is  the  Spirit  that  quickeneth ;  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing :  the  words 

64  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they  ^are  spirit,  and  they  are  life.     But  there  are 
some  of  you  that  believe  not.     For  ''Jesus  knew  from  the  beginning  who 

65  they  were  that  believed  not,  and  who  should  betray  him.     And  he  said, 
Therefore  said  I  unto  you,  that  no  man  can  come  unto  me,  except  it  were 

66  given  unto  him  of  my  Father.     From  that  time  many  of  his  disciples 
went  *back,  and  walked  no  more  with  him. 

67,      Then   said  Jesus  unto   the   twelve,    Will  ye  also   go   away?     Then 


A.  D.  3-2. 

ri  Matt.  11.  u. 
«  ch.  3.  13. 

Mark  16. 19. 

Acts  1.  9. 

Eph.  4.  8. 
/  2  Cor.  3.  G. 

»  Ps.  U9.  50. 

Eph.  1.  n. 

lThes.2.13. 

Heb.  4.  1'2. 
"  aiatt.  9.  4. 

ch.  2.  2i. 

ch.  13.  11. 

ch.  16.  30. 

Acts  15.  18. 

Eev.  2.  23. 
i  Luke  9.  C2. 

Heb.  6.  4-6. 

Heb.  10.  38. 

1  John  2  19. 


SO  he   that  eateth  me,  even   he   shall  live  by 

me  [ot  e/xt]  —  not  'through,'  but  'by  reason  of 
Me.'  So  that  though  one  spiritual  I fe  with 
Him,  "the  Head  of  every  man  is  Christ,  as  the 
head  of  Christ  is  God"  (1  Cor.  xi.  3;  iii.  2;i)  58. 
This  is  that  bread  which  came  down  from  heavtn: 
not  as  your  fathers  did  eat  manna,  and  are  dead : 
he  that  eateth  of  this  bread  shall  live  for  ever. 
This  is  a  soi-t  of  summing  up  of  the  whole  Dis- 
course, on  which  let  this  one  fui'ther  remaik  sutiice 
— that  as  our  Lord,  instead  of  softening  down  His 
figurative  sublimities,  or  even  putting  them  in 
naked  ijhraseology,  leaves  the  great  truths  of  His 
Person  and  Office,  and  our  participation  of  Him 
and  it,  enshrined  for  all  time  in  tho.-e  glorious 
forms  of  speech,  so  when  we  attempt  to  strip  the 
truth  of  these  figures,  figures  though  they  be,  it 
(toes  away  from  us,  like  water  when  the  vessel  is 
broken ;  and  hence  our  wisdom  lies  in  raising  our 
own  spirit,  and  attuning  our  own  ear,  to  our  Lord's 
chosen  modes  of  expression.  It  should  be  added 
that  although  this  discourse  has  nothing  to  do 
with  the  Sacrament  of  the  Supper,  the  Sacrament 
has  everything  to  do  with  it,  as  the  visible  emhodi- 
ment  of  these  figures,  and  to  the  believing  jiartaker 
giving  a  real,  yea  the  most  lively  and  afi'ecting  j>ar- 
ticipation  of  His  flesh  and  blood,  and  nourishment 
thereby  of  the  sidritual  and  eternal  life  here  below. 

59.  These  things  said  he  in  the  synagogue,  as  he 
taught— or  'teaching'  in  Capernaum.  This  would 
seem  to  intimate  the  breaking  up  of  the  congre- 
gation; rendering  it  iirobable  that  what  follows 
took  place  after,  Ijut  probably  just  after,  they  had 
begun  to  disjjerse. 

The  Effect  of  this  Discourse  on  Tioo  Classes  of 
Hearers:    First,    On  the  prejudiced  mass  (60-66). 

60.  Many  therefore  of  his  disciples— His  pretty 
constant  followers,  though  an  outer  circle  of  them, 
when  they  heard  this,  said,  This  is  an  hard  saying 
— not  merely  harsh,  but  insufferable,  as  the  word 
often  means  in  the  Old  Testament ;  who  can  hear 
it  ? — or  submit  to  listen  to  it.  61.  When  Jesus 
knew  in  himself  that  his  disciples  murmured  at 
it,  he  said  unto  them.  Doth  this  offend  you  ?  62. 
What  and  if  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  ascend 
up  where  he  was  before?  'If  ye  are  stumbled 
at  what  I  liare  said,  how  will  ye  bear  what  I  now 
say?'  Not  that  His  ascension  itself  would  stumble 
them  more  than  His  death,  but  that  after  recoiling 
from  the  mention  of  the  one  they  would  not  be  in  a 
state  of  mind  to  take  in  the  other.  63.  It  is  the 
Spirit  that  quickeneth ;  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing. 
Much  of  His  discourse  had  been  about  "flesh;" 
but  flesh  as  such,  mere  flesh,  and   all   religious 

3D1 


notions  which  originate  in  the  ;flesh,  could  profit 
nothing,  much  less  impart  that  lije  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  alone  communicates  to  the  soul,  the  words 
that  I  speak  unto  you — rather,  '  have  spoken'  [for 
XeXaXijKa  is  the  preferable  reading],  they  are  spirit, 
and  they  are  life— the  whole  burden  of  this  dis- 
course was  "  spirit"  not  mere  flesh,  and  "  life"  in  its 
highest,  not  its  lower  sense ;  and  the  words  I  em- 
]iloyed  were  to  be  interpreted  solely  in  that  sense. 
64.  But  there  are  some  of  you  that  believe  not. 
For  Jesus  knew  from  the  beginning  who  they 
were  that  believed  not,  and  who  should  betray 
him.  As  if  He  had  said,  '  But  it  matters  little  to 
some  of  you  in  what  sense  I  speak,  for  ye  believe 
not.'  This  was  said,  adds  the  Evangelist,  not 
merely  of  the  outer,  but  of  the  inner  circle  of  His 
discii)les ;  for  He  knew  the  traitor,  though  it  was 
not  yet  time  to  expose  him.  65.  And  he  said, 
Therefore  said  I  unto  you,  that  no  man  can 
come  unto  me,  except  it  were  given— or,  'have 
been  given'  [jF  ?>eoo!xevov]  unto  him  of  my  Father: 
—q.  d.,  'That  was  why  I  spoke  to  you  of  the  neces- 
sity of  divine  teaching,  which  some  of  you  are 
strangers  to. '  This  last  expression — "  except  it  have 
been  given  him  of  my  Father" — plainly  shows  that 
by  the  Father's  "drawing"  (v.  44,)  was  meant  an 
internal  and  efiicacious  operation ;  for  in  recalling 
the  statement  here.  He  says  it  must  be  "  f/iven  to 
a  man  to  come"  to  Christ.  66.  From  that  time  [ek 
ToiiTov] — or  '  In  consequence  of  this,'  many  of  his 
disciples  went  back.  Those  last  words  of  our 
Lord  seem  to  'lave  given  them  the  fiuishing  stroke 
—they  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  walked  no 
more  with  him.  Many  a  journey,  it  may  be,  they 
had  taken  with  Him,  but  now  they  gave. Him 
finally  up! 

Secondly,  On  the  Twelve  (67-71).  67.  Then  said 
Jesus  unto  the  twelve.  This  is  the  first  time 
that  they  are  so  called  by  our  Ev«)gelist.  Will 
ye  also  go  away?  [tif'XeT-e  uTriiyetii] — 'Are  ye  also 
minded  to  go  away.'  The  "yea;lso"  [^ai  u/zeis]  is 
specially  emphatic,  and  the  appeal  is  siugaxlarly 
afi'ecting.  Evidently  Christ  felt  the  desertion  of 
Him  even  by  those  miserable  men  who  could  not 
abide  His  statements ;  and  seeing  a  disturbance 
even  of  the  ivJieat  by  the  violence  of  the  wind 
which  blew  away  the  chaff  {not  yet  visibly  show- 
ing itself,  but  open  to  His  eyes  of  fir,e).  He  would 
nip  it  at  once  by  this  home  question.  Doubtless 
there  were  other  hearers  besides  the  Twelve  in 
whose  hearts  there  was  some  good  thing  towards 
the  Lord  Jesus  in  spite  of  their  ijrejudices  and 
difficulties.  But  matters  were  too  critical  with 
the  Twelve  at  this  moment  to  admit  of  attention 


Effect  of  Christ's  Disconrse 


JOHN  VI. 


on   two  classes  of  Hearers. 


G8  Simon    Peter   answered    him,  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  thou  hast 
G9  the  words  of  eternal  life.     And  *we  believe  and  are  sure  that  thou  art 

70  that  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God.     Jesus  answered  them,  Have 

71  not  I  chosen  j^ou  twelve,  and  one  of  you  is  a  devil?  He  spake  of  Judas 
Iscariot  the  son  of  Simon :  for  he  it  was  that  should  betray  him,  being 
one  of  the  twelve. 


A.  D. 


<:  Wa't,  10.1(3. 
Mark  1.  1. 
Acts  S.  37. 
Eom.  1.  3. 
1  John  5. 1. 


being  now  given  to  any  others.  68.  Then  Simon 
Peter — whose  forwardness  in  this  case  was  noljle, 
and  to  the  wounded  si)irit  of  His  Lord  doubtless 
very  grateful,  answered  him,  Lord,  to  whom 
shall  we  go?  thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life. 
'  We  cannot  deny  that  ive  have  been  staggered  as 
well  as  they,  and  seeing  so  many  go  away  who, 
as  we  thought,  might  have  been  retained  by  teach- 
ing a  little  less  hard  to  take  in,  our  own  endur- 
ance has  been  severely  tried,  nor  have  we  been 
able  to  stop  short  of  the  question.  Shall  xve  follow 
the  rest,  and  give  it  up?  But  when  it  came  to 
this,  our  light  returned  and  our  hearts  were  re- 
assured. For  as  soon  as  we  thought  of  going 
away,  there  rose  upon  us  that  awful  question, 
"To  WHOM  shall  we  go?"  To  the  lifeless  for- 
malism and  WTctched  traditions  of  the  elders  ?  to 
the  gods  many  and  lords  many  of  the  heathen 
around  us?  or  to  blank  unbelief?  Nay,  Lord,  we 
are  shut  up.  They  have  none  of  that  "  eternal 
life"  to  offer  us  whereof  Thou  hast  been  dis- 
coursing, in  words  rich  and  ravishing  as  well  as 
in  words  staggering  to  human  wisdom.  That  life 
we  cannot  want ;  that  life  we  have  learnt  to  crave 
as  a  necessity  of  the  deeper  nature  which  Thou 
hast  awakened;  "  the  ivo7'ds  of  that  eternal  life" 
(the  authority  to  reveal  it  and  the  2^ower  to  confer 
it)  Thou  hast :  Tlierefore  will  we  stay  with  Thee — 
we  must.'  69.  And  we  believe  and  are  sure  [i^f '« 
ireirKTTevKaixev  Kal  eyi/uiKafieu] — '  And  we  have  be- 
lieved and  know.'  The  'we'  is  emphatic:^ 
'Whatever  may  be  the  case  with  others,  we'  &c. 
that  thou  art  that  Christ  [6  Xpio-rds]— rather, 
'the  Christ,'  the  Son  of  the  living  God.  (See  on 
Matt.  xvi.  16.)  Peter  seems  to  have  added  this 
not  merely— probably  not  so  much — as  an  assur- 
ance to  His  Lord  of  his  heart's  belief  in  Him,  as 
for  the  purpose  of  fortifying  himself  and  his  faith- 
ful brethren  agaiust  that  recoil  from  those  harsh 
statements  of  His  whicli  he  was  probably  strug- 
gling against  with  difficulty  at  that  moment.  70. 
Jesus  answered  them,  Have  not  I  chosen  [e^e- 
Xe^«/ii;i/] — 'Did  I  not  choose'  you  twelve,  and  one 
of  you  is  a  devil?  'Well  said,  Simon  Barjonas, 
but  that  ''we"  embraces  not  so  wide  a  circle  as  in 
the  simiilicity  of  thine  heart  thou  thiukest;  for 
though  1  have  chosen  you  but  twelve,  one  even  of 
you  twelve  is  a  "  devil." '  Remarkable  expression, 
at  a  pei'iod  comparatively  so  early,  ere  yet,  i  irobably, 
the  slightest  evidence  of  it  had  come  out  to  any 
but  His  eyes  that  spake  it.  It  is  not  "  hath,"  but 
"  is"  a  devil ;  not  only  the  tool,  but  the  temple  of 
Satan  [not  Saiucov,  but  SiaftoXoi].  71.  He  spake  of 
Judas  Iscariot  the  son  of  Simon:  for  he  it  was 
that  should  betray  him,  being  one  of  the  twelve. 
These  explanatory  remarks  constitute  one  of  the 
many  striking  characteristics  of  this  Gospel — as 
observed  in  the  Introduction  to  it. 

Bemarks. — 1.  We  have  seen  how,  in  ch.  v.,  our 
Lord  teaches  the  essential  Unity  of  the  Father  and 
the  Son,  and  yet  the  Distinction  of  the  Persons,  and 
the  Relations  of  Each  to  the  Other— both  in  Their 
own  Nature  and  in  the  economy  of  Redemption. 
Let  lis  now  see  how  the  same  things  are  here 
taught  iinder  new  aspects.  The  essential  Divinity 
of  the  Son  is  so  obviously  implied  in  the  following 
statements,  tliat  without  it  they  either  are  so 
many  turgid  nothings,  or  they  are  blasphemous 
3S2 


assumptions:    "I  am  the  Bread  of  Life" — "The 
Bread  which  I  will  give  is  My  Hesh,  which  I  will 
give  for  the  life  of  the  world."     "If  any  man  eat 
of  this  Bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever"-—  '  He  that 
corneth  to  Me  shall  never  hunger,   and  he  that 
believeth  on  Me  shall  never  thirst" — "Except  ye 
eat  the  flesh  and  cWnk  the  blood  of  the  Son  of 
man,  ye  have  no  life  in  you" — "Whoso  eateth  My 
flesh  and  di-inketh  My  blood  hath  eternal  life,  and 
I  will  raise  him  xip  at  the  last  day."    That  His 
death  should  be  the  world's  life,  and  men  believing 
on  Him — or  drawing  from  Him  thereby  the  virtue 
of   His  death — should    never   hunger  and  never 
thirst,  but  have  in  them  even  now  an  eternal  life, 
and  be  by  Him  raised  up  at  the  last  day,  is  what 
no  other  man  ever  ventured  to  affirm  of  himself, 
and  no  creature  could  affirm  without  absixrdity. 
But  Christ  here  affirms  and  reiterates  it  in  every 
possible  form.     Nor,  in  doing  so,  does  He  go  be- 
yond what  He  taught  to  the  woman  of  Samaria, 
what  He  taught  aftei'wards  in  the  streets  of  Jeru- 
salem,   regarding  the    living   Abater    (ch.    iv.    10, 
13,  14;   vii.  37-39),  and  what  He  taught  in  His 
great  proclamation  of  Rest  for  the  weary  (Matt. 
xi.    28-30).      But    while    asserting    these    claims 
to    what    is    essentially   divine,    how    careful    is 
our    Lord,   in    those    very    statements,    to    inti- 
mate that  His  consecration,   and  mission    from 
heaven  to  earth,  to  discharge  these  great  func- 
tions for  the  world,  was  all  of  God,  and  that 
He  is  but  the  Father's  voluntary  Agent  in  every 
step  of  man's  salvation :  "  The  Son  of  man  shall 
give  unto  you  the  meat  that  endureth  to  everlast- 
ing life,  for  Him  hath  God  the  Father  sealed  "— 
"  My  Father  giveth    you    the  true    bread  from 
heaven" — "  This  is  the  Father's  will  which  hath 
sent  Me,  that  of  all  which  He  hath  given  Me  I 
should  lose  nothing,  but  should  raise  it  up  again 
at  the  last  day" — "Every  man  that  hath  heard 
and  learned  of  the  Father  cometh  unto  Me."    But 
this  introduces  a  new  and  still  more  striking  ex- 
pression both  of  the  proper  Divinity  of  the  Son 
and  of  the  ineffable  harmony    with  Avhich    the 
Father  and  the  Son  co-operate  in  every  step  of 
man's  salvation.    After  rejiresenting  it  as  the  very 
work  of  God  that  men  should  believe   in  Him 
whom  He  had  sent,  He  says,  "No  man  can  come 
to  Me  except  the  Father  which  hath  sent  Me  di-aw 
him."    What  creature  could  possibly  say  either  of 
these  things — that  the  work  of  works  which  God 
demands  from  every  man  is  to  believe  on  liirn,  and 
yet,  that  this  cannot  be  done  by  any  man  without 
a  special  divine  ojieration  upon  his  heart?    But 
the  glory  of  Christ's  proper  Divinity  shines,   if 
possible,  yet  brighter  in  such  statements  as  these 
— that  it  is  the  exi>ress  will  of  His  Father,  which 
He  came  down  to  do,  that  of  all  that  which  He  had 
given  Him  He  should  lose  nothing,  and  that  every 
one  that  beholdeth  the  Son  and  believeth  on  Him 
s'uould  have  everlasting  life,  and  He  should  raise 
him  up  at  the  last  day.     Who  could  possibly  credit 
this  of  a  creature?    And  what  creature,  on  the 
faith  of  it,  would  come  to  a  creature  to  get  eternal 
life  ?    Even  if  he  could  hope  thus  to  get  it,  how 
could  he  possibly  be  sure  in  coming  to  Him,  that 
Christ  would  know  that  he  had  come,  or  would 
know  when  he  came,  so  as  not  to  cast  him  out? 
And  what  insufierr.ble  prcsui.iiiuon  v.-culd  it  be  in 


Christ  at  the 


JOHN  VII. 


Feast  of  Tabernacles. 


7      AFTEPt  these  things  Jesus  walked  in  Galilee :  for  he  would  not  walk 

in  Je\Yiy,  "because  the  Jews  sought  to  kill  him. 
2,      Now  ''the  Jews'  feast  of  tabernacles  was  at  hand.     His  ''brethren  there- 

3  fore  said  unto  him,  Depart  hence,  and  go  into  Judea,  that  thy  disciples 

4  also  may  see  the  works  that  thou  doest.     For  there  is  no  man  that  doeth 
any  thing  in  secret,  and  he  himself  seeketh  to  be  known  openly.     If  thou 


A.  D.  32. 

CHAP.  7. 
'  ch.  5.  10. 
'  Lev.  23.  31. 

Matt.  12. 40. 

Marks.  3i. 

Acts  1.  11. 


any  creature  to  say  to  any  other  creature,  '  If  you 
come  to  me  for  eterual  life,  I  will  not  cast  you  out?' 
In  short,  He  that  can  say  without  falsehood  aud 
without  presumption  to  the  whole  world — '  If  any 
man  come  to  Me,  I  will  give  unto  him  eterual  life, 
aud  him  that  cometh  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out,  since 
all  that  the  Father  hath  given  Me  shall  come  to 
J.Io;  I  have  got  charge  from  Him  accordingly  to 
receive  tliem,  to  lose  nothing  aud  noue  of  them, 
but  to  give  them  even  now  eternal  life,  and  to 
raise  every  one  of  them  up  at  the  last  day' — He 
must  be  essentially  aud  properly  Divine,  personally 
distinct  from,  yet  in  absolute  harmony  with  the 
Father  a'lout  the  matter  of  man's  salvation 
ill  general,  and  every  individual's  salvation  in 
particular;  nor  will,  nor  can  any  soul,  on  the 
faith  of  such  words,  come  to  Jesus  and  sur- 
render itself  into  His  hands  for  salvation  ac- 
cordingly, uidess  in  the  i)erfect  assurance  that 
He  knows  the  fact  of  his  doing  so— knows  when 
he  does  it — knows  "  that  He  is  able  to  keep  that 
which  He  has  committed  unto  Him  against  that 
day"  (see  on  2  Tim.  i.  12).  2.  See  here  the  double 
view  of  faitli  ever  presented  in  Sc]-ii)ture— as  at 
once  a  duty  comprehensive  of  all  other  duties, 
aud  a  i/race,  of  special  divine  communication.  It 
is  the  duty  of  duties;  for  "  This  is  the  work  of  God, 
that  ye  believe  iu  Him  whom  He  hath  sent:"  and 
it  is  a  grace  cominehensive  of  every  other;  for 
though  "  him  that  cometh  to  Me  I  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out,"  yet  "no  man  can  come  to  Me  except 
the  Father  which  hath  sent  Me  draw  him" — 
"  Every  man  that  hath  heard  and  hath  learned 
of  the  Father  cometh  unto  Me" — "Therefore said 
I  unto  you,  that  no  man  can  come  to  Me  except 
it  were  given  unto  Him  of  My  Father."  Pity  that, 
in  the  atteniijts  to  reconcile  these,  so  much  vain  and 
uusavoury  controversy  has  been  spent,  and  that 
one  of  them  is  so  often  sacrificed  to  the  other ; 
for  then  they  are  not  what  Jesus  says  they  are, 
but  rather  a  caricature  of  them.  The  link  of  con- 
nection between  divine  and  human  operation  will 
probably  never  be  reached  on  earth — if  even  in 
heaven.  Let  us,  then,  implicitly  receive  and  re- 
verentially hold  Ijoth;  remembering,  however,  that 
the  divine  in  this  case  ever  precedes,  and  is  the 
cause  of,  the  human — the  "drawing"  on  God's 
l)ai-t  of  the  "coming"  on  ours;  while  yet  our 
coming  is  as  purely  spontaneous,  and  the  result 
of  rational  considerations  presenting  themseh^es 
to  our  minds,  as  if  there  were  uo  supernatural 
operation  in  the  matter  at  all.  3.  What  bright 
marks  of  truth  does  the  concluding  scene  of  this 
chapter  exhibit !  The  last  thing  that  would  occur 
to  any  biograiiher  of  a  mythkal  Clirist — or  even 
filling  up  from  his  own  fancy  a  few  meagre  frag- 
ments of  real  history — would  be  the  entrance  of 
doubts  into  the  innermost  circle  of  those  who 
believed  in  Him.  Or,  if  even  that  be  conceivable, 
who  would  ever  have  managed  such  a  thought  as 
it  is  here?  The  question,  "Will  ye  also  go  av/ay?" 
is  not  more  the  affecting  language  of  wounded 
feeling— springing  from  conscious  desert  of  other 
treatment — than  is  the  reply  of  Peter  the  expres- 
sion of  a  state  of  mind  too  profouudly  natural  aud 
pregnant  ever  to  have  been  conceived  if  it  had  not 
been  actually  uttered.  And  the  answer  to  this 
again— to  the  effect  that  what  Peter  expressed 
393 


would  be  all  that  coidd  be  desired  if  it  were  the 
mind  and  feeling  of  them  all;  but  that,  so  far 
from  this,  out  of  only  twelve  men  whom  He  had 
chosen  one  Avould  be  found  a  devil— this  has  such 
originality  stamped  upon  it  as  secures  its  own  re- 
ception, as  true  history,  by  every  intelligent  and 
guileless  reader.  4.  There  are  seasons  when  one's 
mith  is  tried  to  the  utmost,  particularly  by  specu- 
lative difficulties;  the  spiritual  eye  then  swims, 
and  all  truth  seems  ready  to  depart  from  us.  At 
such  seasons,  a  clear  perception,  like  that  of  Peter 
here,  that  to  abandon  the  faith  of  Christ  is  to 
face  blank  desolation,  ruin,  and  death  ;  aud,  on  re- 
coiling from  this,  to  be  able  to  fall  back,  not 
merely  on  first  principles  and  hnmocahle  founda- 
tions, but  on  personal  experience  of  a  Livln<j  Lord, 
in  whom  all  truth  is  wrapt  up  and  made  ffesh  for  us 
—  this  is  a  relief  unspeakable.  Under  that  blessed 
Wing  taking  shelter,  until  we  are  again  tit  to 
gi'ax)ple  vdth  the  questions  that  have  staggered  us, 
we  at  length  either  lind  our  way  through  them, 
or  attain  to  a  calm  satisfaction  on  the  discovery 
that  they  lie  beyond  the  limits  of  j^resent  ai)pie- 
heusion.  5.  The  narrowness  of  the  circle  of  those 
who  rally  around  the  truth,  aud  the  unpopularity 
of  their  profession,  are  no  security  that  all  of  them 
are  true-hearted ;  for  one  even  of  the  Twelve  Avas 
a  devil.  And  the  length  of  time  during  which 
Judas  remained  within  the  inneimost  circle  of 
Christ's  followers,  without  discovering  to  his 
brethren  his  real  character,  or  probably  being 
aware  of  it  himself,  and  the  fact  that  when  it  did 
come  out,  it  was  drawn  forth,  as  appears,  quite 
casually,  and  then  was  matured  with  such  fright- 
ful rapidity — do  not  these  things  cry  aloud  to  all 
who  name  the  name  of  Christ,  "Rejoice  with 
tremblinw! "  "  Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth, 
take  heed  lest  he  fall"!  "Watch  and  pray,  that 
ye  enter  not  into  temptation"! 

CHAP.  VI 1.  1-53.— Christ  at  the  Feast  op 
Tabernacles. 

Jesus  Declines  the  Advice  of  His  hreihren,  to  Go 
Openly  to  Jerusalem,  and  Show  Himself  to  the 
World;  hut  at  His  oion  time  Goes  Quietly  up,  and 
ahout  the  midst  of  the  feast  Stands  Forth  in  the 
temple  Teachiny  (l-l-l)-  1-  ^^^^  these  things— 
that  is,  all  that  is  recorded  after  the  Discourse  of 
ch.  v.  19-47,  Jesus  walked  in  Galilee— continuing 
His  labours  there,  for  the  reason  about  to  be 
mentioned ;  for  he  would  not  walk  in  Jewry— or 
Judea,  because  the  Jews  sought  to  kill  Mm— as 
related  in  ch.  v.  18.  This  is  an  exceedingly  import- 
ant piece  of  information,  as  we  thus  learn  that  our 
Lord  did  not  attend  the  Passover  mentioned  in  ch. 
vi.  4— which,  according  to  our  reckoning,  was  the 
third  since  the  opening  of  His  public  ministry. 

2.  Now  the  Jews'  feast  of  tabernacles  was  at 
hand.  This  was  the  last  of  the  three  annual 
festivals,  celebrated  on  the  fifteenth  of  the  seventh 
mouth — September  (see  Lev.  xxiii.  33,  &c. ;  Deut. 
xvi.  13,  &c.;  Neh.  viii.  14-18).  3.  His  brethren 
therefore  (see  on  Matt.  xiii.  54-5C)  said  unto  him, 
Depart  hence,  and  go  into  Judea,  that  thy  dis- 
ciples also  may  see— or  'may  behold'  [i^ewpi'i- 
rrwcnv]  the  works  that  thou  doest.  4.  For  there 
is  no  man  that  doeth  any  thing  in  secret,  and  he 
himself  seeketh  to  be  l-pown  openly.  If  thou  do 
these  things,  show  thyself  to  the  world.    5.  For 


Christ  at  the 


JOHN  VII. 


Feast  of  Tabernacles. 


5  do  these  tilings,  show  thyself  to  the  world.     For  '^neither  did  his  brethren 
G  believe  in  him.     Then  Jesus  said  unto  them,  ^My  time  is  not  yet  come: 

7  but  your  time  is  alway  ready.     The  -^ world  cannot  hate  you ;  but  me  it 

8  hateth,  ^because  I  testify  of  it,  that  the  works  thereof  are  evil.     Go  ye 
up  unto  this  feast:  I  go  not  up  yet  unto  this  feast;  ''for  my  time  is  not 

9  yet  full  come.     When  he  had  said  these  words  unto  them,  he  abode  still 

10  in  Galilee.     But  when  his  brethren  were  gone  up,  then  went  he  also  up 
unto  the  feast,  not  openly,  but  as  it  were  in  secret. 

11  Then  Hhe  Jews  sought  him  at   the  feast,  and  said,  Wliere  is  he? 

12  And  •'there  was  much  murmuring  among  the  people  concerning  him:  for 
some  ^'said,  He  is  a  good  man:  others  said.  Nay;  but  he  deceiveth  the 

1 3  people.     Howbeit  no  man  spake  openly  of  him  for  fear  of  the  Jews. 

14  Now  about  the  midst  of  the  feast,  Jesus  went  up  into  the  tem2)le, 
and  taught. 

15  And  Hhe   Jews    marvelled,  saying,  How  knoweth  this  man  ^letters, 


A.  D.  32. 


d  Marks.  21. 
"  Ps.  102.  13. 

Eccl.  3.  1. 

ch.  2.  4. 

Acts  1.  7. 
/  ch  15.  li. 
"  ch.  3.  19. 
''  ch.  8.  20. 
«  ch.  11.  56. 
i  ch.  9.  16. 

ch.  10.  19. 
k  Matt.21.  46. 

Luke  7.  16. 

Luke  18. 19. 

ch.  6. 14. 
'  Luke  4.  22. 

Acts  2.  7. 
1  Or. 

learnins. 


neither  did  his  brethren  believe  in  him.  But  as 
we  fiud  these  "brethren"  of  the  Lord  in  the 
"upper  room"  among  the  hundred  and  twenty 
disciples  who  waited  for  the  descent  of  the  Spirit 
after  the  Lord's  ascension  (Acts  i.  14),  they  seem 
to  have  had  tlieir  prejudices  removed — perhajis 
after  His  resurrection.  Indeed,  here  their  lan- 
guage is  more  that  of  strong  prejudice  and  sus- 
picion— such  as  near  relatives,  even  the  best,  too  fre- 
quently show  in  such  crt.ses— than  formed  unbelief. 
There  was  also,  probably,  a  tincture  of  vanity  in  it. 
'  Thou  hast  many  disciples  in  Judea ;  here  in 
Galilee  they  are  fast  dropping  off;  it  is  not  like 
one  who  advances  the  claims  thou  dost  to  linger 
so  long  here,  away  from  the  city  of  our  solemnities, 
whei-e  surely  "the  kingdom  of  our  father  David" 
is  to  be  set  up:  "seeking,"  as  thou  dost,  "to  be 
known  openly,"  those  miracles  of  thine  ought  not 
to  be  contined  to  this  distant  corner,  but  submitted 
at  headquarters  to  the  inspection  of  the  world.' 
On  hearin'j  such  a  speech,  one  might  suppose  Him 
going  to  His  Father,  and  saying,  "I  am  become 
a  stranger  unto  my  brethren,  an  alien  unto  my 
mothers  children"!  (Ps.  Ixix.  8).  Does  not  this 
speech,  bj''  the  way,  tend  to  confirm  the  view 
we  have  taken  of  the  number  of  Passovers  which 
occurred  during  our  Lord's  public  ministry,  and 
which  imply  His  absence  from  Jerusalem  for  a 
time  which  had  appeared  unaccountably  long? 
For  about  a  year  and  a  half,  according  to  our 
reckoning.  He  had  not  been  there.  This  seems 
t3  many  incredibly  long.  But  it  Avould  seem 
as  if  it  had  been  long  enough  at  least  to  ajipear 
to  His  "brethren"  inconsistent  with  His  claims. 
6.  Then  Jesus  said  unto  them,  My  time— for 
sliowing  Myself  to  the  world — is  not  yet  come: 
but  your  time  is  alway  ready.  7.  The  world 
cannot  hate  you;  but  me  it  hateth,  because  I 
testify  of  it,  that  the  works  thereof  are  evil.  8. 
Go  ye  up  unto  this  feast— or,  '  the  feast,'  as,  per- 
haps, is  the  preferable  reading  here.  I  go  not  up 
yet  unto  this  feast ;  for  my  time  is  not  yet  full 
come: — q.  cL,  'It  matters  little  when  ye  go  up,  for 
ye  have  no  great  plans  in  life,  and  nothing  hangs 
upon  your  movements :  With  Me  it  is  otherwise ; 
on  every  movement  of  Mine  there  hangs  what  ye 
know  not :  The  world  has  no  quarrel  with  you,  for 
ye  bear  no  testimony  against  it,  and  so  draw  down 
upon  yourselves  none  of  its  wrath ;  l^ut  I  am  here 
to  lift  up  My  voice  against  its  hypocrisy,  and 
denounce  its  abominations  ;  therefore  it  cannot 
eudure  Me,  and  one  false  step  might  precijiitate 
its  fury  on  its  Victim's  head  before  the  time: 
Away,  therefore,  to  the  feast  as  soon  as  it  suits 
you;  I  follow  at  the  fitting  moment,  but  "My 
time  is  not  yet  full  come.'"  9.  When— 'And 
S94 


when'  he  had  said  these  words  unto  them,  he 
abode  still  in  Galilee.  10.  But  when  his  brethren 
were  gone  up,  then  went  he  also  up  unto  the 
feast,  not  openly,  but  as  it  were  in  secret  [cos  eu 
KpvTTTcp] — '  but  in  a  manner  secretly,'  not  in  the 
caravan-company,  as  Mei/er  explains  it, — see  on 
Luke  ii.  44 :  i)eriiaps  by  some  other  route,  and  at 
any  rate  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  attract  notice. 

11.  Then  the  Jews  sought  him  at  the  feast,  and 
said,  Where  is  he?  "The  Jews"  here  mean  the 
rulers;  see  on  ch.  i.  19.  They  sought  Him  on  this 
occasion  certainly  for  no  good  end.  12.  'And  there 
was  much  murmuring  —  or  'muttering'  [yoy- 
yvcTfxdi]  among  the  people  [ev  t-oIs  oxXots]— 
'  among  the  multitudes ;'  the  uatiu'al  expression 
of  a  Jewish  writer,  indicating  without  design,  as 
Wehster  and  Wilkinson  remark,  the  crowded  state 
of  Jerusalem  at  this  festival,  concerning  him: 
for  some  said,  He  is  a  good  man:  others  said,  Nay; 
but  he  deceiveth  the  people— or  '  the  multitude' 
{tov  oy(Kov\  These  are  just  the  two  opposite  views 
of  Him  and  His  claims,  the  one,  that  He  was 
honest;  the  other,  that  He  was  an  impostor.  13. 
Howbeit  no  man  spake  openly  of  him— that  is,  in 
His  favour — for  fear  of  the  Jews.  As  the  peoiile 
who  feared  the  Jews  were  themselves  Jews,  this 
would  suffice  to  show  that  by  "the  Jews"  in  this 
Gospel  we  are  almost  invariably  to  understand 
the  rulers  or  leaders  of  the  people. 

14.  Now  about  the  midst  of  the  feast  [  "Ho »;  6e 
T7/S  eopTiji  /ii£ao6cr7]i] — rather,  'Xow  when  it  was 
already  the  midst  of  the  feast.'  It  might  be  the 
fourth  or  fifth  of  the  eight  days  diuing  which  it 
lasted.  Jesus  went  up  into  the  temple,  and 
taught  [ioioacTKeij].  The  imperfect  tense  used  im- 
plies continued,  and  therefore  formed  teaching,  as 
distinguished  from  mere  casual  sayings.  In  fact, 
this  appears  to  have  been  the  first  time  that  He 
taught  thus  ojienly  in  Jerusalem.  He  had  kept 
back  till  the  feast  was  half  through,  to  let  the 
stir  about  Him  .suliside;  and  entering  the  city  un- 
expectedly. He  had  begun  His  "teaching"  at  the 
temple,  and  cieated  a  certain  awe,  before  the 
wrath  of  the  lulers  had  time  to  break  in  upon  it. 

Amidst  many  interruptions,  Jesus  boldly  continues 
His  temple-teachinu  (15-31).  15.  And  the  Jews 
marvelled,  saying,  How  knoweth  this  man  letters 
— or  learniug,  having  never  learned? — that  is,  at 
any  rabbinical  school,  like  Paul  under  Gamaliel 
(see  Acts  xxii.  3;  xxvi.  24.)  These  rulers  knew 
well  enough  that  He  had  never  studied  under  any 
human  teacher — an  important  admission,  as  Meyer 
remarks,  against  ancient  and  modern  attempts  to 
trace  our  Lord's  wisdom  to  human  sources.  Prob- 
ably His  teaching  on  this  occasion  was  e.'pository, 
manifesting   that    unrivalled    faculty    and  dei>tli 


Jesus  teaclieth 


JOHN  VII. 


in  the  Temple. 


16  having   never  learned?     Jesus   answered  them,   and   said,   '"My   doc- 

17  trine  is  not  mine,  but  his  tliat  sent  me.  If  "any  man  will  do  his 
will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  u-hether  I 

18  speak  of  myself.  He  *^that  si^eaketh  of  himself  seeketh  his  own  glory: 
but  he  that  seeketh  his  glory  that  sent  him,  the  same  is  true,  and  no 

19  unrighteousness  is  in  him.     Did  ^not  Moses  give  you  the  law,  and  yd 

20  none  of  you  keepeth  the  law?  ^Why  go  ye  about  to  kill  me?  The 
people  answered  and  said,  'Thou  hast  a  devil:  who  goeth  about  to  kill 

21  thee?    Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  have  done  one  work,  and 

22  ye  all  marvel.  Moses  therefore  gave  unto  you  circumcision ;  (not  because 
it  is  of  Moses,  but  'of  the  fathers;)  and  ye  on  the  sabbath  day  circumcise 

23  a  man.  If  a  man  on  the  sabbath  day  receive  circumcision,  ^that  the  law 
of  Moses  should  not  be  broken;  are  ye  angry  at  me,  because  I  "have 

24  made  a  man  every  whit  whole  on  the  sabbath  day?  Judge  ^'not  accord- 
ing to  the  appearance,  but  judge  righteous  judgment. 

25  Then  said  some  of  them  of  Jerusalem,  Is  not  this  he  whom  they  seek 

26  to  kill?    But,  lo,  he  speaketh  boldly,  and  they  say  nothing  unto  him. 

27  Do  the  rulers  know  indeed  that  this  is  the  very  Christ?  Howbeit  we 
know  this  man  whence  he  is :  but  when  Christ  cometh,  no  man  knoweth 
whence  he  is. 


A.  D.  32. 

"'  Ch   8.  28. 

Ch.  12.  49. 

ch.  li.  10, 
24. 
"  IIOS.  6.  2,  3. 

ch.  8.  43. 
"  ch.  5.  41. 

ch.  8.  50. 
-"  Acts  7.  3?. 
8  Matt.  12. 14. 

Mark  3.  o. 

ch.  6. 16. 

"■  ch.  8.  48. 
«  Lev.  12.  3. 
t  Gen.  17.  10. 
2  Or, 

without 

breaking 

the  law  of 

Moses. 
"  ch.  5.  8. 
"  Deut.  1.  16. 

Pro.  24.  23. 

ch.  8.  15. 

Jas.  2.  1. 


which  in  the  Serinou  ou  tlie  Mount  had  excited 
the  astonishment  of  all — though  now,  no  doubt, 
it  would  be  in  a  different  strain.  16.  Jesus  — 
'Jesus  therefore'  (according  to  the  true  text) 
answered  them,  and  said,  My  doctrine  is  not 
mine — that  is,  in  the  sense  repeatedly  explained  on 
ch.  V.  and  vi.,  'not  from  Myself,'  'not  unautho- 
rized;' 'I  am  here  by  divine  commission.'  tout 
Ms  tliat  sent  me.  17.  If  any  man  will  do  [eA?;] 
— or  better,  '  is  minded  to  do '  Ms  will,  he  shall 
know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or 
whether  I  speak  of  myself— whether  it  be  from 
above  or  from  beneath,  whether  it  be  divine 
or  an  imposture  of  mine  own.  A  principle  of 
immense  importance ;  showing,  on  the  one  hand, 
tliat  sinjjleness  of  desire  to  ]3lease  God  is  the  grand 
inlet  to  Tight  on  all  questions  vitally  affecting  one's 
eternal  interest,  and,  on  the  other,  that  the  want 
of  this,  whether  perceived  or  not,  is  the  chief 
cause  of  infidelity  amidst  the  light  of  revealed 
religion.  18.  He  that  speaketh  of  himself— not 
concerning,  'but  from  himself  [«</>'  eauToD]  seeketh 
his  own  glory:  but  he  that  seeketh  his  glory 
that  sent  Mm,  the  same  is  true,  and  no  unrighte- 
ousness is  in  him.  See  on  ch.  v.  41-44.  19.  Did 
not  Moses  give  you  {&iSu)Kev\ — '  Hath  not  Moses 
given  you '  the  law,  and  yet  none  of  you  keepeth 
the  law?  Why  go  ye  about— or  'seek  ye'  [X.n- 
TelTe]  to  kill  me  ?  '  In  opposing  Me  ye  i)retend 
zeal  for  Moses,  but  to  the  spirit  and  end  of  that 
law  which  he  gave  ye  are  total  strangers,  and  in 
going  about  to  kill  Me,  ye  are  its  greatest  ene- 
mies.' 20.  The  people  \o  oxl^o^'] — 'The  multitude' 
answered  and  said.  Thou  hast  a  devil:  who 
goeth  about  to  kill  thee?  The  multitude  who 
said  this  had  as  yet  no  bad  feeling  to  Jesus,  and 
evidently  were  not  in  the  secret  of  the  plot  now 
hatching,  as  our  Lord  knew,  against  Him.  21. 
Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  have  done 
—rather,  'I  did'  [e-n-on/o-a]  one  work,  and  ye  all 
marvel.  Taking  no  notice  of  the  iiojjular  appeal, 
as  there  were  those  there  who  knew  well  enough 
what  He  meant,  He  recalls  His  cure  of  the  impo- 
tent man,  and  the  murderous  rage  it  had  kindled 
(ch.  V.  9,  16,  IS).  It  may  seem  strange  that  He 
should  refer  to  an  event  a  year  and  a  half  old,  as 
if  but  newly  done ;  and  this  is  urged  as  a  fatal 
objection  to  our  Lord's  having  been  so  long  absent 
from  Jerusalem.  But  their  iwesent  attem^jt  "to 
395 


kill  Him"  brought  the  jjast  scene  all  fresh  up,  not 
only  to  Him,  but  without  doubt  to  them  too,  if  in- 
deed they  had  ever  forgotten  it ;  and  by  this  fear- 
less reference  to  it,  ex])osiug  their  hypocrisy  and 
dark  designs.  He  gave  His  position  great  moral 
strength.  22.  Moses  therefore  gave  unto  you 
— or,  Tor  this  cause  hath  Moses  given  you'  [oecw- 
Kev\  circumcision;  (not  because  it  is— 'not  that  it 
is'  of  Moses,  but  of  the  fathers;)  and  ye  on  the 
sabbath  day  circumcise  a  man.  23.  If  a  man  on 
the  sabbath  day  receive  circumcision,  that  the 
law  of  Moses  should  not  be  broken;  are  ye  angry 
at  me,  because  I  have  made— or  'I  made'  [kiroi- 
ij  o-a]  a  man  every  whit  whole  on  the  sabbath 
day?  Though  servile  work  was  forbidden  on  the 
sabbath,  the  circumcision  of  males  on  that  day 
(which  certainly  was  a  servile  work)  was  counted 
no  infringement  of  the  law :  How  much  less  ought 
fault  to  be  found  with  One  who  had  made  a  man 
"every  whit  whole"— or  rather,  'a  man's  entire 
body  whole'  \o\ov  Iwdpooirov  vyu]] — on  the  sabbath 
da.y?  What  a  testimony  to  the  reality  of  the 
miracle,  none  daring  to  meet  the  bold  appeal? 
24.  Judge  not  according  to  the  appearance,  but 
judge  righteous  judgment—'  Else  above  the  letter 
into  the  sinrit  of  the  law.' 

25.  Then  said  some  of  them  of  Jerusalem—'  the 
Jerusalemites ;'  that  is,  the  citizens — as  distin- 
guished from  the  multitudes  from  the  provinces — 
and  who,  knowing  the  long  formed  puipose  of  the 
rulers  to  put  Jesus  to  death,  wondered  they  were 
now  letting  him  teach  openly,  Is  not  this  he 
whom  they  seek  to  kill?  26.  But,  lo— '  And,  lo' 
[Xai  lne\  he  speaketh  boldly,  and  they  say  nothing 
unto  Mm.  Do  the  rulers  know  indeed  [eyvwcruv] 
— 'Have  the  rulers  come  to  know  indeed'  that 
this  is  the  [very]  Christ?  [The  second  u/Vj/OJjs  in 
this  verse  is  of  very  doubtful  authority.]  'Have 
they  got  some  new  light  in  favour  of  His  claims?' 
27.  Howbeit  we  know  this  man  whence  he  is : 
but  when  ['the'l  Christ  cometh,  no  man  knoweth 
whence  he  is.  This  seems  to  refer  to  some  current 
opinion  that  Messiah's  origin  would  be  mysterious 
— not  altogether  wi-ong — from  which  they  concluded 
that  Jesus  could  not  be  he,  since  they  knew  all 
about  his  family  at  Nazareth. 

28.  Then— or  'therefore'  cried  Jesus— in  a  louder 
tone,  and  more  solemnly  witnessing  style  than 
usual,  in  the  temple,  as  he  taught,  saying,  Ye  both 


Officers  are  sent  hy  the  Rulers 


JOHN  VII. 


to  apprehend  Jesus. 


28  Then  cried  Jesns  in  the  temi^le,  as  he  taught,  saying,  '"Ye  both  know 
me,  and  ye  know  whence  I  am:  and  "^^I  am  not  come  of  myself,  but  he 

29  that  sent  me  •^is  tnie,  whom  ^ye  know  not.     But  "'1  know  him:  for  I  am 

30  from  him,  and  he  hath  sent  me.     Then  they  souglit  to  take  him :  but  no 

31  man  laid  hands  on  him,  because  his  hour  was  not  yet  come.  And  many 
of  the  people  believed  on  him,  and  said.  When  Christ  cometh,  will  he 
do  more  miracles  than  these  which  this  man  hath  done  ? 

32  The  Pharisees  heard  that  the  people  murmured  such  things  concerning 
him ;  and  the  Pharisees  and  the  chief  priests  sent  officers  to  take  him. 

33  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them,  *  Yet  a  little  while  am  I  with  yoii,  and  then  I 

34  go  unto  him  that  sent  me.     Ye  '^ shall  seek  me,  and  shall  not  find  me: 

35  and  where  I  am,  thither  ye  cannot  come.  Then  said  the  Jews  among 
themselves,  AVliither  will  he  go,  that  we  shall  not  find  him  ?  will  he  go 
unto  'Hhe  dispersed  among  the  ^Gentiles,  and  teach  the  Gentiles?  What 
manner  of  saying  is  this  that  he  said,  Ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  not 
find  me:  and  where  I  am,  thither  ye  cannot  come? 

In  the  last  day,  that  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  stood  and  cried, 
saying,  ^  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me,  and  drink.     He-^that 


36 


37 
38 


A.  D.  32. 

""  ch.  8.  14. 
■^  ch.  5.  43. 

ch.  8.  42. 
y  ch.  5.  32. 

ch.  8.  26. 

Rom.  3.  4. 
'  ch.  1.  18. 

ch.  8.  55. 
"  iMatt.lI.27. 

ch.  10.  15. 
*-  ch.  13.  33. 
••■  Hos.  5.  6. 

ch.  8.  21. 

ch.  13.  33. 
d  Isa.  11.  12. 

Jas.  1. 1. 

1  Pet.  1.  1. 
3  Or,  Greeks. 
^  Isa.  55.  1. 

Eev.  3.  20. 

Rev.  22.  17. 
/  Deut.i8.l5. 


know  me,  and  ye  knoY/^  wiienca  I  am :  and  I  am 
not  come  of  myself:— g.  d.,  'True,  ye  both  know 
myself  and  my  earthly  pai-entage ;  and  yet  I  am  not 
come  of  myself,  &c.  but  he  that  sent  me  is  true 
[«\))6t!/6s] — 'real;'  meaning  probably,  'Hethatseut 
Me  is  the  only  real  Sender  of  any  one.'  whom  ye 
know  not.  29.  But  I  know  him:  for  I  am  from 
him,  and  he  hath  sent  me— '  and  He  sent  me' 
[a-Tre'cn-etXei/].  30.  Then  they  sought  to  take  him: 
but — rather,  '  and  yet'  [A.aij  no  man  laid  hands  on 
him — their  impotence  happily  being  equal  to  their 
maWinity,  because  his  hour  was  not  yet  come. 

31.  And  many  of  the  people  [oe— o'x'Xoi/]— '  But 
many  of  the  multitude'  believed  on  him,  and  said, 
When  Christ  cometh— or,  '  When  the  Christ  is 
come'  [6  X. — eXtJ;/],  will  he  do  more  miracles  than 
these  which  this  man  hath  done? — q.  d.,  'If  this 
be  not  the  Christ,  what  can  the  Christ  do,  when 
he  does  come— which  has  not  been  anticipated  and 
eclipsed  by  this  man?'  This  was  evidently  the 
language  of  friendly  persons,  overborne  by  their 
spiteful  superiors,  but  unable  to  keep  quite 
silent. 

Ojlicers  are  sent  by  the  Rulers  to  Apprehend 
Jesu-s ;  but  they,  Captlrated  by  His  Teacldnft, 
Jieturn,  confessing  their  inability  to  do  it  (32-46). 

32.  The  Pharisees  heard  that  the  people  mur- 
m.ured — or  'heard  the  multitude  muttering  [tou 
(rvXov  yoyyOloi/Toi]  such  things  concerning  him. 
They  heard  whispers  to  this  effect  going  about,  and 
thought  it  high  time  to  stop  Him  if  He  ^^•as  not 
to  be  allowed  to  carry  away  the  people,  and  the 
Pharisees  and  the  chief  priests  sent  officers  to 
take  him— subordinate  officials  of  their  owu  to 
seize  Him.  S3.  Then  said  Jesus  [unto  them].  The 
words  in  brackets  [avToli]  have  scarcely  any 
authority.  Yet  a  little  while  am  I  with  you,  and 
then  I  go  unto  him  that  sent  me.  34.  Ye  shall 
seek  me,  and  shall  not  find  me :  and  where  I  am, 
thither  ye  cannot  come  : — g.  d. ,  '  Your  desire  to  be 
rid  of  Me  wall  be  for  you  all  too  soon  fulfilled : 
Yet  a  little  while  and  we  part  company — for  ever ; 
for  I  go  whither  ye  cannot  come,  nor,  even  though 
ye  should  at  length  seek  to  Him  whom  now  ye  de- 
spise, shall  ye  be  able  to  find  Him' — referring  not  to 
any  penitential,  but  to  purely  selfish  cries  in  their 
time  of  desperation.  35.  Then  said  the  Jews— the 
rulers  again,  among  themselves,  Whither  will  he 
— or  '  this  man'  [oStos],  go,  that  we  shall  not  find 
him?  They  cannot  comprehend  Him,  but  seem 
awed  by  the  solemn  gi-andeur  of  His  warning.  Will 
he  so  iinto  the  dispersed  [t)>  oiaa-Tropav]  among 

39(3 


the  Gentiles,  and  teach  the  Gentiles?  ['EWiji/cdi;, 
"£.\\iji/as] — '  unto  the  dispersed  among  the  Greeks, 
and  teach  the  Greeks  ?  Will  He  go  to  the  Jews  of 
the  dispersion— scattered  abroad  evervwhere— and 
from  tliem  extend  His  teaching  even  to  the 
Gentiles?  (So  Meyer,  L'ucke,  lliolucl;  &c.)  By 
the  Greeks  here  are  not  meant  Hellenistic  or  Greek- 
speaking  Jews,  but  Gentiles.  It  is  well  observed 
hy  Meander,  that  a  presentiment  that  His  teaching 
was  designed  to  be  universal  had  ijrobably  a  good 
deal  to  do  with  the  irritation  which  it  occasioned. 
36.  What  manner  of  saying  is  this  that  he  said,  Ye 
shall  seek  me,  and  shall  not  find  me :  and  where 
I  am,  thither  ye  cannot  come  ?  Thinking  this 
theory  of  His  words  too  outrageous  or  contempt- 
ible, they  are  quite  baflied  as  to  its  meaning,  aud 
yet  cannot  help  feeling  that  something  deep  lay 
under  it.  Jesus,  however,  takes  no  notice  of  their 
questions ;  and  so  for  the  time  tbe  subject  dies 
away.  And  yet,  long  after  this,  Jesus  recurs  to 
this  warning  of  His,  in  discoursing  to  the  Eleven 
at  the  Supper  table  (ch.  xiii.  33). 

And  now  we  come  to  one  of  the  grandest  of  all 
His  utterances. 

37.  In  the  last  day,  that  great  day  of  the  feast— 
or  '  Now  [Se]  in  the  last,  the  great  day  of  the  feast;' 
that  is,  the  eighth  day  of  the  feast  of  Tabernacles 
(Lev.  xxiii.  39).  It  was  a  Sabbath,  the  last  feast- 
day  of  the  year,  and  distinguished  by  very  remark- 
able ceremonies.  '  The  generally  joyous  character 
of  this  feast,'  says  Olshaiisen,  '  broke  out  on  this 
day  into  loud  jubilation,  particulai-ly  at  the  solemn 
moment  when  the  priest,  as  was  done  on  every 
day  of  this  festival,  brought  forth,  in  golden 
vessels,  water  from  the  stream  of  Siloah,  which 
flowed  under  the  temple-mountain,  and  solenmly 
poured  it  upon  the  altar.  Then  the  words  of  Isa. 
xii.  3  were  sung,  "  IVithjoy  shall  ye  draw  uxiter  out 
of  theioells  of  Salvation"  and  thus  the  symbolical 
reference  of  this  act,  intimated  in  r.  39,  was  ex- 
1  tressed.'  'So  ecstatic,'  says  Lightfoot,  'was  the 
joy  Avith  which  this  ceremony  was  performed — 
accompanied  with  sound  of  trumpets — that  it  used 
to  be  said.  Whoever  had  not  witnessed  it  had 
never  seen  rejoicing  at  all.'  On  this  high  occasion, 
then,  He  who  had  akeady  diawn  all  eyes  upon 
Him  by  His  suijeruatural  power  aud  unrivalled 
teaching — Jesus  stood — probably  in  some  elevated 
Viosition,  and  cried — as  if  making  proclamation  in 
the  audience  of  all  the  peo])le,  saying,  IF  ANY 
MAN  THIRST,  LET  HIM  COME  UNTO  ME,  AND 
DRINK.    What  an  ofier !    The  deepest  cravings  of 


Divers  ojyinions  ofthi 


JOHN  VII. 


2')eGple  concerning  Jesus 


believetli  on  me,  as  the  Scripture  hath  said,  ^out  of  his  belly  shall  flow 

39  rivers  of  living  water.     (But  ''this  spake  he  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that 
believe  on  him  should  receive:  for  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given; 

40  because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet  \glorified.)     ]\Iany  of  the  people  therefore, 

41  when  they  heard  this  saying,  said.  Of  a  truth  this  is  •'the  Prophet.    Others 
said,  ^"This  is  the  Christ.     But  some  said,   Shall  Christ  come  'out  of 

42  Galilee?    Hath  '"not  the  Scripture  said,  That  Christ  coraeth  of  the  seed 

43  of  David,  and  out  of  the  town  of  Bethlehem,  ''where  David  was?     So 

44  there  was  a  division  among  the  people  because  of  him.     And  some  of 
them  w^ould  have  taken  him ;  but  no  man  laid  hands  on  him. 

45  Then  came  the  officers  to  the  cliief  priests  and  Pharisees;  and  they 


A.  D.  32. 

'  Isa.  12.  3. 
•  Isa.  44.  3. 

Joel  2.  28. 

Ch.  16.  7. 

Acts  2.  17. 

ch.  12.  IG. 

Deut.18. 15. 

ch.  1.  21. 

ch.  6.  14. 
■  ch.  4.  42. 

ch.  1.  46. 
Ts.  132.  U. 
'  1  Sam.  16.  1. 


the  hiiman  spirit  are  here,  as  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, expressed  by  the  figure  of  "  thirst"  and  the 
external  satisfaction  of  them  by  ^^  drinking.''''  To 
the  woman  of  Samaria  He  had  said  ahnost  the 
same  thing,  and  in  the  same  terms  (John  iv.  13, 14). 
But  what  to  her  was  simply  athnned  as  a  fcK.t 
is  here  tmnied  into  a  world-wide  proclamation; 
and  whereas  there,  the  riift  by  Him  of  the  living 
water  is  the  most  prominent  idea — in  contrast 
with  her  hesitation  to  give  Him  the  perishable 
water  of  Jacob's  well — here  the  prominence  is 
given  to  H'lmfelf  as  the  Well-siiring  of  all  satis- 
it'action.  He  had  in  Galilee  invited  all  the  weary 
AND  HEA'N'Y-LADEX  of  the  liiimau  family  to  come 
under  His  wing  and  they  should  find  rest  (Matt, 
xi.  28),  which  is  just  the  same  deep  want,  and  the 
same  profound  relief  of  it,  under  another  and 
equally  grateful  figure.  He  had  in  the  synagogue 
of  Capernaum  (ch.  vi.),  announced  Himsetf,  in 
■every  variety  of  form,  as  "the  Bread  of  Life," 
and  as  both  able  and  authorized  to  appease  the 
"  HUNGER,"  and  quench  the  "thirst,"  of  all  that 
a]>ply  to  Him.  There  is,  and  there  can  be,  nothing 
beyond  that  here.  But  what  was  on  all  those 
occasions  uttered  iu  private,  or  addressed  to  a 
provincial  audience,  is  here  sounded  forth  in  the 
streets  of  the  great  _  religious  meti-opolis,  and  in 
language  of  surjiassing  majesty,  simplicity,  and 
grace.  It  is  just  Jehovah's  ancient  proclamation 
now  sounding  forth  through  human  fiesh,  "Ho, 

evert  one  that  THIRSTETH,  COME  YE  TO  THE 
\V.\TERS,  AND  HE  THAT  HATH  NO  MONEY!"  (Isa.  Iv. 

1).  In  this  light,  we  have  but  two  alternatives  • 
either  to  say  with  Caiai)has  of  Him  that  uttered 
such  words,  "//e  is  fn(ilt>/  of  death  "  or,  falling 
down  before  Him,  to  exclaim  with  Thomas,  "My 
Lord  and  my  God  I "  38.  He  that  toelievetli  on 
me,  as  the  Scripture  hath  said,  out  of  his  belly 
shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water.  The  words,  "as 
the  Scripture  hath  said,''  refer,  of  course,  to  the 
promise  in  the  latter  part  of  the  verse — yet  not  so 
much  to  any  particular  passage  as  to  the  general 
strain  of  Messianic  prophfecy,  as  Isa.  Iviii.  11,  Joel 
iii.  IS;  Zee.  xiv.  8;  Ezek.  xlvii.  1-12;  in  mo.st  of 
which  passages  the  idea  is  that  of  waters  issuing 
from  beneath  the  Temple,  to  which  our  Lord  com- 
pares Himself  and  those  who  believe  in  Him. 
The  expression  ''  out  of  his  belly"  means,  out  of 
his  inner  man,  his  soul,  as  in  Prov.  xx.  27.  On  the 
"rivers  of  li\T.ng  water,"  see  on  ch.  iv.  13,  14. 
There,  however,  the  figure  is  "a  fountain  ;"  here 
it  is  "riveVs."  It  refers  i>rimarily  to  the  copious- 
ni'ss,  but  indirectly  also  to  the  diffusiveness,  of  this 
living  water  to  the  good  of  others.  39.  (But  this 
spake  he  of  the  Spirit— Who,  by  His  direct  Per- 
sonal Agency,  opens  up  these  fountains,  these  rivers 
of  living  water,  iu  the  human  spirit  (ch.  iii.  6),  and 
by  his  indwelling  in  the  renewed  soul  ensures 
their  unfailing  fiow.  Which  they  that  believe  on 
him  should  receive — or  'were  about  to  receive' 
|,c'Me\\oj/  \uupdvew] :  for  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not 
397 


yet  [given].  Beyond  all  doubt  the  word  "given,'' 
or  some  similar  word,  is  the  right  supplement 
here,  if  we  are  to  insert  any  supplement  at  all. 
In  ch.  xvi.  7  the  Holy  Ghost  is  represented  not 
only  as  the  gift  of  Christ,  but  a  Gift  the  communi- 
cation of  which  was  dependent  vpon  His  oicn  de- 
parture to  the  Father.  Now,  as  Christ  was  not 
yet  gone,  so  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given, 
because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified.)  This  is 
one  of  those  explanatory  remarks  of  our  Evangelist 
himself  which  constitute  a  marked  feature  of  this 
Fourth  Gospel.  The  word  "  glorified"  is  here  used 
ad\'isedly,  to  teach  the  reader  not  only  that  the 
departure  of  Christ  to  the  Father  was  indispensalle 
to  the  giving  of  the  S]  lirit,  1  )ut  that  this  illustrious 
Gift,  direct  from  the  hands  of  the  ascended 
Saviour,  was  God's  intimation  to  the  world  that 
He  whom  it  had  cast  out,  crucified,  and  slain,  \va,3 
"His  Elect,  in  whom  His  soul  delighted,"  and 
that  it  was  through  the  smiting  of  that  Rock  that 
the  waters  of  the  Spirit — for  which  the  Church 
was  Avaitiug,  and  with  pomp  at  the  feast  of  Talier- 
uacles  proclaiming  its  expectation — had  gushed 
forth  uixm  a  thirsty  world  40.  Many  of  the 
people— 'the  multituile'  [t-K-ToD  6x\ov],  when  they 
heard  this  sajang.  The  true  reading  appears  to 
be  'the'  or  'His  sayings'  [tiov  >'6ywu];  referring 
not  to  the  last  one  only,  but  the  whole  strain  of 
His  discourse,  terminating  with  such  a  glorious 
proclamation,  said,  Of  a  truth  this  is  the  Prophet. 
The  only  wonder  is  they  did  not  all  say  it.  "But 
their  minds  were  'blinded."  41.  Others  said,  This 
is  the  Christ.  See  on  ch.  i.  21.  But  some— rather, 
'others'  [aWoi]  said,  Shall  Christ  come  out  of 
Galilee?  [M/;  yap—oX.  e/^xeTfa]— '  Doth  the  Christ 
then,'  or  '  What  then  !  Is  the  Christ  to  come  out 
of  Galilee?'  42.  Eath  not  the  Scripture  said,  That 
['the']  Christ  cometh  of  the  seed  of  David,  and 
out  of  the  town  of  Bethlehem,  where  David  was  ? 
We  accept  this  spontaneous  testimony  to  our 
David-descended,  Bethleliem-born  Saviour.  Had 
those  who  gave  it  made  the  eufpiiry  which  the  case 
demanded,  they  would  have  found  that  Jesus 
"came  out  of  Galilee"  and  "out  of  Bethlehem," 
both  alike  in  fulfilment  of  prophecy  as  in  point  of 
fact.  (Matt.  ii.  23;  iv.  13-16.)  43.  So  there  was  a 
division  among  the  people — 'the  multitude' [ev 
T(o  oxXcol,  because  of  him.  44.  And  some  of  them 
— the  more  envenomed  of  those  who  had  taken 
the  adverse  side  of  the  question,  would  have 
taken  him— or  'M-ere  minded  to  take  Him'  [ndeXai/ 
TTiao-at],  but— or  'yet'  [tiVXfi],  no  man  laid  hands 
on  him.    See  on  v.  30. 

45.  Then  came  the  cflcers  to  the  chief  priests 
and  Pharisees — who  had  sent  them  to  seize  Him 
{v.  32),  and  who  would  appear  from  the  sequel  to 
have  been  sitting  iu  Council  when  the  officers 
returned,  and  they  said  unto  them,  Why  have 
ye  not  brought  him?— already  thirsting  for  their 
Victim,  and  thinking  it  an  easy  matter  to  seize 
and  bring  Hiri     46,  "The  oficers  answered,  Never 


The  officers  confess  tlvAr 


JOHN  VII. 


inability  to  take  Jesus. 


46  said  unto  them,  Why  have  ye  not  brought  hun  ?     The  officers  answered, 
Never  man  spake  like  this  man. 

47,  Then  answered  them  the  Pharisees,  Are  ye  also  deceived?     Have  "any 

48,  of  the  rulers  or  of  the  Pharisees  believed  on  him?     But  this  people  who 

49,  knoweth   not  the   law   are   cursed.     Nicodemus  saith  unto  them,   (''he 

50,  that  came  *to  Jesus  by  night,  being  one  of  them,)  Doth  ^our  law  judge 
b\,awj  man  before  it  hear  him  and  know  what  he  doeth?     They  answered 

52  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  also  of  Galilee?     Search,  and   look:   for 

53  out  ''of  GaHlee  ariseth  no  prophet.     And  every  man  went  unto  his  own 
house. 


A.  D.  32. 


Ch.  12.  42. 
Acts  6.  7. 
1  Cor.  1.  20, 
ch.  3.  2. 
to  him. 
Deut.  1  17. 
Deut  17.  8. 

1  Ki.  17.  1. 

2  Ki.  14.  25. 
Isa  9. 1,  2. 
Matt.  4.  15. 
ch.  1.  46. 


man  spake  like  this  man— Noble  testimony  of 
uusopliisticatecl  men !  Doubtless  they  were  stran- 
gers to  the  profound  intent  of  Christ's  teaching, 
Ijut  there  Avas  that  in  it  which,  by  its  mysterious 
grandeur  and  transparent  jaurity  and  grace,  held 
tliem  spell-l)ound.  No  doubt  it  was  of  God  that 
they  should  so  feel,  tliat  their  arm  might  be 
paralyzed,  as  Chri.st's  "  hour  was  not  come ;"  but 
even  in  human  teaching  there  has  sometimes  been 
felt  snch  a  divine  power,  that  men  who  came  to 
kill  the  speaker  have  confessed  to  all  that  they 
w'ere  unmanned. 

Tlie  Pharisees  Breah  Forth  upon  the  Officers  with 
Tiage,  hut  are  met  loith  an  Unexpected  Protestation 
from  Amou'ist  Themselves  against  their  Indecent 
Haste  in  Condemning  the  Untried  (47-5.3).  47.  Then 
answered  them  the  Pharisees,  Are  ye  also  deceived  ? 
In  their  own  servants  this  seemed  intolerable. 
43.  Have  any  of  the  rulers  or  of  the  Pharisees 
believed  on  him?  We  are  expressly  told  that 
"many  of  them"  did,  including  Nicodemus  and 
Joseph,  but  not  one  of  these  had  openly  "con- 
fessed Him "  (ch.  xii.  42) ;  and  this  appeal  must 
have  stung  such  of  them  as  heard  it  to  the  quick. 
49.  But  this  people  [6  oyXoi  o5-ros] — rather,  'this 
multitude,'  this  ignorant  rabble.  Pity  these  im- 
portant distinctions  between  the  different  classes, 
80  marked  in  the  original  of  this  Gospel,  should  not 
be  also  in  our  version,  who  knoweth  not  the  law 
^meaning,  by  school-learning,  which  only  per- 
verted the  law  by  human  additions,  are  cursed — 
a  kind  of  swearing  at  them,  out  of  mingled  rage 
and  scorn.  50.  Nicodemus  —  reappearing  to  us 
after  nearly  three  years'  absence  from  the  liistory, 
as  a  member  of  the  council,  then  sitting,  as  would 
appear,  saith  unto  them,  (he  that  came  to  Jesus 
by  night,  being  one  of  them,)  51.  Doth  our  law 
judge  any  man  before  it  hear  him — rather,  'ex- 
cept it  first  hear  from  him'  [eni>  fx.!i  ctKoucnj  ■Trap' 
auTou  TTpuTepou],  and  know  whathe  doeth? — a  very 
proper  but  all  too  tame  rejoinder,  and  evidently 
more  from  pressure  of  conscience  than  any  design 
to  pronounce  positirehj  in  the  case.  The  feelilcuess 
of  his  defence  of  Jesus,  as  Webster  and  Wilkinson 
well  remark,  presents  a  strong  contrast  to  the  fierce- 
ness of  the  rejoinders  of  the  Pharisees.  52.  They 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  also  of 
Galilee?— in  this  taunt  expressing  their  scorn  of 
the  party.  Even  a  word  of  caution,  or  the  gentlest 
proposal  to  enquire  before  condemning,  was  with 
them  equivalent  to  an  espousal  of  the  hated  One. 
Search,  and  look:  for  [kuI  toe  '6ti\  —  or  better, 
'Search  and  see  that'  out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no 
prophet.  Strange !  For  had  not  Jonah,  of  Gath- 
hepher,  and  even  Elijah,  so  far  as  appears,  arisen 
out  of  Galilee  ?  and  it  may  be  more,  of  whom  we 
have  no  record.  But  rage  is  blind,  and  deep  pre- 
judice distorts  all  facts.  Yet  it  looks  as  if  they 
were  afraid  of  losing  Nicodemus,  when  they  take 
the  trouble  to  reason  the  point  at  all.  It  was  just 
because  he  had  "searched,"  as  they  advised  him, 
that  he  went  the  length  even  that  he  did.  53.  And 
3D3 


every  man  went  unto  his  own  house— findiijg 
their  plot  could  not  at  that  time  be  carried  into 
effect.  Is  your  rage  thus  impotent,  0  ye  chief 
priests?  li.B. — On  the  genuineness  of  this  verse, 
and  of  the  first  eleven  verses  of  the  following 
chapter,  we  reserve  our  observations  till  we  come 
to  that  chapter. 

Pemarks. — 1.  The  springs  of  judgment  and  of 
action  revealed  in  the  first  part  of  this  chapter 
are  so  minutely  and  delicately  natural  as  to  defy 
invention,  and  to  verify  the  narrative  not  only  as 
a  whole  but  in  all  its  features.  Here  are  Jesus 
and  "His  brethren"  according  to  the  fiesh :  on  the 
principles  somewhat  largely  explained  on  Luke 
iv.  24,  with  Remark  2  at  the  close  of  that  Section, 
they  have  great  dilficulty  in  recognizing  His  claims 
at  all;  but  His  present  procedure — so  different 
from  all  that  they  presume  it  ought  to  be  and 
naturally  would  be  in  the  great  ]iredicted  Messiah 
— stumbles  them  most  of  all.  'Surely  One  making 
such  claims  should  at  once  and  in  the  most  open 
manner  lay  them  before  the  ]iul:)lic  authorities  at 
the  capital :  but  instead  of  this,  Thou  hast  been 
absent  from  Jerusalem  for  a  very  unusual  time ; 
and  now  that  the  last  of  the  yearly  festivals  is  at 
hand,  no  symptoms  ai)pear  of  a  purpose  to  attend 
it:  how  is  this?'  Theauswer  to  these  insinuations 
is  in  singular  keeping  with  our  Lord's  habitual 
estimate  of  His  own  position,  and  the  mingled 
caution  and  courage  with  which  He  laid  and  car- 
ried out  all  His  plans  ;  while  the  indiference  which 
He  stamps  upon  their  movements,  and  the  gi'ound 
on  which  He  regards  them  as  of  no  consequence 
at  all — this  bears  the  stamp  of  entire  historical 
reality.  But  most  of  all,  po-hayis.  His  going  up 
noiselessly  by  Himself,  after  the  departure  of  "His 
brethren;"  and  not,  as  usual,  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  feast,  nor  till  towards  the  midst 
of  it ;  and  then — after  much  speculation  what  had 
become  of  Him  and  whether  He  would  venture 
to  appear  at  all — His  proceeding  to  teach  in  the 
temple-court,  and  that  so  marvellously  as  to  secure 
for  Himself  a  footing  not  to  be  disturbed,  insomucli 
tliat  even  the  officers  sent  to  seize  Him  found 
themselves  unable,  tliix)ugh  the  riveting  effect  of 
His  teaching,  to  lay  a  hand  \ipon  Him  ;  and  then 
the  rage  of  the  ecclesiastics  at  this,  and — while 
ascribing  it  all  to  a  want  of  learned  insight  which, 
if  they  had  been  "rulers  or  I'harisees,"  they  would 
not  have  shown — finding,  to  their  mortification,  a 
ruler  and  a  Pharisee  of  their  own  number,  one 
sitting  beside  them,  taking  the  officers'  part  and 
rebuking  their  indecent  desire  to  condemn  w^ithout 
a  trial :  tliese  are  details  which  carry  their  own 
truth  to  the  hearts  of  all  readers  not  blinded  by 
prejudice.  2.  When  Jesus  proclaimed,  in  such 
ravishing  terms,  "If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come 
unto  Me,  and  drink,"  we  may  well  ask,  Is  there 
any  man  who  does  7iot  thirst?  Satisfaction — if 
that  be  the  word  which  covers  all  the  cravings  of 
onr  nature — is  indeed  as  different  as  xiossible  in 
the  estimation  of  dilferent  men.     With  some  the 


The  Woman  tal'en 


JOHN  VIII. 


in  Adultery. 


8,      JESUS  went  unto  the  mount  of  Olives.     And  early  in  the  morning  he 

2  came  again  into  the  temple,  and  all  the  people  came  unto  liim ;  and  he 
sat  down,  and  taught  them. 

3  And  the   scribes  and  Pharisees  brought  unto  him  a  woman   taken 

4  in  adultery;  and  when  they  had  set  her  in  the  midst,  they   say  unto 
him,    ]\Iaster,   this   woman   was    taken   in   adultery,    in    the  very  act. 

5  Now  '^ Moses  in  the  law   commanded  us,  that  such   should  be  stoned: 

6  but  what    sayest    thou  ?      This  they  said,   tempting   him,   that    they 


A.  D.  32. 


CHAP.  8. 
Ex.  20.  14. 

Lev.  18.  :o. 
Lev.  20.  10. 
Deut.  5.  IS. 
Deut.22.2a 
Job  31.  9. 
Pro.  C.  29, 


gratification  of  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  is  all  the 
satisfaction  desired ;  others  crave  domestic  and 
intellectual  enjoyment ;  a  third  class  find  the  ap- 
proval of  conscience  indispensalilc  to  their  comfort, 
but,  unable  to  come*  up  to  their  own  standard  of 
cliaracter  and  excellence,  are  inwardly  restless ; 
while  a  fourth  and  smaller  class  groan  under  felt 
sinfulness,  and — conscious  that  peace  with  God 
and  delight  in  His  law  after  the  inward  man  are 
the  great  necessity  of  their  natui-e  and  condition, 
but  that  these  are  just  what  they  want  and  can- 
not reach — are  wretched  accordingly.  But  to  one 
and  all  of  these— embracing  every  soul  of  man — 
Jesus  here  speaks ;  though  to  each  His  proclam- 
ation would  be  differently  understood.  The  first 
class  He  would  raise  from  a  sensual  to  si)iritual 
satisfaction — as  from  the  hollow  to  the  real,  from 
wormwood  to  honey ;  the  second  class  He  would 
advance  from  what  is  good  to  what  is  better,  from 
meat  that  perisheth — even  in  its  most  refined  forms 
—to  that  wliicli  eudureth  to  everlasting  life ;  the 
third  class  He  would  draw  iipwards  from  toilsome 
and  fruitless  efi'orts  to  pacify  an  uneasy  conscience 
by  mere  attempted  obedience  to  the  law,  and 
when  they  have  come  to  the  fourth  stage,  of 
conscious  inabibty  to  keep  the  law,  and  M'retched- 
ness  for  want  of  peace  with  God,  He  would  then 
attract  and  invite  them  to  Himself,  as  the  W  ell- 
spring  of  complete  and  eternal  Satisfaction.  Hoiu 
He  was  so  He  does  but  partially  explain  here; 
but  the  proclamation  of  such  an  astonishing  truth 
was  itself  enough  in  the  meantime;  and  those 
whom  its  transcendant  grace  might  win  over  to 
attach  themselves  cordially  to  Him  would  imme- 
diately find  in  their  own  experience  how  true  it 
was,  and  very  soon — on  the  pentecostal  descent  of 
the  Spirit — discover  the  secret  of  their  satisfaction 
more  in  detail.  But  3.  When  the  Evangelist  says 
tliat  by  the  "  rivers  of  living  water  which  were  to 
flow  out  of  the  belly  of  them  that  believed  in 
Him,"  Jesus  meant  "'the  Spirit,  which  believers 
were  about  to  receive:  for  the  Holy  Ghost  had 
not  then  been  given;  because  Jesus  was  not  yet 
glorified"  —  he  expresses  the  great  evangelical 
truth,  that  it  is  the  Holy  Ghost  who  opens  up 
in  the_  souls  of  them  that  believe  in  Jesus  the 
fountain  of  a  new  life,  and  by  His  indwelling 
presence  and  ever-quickening  virtue  Avithin  them, 
causes  rivers  of  living  water  to  flow  forth  from 
this  internal  fountain — in  other  words,  makes 
exuberant  and  heavenly  satisfaction  to  sj)ring  up 
and  flow  forth  from  within  their  own  nature. 
But  whereas  He  says  that  this  glorious  gift  of  the 
Spirit  was  so  dependent  upon  the  "  (dorification  of 
Jesns,"  that  until  the  one  occurred  the  otlier  could 
not  be  looked  for — this  expresses  these  further 
and  most  iwecious  truths,  that  the  formal  and 
judicial  acceptance  of  Christ's  work  done  on  earth 
hi/  His  Father  in  heaven  behoved  to  take  jilace  ere 
the  Spirit  could  be  permitted  to  carry  it  into  efl'ect; 
that  the  actual  descent  of  the  vSpirit  at  Pentecost 
was  the  proclamation  to  the  world  that  His  Father 
had  tcd-en  His  ivork  of  His  hands,  so  to  speak,  as  a 
"finished"  ivork;  and  that  now  the  Spirit,  in  open- 
ing up  the  springs  of  this  new  and  endiu'ing  life  in 
399 


the  souls  of  them  that  believed  in  Jesus,  was  but 
carrying  into  efl'ect  in  men  what  Christ  did  on 
earth /o?'  men,  was  but  putting  them  in  ]iersonal 
Xiossession  and  actual  exi)erience  of  the  virtue  of 
Christ's  work — even  as  Jesus  Himself  afterwards 
said  in  express  terms  to  the  Eleven  at  the  Supper- 
table,  "He  shall  glorify  Me;  for  He  shall  receive 
of  Mine,  and  shall  show  it" — or  'make  it  known' 
[ai/ayyeXei]  "unto you"  (seeonch.xvi.  14-16).  Thus, 
as  Jesus  gloriiied  the  Father,  so  the  Spirit  glorifies 
the  Son ;  and  by  one  high,  harmonious  work  of 
Father.  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  are  sinners  saved. 

CHAP.  VIII.  MI.-The  Woman  Taken  in 
Adultery.  The  genuineness  of  this  narrative — 
including  the  last  verse  of  the  foregoing  chapter — 
will  be  best  considered  after  the  exposition. 

1.  Jesus — It  should  be,  'But  Jesiis'  [Ii)<to(~s  eel 
went  unto  the  mount  of  Olives.  This  verse  shouhl 
have  formed  the  last  verse  of  ch.  vii.  The  infor- 
mation given  will  then  be,  that  while  "  every  man 
went  imto  his  own  house,"  Jesus,  who  had  no 
home  of  His  own  to  go  to,  "went  unto  the  mount 
of  Olives."  As  "the  mount  of  Olives"  nowhere 
else  occurs  in  this  Gospel,  and  Jesus'  spending 
the  night  there  seems  to  belong  only  to  the  time 
of  His  final  visit  to  Jerusalem;  this  has  been 
thought  adverse  to  the  genuineness  of  the  whole 
Section.  The  following  is  Stier's  explanation  of 
this,  with  which,  however,  we  are  but  indifferently 
satisfied.  '  The  return  of  the  people  to  the  inert 
cpiiet  and  security  of  their  chceUings  (ch.  vii.  53), 
at  the  close  of  the  feast,  is  designedly  contrasted 
with  our  Lord's  homeless  way,  so  to  speak,  of 
spending  the  short  night,  who  is  early  in  the  morn- 
ing on  the  scene  again.  One  cannot  well  see  why 
what  is  recorded  in  Luke  xxi.  37,  38,  may  not  even 
thus  early  have  taken  place :  it  might  have  been 
the  Lord's  ordinary  custom  from  the  beginning  to 
leave  the  brilliant  misery  of  the  city  every  night, 
that  so  He  might  compose  His  sorrowful  and  inter- 
ceding heart,  and  collect  His  energies  for  new 
labours  of  love;  prefen-ing  for  His  restiug-iilace 
Bethany,  and  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  scene  thus 
consecrated  by  many  preparatory  prayers  for  His 
final  humiliation  and  exaltation.'  But  see  the  dis- 
cussion of  this  question  below.  2.  And  early  in 
the  morning  he  came  again  into  the  temple, 
and  all  the  people  came  unto  Mm;  and  he  sat 
down,  and  taught  them. 

The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  Bring  to  Jesus  a 
Woman  Taken  in  Adultery  for  His  Decision,  and 
hoiu  this  Attempt  to  Entrap  Him  icas  foiled  (3-11). 
3.  And  the  scribes  and  Pharisees — foiled  in  their 
yesterday's  attempts,  and  hoping  to  entrap  Him  in 
this  new  way,  brought  unto  him  a  woman  taken 
in  adultery;  and  when  they  had  set  her  in  the 
midst,  4.  They  say  unto  him,  Master,  this 
woman  was  taken  in  adultery,  in  the  very  act. 
5.  Now  Moses  in  the  law  commanded  us,  that 
such  should  be  stoned.  The  law  said  merely  she 
should  die  (Deut.  xxii.  22),  but  in  aggravated  cases, 
at  least  in  later  times,  this  ■was  probably  by  ston- 
ing (Ezek.  xvi.  40).  but  what  sayest  thou?  \_ub 
ovv  TL  Xc'yeis ;)  — '  what  iiow  sayest  thou?'  6. 
This  they  said,  tempting  him,  that  they  might 


Tne  Scribes  and  Pharisees 


JOHN  VIII. 


sceJc  to  entrap  Jesus. 


might  have  to  accuse  him.  But  Jesus  stooped  down,  and  with  his 
7  finger  wrote  on  tlie  ground,  as  though  he  heard  them  not.     So  when 

they  continued  asking  him,  he  lifted  up  himself,  and  said  unto  them, 

^He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at  her. 
8,  And  again  he  stooped  down,  and  wrote  on  the  ground.  And  they 
y  which  heard  it, '^ being  convicted  by  #/^g'/r«oeni  conscience,  went  out  one 

by  one,  beginning  at  the  eldest,  eten  unto  the  last :  and  Jesus  was  left 

10  alone,  and  the  woman  standing  in  the  midst.  When  Jesus  had  lifted 
up  himself,  and  saw  none  but  the  woman,  he  said  unto  her,  Woman, 

11  where  are  those  thine  accusers?  hath  no  man  condemned  thee?  She 
said.  No  man,  Lord.  And  Jesus  said  unto  her,  '^  Neither  do  I  condemn 
thee :    go,  and  sin  no  more. 


A.  D.  32. 

<<  Deut.  17.  7. 

Job  5.  12. 

Ps  .50.  16--i0. 

Watt.  7.  1-5. 

l;oui.  2.  1. 
"  Gen.  41.  2!, 
22. 

Eom.  2.  2.'. 

1  John  3.10. 
^  Luke  9.  6fi. 

Luke  12.14. 

ch.  3.  17. 

Eom.  13.  3, 


have  to  accuse  him— hoping,  whatever  He  might 
answer,  to  put  Him  in  the  wrong: — if  He  said, 
Stone  her,  that  wonlcl  .seem  a  stepping  out  of  His 
province ;  if  He  forbade  it,  that  woukl  hold  Him 
up  as  a  reLaxer  of  the  public  morals.  See  uow  liow 
these  cunning  hypocrites  were  overmatched.  But 
Jesus  stooped  down.  It  will  be  observed  He  Mas 
"  sitting''''  when  they  came  to  Him  (v.  2).  and  with 
his  finger  wrote  on  the  ground.  The  words  of  our 
translators  in  Italics — "  as  though  he  heard  them 
not" — have  hardly  improved  the  sense,  for  it  is 
scarcely  probaljle  He  could  wish  that  to  be 
thought,  llather  He  wished  to  show  them  His 
aversion  to  enter  on  the  subject.  But  this  did  not 
suit  them.  They  pressed  for  an  answer.  7.  So 
when  they  continued  asking  him,  he  lifted  up  him- 
self, and  said  unto  them,  He  that  is  without  sin 
— not  meaning  '  sinless  altogether ;'  nor  yet  '  guilt- 
less of  a  literal  breach  of  the  Seventh  Command- 
ment ;'  but  probably,  '  He  whose  conscience  acquits 
him  of  any  such  sin,'  let  him  first  cast  a  stone 
\Tov\iQov^ — rather,  'the  stone,'  referred  to  in  the 
Mosaic  statute,  Dent.  x\di.  11.  8.  And  again  he 
stooped  down,  and  wrote  on  the  ground.  The 
design  of  this  second  stooping  and  wiiting  on  the 
ground  was  evidently  to  give  her  accusers  an  op- 
liortuuity  to  slink  away  unobserved  by  Him,  and 
so  aA'oid  an  exposure  to  His  eye  which  they  could 
ill  have  stood.  Accordingly  it  is  added,  9.  And 
they  which  heard  it— or,  'But  they,  when  they 
heard  it'  [Ot  oe,  ckouo-avTes],  being  convicted  by 
their  [own]  conscience,  went  out  one  by  one,  be- 
ginning at  the  eldest  ya-wd  twv  -wfterriixiTepwv'] — 
rather,  'at  the  elders;'  in  the  official  sense,  and 
not  the  seniors  in  age.  even  unto  the  last :  and 
Jesus  was  left  alone — that  is,  without  one  of 
lier  accusers  remaining ;  for  it  is  added,  and  the 
woman  standing  in  the  midst — in  the  midst,  that 
is,  of  the  remaining  audience.  While  the  trap 
failed  to  catch  Him  tor  whom  it  was  laid,  it  caught 
those  who  laid  it.  Stunned  by  the  unexpected 
I'ome-thrust,  they  immediately  made  off— which 
makes  the  impudence  of  those  impure  hypocrites 
in  dragging  such  a  case  before  the  public  eye  the 
more  disgusting.  10.  When — 'And  when'  Jesus 
had  lifted  up  himself,  and  saw  none  but  the 
woman,  he  said  unto  her,  Woman,  where  are 
those  thine  accusers?  hath  no  man  condemned 
thee?  11.  She  said,  No  man,  Lord.  And  Jesus 
said  unto  her.  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee:  go, 
and  sin  no  more.  What  inimitable  tenderness 
and  grace !  Conscious  of  her  oM'n  guilt,  and  till 
now  in  the  hands  of  m.en  who  had  talked  of 
stoning  her,  Avondering  at  the  shll  with  which  her 
accusers  had  been  dispersed  and  the  grace  of  the 
few  words  addressed  to  herself,  she  would  be  dis- 
posed to  listen,  with  a  reverence  and  teachable- 
ness before  unknown,  to  our  Lord's  admonition. 
"  And  Jesus  said  unto  her,  Neither  do  I  condemn 
thee,  go  and  sin  no  more."  He  pronoimces  uo 
400 


pardon  upon  the  woman — like  "  Thy  sins  are  for- 
given thee;"  "  Go  in  peace" — much  less  does  He 
say  that  she  had  done  nothing  condemnable;  He 
simply  leaves  the  matter  where  it  was.  He  med- 
dles not  with  the  magistrate's  ofhce.  nor  acts  the 
Judge  in  any  sense  (ch.  xii.  47).  But  in  saying 
"  Go,  and  sin  no  more,"  which  had  been  before  saicl 
to  one  who  luidonbtedly  believed  (ch.  \.  14),  more 
is  probably  implied  than  expressed.  If  brought 
suddenly  to  conviction  of  sin,  to  admiration  of  her 
Deliverer,  and  to  a  willingness  to  be  admonished 
and  guided  by  Him,  this  call  to  begin  a  new  life 
may  have  carried  with  it  what  would  ensiu'e  and 
naturally  bring  about  a  permanent  change. 

[The  gennineness  of  this  whole  Section,  includ- 
ing the  last  verse  of  ch.  vii.  — twelve  verses — is  by 
far  the  most  perjilexing  question  of  textual  criti- 
cism pertaining  to  the  Gospels.  The  external 
evidence  against  it  is  immensely  strong.  It  is 
wanting  in  the  four  oldest  MSS. — the  newly  dis- 
covered Codex  Sincdticits  (n),  the  Alejcmdrian 
(A),  the  Vatican  (B),  and  the  Ephraeyn  (C) — and 
in  four  other  valuable  Uncial  MSS.,  although  two 
of  these  have  a  blank  space,  as  if  something  had 
beenleft  out ;  it  is  wanting  also  in  upwards  of  fifty 
Cursive  mps.  :  of  ancient  versions,  it  is  wanting 
in  the  venerable  Peshito  Syriac  and  its  Philoxenian 
rcAasiou,  in  one  and  probably  both  the  Egjiitian 
versions — the  Thebaic  and  JSIempldtic—the  Gothic, 
probably  the  Armenicm,  and  two  or  three  copies 
of  the  Old  Latin:  several  of  the  fathers  take  no 
notice  of  it — as  Origen,  Tertidlian,  Cyprian,  Cyril, 
Chryso^tom :  it  is  wanting  in  the  most  ancient 
tables  of  the  Sectional  contents  of  the  Gospels, 
though  afterwards  inserted  as  an  additional  Sec- 
tion: the  vaiiatious  in  the  MSS.  which  insert  it 
exceed  in  number  and  extent  those  in  any  other 
part  of  the  New  Testament:  and  of  those  MSS. 
which  insert  it,  four  Uncials  and  upwards  of  fifty 
Cursives  have  an  asterisk  or  other  critical  niaik 
attached  to  it.  as  subject  to  doubt  or  requiring  in- 
vestigation. The  internal  evidence  urged  against 
it  is,  that  it  nnnaturallv  interrupts  the  flow  of 
the  narrative,  whereas  if  ch.  Aaii.  12  come  imme- 
diately after  ch.  Aai.  52,  all  is  natural;  that  the 
language  of  this  Section  is  strikingly  dissimilar, 
especially  in  the  particles,  to  that  of  John;  and 
that  the  statement  in  ch.  viii.  1,  as  to  .Jesus  having 
gone  to  the  mount  of  Olives,  is  one  of  the  strongest 
grounds  of  suspicion,  since  nowhere  else  in  this 
Gospel  is  "  the  mount  of  Olives"  mentioned  at  all, 
nor  does  our  Lord's  passing  the  night  there  agree 
with  this  or  any  stage  of  His  public  life  except 
the  last.  That  we  have  here  very  strong  cAndence 
against  the  genuineness  of  this  Section,  no  intelli- 
gent and  impartial  judge  will  denj\  Moved  by  this 
evidence,  Lachmann  and  Tischendorf  exclude  it 
from  their  text ;  Tregelles  prints  it  in  small  type 
below  the  approved  text,  which  Alford  also  does ; 
and  hardly  any  recent  critics  aclinowledge  it  as 


Jesus  dedaretJi  Himself                      JOHN  VIII.                       tlie  LigU  ofilie  World. 

12       Then  spake  Jesus  again  unto  them,  saying,  *I  am  the  light  of  the  world  : 
he  that  folio weth  me  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light 

A.  D.  32. 

"  Mai  4.  2. 

John's,  except  Slier  and  Ebrard,  to  wLom  may  be 
added  Lange  and  Webster  and  Wilkinson  (though 
the  latter  do  not,  like  the  former,  grapple  with 
the  difficulties).  But  let  lis  look  at  the  other  side 
of  the  question.  Of  the  four  most  ancient  MSS. 
which  want  this  Section,  the  leave  of  two  at  this 
place  have  been  lost — of  A,  from  cIl  vi.  50  to 
viii.  52 :  and  of  C,  from  ch.  vii.  3  to  viii.  33.  We 
have,  therefore,  no  certainty  whether  those  MSS. 
contained  it  or  not.  As  to  the  two  (L  and  A) 
whose  spaces  are  not  long  enough  to  make  it 
•possible  that  they  contained  this  Section,  the 
inference  is  precarious,  since  no  more  may  have 
been  intended  by  those  spaces  than  simply  to 
indicate  that  there  a  portion  of  text  was  wanting. 
But  it  is  found  in  seven  Uncial  MSS.,  though  the 
letters  in  that  most  remarkable  one,  the  Codex 
Bezce  (D),  are  said  to  be  veiy  different  from  the 
others,  while  in  one  of  the  others  but  a  small 
number  of  the  verses  is  given,  and  in  another 
one  verse  is  wanting;  it  is  found  in  above  three 
hundred  of  the  Cursive  MSS.  without  any  note  of 
question,  and  above  fifty  more  with  an  asterisk  or 
other  mark  of  doubt.  Of  versions,  it  is  found  in 
the  Old  Latin — which  may  be  held  to  neutralize 
the  fact  of  its  absence  in  the  Peshito  Syi-iac,  as  the 
one  appears  to  have  been  executed  for  the  Western 
churciies  about  as.  early  as  the  other  for  the  East- 
ern ;  and  it  is  found  in  the  Vulgate;  while  Jerome, 
to  whom  we  owe  that  revision  of  the  venerable  Old 
Latin,  states  that  in  his  time — the  fourth  century, 
and  we  have  no  MSS.  of  older  date  than  that — 
this  Section  was  found  'in  many  MSS.  both  Greek 
and  Latin.'  Turning  now  from  external  to  internal 
evidence  in  favour  of  this  Section,  it  appears  to  us 
to  be  almost  overpowering.  Requesting  the  reader 
to  recall  the  exposition  of  it,  we  confidently  ask  if 
historical  authenticity  is  not  stamped  upon  the 
face  of  it,  and — admitting  that  some  such  incident 
as  this  might  not  be  beyond  invention — whether 
the  very  i^eculiar  and  singularly  delicate  details  of 
it  could  be  other  than  real.  And  if  the  question 
be,  Whether,  supposing  it  genuine,  there  were 
stronger  motives  for  its  exclusion,  or,  if  s]iurions, 
for  its  insertion?  no  one  who  knows  anything  of 
the  peculiarities  of  the  early  Church  can  well  hesi- 
tate. The  notions  of  the  early  Church  on  such 
subjects  were  of  the  most  ascetic  description,  and 
to  them  the  whole  narrative  must  have  been  most 
confoimding.  A  ugustin  accordingly  says,  '  Some  of 
slender  faith,  or  rather  enemies  of  the  true  faith, 
have  removed  it  from  their  MSS.,  fearing,  I  be- 
lieve, that  an  immunity  to  sin  might  be  tliought 
to  be  given  by  it.'  Nor  was  he  alone  in  ascribing 
the  omission  of  it  to  this  cause.  Such  a  feeling 
in  regard  to  this  Section  is  sufficient  to  account  for 
the  remarkalile  fact  that  it  was  never  publicly 
i-ead  along  with  the  preceding  and  following  con- 
text in  the  early  churches,  but  resei-ved  for  some 
unimportant  festivals,  and  in  some  of  the  service- 
books  appears  to  have  been  left  out  altogether.  In 
short,  to  account  for  its  omission,  if  genuine,  seems 
easy  enough;  but  for  its  insertion,  if  spurious,  next 
to  impossible.  Moved  by  these  considerations,  a 
middle  course  is  taken  by  some.  Meyer  and  Elli- 
cott,  while  con^anced  that  it  is  no  part  of  the  Gos- 
liel  of  John,  are  equally  con^anced  of  its  historical 
truth  and  canonical  authority;  and  observing  how 
closely  ch.  viii.  agiees  with  Luke  xxi.  37,  thnk  that 
to  be  its  proper  place.  Indeed,  it  is  a  singular  fact 
that  four  of  the  Cursive  MSS.  actually  place  it 
at  the  end  of  Luke  xxi.  Something  very  like  this 
is  Alford's  view.  This,  of  course,  would  quite 
VOL.  V.  401 


explain  the  mention  (in  ch.  vuL  1)  of  "the  mount 
of  Olives,"  and  our  Lord's  spending  the  night 
there  being  His  last  week.  But  this  theory — of 
a  fragment  of  authentic  canonical  Gospel  History 
never  known  to  have  existed  in  its  proper  place 
(with  the  exception  of  four  pretty  good  MSS.), 
and  known  only  as  part  of  a  Gospel  to  which 
it  did  not  belong,  and  with  which  it  was  out 
of  keeping— can  never,  in  our  judgment,  be  ad- 
mitted. Scrivener,  while  impressed  with  its  in- 
ternal excellence,  thinks  the  evidence  against  it 
too  strong  to  be  resisted,  except  on  the  singular 
theory  that  the  beloved  disciple  himself  added  it 
in  a  later  edition  of  his  Gospel,  and  that  thus 
copies  having  it  and  copies  wanting  it  ran  parallel 
with  each  other  from  the  very  first  — a  theory, 
however,  for  which  there  is  not  the  slightest  ex- 
ternal evidence,  and  attended,  it  seems  to  us,  with 
greater  difficulty  than  that  which  it  is  designed  to 
remove.  On  the  whole,  though  we  admit  the 
difficulties  with  which  this  question  is  encom- 
passed, as  the  narrative  itself  bears  that  stamj)  of 
originality,  truth,  purity,  and  grandeur  which  ac- 
cord so  well  with  its  place  in  tlie  Gospel  History, 
so  the  fact  that  wherever  it  is  found  it  is  as  j^art 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  and  among  the  transactions  of 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  is  to  us  the  best  proof  that 
this  is,  after  all,  its  true  place  in  the  Gosjiel  History; 
nor  does  it  appear  to  us  to  interrujit  the  flow  of  the 
narrative,  but  entirely  to  harmonize  with  it — if  we 
excejit  ch.  viii.  1,  which  must  be  allowed  to  remain 
among  the  difficulties  that  we.  at  least,  find  it  not 
easy  to  solve.]    But  see  P.S.  p.  486. 

Remarlc. — While  a  sanctimonious  hypocrisy  is 
not  unfrequently  found  among  unprincipled  pro- 
fessors of  religion,  a  comx>assionate  purity  which 
wins  the  fallen  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  charac- 
teristics of  real  religion.  But  till  Christ  appeared, 
this  feature  of  religion  was  but  dimly  realized,  and 
in  the  Old  Testament  but  faintly  held  forth.  It 
was  reser\^ed  for  the  Lord  Jesus  to  exhibit  it  in 
all  its  loveliness.  In  this  incident,  of  the  Woman 
Taken  in  Adultery,  we  have  it  in  its  perfection, 
while  the  spirit  of  the  men  that  brought  her  to 
Jesus,  appearing  in  such  vivid  contrast  to  it,  acts 
but  as  a  foil  to  set  it  o&.     See  on  Luke  xv.  1,  2. 

12-59.— Jesus  Continues  His  Discourse  in 
THE  Temple  amidst  Repeated  Interruptions, 

TILL,  ON    their   PROCEEDING   TO    StONE   HiM,  Hb 

Passes  Through  the  Midst  of  them  and  De- 
parts. 

Jesus  Addressee  Himself  chiefly  to  a  Hostile 
Audience,  in  the  ivay  of  solemn  Testimony,  at  the 
climax  of  which  many  are  won  to  Him,,  to  ivhom  He 
Addresses  an  Encouraging  Word(\2-^).  12.  Then 
spake  Jesus  again  unto  them,  saying,  I  am  the 
light  of  the  world.  As  the  former  references  to 
water  (ch.  iv.  10,  13,  14 ;  and  ch.  vii.  37,  &c. )  and  to 
bread  (ch.  vi.  27,  &c. )  were  occasioned  by  outward 
occurrences,  so  possibly  may  this  reference  to  light 
have  been.  For,  in  "the  treasury,"  where  it  was 
spoken  (see  v.  20),  stood  two  colossal  golden  lamp- 
stands,  on  which  hung  a  multitude  of  lamjis, 
lighted  after  the  evening  sacrifice  (probably  every 
evening)  during  the  feast  of  Tabernacles,  dif- 
fusing their  brilliancy,  it  is  said,  over  all  the 
city.  Around  these  the  peorile  danced  with  great 
rejoicing.  Now,  as  amidst  the  festivities  of  the 
water  from  Siloam,  Jesus  cried,  saying,  "If  any 
man  thirst  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink,"  so 
now,  amidst  the  blaze  and  joyousness  of  this  illu- 
mination. He  proclaims,  "I  am  the  Light  of  the 
World"— plainly  in  the  most  absolute  sense.  For 
.     2» 


Jesus  continues  Ills 


JOHN  VIII. 


Discourse  in  ilie  Temple. 


13  of  life.      The  Pharisees  therefore  said   unto  him,  Thou  bearest  record 

14  of  thyself;  thy  record  is  not  true.  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them, 
Though  I  bear  record  of  myself,  yet  my  record  is  true :  for  I  know 
whence  I  came,  and  whither  I  go ;  but  -'ye  cannot  tell  whence  I  come, 

15  and   whither   I   go.      Ye    ''judge   after   the    flesh;    ''I  judge   no  man. 

16  And  yet  if  I  judge,  my  judgment  is  true;  for  *I  am  not  alone,  but  I 

17  and  the  Father  that  sent  me.     It  -^is  also  written  in  your  law,  that  the 

18  testimony  of  two  men  is  true,     I  am  one  that  bear  witness  of  myself, 

19  and  ^'the  Father  that  sent  me  beareth  witness  of  me.  Then  said  they 
unto  him.  Where  is  thy  Father?  Jesus  answered,  'Ye  neither  know  me, 
nor  my  Father:  ™if  ye  had  known  me,  ye  should  have  known  my  Father 
also. 

These  words  spake  Jesus  in  "the  treasury,  as  he  taught  in  the  temple: 
and  "no  man  laid  hands  on  him;  for  '^liis  hour  was  not  yet  come. 

Then  said  Jesus  again  unto  them,  I  go  my  way,  and  ^ye  shall  seek  me, 

22  and  shall  die  in  your  sins:  whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come.  Then  said  the 
Jews,  Will  he  kill  himself?  because  he  saith.  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot 

23  come.     And  he  said  unto  them, ''Ye  are  from  beneath;  I  am  from  above: 

24  'ye  are  of  this  world ;  I  am  not  of  this  world,  I  said  therefore  unto  you, 
that  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins :  *for  if  ye  believe  not  that  I  am  he,  ye  shall 

25  die  in  your  sins.     Then  said  they  unto  him.  Who  art  thou?     And  Jesus 


20 


21 


A.  D.  3-2 


/  Pa.  58.  1. 

ch.  7.  28. 

ch  9.  29. 
"  1  Sam.  ic.  7. 

ch.  7.  24. 
''  ch.  18.  36. 
>  ch.  16.  32. 
.;■  Deut.  ir.  6. 

Deut  19.15. 

Matt.  18. 16. 

2  Cor.  13. 1. 

Heb.  10.  28. 
*  ch.  5  37. 

2  Pet.  1. 17. 

1  John  5.  6- 
12. 
'<■  ch.  16.  3. 
'"ch  14.  7. 
"  Mark  12.41. 

°  ch.  7.  30. 
P  ch.  7.  8. 
«  ch.  13.  33. 
*■  ch  3.  31. 
'  ch.  15.  J9. 

ch.  17.  16. 

1  John  4  5. 
«  Mark  16. 16. 


though  He  gives  His  disciples  the  same  title  (see 
on  ch.  V,  14),  they  are  only  "  light  in  the  Lord " 
(Eph.  V.  8);  and  though  He  calls  the  Baptist  "the 
burning  and  shining  light"  (or  ''lamp'  of  his  day — 
see  on  ch.  v.  35),  yet  "he  was  not  tlmt  LigKt,  but 
was  sent  to  bear  witness  of  that  Light :  That  was 
THE  TRUE  LIGHT  which,  comiug  iuto  the  world, 
lighteth  every  man  "  (ch.  i.  8,  9).  Under  this  mag- 
niticent  title  Messiah  was  promised  of  old,  Isa. 
xlii.  6 ;  Mai.  iv.  2,  &c.  he  that  follo-weth  me— as 
one  does  a  light  going  before  him,  and  as  the  Israel- 
ites did  the  pillar  of  bright  cloud  in  the  wilderness, 
shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the 
light  of  life— the  light  as  of  a  new  world,  the  light 
of  a  newly  awakened  spiritual  and  eternal  life. 
13.  The  Pharisees  therefore  said  unto  him,  Thou 
bearest  record  of  thyself ;  thy  record  is  not  true. 
How  does  He  meet  this  specious  cavil!  Not  by 
disputing  the  wholesome  human  maxim  that  '  selt- 
praise  is  no  praise,'  but  by  affirming  that  He  was 
an  exception  to  the  rule,  or  rather,  tliat  it  had  no 
application  to  Him.  14.  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  Though  I  bear  record  of  myself,  yet 
my  record  is  true:  for  I  know  whence  I  came, 
and  whither  I  go;  but  ye  cannot  tell  whence  I 
come,  and  whither  I  go.  See  on  ch.  vii.  28,  29. 
15.  Ye  judge  after  the  flesh — with  no  spiritual  ap- 
prehension ;  I  judge  no  man.  16.  And  yet  if  I. 
judge  [Kai  eav  Kpivto  oe  'Eyo)].  The  "/"  here  is 
emphatic: — q.  d.,  'Yet  in  My  case,  even  if  I  do 
judge,'  my  judgment  is  true ;  for  I  am  not 
alone,  but  I  and  the  Father  that  sent  me.  17.  It 
is  also  written  in  your  law,  that  the  testimony 
of  two  men  is  true.  18.  I  am  one  that  bear  wit- 
ness of  myself,  and  the  Father  that  sent  me 
beareth  witness  of  me : — q.  d. ,  '  Ye  not  only  form 
your  carnal  and  warped  judgments  of  Me,  but  are 
bent  on  carrying  them  iuto  effect;  I,  though  I 
form  and  utter  My  j  udgmeut  of  you,  am  not  here 
to  carry  this  into  execution — that  is  reserved  to  a 
future  day;  yet  the  judgment  I  now  jjronounce 
and  the  witness  I  now  bear  is  not  Mine  only,  as 
ye  suppose,  but  His  also  that  sent  Me,  (See  on 
ch.  v.  31,  32.)  And  these  are  the  two  witnesses 
which  your  law  requires  to  any  fact.'  19,  Then 
said  they  unto  him,  Where  is  thy  Father  ?  Jesus 
answered,  Ye  neither  know  me,  nor  my  Father :  if 
402 


ye  had  known  me,  ye  should  have  known  my 
Father  also.  The  same  sijiritual  light  and  dark- 
ness would  suffice  to  reveal  to  the  mind,  or  to 
hide  from  it,  at  once  the  Father  and  the  Son,  the 
Sender  and  the  Sent. 

20.  These  words  spake  Jesus  in  the  treasury— 
a  division,  so  called,  of  the  forecourt  of  the  temple, 
part  of  the  court  of  the  women  {Joseph.  Autt.  xix. 
6.  2,  &c.),  which  may  confirm  the  genuineness  of 
vt\  2,  11,  as  the  place  where  the  woman  was 
brought,  as  he  taught  in  the  temple:  and  no 
man  laid  hands  on  him ;  for  his  hour  was  not  yet 
come.  See  on  ch.  vii.  30.  In  the  dialogue  that 
follows,  the  conflict  waxes  shaiper  on  both  sides. 

21,  Then  said  Jesus  again  unto  them,  I  go 
my  way,  and  ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  die  in 
your  sins  [iv  tti  d/ntpTia  ii/j.wu]—it  should  be  '  in  your 
sin  : '  whither"  I  go,  ye  cannot  come,  22,  Then 
said  the  Jews,  Will  he  kUl  himself?  because  he 
saith,  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come.  They  evi- 
dently saw  something  more  in  His  words  than 
when  He  spake  thus  before  (ch.  vii.  33-36);  but 
theii"  question  now  is  more  malignant  and  scorn- 
ful. 23.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  are  from 
beneath ;  I  am  from  above :  ye  are  of  this  world ; 
I  am  not  of  this  world.  He  contrasts  Himself 
here,  not  as  in  ch.  iii.  31,  simply  with  earth-born 
messengers  of  God,  but  with  men  spriaig  from  and 
breathing_  an  opposite  element  from  His,  which  ren- 
dered it  impossible  that  He  and  they  should  have 
any  i^resent  fellowshi]),  or  dwell  eternally  together. 
See  again  on  ch.  vii.  34,  and  on  v.  44,  below.  24. 
I  said  therefore  unto  you,  that  ye  shall  die  in 
your  sins :  for  if  ye  believe  not  that  I  am  [he]  [un 
eyo)  €i>i],  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins.  "That  I  am 
[He]."  Compare  Mark  xiii.  6,  Grcel;  and  Matt. 
xxiv.  5.  They  knew  well  enough  what  He  meant. 
But  He  would  not,  by  speaking  it  out,  give  them 
the  materials  for  a  charge  for  which  they  were 
watching.  At  the  same  time,  one  is  irresistibly 
reminded  by  such  language,  so  far  transcending 
what  is  becoming  in  men,  of  those  ancient  declar- 
ations of  the  God  of  Israel,  "I  am  He,"  &c. 
(Deut,  xxxii,  39 ;  Isa.  xliil  10,  13 ;  xlvi.  4 ; 
xlviii,  12.)  See  on  Mark  vi.  50.  25.  Then  said 
they  unto  him,  Who  art  thou? — hoping  thus  to 
extort  an   explicit  answer;  but  they  ai-e  disaj)- 


Jesus  promiseth  freedom 


JOHN  VIII. 


to  those  who  believe. 


saith  unto  them,  Even  the  same  that  I  said  unto  you  from  the  beginning. 

26  I  have  many  things  to  say  and  to  judge  of  you :  but  "he  that  sent  me 
is  true;  and  I  ^ speak  to  the  world  those  things  which  I  have  heard  of 

27  him.     They  understood  not  that  he  spake  to  them  of  the  Father. 

28  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them,  When  ye  have  '"lifted  up  the  Son  of  man, 
^then  shall  ye  know  that  I  am  he,  and  ^that  I  do  nothing  of  mj'-self ; 

29  but  ^as  my  Father  hath  taught  me,  I  speak  these  things.  And  "he 
that  sent  me  is  with  me :  the  Father  hath  not  left  me  alone ;  ''for  I  do 
always  those  things  that  please  him. 

30,      As  he  spake  these  words  many  believed  on  him.     Then  said  Jesus  to 

31  those  Jews  which  believed  on  him.   If  ye  continue  in  my  word,  the7i 

32  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed;  and  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  *the 
truth  shall  make  you  free. 

33  They  answered  him,  '^We  be  Abraham's  seed,  and  were  never  in 
bondage  to  any  man :  how  sayest  thou.  Ye  shall  be  made  free  ? 

34-      Jesus  answei'ed  them.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  *Wliosoever  com- 


A.  D.  32. 


"  ch.  7.  28. 
"  ch  3.  32. 

ch.  15.  15. 
""  ch.  3.  14. 

ch.  12.  32. 
'=  Eom.  1.  4. 

*'  ch.  5.  19,  30. 
*  ch.  3.  11 
"  ch.  14.  10. 

ch.  16.  32. 
''  ch.  4.  34. 

ch.  6.  38. 

"  Eom.  6.  14, 

18,  22. 

Eom.  8.  2. 

Jas  1.  25. 

Jas.  2.  12. 
ft  Lev.  25.  42. 

Matt.  3.  9. 
'  2  Pet.  2.  19. 


pointed.  And  Jesus  saith  —  'said'  [elTrev]  unto 
them,  Even  the  same  that  I  said  unto  you  from 
the  beginning  [Tjju  apxh"  o  tl  koI  kaXSi  v/nZn], 
This  clause  is  in  the  original  somewhat  obscure, 
and  has  been  variously  rendered  and  much  dis- 
cussed. But  the  sense  given  in  our  version  seems 
the  true  one,  and  has  on  the  whole  the  best  sup- 
port. 28.  I  have  many  things  to  say  and  to 
judge  of  you :  hut  he  that  sent  me  is  true ;  and 
I  speak  to  the  world  those  things  which  I  have 
heard  of  him:— (7.  d.,  'I  could,  and  at  the  fit- 
ting time  will  say  and  judge  many  things  of  you 
(referring  ]ierhaps  to  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  which 
is  for  judgment  as  well  as  salvation,  ch.  xvi.  8), 
but  what  i  do  say  is  iust  the  me'bsage  My  Father 
hath  given  Me  to  deliver.'  27.  They  understood 
not  that  he  spake  to  them  of  the  Father. 

28.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them,  When  ye  have 
lifted  up  the  Son  of  man— the  plainest  iatimation 
He  had  yet  given  inpu'ilk  of  the  manner  and  the  au- 
thors of  His  death,  then  shall  ye  know  that  I  am 
fhe],  and  that  I  do  nothing  of  myself;  but  as  my 
Father  hath  taught  me— or,  '  as  my  Father  taught 
Me'  [eSi^agei/]  I  speak  these  things — that  is,  they 
should  find  out,  or  have  sufficient  evidence,  how 
true  was  all  He  said,  though  they  would  be  far 
from  owning  it.  29.  And  he  that  sent  me  is  with 
me :  the  Father  hath  not  left  me  alone ;  for  I  do 
always  those  things  that  please  him  [xa  apeoTo. 
avTw] — '  the  things  that  are  pleasing  to  Him: ' — q.  d. , 
•  To  you,  who  gnash  wjton  Me  with  your  teeth,  and 
frown  down  all  open  appearance  for  Me,  I  seem  to 
stand  uncountenanced  and  alone ;  but  I  have  a 
sympathy  and  support  transcending  all  human 
applause ;  I  came  hither  to  do  My  Father's  will, 
and  in  the  doing  of  it  have  not  ceased  to  please 
Him ;  therefore  is  He  ever  by  Me  with  His  ap- 
proving smile.  His  cheering  words,  His  supporting 
arm.' 

30.  As  he  spake  these  words  many  believed 
on  him.  Instead  of  wondering  at  this,  the  won- 
der would  \ye  if  words  of  such  unearthly,  sur- 
passing grandeur  could  be  uttered  without  cap- 
tivating some  that  heard  them.  And  just  as  "all 
that  sat  in  the  council"  to  try  Stephen  "saw  his 
face" — though  expecting  nothin*  but  death— "as 
it  had  been  the  face  of  an  angel  '  (Acts  vi.  15),  so 
may  we  suppose  that,  full  of  the  sweet  supporting 
eense  of  His  Father's  presence,  amidst  the  rage  and 
scorn  of  the  rulers,  a  divine  benignity  beamed  from 
His  countenance,  irradiated  the  words  that  fell 
from  Him,  and  won  over  the  candid  "many"  of 
His  audience.  31.  Then  said  Jesus  to  those  Jews 
which  believed  on  him,  If  ye  continue  in  ray  word, 
403 


then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed ;  32.  And  ye  shall 
know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you 
free.  The  impression  ijroduced  by  the  last  words 
of  our  Lord  may  have  become  visible  by  some 
decisive  movement,  and  here  He  takes  advantage 
of  it  to  press  on  them  ''''continuance"  in  the  faith, 
since  then  only  were  they  "His  real  disciples" 
(compare  ch.  xv.  3-8),  and  then  should  they  ex- 
perimentallij  "  know  the  truth,"  and  "  by  the  truth 
be  made  spiritually  free." 

The  Hostile  Part  of  His  Audience  here  Breaking  in 
upon  the  Words  of  Encouragement  addressed  to  the 
Believing  Portion,  Jesus  again  addresses  Himself  to 
them,  and  in  a  yet  higher  strain  of  Solemn  Testimony 
(33-53).  33.  They  answered  him.  We  be  Abraham's 
seed,  and  were  never  in  bondage  to  any  man: 
how  sayest  thou,  Ye  shall  be  made  free?  Who 
said  this?  Not  surely  the  very  class  just  spoken 
of  as  won  over  bv  His  divine  words,  and  exhorted 
to  continue  in  them.  Most  interpreters  seem  to 
think  so;  but  it  is  hard  to  ascribe  such  a  petulant 
speech  to  newly  gained  disciples,  even  in  the  lowest 
sense,  much  less  persons  so  gained  as  they  were. 
It  carne,  probably,  from  persons  mixed  up  with 
them  in  the  same  part  of  the  crowd,  but  of  a  very 
different  spirit.  The  2^^''>-d6  of  the  Jewish  nation, 
even  now,  after  centuries  of  humiliation,  is  the 
most  striking  feature  of  their  character.  '  Talk  of 
freedom  to  us  ?  Pray,  when  or  to  whom  were  we 
ever  in  bondage?'  This  bluster  sounds  almost 
ludicrous  from  such  a  nation.  Had  they  forgotten 
their  long  and  bitter  bondage  in  Egypt?  their 
dreary  cai>tivity  in  Babylon  ?  their  present  bond- 
age to  the  Roman  yoke,  and  their  restless  eagerness 
to  throw  it  off?  But  probably  they  saw  that  our 
Lord  pointed  to  something  else — freedom,  perhaps, 
frorn  the  leaders  of  sects  or  parties — and  were  not 
willing  to  allow  their  subjection  even  to  these. 
Our  Lord,  therefore,  though  He  knew  what  slaves 
they  were  even  in  this  sense,  drives  the  plough- 
share somewhat  deeper  than  this,  to  a  bondage 
they  little  dreamt  of. 

34.  Jesus  answered  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  Whosoever-^or  'Every  one  that'  {-n-di  b] 
committeth  sin— that  is  to  say,  '4iveth  in  the  com- 
mission of  it '  (compare  1  John  iii.  8 ;  Matt.  vii.  23), 
is  the  servant  of  sin— the  bond-servant,  or  slave  of 
it ;  for  the  question  is  not  about  free-service,  but 
Who  are  in  bondage?  (Compare  2  Pet.  ii.  19; 
Rom.  vi.  16).  The  great  truth  liere  exj^ressed  was 
not  unknown  to  heathen  moralists ;  but  it  was 
applied  only  to  vice,  for  they  were  total  strangers  to 
what  in  Revealed  Religion  is  called  sin.  But  the 
thought  of  slaves  and  freemen  in  the  house  suggests 


Jesus  ansicereth  the  Jews 


JOHN  VIII. 


iclio  boasted  of  Abraham. 


35  mitteth  sin  is  the  servant  of  sin.     And  -^the  servant  abideth  not  in  the 

36  house  for  ever:  but  the  Son  abideth  ever.  If  ^the  Son  therefore  shall 
make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed. 

37  I  know  that  ye  are  Abraham's  seed;   but  ye  ^seek  to  kill  me,  be- 

38  cause  my  word  hath  no  place  in  you.  I  speak  that  which  I  have 
seen  with  my  Father;  and  ye  do  that  which  ye  have  seen  with  your 

39  father.  They  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Abraham  Ms  our  father. 
Jesus  saith  unto   them,  ^  If  ye  were  Abraham's  children,  ye  would  do 

40  the  works  of  Abraham.  But  now  ye  seek  to  kill  me,  a  man  that  hath 
told  you  the  truth,  which  I  have  heard  of  God :  this  did  not  Abraham. 

41  Ye  do  the  deeds  of  your  father.     Then  said  they  to  him,  We  be  not 

42  born  of  fornication;  *we  have  one  Father,  even  God.  Jesus  said 
unto  them,  ^If  God  were  your  Father,  ye  would  love  me:  '"for  I  pro- 
ceeded forth  and  came   from  God;  '^neither  came  I  of  myself,  but  he 

43  sent  me.     Wliy  °do  ye  not  understand  my  speech?   even  because  ye 

44  cannot  hear  my  word.  Ye  ^are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and  the 
lusts  of  your  father  ye  will  do.  He  was  a  murderer  from  the  beginning, 
and  ^  abode  not  in  the  tnith,  because  there  is  no  truth  in  him.     Wlien  he 


A.  D.  S2. 

/  GaL  4.  30. 
»  Isa  49.  24. 

Rom.  8.  2. 

2  Cor.  3. 17. 

GaL  5. 1. 

Eev.  1  5. 

Eev.2. 7, 10. 

Eev.  5.  9. 
''  ch.  7.  19. 

*  Matt.  3  9. 
J  Eom.  2.  23. 

Eom.  9.  7. 
Gal.  3.  7,29. 

*  Isa.  63.  16. 
Isa.  61.  8. 
]\ial.  1.  6. 

'  lJohn4.19. 
"'  ch.  1.  14. 
ch.  3.  16. 

"  ch.  5.  43. 
"  ch.  7.  17. 
P  Matt.  13. 38. 
9  Gen.  3  1. 


to  our  Lord  a  wider  idea.  35.  And  the  servant— 
or,  '  Now  the  [bond-]servant '  abideth  not  in  the 
house  for  ever:  [hut]  the  Son  abideth  ever.  36. 
If  the  Son  therefore  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall 
be  free  indeed.  A  very  glorious  statement,  the 
sense  of  which  may  be  thus  expressed:  'And  if 
your  connection  with  the  family  of  God  be  that  of 
BOND-SERVANTS,  ye  have  no  natural  tie  to  the 
house ;  your  tie  is  essentially  uncertain  and  pre- 
carious. But  THE  Son's  relationship  to  the  Father 
is  a  natural  and  essential  one ;  it  is  an  indefeasible 
tie;  His  abode  in  it  is  perpetual  audi  of  right:  That 
is  My  relationship,  My  tie :  If,  then,  ye  would  have 
your  connection  with  God's  family  made  real, 
rightful,  permanent,  ye  must  by  the  Son  be  mami- 
mitted  and  adopted  as  sons  and  daughters  of  the 
Lord  Almighty.'  In  this  sublime  statement  there 
is  no  doubt  a  subordinate  allusion  to  Gen.  xxi.  10, 
"  Cast  out  this  bond- woman  and  her  son,  for  the 
son  of  this  bond-woman  shall  not  be  heir  with  my 
son,  with  Isaac."     (Compare  Gal.  iv.  22-30). 

37.  I  know  that  ye  axe  Abraham's  seed;  but  ye 
seek  to  kill  me.  He  had  said  this  to  their  face  be- 
fore ;  He  now  repeats  it,  and  they  do  not  deny  it ; 
yet  are  they  held  back,  as  by  some  marvellous  spell 
— it  was  the  awe  which  His  combined  dignity,  cour- 
age, and  benignity  struck  into  them,  because  my 
word  hath  no  place  in  you  [oO  x'^P^'  ^"  I'^uTi'l  — 
'  finds  no  entrance'  or  ' room  in  you.'  When  did 
ever  human  prophet  so  speak  of  his  words?  They 
tell  us  of  "the  word  of  the  Lord"  coming  to  them. 
But  here  is  One  who  holds  up  "  His  word"  as  that 
which  ought  to  find  entrance  and  abiding  room  for 
itself  in  the  souls  of  all  who  hear  it.  38.  I  speak 
that  which  I  have  seen  with  my  Father ;  and  ye 
do  that  which  ye  have  seen  with  your  father. 
See  on  v.  23.  39.  They  answered  and  said  unto 
him,  Abraham  is  our  father.  Jesus  saith  unto 
them,  If  ye  were  Abraham's  children,  ye  would 
do  the  works  of  Abraham.  He  had  just  said  He 
"knew  they  were  Abraham's  children"— that  is, 
according  to  the  flesh;  but  the  children  of  his  faith 
and  holiness  they  were  not,  but  the  reverse.  40. 
But  now  ye  seek  to  kill  me,  a  man  that  hath  told 
you  the  truth,  which  I  have  heard— or  'which 
I  heard '  [»j/cou(7a]  of  God:  this  did  not  Abraham. 
In  so  doing  ye  act  in  direct  opposition  to  him.  41. 
Ye  do  the  deeds  of  your  father.  Then  said  they 
to  him,  We  be  not  bom  of  fornication ;  we  have 
one  father  [even]  God.  The  meaning  is,  they 
were  not  an  illegitimate  race  in  point  of  religion, 
pretending  only  to  be  God's  people,  but  were 
4ft4 


descended  from  His  own  chosen  Abraham.  42. 
Jesus  said  unto  them,  If  God  were  your  Father, 
ye  would  love  me:  for  I  proceeded  forth  and 
came  —  or  'am  come'  \}ikw~\  from  God;  neither 
came  I  of  myself,  but  he  sent  me.  43.  Why  do  ye 
not  understand  my  speech?  even  because  ye 
cannot  hear  my  word :— g.  d. ,  '  If  ye  had  anything 
of  His  moral  image,  as  children  have  their  father's 
likeness,  ye  would  love  Me,  for  I  am  immediately 
of  Him  and  directly  from  Him.  But  "My  speech" 
(meaning  His  peculiar  style  of  expressing  Him- 
self on  these  subjects)  'is  unintelligible  to  you' 
because  ye  cannot  take  in  the  ti-uth  which  it  con- 
veys.' 

44.  Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil.  This,  as 
Afford  remarks,  is  one  of  the  most  decisive  tes- 
timonies to  the  objective  personality  of  the  devil. 
It  is  quite  impossible  to  suppose  an  accommodation 
to  Jewish  views,  or  a  metajAiorical  form  of  speech, 
in  so  solemn  an  assertion  as  this,  and  the  lusts  of 
your  father — his  impure,  malignant,  ungodly  jiro- 
pensities,  inclinations,  desires,  ye  will  do  [yeXcTe 
TToieTi/]— or  '  are  willing  to  do,'  that  is,  '  willingly 
do;"  not  of  any  blind  necessity  of  nature,  but  of 
pure  natural  inclination.  He  was  a  murderer 
from  the  beginning.  The  reference  here  is  not  to 
the  murderous  spirit  which  he  kindled  in  Cain 
(as  Lmke,  de  Wette,  Thohtck,  Alford,  Webster  and 
]Vill-inson),  which  yields  l)ut  a  tame  and  very 
limited  sense,  but  to  that  which  he  did  to  Man  in 
the  person  of  Adam.  So  the  majority  of  ancient 
and  modern  interpreters,  including  Grotius,  Calvin, 
Meyer,  Luthardt.  The  death  of  the  human  race, 
in  its  widest  sense,  is  ascribed  to  the  murder- 
ous seducer  of  our  race,  and  abode  not  in  the 
truth.  Since  the  word  [eo-T-rj/fei/]  jDroperly  means 
'  abideth,'  it  has  been,  by  Liicke  and  others, 
denied  that  the  fall  of  Satan  from  a  former  holy 
state  is  here  expressed;  and  some  superior  interpre- 
teis,  as  Olshausen,  think  this  only  implied.  But 
though  the  form  of  the  thought  is  present — not 
past — this  is  to  express  the  important  idea,  that 
his  whole  character  and  activity  are  just  a  con- 
tinual aberration  from  his  oion  original  truth  or 
rectitude;  and  thus  his  fall  is  not  only  the  implied 
basis  of  the  thought,  but  part  of  the  statement  itself, 
properly  interpreted  and  brought  out.  because 
there  is  no  truth  in  him — because  he  is  void  of 
all  that  holy,  transparent  rectitude  which,  as 
God's  creature,  he  originally  possessed.  When  he 
speaketh  a  lie,  he  speaketh  of  his  own  [ek  twu 
iSiwv}.     As  the  word  here  is  plural,  perhaps  the 


Jesus  answeretJi  their 


JOHN  VIII. 


reviling  by  showing  his  dignity. 


speaketh  a  lie,  lie  speaketh  of  his  own:    for   he   is   a    liar,   and  the 

45  father  of  it.      And  because  I  teU  you  the  truth,  ye  believe  me  not. 

46  Which  of  you  convinceth  me  of  sin  ?    And  if  I  say  the  truth,  why  do 

47  ye  not  believe  me?     He  ''that  is  of  God  heareth  God's  words :  ye  therefore 

48  hear  them  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  God.  Then  answered  the  Jews,  and 
said  unto  him.  Say  we  not  well  that  thou  aii;  a  Samaritan,  and  hast  a 
devil? 

49  Jesus  answered,  I  have  not  a  devil ;  but  I  honour  my  Father,  and  ye 

50  do  dishonour  me.     And  *I  seek  not  mine  own  glory:   there  is  one  that 

51  seeketh  and  judgetli.     Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  'If  a  man  keep 

52  my  saying,  he  shall  never  see  death.  Then  said  the  Jews  unto  him,  Now 
we  know  that  thou  hast  a  devil.  "Abraham  is  dead,  and  the  prophets ; 
and  thou  sayest.  If  a  man  keep  my  saying,  he  shall  never  taste  of  death. 

53  Art  thou  greater  thaii  our  father  Abraham,  which  is  dead?  and  the 
prophets  are  dead :  whom  makest  thou  thyself? 


A.  D.  32. 

"■  ch.  1.  12,13. 
ch.  6.  45,46, 
65. 
ch.lO.  2G,27. 
eh.  ir.  6,  8. 
lJohn3.iO. 
1  John  4.  6. 

1  John  5. 1. 

2  John  9. 

3  John  11. 

'  ch.  3. 15, 16. 

ch.  6.  41. 

ch.  6.  50. 

ch.  7.  18. 

ch.  15.  20. 
«  ch.  5.  24. 

ch.  11.  28. 
"  Zee.  1.  5. 

Heb.  11. 13. 


meaning  is,  as  Alford  expresses  it,  'of  his  own 
resources,'  his  own  treasures  (Matt,  xii,  35).  It 
means  that  he  has  no,  temptation  to,  it  frcmi  with- 
out; it  is  purely  seLf-h^olien,  spyiuging  from  a 
nature  which  is  nothing  but  obliquity,  for  lie  is 
a  liax,  and  the  father  of  it— that  is,  of  lying  itself : 
all  the  falsehood  in  the  world  owes  its  existence  to 
hinx,  What  a  verse  is  this !  It  holds  up  the  devil, 
first,  as  the  murderer  of  the  human  race ;  but  as 
this  is  meaut  here  in  the  more  profound  sense  of 
spiritual  death,  it  holds  him  ui3,  next,  as  the 
parent  of  this  fallen  human  family,  communicating 
to  his  offspring  his  own  evil  passions  and  universal 
obliquity,  and  stimulating  these  into  active  exer- 
cise, Biit  as  there  is  '*a  Stronger  than  he,"  who 
comes  upon  him  and  overcomes  him  (Luke  xi, 
21-22),  it  is  only  such  as  "love  the  darkness"  who 
are  addressed  as  children  of  the  devil  (Matt.  xiii. 
38;  1  John  iiL  8-10).  45.  And— or  rather,  'But' 
because  I  tell  you  the  tyuth,  ye  believe  me  not— 
not  although  He  told  it  them,  but  because  He  did 
so,  and  for  the  reason  given  in  the  former  verse. 
Had  He  been  fess  true,  they  would  have  hailed 
Him  the  more  readily. 

46.  Which  of  you  convinceth  [tXeyx^O— rather, 
'convicteth'  me  of  sin?  —  or  can  bring  home 
against  Me  a  charge  of  sin?  [And]  if  I  say  the 
truth — the  "and"  appears  not  to  belong  to  the 
genuine  text,  why  do  ye  not  believe  me  ?  Glorious 
dilemma !  '  Convict  me  of  sin,  and  reject  me : 
But  if  ye  cannot,  why  stand  ye  out  against  My 
claims  ?  Of  course  they  could  only  be  supposed 
to  impeach  His  life;  but  iu  one  who  had  akeady 
passed  through  unparalleled  complications,  and 
had  continually  to  deal  with  friends  and  foes  of 
every  sort  and  degree,  such  a  challenge,  thrown 
wide  amongst  His  bitterest  enemies,  can  amount 
to  nothing  short  of  a  claim  to  ahsolute  sijilessness. 
47.  He  that  is  of  God  heareth  God's  words :  ye 
therefore  [Sta  touto}  —  or  '  foir  this  reason,'  hear 
them  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  God.  How  often 
and  how  sharply  does  our  Lord  in  this  Discourse 
draw  the  line  of  awful  separation  between  those 
that  are  and  those  that  are  not  "of  God!"  The 
hostile  part  of  His  audience  were  stung  to  the 
quick  by  it.  48.  Then  answered  the  Jews,  and 
said  unto  him,  Say  we  not  well  that  thou  art  a 
Samaritan,  and  hast  a  devil  ?  What  intense  and 
virulent  scorn!  (See  Heb.  xii.  3.)  The  "say  we 
not  well"  is  a  reference  to  their  former  charge, 
"Thou  hast  a  devil,"  ch.  vii.  20.  "Samaritan" 
here  means  more  than  'no  Israelite  at  all:'  it 
means  one  who  pretended,  hut  had  no  Tnanner  of 
claim  to  connection  with  Abraham  —  retorting, 
perhaps,  His  denial  of  their  true  descent  from 
^5 


the  father  of  the  faithful.     49.  Jesus  answered, 
I  have  not  a  devil.    What  calm  dignity  is  here ! 
Verily,  "^heu   reviled,   He  reviled    not  again" 
(1  Pet.  ii.  2S).    Compare  Paul  before  Festus,  "  I 
am  not  mad,  most  noble  Festus"  (Acts  xxvi.  25). 
Our  Lord  adds  not,  '  Nor  am  I  a  Samaritan,'  that 
He  might  not  even  seem  to  partake  of  their  con- 
tempt for  a  race  that  had  already  welcomed  Him 
as  the  Christ,  and  begun  to  be  blessed  by  Him. 
but  I  honour  my  Father,  and  ye  do  dishonour  me. 
This  is  the  language  of  wounded  feeling.     But  the 
interior  of  His  soul  at  such  moments  is  only  to  be 
seen  in  such  prophetic  utterances  as  these,  "For 
thy  sake    I   nave   borne  reproach:    shame  hath 
covered  my  face :  I  am  become  a  stranger  unto  my 
brethren,  an    alien   unto  my  mother's   childi-en. 
For  the  zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up,  and 
the  reproaches  of  them  that  reproached  thee  are 
fallen  upon  me"  (Ps.  Ixix.  7-9).    60.  And— or,  '  But' 
I  seek  not  mine  own  glory:  there  is  one  that 
seeketh  and  judgeth.    There  should  be  a  suimle- 
ment  here :  '  There  is  one  that  seeketh  [it] j  tliat 
is,  '  that  seeketh  My  glory  and  judgeth ' — Who  re- 
quireth  "all  men  to  honour  the  Son  even  as  they 
honour  the  Father ;"  Who  will  judicially  treat  him 
"  who  honoureth  not    the  Son  as  honouring  not 
the  Father  that  hath  sent  Him"  (ch,  v.  23,  and 
compare  Matt.  x\ai.  5);  but  Who  will  yet  give  to 
Hirn  (see  ch.  vi.  37)  those  who  will  one  dav  cast 
their  crowns  before  His  throne,  in  whom  He  '''shall 
see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul,  and  be  satisfied" 
(Isa.  liii.  11).    51.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
If  a  man  keep  my  sasring,  he  shall  never  see 
death : — thus  vindicating  His  lofty  claims,  as  Lord 
of  the  kingdom  of  life  everlasting,   and,  at  the 
same  time,  holding  out  even  to  His  revilers  the 
sceptre  of  grace.     The  word  "  keep"  [rj/prjo-?;]  is 
in  harmony  with  His  former  saying  to  those  who 
believed  in  Him,  "If  ye   continue  in  my  word," 
expressing  the  permanency,  as  a  living  and  para- 
mount principle,  of  that  faith  to  which  He  referred. 
This    promise — "he    shall    never   see    death" — 
though  expressed  before  (ch.  v.  24;  vi.  40,  47,  51), 
is  the  strongest  and  most  naked  statement  yet 
given  of  a  very  glorious  truth.     In  ch.  xi.  26  it  ia 
repeated  in  nearly  identical  terms,     52.  Then  said 
the  Jews  unto  him,  Now  we  know  that  thou  hast 
a  devil.    Abraham  is  dead— or  ''  died'  [airiQavev], 
and  the  prophets;  and  thou   sayest,  If  a  man 
keep  my  sajdng,  he  shall  never  taste  of  death. 
53.  Art  thou  greatei:  than  our  father  Abraham, 
which  is  dead?— or  '  died,'  and  the  prophets  are 
dead  — or  'died:'  whom  makest  thou  thyself? 
'Thou  art  now  self -convicted ;  only  a  demoniac 
could  speak  so^  the  most  illustrious  of  our  fathers 


Jesus  conveyeth  Himself 


JOHN  VIII. 


away  from  their  cruelty. 


54  Jesus  answered.  If  I  honour  myself,  my  honour  is  nothing:  ^it  is  my 

55  Father  that  honoureth  me ;  of  whom  ye  say,  that  he  is  your  God :  yet 
"■ye  have  not  known  him;  but  I  know  him:  and  if  I  should  say,  I  know 
him  not,  I  shall  be  a  liar  like  unto  you :  but  I  know  him,  and  keep  his 

56  saying.     Your  father  Abraham  ^rejoiced  to  see  my  day;  ^and  he  saw  it, 

57  and  was  glad.  Then  said  the  Jews  unto  him.  Thou  art  not  yet  fifty 
years  old,  and  hast  thou  seen  Abraham  ? 

58  Jesus  said  unto  them.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Before  Abraham 

59  was,  ^I  am.  Then  took  they  up  stones  to  cast  at  him :  but  Jesus  hid 
himself,  and  went  out  of  the  temple,  going  through  the  midst  of  them, 
and  so  passed  by. 


A.  r>.  32. 


"  ch.  16.  14. 

ch.  17.  1. 

Acts  3.  13. 
"  ch.  7.  28. 

*  Gen.  22.  18. 
Luke  10.24. 
Gal.  3.  8,  IB. 

y  Heb.  11.13. 

*  Ex.  3.  14. 
Isa.  9.  6. 
Isa.  43.  13. 
Mic.  5.  2. 
CoL  1.  17. 


are  dead,  and  thou  promisest  exemption  from 
death  to  any  one  who  will  keep  thy  saying  !  pray, 
who  art  thou?' 

llie  Climax  (54-59).  54.  Jesus  answered,  If  I 
honour  myself,  my  honour  is  nothing :  it  is  my 
Father  that  honoureth  me;  of  whom  ye  say,  that 
he  is  your  God  :  55.  Yet  ye  have  not  known  him ; 
tout  I  know  him :  and  if  I  should  say,  I  know  him 
not,  I  shall  be  a  liar  like  unto  you :  tout  I  know 
him,  and  keep  his  saying  \\6yov\  —  ov  'word.' 
Our  Lord  now  rises  to  the  summit  of  holy,  naked 
severity,  thereby  to  draw  this  long  dialogue  to  a 
head.  56.  Your  father  Atoraham  rejoiced  to  see  my 
day  [7;yaA.\ca(raTo  'iva  t6?;l — 'exulted,' or  'exceed- 
ingly rejoiced  that  he  should  see;'  that  is,  exulted  to 
see  it  hy  anticipation;  and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad 
—he  actually  beheld  it  to  his  joy.  If  this  mean  no 
more  than  that  he  had  a  prophetic  foresight  of  the 
Gospel-day — the  second  clause  just  repeating  the 
first — how  could  the  Jews  understand  our  Lord  to 
mean  that  He  "had  seen  Abraham?"  And  if  it 
mean  that  Abraham  was  then  heholdincf,  in  his  dis- 
embodied spirit,  the  incarnate  Messiah,  as  Stier, 
Tholuck,  Aiford,  &c.,  understand  it,  the  words 
seem  very  unsuitable  to  express  it.  Plainly  it 
speaks  of  something  past — he  saw  my  day,  and 
was  glad— that  is,  surely,  while  he  lived.  We  un- 
derstand it  therefore  to  refer  to  the  familiar  inter- 
course which  Abraham  had  with  that  "Angel  of 
the  Lord"  who  in  the  Histoiy  is  repeatedly  styled 
"The  Lord"  or  /e/ioiaA— the  Angel  of  the  cove- 
nant, with  whom  Christ  here  identifies  Himself. 
On  those  occasions,  says  our  Lord,  Abraham  "saw 
Me."  Such  is  the  view  of  Olshausen;  but  we 
need  not  suppose  it,  with  him,  to  refer  to  some 
unrecorded  scene.  Taking  the  words  in  this 
sense,  all  that  follows  will,  we  think,  be  quite 
natural.  57.  Then  said  the  Jews  unto  him.  Thou 
art  not  yet  fifty  years  old.  No  inference,  as 
A  Iford  properly  says,  can  be  drawn  from  this  as 
to  our  Lord  s  age  as  man  at  that  time.  Fifty  years 
was,  with  the  Jews,  the  term  of  ripe  manhood, 
and  at  that  age  the  Levites  ceased  to  officiate. 
and  hast  thou  seen  Atoraham  ?  He  had  not  said 
He  saw  Abraham,  but  that  Abraham  saw  Him, 
as  being  Abraham's  peculiar  privilege.  They, 
however,  give  the  opposite  turn  to  it— 'Hast  thou 
seen  Abraham?"— as  an  honour  which  it  was  insuf- 
ferable for  him  to  pretend  to. 

58.  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you.  Before  Atoraham  was  {-n-piv  'A^paa/x 
•yei/eo-Cai] — '  Before  Abraham  came  into  existence' 
I  am  {kyiji  ei/^i].  The  difference  between  the  two 
verbs  applied  to  Abraham  and  Himself,  in  this 
great  saying,  is  to  be  carefully  observed.  '  Before 
Abraham  was  brought  into  leing,  I  exist.  The 
statement,  therefore,  is  not  that  Christ  came  into 
existence  before  Abraham  did — as  Arians  affirm  is 
the  meaning:  it  is  that  he  never  came  into  being  at 
all,  but  existed  before  Abraham  had  a  being;  which, 
of  course,  was  as  much  as  to  say  that  He  existed 
40(i 


before  all  creation,  or  from  eternity,  as  in  ch.  i.  1, 
In  that  sense,  beyond  all  doubt,  the  Jews  under- 
stood Him,  as  will  appear  from  what  follows.  59. 
Then  took  they  up  stones  to  cast  at  him — pre- 
cisely as  they  did  on  a  former  occasion  when  they 
saw  that  He  was  making  Himself  equal  with  God, 
ch.  V.  18.  tout  Jesus  hid  himself,  and  went  out 
of  the  temple,  [going  through  the  midst  of  them, 
and  so  passed  toy].  See  on  Luke  iv.  30.  [These 
bracketed  words — SieX6wi>  Sid  jxetrov  avTwv  koI 
TrapP/yev  oi/Tws — are  excluded  from  the  text,  as  spu- 
rious, hy  Lachmann,  Tischendorf,  Tregelles,  Alfwd ; 
while  Meyer,  de  Wette,  Ebrard,  and  nearly  all 
recent  critics,  concur  in  that  judgment.  Olshausen 
says  it  is  undoubtedly  spurious ;  even  Stier  sus- 
pects it ;  only  Liicke  speaks  doubtfully.  Yet  how 
stands  the  evidence?  B  wants  it;  but  A  has  it: 
D  wants  it;  \>\\t  cdl  the  other  Uncial  MSS. — some 
of  them  of  the  greatest  value — contain  it,  as  well  as 
the  best  Cursive  MSS.  The  Old  Latin  and  the 
Vulgate  want  it — early  and  weighty  evidence,  no 
doubt ;  but  evidence  about  as  early  and  weighty, 
that  of  both  the  principal  Syriac  versions,  is  in  its 
favour.  One  of  the  ancient  Egyptian  versions, 
the  Thebaic,  wants  it;  but  the  other,  the  Mem- 
l^hitic,  has  it.  With  these  facts  before  us,  we  must 
regard  the  unhesitating  rejection  of  this  clause  as 
quite  unwarrantable ;  and  whereas  it  is  said  to  be 
an  unauthorized  rei^etition  of  Luke  iv.  30,  the 
words  are  not  quite  the  same,  nor  is  there  any- 
thing improbable  in  our  Lord,  when  precisely  the 
same  in  circumstances  of  danger  as  then,  escaping 
their  grasp  in  the  very  same  way.  We  certainly 
think  that  the  clause  should  be  bracketed,  as  the 
evidence  against  it  is  undoubtedly  strong;  but 
more  than  this,  in  our  judgment,  it  \\i\\  not 
warrant.] 

Bemarks. — 1.  What  a  lurid  brightness  invests 
the  scene  of  this  long  Discourse — the  majesty  of 
the  one  party  and  the  malignity  of  the  other  com- 
bining to  give  it  this  aspect ;  while  the  welcome 
which  the  words  of  grace  found  in  the  breasts  of 
"  many,"  and  the  encouraging  words  addressed  to 
them,  threw  for  the  moment  a  heavenly  radiance 
over  the  scene,  though  only  to  be  overcast  again  ! 
Who  could  have  written  this,  if  it  had  not  been 
matter  of  actual  occurrence?  And  who  but  an 
eye-witness  could  have  thrown  in  such  details  as 
these?  And  what  eye-witness  even  could  have 
penned  it  as  it  is  here  penned,  save  under  the  ever- 
present  guidance  of  Him  Whom  Jesus  promised 
that  the  Father  should  send  in  His  name,  Who 
should  "teach  them  all  things,  and  bring  all  things 
to  their  remembrance  whatsoever  He  spake  unto 
them?"  (ch.  xiv.  26).  2.  Who  can  believe  that 
One  whose  jealousy  for  His  Father's  honour  even 
"consumed"  Him,  should  have  exposed  Himself 
once  and  again  to  the  imminent  risk  of  being 
stoned  to  death  for  "  making  Himself  equal  with 
God,"  if  He  was  not  so,  and  never  meant  to  teach 
that  He  was  so;  when— either  by  avoiding  those 


Jesus  openeth  the  eyes  of 


JOHN  IX. 


a  beggar  horn  blind. 


9      AND  as  Jesus  passed  by,  he  saw  a  man  which  was  blind  from  Ms 

2  birth.     And  his  dfsciijles  asked  him,  saying,  Master,  who  did  "sin,  this 

3  man,  or  his  parents,  that  he  was  born  bhnd ?  Jesus  answered,  Neither 
hath  this  man  sinned,  nor  his  parents:  ^but  that  the  works  of  God  should 

4  be  made  manifest  in  him.     I  '^must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me, 

5  while  it  is  day :  the  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can  work.     As  long  as 

6  I  am  in  the  world,  ''I  am  the  light  of  the  world.  When  he  had  thus 
spoken,  *he  spat  on  the  ground,  and  made  clay  of  the  spittle,  and  he 

7  ^anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  with  the  clay,  and  said  unto  him, 
Go,  wash  -^in  the  pool  of  Siloam,  (which  is,  by  interpretation.  Sent.)  He 
went  his  way  therefore,  and  washed,  and  came  seeing. 

8  The  neighbours  therefore,  and  they  which  before  had  seen  him  that  he 

9  was  blind,  said.  Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and  begged  ?     Some  said,  This  is 


A.  D.  32. 


CHAP.  9. 

"  Matt.  16. 14. 
Acts  28.  4. 

b  ch,  11.  4. 

"  ch.  4.  34. 

d  ch.  1.  5,  9. 
ch.  .3.  19. 

"  Mark  r.  33. 
Mark  8.  23. 

1  Or,  spread 
the  clay 
upon  the 
eyes  of  the 
blind  man. 

/  Neh.  3. 15. 
Isa.  8.  6. 


speeches  from  which  they  drew  that  inference,  or 
by  a  few  words  of  explanation — He  coukl  so  easily 
have  avoided  snch  a  construction  of  His  words,  or 
explained  it  away?  But  as  He  did  neither,  but 
advisedly  did  the  reverse,  that  Corner-Stone  of  the 
Christian  religion — the  essential  Divinity  of  the 
Lord  Jesus— must  be  seen  to  stand  firmer  than  the 
everlasting  hills. 

CHAP.  IX.  1-41. — Jesus  on  the  Sabbath 
Day  Opens  the  Eyes  of  a  Beggar  Born  Blind 
— What  followed  on  this. 

Jesus  Opens  the  Eyes  of  a  Beggar  Born  Blind 
(1-7).  The  connection  between  the  close  of  the 
l)receding  chapter  and  the  opening  of  this  one  ap- 
pears so  close,  that  one  is  ajit  to  conclude  that  all 
happened  on  one  day,  and  that  a  Sabbath  (v.  14). 
But  the  violence  with  which  the  former  chapter 
closes,  and  the  tranquillity  with  which  this  one 
opens,  renders  that  somewhat  doubtful.  At  all 
events,  the  transactions  of  both  chapters  could 
not  have  been  far  apart  in  time.  1.  And  as  Jesus 
passed  by,  lie  saw  a  man  which  was  blind  from 
his  birth — and  who  "sat  and  begged"  (?'.  8).  2. 
And  his  disciples  asked  him,  saying,  Master,  who 
did  sin,  this  man,  or  his  parents,  that  he  was 
bom  blind?  [Wa  Tu<p\6^  yevvi]d\{\ — or  'should  be 
born  blind.'  As  the  doctrine  of  the  pre-existence 
of  souls,  and  that  of  the  'metempsychosis'  (the 
transmission  of  the  soul  of  one  person  into  the 
body  of  another),  though  held  by  certain  of  the 
more  philosophical  Jews,  was  never  a  current  be- 
lief of  the  people,  we  are  not  to  understand  the 
disciples  here  to  refer  to  sin  committed  in  a  former 
state  of  existence;  and  probably  it  is  but  a  loose 
way  of  concluding  that  sin  somewhere  had  surely 
been  the  cause  of  this  calamity.  3.  Jesus  an- 
swered. Neither  hath  this  man  sinned,  nor  his 
parents:  but  that  the  works  of  God  should  be 
made  manifest  in  him:— g.  d.,  'The  cause  was 
neither  in  himself  nor  his  parents,  but  in  order  to 
the  manifestation  of  "  the  works  of  God  "  in  his 
cure.'  4.  I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that 
sent  me,  while  it  is  day :  the  night  cometh,  when 
no  man  can  work — a  most  interesting  statement 
this,  from  the  mouth  of  Christ ;  intimating,  first, 
that  He  had  a  precise  work  to  do  upon  earth,  with 
every  particular  of  it  arranged  and  laid  out  to 
Him ;  next,  that  all  He  did  upon  earth  was  just 
"the  works  of  God" — particularly  "going  about 
doing  good,"  though  not  exclusively  by  miracles  ; 
further,  that  each  work  had  its  precise  time  and 
place  in  "His  programme  of  instructions,  so  to 
speak;  hence,  again,  that  as  His  period  for  work 
had  a  dehnite  termination,  so  by  letting  any  one 
service  pass  by  its  allotted  time,  the  whole  would 
be  disarranged,  marred,  and  driven  beyond  its  des- 
tined period  for  completion  ;  finally,  that  as  man 
He  acted  ever  imder  the  impulse  of  these  considera- 
407 


tions — "the  night  cometh  when  no  man  (or  no  one) 
can  work."  5.  As  long  as  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am 
the  light  of  the  world.  Not  as  if  he  would  cease, 
after  that,  to  be  so  ;  but  that  He  must  make  full 
proof  of  His  fidelity,  while  His  earthly  career 
lasted,  by  displaying  His  glory.  As  before  the  re- 
surrection of  Lazarus,  says  A  Iford,  He  announces 
Himself  as  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life  (ch. 
xi.  25),  so  now  He  holds  Himself  forth  as  the 
Source  of  that  archetypal  sjiiritual  light,  of  which 
the  natural,  now  about  to  be  conferred,  is  only  a 
derivation  and  symbol.  6.  When  he  had  thus 
spoken,  he  spat  on  the  ground,  and  made  clay  of 
the  spittle,  and  he  anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind 
man  with  the  clay,  7.  And  said  unto  him.  Go, 
wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam,  (which  is,  by  inter- 
pretation. Sent.)  These  operations  were  not  so 
incouOTuous  in  their  nature  as  might  appear, 
though  it  were  absurd  to  imagine  that  they  con- 
tributed in  the  least  degree  to  the  effect  which  fol- 
lowed. (See  on  Mark  vi.  13,  and  vii.  33,  34.)  As 
the  prescribed  action  was  purely  symbolical  in  its 
design,  so  in  connection  with  it  the  Evangelist 
notices  the  symbolical  name  of  the  iwol,  as  in  this 
case  bearing  testimony  to  Him  who  was  sent  to  do 
what  it  only  symboli~ed.  See  Isa.  viii.  6,  where 
this  same  pool  is  used  figuratively  to  denote  "the 
streams  that  made  glad  the  city  of  God,"  and 
which,  humble  thougli  they  be,  betoken  a  present 
God  of  Israel.  He  went  his  way  therefore,  and 
washed,  and  came  seeing.  See  2  Kings  v.  10,  14. 
But  though  he  "  came  seeing,"  it  does  not  appear 
that  he  came  to  Jesus.  On  the  contrary,  when  he 
"  came  seeing,"  Jesus  was  not  to  be  seen  ;  nor  did 
they  meet  at  all,  it  would  seem,  until,  after  his 
expulsion  from  the  synagogue,  Jesus  "found  him" 
(v.  3,5). 

7'he  Beggar^s  Neighbours  Question  him  as  to 
the  Cure,  but,  receirint;  only  partial  satisfaction, 
bring  him  to  the  Pharisees  (8-14).  8.  The  neigh- 
bours therefore,  and  they  which  before  had  seen 
him  that  he  was  blind  [rvcfKoi].  The  true  reading 
here  appears  plainly  to  be,  'that  he  was  a  beggar 
[oTt  TrpocraLTi]^  jjy] — this  being  what  would  most 
immediately  identify  him,  as  the  following  words 
indeed  show.  So  all  recent  critical  editors,  and 
nearly  all  critical  expositors,  said,  Is  not  this  he 
that  sat  and  begged?  9.  Some  said,  This  is  he; 
others  said.  He  is  like  him:  but  he  said,  I  am  he. 
How  graphically  is  the  identity  of  the  man  thus 
ascertained;  and  his  own  testimony,  coming  in 
only  to  settle  the  point  after  it  had  been  raised 
and.  occasioned  some  discussion,  acquires  thus 
additional  importance.  It  is  a  good  remark  of 
Webster  and  Wilkinson,  that  the  diversity  of 
opinion  is  readily  accounted  for  by  the  great 
diiferencein  his  appearance,  which  would  be  made 
by  the  removal  of  the  most  deforming  of  blemishes. 


The  "Pharisees  question 


JOHN  IX. 


the  healed  beggar. 


10  he;  others  sa«c?,  He  is  like  him:   hut  he  said,  I  am  he.     Therefore  said 

11  they  unto  him,  ^How  were  thine  eyes  opened?  He  answered  and  said,  A 
man  that  is  *  called  Jesus  made  clay,  and  anointed  mine  eyes,  and  said 
unto  me.  Go  to  the  pool  of  Siloam,  and  wash :  and  I  went  and  washed, 

12  and  I  received  sight.  Then  said  they  unto  him,  Wliere  is  he?  He  said, 
I  know  not. 

13,      They  brought  to  the  Pharisees  him  that  aforetime  was  blind.     And  it 

14  was  the  sabbath  day  when  Jesus  made  the  clay,  and  opened  his  eyes. 

15  Then  again  the  Pharisees  also  asked  him  how  he  had  received  his  sight. 
He  said  unto  them,  He  put  clay  upon  mine  eyes,  and  I  washed,  and  do 

16  see.  Therefore  said  some  of  the  Pharisees,  This  man  is  not  of  God, 
because  he  keepeth  not  the  sabbath  day.  Others  said.  How  can  a  man 
that  is  a  sinner  do  such  miracles?     And  Hhere  was  a  division  among 

17  them.     They  say  unto  the  bhnd  man  again.  What  sayest  thou  of  him, 

18  that  he  hath  opened  thine  eyes?  He  said, -^ He  is  a  prophet.  But  the 
Jews  did  not  believe  concerning  him,  that  he  had  been  blind,  and  received 
his  sight,  until  they  called  the  parents  of  him  that  had  received  his  sight. 

19  And  they  asked  them,  saying,  Is  this  your  son,  who  ye  say  was  born 

20  blind?  how  then  doth  he  now  see?     His  parents  answered  them,  and 

21  said,  We  know  that  this  is  our  son,  and  that  he  was  bom  blind:  but  by 
what  means  he  now  seeth,  we  know  not ;  or  who  hath  opened  his  eyes, 

22  we  know  not :  he  is  of  age ;  ask  him :  he  shall  speak  for  himself  These 
words  spake  his  parents,  because  they  ^'feared  the  Jews:   'for  the  Jews 

aud  the  bestowal  of  the  most  distingiiishing  of 
features.  But  another  remark,  of  more  conse- 
qiieuce,  might  have  been  made  here  —  that  the 
diliiculty  which  his  neighbours  had  in  believing 
that  this  was  the  same  man  whom  they  had  known 
as  the  Blind  Beggar,  and  the  need  of  his  own  testi- 
mony to  put  the  fact  beyond  all  question,  is  the 
best  evidence  of  the  perfection  of  the  cure.  Well, 
this  settletl,  the  next  questions  naturally  are,  How 
was  it  done  ?  and  Who  did  it  ?  10.  Therefore  said 
they  unto  him,  How  were  thine  eyes  opened  ?  11. 
He  answered  and  said,  A  man  that  is  called  Jesus 
made  clay,  and  anointed  mine  eyes,  and  said 
unto  me.  Go  to  the  pool  of  Siloam,  and  wash :  and 
I  went  and  washed,  and  I  received  sight.  This 
reply  is  so  fresh  and  lively  that,  as  Meyer  says, 
our  Evangelist  probably  received  it  from  the  man 
himself  after  he  became  a  believer.  12.  Then  said 
they  unto  him,  Where  is  he?  He  said — 'saith' 
[Xeyei],  I  know  not.  No  doubt,  after  the  attempt 
to  stone  Him,  Jesus  would  not  deem  it  prudent  at 
once  to  appear  in  public. 

13.  They  brought  to  the  Pharisees  him  that 
aforetime  was  blind.  14.  And— or,  '  Now '  [5e]  it 
was  the  satobath  day  when  Jesus  made  the  clay, 
and  opened  his  eyes.  The  connection  between 
these  two  verses,  and  especially  what  is  mentioned 
in  V.  16,  make  it  evident  that  it  was  our  Lord's 
having  MTOUght  this  cure  on  the  Sabbath  day 
which  induced  these  people  to  bi-ing  the  beggar 
imder  the  notice  of  tne  Pharisees ;  and  so  far, 
therefore,  it  was  done  in  a  spirit  of  at  least  sus- 
picion of  the  glorioxis  Healer.  On  the  systematic 
performance  of  such  miracles  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
see  on  ch.  v.  9. 

The  Pharisees  Question  and  Cross-question  the 
Healed  Beggar,  till,  unable  to  prevail  upon  him  to 
Eepudiate  His  Blessed  Benefactor,  or  refrain  from 
Testifying  to  Him,  they  Excommunicate  him 
(15-34).  It  is  probable  that  the  Pharisees  were 
sitting  in  coiincil  when  the  following  dialogue  took 
place:  15.  Then  again  the  Pharisees  also  asked 
him  how  he  had  received  his  sight.  He  said 
unto  them.  He  put  clay  upon  mine  eyes,  aud  I 
washed,  and  do  see.  16.  Therefore  said  some  of 
408 


A.  D.  32. 


"  Eccl.  n.  5. 
Mark  4.  27. 
ch.  3.  9. 
iCor  15. 35. 
"  Jer.  36.  17, 
18. 

Matt.  1.  21- 
25. 

•  Luke  12.51- 

53. 

ch.  7.  12,43. 
ch.  10.  19. 
Acts  14.  4. 
j  Dent.  18. 15. 
Luke  24  19. 
ch.  4.  19. 
ch.  a  14. 
Acts  2.  22. 
Acts  3.  22, 
26. 
Acts  10.  38. 

*  ch.  7.  13. 
ch.  12.  42. 
ch.  19  38. 
Acts  5.  I.'?. 

i  Luke  0.  22. 

ch.  16.  2. 
Acts  4.  18. 
Acts  5.  40. 


the  Pharisees,  This  man  is  not  of  God,  because  he 
keepeth  not  the  sabbath  day.  Others — as  Nico- 
demus  and  Joseph,  said,  How  can  a  man  that  is  a 
sinner  do  such  miracles  ?  And  there  was  a 
division  among  them.  17.  They  say  unto  the 
blind  man  again.  What  sayest  thou  of  him,  that 
he  hath  opened  thine  eyes?  He  said.  He  is  a 
prophet  —  rightly  viewing  the  miracle  as  but  a 
"sign"  [o-jj/ieioi/j  of  His  projjhetic  commission. 
18.  But  — 'Then,'  or  'therefore.'  Seeing,  if  they 
admitted  the  truth  of  the  cure,  they  would  likely 
be  shut  up  to  the  acknowledgment  of  His  divine 
commission,  </ie/-e/ore  they  took  the  course  of  dis- 
crediting the  fact,  the  Jews — that  is,  these  ruling 
ecclesiastics  (see  on  ch.  i.  19),  did  not  believe  con- 
cerning him,  that  he  had  been  blind,  and  received 
his  sight,  until  they  called  the  parents  of  him 
that  had  received  his  sight.  19.  And  they  asked 
them,  saying.  Is  this  your  son,  who  ye  say  was 
born  blind  ?  how  then  doth  he  now  see  ?  Foiled 
by  the  testimony  of  the  young  man  himself,  they 
hope  to  throw  doubt  on  the  fact  by  close  question- 
ing his  parents,  who,  perceiving  the  snare  laid  for 
them,  ingeniously  escape  it  by  testifying  simply  to 
the  identity  of  their  son,  and  his  birth-blindness, 
leaving  it  to  himself,  as  a  competent  witness,  to 
speak  to  the  cure.  20.  His  parents  answered 
them,  and  said,  We  know  that  this  is  our  son, 
and  that  he  was  born  blind :  21.  But  by  what 
means  he  now  seeth,  we  know  not ;  or  who  hath 
opened  his  eyes,  we  know  not :  he  is  of  age ; 
ask  him :  he  shall  speak  for  himself.  Here, 
however,  they  prevaricate,  in  saying  they  "  knew 
not  who  had  opened  his  eyes;"  for  "  they  feared 
the  Jews,"  who  had  come  to  an  understanding — 
probably  after  what  is  recorded,  ch.  viL  50,  &c., 
and  by  this  time  pretty  well  known— that  whoever 
owned  Him  as  the  Christ  should  be  put  out  of  the 
synagogue — i.  e.,  not  simply  excluded,  but  excom- 
municated. 22.  These  words  spake  his  parents, 
because  they  feared  the  Jews :  for  the  Jews  had 
agreed  already,  that  if  any  man  did  confess  that 
he  was  Christ  [a'vToi;  ofxoKoyndTi  Xpicrroi'] — or  '  own 
Him  as  Christ, '  he  should  be  put  out  of  the  syna- 
gogue [iirocvvayoiyoi  ye'i/))Tot] — not  only  expelled. 


The  Pharisees  excommunicate 


JOHN  IX. 


tlie  healed  beggar. 


had  agi'eed  already,  that  if  any  man  did  confess  that  he  was  Christ,  he 

23  should  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue.  Therefore  said  his  parents.  He  is  of 
age ;  ask  him, 

24  Then  again  called  they  the  man  that  was  blind,  and  said  unto  him, 

25  '"Give  God  the  praise:  we  know  tliat  this  man  is  a  sinner.  He  answered 
and  said,  Whether  he  be  a  sinner  or  no,  I  know  not :  one  thing  I  know, 

26  that,  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see.     Then  said  they  to  him  again, 

27  What  did  he  to  thee?  how  opened  he  thine  eyes?  He  answered 
them,  I  have  told  you  already,  and  ye  did  not  hear:  wherefore  would 

28  ye  hear  it  again?  will  ye  also  be  his  disciples?    Then  they  reviled  him, 

29  and  said.  Thou  art  his  disciple;  but  we  are  Moses'  disciples.  We  know 
that  God  spake  unto  Moses:  as  for  ihx^  fellow,  "we  know  not  from 
whence  he  is.  The  man  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Why  "herein  is 
a  marvellous  thing,  that  ye  know  not  from  whence  he  is,  and  yet  he  hath 
opened  mine  eyes.  Now  we  know  that  ^God  heareth  not  sinners:  but  if 
any  man  be  a  worshipper  of  God,  and  doeth  his  will,  him  he  heareth. 

32  Since  the  world  began  was  it  not  heard  that  any  man  opened  the  eyes 

33  of  one  that  was  born  blind.     If  this  man  were  not  of  God,  he  could  do 

34  nothing.  They  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Thou  wast  altogether  born 
in  sins,  and  dost  thou  teach  us?     And  they  -cast  him  out. 


30 


O  1 

oi 


A.  D.  32. 


"'Jos.  7.  19. 
1  Sam.  6.  5. 
Isa.  66.  5. 

Ch.  5.  23. 
Ch.  8.  49. 

Eom.  10.  2, 
"  ch.  8.  14. 
"  ch.  3.  la 
*■  Job  27.  u. 

Job  35.  12. 

P»  18.  41. 

Ps.  34.  15. 

Ps.  66.  18. 

Pro.  1.  28. 

Pro.  15.  29. 

Pro.  28.  9. 

lw>.  1.  15. 

Jer  11.  IL 

Jer.  14.  12. 

Ezek.  8. 18. 

Mic.  3.  4. 

Zee.  7.  13. 
-  Or,  excom- 
municated 

him. 


but  'become'  and  beheld  ' iinsynagogued,'  or,  as 
we  say,  'imcliurched.'  See  ch.  xii.  42,;  xvL  2.  23. 
Therefore— or  '  for  this  cause'  [Aia  toZto],  said  Ms 
parents,  He  is  of  age ;  ask  him. 

24.  Then  again — '  the  second  thne'  [e/c  hevrepov]— 
called  they  the  man  that  was  blind.  Baffled  and 
perplexed,  they  seem  to  have  put  him  forth  till 
they  should  agree  among  themselves  how  next  to 
l)roceed  with  him,  so  as  to  break  down  the  testi- 
mony to  Jesus  which  this  marvellous  cure  so 
plainly  furnithsd,  and  then  to  have  summoned 
him  back,  and  said  unto  him,  Give  God  the 
praise — or,  'Give  glory  to  God'  [Aos  &6^av  tw 
Betu] :  we  know  that  this  man  is  a  sinner — not 
wishing  him  to  own,  even  to  the  praise  of  God, 
that  a  miracle  had  been  wrought  upon  him,  but  to 
show  more  regard  to  the  honour  of  God  than 
ascribe  any  such  act  to  one  who  was  a  sinnei". 
25.  He  answered  and  said,  Whether  he  be  a  sin- 
ner or  no,  I  know  not :  one  thing  I  know,  that, 
whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see.  Not  that  the 
man  meant  to  insinuate  any  doubt  in  his  own 
mind  on  the  point  of  His  being  "a  sinner;"  but  as 
his  opinion  on  such  a  point  would  be  of  no  conse- 
quence to  others,  he  would  speak  only  to  what  he 
knew  as  fact  in  his  own  case.  26.  Then  said  they 
— '  They  said'  to  him  again.  What  did  he  to  thee  ? 
how  opened  he  thine  eyes  ?— hoping  by  repeated 
questions  to  ensnare  him;  but  the  youth  is  more 
than  a  match  for  them.  27.  He  answered  them,  I 
have  told  you  already,  and  ye  did  not  hear: 
wherefore  would  ye  hear  it  again  ?  will  ye  also 
be  his  disciples?  In  a  vein  of  keen  irony  he 
treats  their  questions  as  those  of  anxious  enquirers, 
almost  ready  for  discipleship !  Stuug  by  this,  they 
retort  upon  him  as  the  disciple  (and  here  they 
plainly  were  not  wrong):  for  themselves,  they  fell 
back  upon  Moses — about  him  there  could  be  no 
doubt— but  who  knew  about  this  upstart?  28. 
[Then]  they  reviled  him,  [The  oZv  of  the  received 
text  has  hardly  any  authority.]  and  said,  Thou 
art  his  disciple ;  but  we  are  Moses'  disciples.  29. 
We  know  that  God  spake— or  '  hath  spoken'  [\eXd- 
\>]Kev]  unto  Moses :  as  for  this  [fellow] — or  simply, 
'  this  [man] : '  it  is  the  language  of  contempt,  though 
probably  more  affected  than  real:  we  know  not 
from  whence  he  is.  The  youth  had  now  no  need 
to  say  another  word ;  but  waxing  bolder  in  defence 
of  his  Benefactor,  and  his  views  brightening  by  the 
409 


very  courage  which  it  demanded,  he  puts  it  to 
them  how  they  could  pretend  inability  to  tell 
whether  one  who  opened  the  eyes  of  a  man  born 
blind  was  "of  God  or  "a  sinner" — from  above 
or  from  beneath — and  jiroceeds  to  argue  the  case 
with  remarkable  power.  30.  The  man  answered 
and  said  unto  them.  Why  herein  is  a  marvellous 
thing,  that  ye  know  not  from  whence  he  is,  and 
yet  he  hath  opened  mine  eyes.  31.  Now  we 
know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners :  but  if  any 
man  be  a  worshipper  of  God,  and  doeth  his  will, 
him  he  heareth.  32.  Since  the  world  began  was 
it  not  heard  that  any  man  opened  the  eyes  of 
one  that  was  born  blind.  33.  If  this  man  were 
not  of  God,  he  could  do  nothing.  So  irresistible 
was  this  argument  that  their  rage  buist  forth  in 
a  speech  of  the  most  intense  Pharisaism.  34.  They 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  Thou  wast  alto- 
gether born  in  sins,  and  dost  thou  teach  us? — 
'  Thou,  a  base-born,  uneducated,  imjiudent  youth, 
teich  us,  the  trained,  constituted,  recognized 
guides  of  the  people  in  the  things  of  God?  Out 
upon  thee!'  and  they  cast  him  out — ^judicially, 
no  doubt,  as  we  have  said  (on  v.  22),  as  well  as  in 
fact.  (So  de  Weite,  Olnhausen,  Tholuck,  &c.)  The 
allusion  to  his  being  "bom  in  sins"  seems  a  tacit 
admission  of  his  being  blind  from  birth — the  very 
thing  they  had  been  so  unwilling  to  OMjn.  But 
rage  and  enmity  to  truth  are  seldom  consistent  iu 
their  outbreaks.  The  friends  of  this  excommuni- 
cated youth,  crowding  around  him  with  their  sym- 
pathy, would  probably  expi-ess  surprise  that  one 
who  could  woi-k  such  a  cure  shouldT  be  una-ble  to 
protect  his  patient  from  the  persecution  it  had 
raised  against  him,  or  should  i)ossess  the  power 
without  using  it.  Nor  would  it  be  wonderful  if 
such  thoughts  should  arise  in  the  youth's  own 
mind.  But  if  they  did,  it  is  certain,  from  what 
follows,  that  they  made  no  lodgment  there,  con- 
scious as  he  was  that  "  whereas  he  Avas  blind, 
now  he  saw,"  and  satisfied  that  if  his  Benefactor 
"were  not  of  God,  he  could  do  nothing,"  {v.  33]. 
There  was  a  word  tor  him  too,  which,  if  whispered 
in  his  ear  fi'om  the  oracles  of  God,  would  seem 
expressly  designed  to  describe  his  case,  and  pre- 
pare him  for  the  coming  interview  with  his  gra- 
cious Friend.  "  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,  ye 
that  tremble  at  His  word ;  Your  brethren  that 
hated  you,  that,  cast  you  out  for  My  name's  sake. 


Touching  interview  between 


JOHN  IX. 


Jesus  and  the  healed  beggar. 


35  Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out;  and  when  he  had  found  him, 

36  he  said  unto  him,  Dost  thou  believe  on  ^the  Son  of  God?     He  answered 

37  and  said,  Who  is  he,  Lord,  that  I  might  believe  on  him?  And  Jesus 
said  unto  him,  Thou  hast  both  seen  him,  and  '^it  is  he  that  talketh 

38  with  thee.     And  he  said.  Lord,  I  believe.     And  he  worshipped  him. 

39  And  Jesus  said,  *For  judgment  I  am  come  into  this  world,  Hhat  they 
which  see  not  might  see,  and  that  they  which  see  might  be  made  blind. 

40  And  some  of  the  Pharisees  which  were  with  him  heard  these  words, 

41  "and  said, unto  him,  Are  we  blind  also?  Jesus  said  unto  tliem,  ''If  ye 
were  blind,  ye  should  have  no  sin:  but  now  ye  say,  We  see;  therefore 
your  sin  remaineth. 


A.  D.  32. 


«  Matt  14.  33. 

Matt  16.16. 

Mark  1.  L 

ch  10.  36. 
•■  ch.  4.  26. 
•  ch.  5  22. 

ch.  3.  17. 

ch.  12.  47. 
«  Matt.13.13. 

Luke  2.  34. 

2  Cor.  2.  16. 
"  Rom.  2.  19. 

"  ch.  15.  22. 


said.  Let  the  Lord  be  glorified;  but  He  shall 
APPEAR  TO  YOUR  JOY,  and  they  shall  he  ashamed" 
(Isa.  Ixvi.  5).  But  how  was  He  engaged  to 
whom  such  noble  testimony  had  been  given, 
and  for  whom  such  persecution  had  been 
borne?  Uttering,  perhaps,  in  secret,  "  with  strong 
crying  and  tears,"  the  words  of  the  prophetic 
psalm,  "  Let  not  them  that  wait  on  thee,  O  Lord 
God  of  hosts,  be  ashamed  for  My  sake ;  let  none 
that  seek  thee  be  confounded  for  My  sake,  O  God 
of  Israel ;  because  for  thy  sake  I  have  borne  re- 
proach .  .  .  and  the  reproaches  of  them  that  re- 
proached thee  are  fallen  upon  Me"  (Ps.  Ixix.  6, 
7,9). 

Touching  Interview  between  the  Healed  Beg- 
gar and  His  Unknown  Benefactor — On  Recog- 
ni'Ang,  he  Worships  Him  (35-38).  35.  Jesus 
heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out— by  intel- 
ligence brought  to  Him,  and  when  ne  had 
found  him  —  shall  we  say  by  accident?  Not 
very  likely.  Symjiathy  in  that  breast  could  not 
long  keep  aloof  from  its  object,  he  said  unto  him, 
Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God?  A  question 
stretching  jairposely  beyond  his  present  attain- 
ments, in  order  the  more  quickly  to  lead  him — in 
his  present  teachable  frame  — in' o  the  highest 
truth.  36.  He  answered  and  said,  Who  is  he. 
Lord,  that  I  might— or  rather,  'may'  believe  on 
him?  This  is  evidently  the  language  of  one  who 
did  believe  in  Him  who  had  wrought  such  a  mar- 
vellous work  on  him,  and  wfeo  now  only  yearned 
to  behold  and  personally  to  recognize  Him.  The 
next  two  verses  show  this  to  be  the  real  state 
of  His  mincL  37.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him, 
Thou  hast  both  seen  him,  and  It  is  he  that 
talketh  with  thee.  The  new  sense  of  sight  im- 
parted to  him  had  at  that  moment  its  highest  ex- 
ercise, in  gazing  ujion  "The  Light  of  the  world." 
38.  And  he  said.  Lord,  I  believe.  And  he  wor- 
shipped him— a /ai</t  and  a,  worship,  beyond  doubt, 
meant  to  express  far  more  than  he  would  think 
proper  to  any  human  "prophet"  (v.  17);  the  un- 
studied, resistless  expression,  probably,  of  supreme 
faith  and  adoration,  though  without  the  full  un- 
derstanding of  what  that  implied.  39.  And  Jesus 
said— perhaps  at  the  same  time,  but  after  a  crowd, 
including  some  of  the  sceptical  and  scornful  rulers, 
had,  on  seeing  Jesus  talking  with  the  healed  youth, 
hastened  to  the  siiot.  For  judgment  I  am  come— 
or  '  came  I'  [iiXdov]  that  they  which  see  not  might 
see — rising  to  that  sight  of  which  the  natural 
vision  communicated  to  the  youth  was  but  the 
symbol  (see  on  v.  5,  and  compare  Luke  iv.  IS) : 
and  that  they  which  see  might  be  made  blind 
— judicially  incapable  of  apprehending  and  receiv- 
ing the  truth,  to  which  tliey  have  wilfully  shut 
their  eyes.     See  on  Matt.  xiii.  12. 

40.  And  some— rather,  'those' of  the  Pharisees 
which  were  with  him  heard  these  words,  and 
said  unto  him,  Are  we  blind  also?— we,  the  con- 
stituted, recognized  guides  of  the  people  in  spiritual 
41U 


things?  pride  and  rage  promi^ting  the  question. 
41.  Jesus  said  unto  them.  If  ye  were  blind— If  ye 
wanted  light  to  discern  My  claims,  and  only  waited 
to  receive  it,  ye  should  have  no  sin — none  of  the 
guilt  of  shutting  out  the  light :  but  now  ye  say, 
We  see;  therefore  your  sin  remaineth — Your 
claim  to  possess  light,  while  rejecting  Me,  is  that 
which  seals  you  up  in  the  guilt  of  unr^elief. 

Remarks. — 1.  Although  the  resurrection  of  Laz- 
arus was  beyond  all  doubt  the  greatest  of  our  Lord's 
miracles,  there  is  one  part.cular  in  which  the 
miracle  of  this  chapter  is  even  more  marvellous. 
In  all  our  Lord's  miracles  of  healing,  and  even  in 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  He  did  but  restore 
what  had  been  already  in  use  by  the  objects  of  His 
power  and  grace— seeing,  hearing,  M-alking,  living. 
But  here  is  one  to  whom  vision  is  not  restored,  but 
for  the  first  time  imparted.  And  though  we  are 
not  to  suppose  that  the  organ  of  sight  was  then 
created — for  such  "  works  were  finished  from  the 
creation  of  the  world" — though  the  organ  was 
doubtless  there  from  his  mother's  "\ionib,  it  had 
never  been  capable  of  action  till  now,  that  he  was 
"  of  age ;"  and  thus,  by  an  act  of  marvellous  power, 
this  man  for  the  first  time  beheld  the  light  of  hea- 
ven, and  from  that  time  forth  saw  as  other  men — 
insomuch  that  his  neighbours  would  hardly  believe 
that  he  was  the  same  man  whom  they  had  knowu 
as  the  Blind  Beggar,  and,  as  already  remarked,  it 
needed  his  own  testimony  to  put  the  fact  beyond 
all  question.  And  what  is  most  worthy  of  notice, 
it  is  just  in  the  record  of  these  two  greatest  of  ail 
our  Lord's  miracles  that  the  details  are  the  /idlest— 
so  full,  and  embracing  so  many  minute  yet  vivid 
particulars,  that  it  is  impossible  to  doubt  that  we 
nave  them  from  the  very  parties  concerned;  the 
beloved  Evangelist  himself  being  doubtless  pres- 
ent wherever  his  Lord  was  in  the  action  of  this 
chapber,  while  for  the  rest  — as  already  observed 
— he  was  indebted,  we  can  hardly  doubt,  to  the 
newly  gained  disciple  himself,  whose  eyes  the 
Lord  had  doubly  opened.  2.  That  all  our  Lord's 
beneficent  miracles  on  the  bodies  of  men  were 
designed  to  illustrate  analogous  and  hi^lier  opera- 
tions on  the  souls  of  men,  which  it  was  His  errand 
and  is  His  office  to  j)erform,  has  been  once  and 
again  observed,  see  on  Matt.  iv.  12-25,  Remark  5, 
at  the  close  of  that  Section.  But  nowhere  is  this 
more  gi-andly  seen  than  at  the  beginning  and  end 
of  this  chapter.  Before  aught  was  done  to  this 
blind  beggar — while  the  disciples  were  questioning 
our  Lord  as  to  the  cause  of  the  poor  man's  mis- 
fortune, and  as  soon  as  He  had  explained  that  the 
primary  intention  of  it  was  to  display  in  him  the 
works  of  God  which  He  had  come  to  do,  and  must 
do  whilst  it  was  day — Jesus  said,  "As  long  as  I  am 
in  the  world,  I  am  The  Light  of  the  World;" 
and  then  it  was  that,  to  illustrate  that  otfice  of 
His,  He  miraculously  opened  this  man's  eyes. 
And  at  the  close  of  the  chapter,  recurring,  iii 
presence  of  enemies,  to  the  opening  of  the  man's 


Discourse  on 


JOHN  X. 


the  Good  Shepherd. 


10      VERILY,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  "He  that  entereth  not  by  the  door 
into  the  sheep-fold,  but  climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the  same  is  a  thief 

2  and  a  robber.     But  he  that  entereth  in  by  *the  door  is  the  shepherd  of 

3  the  sheep.     To  him  Hhe  porter  openeth;  and  the  sheep  hear  his  voice : 

4  and  he  calleth  his  own  sheep  by  name,  and  le'adeth  them  out.    And  when 
he  putteth  forth  his  own  sheep,  he  goetli  before  them,  and  the  sheep 

5  follow  him:  for  they  know  his  voice.     And  '^a  stranger  will  they  not 
follow,  but  will  flee  from  him :  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers. 

6  This  parable  spake  Jesus  unto  them:   but  they  understood  not  what 
things  they  were  which  he  spake  unto  them. 


A.  D.  32. 


CHAP.  10. 
"  Isa.  56^  10. 

Jer.  23.  21. 

Heb.  5.  4. 
6  Isa.  61.  1. 

Acts  20.  28. 

1  Cor.  12.2?. 
"  1  Pet.  1. 12. 

1  Cor.  16.  9. 
d  Pro.  19.  2r. 

Gal.  1.  8. 

Eph.  4.  44. 


eyes.  He  testified,  "  For  judgment  came  I  into  this 
world,  that  they  which  see  not  might  see,"  on  the 
one  hand ;  or — as  He  afterwards  expressed  it  from 
His  glory  in  the  heavens  to  Saul  of  Tarsus,  when 
sending  him  as  a  preacher  to  the  Gentiles — "to  open 
their  eyes,  and  turn  them  from  darkness  to  light, 
and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God"  (Acts 
xxvi.  18):  "and,"  on  the  other  hand,  "that  they 
which  see  might  be  made  blind."  Thus,  then,  let 
us  learn  to  read  in  every  record  of  Christ's  miracles 
on  the  hody  assurances  and  illustrations  of  His 
power  and  grace  in  the  higher  siihei'e  of  the  soul. 
6.  While  in  the  parents  of  this  youth  we  have  a 
lively  illustration  of  the  terrors  of  ghostly  authority 
— in  inspiring  which  the  priests  of  the  Church  of 
Rome  have  diabolically  imijroved  upon  the  Jewish 
ecclesiastics — we  have  in  the  youth  himself  a  beau- 
tiful illustration  of  the  courage  which  a  conscious 
experience  of  divine  power  and  grace  inspires,  of 
the  strength  which  the  exercise  of  that  courage  in 
trying  circumstances  imparts,  and  of  the  vnsdom— 
above  their  own — which,  in  fulfilment  of  express 
promise,  the  Lord  has  so  often  from  that  time  to 
this  communicated  to  His  disciples  when  standing 
before  rulers  for  His  name's  sake.  See  on  Matt. 
x.  19,  20.  4  The  accession  of  this  healed  man  to 
the  ranks  of  genuine  discipleship  is  one,  and  not 
the  least  instructive,  of  the  many  cases  of  Christ 
found  ivithout  seeking,  referred  to  on  Matt.  xiii. 
44-46,  Remark  ]  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  Not 
like  blind  Bartimeus  did  this  man  cry  after  Jesus ; 
but,  "  as  Jesus  passed  by  (compare  Ezek.  xvi.  6,  8), 
He  saw  "  this  beggar,  who  had  been  blind  from  his 
b'rth" — doubtless  with  that  peculiar  look  with 
Avhich  He  saw  Zaccheus  (LuKe  xix.  5),  for  His 
eye  affected  His  heart,  and  He  proceeded  to  heal 
him.  Not  like  the  other  blind  man  did  He  first 
recognize  in  Jesus  "the  Son  of  David;"  nor  does 
it  appear  whether  He  had  even  heard  of  Him 
before.  Certain  it  is  that  the  first  motion  was  not 
in  the  man,  or  any  of  his  relatives  or  neighbours, 
towards  Jesus,  but  in  Jesus  towards  Him.  And 
thus  is  there  a  large  class,  of  whom  it  is  said,  "  I 
am  found  of  them  that  sought  Me  not ;  I  am  made 
manifest  unto  them  that  asked  not  after  Me."  5. 
Was  ever  virulent  determination  not  to  believe  on 
any  evidence,  and  wilful  resistance  of  ocular  de- 
monstration, more  signally  manifested  than  in 
tliose  rulers  of  the  Jews,  who,  after  vainly  en- 
deavouring to  brow-beat  this  poor  unbefriended 
youth,  scornfully  expelled  him  from  the  synagogue, 
because  he  refused  to  lie  before  God,  and  repudiate 
and  malign  his  unknown  Benefactor?  But  this 
spirit  has  not  ceased;  nor  is  it  to  be  doubted  that, 
whenever  occasions  arise  for  the  display  of  it,  the 
hatred  of  the  world  to  Christ,  in  His  truth  and 
people,  will  be  found  as  vii-ulent  as  it  has  ever  been 
(eh.  XV.  19;  Gal.  iv.  29). 

CHAP.   X.    1-42.  —  Discourse  on  the  Good 

Shepherd,  and  Speculation  occasioned  by  it 

—Discourse  at  the  Feast   of   Dedication  — 

Jesus  takes  Refuge  from  the  Fury  of  His 

411 


Enemies  beyond  Jordan,  where  many  Believe 
on  Him.  The  discourses  and  transactions  of  this 
chapter,  though  belonging  to  two  different  festi- 
vals, between  which  there  was  an  interval  of  be- 
tween two  and  three  months,  will  be  most  con- 
veniently embraced  in  one  Section,  as  the  subjects 
are  so  much  the  same  that  the  Remarks  which 
they  suggest  cannot  well  be  separated. 

Discourse  on  the  Good  Shepherd  (1-18).  This 
Discourse  seems  plainly  a  continuation  of  the 
closing  verses  of  the  preceding  chaiiter.  The 
figure  of  a  shepherd  and  his  sheep  was  familiar  to 
the  Jewish  ear,  (see  Jer.  xxiii. ;  Ezek.  xxxiv. ;  Zee. 
xi.,  &c.)  'This  simjile  creature,  the  sheep,'  says 
Luther,  as  quoted  by  Stier,  '  has  this  special  note 
among  all  animals,  that  it  quickly  hears  the  voice 
of  the  shepherd,  follows  no  one  else,  depends 
entirely  on  him,  and  seeks  helji  from  him  alone, 
cannot  help  itself,  but  is  shut  up  to  another's  aid.' 
1.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  entereth 
not  by  the  door — that  is,  by  the  legitimate  way; 
without  as  yet  saying  what  that  was,  into  the 
sheep-fold — the  sacred  inclosure  of  God's  true 
people,  but  climbeth  up  some  other  way— not 
referring  to  the  assumption  of  ecclesiastical  office 
without  an  external  call — for  those  Jewish  rulers 
who  were  specially  aimed  at  had  this  (see  on  Matt. 
xxiii.  2)— but  to  the  want  of  a  true  call,  a  si)iritual 
commission,  the  seal  of  heaven  going  along  with  the 
outward  authority:  it  is  the  assumption  of  the 
spiritual  guidance  of  the  peojile  withot(t  this  that 
is  meant,  the  same  is  a  thief  and  a  robber.  2. 
But  he  that  entereth  in  by  the  door  is  the 
shepherd  of  the  sheep — is  a  true,  divinely  recog- 
nized shepherd.  3.  To  him  the  porter  openeth — 
'  To  him  is  given  right  of  free  access,  by  order  of 
Him  to  whom  the  sheep  belong' — for  it  is  better 
not  to  give  this  allusion  a  more  specific  interjtreta- 
tion.  So  Calvin,  Meyer,  Luthardt.  and  the 
sheep  hear  his  voice:  and  he  calleth  his  own 
sheep  by  name,  and  leadeth  them  out.  4.  And 
when  he  putteth  forth— or  'turneth  out.'  [The 
aorist—iKpaXij — is  here  rightly  rendered  'putteth 
forth,'  as  in  Luke  i.  51-5i{ ;  the  idea  being  that  of 
'  a  succession  of  definite  acts  constituting  a  habit 
of  so  acting.'  So  probably  riya'm]<yuv  is  to  be  ex- 
plained in  ch.  iii.  19,  'men  love  the  darkness,'  &c.] 
his  own  sheep,  he  goeth  before  them,  and  the 
sheep  follow  him :  for  they  know  his  voice.  5. 
And  [5e] — rather,  '  But'  a  stranger  will  they  not 
follow,  but  will  flee  from  him :  for  they  know 
not  the  voice  of  strangers.  6.  This  parable  spake 
Jesus  unto  them :  but  they  understood  not  what 
things  they  were  which  he  spake  unto  them. 
What  is  said  in  these  three  verses,  though  admitting 
of  important  apjjlkation  to  every  faithful  shepherd 
of  God's  flock,  is  in  its  direct  and  highest  sense 
true  only  of  "the  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep," 
who  in  the  first  five  verses  seems  plainly,  under 
the  simple  character  of  a  true  shepherd,  to  be 
drawing  His  own  portrait.     So  Lanipe,  Stier,  &c. 

7.  Then   said  Jesus  unto  them  again,  Verily 


Discourse  on 


JOHN  X. 


the  Good  Shepherd. 


7  Tlieu  said  Jesus  unto  them  again.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  I  am 

8  Hhe  door  of  the  sheep.     All -^  that  ever  came  before  me  are  thieves  and 

9  robbers :  but  the  sheep  did  not  hear  them.     I  am  the  door :  by  me  if  any 
man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and  out,  and  find  pasture. 

10  The  ^ thief  cometh  not,  but  for  to  steal,  and  to  kill,  and  to  destroy:  I 
am  come  that  they  might  have  life,  and  that  they  might  have  it  more 

11  abundantly.     I  ''am  the  good  shepherd:  the  good  shepherd  giveth  his 

12  life  for  the  sheep.  But  he  that  is  an  hireling,  and  not  the  shepherd, 
whose  own  the  sheep  are  not,  seeth  the  wolf  coming,  and  *leaveth  the 
sheep,  and  fleeth :  and  the  wolf  catcheth  them,  and  scattereth  the  sheep. 

13  The  hirehng  fleeth,  because  he  is  an  hireling,  and  careth  not  for  the 

14  sheep.     I  am  the  good  shepherd,  and  -^know  my  sheep,  and  ^am  known 

15  of  mine.     As  the  Father  knoweth  me,  even  so  know  1  the  Father:  and  I 


A.  D.  32. 


•  Eph.  2.  18. 
Heb.  10.  19. 

/  Jer  23.  1. 
Jer.  60.  6. 

Acts  5.  36, 
3?. 
"  Acts  20.  29. 

2  Pet.  2. 1. 
ft  Isa.  40.  II. 

Ezek.31  23. 

Ezek.  37.24. 
•■  Zee.  11.  !6. 
)  2  Tim.  2.19. 

*  Eph.  1. 17. 
Phil.  3.  10. 
1  John  5.20. 


verily,  I  say  unto  you,  I  am  the  door  of  tlie 
sheep — that  is,  The  Way  in  to  the  fold,  with  all 
its  blessed  privileges,  alike  for  the  shepherds  and 
the  sheep.  (Compare  eh.  xiv.  6;  Eph.  ii.  18.)  8. 
All  that  ever  came  before  me— the  false  prophets ; 
not  as  claiming  the  prerogatives  of  Messiah,  but 
as  perverters  of  the  people  from  the  way  of 
life  leading  to  Him.  So  Olshausen.  are  thieves 
and  robbers :  but  the  sheep  did  not  hear  them 
— the  instinct  of  their  divinely  taught  hearts  pre- 
serving them  from  seducers,  and  attaching  them 
to  the  heaven-sent  prophets  of  whom  it  is  said 
that  "the  Spirit  of  Christ  was  in  them"  (1  Pet. 
i.  11).  9.  I  am  the  door:  by  me  if  any  man 
enter  in — whether  shepherd  or  sheep,  he  shall  be 
saved — the  great  object  of  the  pastoral  office,  as 
of  all  the  divine  arrangements  towards  mankmcL 
and  shall  go  in  and  out  and  find  pasture.  He 
"shall  go  ^«,"  as  to  a  place  of  safety  and  repose ; 
and  he  "  shall  go  out"  as  to  green  pastures  and 
still  waters"  (Ps.  xxiii.  2),  for  nourishment  and 
refreshing ;  and  all  this  only  transferred  to  another 
clime,  and  enjoyed  in  another  manner,  at  the  close 
of  this  earthly  scene  (Rev.  viL  17).  10.  The  thief 
cometh  not,  but  for  to  steal,  and  to  kill,  and  to 
destroy:  I  am  come  —  or,  'I  came'  [»/\6oi/]  that 
they  might  have  life,  and  that  they  might  have 
it  more  abundantly  [■wepi.ffcTou] — or  rather,  simply, 
'have  it  abundantly.'  I  came,  not  to  preserve  a 
life  already  possessed,  but  to  impart  a  life  before 
unknown,  and  to  commuuicate  it  in  rich  and  un- 
failing exuberance.  What  a  claim!  And  yet  it  is 
but  a  repetition,  under  a  new  aspect,  of  what  He 
had  taught  in  the  synagogue  of  Capernaum  (ch,  vi.); 
nay,  but  an  echo  of  all  His  teaching ;  and  He  who 
uttered  these  and  like  words  must  be  either  a  blas- 
phemer, all  worthy  of  the  death  He  died,  or  "God 
with  us  :"  there  can  be  no  middle  course.  11. 1  am 
the  good  shepherd  —  not  '  a,'  but  emphatically 
"  The  Good  Shepherd,"  and,  in  the  sense  intended, 
exclusively  so  (see  Isa.  xl.  11;  Ezek.  xxxiv.  23; 
xxxvii.  24;  Zee.  xiii.  7).  the  good  shepherd 
giveth  [Ti'tt)ja-ty] — rather,  '  layeth  down ;'  as  the 
word  is  properly  rendered  in  vv.  15,  17,  his  life 
for  the  sheep.  Though  this  may  be  said  of  literal 
shepherds  who,  even  for  their  brute  flock  have, 
like  David,  encountered  "the  lion  and  the  bear" 
at  the  risk  of  their  own  lives,  and  still  more  of 
faithful  pastors,  who,  like  the  early  bishops  of 
Rome,  have  been  the  foremost  to  brave  the  fury 
of  their  enemies  against  the  flock  committed  to 
their  care ;  yet  here,  beyond  doubt,  it  points  to  the 
struggle  which  was  to  issue  in  the  willing  surrender 
of  the  Redeemer's  own  bfe,  to  save  His  sheep  from 
destruction.  12.  But  he  that  is  an  hireling,  and 
not  the  shepherd,  whose  own  the  sheep  are  not— 
who  has  no  property  in  them.  By  this  He  points  to 
His  own  peculiar  relation  to  the  sheep,  the  same  as 
412 


His  Father's,  the  great  Proprietor  and  Lord  of  the 
flock,  who  styles  Him  "  My  Shepherd,  the  Man 
that  is  my  Fellow"  (Zee.  xiii.  7);  and  though 
faithful  under-shepherds,  who  are  in  their  Mas- 
ter's interest,  feel  a  measure  of  His  own  con- 
cern for  their  charge,  the  language  is  strictly  ap- 
plicable only  to  "the  Son  over  His  own  house" 
(Heb.  iii.  6).  seeth— or  'beholdeth'  [Oeoifuei]  the 
wolf  coming.  By  this  is  meant,  not  (as  Stier, 
Alford,  &c.,  take  it)  the  devil  distinctively,  but 
generally,  as  we  judge,  whoever  comes  uijon  the 
flock  with  hostile  intent,  in  whatever  form ; 
though  the  wicked  one,  no  doubt,  is  at  the  bottom 
of  such  movements.  So  Lucie,  Luthardt.  14. 
I  am  the  good  shepherd.  See  on  v.  11.  and  know 
my  [sheep],  and  am  known  of  mine.  As  the  word 
"sheep"  is  a  saj^plement,  it  is  perhaps  better  to 
render  the  words,  '  and  know  mine,  and  am  known 
of  mine'  [yivwaKia  to.  e/xa,  /cat  yivihaKOfiai  viro  xaii; 
efxwv].  Lachviann  and  TregeUes  read,  '  and  mine 
know  me'  [yivuKTKovaiv  fxe  Ta  ifia],  but,  as  we  judge, 
on  insuflicieut  evidence :  Tischendorf  abides  by  the 
received  text.  15.  As  the  Father  knoweth  me, 
even  so  know  I  the  Father.  This  ought  not  to 
have  begun  a  new  sentence ;  for  it  is  properly  part 
of  the  previous  verse.  The  whole  statement  will 
then  stand  thus:  "And  I  know  mine,  and  am  known 
of  mine,  even  as  the  Father  knoweth  Me,  and  I 
know  the  Father."  So  the  Vulyate,  and  Luther's 
version,  Bengel,  de  Wette,  Lucke,  and  nearly  every 
modern  critic ;  and  so  Lachmann,  Tischendorf,  and 
TregeUes  i^rint  the  text.  When  Christ  says  He 
''''knows  His  sheep,"  He  means  it  in  the  peculiar 
and  endearing  sense  of  2  Tim.  ii.  19;  and  when 
He  says,  "I  am  known  of  mine,"  He  aUudes  to  the 
soul's  response  to  the  voice  that  has  inwardly  and 
efficaciously  called  it;  for  in  this  mutual  loving 
acquaintance,  ours  is  the  effect  of  His.  The  Re — 
deemer's  knowledge  of  us,  as  Olshausen  finely  says, 
is  the  active  element,  penetrating  us  with  His 
power  and  life ;   that  of  believers  is  the  passive 

frinciple,  the  reception  of  His  life  and  light. 
11  this  reception,  however,  an  assimilation 
of  the  soul  to  the  sublime  Object  of  its  knowledge 
and  love  takes  place ;  and  thus  an  activity, 
though  a  derived  one,  is  unfolded,  which  shows 
itse4f  in  obedience  to  His  commands.  But  when 
our  glorious  Speaker  rises  from  this  mutual 
knowledge  of  Himself  and  His  people  to  another 
and  loftier  reciprocity  of  knowledge  ^  even  that 
of  Himself  and  His  Father — and  saj^s  that  the 
former  is  even  as  [/laOtos]  the  latter.  He  ex- 
jiresses  what  none  but  Himself  could  have  dared 
to  utter ;  though  it  is  only  what  He  had  in  effect 
said  before  (Matt.  xi.  27,  taken  in  connection  with 
the  preceding  and  following  verses ;  and  Luke  x. 
21,  22),  and  what  in  another  and  almost  higher 
form  He  expressed  afterwards  in  His  Intercessory 


Discourse  at  the 


JOHN  X. 


Feast  of  Dedication. 


16  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep.  And  'otlier  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not 
of  this  fold :  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice;  '"and 

17  there  shall  be  one  fold,  and  one  shepherd.     Therefore  doth  my  Father 

18  love  me,  '^because  I  lay  down  my  life,  that  I  might  take  it  again.  No 
man  taketh  it  from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself  I  have  power  to 
lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again.  This  "commandment 
have  I  received  of  my  Father. 

19  There  was  a  division  therefore  again  among  the  Jews  for  these  sayings. 

20  And  many  of  them  said.  He  hath  a  devil,  and  is  mad ;  why  hear  ye  him  ? 

21  Others  said.  These  are  not  the  words  of  him  that  hath  a  devil.  ^Can  a 
devil  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind  ? 

22  And  it  was  at  Jerusalem  the  feast  of  the  dedication,  and  it  was  winter. 

23  And  Jesus  walked  in  the  temple,  *in  Solomon's  porch. 


A.  D.  32. 

'  Isa  56.  8. 
"'Ezek.3r.22. 

Eph.  2.  14. 
"  Isa  53.  r. 

2  Cor.  6.  15. 

Heb.  2.  9. 

]  Johns  10. 
"  Acts  2.  24. 
P  Ex.  4.  II. 

Ps.  94.  9. 

Ps.  146.  8 

Pro.  20.  12. 

Isa  3.5.  5, 6. 

Matt.  11.  5. 
«  Acts  3.  11. 

Acts  5.  12. 


Prayer  (ch.  xvii.  21-23).  and  I  lay  down  my  life 
for  tlie  sheep.  How  sublime  is  this,  following 
immediately  on  tlie  lofty  claim  of  the  preceding 
clause!  'Tis  just  the  riches  and  the  poverty  oi 
"The  Word  made  flesh;"  one  glorious  Person 
reaching  at  once  up  to  the  Throne — in  absolute 
knowledge  of  the  Father — and  down  even  to  the 
dust  of  death,  in  the  voluntary  surrender  of  His  life 
"for  the  sheep."  A  candid  interpretation  of  this 
last  clause — "  for  the  sheep" — ought  to  go  far  to 
establish  the  special  relation  of  the  vicarious  death 
of  Christ  to  the  Church.  16.  And  other  sheep  I 
have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold  [aiXJ/s] :  them  also 
I  must  bring.  He  means  the  perishing  Gentiles, 
of  whom  He  speaks  as  already  His  sheep — in  the 
love  of  His  heart  and  the  puriiose  of  His  grace— to 
*'  bring  them"  in  due  time,  and  they  shall  hear 
my  voice.  This  is  not  the  language  of  mere  fore- 
sight that  they  would  believe,  but  the  expression 
of  a  purpose  to  draw  them  to  Himself  by  an  inward 
and  efficacious  call,  which  would  infallibly  issue  in 
their  spontaneous  accession  to  Him.  and  there 
shall  be  one  fold  [ttoi/uvi)]— rather,  '  one  flock. '  The 
word  for  '  fold'  in  the  previous  pai't  of  the  verse,  it 
will  be  seen,  is  diff'erent.  17.  Therefore  [Aia  toGto] 
— 'For  this  cause'  doth  my  Father  love  me,  be- 
cause I  lay  down  my  life.  As  the  highest  act  of 
the  Son]s  love  to  the  Father  was  the  laying  down 
of  His  life  for  the  sheep  at  His  "commandment," 
so  the  Father's  love  to  Him  as  His  incarnate  Son 
reached  its  consummation,  and  fluds  its  highest 
justification,  in  that  sublimest  and  most  affecting 
of  all  acts,  that  I  might  take  it  again — His  re- 
surrection-life being  indispensable  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  fruit  of  His  death,  18.  No  man 
taketh  it  from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  my- 
self. I  have  power  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have 
power  to  take  it  again.  It  is  impossible  for  lan- 
guage more  plainly  and  emphatically  to  express 
the  absolute  voluntariness  of  Christ's  death,  such  a 
voluntariness  as  it  would  be  manifest  presumjition 
in  any  mere  creature  to  affirm  of  his  own  death. 
It  is  beyond  all  doubt  the  language  of  One  who 
was  conscious  that  His  lije  was  His  own,  which  no 
creature's  is,  and,  therefore.  His  to  surrender  or 
retain  at  will.  Here  lay  the  glory  of  His  sacri- 
fice, that  it  was  purely  voluntary.  The  claim  of 
"  power  to  take  it  again"  is  no  less  important,  as 
showing  that  His  resurrection,  though  ascribed  to 
the  Father,  in  the  sense  we  shall  presently  see, 
was  nevertheless  His  own  assertion  of  His  own 
right  to  life  as  soon  as  the  purposes  of  His  volun- 
tary death  were  accomplished.  This  command- 
ment— that  is,  to  "  lay  down  His  life,  that  He 
might  take  it  again,"  have  I  received  [eXajiov]— 
rather, '  received  I '  of  my  Father.  So  that  Christ 
died  at  once  by  ^^ command"  of  His  Father,  and 
by  such  a  voluntary  o'edience  to  that  command 
413 


as  has  made  Him,  so  to  speak,  infinitely  dear  to 
the  Father.  The  necessity  of  Christ's  death,  in  the 
light  of  these  profound  sayings,  must  be  manifest 
to  all  but  the  superficial. 

Speculation  occasioned  by  this  Discourse  (19-21). 
19.  There  was  a  division  therefore  again  among 
the  Jews  for— or  '  because  of '  these  sayings.  20. 
And  many  of  them  said,  He  hath  a  devil,  and  is 
mad ;  why  hear  ye  him  ?  21.  Others  said,  These 
are  not  the  words  of  him  that  hath  a  devU.  Can 
a  devil  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind  ?  Thus  did 
the  light  and  the  darkness  reveal  themselves  with 
increasing  distinctness  in  the  separation  of  the 
teachable  fi-om  the  obstinately  prejiuliced.  The 
one  saw  in  Him  only  "a  devil  and  a  madman;" 
the  other  revolted  at  the  thought  that  such  words 
could  come  from  one  possessed,  and  sight  be  given 
to  the  blind  by  a  demoniac ;  showing  clearly  that 
a  deeper  impression  had  been  made  uix)n  them 
than  their  words  expressed. 

Discourse  at  the  Feast  of  Dedication  (22-30).  22. 
And — or  rather,  '  Now,'  as  beginning  a  new  sub- 
ject, it  was  at  Jerusalem  the  feast  of  the  dedica- 
tion. Recent  interpreters,  with  few  exceptions, 
conclude,  from  the  silence  of  the  Evangelist,  that 
our  Lord  must  have  remained  during  the  whole 
interval  between  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  and  this 
of  the  Dedication — a  period  of  about  two  months 
and  a  half — either  in  Jerusalem  or  its  immediate 
neighbourhood.  But  the  opening  words  of  this 
section — "  Now  it  was  at  Jerusalem,^'  &c— imply, 
we  think,  the  reverse.  If  our  Lord  remained  so 
very  long  at  the  capital  at  this  time,  it  was 
contrary  certainly  to  His  invariable  practice ;  and 
considering  how  the  enmity  and  exasperation  of 
His  enemies  were  drawing  to  a  head,  it  does  not 
seem  to  us  very  likely.  But  to  suppose,  with  some 
harmonists,  that  our  Lord  went  back  during  this 
interval  to  Galilee,  and  that  a  not  inconsiderable 

Eortion  of  the  matter  of  the  first  three  Gospels 
elongs  to  this  period,  seems  to  us  against  all 
probability.  We  therefore  take  a  middle  course ; 
and  think  that  our  Lord  s])ent  the  interval  between 
the  above  festivals  partly  in  Perrea,  within  the 
dominions  of  Herod  Antijias  (where  certainly  we 
find  Hini  at  Luke  xiii.  31),  and  partly  in  Judea, 
approaching  to  the  suburbs  of  the  cai^ital  (where 
certainly  we  find  Him  at  Luke  x.  38). 

This  festival  of  the  Dedication  was  celebrated 
between  two  and  three  months  after  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles.  It  was  instituted  by  Judas  Macca- 
beus, to  commemorate  the  purification  of  the  tem- 
ple from  the  profanations  to  which  it  had  been 
subjected  by  Antiochus  Epiphanes  (b.  c.  1G5),  and 
kept  for  eight  days,  from  the  25th  Chisleu  (about  the 
20th  December)— the  day  on  which  Judas  began  the 
first  joyous  celebration  of  it  (1  Mace.  iv.  52,  56,  59, 
and  Joseph,  Antt  xil  7-  7.)    and  it  was  winter— 


The  Jews  take  %ip 


JOHN  X. 


stones  to  stone  Jesus. 


21      Then  came  the  Jews  round  about  him,  and  said  unto  him,  How  long 
dost  thou  ^  make  us  to  doubt  ?    If  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell  us  plainly. 

25  Jesus  answered  them,  I  told  you,  and  ye  beheved  not :  the  works  that  I 

26  do  in  my  Father's  name,  they  bear  witness  of  me.     But  ''ye  believe  not, 

27  because  ye  are  not  of  my  sheep,  as  I  said  unto  you.     My  sheep  hear  my 

28  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me:   and  I  give  unto  them 
eternal  life ;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  pluck  them 

29  out  of  my  hand.     My  *  Father,  'which  gave  them  me,  is  greater  than  all; 

30  and  none  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand.     I  "and  my 
Father  are  one. 

31,      Then  the  Jews  took  up    stones    again  to    stone  him,      Jesus   an- 

32  swered  them.  Many  goods  works  have  I  showed  you  from  my  Father; 

33  for  which  of  those  works  do  ye  stone  me?     The  Jews  answered  him. 


A.  D.  33. 

1  Or,  hold 
us  in  sus- 
pense. 

•■  ch.  8.  47. 
1  John  4.  6. 

'  ch.  14.  28. 

«  Ex  18.  lu 
Ps   145.  3. 

Dan.  4.  3. 
Mai.  1. 14. 
ch.  11.  2,  6. 
"  ch.  17.  11. 
1  Cor.  8.  4,6. 
Eph.  3.  9. 
1  Tim.3  16. 
1  John  6.  7. 


imj)lyiug  some  hiclemency^  Accordingly  it  is  added, 
23.  And  Jesus  walked  in  the  temple,  in  Solomon's 
porch— for  shelter.  This  portico  was  ou  the  east 
side  of  the  temple,  and  Josephus  says  it  was  part 
of  the  original  structure  of  Solomon,  (Antt,  xx. 
9.  7,) 

24.  Then  came  the  Jews — that  is,  as  usual  in  this 
Gospel,  the  rulers,  as  observed  on  oh.  u  19,  round 
about  him,  and  said  unto  him,  How  long  dost  thou 
make  us  to  doubt  ?  [tijv  x^uy'V  hfioiu  a'/pets] — or 
better,  as  in  the  margin,  '  hold  us  in  suspense.'  If 
thou  be  the  Christ,  tell  us  plainly.  But  when  the 
X)laiuest  evidence  of  it  was  resisted,  what  weight 
could  a  mere  aisertion  of  it  have?  nor  can  it  be 
doubted  that  they  had  an  ensnaring  purpose  in 
the  atterapt  to  draw  this  out  of  Him,  25.  Jesus 
answered  them,  I  told  you— that  is,  in  substance 
(see  ch.  vii.  37,  38 ;  viii.  35,  36,  58),  and  ye  believed 
not :  the  works  that  I  do  in  my  Father's  name,  they 
bear  witness  of  me,  26.  But  ye  ['AW  v/nel^].  The 
"ye"  is  hei-e  in  emphatic  contrast  to  the  "  sheep." 
believe  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  my  sheep,  as 
I  said  unto  you.  Our  Lord  here  manifestly 
refers  back  to  His  discourse  about  the  Shepherd 
and  the  sheep  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (vv. 
1-18).  He  did  not  there  cjpressly  say  what  is  here 
mentioned;  but  the  sharp  line  of  demarcation 
there  drawn  between  the  sheej)  who  hear  only 
their  own  shepherd's  voice,  and  those  who  are  led 
away  by  deceivers,  implied  as  much,  and  what 
follows  shows  that  His  abject  was,  first,  to  resume 
that  subject,  and  then  to  carry  it  out  further  and 
raise  it  higher  than  before,  27,  My  sheep  hear  my 
voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me. 
See  on  v.  8.  28.  And  I  give  unto  them  eternal 
life — not  '  I  will,'  but  'I  do  give'  it  them:  it  is  a 
■[iresent  gift.  See  on  ch.  iii.  36 ;  v.  24.  and  they 
shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  pluck  them 
out  of  my  hand.  A  very  grand  utterance,  couched 
in  the  language  of  majestic,  royal,  supreme  au- 
thority, 29.  My  Father,  "which  gave— rather,  '  hath 
given' [(^eocoKei-]  them  me  (see  ou  ch.  vi.  37-39)  is 
greater  than  all — with  whom  no  adverse  power 
can  contend  (Isa.  xxvii.  4);  and  none  is  able  to 
pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand.  The  bear- 
ing of  this  statement  on  what  is  called  by  divines 
the  perseverance  of  the  saints  has  not  escaped  the 
notice  of  candid  and  reverential  expositors,  even 
of  those  churches  which  repudiate  that  doctrine. 
In  this  view  the  following  remai-ks  of  Olshausen 
ou  these  words  of  our  Lord  have  i)eculiar  value  : 
• — 'The  impossibility  of  true  believers  being  lost, 
in  the  midst  of  all  the  temptations  which  they 
may  encounter,  does  not  consist  in  their  fidelity 
and.  decision,  but  is  founded  upon  the  poiver  of 
God.  Here  the  doctrine  of  predestination  is  pre- 
sented in  its  sublime  and  sacred  aspect ;  there  is  a 
predestination  of  the  holy,  which  is  taught  from 
414 


one  end  of  the  Scriptures  to  the  other ;  not,  in- 
deed, of  such  a  nature  that  an  "irresistible  grace" 
compels  the  opposing  will  of  man' — of  course  not — 
'  but  so  that  that  will  of  man  which  receives  and 
loves  the  commands  of  God  is  j^^oduced  only 
by  God's  grace.'_  But  the  statement  of  i:  29  is  de- 
signed only  to  introduce  that  of  v.  30.  I  and  my 
Father  ['Eyci,  /ca*  6  Ila-ri]p].,  It  should  be  '  I  and 
the  Father'  are  one  [ew  ea/j.ev]^  Our  language  admits 
not  of  the  precision  of  the  original  in  this  great 
saying,  'We  (two  Persons)  are  One  (Thing).' 
Perhaps  'one  interest'  expresses  nearly,  though 
not  quite,  the  jiurport  of  the  saying.  There 
seemed  to  be  some  contradiction  between  His 
saying  they  had  been  given  by  His  Father  into 
Bis  own  hands,  out  of  which  they  could  not  be 
plucked,  and  then  saying  that  none  could  pluck 
them  out  of  His  Father's  hands,  as  if  they  had  not 
been  given  oi<<  o/' them,  ""  Neither  they  have'  says 
He:  'Though  He  has  given  them  to  Me,  they  are 
as  much  in  His  own  almighty  hands  as  ever — they 
cannot  he,  and  when  given  to  Me  they  are  not, 
given  away  from  Himself;  for  He  and  I  have 
ALL  Iff  COMMON,'  Tlius  it  Will  be  seen,  that, 
though  oneness  of  essence  is  not  the  i:)recise  thing 
here  ajEfirmed,  that  truth  is  the  basis  of  ivhat  is 
affirmed,  without  which  it  would  not  be  true. 
And  Augustin  was  right  in  saying  the  "  We  are" 
condemns  the  Sabellians,  who  denied  the  distinc- 
tion of  Persons  in  the  Godhead^  while  the  "  one  " 
condemns  the  AriciTis,  who.  denied  the  unity  of 
their  essence.  {Bengel,  in  his  terse  and  pithy 
way,  thus  expresses  it:  Per  sumus  refutatur 
Sahellius;  per  tinum,  Arius.) 

The  Puling  Parti/,  having  Taken  vp  Stones  to 
Stone  Him,  our  Lord  Vindicates  ivltat  He  had 
said,  but  on  their  again  Seeking  to  Seize  Him,  He 
Escapes  beyond  Jordan,  tvhere  many  believe  on 
Him  (31-42),  31,  Then  the  Jews— the  rulers  again, 
as  in  ch.  i.  19,  took  up  stones  again  to  stone  him— 
and  for  pi-ecisely  the  same  thing  as  before,  the 
claim  of  equality  with  God  which  they  saw  He  was 
advancing  (ch,  v.  18;  Anii.  58,  59),  32,  Jesus 
answered  them,  Many  good  works  [kuXo.  ei)ya] — 
that  is,  works  of  pure  benevolence;  to  which  Peter 
thus  alludes  (Acts  x,  38),  "Who  went  about  doing 
good"  [fvfpyeTZv],  or  as  a  Benefactor:  and  see 
Mark  vii.  37,  from  my  Father— not  so  much  by 
His  power,  but  as  directly  commissioned  by  Him  to 
do  them.  This  He  says,  as  Luthardt  pixjperly  re- 
marks, to  meet  the  imputation  of  unwarrantable 
assumption  of  the  divine  jirerogatives— for  which 
of  those  works  do  ye  stone  me?— or  'are  ye 
stoning  Me ;'  that  is,  going  to  do  it.  33.  The  Jews 
answered  him,  saying.  For  a  good  work  we  stone 
thee  not ;  but  for  blasphemy — whose  legal  punish- 
ment was  stoning  (Lev.  xxiv.  11-16),  and  because 
that  thou,  being  a  man— that  is,  a  man  only, 


Jesus  escapeth 


JOHN  X. 


beyond  Jordan. 


saying,  For  a  good  work  we  stone  thee  not;   but  for  blasphemy;  and 

34  because  that  thou,  being  a  man,  makest  'thyself  God.     Jesus  answered 

35  them,  '"Is  it  not  wTitten  in  your  law,  I  said.  Ye  are  gods?     If  he  called 
them  gods  ^unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came,  and  the  Scripture  cannot 

36  be  broken;  say  ye  of  him,  ^whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified,  and  ^sent 
into  the  world.  Thou  blasphemest;  because  I  said,  I  am  "the  Son  of 

37,  God?    If  ^I  do  not  the  works  of  my  Father,  believe  me  not.     But  if  I  do, 

38  though  ye  believe  not  me,  believe  the  works;  that  ye  may  know  and 
believe  Hhat  the  Father  is  in  me,  and  I  in  him. 

39  Therefore  they  sought  again  to  take  him :  but  he  escaped  out  of  their 

40  hand,  and  went  away  again  beyond  Jordan,  into  the  place  ''where  John 

41  at  first  baptized;  and  there  he  abode.     And  many  resorted  unto  him, 
and  said,  John  did  no  miracle:  *but  all  things  that  John  spake  of  this 

42  man  were  true.     And  -^many  believed  on  him  there. 


"  ch. 

6 

18. 

"Ts 

82 

.  6. 

^  Eom. 

13.  1, 

y  ch. 

6 

27. 

"  ch. 

3 

17. 

ch. 

6. 

36. 

ch 

8. 

42. 

"  Luke  1.  35. 

ch. 

9 

3i. 

>>  ch. 

.  24. 

"  ch. 

.  10. 

ch. 

.  21.  • 

rfch. 

28. 

•  ch 

29. 

ch. 

3. 

30. 

/  ch. 

8. 

30. 

ch. 

11 

.  45. 

makest  thyself  God.  Twice  before  they  under- 
stood him  to  advance  the  same  claim,  and  b'oth 
times,  as  we  have  seen,  they  ])repared  themselves 
to  avenge  what  they  took  to  be  the  insulted 
honour  of  God,  as  here,  in  the  way  directed  by 
their  law.  34.  Jesus  answered  them,  Is  it  not 
written  in  your  law  (Ps.  Ixxxii.  6)— respecting 
judges  or  magistrates,  I  said,  Ye  are  gods?— as 
being  the  official  rfqyresentatives  and  commissioned 
agents  of  God.  35.  If  he  called  them  gods  unto 
whom  the  word  of  God  came,  and  the  Scripture 
cannot  be  broken ;  36.  Say  ye  of  him,  whom  the 
Father  hath  sanctified,  and  sent  into  the  world. 
The  whole  force  of  this  reasoning,  which  has 
been  but  in  part  seized  by  the  commentators, 
lies  in  what  is  said  of  the  two  parties  compared. 
There  is  both  a  comparison  and  a  contrast.  The 
comparison  of  Himself  with  mere  men,  divinely 
commissioned,  is  intended  to  show,  as  Neander 
well  expresses  it,  that  the  idea  of  a  communication 
of  the  Divine  Majesty  to  human  nature  was  by  no 
means  foreign  to  the  revelations  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment; but  the  contrast  between  Himself  and  all 
merely  human  representatives  of  God — the  One, 
^''sanctified  by  the  Father,  and  sent  into  the  world  " 
the  otiier,  "  to  whom  the  tuord  of  God"  merely 
"came"  —  is  expressly  designed  to  prevent  His 
being  massed  up  with  them  as  only  one  of  many 
human  officials  of  God.  It  is  never  said  of  Christ 
that  "the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Him;" 
whereas  this  is  the  well-known  formula  by 
which  the  divine  commission  even  to  the  high- 
est of  mere  men  is  expressed,  such  as  Jolm 
the  Baptist  (Luke  iii.  2):  and  the  reason  is 
tliat  given  by  the  Baptist  himself  (see  on  ch. 
iii.  31).  The  contrast  is  between  those  "  to 
whom  the  word  of  God  came"  — men  of  the 
earth,  earthy,  who  were  merely  privileged  to  get 
a  divine  message  to  utter,  if  prophets,  or  a  divine 
office  to  discharge,  if  judges— and  "Him  whom 
(not  being  of  the  earth  at  all),  the  Father  sanc- 
tified (or  set  apart),  and  sent  into  the  world" — 
an  expression  never  used  of  any  merely  human 
tnessenger  of  God,  and  used  only  of  Himself. 
Thou  blasphemest,  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son 
of  God?  Our  Lord  had  not  ^aid,  in  so  many 
words,  that  He  was  the  Son  of  God,  on  this  occa- 
sion. But  He  had  said  what  beyond  doubt 
amounted  to  it— namely,  that  He  gave  His  sheep 
eternal  life,  and  none  could  iiluck  them  out  of  His 
hand  ;  that  He  had  gotten  tliem  from  His  Father, 
in  whose  hands,  though  given  to  Him,  they  still  re- 
mained, and  out  of  whose  hand  none  could  jiluck 
them ;  and  that  they  were  the  indefeasible  property 
of  Both,  inasmuch  as  "  He  and  His  Father  were 
One."  Our  Lord  considers  all  this  as  just  saying 
of  Himself,  "I  am  the  Son  of  God" — One  nature 
415 


with  Him,  yet  mysteriously  of  Him.  The  paren- 
thesis, in  V.  35— "And  the  Scripture  cannot  be 
broken" — 'dissolved'  or  'made  void'  \\v^nvai\ — 
referring  as  it  does  here  to  the  terms  used,  of  ma- 
gistrates in  the  82d  Psalm,  has  an  important  bear- 
ing on  the  authority  of  the  living  oracles.  TliC 
Scripture,  says  Qlshausen,  as  the  expressed  will  of 
the  unchangeable  God,  is  itself  unchangeable  and 
indissoluble.  (Matt.  v.  18.)  37.  If  I  do  not  the 
works  of  my  Father,  believe  me  not.  38.  But  if 
I  do,  though  ye  believe  not  me,  believe  the  works. 
There  was  in  Christ's  words,  iudeijendeutly  of  any 
miracles,  a  self-evidencing  truth,  majesty,  and 
grace,  which  those  who  had  any  spiritual  suscepti- 
bility were  unable  to  resist  (ch.  vii.  46;  viii.  30). 
But,  for  those  who  wanted  this,  ''the  works" 
were  a  mighty  help.  When  these  failed,  the  case 
was  desperate  indeed,  that  ye  may  know  and 
believe  that  the  Father  is  in  me,  and  I  in  him 
— thus  reiterating  His  claim  to  essential  oneness 
with  the  Father,  which  He  had  only  seemed  to 
soften  down,  that  He  might  calm  their  rage  and 
get  their  ear  again  for  a  moment. 

39.  Therefore  they  sought  again  to  take  him 
— true  to  their  original  understanding  of  His  words, 
for  they  saw  perfectly  well  that  He  meant  to 
"  make  Himself  God"  throughout  all  this  dialogue. 
but  he  escaped  [egT/XGey]— '  went'  or  'passed' 
out  of  their  hand — slipping,  as  it  were,  or  gliding 
away  out  of  their  grasp,  just  when  they  thought 
themselves  sure  of  having  Him.  (See  on  Luke  iv. 
30 ;  and  on  ch.  viii.  59. )  40.  And  went  away  again 
beyond  Jordan,  into  the  place  where  John  at 
first  baptized.  (See  on  ch.  i.  28.)  41.  And  many 
resorted  unto  him— on  Avhom  the  Baptist's  min- 
istry appears  to  have  left  permanent  impressions, 
and  said,  John  did  no  miracle :  but  all  things  that 
John  spake  of  this  man  were  true — what  they 
now  heard  and  saw  in  Jesus  only  confirming  in 
their  minds  the  divinity  of  His  forerunner's  mis- 
sion, a  mission  unaccompanied  by  any  of  His  Mas- 
ter s  miracles.  And  thus,  many  believed  on  Him 
there. 

Remark. — As  the  malignity  of  His  enemies  in- 
creases, the  benimity  and  grace  with  which  Jesus 
addresses  Himself  to  His  own  seem  to  grow  also ; 
as  if  the  sharp  drawing  off  of  the  one  party  made 
Him  cling  all  the  more  to  the  other,  drew  out  to 
them  the  more  of  His  lo\dng  heart,  and  encouraged 
a  fuller  exhibition  of  the  purposes  and  plans  of 
saving  mercy.  In  proportion,  too,  as  His  scornful 
adversaries  seemed  bent  on  depreciating  Him,  does 
He  Himself  seem  to  rise  in  the  assertion  of  His 
own  Divine  dignity  and  authority.  Thus,  after  the. 
virulent  enmity  to  Him  manifested  in  the  scenes 
of  the  former  chapter,  how  lovely  is  the  whole  Dis- 
course ou  the  Shepherd  and  the  sheep,  extending 


The  sickness  and 


JOHN  XI. 


death  of  Lazarus. 


11       NOW  a  certain  man  was  sick,  named  Lazarus,  of  Bethany,  the  town  of 

2  "Mary  and  her  sister  Martha.     (It  *was  that  Mary  which  anointed  the 
Lord  with  ointment,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair,  whose  brother 

3  Lazarus  was  sick.)     Therefore  his  sisters  sent  unto  him,  saying,  Lord, 
behold,  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick. 

4  When  Jesus  heard  that,  he  said,  This  sickness  is  not  unto  death,  *^but 
for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God  might  be  glorified  thereby. 

5,  Now  Jesus  loved  Martha,  and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus.  When  he  had 
0  heard  therefore  that  he  was  sick,  '^he  abode  two  days  still  in  the  same 
7  place  where  he  was.     Then  after  that  saith  he  to  his  disciples,  Let  us  go 


A  D.  33. 

CHAP.  IL 
"  Luke  10.38. 

0  Matt.  26.  r. 

Mark  U  3. 

Luke  7.  3r. 

ch.  12.  3. 
'  ch   9.  3. 

Phil  1.  11. 

1  Pet.  4.  11. 
11 
<*  Isa  55.  8. 

ch.  10.  40. 


over  the  first  eigliteen  verses  of  this  chaj^ter !    And 
where  shall  we  find  a  livelier  expression  of  the 
relation  which  Christ  sustains  botli  to  men  and  to 
Ciod,  as  the  only  way  of  access  and  entrance  for  the 
oue  and  to  the  Other;  of  the  absolute  voluntari- 
ness and  saving  virtue  of  His  death,  as  the  secret 
of   that    seK-exerting  power   in   the   exercise   of 
which    He    resumed  the  life  which    He  had  of 
Himself  laid  down;  of  the  sustenance  which  He 
provides  for  the  continuance  of  the  life  He  im- 
parts, the  pasture  of  His  saved  sheep;   of  the 
Father's    love  to  Him  for  freely  doing  all  this; 
and   of  the   mutual   knowledge  of   Himself  and 
His  sheej),  as  bearing  no  faint  resemblance  to  that 
of  Himself  and  the  Father?    But  in  the  Discourse 
at  the  Feast  of  Dedication,  we  find  Him  rising 
if  possible,  yet  higher;  speaking  of  the  security 
that  the  sheep  have,  for  that  eternal  Ufe  which 
in  the  exercise  of   His  royal  authority  He  giveg 
them,  in  the  impossibility  of  plucking  them  out  of 
His  hand:  and  lest  this  should  seem  to  His  audience 
small  security,  considering  how  little  different  from 
other  men  He  outwardly  ajipeared.  He  adds  that 
His  Father,  at  least,  who  gave  His  sheep  to  Him, 
would  be    admitted    even    by  themselves  to   be 
greater  tlian  all;  and  as  none  could  pluck  them 
out  of  His  hand,  that  was  all  the  same  as  inability 
to  pluck  them  out  of  His  own  hand,  for  He  and 
the   Father  were  one.      This  seemed  too  much, 
and  accordingly  they  took  up  stones  to  stone  Him 
as  a  blasphemer.     But  though  He  addressed  to 
them  an  argument  fitted  to  soothe  and  mollify 
them,  He  took  care,  lest  it  should  take  down  His 
dignity  in  their  eyes,  to  close  it  by  reiterating  in 
substance  the  very  statement  for  which  they  had 
attempted  to   stone  Him;   and  only  by  divinely 
eluding  their  grasp,  and  retiring  to  the  further 
side  of  the  Jordan,  did  they  fail  to  seize  before 
His  time  the  Holy  One  of  God ! 

CHAP.    XL      1-57. —The    Resttkrectiok   of 
Lazarus,  and  its  effects— The  Death  of  Jesu.s 

BEING  resolved  ON  BY  THE  JeWISH   CoUNCIL,  He 

Eetires  out  OF  Public  View — Preparations 
FOR  the  approaching  Passover,  and  specula- 
tion WHETHER  Jesus  will  come  to  it.  It  was 
stated  at  the  close  of  the  fonner  chapter  that  our 
Lord,  eluding  the  fury  of  His  Pharisaic  adversaries 
in  Jerusalem,  "went  away  again  beyond  Jordan 
into  the  place  where  John  at  first  baptized,  and 
t'lere  abode"  (ch.  x.  39,  40).  The  place  was  prob- 
j  bly  somewhere  about  the  well-known  fords  of 
the  Jordan,  and  not  far  from  Jericho,  which  was 
about  eighteen  miles  distant  from  Jerusalem. 
Here  we  now  find  Him  when  intelligence  reached 
Him  regarding  Lazarus. 

A  Message  arriving  from  Bethany  that  Lazartis 
is  sick,  Jesus,  after  waiting  Two  Days,  and  inform- 
ing the  Disciples  that  Lazarus  had  died.  Departs 
thither  for  the  purpose  of  liaising  Him  from  the 
Dead  (1-16).  1.  Now  a  certain  man  was  sick, 
named  Lazarus,  of— or  'from'  [fi-^-d]  Bethany 
(see  on  Luke  xix.  29),  'of  [ix]  tlie  town  of  Mary 
41G 


and  her  sister  Martha — thus  distingui.shing  this 
Bethany  from  the  one  "beyond  Jordan"  above  re- 
ferred to.  2.  (It  was  that  Mary  which  anointed 
the  Lord  with  ointment,  and  wiped  his  feet  with 
her  hair,  whose  brother  Lazarus  was  sick.)  Tlie 
fact  here  referred  to,  though  not  recorded  by  our 
Evangelist  till  ch.  xii.  3,  &c.,  was  so  M-ell  known 
in  the  teaching  of  all  the  churches,  according  to 
our  Lord's  prediction  (see  on  Mark  xiv.  9),  that  it 
is  here  alluded  to  by  anticipation,  as  the  most 
natural  way  of  identifying  her;  and  Mary  is  first 
named,  though  the  younger,  as  the  more  distin- 
guished of  the  two.  She  "anointed  the  Lord," 
says  the  Evangelist— led  doubtless  to  the  use  of 
this  term  here,  as  He  was  about  to  exhibit  Him 
illustriously  as  the  Lord  of  Life.  3.  Therefore 
his  sisters  sent  unto  him,  saying,  Lord,  behold, 
he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick.  A  most  womanly 
appeal  to  the  known  affection  of  her  Lord  for  the 
patient;  yet  how  reverential !  '  Those,'  says  Trench, 
'  whom  Christ  loves,  are  no  more  exempt  than  others 
from  their  share  of  earthly  trouble  and  anguisli ; 
rather  ai-e  they  bound  over  to  it  more  surely.' 

4.  When— 'But  when'  [(5e]  Jesus   heard   that, 
he    said,  This  sickness  is  not  unto   death,  but 
for   the   glory   of    God,   that   the  Son   of   God 
might— or  'may'  be  glorified  thereby  [(5i' au-r?;?] 
— that  is,  by  this  "glory  of  God."    Remarkable 
language  this,  which    from  creature   lips   would 
have  been  intolerable.     It  means  that  the  glory 
of  God  manifested  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead 
Lazarus  would  be  shown  to  be    the  glory,  per- 
sonally and  immediately,   of  the   Son.     5.  Now 
Jesus  loved  Martha,  and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus. 
What  a  pictiu-e!   one  that  in  every  age  has  at- 
tracted  the  admiration  of    the  whole  Christian 
Church.     No  wonder  that  those  sceptics  who  have 
so  pitifully  carped  at  the  ethical  system  of  the 
Gospel,  as  not  embracing  private  friendships  in  the 
list  of  its  virtues,  have  been  referred  to  the  Savi- 
our's peculiar  regard  for  this  family,  as  a  trium- 
phant refutation — if  such  were  needed.     6.  When 
he  had  heard — 'When  he  heard'  [vkoi<(T€v\  there- 
fore that  he  was  sick,  he  abode  two  days  still — 
rather,   'then  [ToVe]  he  abode  tw-o  days'  in  the 
[same]  place  where  he  was.    Beyond  all  doubt 
this  was  just  to  let  things  come  to  their  worst,  in 
order  to  the  display  of  His  glory.     But  how  try- 
ing, meantime,  to  the  faith  of  his  friends^  and  how 
unlike  the  way  in  which  love  to  a  dying  friend 
usually  shows  itself,   on  which  it  is  jilaiu  that. 
Mary  reckoned.     But  the  ways  of  divine  are  not 
as  the  ways  of  human  love.     Often  they  are  the 
reverse.     When  His  people  ai'e  sick,  in  body  or 
spirit,  when  their  case  is  waxing  more  and  more 
desperate  every  day,  when  all  hope  of  recovery  is 
about  to  expire— just  then  and  therefore  it  is  that 
''''He  abides  tivo  days  still  in  the  same  place  where 
He  is."    Can  they  still  hope  against  hope?    Often 
they  do  not;  but  "this  is  their  infirmity."    For  it 
is  His  chosen  style  of  acting.     We  have  been  well 
taught  it,  and  should  not  now  have  the  lesson  to 


Jesus  goeth 


JOHN  XI. 


to  Bethany. 


8  into  Judea  again.     His  disciples  say  unto  him,  Master,  *the  Jews  of  late 

9  sought  to  stone  tliee;  and  goest  thou  thither  again?    Jesus  answered, 
Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the  day?    -^If  any  man  walk  in  the  day, 

10  he  stumbleth  not,  because  he  seeth  the  light  of  this  world.    But  ^if  a  mau 

11  walk  in  the  night,  he  stumbleth,  because  there  is  no  light  in  him.     These 
things  said  he :  and  after  that  he  saith  unto  them.  Our  friend  Lazarus 

12  ''sleepeth;  but  I  go,  that  I  may  awake  him  out  of  sleep.     Then  said  his 

13  disciples.  Lord,  if  he  sleep,  he  shall  do  well.     Howbeit  Jesus  spake  of  his 
death :  but  they  thought  that  he  had  spoken  of  taking  of  rest  in  sleep. 

14,  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them  plainly,  Lazarus  is  dead.     And  I  am  glad  for 

15  your  sakes  that  I  was  not  there,  to  the  intent  ye  may  believe;  neverthe- 

16  less  let  us  go  unto  him.     Then  said  Thomas,  which  is  called  Didymus, 
unto  his  fellow-disciples.  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with  him. 

17  Then  when  Jesus  came,  he  found  that  he  had  lain  in  the  grave  four 


A.  D.  33. 


"  ch   10.  31. 
/  Ps.  !,7.  U. 

Ps.  119. 105, 
130. 

Pro.  4.  18. 

Pro.  6.  23. 

Pro.  13.  9. 

ch.  9.  4. 
»  Job  12.  24. 

Ps    27.  2. 

ch.  12.  35. 

ft  Deut.3i.  1(5. 
Dan.  12.  2. 
Matt.  9.  24. 
Acts  7.  60. 
1  Cor.  15.  IS, 
51. 


learn.  From  the  days  of  Moses  was  it  given  sub- 
limely forth  as  the  character  of  His  grandest  in- 
terpositious,  that  "tlie  Lord  will  judge  His  people, 
and  repent  Himself  for  His  servants — when  He 
seeth  that  their  pmver  is  goiie"  (Dent,  xxxii.  36). 
7.  Tlien  after  that  saith  "he  to  his  disciples,  Let 
us  go  into  Judea  again — out  of  Perrea  where  He 
BOW  was.  8.  His  disciples  say  unto  him,  Master, 
the  Jews  of  late  sought  [i/iJv  e'^vTow] — rather, 
'  were  but  now  seeking '  to  stone  thee  (see  ch. 
X.  31) ;  and  goest  thou  thither  again?— to  certain 
death,  as  v,  16  shows  they  thought.  9.  Jesus 
answered,  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the 
day  ?  If  any  man  walk  in  the  day,  he  stumhleth 
not,  hecause  he  seeth  the  light  of  this  world. 
10.  But  if  a  man  walk  in  the  night,  he  stumhleth, 
because  there  is  no  light  in  him  [to  <pu>^  ovk 
£(TTiv  ei)  ai)T<j)]— or  'because  the  light  is  not  in 
him.'  See  oii  ch.  ix.  4  Our  Lord's  day  had  now 
reached  its  eleventh  hour,  and  having  till  now 
"  walked  in  the  day,"  He  would  not  mis-time  the 
remaining  and  more  critical  part  of  His  work, 
which  would  be  as  fatal,  He  says,  as  omitting  it 
altogether;  for  "if  a  man'''' — so  He  speaks,  putting 
Himself  under  the  same  gi-eat  law  of  duty  as  all 
other  men — if  a  man  "walk  in  the  night,  he  stumb- 
leth, because  the  light  is  not  in  him."  11.  These 
things  said  he:  and  after  that  he  saith,  Our 
friend  Lazarus — illustrious  title  from  such  Lips ! 
To  Abraham  only  did  the  Lord  under  the  Old 
Testament  accord  this,  and  not  till  hundreds  of 
years  after  his  death  (2  Chr.  xx.  7;  Isa.  xli.  8); 
to  which,  as  something  very  unusual,  our  atten- 
tion is  called  in  the  New  Testament  (Jas.  ii.  23). 
When  Jesus  came  in  the  flesh,  His  forerunner  ap- 
plied this  name,  in  a  certain  official  sense,  to  him- 
self (ch.  iii.  29) ;  and  into  the  same  fellowship  the 
Lord's  chosen  disciples  are  declared  to  have  come 
(ch.  XV.  13-15).  Lampe  well  remarks  that  the  phrase 
here  employed — "our  friend  Lazarus"  —  means 
more  than  "he  whom  Thou  lovest"  {y.  3);  for  it 
implies  that  Christ's  affection  was  reciprocated  by 
Lazarus,  sleepeth  [Ke/>.-oiyu»)Tat] — or  '  has  fallen 
asleep;'  but  I  go,  that  I  may  awake  him  out  of 
sleep.  Our  Lord  had  been  told  only  that  Lazarus 
was  "sick."  But  the  change  which  his  two  days' 
delay  had  produced  is  here  tenderly  alluded  to. 
Doubtless,  His  heart  was  all  the  while  with  His 
dying,  and  now  dead  "friend."  The  symbol  of 
"sleep"  for  death  is  common  to  all  languages,  and 
familiar  to  us  in  the  Old  Testament.  In  the  New 
Testament,  however,  a  higher  meaning  is  put  into 
it,  in  relation  to  believers  in  Jesus  (see  on  1  Thes. 
iv.  14) — a  sense  hinted  at,  and  pretty  clearly  too,  in 
Ps,  xvii.  15,  as  Luthardt  remarks;  and  the  "awak- 
ing out  of  sleep"  acquires  a  corresiwnding  sense 
far  transcending-  bare  resuscitation.  12.  Then  said 
VOL.  V.  417 


his  disciples,  Lord,  if  he  sleep,  he  shall  do  well 
[o-a)6/;(reTai] — literally,  'be  saved'  or  '  preserved' — 
that  is,  'shall  recover:'  and  if  so,  why  run  the 
risk  of  going  to  Judea?  13.  Howbeit  Jesus  spake 
of  his  death:  but  they  thought  that  he  had 
spoken  of  taking  of  rest  in  sleep.  14.  Then  said 
Jesus  unto  them  plainly,  Lazarus  is  dead.  'In 
the  language  of  heaven,'  says  Bengel  beautifully, 
'  sleep  is  the  death  of  the  saints ;  but  this  language 
the  djscifiles  here  understood  not.  Incomparable  is 
the  generosity  of  the  divine  manner  of  discoursing; 
but  such  is  the  slowness  of  men's  apprehension 
tt»t  Scripture  often  has  to  descend  to  the  more 
miserable  style  of  human  discourse.  (See  Matt, 
xvi.  11,  &c.) '  15.  And  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes 
that  I  was  not  there.  This,  as  is  hnely  remarked 
by  Luthardt,  certainly  implies  that  if  He  had  been 
present,  Lazarus  would  not  have  died ;  not  because 
He  could  not  have  resisted  the  importunities  of 
the  sisters,  but  because,  in  presence  of  the  per- 
sonal Life,  death  could  not  have  reached  His 
friend.  And  Beiigel  again  makes  this  exquisite  re- 
mark, that  it  is  beautifully  congruous  to  tbe 
divine  decorum  that  in  presence  of  the  Prince 
of  Life  no  one  is  ever  said  to  have  died. 
to  the  Intent  ye  may  believe.  This  is  added  to 
explain  His  "gladness"  at  not  having  been  pres- 
ent. His  friend's  death,  as  such,  could  not  have 
been  to  Him  "joyous;"  the  sequel  shows  it  was 
"grievous  ;"  but  "' for  them  it  was  safe"  (Phil.  iiL 
1).  16.  Then  said  Thomas,  called  Didymus — or 
'the  twin.'  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die 
with  him.  Lovely  spirit,  though  tinged  with 
some  sadness,  such  as  re-appears  at  ch.  xiv.  5, 
showing  the  tendency  of  this  disciple  to  take  the 
dark  view  of  things.  On  a  memorable  occasion 
this  tendency  opened  the  door  to  downright, 
though  but  momentary,  unbelief,  (ch.  xx.  25.) 
Here,  however,  though  alleged  by  many  interpre- 
ters, there  is  nothing  of  the  sort.  _He  perceives 
clearly  how  this  journey  to  Judea  will  end,  as  re- 
spects His  Master,  and  not  only  sees  in  it  peril  to 
themselves,  as  they  all  did,  but  feels  as  if  he  could 
not  and  cared  not  to  survive  His  Master's  sacrihce 
to  the  fury  of  His  enemies.  It  was  that  kind  of 
affection  which,  Hving  only  in  the  light  of  its 
Object,  cannot  contemplate,  or  has  no  heart  for, 
life  without  it. 

Martha,  Hearing  that  Jesus  ivas  Coming,  Goes  to 
Meet  Him — Precious  Dialogue  between  These  Two 
(17-27).  17.  Then  when  Jesus  came,  he  found  that 
he  had  lain  in  the  grave  four  days.  If  he  died 
on  the  day  that  the  tidings  came  of  his  illness ;  if 
he  was,  according  to  the  Jewish  custom,  buried 
the  same  day  (see  on  Luke  vii.  12;  and  Acts  v.  5, 
6,  10) ;  and  if  Jesus,  after  two  days'  farther  stay  in 
Persea,  set  out  on  the  day  following  for  Bethany 
2£ 


Jesus  converseth 


JOHN  XL 


u-ith  Martha  and  Mary. 


18  days  already.     Now  Bethany  was  nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  ^ahout  fifteen 

19  furlongs  olT.     And  many  of  the  Jews  came  to  Martha  and  Mary,  to 

20  comfort  them  concerning  their  brother.  Then  Martha,  as  soon  as  she 
heard  that  Jesus  was  coming,  went  and  met  him :  but  Mary  sat  still  in 

21  the  house.     Then  said  Martha  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here, 

22  my  brother  had  not  died.     But  I  know,  that  even  now,  *  whatsoever  thou 

23  wilt  ask  of  God,  God  will  give  it  thee.     Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Thy  brother 

24  shall  rise  ■'again.    Martha  saith  unto  him,  ^"I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again 

25  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day.  Jesus  said  unto  her,  I  am  Hhe  resur- 
rection, and  the  '"life:  he  "that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead, 

26  yet  shall  he  live :  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall  never 

27  die.  Believest  thou  this?  She  saith  unto  him.  Yea,  Lord:  *'I  believe 
that  thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  which  should  come  into  the 
world. 

28  And  when  she  had  so  said,  she  went  her  way,  and  called  Mary  her 

29  sister  secretly,  saying,  The  Master  is  come,  and  calleth  for  thee.     As 

30  soon  as  she  heard  that,  she  arose  quickly,  and  came  unto  him.  Now 
Jesus  was  not  yet  come  into  the  town,  but  was  in  that  place  where 

31  Martha  met  him.  The  Jews  then  which  were  with  her  in  the  house,  and 
comforted  her,  when  they  saw  Mary,  that  she  rose  up  hastily  and  went 


A.  D  33. 


1  That  is, 

about  iwo 

miles. 
•  ch.  9.  31. 
i  Dan  12.  2. 

lThes4  14. 

Phil.  3.  ;;l. 
k  Luke  14. 14. 

ch.  5.  29. 
«  ch.  6.  21. 

ch.  6.  39,  -10, 
44. 

Eom.  8   U. 
"'ch.  1.  4. 

ch.  6.  35. 

ch   14.  6. 

Col.  3.  4. 

1  Johnl.  I, 
2. 

1  Johns.  11. 
"  ch.  6.  3.1 

1  Johns.  1 0. 
"  Matt.  16. 16. 

ch.  4.  4i. 

ch.  6.  14,  (59. 


(some  ten  hours'  journey)— that  would  make  out 
the  four  days,  the  first  and  last  being  incomplete. 
(So  Meyer.)  18.  Now  Bethany  was  nigh  unto  Je- 
rusalem, ahout  fifteen  furlongs— rather  less  than 
two  miles :  this  is  mentioned  to  explain  the  visits 
of  sympathy,  noticed  in  the  following  words,  which 
the  proximity  of  the  two  places  facilitated.  19. 
And  many  of  the  Jews  came  {k\t]\()deL<yav\ — rather, 
'had  come'  to  Martha  and  Mary,  to  comfort  them 
concerning  their  torother.  Thus  were  provided, 
ill  a  most  natural  way,  so  many  witnesses  of  the 
glorious  miracle  that  was  to  follow  as  to  put  the 
tact  beyond  possible  question.  20.  Then  Martha, 
as  scon  as  she  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming, 
went  and  met  him— true  to  the  energy  and  activity 
of  her  character,  as  seen  in  the  beautiful  scene 
recorded  by  Luke  (x.  38-42— on  which  see  exposi- 
tion): hut  Mary  sat  [still]  in  the  house  [kKade- 
X,6To] — literally,  '  was  sitting  in  the  house ;'  equally 
true  to  her  placid,  still  character.  These  unde- 
signed touches  charmingly  illustrate,  not  only  the 
minute  historic  fidelity  of  both  narratives,  but  their 
inner  harmoni/.  21.  Then  sa,id  Martha  unto  Jesus, 
Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had  not 
died.  As  Mary  afterwards  said  the  same  thing 
{v.  32),  it  is  plain  they  had  made  this  very  natural 
remark  to  each  other,  perhaps  many  times  during 
these  fom  sad  days,  and  not  without  having  their 
coutidence  in  His  love  at  times  overclouded.  Such 
trials  of  faith,  however,  are  not  peculiar  to  them. 
22.  But  I  know,  that  even  now  ['A\Xd  Kal  vuv 
vlSa] — 'Nevertheless,  even  now,  I  know'  whatso- 
ever thou  wilt — 'shalt'  ask  of  God.  Energetic 
characters  are  usually  sanguine,  the  rainbow  of 
hope  peering  through  the  drenching  cloud.  God 
will  give  it  thee — that  is,  'even  to  the  restoration 
of  my  dead  brother  to  life  '  for  that  plainly  is  her 
meaning,  as  the  sequel  shows.  23.  Jesus  saith 
unto  her,  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again— purposely 
expressing  Himself  in  general  terms,  to  draw  her 
<,ut.  24.  Martha  saith  unto  him,  I  know  that  he 
shall  rise  again  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last 
day: — q.  d.,  'But  are  we  never  to  see  him  in  life 
till  then?'  25.  Jesus  said  unto  her,  I  am  the  re- 
surrection, and  the  life: — q.  d.,  ^  The  w/:o'e  power 
to  impart,  maintain,  and  restore  life,  resides  in  Me.' 
(See  on  ch.  i.  4;  v.  21.)  What  higher  claim  to 
supreme  Divinity  than  this  grand  sayiug  can  be 
conceived?  he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he 
41S 


were  dead  [xdu  aTroddmi]  —  'though  he  die,'  yet 
shall  he  live: — q.  d.,  '  The  believer's  death  shall  I' e 
swallowed  up  in  life,  and  his  life  shall  never  sink 
into  death.'  As  death  comes  by  sin,  it  is  His  to 
dissolve  it;  and  as  life  flows  through  His  right- 
eousness, it  is  His  to  communicate  and  eternally 
maintain  it.  (See  on  Eom.  v.  21.)  26.  And  who- 
soever liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall  never  die. 
The  temporary  separation  of  soul  and  body  is  here 
regarded  as  not  even  interniptin"-,  much  less  im- 
pairing, the  new  and  everlasting  life  imparted  by 
Jesus  to  His  believing  people.  Believest  thou  this  ? 
Canst  thou  take  this  in?  27.  She  saith  unto  him, 
Yea,  Lord:  I  believe  ['Eyw  'rreTrioTevKu] — 'I  have 
beheved  (and  do  believe).'  The  "I"  is  emphatic — 
'As  for  me.'  That  thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  which  should  come — or  'that  cometh'  into 
the  world : — q.  d. ,  '  And  having  such  faith  in  Thee, 
I  can  believe  all  which  that  comprehends.'  While 
she  had  a  glimmering  perception  that  Eesurrec- 
tion,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  belonged  to  the 
Messianic  office  and  Sonship  of  Jesus,  she  means, 
by  this  Avay  of  expressing  herself,  to  cover  mucii 
that  she  felt  her  ignorance  of — as  no  doubt  ai'i.ier- 
taining  of  right  to  Him. 

Mary,  being  sent  /or.  Comes  to  Jesus  Weeping, 
followed  by  sympathizing  Jeivs,  who  weep  too.  The 
spirit  of  Jesus  is  deeply  moved,  a7id  lie,  iveeping 
also,  arrives  at  the  Grave  (28-38).  28.  And  when 
she  had  so  said,  she  went  her  way,  and  called 
Mary  her  sister  secretly,  saying.  The  Master  is 
come,  and  calleth  for  thee  \7rupe(m  Kal  (pwvel  a-e] 
— 'is  here,  and  calleth  thee.'  The  narrative  does 
not  give  us  this  charming  piece  of  information,  but 
Martha's  words  do.  29.  As  soon  as— or,  'When' 
[ois]  she  heard  that,  she  arose  quickly,  and  came 
unto  him  [eyeioeTai-epyeraL] — rather,  'ariseth,'  and 
'cometh.'  Affection  for  her  Lord,  assurance  of 
His  sympathy,  and  hope  of  his  interposition,  put  a 
spring  into  her  depressed  spirit.  30.  Now  Jesus, 
&c.  31.  The  Jews  then  which  v/ere  with  her  in  tha 
house,  and  comforted— or  '  were  comforting'  her, 
when  they  saw  Mary,  that  she  rose  up  hastily 
and  went  out,  followed  her.  Thus  casually  were 
provided  witnesses  of  the  glorious  miracle  that  fol- 
lowed, witnesses  not  prejudiced,  certainly,  wi/ai'o«r 
of  Him  who  wrought  it.  saying,  She  goeth  unto 
the  grave  to  weep  there— according  to  Jewish  prac- 
tice for  some  days  after  buriah    32.  Then  when 


Jesus  goeth  to  the 


JOHN  XI. 


grave  of  Lazarus. 


32  out,  followed  her,  saying,  She  goeth  unto  the  grave  to  weep  there.  Then 
when  Mary  was  come  where  Jesus  was,  and  saw  him,  she  fell  down  at  his 
feet,  saying  unto  him,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had  not 

33  died.     When  Jesus  therefore  saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews  also  weeping 

34  which  came  with  her,  he  groaned  in  the  spirit,  and  ^was  troubled,  and 
said,  Where   have   ye   laid   him?      They   said   unto   him.    Lord,    come 

35,  and  see.     Jesus  ^wept.      Then   said  the  Jews,   Behold   how  he  loved 

36,  him!     And  some  of  them  said.  Could  not  this  man,  ^ which  opened  the 

37  eyes  of  the  blind,  have  caused  that  even  this  man  should  not  have  died? 

38  Jesus  therefore,  again  groaning  in  himself,  oomcth  to  the  grave.  It  was 
a  cave,  and  a  stone  lay  upon  it. 

39  Jesus  said,  Take  ye  away  the  stone.  Llartha,  the  sister  of  him  that 
was  dead,  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  by  this  time  he  stinketh:  for  he  hath 


A.  D.  33. 

2  he 

troubled 

himseir. 
P  Gen.  43.  LO. 

Job  30.  25. 

Ps  35.  13. 

Ps   119.  130. 

Isa.  63.  3. 

Jer.  9. 1. 

Jer.  13.  ir. 

Luke  19.41. 

Pom.  12. 15. 

Heb.  2.  17. 
18. 

Heb.  4.  15. 
«  ch.  9.  C. 


Mary  was  come  -where  Jesus  -was,  and  saw  him, 
she  fell  down  at  his  feet — more  impassioned  than 
her  sister,  though  her  words  were  fewer,  saying 
unto  him,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my 
brother  had  not  died.  See  on  v.  21.  33.  When 
Jesus  therefore  saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews 
also  weeping  wiiich  came  with  her,  he  groaned 
in  the  spirit  \kveppiixri<jaTo\.  The  word  here  is  not 
that  usually  employed  to  express  groaning.  It 
denotes  any  '  strong  manifestation  of  inward  emo- 
tion;' but  here  it  probably  means,  '  made  a  visible 
and  powerful  effort  to  check  His  emotion'— to  re- 
strain those  tears  which  were  ready  to  gush  from 
His  eyes,  and  was  troubled  [^kTupa^ev  kavrov] — 
rather,  as  in  the  margin,  'troubled  Himself;' 
that  is,  became  mentally  agitated.  The  tears  of 
Mary  and  her  friends  acted  sympathetically  upon 
Him,  and  drew  forth  His  emotions.  What  a  vivid 
outcoming  of  7-eal  humanity !  34.  And  said,  Where 
have  ye  laid  him?  Perhaps  it  was  in  order  to 
retain  composure  enough  to  ask  this  question,  and 
on  receiving  the  answer  to  proceed  with  them  to 
the  spot,  that  He  checked  Himself.  They  said — 
'say'  [Keyovaiv]  unto  him,  Lord,  come  and  see. 
35.  Jesus  wept  [koaKpvcrev].  This  beautifully  con- 
veys the  sublime  brevity  of  the  original  word ;  else 
^shed  tears^  might  have  better  conveyed  the  dif- 
ference between  the  word  here  used  and  that  twice 
employed  in  v,  3.3  [^Xaia)],  and  there  properly  ren- 
dered "weeping" — denoting  the  loud  wail  for  the 
dead,  while  that  of  Jesus  consisted  of  silent  tears. 
Is  it  for  nothing  that  the  Evangelist,  some  si.rfy 
years  after  it  occurred,  holds  up  to  all  ages  Math 
such  touching  brevity  the  sublime  spectacle  of  the 
Son  of  God  in  tears?  What  a  seal  of  His  perfect 
oneness  with  us  in  the  most  redeeming  feature  of 
our  stricken  humanity !  But  was  there  nothing  in 
those  tears  beyond  sorrow  for  human  suffering  and 
death?  Could  these  effects  move  Him  without 
suggesting  the  cause ?  Who  can  doubt  that  in  His 
ear  every  feature  of  the  scene  i^roclaimed  that 
stern  law  of  the  Kingdom,  "The  wages  of  sin  is 
death"  and  that  this  element  in  His  visible  emo- 
tion underlay  all  the  rest?  See  on  Mark  i.  29-31, 
Remark  2  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  36.  Then 
said  the  Jews,  Behold  how  he  loved  him!  We 
thank  you,  0  ye  visitors  from  Jerusalem,  for  this 
spontaneous  testimony  to  the  human  softness  of 
the  Son  of  God.  37.  And  [(5e]— rather,  'But'  some 
of  them  said,  Could  not  this  man,  which  opened 
the  eyes  of  the  blind  [toD  tu(/)\ou]— not  'of  blind 
people'  generally,  but  'of  the  blind  man;'  refer- 
ring to  the  specific  case  recorded  in  the  ninth 
chapter,  have  caused  that  even  [iVa  Kal  ovto^'\ — 
rather,  'have  caused  also  that'  this  man  should 
not  have  died?  The  former  exclamation  came 
from  the  better-feeling  portion  of  the  spectators ; 
tliis  betokens  a  measure  of  suspicion.  It  hardly 
4i9 


foes  the  length  of  attesting  the  miracle  on  the 
lind  man,  but — 'if,  as  everybody  says,  He  did 
that,  why  could  He  not  also  have  kej^t  Lazarus 
alive?'  As  to  the  restoration  of  the  dead  man  to 
life,  they  never  so  much  as  thought  of  it.  But 
this  disposition  to  dictate  to  Divine  power,  and 
almost  to  peril  our  confidence  in  it  upon  its  doing 
our  bidding,  is  not  confined  to  men  of  no  faith. 

38.  Jesus  therefore,  again  groaning  in  himself— 
in  the  sense  explained  on  v.  33.  But  whereas 
there  the  rising  emotion  which  He  laboured  to 
check  was  that  of  sorrow  for  suffering  and  its  cause, 
here  it  is  of  sorrow,  or  something  stronger,  at  the 
suspicious  spirit  which  breathed  through  this 
speech.  Yet  here,  too,  the  former  emotion  was 
the  deeper  of  the  two,  now  that  His  eye  was  about 
to  rest  on  the  spot  where  lay,  in  the  still  horrors 
of  death,  His  friend,  cometh  to  the  grave.  It 
— 'Now  it'  was  a  cave — the  cavity,  natural  or 
artificial,  of  a  rock.  This,  with  the  number  of 
condoling  visitors  from  Jerusalem,  and  the  costly 
ointment  with  which  Mary  afterwards  anointed 
Jesus_  at  Bethany,  all  go  to  show  that  the  family 
were  in  good  circumstances,  and  a  stone  lay  up- 
on it— or  'against  it';  for  as  the  Oriental  sepul- 
chres of  the  better  classes  were  hewn  out  of  the 
rock,  the  slab  which  shut  them  in  might  be  laid 
either  horizontally  or  perpendicularly. 

The  Act  Preparatory  to  the  Resurrection  (39-41). 

39.  Jesus  said — 'saith'  [Xe'yei],  Take  ye  away 
the  stone.  This,  remarks  Grotius,  was  sijoken 
to  the  attendants  of  Martha  and  Mary,  for  it 
was  a  work  of  no  little  labour.  According  to 
the  Talmudists,  says  Lampe,  quoting  from  Mai- 
monides,  it  was  forbidden  to  open  a  grave  after  the 
stone  was  placed  ui)on  it.  Besides  other  dangers, 
they  were  apprehensive  of  legal  impurity  by  con- 
tact with  the  dead.  Hence  they  avoided  coming 
nearer  a  grave  than  four  cubits.  But  He  who 
touched  the  leper,  and  the  bier  of  the  widow  of 
Nain's  son,  rises  here  also  above  these  Judaic  me- 
morials of  evils,  every  one  of  which  He  had  come 
to  roll  away.  Observe  here  what  our  Lord  did 
Himself,  and  what  He  made  others  do.  As  Elijah 
himself  repaired  the  altar  on  Carmel,  arranged  the 
wood,  cut  the  victim,  and  placed  the  pieces  on  the 
fuel,  but  made  the  bystanders  till  the  surrounding 
trench  with  water,  that  no  suspicion  might  arise 
of  fire  having  been  secretly,  applied  to  the  pile 
(1  Ki.  xviii.  30-35) ;  so  our  Lord  would  let  the  most 
sceptical  see  that,  without  laying  a  hand  ou  the 
stone  that  covered  His  friend.  He  could  recall  him 
to  life.  What  could  be  done  by  human  hands  He 
orders  to  be  done,  reserving  only  to  Himself  what 
transcended  the  ability  of  all  creatures.  Martha, 
the  sister  of  him  that  was  dead — and  as  such  the 
proper  guardian  of  the  precious  remains ;  the  rela- 
tionship being  here  mentioned  to  account  for  her 


The  Resurrection 


JOHN  XI. 


of  Lazarus. 


40  been  dead  four  days.    Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Said  I  not  unto  thee,  that,  if 

41  thou  wouldest  believe,  thou  shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God  ?  Then  they 
took  away  the  stone  ^'owi  the  place  where  the  dead  was  laid. 

And    Jesus    lifted    up   his   eyes,    and    said,    Father,    I    thank    thee 

42  that  thou  hast  heard  me.  And  I  knew  that  thou  hearest  me  al- 
ways:   but   'because  of  the    people   which  stand  by   I   said  it,  that 

43  they  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me.     And  when  he  thus  had 

44  spoken,  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  Lazarus,  *come  forth.  And  he  that 
was  dead  came  forth,  bound  hand  and  foot  with  gi-ave-clothes ;  and  'his 
face  was  bound  about  with  a  napkin.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Loose  him, 
and  let  him  go. 

Then  many  of  the  Jews  which  came  to  Mary,  *'and  had  seen  the  things 
which  Jesus  did,  believed  on  him.  But  some  of  them  went  their  ways  to 
the  Pharisees,  and  told  them  what  things  Jesus  had  done. 

Then  "gathered  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  a  council,  and  said. 


45 
46 


47 


A.  D.  33. 


"■  ch.  12.  30. 

•  Deut.32.39. 
1  Sam.  2.  6. 
Ps.  33.  9. 
Luke  r.  14. 
Luke  8.  54. 
Acts  3.  15. 
Act3  9.  40. 
Eom.  4.  ir. 

«  ch.  20.  1. 
"  ch.  2.  23. 

ch.  10.  42. 

ch.  12.  11, 

18. 

*  Ps.  2.  2. 
Matt.  26.  3. 
Mark  14.  1. 
Luke  22.  2. 


venturing  gently  to  remonstrate  against  their  ex- 

Eosure,  in  a  state  of  decomposition,  to  eyes  that 
ad  loved  him  so  tenderly  in  life,  saith  unto  him, 
Lord,  by  this  time  he  stinketh :  for  he  hath  toeen 
[dead]  four  days.  (See  on  %  17. )  It  is  wi-ong  to 
suppose  from  this,  as  Lampe  and  others  do,  that, 
like  the  bystanders,  she  had  not  thought  of  his  res- 
toration to  life.  But  certainly  the  glimmerings  of 
hope  which  she  cherished  from  the  first  {v.  22),  and 
which  had  been  brightened  by  what  Jesus  said  to 
her  {vv.  23-27),  had  suffered  a  momentary  eclipse 
on  the  proposal  to  expose  the  now  sightless  corpse. 
To  such  fiuctuations  all  reed  faith  is  subject  in  dark 
hours— a.3  the  example  of  job  makes  sulficiently 
manifest.  40.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Said  I  not 
unto  thee,  that,  if  thou  wouldest  believe,  thou 
shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God?  He  had  not  said 
those  very  words ;  but  that  was  the  scope  of  all 
that  He  had  uttered  to  her  about  His  liie-giving 
power  (vv.  23,  25,  26)— a  gentle  yet  emphatic  and 
most  instructive  rebuke :  '  Why  doth  the  restora- 
tion of  life,  even  to  a  decomposing  corpse,  seem 
hopeless  in  presence  of  the  Resurrection  and  the 
life?  Hast  thou  yet  to  learn  that  "  if  thou  canst 
believe,  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that  be- 
lieveth'"?  (Mark  ix.  23),  41.  Then  they  took 
away  the  stone  from  the  place  where  the  dead 
was  laid. 

The  Preparatory  Prayer  (41,  42).  41.  And 
Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes  [ijpe—avw].  The  attitude 
is  somewhat  emphatically  expressed — 'lifted  His 
eyes  upward, '  marking  His  calm  solemnity  (compare 
ch.  xvii.  1).  and  said.  Father,  I  thank  thee  thou 
hast  heard  me  [vKova-ai] — rather,  'heardest  me;' 
referring,  as  we  think,  toa  specific  prayer  offered 
by  Him,  probably  on  intelligence  of  the  case 
reaching  Him  (liv.  3,  4);  for  His  living  and  loving 
oneness  with  the  Father  was  maintained  and 
manifested  in  the  flesh,  not  merely  by  the  spon- 
taneous and  uninterrupted  outgoing  of  Each  to 
Each  in  spirit,  but  by  specific  actings  of  faith  and 
exercises  of  prayer  about  each  successive  case  as  it 
emerged.  He  prayed,  as  Luthardt  well  says,  '  not 
for  what  He  wanted,  but  for  the  manifestation  of 
what  He  had ; '  and  having  the  bright  consciousness 
of  the  answer  in  the  felt  liberty  to  ask  it,  and  the 
assurance  that  it  was  at  hand.  He  gives  thanks 
for  this  \vith  a  grand  simplicity  before  performing 
the  act.  42.  And— or  rather,  'Yet'  I  knew  that 
thou  hearest  me  always:  but  because  of  the 
people  [5ia  TOP  o^Xoi;] — or  '  for  the  sake  of  the 
multitude '  which  stand  by—  or  '  stand  around ' 
[irepieo-TtuTa],  I  Said  it,  that  they  may  believe 
that  thou  hast  sent  me.  Instead  of  praying  now. 
He  simply  gives  thanks  for  answer  to  prayer 
offered  ere  He  left  Peroea,  and  adds  that  His 
420 


doing  even  this,  in  the  audience  of  the  people, 
was  not  from  any  doubt  of  the  prevalency  of  His 
prayers  in  any  case,  but  to  show  the  people  that 
He  did  nothing  without  His  Father,  but  all  by  direct 
communication  with  Him. 

The  P<esurr€ciion-Act  (43,  44).  43.  And  when 
he  thus  had  spoken,  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
Lazarus,  come  forth.  On  one  other  occasion  only 
did  He  this — on  the  Cross.  His  last  utterance 
was  a  "loud  cry"  (Matt,  xxvii.  50).  "He  shall 
not  cry,"  said  the  prophet ;  nor,  in  His  ministry, 
did  He  ciy.  What  a  sublime  contrast  is  this 
"loud  cry"  to  the  magical  "whisperings"  and 
"  mutterings"  of  which  we  read  in  Isa.  viii.  19,  20. 
As  Grotius  well  remarks,  it  is  second  only  to 
the  grandeur  of  that  voice  which  shall  raise  all 
the  dead  (ch.  v.  28,  29 ;  1  Thess.  iv.  16).  44.  And 
he  that  was  dead  came  forth,  bound  hand  and 
foot  with  grave-clothes ;  and  his  face  was  bound 
about  with  a  napkin. 

The  Act  Disengaging  the  Risen  Man  {44).  44. 
Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Loose  him,  and  let  him  go. 
Jesus  will  no  more  do  this  Himself  than  roll  away 
the  stone.  As  the  one  was  the  necessary  x>repara- 
tion  for  resurrection,  so  the  other  was  the  neces- 
sary sequel  to  it.  The  life-giving  act  alone  He 
EESERVES  TO  HiMSELF.  Even  so  in  the  quicken- 
ing of  the  dead  to  spiritual  life,  human  instru- 
mentality is  employed  first  to  prejiare  the  way, 
and  then  to  tU7-n  it  to  account. 

The  Effects  of  this  Miracle  on  Tiuo  Classes  (45,  A&). 
45.  Then  many — or,  'Many  therefore'  of  the  Jews 
which  came — or  'had  come'  to  Mary — as  sympa- 
thizing friends,  and  had  seen  the  things  which 
Jesus  did,  believed  on  him.  These  were  of  the 
candid  class,  on  whom  the  effect  of  so  stupendous 
a  miracle,  done  before  their  own  eyes,  could  not 
but  be  resistless.  See  on  ch.  xii  9-lL  46.  But 
some  of  them  went  their  ways  to  the  Pharisees, 
and  told  them  what  things  Jesus  had  done. 
These  were  of  the  prejudiced  class,  w^hom  no 
evidence  would  convince.  These  two  classes  con- 
tinually re-appear  in  the  Gospel  History ;  nor  is 
there  ever  any  great  work  of  God  which  does  not 
produce  both. 

The  Chief  Priests  and  Phai'isees,  Alarmed  at  the 
Convincing  Effect  of  His  Miracles,  Resolve  in 
Council  to  put  Jesus  to  Death  (47-53).  47.  Then— 
or,  '  Therefore,'  in  consequence  of  the  intelligence 
brought  them  of  this  last  and  gi-andest  of  the 
Lord  s  miracles,  gathered  the  chief  priests  and 
the  Pharisees  a  council,  and  said.  What  do  we  ? 
for  this  man  doeth  many  miracles.  48.  If  we  let 
him  thus  alone,  all  men  will  believe  on  him :  and 
the  Romans  shall  come  and  take  away  both  our 
place  and  nation  :—q.  d.,  'While  we  trifle,  this 


The  Chief  Priests  resolve 


JOHN  XI. 


to  put  Jesus  to  death. 


48  '"Wliat  do  we?  for  this  mau  doeth  many  miracles.  If  we  let  him  thus 
alone,  all  men  will  believe  on  him:  and  ^the  Romans  shall  come  and  take 

49  away  both  our  place  and  nation.  And  one  of  them,  ^?a«2g(:^  ^Caiaphas, 
being  the  high  priest  that  same  year,  said  unto  them.  Ye  know  nothing 

50  at  all,  nor  ^consider  that  it  is  expedient  for  us,  that  one  man  should  die 

51  for  the  people,  and  that  the  whole  nation  perish  not.  And  this  spake  he 
not  of  himself:  but  being  high  priest  that  year,  he  prophesied  that  Jesus 

52  should  die  for  that  nation;  and  "not  for  that  nation  only,  *but  that  also 
he  should  gather  together  in  one  the  children  of  God  that  were  scattered 
abroad. 

53  Then  from  that  day  forth  they  took  counsel  together  for  to  put  him  to 

54  death.  Jesus  ''therefore  walked  no  more  openly  among  the  Jews ;  but  went 
thence  unto  a  country  near  to  the  wilderness,  into  a  city  called  ''Ephraim, 
and  there  continued  Avith  his  disciples. 

55  And  Hhe  Jews'  passover  was  nigh  at  hand:  and  many  went  out  of 
the  country  up  to  Jerusalem  before  the  passover,  to  purify  -^themselves. 

56  Then  ^sought  they  for  Jesus,  and  spake  among  themselves,  as  they  stood 

57  in  the  temple,  Wliat  think  ye,  that  he  will  not  come  to  the  feast?  Now 
both  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  had  given  a  commandment, 
that,  if  any  man  knew  where  he  were,  he  should  show  it,  that  they  might 
take  him. 


A.  D.  33. 


■*  ch.  12.  19. 

Acts  4.  16. 
"  Dan  9.  26. 
y  Luke  3.  2. 

ch.  18. 14. 

*  ch.  18.  14. 
ch.  19.  12. 

"  Isa.  49.  6. 

1  John  2.  2. 
6  ch.  10.  16. 

Acts  13.  47. 

Gal.  3.  28. 

Eph.  3.  6. 

1  Pet.  6.  9. 
"  ch.  4.  1,  3. 
<«2Chr.l3.19. 

*  ch.  2.  13. 
ch.  6.  1. 
ch.  6.  4. 

/  Gen.  35. 2. 

Ex.  19. 10. 

Num.  9.  6. 

1  Sam.  16.  5. 

Jobl  6. 

Ps,  26.  6. 

Acts  21.  18. 
"  ch.  7.  11. 


man,  by  his  many  miracles,  will  carry  all  before 
him ;  the  popular  enthusiasm  will  bring  on  a  re- 
volution, which  will  precipitate  the  Romans  uj^on 
us,  and  our  all  will  go  down  in  one  common  ruin.' 
What  a  testimony  to  the  reality  of  our  Lord's 
miracles,  and  their  resistless  effect,  from  His 
bitterest  enemies !  But  how  low  the  considera- 
tions are  by  which  their  whole  decision  is  in- 
fluenced— the  fear  of  a  national  break-up,  which 
would  endanger  their  own  position  and  interests ! 
49.  And  one  of  them,  named  Caiaphas,  being  tlie 
high  priest  that  same  year,  said  unto  them,  Ye 
know  nothing  at  all,  50.  Nor  consider  that  it  is 
expedient  for  us,  that  one  man  should  die  for  the 
people,  and  that  the  whole  nation  perish  not. 
He  meant  nothing  more  than  that  there  was  no 
use  in  discussing  the  matter,  since  the  right  course 
was  obvious :  the  way  to  prevent  the  apprehended 
ruin  of  the  nation  was  to  make  a  sacrifice  of  the 
Disturber  of  their  peace.  But  in  giving  utterance 
to  this  suggestion  of  political  expediencyj  he  was 
so  guided  as  to  give  forth  a  Divine  prediction  of 
deep  significance ;  and  God  so  ordered  it  that  it 
should  come  from  the  lips  of  the  high  priest  for 
that  memorable  year,  the  recognized  head  of  God's 
visible  people,  whose  ancient  office,  symbolized  by 
the  Urim  and  Thummim,  was  to  decide,  in  the  last 
resort,  all  vital  questions  as  the  oracle  of  the 
Divine  %vill.  51.  And — or,  '  Now '  this  spake  he  not 
of  himself:  but  being  high  priest  that  year,  he 
prophesied  that  Jesus  should  die  for  that— or 
rather,  'the' nation  [to D  eOyous] ;  52.  And  not  for 
that— 'the'  nation  only,  but  that  also  he  should 
gather  together  in  one  the  children  of  God  that 
were— or  'are'  scattered  abroad.  This  is  one  of 
those  explanatory  remarks  of  our  Evangelist  him- 
self, which  we  have  had  once  and  again  to  notice 
as  one  of  the  characteristics  of  his  Gospel.  63. 
Then— or,  'Therefore'  from  that  day  forth  they 
took  council  together  for  to  put  him  to  death. 

Jesus,  in  consequence  of  this,  Goes  into  comjmra- 
tive  Retirement  (54).  54.  Jesus  therefore  walked 
no  more  openly  among  the  Jews.  How  could  He, 
unless  He  had  wished  to  die  before  His  time? 
but  went  thence  unto  a— or  rather,  'the'  country 
[tiji-  x<"P^v\  near  to  the  wilderness — of  Judea,  into 
a  city  called  Ephraim,  and  there  continued— or 
421 


'tarried' [fit6Tjot/3e]  with  his  disciples.  What  this 
city  of  Ephraim  was,  and  where  precisely  it  was, 
is  not  agreed.  But  Robinson  and  Stanley  identify 
it  with  a  small  village  now  called  Taijibeh,  about 
twenty  miles  north  of  Jerusalem. 

Preparations  for  the  approaching  Passover,  and 
Specnlation  whether  Jesus  ivill  come  to  it  (55-57). 

55.  And— or,  'Now'  the  Jews'  passover  was  nigh 
at  hand — the  fourth,  according  to  our  reckoning, 
during  our  Lord's  public  ministry ;  that  at  which 
He  became  "  our  Passover,  sacrificed  for  us."  and 
many  went  out  of  the  country  up  to  Jerusalem 
before  the  passover,  to  purify  themselves— from 
any  legal  uncleanness  which  would  have  disquali- 
fied them  from  keeping  the  feast  (see  Num.  ix.  10, 
&c. ;  2  Chr.  xxx.  17,  &c. )  This  is  mentioned  to 
introduce  the  graphic  statement  which  follows. 

56.  Then  sought  they  for  Jesus,  and  spake— or 
'  said '  [eXeyoy]  among  themselves,  as  they  stood 
in  the  temple,  What  think  ye,  that  he  will  not 
come  to  the  feast?  giving  forth  their  various  con- 
jectures and  speculations  about  the  probability  of 
His  coming  or  not  coming  to  the  feast.  67.  Now 
[both]  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees.  The 
word  "both"  [/cat]  should  be  excluded,  as  clearly 
not  genuine,  had  given  a  commandment,  that,  if 
any  man  knew  where  he  were,  he  should  show  it, 
that  they  might  take  him.  This  is  mentioned  to 
account  for  the  conjectures  whether  He  would 
come,  in  spite  of  this  determination  to  seize  Him. 

Remarks. — 1.  \Y"e  have  already  remarked,  that 
as  the  Eesurrection  of  Lazarus  and  the  opening 
of  the  eyes  of  the  Man  Born  Blind  were  the  most 
wonderful  of  all  our  Lord's  miracles,  so  it  is  pre- 
cisely these  two  miracles  which  are  recorded  with 
the  minutest  detail,  and  which  stand  attested 
by  evidence  the  most  unassailable.  One  argu- 
ment onlv  has  scepticism  been  able  to  urge 
against  the  credibility  of  these  miracles  —  the 
entire  silence  of  the  First  Three  Evangelists  re- 
garding them.  But  even  if  we  were  unable  to 
account  for  that  silence,  the  positive  evidence  by 
which  these  miracles  are  attested  can  in  no  degree 
be  affected  by  it.  And  then  this  silence  of  the 
First  Three  Evangelists  embraces  the  whole 
Judcean  ministry  of  our  Lord,  from  the  very  be- 
ginning of  it  down  to  His  Final  Entry  into  Jeru- 


The  SwpTper  and  the 


JOHN  XII. 


Anointing  at  Bethany. 


12       THEN  Jesus,  six  days  before  the  passover,  came  to  Bethany,  "where 

2  Lazarus  was  which  had  been  dead,  whom  he  raised  from  the  dead.  There 
''they  made  him  a  supper;  and  Martha  served:  but  Lazarus  was  one  of 
them  that  sat  at  the  table  with  him. 

3  Then  took  "^Mary  a  pound  of  ointment  of  spikenard,  very  costly,  and 
anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair:  and  the 

4  house  was  filled  with  the  odour  of  the  ointment.     Then  saith  one  of  his 

5  disciples,  Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's  son,  which  should  betray  him.  Why  was 
not  this  ointment  sold  for  three  hundred  pence,  and  given  to  the  poor? 

6  This  he  said,  not  that  he  cared  for  the  poor ;  but  because  he  was  a  thief, 

7  and  ''had  the  bag,  and  bare  what  was  put  therein.     Then  said  Jesus,  Let 

8  her  alone:  against  the  day  of  my  burying  hath  she  kept  this.  For  ^the 
poor  always  ye  have  with  you ;  but  me  ye  have  not  always. 

9  Much  people  of  the  Jews  therefore  knew  that  he  was  there :  and  tliey 
came  not  for  Jesus'  sake  only,  but  that  they  might  see  Lazarus  also, 

10  whom  he  had  raised  from  the  dead.    But  ■^" the  chief  priests  consulted  that 

11  they  might  put  Lazarus  also  to  death;  because  ^that  by  reason  of  him 
many  of  the  Jews  went  awa}^,  and  believed  on  Jesus. 


A.  D.  33. 


CHAP.  12. 
«  ch.  11. 1,  43. 
6  Matt.  26.  6. 

Mark  14.  3. 
'  Song  1. 12. 

Song  4. 13. 

Lilke  10. 38. 
39. 

ch.  11.  2. 
rf  Pro.  26.  25. 

Pro.  23.  20, 
22. 

ch.  13.  29. 

Eph  5.  5. 
^  Deut  15  11. 

Matt.26. 11. 

Mark  14.  7. 
/  Pro.  1.  16. 

Pro.  4.  16. 

Luke  16.31. 
'  Mark  15.10. 

ch.  11.  45. 

Acts  13.  4'.. 


.salem.    So  that  if  this  be  any  argument  against  the 
two  miracles  in  question,  it  is  an  argument  rather 
against  the  entire  credibility  of  the  Fourth  Gospel 
— to  which  we  have  adverted  in  the  Introduction. 
2.  If  the  resurrections  from  the  dead  were  the 
most  divine  of  all  the  miracles  which  our  Lord 
performed,  this  resurrection  of  Lazarus  was  cer- 
tainly the  most  divine  of  tlie  three  recorded  in 
the  Gospel  History.     On  the  great  lesson  which 
it  teaches,  even  more  gloriously  than  the  other 
two,  see  on  Mark  v.  21-43,  Remark  5  at  the  close 
ot  that  Section.    But  3.   The  true  nature  of  all 
these  resurrections  must  be  carefully  observed. 
They  were  none  of  them  a  resurrection  from  the 
dead  to  "die  no  more."     They  were  a  mere  re- 
animation  of  the  mortal  hody,  until  in  the  course 
of  nature  they  should  die  again,  to  sleep  till  the 
Trumpet  shall  sound,  and  with  all  other  sleeping 
believers  awake  finally   to    resurrection-life.     A. 
Did  Jesus  suffer  the  case  of  Lazarus  to  reach  its 
lowest  and  most  desperate    stage   before    inter- 
posing, and  his  loving  sisters  to  agonize  and  weep 
until  their  faith  in  His  own  power  and  love,  which 
had  done  nothing  all  that  time  to  arrest  the  hand 
of  death  and  corruption,  had  been  tried  to  the 
uttermost  ?    What  is  this,  but  an  illustration — the 
most  signal,  indeed,  yet  but  one  more  illustration 
— of  a  feature  observable  in  most  of  His  miracles,' 
where  only  after  all  other  help  ivas  vain  did  He 
Himself  step  in  ?    In  so  acting,  is  it  necessary  to 
say  that  He  did  but  serve  Himself  Heir,  so  to 
speak,  to  God's  own  ancient  style  of  procedure 
towards  His  people?    (See  Deut.  xxxii.  36;   Isa. 
lix.   16).     And  will  not    this  helji  to  assure  us 
that  "  to  the  upright  there  ariseth  light  in  the 
darkness "  ?  (Ps.    cxii.   4).      5.    We   have  seen  in 
Christ's    tears    over    imitenitent   Jerusalem    The 
Weeping  Sanour:  in  Christ's  tears  over  the  grave 
of  Lazarus  we  see  The  Weemng  Friend.    And  just 
as  in  the  other  case,  though  the  tears  which  be- 
dewed those  Cheeks  at  the  sight  of  impenitence 
are  now  no  more.  He  is  not  even  in  heaven,  at  the 
sight   of    similar  impenitence,   insensible  to    the 
fueling    that   drew  them    forth    here  below:    so 
v.dien  some  dear  Lazarus  has  fallen  asleep,  and 
his  Christian  relatives  and  friends  are  weeping 
over  his  bier  and  at  his  grave,  we  are  not  to  be 
chilled  by  the  apprehension   that  Jesus    in  the 
heavens  merely  looks  on  and  drops  comfort  into 
the  wounded  heart— Himself    all  void    of    sym- 
pathetic emotion — but  are  warranted  to    assure 
ourselves  tliat  His  heart  there  is  quite  as  tender 
422 


and  warm,  and  quite  as  quick  in  its  sensibilities, 
as  ever  it  showed  itself  to  be  here ;  or,  in  language 
that  will  come  better  home  to  us,  that  "  we  have 
not  an  High  Priest  that  cannot,"  even  now,  "be 
touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  but 
was  in  all  points  tried  like  as  we  are,  yet  without 
sin,"  and  this  on  very  purpose  to  acquire  experi- 
mentally the  capacity  to  identify  Himself  to  per- 
fection, in  feeling  as  well  as  in  understanding,  with 
the  whole  circle  of  our  trials.  What  rivers  of 
divine  consolation,  0  ye  suffering  disciples  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  are  there  here  opened  up  for  you! 
Drink,  then,  yea,  drink  abundantly,  0  beloved! 
6.  What  a  commentary  is  the  determined  and 
virulent  resistance  even  of  such  evidence,  by  the 
ruling  Jewish  party,  on  those  words  of  the  Parable 
of  the  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus — "  If  they  hear  not 
Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be  per- 
suaded though  one  rose  from  the  dead !" 

CHAP.  XII.  I-IL— The  Supper  and  the 
Anointing  at  Bethany,  Six  Day.s  before  the 
Passover — The  Death  of  Lazarus  Plotted,  to 
arrest  the  Accessions  to  Christ  in  conse- 
quence OF  HIS  Resurrection.  (  =  Matt.  xxvi. 
6-13;  Markxiv.  3-9.) 

The  Supper  and  the  Anointing  at  Bethany  (1-8). 
For  the  exposition  of  this  portion,  see  on  Mark 
xiv.  3-9,  and  Remarks  1  to  8  at  the  close  of  that 
Section. 

The  Death  of  Lazarus  is  Plotted,  to  arre.it  the 
Triumphs  of  Jesus  in  consequence  of  his  Kesurrection 
(9-11).  9.  Mucli  people  of  the  Jews  therefore 
knew  that  he  was  there :  and  they  came  not  for 
Jesus'  sake  only,  tut  that  they  might  see  Lazarus 
also,  whom  he  had  raised  from  the  dead.  10. 
But  the  chief  priests  consulted  that  they  might 
put  Lazarus  also  to  death ;  11.  Because  that  by 
reason  of  him  many  of  the  Jews  went  away,  and 
believed  on  Jesus.  Crowds  of  the  Jews  of  Jeru- 
salem hastened,  it  seems,  to  Bethany  (scarce  two 
miles  distant),  not  so  much  to  see  Jesus,  whom 
they  knew  to  be  there,  as  to  see  the  dead  Lazaiiis 
who  had  been  raised  to  life.  This,  as  was  to  be 
expected,  issued  in  immense  accessions  to  Christ 
(('.  19);  and,  as  the  necessary  means  of  arresting 
these  triumphs  of  the  hated  One,  a  plot  is  laid 
against  the  life  of  Lazarus  also :— to  such  a  iiiteh 
had  these  ecclesiastics  come  of  diabolical  determi- 
nation not  only  to  shut  out  the  light  from  their 
own  minds,  but  to  extinguish  it  from  the  earth  ! 

For  Remarks  on  these  three  verses,  see  those  on 


Chrisfs  Triumphal 


JOHN  XII. 


Entry  into  Jerusalem. 


12  On  '^tlie  next  day  much  people  that  were  come  to  the  feast,  when  they 

13  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming  to  Jerusalem,  took  branches  of  pahn  trees, 
and  went  forth  to  meet  him,  and  cried,  ^Hosanna:  Blessed  is  the  King  of 

14  Israel  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.     And  Jesus,  when  he  had 

15  found  a  young  ass,  sat  thereon;  as  it  is  written.  Fear  •'not,  daughter  of 

1 6  Sion :  behold  thy  King  cometh,  sitting  on  an  ass's  colt.  These  things 
^understood  not  his  disciples  at  the  first:  'but  when  Jesus  was  glorified, 
'"then  remembered  they  that  these  tilings  were  MTitten  of  him,  and  that 
they  had  done  these  things  unto  him. 

17  The  people  therefore  that  was  with  him  when  he  called  Lazarus  out  of 

1 8  his  grave,  and  raised  him  from  the  dead,  bare  record.  For  this  cause  the 
people  also  met  him,  for  that  they  heard  that  he  had  done  this  miracle. 

1 9  The  Pharisees  therefore  said  among  themselves.  Perceive  ye  how  ye  prevail 
nothing?  behold,  the  world  is  gone  after  him. 

20  And  there  "were  certain  Greeks  among  them  "that  came  up  to  worship 

21  at  the  feast:  the  same  came  therefore  to  Philip,  which  was  of  Bethsaida 

22  of  Galilee,  and  desired  him,  saying,  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus.  Philip 
cometh  and  telleth  Andrew :   and  again  Andrew  and  Philip  tell  Jesus. 

23  And  Jesus  answered  them,  saying,  The  ^hour  is  come,  that  the  Son  of 

24  man  should  be  glorified.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  5^ou,  *  Except  a  corn 
of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone :  but  if  it  die,  it 

25  bringeth  forth  much  fruit.     He  '^that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it;  and  he 
2G  that  hateth  his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal.     If  any 


A.  D.  33 


*  Luke  19.35. 

*  Ps  72. 1M9. 
Ps.  118.  25. 
Matt.  21.  9, 

11. 
Matt.  23. 39. 
Mark  IL  8, 

10. 

1  Tim.  l.ir. 
}  Isa.  63.  II. 
Mic.  4  S. 
Zeph  3.  16. 
Zee  9.  9. 

*  Luke  18.34. 
Luke  U.-ii. 

'  ch.  7.  39. 

Heb.  1.  3. 
"'  ch.  14.  26. 
"  Acts  17.  4. 
°  1  Ki.  8.  41. 

Acts  8.  27. 
P  ch.  13  32. 

ch.  17.  1. 
«  1  Cor.  16. 36. 

Heb.  2  10. 

lJohn4.14. 

Pvev.  5.  9. 
""  Luke  9.  24. 

Luke  17.33. 


12-19.— Christ's  Triumphal  Entry  into  Je- 
rusalem, ON  THE  first  DAY  OF  THE  WEEK.  (  = 
Matt.  xxi.  1-9;  Mark  xi.  Ml;  Luke  xix.  29-40.) 
For  the  exposition,  see  on  Luke  xix.  29-40. 

20-50.  —  Jesus  is  informed  that  certain 
Greeks  desire  to  see  Him — The  exalted  Dis- 
course  AND    the    Mysterious   Scene  which 

FOLLOWED     thereupon  —  GENERAL     RESULTS     OF 

Christ's  Ministry,  and  Concluding  Summary 
OF  His  Public  Teaching. 

Jesus,  being  informed  that  certain  Greeks  Desire 
to  See  Him,  Discourses  in  an  exalted  strain  on  the 
great  truths  which  that  circumstance  suggested 
(20-26).  20.  And— or,  'Now'  [5e]  there  were  cer- 
tain Greeks  ["EWjiyes] — not  Grecian  Jews  ['EWrj- 
vKTTal]  but  Greek  or  Gentile  proselytes  to  the 
Jewish  faith,  who  were  wont  to  attend  the  an- 
nual festivals,  and  particularly  this  ])riniary  one — 
the  Passover.  21.  Tlie  same  came  therefore  to 
Philip,  which  was  of— or 'from'  [a-n-d]  Bethsaida. 
Possibly  they  came  from  the  same  quarter,  and 
desired — 'requested'  or  'prayed'  him,  saying,  Sir, 
we  would  see  Jesus  —  certainly  with  far  higher 
objects  than  Zaccheus  (Luke  xix.  3).  Perhaps  our 
Lord  was  then  in  that  part  of  the  temple-court  to 
Avhich  Gentile  proselytes  had  no  access.  These 
men  from  the  west,  as  Stier  says,  represent,  at 
the  end  of  Christ's  life  Avhat  the  wise  from  the 
east  represented  at  the  beginning :  only  these  come 
to  the  Cross  of  the  King,  while  those  came  to  His 
Manger.  22.  Philip  cometh  and  telleth  Andrew. 
As  fellow  -  townsmen  of  Bethsaida,  these  two 
seem  to  have  cb-awn  to  each  other,  and  again 
Andrew  and  Philip  tell  Jesus — or,  according  to 
the  reading  adopted  by  Lachmann,  Tischendorf 
and  Tregelles,  'Andrew  and  Philip  come  and 
tell  Jesus,'  fe'/oxeTat  'A.  koX  4>.  kui  Xeyovcriv  'I.] 
The  minuteness  of  these  details,  while  they  add 
to  the  graphic  force  of  the  narrative,  serve  to  pre- 
pare us  for  something  important  to  come  out  of 
tliis  introduction.  23.  And— or,  'But'  [&e\  Jesus 
answered  them,  saying,  The  hour  is  come,  that 
the  Son  of  man  should  be  glorified:— </.  d.,  'They 
would  see  Jesus,  would  they  ?  Yet  a  little  moment, 
and  they  shall  see  Him  so  as  now  they  dream  not 
423 


of.     The  middle  wall  of  partitien  that  keeps  them 
out  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel  is  on  the 
eve  of  breaking  down,  "and  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up 
from  the  earth,  shall  draw  all  men  unto  Me : "  I  see 
them  "flying  as  a  cloud,  and  as  doves  to  their 
cots,"  and  a  glorious  event  for  the  Son  of  Man 
will  that  be,  by  which  this  is  to  be  brought  about.' 
It  is  His  death  He  thus  sublimely  and  delicately 
alludes  to.     Lost  in  the  scenes  of  triumph  which 
this  desii;e  of  the  Greeks  to  see  Him  called  up 
before  His  view.  He  gives  no  direct  answer  to 
their  petition  for  an  interview,  but  sees  that  cross 
which  was  to  bring  them  in  gilded  with  glory. 
24.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Except  a  com 
— or  'grain  '  [kSkko^']  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground 
and  die,  it  abideth  alone  [avTo^  fiSuoi  /ueVet] — 'liy 
itself  alone,'  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much 
fruit.    The  necessity  of  His  death  is  here  brightly- 
expressed,  and  its  proper  operation  and  fruit — life 
springing  forth  out  of  death — imaged  forth  by  "a 
beautiful  and  deeiJy  significant  law  of  the  vege- 
table kingdom.     For  a  double  reason,  no  doubt,  this 
was  uttered— to  explain  what  He  had  said  of  His 
death,  as  the  hour  of  His  own  glorification,  and 
to  sustain  His  own    spirit  under   the   agitation 
which  was  mysteriously  coming  over  it   in  the 
view  of  that  death.    25.  He  that  loveth  his  life 
shall  lose  it;  and  he  that  hateth  his  life  in  this 
world  shall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal.    (See  on 
Matt.  xvi.  21-28).     Did  our  Lord  mean  to  exclude 
Himself  from  the  operation  of  the  great  princijile 
here  exi:>ressed  —self-renunciation  tiie  laio  of  selj- 
l')reser ration;  and  its  converse,  self-preservation  the 
la%o  of  self-destruction?    On  the  contrary,  as  He 
became  Man  to  exemplify  this  fundamental  law  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God  in  its  most  sublime  form,  so 
the  very  utterance  of  it  on  this  occasion  served  to 
sustain  His  own  spirit  in  the  double  prospect  to 
which  He  had  just  alluded.     26.  If  any  man  serve 
me,  let  him  follow  me ;  and  where  I  am,  there 
shall  also  my  servant  be  :  If  any  man  serve  me, 
him  will  my  Father  honour.    Jesus,  it  will  be  ob- 
served, here  claims  the  same  absolute  subjection 
to  Himself,   as  the  law  of   men's  exaltation  to 
honour,  as  He  yielded  to  the  Father. 


Christ  Joretelleth 


JOHN  XII. 


His  death. 


man  serve  me,  let  him  follow  me;  and  *  where  I  am,  there  shall  also  my 
servant  be :  if  any  man  serve  me,  him  will  my  Father  honour. 

27  Now  4s  my  soul  troubled;  and  what  shall  I  say?     Father,  save  me 

28  from  this  hour:  '^but  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this  hour.     Father, 
glorify  thy  name,     '"Then  came  there  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  I 

29  have  both  glorified  it,  and  will  glorify  it  again.     The  people  therefore 
that  stood  by,  and  heard  it,  said  that  it  thundered:  others  said,  An 

30  angel  spake  to  him.     Jesus  answered  and  said,  '^This  voice  came  not 

31  because  of  me,  but  for  your  sakes.     Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world: 

32  now  shall  ^the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out.     And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up 

33  from  the  earth,  will  draw  ^all  men  unto  me.     (This  he  said,  signifying 
what  death  he  should  die.) 


A.  D.  33. 


*  iThes4.i7. 
«  Luke  12.60. 

ch.  13.  21. 
"  Luke  22.53. 
"  2  Pet  1.  17. 
""ch.  11.  42. 

*  Luke  10  18. 
ch.  14.  30. 
ch.  16.  II. 
Acts  26.  18. 
2  Cor.  4  4. 
Eph.  2.  2. 
Eph.  6.  12. 

y  Kom.  6.  18. 


Mysterioxis  Agitation  of  Christ's  Spirit  in  prospect 
of  His  Death — His  Prayer  in  consequence,  and  the 
Answer  to  it — Jesus  Interprets  that  Answer  (27-36). 
27.  Now  is  my  soul  troubled.    He  means,  at  the 
prospect  of  His  death,  just  alhicled  to.     Strange 
view  of  the  Cross  this,  immediately  after  repre- 
senting it  as  the  hour  of  His  glory !     [v.  23. )    But 
the  two  views  naturally  meet,  and  blend  into  one. 
It  was  the  Greeks,  one  might  say,  that  troubled 
Him : — '  Ah !  they  shall  see  Jesus,  but  to  Him  it 
shall  be  a  costly  sight.'    and  wliat  shall  I  say? 
He  is  in  a  strait  betwixt  two.     The  death  of  the 
Cross  was,  and  could  not  but  be,  appalling  to  His 
soul.     But  to  shrink  from  absolute  subjection  to 
the  Father,  was  worse  still.     In  asking  Himself, 
"What  shall  I  say?"  He  seems  as  if   thinking 
aloud,  feeling  His  way  between  two  dread  alter- 
natives, looking  both  of  them  sternlv  in  the  face, 
measuring,  weighing  them,  in  order  tnat  the  choice 
actually  made  might  be  seen,  and  even  by  Himself 
he  the  more  vividly  felt,  to  be  a  profound,  deliberate, 
spontaneous  election.     Father,  save  me  from  this 
hour — To  take  this  as  a  question,  'Shall  I  say. 
Father,  save  Me',  &c. — as  some  eminent  editors 
and  iuteri^reters  do,  is  unnatural  and  jejune.     It 
is  a  real  petition,  like  that  in  Gethsemane,  "Let 
this  cup  pass  from  Me ; "  only  whereas  there  He 
prefaces  the  prayer  with  an  "If  it  be  possible," 
here  He  follows  it  up  with  what  is  tantamount 
to  that — hut  for  this   cause   came  I  unto  this 
hour.      The    sentiment    conveyed,  then,   by   the 
prayer,  in  both  cases,  is  two-fold :  First,  that  only 
one  thing  could  reconcile  Him  to  the  death  of  the 
Cross — its  being  His  Father's  will  that  He  should 
endure  it — and,  next,  that  in  this  view  of  it  He 
yielded  Himself  freely  to  it.    He  recoils,  not  from 
subjection  to  His  Father's  will,  but  to  show  how 
tremendous  a  self-sacrihce  that  obedience  involved, 
He  fust  asks  the  Father  to  save  Him  from  it,  and 
then  signifies  how  perfectly  He  knows  that  He  is 
there  for  the  very  purpose  of  enduring  it.   _  Only 
by  letting  these  mysterious  words  speak  their  full 
meaning  do  they  become  intelligible  and  consis- 
tent.    As  for  those  who  see  no  bitter  elements  in 
the  death  of  Christ — nothing  beyond  mere  dying — 
what  can  they  make  of  such  a  scene?  and  when 
they  place  it  over  against  the  feelings  with  which 
thousands  of  His  adoring  followers  have  welcomed 
death  for  His  sake,  how  can  they  hold  Him  u]3  to  the 
admiration  of  men?    28.  Father,  glorify  thy  name 
— by  some  present  testimony.    Then  came  there  a 
voice  from  heaven,  saying,  I  have  both  glorified 
it — referring  specially  to  the  voice  from  heaven  at 
His  Baptism,  and  agam  at  His  Transfiguration,  and 
will  glorify  it  again — that  is,  in  the  yet  future 
scenes  of  His  still  deeper  necessity ;  although  even 
this  very  promise  was  a  present  and  sublime  testi- 
mony, which  would  irradiate  the  clouded  spirit  of 
the  Son  of  Man.     29.  The  people— 'the  multitude' 
[oxXos]  therefore  that  stood  by,  and  heard  it,  said 
424 


that  it  thundered:  others  said,  An  angel  spake 
—'hath  spoken'  [\e\a\»)K-6i/]  to  him — some  hear- 
ing only  a  sound ;  others  an  articulate,  but  to 
them  unintelligible,  voice.  Our  Lord  now  tells 
them  for  whom  that  voice  from  heaven  had  come, 
and  then  interprets,  in  a  strain  even  more  exalted 
than  before,  that  "glorification  of  His  name"  which 
the  voice  annoimced  was  yet  to  take  place.  30. 
Jesus  answered,  This  voice  came  not  because  of 
me,  but  for  your  sakes — [oii  5i'  e/xe,  aWa  5i'  u^fi?] 
— '  not  for  My  sake,  but  for  your  sakes : '  probably 
to  correct,  in  the  first  instance,  the  unfavourable 
impressions  which  His  momentary  agitation  and 
mysterious  prayer  for  deliverance  may  have 
produced  on  the  beholders;  and  then  to  pro- 
ciu-e  a  more  reverential  ear  for  those  sublime 
disclosures  -with  which  He  was  now  to  follow 
it  up  —  disclosures  which  seem  to  have  all  at 
once  dilated  His  own  soul,  for  He  utters  them, 
it  will  be  seen,  in  a  kind  of  transport.  31. 
Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world— the  world 
that  "crucified  the  Lord  of  glory"  (1  Cor.  ii. 
8),  considered  as  a  vast  and  complicated  king- 
dom of  Satan,  breathing  his  spirit,  doing  his 
work,  and  involved  in  his  doom,  which  Christ's 
death  by  its  hands  irrevocably  sealed.  Now  shall 
the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out.  How  dif- 
ferently is  that  fast-approaching  "hour"  regarded 
in  the  kingdoms  of  darkness  and  of  light !  '  The 
hour  of  relief  from  the  dread  Troubler  of  our 
peace — how  near  it  is !  Yet  a  little  momen-L  and 
the  day  is  ours!'  So  it  was  calculated  and  felt 
in  the  one  region.  "Now  shall  the  prince  of  this 
Avorld  be  cast  out,"  is  a  somewhat  different  view 
of  the  same  event.  We  know  who  was  right. 
Though  yet  under  a  veil.  He  sees  the  triumphs  of 
the  Cross  in  unclouded  and  transporting  light. 
32.  And  I  [Kayo)],  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the 
earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me.  The  "I" 
here  is  emphatic :  I,  in  contrast  Avith  the  world's 
ejected  prmce.  "If  lifted  up,"  means  not  only 
after  that  I  have  been  lifted  up,  but,  through  the 
virtue  of  that  Uplifting.  And  does  not  the  death 
of  the  Cross  in  all  its  significance,  revealed  in  the 
light,  and  borne  in  upon  the  heart  by  the  power, 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  possess  an  attraction  over  the 
wide  world — to  civilized  and  savage,  learned  and 
illiterate  alike — which  breaks  down  all  opposition, 
assimilates  all  to  itself,  and  forms  out  of  the 
most  heterogeneous  and  discordant  materials  a 
kingdom  of  surpassing  glory,  whose  uniting  prin- 
ciple is  adoring  subjection  "  to  Him  that  loved 
them"?— "Will  draw  all  men  'unto  Me,'"  says 
He  [irpo's  kfiavTov],  or  '  to  Myself,'  as  it  might  more 
properly  be  rendered.  What  lips  could  presume 
to  utter  such  a  word  but  His,  which  "  dropt  as  an 
honeycomb,"  whose  manner  of  speaking  vi&s 
evermore  in  the  same  spirit  of  conscious  equality 
with  the  Father?  33.  (This  he  said,  signifying 
what  death  [iroiio  QavuTto] — rather,  'what  kind' 


General  results  of 


JOHN  XII. 


Chrisfs  Minhiry. 


34  The  people  answered  him,  "We  have  heard  out  of  the  law  that  Christ 
abideth  for  ever :  and  how  sayest  thou.  The  Son  of  man  must  be  lifted  up  ? 

35  who  is  this  Sou  of  man?  Then  Jesus  said  unto  them.  Yet  a  little  while 
"is  the  Hght  with  you.  ^Walk  while  ye  have  the  light,  lest  darkness 
come  upon  you :  for  '^he  that  walketh  in  darkness  knoweth  not  whither 

36  he  goeth.  While  ye  have  light,  believe  in  the  light,  that  ye  may  be  ''the 
children  of  light.  These  things  spake  Jesus,  and  departed,  and  did  hide 
himself  from  them. 

37  But  though  he  had  done  so  many  miracles  before  them,  yet  they 

38  believed  not  on  him:  that  the  saying  of  Esaias  the  prophet  might  be 
fulfilled,  which  he  spake,  'Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report?  and  to 

39  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed?    Therefore  they  could 

40  not  believe,  because  that  Esaias  said  again,  He  •''hatli  blinded  their  eyes, 
and  hardened  their  heart ;  that  they  should  not  see  with  their  eyes,  nor 
understand  with  their  heart,  and  be  converted,  and  I  should  heal  them. 

41  These  things  said  Esaias,  when  ^'he  saw  his  glory,  and  spake  of  him. 

42  Nevertheless  among  the  chief  rulers  also  many  believed  on  him;  but 
because  of  the  Pharisees  they  did  not  confess  him,  lest  they  should  be 

43  put  out  of  the  synagogue:  for  ''they  loved  the  praise  of  men  more  than 
the  praise  of  God. 


A.  D.  33. 


2  Sam  7. 13. 

Ps.  89.  36. 

Ps.  110.  4. 

Isa.  9.  7. 

Isa.  63.  8. 

Ezek.37  -lo. 

Dan.  2.  44. 

Mic.  4.  7. 
"  Isa.  42.  6. 

ch.  1.  9. 

ch  8.  12. 

ch   9.  5. 
6  Jer.  13  IG. 

Eph.  6.  8. 
"  ch.  11.  10. 

lJohn2.11. 
d  Luke  IG.  8. 

Eph.  5.  8. 

1  Thes.5.  5. 
'  Isa.  63.  1. 

Pom.  10. 16. 
/  Isa  6.  9. 

Matt.13. 14. 
"  Isa.  6.  1. 
''  ch.  5.  44. 


or  'manner  of  death'  he  should  die) — that  is,  His 
being  "lifted  up  from  the  earth"  was  meant  to 
signify  His  being  uplifted  on  the  accursed  tree 
(ch.  iii.  14;  viii.  28). 

34.  The  people— 'The  multitude'  [ox^-os]  an- 
swered him,  We  have  heard  out  of  the  law — 
meaning  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament : 
referring,  no  doubt,  to  such  places  as  Ps.  Ixxxix. 
28,  29;  ex.  4;  Dan.  ii.  44;  vii.  13,  14,  that  Christ 
— '  the  Christ,'  the  promised  Messiah,  abideth 
for  ever :  and  how  sayest  thou,  The  Son  of  man 
must  toe  lifted  up?  who  is  this  Son  of  man? 
How  can  that  consist  with  this  "uplifting?" 
They  saw  very  well  both  that  He  was  holding 
Himself  up  as  the  Christ,  and  a  Christ  to  die  a 
violent  death;  and  as  that  ran  counter  to  all  their 
ideas  of  the  ^lessianic  prophecies,  they  were  glad 
to  get  this  seeming  advantage  to  justify  their  un- 
yielding attitude.  35.  Then— 'Therefore'  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  Yet  a  little  while  is  the  light 
with  you.  Walk  while  ye  have  the  light,  lest 
darkness  come  upon  you :  for— rather,  'and'  [koi] 
he  that  walketh  in  darkness  knoweth  not 
whither  he  goeth.  36.  While  ye  have  ('the') 
light,  toelieve  in  the  light,  that  ye  may  be  the 
children  of  light.  Instead  of  answering  their 
question,  He  warns  them,  "W'ith  mingled  majesty 
and  tenderness,  against  trifling  with  their  last 
brief  opportunity,  and  entreats  them  to  let  in  the 
Light  while  they  had  it  in  the  midst  of  them,  that 
themselves  might  be  "  light  in  the  Lord."_  In  this 
case  all  the  clouds  which  hung  around  His  Person 
and  Mission  would  speedily  be  dispelled,  while  if 
they  continued  to  hate  the  light,  bootless  were  all 
His  answers  to  their  merely  speculative  or  cap- 
tious questions.  (See  on  Luke  xiii.  23.)  These 
thitigs  spake  Jesus,  and  departed,  and  did  hide 
himself  from  them.  He  who  spake  as  never  man 
spake,  and  immediately  after  words  fraught  with 
unspeakable  dignity  aud  love,  had  to  "hide  Him- 
self" from  His  auditors!  What,  then,  must  they 
have  been?  He  retired  probably  to  Bethany. 
(See  Matt.  xxi.  17;  Luke  xxi.  37.) 

General  Result  of  ChrisCs  Ministry  (37-43).  It  is 
the  manner  of  our  Evangelist  alone,  as  has  been 
frequently  remarked,  to  record  his  own  reflections 
on  the  scenes  he  describes :  but  here,  having  ar- 
rived at  what  was  virtually  the  close  of  our  Lord's 
public  ministry,  he  casts  an  affecting  glance  over 
425 


the  fruitlessness  of  His  whole  ministry  on  the  bulk 
of  the  now  doomed  people.  37.  But  though  he 
had  done  so  many  miracles  [<r?)//€Ta]  before  them 
— which  were  all  but  so  many  glorious  "  signs"  of  a 
Divine  Hand  in  the  doing  of  them,  yet  they  be- 
lieved not  on  him:  38.  That  the  saying  of 
Esaias  the  prophet  might  toe  fulfilled,  which  he 
spake  (Isa.  liii.  1),  Lord,  who  hath  toelieved  our 
report?  and  to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord 
toeen  revealed?— g.  d.,  'This  unbelief  did  not  at 
all  set  aside  the  pm-poses  of  God,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, fulfilled  them.'  39.  Therefore  they  could 
not  believe,  because  that  Esaias  said  again  (Isa. 
vi.  9,  10),  40.  He  hath  blinded  their  eyes,  and 
hardened  their  heart;  that  they  should  not  see 
with  their  eyes,  nor  understand  with  their  heart, 
and  toe  converted,  and  I  should  heal  them.  That 
this  expresses  a  2wsitire  divine  act,  by  which  those 
who  wilfully  close  their  eyes  and  harden  their 
hearts  against  the  truth  are  judicially  shut  up  in 
tlieir  unbelief  and  impenitence,  is  admitted  by  all 
candid  critics  —  Olshausen,  for  example — though 
many  of  them  think  it  necessary  to  contend  that 
this  is  no  way  inconsistent  with  the  liberty  of  the 
human  will,  which  of  course  it  is  not.  41.  These 
things  said  Esaias,  when  he  saw  his  glory,  and 
spake  of  him.  A  key  of  immense  importance  to 
the  opening  of  Isaiah's  vision  (Isa.  vi.),  and  aU  simi- 
lar Old  Testament  representations.  'The  Son,' 
says  Olshausen,  'is  "The  King  Jehovah"  who 
rules  in  the  Old  Testament  and  appears  to  the 
elect,  as  in  the  New  Testament  the  Spirit,  the 
invisible  Minister  of  the  Son,  is  the  Director  of 
the  Church  and  the  Eevealer  in  the  sanctuary  of 
the  heart.'  42.  Nevertheless  among  the  chief 
rulers  also  [kul  6k  twv  &px6vtwv\ — rather,  'even 
of  the  rulers,'  such  as  Nicodemus  and  Joseph, 
many  toelieved  on  him ;  tout  because  of  the  Phari- 
sees— that  is,  the  leaders  of  this  sect ;  for  they  were 
of  it  themselves  they  did  not  confess  [him]— or 
'confess  it'  [oux  wfn-oXSyovv],  did  not  make  an  open 
confession  of  their  faith  in  Jesus,  lest  they  should 
toe  put  out  of  the  synagogue.  (See  on  ch.  ix. 
22,  34.)  43.  For  they  loved  the  praise  of  men 
more  than  the  praise  of  God.  A  severe  remark, 
as  Webster  and  Wilkinson  justly  observe,  consider- 
ing that  several  at  least  of  these  persons  after- 
wards boldly  confessed  Christ.  It  indicates  the 
displeasure  with  which  God  regarded  their  con- 


Concluding  Summary  of 


JOHN  XII. 


our  Lord's  Public  Teaching. 


44  Jesus  cried  and  said,  ^'Ke  that  believeth  on  me,  believeth  not  on  me, 

45  but  on  him  that  sent  me.     And  •'he  that  seeth  me  seeth  him  that  sent 
4G  me.     I  ^am  come  a  light  into  the  world,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  me 

47  should  not  abide  in  darkness.  And  if  any  man  hear  my  words,  and 
believe  not,  ^I  judge  him  not:  for  ™I  came  not  to  judge  the  world,  but 

48  to  save  the  world.  He  "that  rejecteth  me,  and  receiveth  not  my  words, 
hath  one  that  judgeth  him :  the  "word  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall 

49  judge  him  m  the  last  day.  For  ^I  have  not  spoken  of  myself;  but  the 
Father  which  sent  me,  he  gave  me  a  commandment,  what  I  should  say, 

50  and  what  I  should  speak.  And  I  know  that  his  commandment  is  life 
everlasting :  whatsoever  I  speak  therefore,  even  as  the  Father  said  unto 
me,  so  I  speak. 


A.  D.  33. 


•  Iilark  9.  sr. 
1  Pet.  1.  21. 

;■  ch.  14.  9. 

*  ch.  3.  19. 
ch.  8.  12. 
ch.  9.  6,  39. 

'  ch.  5.  45. 

ch  8.  15. 
'"  ch  3.  17. 
"  Luke  10.16 
"  Deut  18.19. 

Mark  16. 16. 
P  ch  8.  38. 

ch.  14.  10. 


duct  at  this  time,  and  M'ith  which  He  continues  to 
regard  similar  conduct. 

Concluding  Summary  of  our  Lord's  Public 
Teaching  (44-50).  44.  Jesus  ['I.  5e]— rather,  'But 
Jesus'  cried — expressive  of  the  louder  tone  and 
])eculiar  solemnity  with  which  He  was  wont  to 
utter  such  great  sayings  as  these  (as  ch.  vii.  37). 
and  said.  This  and  the  remaining  verses  of  the 
cliapter  seem  to  be  a  supplementary  record  of 
some  weighty  proclamations,  which,  though  re- 
corded in  substance  already,  had  not  been  set 
down  in  so  many  words  before;  and  they  are 
introduced  here  as  a  sort  of  eaimmary  and  winding 
up  of  His  whole  testimony.  He  that  believeth  on 
me,  believeth  not  on  me,  but  on  him  that  sent 
me.  45.  And  he  that  seeth  me  seeth  Mm  that 
sent  me  {Qewpojv — SecopeT] — or  '  beholdeth,'  in  the 
emphatic  sense  of  ch.  vi.  40.  But  what  a  saying 
is  tliis  !  Even  the  Eleven,  so  late  as  at  the  Last 
iSuTOer,  were  slow  to  apprehend  the  fuE  reality  of 
it  (ch.  xiv.  7-9).  The  glory  of  it  they  could  but 
partially  discern  till  Pentecostal  light  irradiated 
the  Person  and  Mediation  of  Jesus  in  the  eyes  of 
His  apostles.  45.  I  am  come  a  light  Into  the 
world,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  me  should 
not  abide  in  darkness.  47.  And  if  any  man  hear 
my  -words,  and  believe  not  [-rrto-reuo-?;].  The  true 
reading  here,  beyond  doubt,  is, '  and  keep  them  not ' 
\(pv\a'^ii\,  I  judge  him  not:  for  I  came  not  to 
judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  world.  See  on 
ch.  iii.  17.  48.  He  that  rejecteth  me,  and  receiveth 
not  my  words,  hath  one  that  judgeth  him :  the 
word  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge 
him  in  the  last  day.  This  in  substance  will  be 
found  said  repeatedly  before.  49.  For  I  have  not 
spoken—'  spake  not'^[eXa\t)o-a]  of  [ef]  myself;  but 
the  Father  which  sent  me,  he  gave  me  a  com- 
mandment, what  I  should  say,  and  what  I  should 
speak.  50.  And  I  know  that  his  commandment 
is  life  everlasting:  whatsoever  I  speak  therefore, 
even  as  the  Father  said— or  'hath  said'  [eiprjue] 
unto  me,  so  I  speak.  See  on  ch.  viii.  28,  38,  47 ; 
and  similar  sayings,  emphatically  teaching  what 
is  here  expressed  in  such  tei-ms  of  majestic  dignity. 
Remarks.  — \.  Once  and  again  have  we  been  led 
to  consider  what  portion  of  this  wonderful  History 
most  transcends  the  powers  of  human  invention. 
And  ever  as  we  seem  to  have  found  it,  some 
other  portion  rises  to  view  and  claims  the  prefer- 
ence. But  certainly,  of  the  present  Section  it 
may  fearlessly  be  said  that,  to  be  written,  it,  at 
least,  must  of  necessity  first  have  been  real.  For 
who,  sitting  down  to  frame  such  a  Life — or  what  is 
much  the  same  in  relation  to  powers  of  invention, 
to  construct  it  out  of  a  few  fragments  of  fact — 
would  have  thought  of  meeting  the  desire  of  those 
Greeks  to  see  Jesus  with  such  an  answer,  taking 
no  direct  notice  of  it,  but  carrying  His  hearers  into 
the  future  glorious  issues  of  His  death,  yet  couch- 
ing even  this  in  such  enigmatic  terms  as  to  be 
420 


scarcely  half  intelligible  to  the  best  instructed  of 
His  own  disciples  ?    Or,  if  we  are  to  suppose  this 
possible,    who  would   think   of  interruyiting  this 
strain  by  a  sudden  inward  agitation  of  the  Speaker 
arising  from  no  outward  cause,  but  the  pure  result 
of  what  was   ]iassing  in  His  own  mind ;  and  not 
only  so,  but  of  His  telling  His  uninstructed  and 
prejudiced    audience    that    His    soul    was    then 
agitated,  and,    amidst  conflicting   emotions,  that 
He  was  at  a  loss  what  to  say ;  uttering  an  audible 
prayer  to  be  saved   from  His  dread  approaching 
hour,"  but  yet  adding  that  to  go  through  with 
that  hour  was  just  what  He  had  come  to  it  for  ? 
Who  would  have  ever  put  so  apparently  damaging 
a  thing  down  in  a  work  which  he  expected  to 
make  way  for  itself   by  nothing   but  its  naked 
truth?  And  then,  after tne  prayer  for  glorification, 
with  the  immediate  answer  to  it,  and  the  explana- 
tion of  that  answer — as  if  relieved  in  proportion  to 
the  previous    sinking — who    could    have  thrown 
such  gleams  of  exalted,  sublime  transport  into  the 
utterances  that  follow,  and  on  which  only  the  sub- 
sequent history  of  Christendom  has  set  the  seal 
of  full  truth?    And  let  it  be  borne  in  mind,  that 
if   the  truth  of    the  History  here  is  thus  self- 
attested,  it  is  the  History  precisely  as  it  stands; 
not   'the   substance'  or  'spirit  oi    it'— as  some 
now  talk— but  this  Evangelical  Record,  just  as  it 
here  stands ;  for  entire  it  must  stand,  or  fall  en- 
tire.    2.  On  the  bearing  of  this  agitation  of  the 
Eedeemer's  spirit  in  the  prospect  of  His  "hour," 
of  His  prayer  for  deliverance  from  it,  and  yet 
His  submission  to  it,  upon  the  penal  character 
of  His  sufi"erings  and  death,   we  need  but  refer 
the    reader    to    the    remarks    on    that    feature 
of    His    Agony   in   the    Garden — of   which    this 
scene  was  a    idnd    of    momentary   anticipation. 
See   on_  Luke  xxii.   39-46.      3.    How  afi'ecting  is 
the  intimation  that,  just  after  the  utterance  of 
one  of  the  most  solemn  and  compassionate  warn- 
ings— holding  out,   almost  for  the  last  time,  in 
that  spot  at  least,  the  sceptre  of  mercy,  but  at  the 
same  time  the  danger  of  closing  their  eyes  upon 
the  Light  yet  shining  on  them — He  "departed, 
and  did  hide  himself  from  themi "     What  must 
have  been  the  exasperation  of   His  audience  to 
render  that  necessary.     The  Evangelist  himself 
seems  saddened  at  the  thought  of  it,  and  can  find 
relief  under  it  for  himself  and  his  believing  readers 
only  in  the  judicial  blindness  and  hardness  which 
they  had  been  long  before  taught  by  prophecy  to 
expect.     Nor  are  those  who,  in  analogous  circum- 
stances, have  to  hold  up  in  vain  the  glory  of  Christ, 
and  all  day  lon^  to  stretch  out  their  hands  to  a 
disobedient    and    gainsaying    people,    precluded 
from    finding  the  same   sad  relief;    but   on  the 
contrary,    with     their    adorable    Master,     they 
may    confidently^   say    to     them    that    believe 
not — when   conscious   that   they  are    pure    from 
the    blood    of    all    men,    ha^nng    not    shunned 


Jesus  waslieth 


JOHN  XIII. 


His  disciples^  feet. 


13 


NOW  before  the  feast  of  the  passover,  when  Jesus  knew  that  his  hour 
was  come  that  he  should  depart  out  of  this  world  unto  the  Father, 
having  loved  his  own  which  were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto  the 
end.  And  supper  being  ended,  (the  "devil  having  now  put  into  the 
heart  of  Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's  son,  to  betray  him,)  Jesus  knowing  ^that 


A.  D.  33. 

CHAP.  13. 
"  Luke  22.  3. 
6  ch.  3.  35. 

ch.  ir.  2. 

Acts  2.  36. 


to  declare  unto  them  all  the  couusel  of  God  — 
"  But  I  said  unto  you  that  ye  have  even  seen  Hira, 
and  believe  not:  All  that  the  Father  giveth  Him 
sliall  come  to  Him,  and  him  that  cometh  to  Him 
He  will  in  no  Avise  cast  out. "  4.  Though  a  timid 
policy  on  the  part  of  real  believers  is  often  over- 
I'uled  to  the  getting  in  of  some  faint  dissent  and 
some  feeble  protest  against  extreme  measures  on 
the  part  of  those  enemies  of  it  to  whose  society 
they  still  adhere— as  in  the  case  of  Nicodemus  and 
Joseph  of  Arimathaia — that  timid  policy  itself  is 
highly  offensive  to  God,  and  injurious  to  their  own 
spiritual  groM^th,  springing  as  it  does  from  a 
greater  concern  to  stand  well  with  men  than  with 
God.  5.  The  eternal  condition  of  all  who  have 
heard  the  Gospel,  whatever  other  elements  may 
be  found  to  affect  it,  Avill  be  found  essentially  to 
turn  on  the  state  of  their  minds  and  hearts  to- 
wards Christ — in  the  way  either  of  cordial  sul  >jec- 
tion  to  Him  or  of  disobedient  rejection  of  Him. 
"  He  that  is  not  AAith  Me  is  against  Me,"  will  be 
the  spirit  of  the  decisions  of  "That  Day"  on  all 
that  nave  been  brought  within  the  pale  of  the 
Gospel. 

CHAP.  XIII.  I -38.— At  the  Last  Supper 
Jesus  Washes  His  Disciples'  Feet— The  Dis- 
course   ARISING  THEREUPON,   IN    THE   MiDST  OF 

WHICH  THE  Traitor,  being  indicated.  Leaves 
THE  Supper-Room — The  Discourse  Resumed — 
Peter's  Self-Confidence — His  Fall  Predicted. 
The  record  of  our  Lord's  public  ministry  has  now 
been  concluded — in  the  First  Three  Gospels  In'  a 
solemn  leave-taking  of  the  Temple,  until  then  "His 
Father's  House"  and  the  centre  of  all  the  Chm-ch's 
solemnities ;  in  this  Fourth  Gospel  by  an  equally 
solemn  leave-taking  of  the  People,  in  whom  iiutil 
then  God's  visible  kingdom  had  stood  represented. 
We  are  now  in  the  Supper-room;  the  circum- 
stances preparatory  to  wluch  our  Evangelist  pre- 
sumes his  readers  to  be  already  familiar  with 
through  the  other  Gospels.  What  passed  in  this 
Supper-room,  as  recorded  in  this  and  the  four 
following  chapters,  has  been  felt  by  the  Church  in 
every  age  to  be  stamped  with  a  heavenly  and 
divine  impress,  beyond  all  else  even  in  this  most 
divine  Gospel,  if  one  may  so  speak,  and  the  glory 
of  which  no  language  can  express. 

Jesus,  at  the  Supper-  Table,  Washes  His  Disciples'' 
Feet  (1-11).  1.  Now  before  the  feast  of  the  pass- 
over.  This  raises  the  question  whether  our  Lord 
ate  the  passover  with  His  disciples  at  all  the  night 
befoi-e  He  suffered ;  and  if  so,  whether  He  did  so 
on  the  same  daij  with  other  Jews  or  a  day  earlier. 
To  this  question  we  adverted  in  the  Remarks 
prefixed  to  the  exposition  of  Luke  xxii.  7-13, 
where  we  expressed  it  as  our  unhesitating  convic- 
tion that  He  did  eat  it,  and  on  the  same  day  with 
others.  That  the  First  Three  Evangelists  expressly 
state  this,  admits  of  no  reasonable  doubt ;  and  it 
is  only  because  of  certain  expressions  in  the 
Fourth  Gospel  that  some  able  critics  think  them- 
selves bound  to  depart  from  that  opinion.  So 
Gresioell  and  Ellicott,  for  example;  while,  among 
others,  Bobinson,  Wieseler,  and  Fairbairn  defend 
the  opinion  which  we  have  expressed.  Now,  as 
this  IS  the  first  of  the  ]iassages  in  the  Fourth 
Gospel  which  are  thought  to  intimate  that  the 
"supper"  which  our  Lord  observed,  if  a  pass- 
over  at  all,  was  "before  the  feast  of  the  pass- 
427 


over,"  as  regularly  observed,  let  us  see  how  that 
is  to  be  met.  One  way  of  meeting  it  is  by  under- 
standing "  the  feast "  here  to  mean,  not  the  Pas- 
chal sup]Ter,  but  the  seven  days'  "Feast  of  Un- 
leavened Bread" — which  began  on  the  1.5th  Nisan, 
and  was  ushered  in  by  the  eating  of  the  Passover 
on  the  14th.  (See  Num.  xxviii.  IG,  17.)  So 
Robinson^  In  this  case  the  difficulty  indeed 
vanishes.  But  there  is  no  need  to  resort  to  that 
explanation,  which  seems  somewhat  unnatiiral. 
Understanding  the  Evangelist  to  refer  to  the  Pas- 
chal supper  itself,  the  meaning  seems  to  be,  not 
'rt  day  before  the  passover,'  but  simply  that  ^  ere 
the  feast  began,'  Jesus  made  solemn  X'reparatiou 
for  doing  at  it  what  is  about  to  be  recorded 
We  know  from  the  other  Gospels  what  precise 
directions  Jesus  gave  to  two  of  His  disciples 
about  getting  ready  the  passover  in  the  large  upper 
room  ere  He  and  the  other  ten  left  Bethany. 
(See  on  Luke  xxii.  7-13.)  And  what  deeii  thoii^hts 
on  the  subject  were  passing  in  the  mind  of  our  Lord 
Himself  in  connection  with  these  arrangements,  we 
are  here  very  sublimely  told  by  our  Evangelist  (vv. 
1.  2).  See  also  on  Luke  xxii.  14-16.  The  meaning, 
tlien,  we  take  it,  is  simply  this,  that  Jesus,  when 
He  proceeded  to  wash  His  discijjles'  feet  during 
the  Paschal  supper,  did  so  not  only  with  great 
deliberation,  but  in  conformity  with  purposes  and 
arrangements  "  before  the  feast."  So  substantially 
Stier  and  Fairbairn.  when  Jesus  knew  that  his 
hour  was  come  that  he  should  depart  out  of  this 
world  unto  the  Father.  On  such  beautiful 
euphemistic  allusions  to  the  Redeemer's  death, 
see  on  Luke  ix.  31,  5L  having  loved  his  own 
which  were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto 
the  end.  That  is,  on  the  ed^re  of  His  last  suf- 
ferings— when  it  might  have  been  supposed  that 
His  own  awful  prospects  would  absorb  all  His 
attention— He  was  so  far  from  forgetting  "His 
own,"  who  were  to  be  left  struggling  "in  the 
world,"  after  He  had  "departed  out  of  it  to  the 
Father"  (ch.  xvii.  11),  that  in  His  care  for  them  He 
seemed  scarce  to  think  of  Himself  save  in  connec- 
tion with  them.  Herein  is  "love,"  not  only  endur- 
ing "to  the  end,"  but  most  affectingly  manifested 
when,  judging  by  a  human  standard,  least  to  be 
expected.  2.  And  supper  heing  ended  {yevofLhov]. 
In  this  rendering  our  translators  have  followed 
Luther  and  Beza,  but  unfortunately,  since  from 
V.  26  it  seems  plain  that  the  supper  was  not  even 
then  ended.  The  meaning  either  is,  'And  sup- 
per being  prepared,'  or  'And  supper  going  on.' 
So  the  same  M'ord  is  used,  as  Alford  notices, 
in  Matt.  xxvi.  6,  "While  Jesus  was  in  Bethany" 
lyevofxevov],  and  in  ch.  xxi.  4,  "  when  it  was 
morning"  [-Trpwia^  -yei/o/ueVijs].  [Of  course,  this 
must  be  the  meaning  if  the  reading  ywofieuov 
— in  the  present  tense— be  adopted,  with  Tischen- 
dorf  and  Tregelles.  But  the  authority  for  it  is 
scarcely  so  strong,  we  judge,  as  for  the  received 
reading,  to  which  Lachmann  adheres,  and  in 
which  Alford  concurs.]  (the  devil  having  now 
[vSn\-ov  rather  'already'  put  into  the  heart 
of  Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's  son,  to  betray  him)— 
referring  to  the  compact  he  had  already  made  with 
the  chief  priests  (see  on  Mark  xiv.  10,  II).  3. 
Jesus  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  all 
things  into  his  hands,  and  that  he  was  come 
from   God,   and  went  to  God   [6g7^\0ev— iirayet] 


Jesus  washeth 


JOHN  XIII. 


His  disciplei  feet. 


the  Father  had  given  all  things  into  his  hands,  and  that  he  was  come 

4  from  God,  and  went  to  God;  he  ''riseth  from  supper,  and  laid  aside  his 

5  garments ;  and  took  a  towel,  and  girded  himself.     After  that  he  poureth 
water  into  a  bason,  and  began  to  wash  the  disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe 

6  them  with  the  towel  wherewith  he  was  girded.    Then  cometh  he  to  Simon 
Peter:    and  ^ Peter  saith  unto  him.  Lord,  ''dost  thou  wash  my  feet? 

7  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Wliat  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now; 

8  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter.     Peter  saith  unto  him.  Thou  shalt  never 
wash  my  feet.     Jesus  answered  him,  ^If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no 

9  jmrt  with  me.     Simon  Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  not  my  feet  only,  but 

10  also  my  hands  and  my  head.     Jesus  saith  to  him,  ■''He  that  is  washed 
needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean  every  whit:  and  ^ye  are 

1 1  clean,  but  not  all.     For  he  knew  who  should  betray  him ;  therefore  said 
he.  Ye  are  not  all  clean. 


A.  D.  33. 

°  Luke  22.27. 

Phil.  2. 7,  8. 
1  he. 

d  xMatt.  3.  14. 
•  Ezek.36.25. 

ch.  3.  5. 

1  Cor.  6  IL 

Eph.  5.  26. 

Titus  3.  5. 

Heb.  10.  22. 
/  Eccl.  7.  20. 

Eph.  4.  22- 
24. 

Eph.  5.  26, 
27. 

lThes.5.23. 
"  ch.  16.  3. 


— or  'came  forth  from  God,  and  was  going  to 
God.'  This  verse  is  very  sublime,  and  as  a  pre- 
face to  what  follows,  were  we  not  familiar  with 
it,  would  fill  us  with  a  delightfid  wonder.  An 
unclouded  perception  of  His  essential  relation  to 
the  Father,  the  commission  He  held  from  Him, 
and  His  approaching  Return  to  Him,  jjossessed 
His  soul.  4.  He  riseth  from  supper,  and  laid— 
rather,  'layeth'  [Tiejjin]  aside  Ms  garments— 
which  would  have  impeded  the  operation  of 
washing,  and  took  a  towel,  and  girded  himself— 
assuming  a  servant's  dress.  5.  After  that  he 
poureth  water  into  a— 'the'  bason,  and  began 
^or  'proceeded'  to  wash  the  disciples'  feet. 
Three  different  words  are  used  in  Greek  to 
ex])ress  'washing,'  in  three  different  senses;  and 
all  three  are  used  in  the  New  Testament.  The 
first  [i^iTTTfo— a  late  form  of  viX^ui\  signifies  to  wash 
a  part  of  the  body,'  as  the  hands  (Mark  vii.  3) 
and  the  feet.  This  accordingly  is  the  word  used 
here,  and  five  other  times  in  the  verses  following, 
of  the  washing  of  the  feet.  The  second  [kodw, 
XoCeaQai]  signifies  to  '  wash  the  whole  body,'  as  in 
a  bath;  to  ^ bathe.''  This  accordingly  is  the  word 
warily  used  in  v.  10,  of  the  washing  of  the  entire 
person.  The  third  \^\()vu}\  signifies  to  'wash 
clothes.''  This  accordingly  is  used  in  Rev.  vii.  14 — 
"  These  are  they  that  washed  [eTrXuvai/]  their 
robes;"  and  in  ch.  xxii.  14,  according  to  what 
a]ipears  the  true  reading — "  Blessed  are  they  that 
wash  their  robes"  [ol  Ti-Xuvovrei  tus  o-ToXas 
ahTwv\  &c.  The  importance  of  distinguishing 
the  first  two  ■\\'ill  appear  when  we  come  to  v.  10. 
and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  wherewith  he 
was  girded.  Beyond  all  doubt  the  feet  of  Judas 
v)ere  ivashed,  as  of  all  the  i^est.  6.  Then  cometh 
he  to  Simon  Peter:  and  Peter  saith  unto  him, 
Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my  feet?  Our  language 
cannot  bring  out  the  intensely  vivid  contrast  be- 
tween the  "  27iOit"  [o-u]  and  the  "my"  [i^ov] 
which  by  bringing  them  together  the  original 
expresses.  But  every  word  of  this  question  is 
emphatic.  Thus  far,  and  in  the  question  itself, 
there  was  nothing  but  the  most  profound  and 
beautiful  astonishment  at  a  condescension  to  him 
quite  incomprehensible.  Accordingly,  though 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  already  Peter's  heart 
rebelled  against  it  as  a  thing  not  to  be  borne, 
Jesus  ministers  no  rebuke  as  yet,  but  only  bids 
him  wait  a  little,  and  he  should  understand 
it  all.  7.  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him, 
What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now:  —  q.  d., 
'Such  condescension  does  need  explanation;  it  is 
fitted  to  astonish;'  hut  thou  shalt  know  here- 
after [nei-a  TavTo] — lit.,  'after  these  things,' 
meaning  'presently;'  although  viewed  as  a 
general  maxim,  applicable  to  all  dark  sayings  in 
428 


God's  word,  and  dark  doings  in  God's  provi- 
dence, these  words  are  full  of  consolation.  8. 
Peter  saith  unto  him,  Thou  shalt  never  wash — 
more  emphatically,  'Never  shalt  thou  wash'  my 
feet : — q.  d. ,  '  That  is  an  incongruity  to  which  I 
can  never  submit.'  How  like  the  man!  Jesus 
answered  him,  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no 
part  with  me.  What  Peter  could  not  submit  to 
was,  that  the  Master  should  serve  His  servant. 
But  the  whole  saving  work  of  Christ  was  one  con- 
tinued series  of  such  services,  only  ending  with 
and  consummated  by  the  most  self-sacrificing  and 
transcendent  of  all  services:  "The  Son  of  Max 
CAME  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister, 

AND  TO  GIVE  HiS  LIFE  A  RANSOM  FOR  MANY."     (See 

on  Mark  x.  45.)  If  Peter,  then,  could  not  snbmit  to 
let  his  Master  go  down  so  low  as  to  wash  his  feet, 
how  should  he  suffer  himself  to  he  served — and  so 
saved— fey  Him  at  all?  This  is  couched  under  the 
one  pregnant  word  "  wash,"  which  though  applicable 
to  the  lower  operation  which  Peter  i-esisted,  is  the 
familiar  scrijitural  symbol  of  that  higher  cleansing, 
which  Peter  little  thought  he  was  at  the  same 
time  virtually  putting  from  him.  It  is  not  humi- 
lity to  refuse  what  the  Lord  deigns  to  do  for  us, 
or  to  deny  what  He  has  done,  but  it  is  self-willed 
presumption — not  rare,  however,  in  those  inner 
circles  of  lofty  religious  profession  and  traditional 
spirituality,  which  are  found  wherever  Christian 
truth  has  enjoyed  long  and  undisturbed  posses- 
sion. The  truest  humility  is  to  receive  reveren- 
tially, and  thankfully  to  own,  the  gifts  of  grace. 
9.  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  not  my 
feet  only,  but  also  my  hands  and  my  head: — 
q.  d.,  '  To  be  severed  from  Thee,  Lord,  is  death  to 
me :  If  that  be  the  meaning  of  my  speech,  I  tread 
upon  it ;  and  if  to  be  washed  of  Thee  have  such 
significance,  then  not  mv  feet  only,  but  hands, 
head,  and  all,  be  washed ! '  This  artless  exx)res- 
sion  of  clinging,  life-and-death  attachment  to 
Jesus,  and  felt  dependence  upon  Him  for  his  whole 
spiritual  well-being,  compared  with  the  similar 
saying  in  ch.  vi.  68,  69  (on  which  see  exposition), 
furnishes  such  evidence  of  historic  verity  as  no 
thoroughly  honest  mind  can  resist.  10.  Jesus 
saith  to  him.  He  that  is  washed  [XeXou/xe'i/os] — 
not  in  the  partial  sense  denoted  by  the  word 
used  for  the  washing  of  the  feet,  but  in  the 
complete  sense  denoted  by  the  word  here  used, 
signifying  to  vmsh  the  entire  person;  as  if 
we  should  render  it,  'he  that  is  bathed:'  need- 
eth not — to  be  so  washed  any  more;  needeth 
no  such  washing  a  second  time,  save  to  wash 
[vi^acrQat]  his  feet — that  is,  'needeth  to  do  no 
more  than  wash  his  feet;'  the  former  word  being 
now  resumed,  but  is  clean  every  whit  [KaOapos 
oXos] — '  clean  as  a  whole,'  or  entirely  cleaA     This 


Jesus  exkorteth  His 


JOHN  XIII. 


disciples  to  humility. 


12       So  after  he  had  washed  their  feet,  and  had  taken  his  garments,  and  was 

set  down  again,  he  said  unto  them,  Know  ye  what  I  have  done  to  you  ? 

13,  Ye  ''call  me  Master  and  Lord :  and  ye  say  well;  for  so  I  am.     If  'I  then, 

14  your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet,  •'ye  also  ought  to  wash 

15  one  another's  feet.      For  '-'I  have  given  you  an  example,  that  ye  should 

16  do  as  I  have  done  to  you.  Verily,  'verily,  I  say  unto  you.  The  servant 
is  not  greater  than  his  lord ;  neither  he  that  is  sent  greater  than  he  that 

17  sent  him.     If '"ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them. 

18  I  speak  not  of  you  all:  "■!  know  whom  I  have  chosen:  but,  that  the 
scripture  may  be  fulfilled,  "He  that  eateth  bread  with  me  hath  lifted 

19  up  his  heel  against  me.      ^Now  I  tell  you  before  it  come,  that,  when  it 

20  is  come  to  pass,  ye  may  believe  that  I  am  he.  Verily,  ^verily,  I  say 
unto  you.  He  that  receiveth  whomsoever  I  send  receiveth  me;  and 
he  that  receiveth  me  receiveth  him  that  sent  me. 

21  When  ^  Jesus  had  thus  said,  ''he  was  troubled  in  spirit,  and  testified, 
and  said.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  That  *one  of  you  shall  betray 


A.  D.  33. 


h  Luke  6.  46. 

1  Cor.  8.  6. 

1  Cor.  12.  3. 

Phil  2.  11. 
f  Luke  22. 2r. 
j  Eoni.l2. 10. 

Gal.  6. 1. 

1  Pet.  5.  5. 
*  Phil.  2.  5. 

1  Pet.  2.  21. 
'  Luke  6.  40. 
'"  Jas.  1.  25. 
"  2  Tim.  2. 19. 
"  Ps  41.  9. 
2  hence- 
forth. 
P  Luke  10. IG. 
«  Luke  22.21. 
"■  ch.  12.  27. 
»  Acts  1.  17. 


sentence  is  singularly  instructive.  Of  tlie  two 
deansings,  the  one  points  to  that  which  takes 
place  at  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  life, 
embracing  complete  absolution  from  sin  as  a  guilty 
state,  and  entire  deliverance  front  it  as  a  polluted 
life  {Rev.  i.  5;  1  Cor,  vi  11)— or,  in  the  language 
of  theology.  Justification  and  Regeneratioii.  This 
cleansing  is  effected  once  for  all,  and  is  never  re- 
peated. The  other  cleansing,  described  as  that  of 
"the  feet,"  is  such,  for  example,  as  one  walking 
from  a  bath  quite  cleansed  still  needs,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  contact  with  the  earth.  (Compare 
Exod.  XXX.  18,  19. )  It  is  the  daily  cleansing  which 
we  are  taught  to  seek,  when  in  the  spirit  of  adop- 
tion we  say,  "Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven^ 
forgive  us  our  debts;"  and,  when  burdened  with 
the  sense  of  manifold  shortcomings — ^as  wha,t  tender 
heart  of  a  Christian  is  not? — is  it  not  a  relief  to  be 
permitted  thus  to  wash  our  feet  after  a  day's  con- 
tact with  the  earth?  This  is  not  to  call  in  ques- 
tion the  completeness  of  our  past  justification. 
Our  Lord,  while  graciously  insisting  on  washing 
Peter's  feet,  refuses  to  extend  the  cleansing  farther, 
that  the  symbolical  instruction  intended  to  be  con- 
veyed might  not  be  marred,  and  ye  are  clean—- 
in  the  first  and  whole  sense,  but  not  all  [dW  ovx' 
[•Trai/Te?]— 'yet  not  all;'  11.  For,  &c.  A  very  impor- 
tant statement ;  as  showing  that  Judas — instead  of 
being  at  first  as  true-hearted  a  disciple  as  the  rest, 
and  merely  fcdling  away  afterwards,  as  many  repre- 
sent it — never  experienced  that  cleansing  at  all  which 
made  the  others  what  they  ivere. 

Discourse  Explanatory  of  this  Washing  (12-17). 
12.  So  after  he  had  washed  their  feet,  and  had 
taken  his  garments,  and  was  set  down  again,  he 
said  unto  them,  Know  ye  what  I  have  done  to 
you?— that  is,  'Know  ye  the  intent  of  it?'  The 
question,  however,  was  not  intended  to  draw 
forth  an  answer,  but,  like  many  other  of  our 
Lord's  questions,  to  summon  their  attention  to 
His  own  answer.    13.  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord 

So  SiooB-AuXos  KOI  6  Kuptos]— 'Teacher  and  Lord;' 
earning  of  Him  in  the  one  capacity,  obeying  Him 
in  the  other:  and  ye  say  well;  for  so  I  am. 
The  conscious  dignity  with  which  this  claim  is 
made  is  remarkable,  following  immediately  on 
His  laying  aside  the  towel  of  service.  Yet  what 
is  this  vmole  history  but  a  succession  of  such 
astonishing  contrasts  from  first  to  last  ?  14.  If  I 
then,  your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your 
feet — 0  ye  servants,  ye  also — who  are  but  fellow- 
servants,  ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet — 
not  in  the  narrow  sense  of  a  literal  washing,  pro- 
fanely caricatured  by  Popes  and  Emperors,  but  by 
429 


the  very  humblest  real  services  one  to  another. 
15.  For  I  have  given  you  an  example,  that  ye 
should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you.  16.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  The  seirvajit  is  not  greater 
than  his  lord;  neither  he  that  is  sent  greater 
than  he  that  sent  him.  An  oft-repeated  saying 
(see  on  Matt.  x.  24).  17.  If  ye  know  these  things, 
happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them.  A  hint  that  even 
among  real  Christians  the  doing  of  such  things 
would  come  lamentably  short  of  the  knowing. 

The  Traitor  is  now  Indicated  (18-27).  18.  I 
speak  not  of  you  all — the  "ha]>py  are  ye,"  of  v. 
17,  being  on  no  supposition  applicable  to  Judas. 
I  know  whom  I  have  chosen — in  the  higher  sense: 
but,  that  the  scripture  may  be  fulfilled: — q._  d., 
'  Wonder  not  tliat  one  has  been  introduced  into 
your  number  who  is  none  of  Mine:  it  is  by  no 
accident ;  there  is  no  mistake ;  it  is  just  that  he 
might  fulfil  his  predicted  destiny.'  He  that  eateth 
bread  with  me — "that  did  eat  of  my  bread"  (Ps. 
xli.  9),  as  one  of  My  family ;  admitted  to  the  nearest 
familiarity  of  discipleship  and  of  social  life,  hath 
lifted  up  his  heel  against  me— turned  upon  Me, 
adding  i^isult  to  injury.  (Compare  Heb.  x.  29.) 
In  the  Psalm  the  immediate  reference  is  to  Ahitbo- 
phel's  treachery  against  David  (2  Sam.  xvii.); 
one  of  those  scenes  in  which  the  iiarallel  of  his 
story  with  that  of  his  great  Antityi)e  is  exceed- 
ingly striking.  'The  eating  bread,'  says  Stier 
(with  whom,  as  with  others  who  hold  that  Judas 
partook  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  we  agree),  derives 
a  fearful  meaning  from  the  paa-ticipation  in  the 
sacramental  Supper,  a  meaning  which  must  be 
applied  for  ever  to  all  unworthy  communicants, 
as  well  as  to  all  betrayers  of  Christ  who  eat  the 
bread  of  His  Church.'  19.  Now  ['Att'  ap-rt] — rather, 
'  From  henceforth '  I  tell  you  before  it  come 
—consider  yourselves  as  from  this  time  fore- 
warned, that,  when  it  is  come  to  pass— instead 
of  being  staggered,  ye  may  believe  that  I  am  he 
— rather,  confirmed  in  your  faith :  and  indeed  this 
did  come  to  pass  when  they  deeply  needed  such 
confirmation.  20.  VerUy,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
He  that  receiveth  whomsoever  I  send  receiveth 
me;  and  he  that  receiveth  me  receiveth 
him  that  sent  me.  See  on  Matt.  x.  40.  The 
connection  here  seems  to  be  that  despite  the 
dishonour  done  to  him  by  Judas,  and  simi- 
lar treatment  awaiting  themselves,  they  were 
to  be  cheei-ed  by  the  assurance  that  their 
office,  even  as  His  own,  was  divine.  21.  When 
Jesus  had  thus  said,  he  was  troubled  in 
spirit,  and  testified,  and  said,  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  That  one  of  you  shall  betray  me.    The 


Jems  indicates  who 


JOHN  XIII. 


should  betray  Ilim. 


22  me.     Then  the  disciples  looked  one  on  another,  doubting  of  whom  he 

23  spake.     Now   Hhere  was  leaning  on  Jesus'  bosom  one  of  his  disciples, 

24  whom  Jesus  loved,     Simon  Peter  therefore  beckoned   to   him,  that  he 

25  should  ask  who  it  should  be  of  whom  he  spake.     He  then  lying  on  Jesus' 
2G  breast  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  who  is  it?    Jesus  answered,  He  it  is  to 

whom  I  shall  give  a  ^sop,  when  I  have  dipped  it.     And  when  he  had 

27  dipped  the  sop,  he  gave  it  to  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of  Simon.  And 
"after  the  sop  Satan  entered  into  him.     Then  said  Jesus  unto  him.  That 

28  thou  doest,  do  quickly.     Now  no  man  at  the  table  knew  for  what  intent 

29  he  spake  this  unto  him.  For  some  of  them  thought,  ^because  Judas  had 
the  bag,  that  Jesus  had  said  unto  him.  Buy  those  things  that  we  have 
need  of  against  the  feast ;  or,  that  he  should  give  something  to  the  poor. 


A.  D.  33. 


i!  Sam.  12. 3, 
ch.  1.  18. 
ch.  19.  '.C. 
ch.  20.  2. 
ch.  21.  7. 
Or, 

morsel. 
Ex.  12.  8. 
'  f  s.  109.  6. 
Mark  12.45. 
Luke  22.  3. 
ch.  6.  70. 
Acts  5.  3. 
ch.  12  6. 


announcement  of  v.  18  seems  not  to  have  been 
plain  enough  to  be  quite  apprehended,  save  by  the 
traitor  himself.  He  will  therefore  speak  it  out  in 
terms  not  to  be  misunderstood.  But  how  much  it 
cost  Him  to  do  this,  appears  from  the  "trouble" 
that  came  over  His  "s^jirit" — visible  emotion,  no 
doubt — before  He  got  it  uttered.  Wliat  wounded 
susceptibility  does  this  disclose,  and  what  exqui- 
site delicacy  in  His  social  intercourse  with  the 
Twelve,  to  whom  He  cannot,  without  an  effort, 
break  the  subject !  22.  Tlien  the  disciples  looked 
one  on  another,  doubting— or  'being  in  doubt'  of 
■whom  lie  spake.  Further  intensely  interesting 
particulars  are  given  in  the  other  Gospels.  First, 
"They  were  exceeding  sorrowful"  (Matt.  xxvi. 22). 
Second,  "They  began  to  enquire  among  them- 
selves which  of  them  it  was  that  should  do  this 
thing  "  (Luke  xxii.  23).  Third,  "  They  began  to  sav 
■unto  Him  one  by  one,  Is  it  I?  and  another,  Is  it  I?^' 
(Mark  xiv.  19).  Generous,  simple  hearts!  They 
abhorred  the  thought,  but,  instead  of  putting  it  on 
others,  each  was  only  anxious  to  pur^e  himself,  and 
know  if  he  could  be  the  wretch.  Their  putting  it  at 
once  to  Jesus  Himself,  as  knowing  doubtless  who 
was  to  do  it,  was  the  best,  as  it  certainly  was  the 
most  _  spontaneous  and  artless,  evidence  of  their 
own  innocence.  Fourth,  Jesus — apparently  while 
this  questioning  was  going  on— added,  "The  Son 
of  Man  goeth  as  it  is  written  of  Him :  but  woe  unto 
that  man  by  whom  the  Son  of  Man  is  betrayed ! 
it  had  been  good  for  that  man  if  he  had  not  been 
born"  (Matt.  xxvi.  24).  Fifth,  "Judas,"  last  of  all, 
"  answered  and  said,  Lord,  Js  it  I?"  evidently  feel- 
ing that  when  all  wei-e  saying  this,  if  he  were  to  hold 
his  peace,  that  of  itself  would  draw  suspicion  upon 
liim.  To  prevent  this  the  question  is  wrung  out  of 
him,  but  perhaps,  amidst  the  stir  and  excitement 
at  the  table,  in  a  half-suppressed  tone — as  we  are 
inclined  to  think  the  answer  also  was — "Thou 
hast  said"  (Matt.  xxvi.  25),  or  possibly  by  little 
more  than  a  sign;  for  from  v.  28,  below,  it  is  evident 
that  till  the  moment  when  he  v>'ent  out  he  was  not 
o|!enly  discovered.  23.  Now  there  was  leaning  on 
Jesus'  bosom  [avaKeiixevo's] — that  is,  next  Him  at 
the  table,  and  so  "on"  or  'in  His  bosom'  [ev  tm 
kuXttco]  one  of  his  disciples,  whom  Jesus  loved. 
As  Jesus  certainly  loAJ'ed  all  the  Eleven,  this  must 
mean  a  peculiar,  dear  love  which  Jesus  had  for 
John.  (ComiKire  ch.  xi.  3,  4,  of  Lazarus.)  Once 
and  again  does  our  Evangelist  thus  denote  him- 
self. Doubtless  it  was  on  account  of  this  love 
that  Jesus  placed  him  next  to  Himself— in  His 
own  bosom — at  the  table.  But  it  is  alluded  to 
here  to  explain  the  facility  which  he  had,  from 
his  position,  of  asking  his  Lord  quietly  whom 
He  meant.  24.  Simon  Peter  therefore  beckoned 
-  'beckoueth'  \yeuei}  to  Mm,  that  lie  should 
ask  who  it  should— or  'might'  he  of  whom  he 
spake.  Perhaps  Peter  reclined  at  the  corre- 
eponding  place  on  the  other  side  of  Jesus,  25.  He 
4^ 


then  Isring  [^e-rmreawv] — ' leaning  over'  or 'leaning 
back'  on  Jesus'  breast,  saith  unto  him — evidently 
in  a  lohisjjer.  Lord,  who  is  it  t  26.  Jesus  answered 
— '  answereth,'  clearly  also  inaudilly;  the  answer 
being  conveyed  ^irobably  from  behind  to  Peter  by 
John.  He  it  is  to  whom  I  shall  give  a  sop  [to 
xlrwfxiov] — rather,  'the  sop'  when  I  have  dipped  it 
— meaning  a  piece  of  the  bread  soaked  in  the  wine 
or  the  sauce  of  the  dish ;  one  of  the  ancient  ways 
of  testifying  peculiar  regard.  Compare  v.  18,  "  IJe 
that  eateth  hread  with  me.''  And  when  he  had 
dipped  the  sop,  he  gave— or  'giveth'  [oiSaja-if]  it 
to  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of  Simon.  Thus  the 
sign  of  Judas'  treachery  was  an  affecting  expres- 
sion, and  the  last,  of  the  Saviour's  wounded  love  ! 
27.  And  after  the  sop  Satan  [rro-re] — 'then'  or 
'straightway  Satan'  entered  into  him.  Very 
solemn  are  these  brief  hints  of  the  successive 
steris  by  which  Judas  reached  the  climax  of  his 
guilt.  "The  de\al  had  already  iiut  it  into  his 
heart  to  betray  his  Lord."  Yet  who  can  tell  what 
struggles  he  went  through  ere  he  brought  himself 
to  carry  that  suggestion  into  effect  V  Even  after 
this,  however,  his  comx>unctions  were  not  at  an 
end.  With  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  already  in 
his  possession,  he  seems  still  to  have  quailed — and 
can  we  wonder?  When  Jesus  stoojied  to  wash  his 
feet,  it  may  be  the  last  struggle  was  reaching  its 
crisis.  But  that  word  of  the  Psalm,  about  "one 
that  did  eat  of  His  bread  who  would  lift  up  his 
heel  against  Him,"  probably  all  but  turned  the 
dread  scale,  and  the  still  more  explicit  announce- 
ment, that  one  of  those  sitting  with  Him  at  the 
table  should  betray  Him,  would  bej^et  the  thought, 
'  I  am  detected ;  it  is  now  too  late  to  di-aw  back. ' 
At  that  moment  the  sop  is  given,  by  which  offer  of 
friendship  was  once  more  made— and  how  affec- 
tiugly  !  But  akeady  "  Satan  has  entered  into  him,'' 
and  though  the  Saviour's  act  might  seem  enough  to 
recall  him  even  yet,  hell  is  now  in  his  bosom,  and 
he  says  within  himself,  '  The  die  is  cast ;  now  let 
me  go  through  with  it;  fear,  begone!'  See  on 
Mark  xiv.  1-11,  Eemark  S  at  the  close  of  that 
Section ;  also  on  Luke  xi.  24-26. 

The  Ti-nitor  Leaves  the  Siipjjer-Foo^n  (27-30). 
27.  Then  said — 'saith'  [\e7et]  Jesus  unto  him, 
That  thou  doest,  do  quickly :  —g.  d. ,  '  Why  linger 
here  ?  This  is  not  the  place  for  thee ;  thy  presence 
here  is  a  restraint  to  us  and  to  thee  alike;  thy 
work  stands  still ;  thou  hast  already  the  wages  of 
iniquity— go  work  for  them.'  28.  Now  no  man  at 
the  ta,ble  knew  for  what  intent  he  spake  this 
unto  him.  29.  For  some  of  them  thought,  he- 
cause  Judas  had  the  hag,  that  Jesus  had  said 
unto  him.  Buy  those  things  that  we  have  need  of 
against  the  feast ;  or,  that  he  should  give  some- 
thing to  the  poor.  A  very  important  statement, 
showing  how  carefully  Jesus  had  kejjt  the  secret, 
and  Judas  his  hypocrisy,  to  the  last.  30.  He  then 
having  received  the  sop  went  immediately  out  — 


Simon  Peter  for ewanud 


JOHN  XIII. 


of  Ms  full. 


30  He  then  having  received  the  sop  went  immediately  out:  and  it  was 
ni^ht. 

Therefore,  when  he  was  gone  out,  Jesus  said,  Now  is  the  Son  of  man 
glorified,  and  ^"God  is  glorified  in  him.  If  ^God  be  glorified  in  him,  God 
shall   also   glorify  him  in   himself,    and   shall  straightway  glorify  him. 

33  Little  children,  yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you.  Ye  shall  seek  me : 
and  as  I  said  unto  the  Jews,  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come ;  so  now  I 

34  say  to  you.  A  ^new  commandment  I  give  unto  you.  That  ye  love  one 
another;  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By  this 
shall  all  7nen  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  ^  love  one  to  another. 

Simon  Peter  said  unto  him.  Lord,  whither  goesfc  thou  ?    Jesus  answered 
him.  Whither  I  go,  thou  canst   not  follow  me  now;    but  ^thou  slialt 
37  follow  me  afterwards.     Peter  said  unto  him.  Lord,  why  cannot  I  follow 


A.  D.  S.i. 


31 

?,'2 


oi> 


36 


'  ch   14.  13. 
1  Pet.  4.  U 
ch.  17.  1. 
Lev.  19.  1?. 
Gal  6.  2. 
Eph.  5.  2. 
1  Thes.  4.  9. 
Jas.  2.  8. 
1  Pet.  1.  22. 
1  John  2.  7. 
lJolin3.ll. 

1  John  1.21. 

2  John  5. 
Acts  2.  46. 

'  ch  21.  18. 
2  Pet.  1.  14. 


thus,  by  his  own  act  ami  deed,  severing  himself 
for  ever  from  that  holy  society  with  which  he  never 
had  any  spiritual  sympathy:  and  it  was  night— but 
far  blacker  night  in  the  soul  of  Judas  than  in  the 
sky  over  his  head. 

Relieved  of  t lie  Traitor'' s  Presence,  the  Dl»-ourseis 
liesumed  (31-35).  31.  Therefore,  when  he  was  gone 
out,  Jesus  said—'  saith '  {Keyei],  Now  is  the  Son  of 
man  glorified.  These  remarkable  words  plainly 
imply  that  up  to  this  moment  our  Lord  had  spoken 
binder  a  painful  restraint;  tlie  presence  of  a  traitor 
within  the  little  circle  of  His  holiest  fellowship  on 
earth  preventing  the  free  and  full  outpouring  of 
His  heart.  This  is  evident,  indeed,  from  those 
oft-recurring  clauses,  "Ye  are  not  all  clean,"  "T 
speak  not  of  you  all,"  &c.  "  Now  "  the  restraint 
is  removed,  and  the  embankment  which  kept  in 
the  mighty  volume  of  living  waters  having  broken 
down,  they  burst  forth  in  a  torrent  which  only 
ceases  on  His  leaving  the  Supper-room  and  enter- 
ing on  the  next  stage  of  His  great  work — the  scene 
in  the  Garden.  But  with  what  words  is  the 
silence  first  broken  on  the  departure  of  Judas? 
By  no  reflections  on  the  traitor,  and,  what  is  still 
more  wonderful,  by  no  reference  to  the  dread 
character  of  His  own  approaching  sufferings.  He 
does  not  even  name  them,  save  by  announcing,  as 
■with  a  burst  of  triumph,  that  the  hour  of  His 
glory  has  arrived !  And  what  is  very  remarkable, 
in  five  brief  clauses  He  repeats  this  word  "glorify 
five  times,  as  if  to  His  view  a  coruscation  of  glories 
played  at  that  moment  about  the  Cross.  (See  on 
ch.  xii.  23.)  and  God  is  glorified  in  him — the 
glory  of  each  reaching  its  zenith  in  the  death  of 
the  Cross!  32.  If  God  he  glorified  in  him,  God 
shall  also — in  return  and  reward  of  this  highest 
of  all  services  ever  rendered  to  Him,  or  capable  of 
being  rendered,  glorify  him  in  himself,  and  shall 
straightway  glorify  him  —  referring  now  to  the 
Son's  Resurrection  and  Exaltation  after  this  ser- 
vice was  over,  including  all  the  honour  and  glory 
then  j)ut  upon  Him,  and  that  will  for  ever  encircle 
Him  as  Head  of  the  new  creation.  33.  Little 
children  [Te/ci/t«].  From  the  height  of  His  om'u 
glory  He  now  descends,  with  sweet  pity,  to  His 
"  little  children,"  all  now  His  own.  This  term  of 
endearment,  nowhere  else  used  in  the  Gospels, 
and  once  only  employed  by  Paul  (Gal.  iv.  19),  is 
appropriated  by  the  beloved  disciple  himself,  who 
no  fewer  than  seven  times  employs  it  in  his  first 
Epistle,  yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you.  Ye 
shall  seek  me— shall  feel  the  want  of  Me:  and  as 
I  said  unto  the  Jews  (ch.  vii.  34;  viii.  21).  A  re- 
markable word  this  here  —  "the  Jews."  The 
Eleven  were  all  themselves  Jews.  But  now  that 
He  and  they  were  on  a  higher  footing.  He  leaves 
the  name  to  those  who  were  Jews,  and  notJdng  but 
Jeivs.  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come ;  so  now  I 
431 


say  to  you.  But,  0,  in  what  a  diifereut  sense! 
34.  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  That  ye 
love  one  another ;  as — '  even  as '  [ktuOois]  I  have 
loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another.  This 
was  the  neiu  feature  of  it.  Christ's  love  to  Hia 
Ijeople  in  giving  His  life  a  ransom  for  them  Avaa 
altogether  new,  and  consequently  as  a  ilodd  and 
Standard  for  theirs  to  one  another.  It  is  not, 
however,  something  transcending  the  great  moral 
law,  which  is  "the  old  commandment"  (1  John  ii. 
7 ;  and  see  on  Mark  xii.  28-33),  but  that  law  in  a 
new  and  peculiar  form.  Hence  it  is  said  to  be 
both  neio  and  old  (1  John  ii.  7,  8).  35.  By  this 
shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples — 
the  disciples  of  Him  who  laid  down  His  life  for 
those  He  loved,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another 
— for  My  sake,  and  as  one  in  Me ;  for  to  such  love 
men  outside  the  circle  of  believers  know  riglit 
well  that  they  are  entire  strangers.  Alas,  how 
little  of  it  there  is  even  within  this  circle  ! 

Peter,  Protesting  his  Beadiness  to  follow  his 
blaster,  though  it  should  be  to  Death,  is  Fore- 
warned of  his  shameful  Fcdl  (36-38).  36.  Simoa 
Peter  said — 'saith'  [Xeyei]  unto  him  —  seeing 
Ijlainly,  in  these  directions  how  to  behave  them- 
selves, that  He  was  indeed  going  from  them, 
Lord,  whither  goest  thou?— having  hardly  a  glim- 
mering of  the  real  truth.  Jesus  answered  him. 
Whither  I  go,  thou  canst  not  follow  me  now ;  but 
thou  Shalt  follow  me  afterwards.  How  different 
this  from  what  He  said  to  the  Jews,  "Whither  I 
go,  ye  cannot  co7ne"  (ch.  viii.  21).  37.  Peter  said — 
'  saith'  unto  him,  Why  cannot  I  follow  thee  nov/  ? 
I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  thy  sake  [inrep  aov] — 
'for  Thee.'  Ho  seems  now  to  see  that  it  was 
death  Christ  referred  to  as  what  would  sever  Him 
from  them,  but  is  not  staggered  at  following  Him 
thither.  Dear  soul!  It  was  thy  hearb's  true  and 
conscious  affection  for  thy  Master  that  prompted 
this  speech,  rash  and  presumptuous  though  it  was. 
38.  Jesus  answered  him,  Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy 
life  for  my  sake?  [I'-Trep  'E/xo5]— 'for  Me?'  In 
this  repetition  of  Peter's  words  there  is  deep 
though  affectionate  irony;  and  this  Peter  himself 
would  feel  for  many  a  day  after  his  recovery,  as  ho 
retraced  the  painful  particulars.  Verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  thee,  The  cock  shall  not  crow,  till  thoa 
hast  denied  me  thrice.    See  on  Luke  xxii.  31-34. 

Remarks.^!.  Among  the  unique  features  of  this 
wonderful  History,  none  is  more  remarkable  tlian 
the  union  in  the  Lord  Jesus  of  a  perfect  foresight  of 
the  future,  entire  preparedness  for  it,  and  a  calm  ex- 
pectation of  it,  but  yet  a  certain  freshness  of  feeling 
which  unforeseen  events  awaken  in  others.  He 
comes  into  every  scene,  and  holds  intercourse  with 
all  classes,  fully  cognizant  of  every  movement  for 
and  against  Him,  and  with  all  he;irts  open  to  Hia 
gaze.     And  yet  His  own  movements  are  so  per- 


Simon  Peter  forewarned 


JOHN  XIII. 


of  Ms  fall. 


38  thee  now?    I  will  *lay  down  my  life  for  thy  sake.     Jesus  answered  him,  [    ^-  p-  ^^- 
Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for  my  sake?     Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  I  *  Luke  22.13. 
The  cock  shall  not  crow,  till  thou  hast  denied  me  thrice. 


Fro.  16.  18. 


fectly  natural  and  manifestly  human,  that  men 
have  difficulty  in  believing  the  lofty  things  which 
He  says  of  Himself,  and  all  that  is  said  and  done 
ill  His  presence  awakens  His  sensibilities  just  as 
if  it  took  Him  as  much  by  surprise  as  it  would 
any  other  man.  Look  at  this  very  chapter.  With 
exalted  Self-possession  He  rises  from  supper,  girds 
Himself  with  the  towel  of  service,  pours  water 
into  a  basin,  and  proceeds  to  wash  His  dis- 
ciples' feet— all  in  the  exercise  of  an  eternal  and 
unchanging  love,  and  in  furtherance  of  plans  of 
action  laid  from  the  be^innin".  _  But  see,  on  the 
other  hand,  how  naturally  each  incident  and  say- 
ing at  the  Supper-table  gives  rise  to  another,  and 
the  whole  susceptibilities  of  that  tender  Heart  are 
awakened  by  the  painful  disclosures  which  had  to 
be  made,  and  become  keener  when  the  moment 
arrives  for  being  quite  plain.  Peter's  hesitation 
first,  and  then  positive  refusal,  to  be  washed  by 
his  blessed  Master  had  led  to  a  hint  how  fatal 
that  resolution  would  be  to  him  in  relation  to  the 
higher  washing.  Peter,  who  had  never  thought 
of  that,  is  now  all  eagerness  to  be  washed  in  every 
sense  of  the  word ;  but  he  is  told  that  he  needs  it 
not,  having  gotten  that  j^lready,  and  so  become 
"clean  every  whit"— as  his  fellows  at  the  table 
with  him  also  were.  But  the  presence  of  the 
ti-aitor  stifled  the  word  "  all,"  and  shaped  it  into 
"  Ye  are  clean— but  not  all."  Still,  as  if  loath  to 
break  it  to  them  too  abruptly,  and  as  they  evi- 
dently failed  to  catch  the  precise  import  of  His 
hint,  He  proceeds  to  oi^en  up  to  them  His  design 
in  washing  their  feet,  holding  this  up  as  a  high 
example  of  that  self-denying  humility  and  mutual 
service  by  which  He  expected  them  to  be  distin- 
guished before  the  world.  But  this  again  brought 
up  before  His  mind  the  dark  shadow  of  the  deed 
about  to  be  done  against  Him,  and  the  man  that 
was  to  do  it,  sitting  with  Him  at  the  table,  and 
by  his  presence  interrupting,  beyond  longer  en- 
durance, the  free  flow  of  His  gracious  speech 
during  the  brief  space  they  were  to  be  together. 
Now,  therefore,  He  will  come  nearer  co  the  point 
and  hasten  his  exit.  "I  speak  not  of  you  all:  I 
know  whom  I  have  chosen  :  out,  that  the  scripture 
may  be  fulflUed,  He  that  eateth  bread  witia  me 
hath  lifted  up  his  heel  agaiust  me.  Now  I  tell  you 
before  it  come,  that,  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  may 
believe  that  I  am  He."  And  yet,  even  after  He 
has  come  this  length.  He  seems  to  pause ;  and,  as 
if  trying  to  throw  ofi^  the  unwelcome  subject  for  a 
moment.  He  resumes  what  He  had  broken  ofi"— the 
lofty  mission  on  which  He  was  sending  them  forth 
— "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  re- 
ceiveth  whomsoever  I  send  receiveth  Me ;  and  he 
that  receiveth  Me  reeeiveth  Him  that  sent  Me." 
So  manifestly  is  this  a  resumption  of  the  former 
subject,  that  if  in\  18,  19  were  enclosed  in  a  par- 
enthesis, it  would  seem  not  to  have  been  inter- 
rupted at  all,  save  by  a  side  hint.  But  the  time 
for  hints  is  iiast,  and  tiie  moment  for  explicit 
disclosure  has  come.  No  doubt,  the  last  hmt — 
about  one  eating  of  His  bread  who  was  to  lift  up 
his  heel  against  Him— was  too  plain  not  to  pain 
the  whole  Eleven,  and  almost  prevent  them  listen- 
ing to  anything  else.  Jesus,  therefore,  come  to  a 
iioint,  will  speak  to  them  no  more  enigmatically. 
5ut  mark  the  emotion  which  precedes  the  explicit 
announcement  that  there  is  a  traitor  at  the  table. 
"  When  Jesus  had  thus  said.  He  was  troubled  in 
spirit,  and  testified,  and  said" — as  if  the  utterance 
was  almost  choked,  and  the  thing  would  hardly 
432 


come  out — "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  One  of 
you  shall  betray  Me."  What  we  wish  to  notice 
here  is,  that  while  all  is  manifestly  naked  and 
open  beforehand  to  Him  who  calmly  directed  and 
lovingly  presided  at  this  Supper,  His  quick  sus- 
ceptibilities are  kindled,  and  His  heart's  deepest 
emotions  are  stirred,  when  He  has  in  naked  terms 
to  announce  the  deed  of  horror.  In  short,  we 
have  here  Divine  intelligence  and  warm  Human 
feeling,  so  entirely  in  harmony  in  one  and  the  same 
Person,  and  in  every  part  of  one  and  the  same 
scene,  as  proclaim  their  own  historic  reality  beyond 
all  the  powers  of  human  invention  to  imitate.  Nor 
is  it  the  mere  facts  here  presented  to  us,  but  the 
very  form  and  pressure  of  them,  that  bear  the 
stamp  of  manifest  truth ;  so  much  so,  that  it  is  to 
us  inconceivable  how,  even  with  the  facts  before 
him,  they  could  have  been  so  conveyed  by  the 
Evangelist  as  they  are  here,  save  on  one  explana- 
tion— "  When  the  Comforter  is  come.  He  shall 
teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your 
remembrance,  whatsoever  I  said  unto  you"  (ch. 
xiv.  26).  To  continue  this  line  of  remark  here 
were  needless.  But  we  cannot  refrain  from  allud- 
ing to  the  freedom  which  Jesus  seemed  to  breathe 
the  moment  that  the  traitor  made  his  exit,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  sublime  transport  with  which 
His  all-embraciug  Eye  saw  in  that  movement  His 
virtual  elevation  to  glory  through  the  Cross— 
"Now  is  the  Son  of  Man  glorified,  and  God  is 
glorified  in  Him" !  On  eveiy  view  of  it  but  one 
this  is  inexj)licable.  That  perfect  combination  of 
the  Divine  and  the  Human  in  the  Subject  of  this 
History,  which  to  have  been  written  must  have 
been  real — that,  and  that  alone,  explains  all. 
2.  How  affecting  is  the  contrast  between  the 
example  here  exhibited  and  the  prevailing  spii-it 
of  Christendom  in  almost  every  age  of  its  history ! 
At  the  most  touching  period  of  His  intercourse 
with  them— when  He  was  with  them  for  the  last 
time— the  Master  descends  to  the  position  and 
the  offices  of  a  servant  to  His  servants ;  doing  for 
them  the  humblest  of  services :  and  this  in  order 
to  exemplify  in  His  own  Person  what  He  ex]pected 
them  to  be  and  to  do  to  one  another  in  all  suc- 
ceeding time.  To  give  this  the  more  weight,  He 
holds  up  the  difference  between  Himself  and  them. 
Being  tliemselves  but  servants,  it  was  no  great 
thing  for  thein  to  serve  one  another.  But  if  the 
Master  voluntarily  went  down  to  that  position, 
much  more  should  they,  in  whose  case  to  serve 
was  no  descent  at  all  below  their  rightful  dignity, 
but  only  making  fuUjiroof  of  their  projier  calling. 
Alas,  for  the  fruit !  The  pride  of  the  clergy,  how 
early  did  it  blossom,  and  how  proverbial  has  it 
become,  and,  as  if  to  make  this  all  the  more  no- 
ticeable, the  language  and  the  forms  of  humility 
and  service  have  kept  bitter  pace  with  the  pal- 
pable absence  of  the  reality.  How  could  such 
ministers  teach  and  beget  humility  and  lo^•ing- 
kindness  in  the  Christian  people  ?  Some  noble 
examples,  both  of  ministers  and  people,  are  on 
record;  and  many,  many,  doubtless,  there  have 
been  and  are  wliich  will  never  be  recorded.  But 
the  full  and  all-impressive  manifestation  of  that 
humility  which  minds  not  high  things,  but  con- 
descends to  men  of  low  estate,  and  that  love 
which  lives  for  others,  and  thinks  no  service  too 
mean  which  ministers  to  the  comfort  and  well- 
being  of  the  least  of  Chiist's  "brethren,"  is  yet  to 
come^when,  "  by  this  shall  all  men  know  that  we 
are  Christ's  disciples,  because  we  have  love  one  to 


Discourse  at  the 


JOHN  XIV. 


tahle  after  supper. 


14      LET  not  your  heart  be  troubled :  ye  believe  iu  God,  believe  also  in  me. 

2  In  "my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions:  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would 

3  have  told  you.  ''I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  pre- 
pare a  place  for  you,  I  'will  come  again,  and  receive  j'^ou  unto  myself; 
that  '^  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also. 

4,  5     And  whither  I  go    ye  know,   and  the  way  ye  know.     Thomas  saith 


A.  D.  33. 


CHAP.  u. 
»  -1  Cor.  5.  1. 

Kev.  3.  12, 
21. 
I-  ch   13.  33. 
'•■  Acts  1.  11. 
d  lT)ies  1  17. 


auotlier."  The  Lord  hasten  it  initsthue!  3.  It 
is  of  inimeuse  consequence  to  the  liberty  and 
strength  of  Christians  to  be  assured  of  their 
standing  among  the  "washed"  disciples  of  the 
Lord  Jesus— the  "  clean  every  whit ;'  instead  of 
having  to  be  ever  trying  to  get  this  length,  e\'er 
settling  that  iioint,  and  thus  all  their  lifetime 
subject  to  bondage.  But  the  op])osite  error  is 
equally  to  be  eschewed,  of  supposing  that  when 
this  point  is  settled,  and  that  standing  is  attained, 
we  have  no  more  sin  needing  to  be  pardoned,  no 
defilement  to  be  washed  away.  This,  we  take  it, 
is  just  what  our  Evangelist  alludes  to  in  his  first 
Epistle,  when  he  says,  "  If  we  say  that  we  have 
no  sin" — that  is,  as  we  understand  it.  If  we  say 
that  being  now  clean  every  whit  we  have  quite 
done  with  sinning — "we  deceive  ourselves,  and 
the  truth  is  not  in  us."  On  the  differeuce  be- 
tween this  statement  and  the  similar  one  that 
follows — "  If  we  say  that  we  have  not  sinned,  we 
make  Him  a  liar,  and  His  word  is  not  in  us" — see 
on  1  John  i.  8,  10.  On  the  warning  here  given 
to  Peter,  and  the  way  in  which  he  received  it,  see 
on  Luke  xxiL  31-34,  Remark  3  at  the  end  of  that 
Section. 

CHAP.  XIV.  1-31.— Discourse  AT  THE  Table 
AFTER  Supper.  '  We  now  come,' says  Ohhausen 
admirably,  'to  that  portion  of  the  Evangelical  His- 
tory which  we  may  with  propriety  call  its  Holy  of 
Holies.  Our  Evangelist,  like  a  consecrated  priest, 
alone  opens  up  to  us  the  view  into  this  sanctiiary. 
It  is  the  record  of  the  last  moments  si)eut  by  the 
Lord  in  the  midst  of  His  disciples  before  His  pas- 
siou,  when  words  full  of  heavenly  thought  flowed 
from  His  sacred  lips.  All  that  His  heart,  glowing 
with  love,  had  still  to  say  to  His  friends,  was  com- 
pressed into  this  short  season.  At  first  the  inter- 
course took  the  form  of  conversation ;  sitting  at 
table,  they  talked  familiarly  together.  But  wlieu 
the  repast  was  finished,  the  language  of  Christ 
assumed  a  loftier  strain  ;  the  disciples,  assembled 
around  their  Master,  listened  to  the  words  of  life, 
and  seldom  spoke  a  word.  At  length,  in  the  Re- 
deemer's sublime  intercessory  prayer.  His  full  soul 
was  poured  forth  in  express  ])etitions  to  His 
heavenly  Father  on  behalf  of  those  who  were  His 
own.  It  is  a  jieculiarity  of  these  last  chapters, 
that  they  treat  almost  exclusively  of  tlie  most  i^ro- 
fouud  relations — as  that  of  the  Son  to  tlie  Father, 
and  of  both  to  the  Spirit;  that  of  Christ  to  tiie 
Church,  of  the  Church  to  the  world,  and  so  forth. 
Moreover,  a  considerable  portion  of  these  sublime 
communications  surpassed  the  point  of  view  to 
which  the  disciples  nad  at  that  time  attained: 
hence  the  Redeemer  frequently  rejieats  the  same 
sentiments  in  order  to  impress  them  more  deejily 
upon  their  minds,  and,  because  of  what  they  still 
did  not  understand,  ])oii)ts  them  to  the  Holy 
Si)irit,  who  would  remind  them  of  all  His  sayings, 
and  lead  them  into  all  truth.' 

Tlce  Confidence  to  be  reposed  in  Christ  during 
His  Absence,  and  the  loring  Design  of  His  Second 
Corning  (1-3).  1.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled. 
What  myriads  of  souls  have  not  these  opening 
words  cheered,  in  deepest  gloom,  since  first  they 
were  uttered!     ye   believe  in  God,  believe  also 

in    me    [incrTeveTe   eis   -rdi/    Beoj/,   hu'i   ([•;   i/xe   ttictx- 
d'e-re].     This  may  with  equal  correctness  be  ren- 
VOL.  V.  433 


dered  four  difFei-ent  ways.  1.  As  two  imperatives 
— '  Believe  iu  God,  and  believe  iu  Me.'  (So  Chry- 
sostom,  and  several  both  Greek  and  Latin  Fathers ; 
Lampe,  Bengel,  de  Wette,  LUcLe,  Tholuck,  Meyer, 
Stier,  Alford.)  But  this,  though  the  interpreta- 
tion of  so  many,  we  must  regard,  with  Webster 
and  Wilkinson,  as  somewhat  frigid.  2.  As  two  in- 
dicatives—' Ye  believe  iu  God,  and  ye  believe  iu 
Me.'  So  Luther,  who  gives  it  this  turn— '  If  ye 
believe  in  (iod,  then  do  ve  also  believe  in  Me.' 
But  this  is  pointless.  3.  'The  first  imperative  and 
the  second  indicative  ;  but  to  make  sense  of  this, 
we  must  give  the  second  clause  a  future  turn — 
'  Believe  in  God,  and  then  ye  will  believe  in  Me.' 
To  this  Olshausen  half  inclines.  But  how  un- 
natural this  is,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say.  4. 
The  first  indicative  and  the  second  imperative,  as 
in  our  version — '  Ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in 
Me.'  (So  the  Vulgnle,  J\I aldonat,  Erasmus,  Calriyi, 
Beza — who,  however,  gives  the  first  clause  an  in- 
terrogatory turn,  'Believe  ye  in  God?  Believe  also 
in  Me' — Cranrner's  and  the  Genera  English  ver- 
sions, Olshausen  prevailingly,  Webster  and  Wilkin- 
son.) This  alone  ai)])ears  to  us  to  bring  out  the 
natural  and  worthy  sense — 'Ye  believe  in  God, 
as  do  all  His  true  ])eople,  and  the  confidence  ye 
repose  in  Him  is  the  soul  of  all  your  religious  ex- 
ercises, actings  and  hopes:  Well,  repose  the  same 
trust  in  Me.'  W^hat  a  demand  this  to  make,  by 
one  who  was  sitting  familiarly  with  them  at  the 
same  Supper-table!  But  it  neither  alienates  our 
trust  from  its  proper  Object,  nor  divides  it  with  a 
creature  :  it  is  but  the  concentration  of  our  trust  in 
the  Unseen  and  Impalpable  One  upon  His  Own 
Incarnate  Son,  by  which  tliat  trust,  instead  of  the 
distant,  unsteady  and  too  often  cold  and  scarce 
real  thing  it  otherwise  is,  aciiuires  a  conscious  re- 
ality, warmth,  and  i)Ower,  which  makes  all  things 
new.  This  is  Christianity  in  brief.  2.  In  my 
Father's  house  are  many  mansions— and  so,  room 
for  all  and  a  jilace  tor  each  :  if  it  were  not  so,  I 
would  have  told  you— and  not  have  deceived  you 
all  this  time.  I  go— or,  according  to  what  is  un- 
doubtedly the  true  reading,  '  because  I  go'  to 
prepare  a  place  for  you  [oTt  before  -Kofiedoixai  has 
decisive  authority,  and  is  inserted  by  all  critical 
editors.]  The  meaning  is,  'Doubt  not  that  there 
is  for  all  of  you  a  jilace  in  My  Father's  house, /or 
I  am  going  on  pnqiose  to  prejiare  it.'  In  what 
sense?  First,  To  establish  their  right  to  be  there ; 
Second,  To  take  possession  of  it  in  their  name ; 
Thiid,  To  conduct  them  thither  at  last.  3.  And  if 
I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come 
again — strictly,  at  His  Second  Personal  Appear- 
ing ;  but,  in  a  secondary  and  comforting  sense,  to 
each  individually,  when  he  puts  off  this  taber- 
nacle, sleejiing  in  Jesus,  but  his  spirit  "present 
with  the  Lord."  and  receive  you  unto  myself; 
that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also.  Mark 
here  again  the  extent  of  the  claim  which  Jesiis 
makes— at  His  Second  Coming  to  receive  His 
people  to  Himself  (see  on  Eiih.  v.  27;  Col.  i.  22; 
Jude  24),  that  where  He  is,  there  they  may  be  also. 
He  thinks  it  quite  enough  to  re-assure  them,  to 
say  that  where  He  is,  there  they  shall  be. 

'Christ  the  Wat)   to  the  Father,  and  Himself  the 
Incarnate  Rerelation  of  the  Father  (4-12).     4.  And 
Whither  I  go  ye  know,  and  the  way  ye  know. 
2s 


Christ  the  Way, 


JOHN  XIV. 


the  Truth,  and  the  Lije. 


S 

y 

10 


11 

12 


uuto  him,  Lord,  we  know  not  wliitlier  tliou  goest ;  and  how  can  we  know 
the  way?  Jesus  saith  uuto  him,  I  am  'the  way,  and  -^the  truth,  and  ^the 
life :  *no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me.  If  *ye  had  known  me, 
ye  should  have  known  my  Father  also :  and  from  henceforth  ye  know  him, 
and  have  seen  him. 

Philip  saith  uuto  him,  Lord,  sliow  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us. 
Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,  and  yet  hast 
thou  not  known  me,  Philip?  ■'he  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the 
Father ;  and  how  sayest  thou  then,  Show  us  the  Father  ?  Believest  thou 
not  that  ''I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me?  the  words  that  I 
speak  unto  you  'I  speak  not  of  myself:  but  the  Father,  that  dwelleth  in 
me,  he  doeth  the  works.  Believe  me  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and 
the  Father  in  me :  or  else  believe  me  for  the  very  works'  sake.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  believeth  on  me,  the  works  that  I  do 
shall  he  do   also;   and  greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do;  because 


A.  D.  33. 

•  Matt.ll.  2?. 
Eom.  5.  2. 
Heb.  9.  8. 

/  ch.  1.  17. 

ch.  8.  32. 
"  ch.  1.  4. 

ch    6.  35.. 

•  ch.  10.  9. 
Rom.  15. 1& 
2  John  9. 
Rev.  5.  8,», 

•  ch.  8.  19. 
i  Co}.  1.  15. 

Heb.  1.  3. 
*■■  eh.  10.  38. 

€h.  17.  21. 

1  J  ohn  5.  7. 
'  eh.  5.  19. 


5.  Thomas  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  we  know  not 
whither  thou  goest ;  and  how  can  we  know  the 

way  ?  [The  reading  of  this  last  clause,  according 
to  Ladimann  and  Treijelles,  '  how  know  we  the 
way?'  or  with  the  "and"  prefixed  by  Tischendorf 
—is  hardly  so  well  supported  as  the  received  text.] 
It  seems  strange  that  when  Jesus  said  they  knew 
both  whither  He  went  and  the  way,  Philip  should 
llatly  say  they  did  not.  But  doubtless  tlie  Lord 
meant  thus  rather  to  stimulate  their  enquiries,  and 
then  reply  to  them : — q.  d.,  '  Whither  I  go  ye  know 
— do  ye  not '!  and  the  way  too  ?'    Accordingly,  verse 

6.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  AM  THE  WAY— in  what 
sense  is  exjilained  in  the  last  clause :  but  He  had 
said  it  before  in  these  words,  "I  am  the  door; 
lit/  Me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved"  (ch. 
X.  9).  and  THE  TRUTH— the  Incarnate  Beality  of 
all  we  find  in  the  Father,  when  through  Christ  we 
get  to  Him;  for  "  in  Him  dwelleth  all  the  fulness 
of  the  Godhead  bodily "  (Col.  i.  19).  and  THE 
LIFE — the  vitcdUy  of  all  that  shall  ever  flow  into 
us  from  the  Godhead  thus  approached  and  thus 
manifested  in  Him:  for  "this  is  the  true  God, 
and  eternal  life"  (1  John  v.  20):  no  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father,  hut  by  me.  Of  this  three-fold 
statement  of  what  He  is,  Jesus  explains  here  only 
the  first — His  being  "the  Way;"  not  as  if  that 
were  in  itself  more  important  than  the  other  two, 
but  because  the  JiderreiUion  or  Mediation  of  Christ 
between  God  and  men  is  the  distinctive  feature  of 
Christianity.  His  being  the  Truth  and  the  Life 
gives  us  what  may  be  called  the  Christian  aspect 
of  the  Godhead,  as  the  Object  of  the  soul's  aspira- 
tions and  the  centre  of  its  etei-nal  bliss :  but  that 
God,  even  as  thus  viewed,  is  apjiroachable  and 
enjoyable  by  men  only  through  the  mediation  of 
Christ,  tells  of  that  sinful  separation  of  the  soul 
from  God,  the  knowledge  and  feeling  of  which 
constitute  the  necessary  preijarative  to  any  and 
eveiy  saving  approach  to  God,  and  to  the  believing 
reception  and  use  of  Christ  as  the  Way  to  Him. 
Hence  it  is  that  our  Lord  comes  back  upon  this, 
as  in  the  first  instance  what  needs  most  to  be  im- 
pressed upon  us.  7.  If  ye  had  known  me,  ye 
should  have  known  my  Father  also :  and  from 
henceforth  [air'  apTi] — 'from  now,'  or  from  this 
time  forth,  that  I  have  exi^lained  it  to  you,  ye 
know  him,  and  have  seen  him.  Here  also  our 
Lord,  by  what  He  says,  intends  rather  to  gain 
their  ear  for  further  explanation,  than  to  tell  them 
how  much  they  already  knew. 

8.  Philip  saith  unto   him.   Lord,  show  us  the 

Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us.    Philip's  grossness  of 

conception  gives  occasion  to  sometning  more  than 

explanation:  but  0  how  winning  is  even  the  slight 

434 


rebuke  !    9.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Have  I  been  so 
long  time  with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known 
me,  Philip  ?  he  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the 
Father — hath  seen  all  of  the  Father  that  can  or 
ever  will  be  seen;  hath  seen  the  Incarnate  Mani- 
festation of  the  Godliead;  and  how  sayest  thou. 
Show  us  the  Father?    To  strain  after  expected 
but  imi)ossible  discovery  can  only  end  in  disap- 
pointment.    Jesus,  therefoie,  shuts  up  Philiii — 
and  ^\dth  him  all  who  waste  their  mental  energies 
on  such  fruitless  aims  and  expectations — to  Him- 
self, in  whom  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  God- 
head bodily.    10.  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in 
the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me  ?  the  words  that 
I  speak  unto  you  I  speak  not  9f — or  '  from'  [a-no] 
myself:  hut  the  Father,  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he 
doeth  the  works.    Observe  here  how,  in  the  ex- 
pression of  this  Mutual  Jnlieing  of  the  Father  and 
the  Son,  our  Lord  jiasses  insensibly,  so  to  sijeak, 
from  the  words  He  spake  to  the  works  He  did — as 
the  Father's  words  uttered  by  His  mouth  and  the 
Father's  works  dune  by  His  hand.     What  claim  to 
essential  eiiuality  with  the  Father  could  surpass 
this?    11.  Believe  me  that  I  am  in  the  Father, 
and  the  Father  in  me :  or  else  believe  me  for  the 
very  works'  sake: — q.  d.,  'By  all  your  faith  in 
Me,   believe  this  on  ^ly  simple  word  ■   but  if  so 
high  a  claim  is  more  than  yuur  feeble  faith  can 
yet  reach,  let  the  works  I  have  done  tell  their  own 
tale,  and  it   will   need  no  mora'     Can   anything 
more  clearly  show  that  Christ  claimed  for  His 
miracles  a  higher  character  than  those  of  proijhets 
or  aijostles?    And  yet  this  higher  character  lay 
not  in  the  works  themselves,  but  in  His  manner  of 
doing  them.    (See  on  Mark  vi.  30-56,  Remark  1  at 
the  close  of  that  Section,  page  163.)     12.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  believeth  on  me, 
the  works  that  I  do  shaU  he  do  also ;  and  greater 
works  than  these  shall  he  do ;  because  I  go  unto 
my  Father— rather,  'the  Father,'  as  the  true  read- 
ing apf)ears  to  be.     "The  works  that  I  do"  and 
which  "they  should  do  also,"  were  those  miracu- 
lous credentials   of    their  apostolic  ofHce  which 
Christ  empowered  the  Eleven  to  perform.    But  the 
"  greater  works  than  His "  were  not  any  more 
transcendent  miracles — for  there  could  be  none 
such,  and  certainly  they  did  none  such — but  such 
as  He  referred  to  in  what  He  said  to  Nathanael 
(ch.  i.  51) — that  glorious  ingathering  of  souls  after 
His    ascension  —  or    "  because  He  went    to    the 
Father"  —  which  it  was  not  His  own   Personal 
mission  to  the  earth  to  accomphsli.     See  on  the 
promise,    "From   henceforth    thou    shaft    catch 
men  "  Luke  v.   10,  and  Remark  4  at  the    close 
of  tnat  Section.    The  substance,  then,  of  these 


The  prevalency  of 


JOHN  XIV. 


prayer  in  Christ's  name. 


13  I  go  uuto  my  Father.     And   whatsoever  ye   shall  ask  in  ™my  name, 

14  that  will  I   do,   that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the   Son.     If  ye 
shall  ask  any  thing  in  my  name,  I  will  do  it. 

15,      If  "ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments.     And  I  will  pray  the  Father, 

16  and  "he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  abide  with  you 

17  for  ever;  even  ^the   Spirit  of  truth;  'whom  the  world  cannot  receive, 
because  it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him :  but  ye  know  him ;  for 


A.  D.  33. 

'"  Jas.  1.  5. 

1  John  3. 22. 
"  1  John  5.  3. 
"  Kom.  8.  15. 
V  1  John  2.  r. 

1  John  4.  C. 
«  Eom.  8.  7. 

1  Cor.  2,  14. 


five  rich  verses  (8-12)  is  this:  that  the  Son  is 
the  ordained  aud  jierfect  luanifestation  of  the 
Father;  that  His  owe  word  for  this  ought,  to 
His  disciiiles,  to  be  enough ;  that  if  any  doubts 
remained  His  works  ou"ht  to  remove  them;  but 
yet  that  these  works  of  His  were  designed  merely 
to  aid  weak  faitli,  and  would  be  repeated,  nay 
exceeded  by  His  disciples,  in  virtue  of  the  power 
He  would  confer  on  them  after  His  departure. 
His  miracles,  accordingly,  apostles  wi'ought, 
though  wholly  in  His  name  and  by  His  power; 
while  the  "  greater"  works— not  in  degree  but  in 
kind — were  the  conversion  of  thousands  in  a  day, 
by  His  Spirit  accompauj'iug  them. 

The  Prevaleiicy  of  Prayer  in  Ghrhfs  Name 
(13,  14).  13.  And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my 
name— as  Mediator,  that  will  I  do— as  Head  and 
Lord  of  the  Kingdom  of  GotL  This  comi)rehen- 
sive  iiromise  is  repeated  emphatically  in  the  fol- 
lowing verse.  14.  If  ye  shall  ask  any  thing  in 
my  name,  I  will  do  it.  Observe  here,  that  M'hile 
they  are  supposed  to  ask  what  they  want,  not  of 
Him,  but  of  the  Father  in  His  name,  Jesus  says  it 
is  He  Himself  that  will  "do  it"  for  them.  What 
a  claim  is  this  not  only  to  be  perfectly  cognizant 
of  all  that  is  poured  into  the  Father's  ear  uy  His 
loving  discijjles  on  earth,  and  of  all  the  Father's 
counsels  and  plans  as  to  the  answers  to  be  given 
to  them,  the  i)recise  nature  and  measure  of  the 
grace  to  be  given  them,  and  the  proper  time  for  it 
— but  to  be  tlie  authoritative  Disiienser  of  all  that 
these  iwayers  draw  down,  and  in  that  sense  the 
Hearer  of  prayer  1  Let  any  one  try  to  conceive  of 
this  statement  apart  fi'om  Christ's  essential  equal- 
ity with  the  Father,  and  he  will  find  it  impossible. 
The  emphatic  repetition  of  tliis,  that  if  they  shall 
ask  anything  in  His  name.  He  will  do  it,  si^eaks 
both  the  boundless  2Drevalency  of  His  name  with 
the  Father,  and  His  unlimited  authority  to  dis- 
pense the  answer.     But  see  f  urthei"  on  ch.  xv.  7. 

First  yreat  Promise  of  the  Comforter  and  the 
Uessed  Effects  of  this  Gift  (15-26).  This  portion  of 
the  Discourse  is  notable,  as  containing  the  fii-st 
announcement  of  the  Spirit,  to  supply  the  personal 
l^reseuce  of  the  absent  Saviour.  15.  If  ye  love 
me,  keep  my  commandments.  Christ's  com- 
mandments are  neither  substituted  in  jilace  of 
God's  commandments  in  the  moral  law,  nor  are 
they  something  to  be  performed  over  aud  above 
that  law.  But  they  are  that  very  law  of  God,  laid 
on  His  disciples  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  the  exercise 
of  His  proper  authority,  and  to  be  obeyed  as  their 
proper  service  to  Himself  as  their  Lord  and  Master 
— from  new  motives  aud  to  new  ends ;  for  we  are 
"not  without  law  to  God,  but  under  the  law  to  Christ" 
(1  Cor.  ix.  21).  This  demand,  on  the  principles  of 
the  two  foregoing  verses,  is  intelligible:  on  any 
other  principles,  it  were  monstrous.  16.  And  I  will, 
&c.  The  connection  between  this  and  what  goes 
before  is  apt  to  escape  observation.  But  it  seems 
to  be  this,  that  as  the  proper  tem^jle  for  the  in- 
dwelling Spirit  of  Jesus  is  a  heart  tilled  with  an 
obetliential  love  to  Him — a  love  to  Him  wliich  at 
ouce  yields  itself  obediently  to  Him  and  hves 
actively  for  Him — so  this  was  the  fitting  prepara- 
tion for  the  promised  gift,  and  He  would  accord- 
ingly get  it  for  them.  But  how  ?  I  will  pray  tlie 
435 


Father.  It  is  perhaps  a  pity  that  the  English 
word  "pray"  is  ever  used  of  Christ's  askings 
of  the  Father.  For  of  the  two  words  iised  in 
the  Gospels,  that  signifying  to  pray  as  we  do 
— suppliantly,  or  as  an  inferior  to  a  superior 
[atxerv] — is  never  used  of  Christ's  askings  of  the 
Father,  save  once  by  Martha  (ch.  xi.  22),  who 
knew  no  better.  Tlie  word  invariably  used  of 
Christ's  askings  by  Himself  [epcoTuu]  signifies 
what  one  asks,  not  suppliantly,  but  familiarly, 
as  equals  do  of  each  other.  Bengel  notes  this, 
but  the  subject  is  fully  and  beautifully  handled 
by  Trench  ('Synonyms  of  the  New  Testament'). 
and  lie  shall  give  you  ANOTHER  COMFOIITER 
[aWow  ■7rapd(v-/\tj-roi'].  As  this  word  is  uscd  in  the 
New  Testament  exclusively  by  John — five  times 
in  this  Discourse  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (here ;  v.  26 ; 
XV.  26;  xvi.  7),  and  once  in  his  first  Epistle,  of 
Christ  Himself  (ii.  1)— it  is  important  to  fix  the 
sense  of  it.  Literally,  the  word  signifies  one  '  called 
beside'  or  'to'  another,  to  'aid'  him.  In  this 
most  general  sense  the  Holy  Spirit  is  undoubtedly 
sent  '  to  our  aid,'  and  every  kind  of  aid  coming 
witliin  the  proper  sphere  of  His  opei-ations.  But 
more  particularly,  the  word  denotes  that  kind  of 
aid  which  an  Adrocate  renders  to  one  in  a  court  of 
justice.  So  it  was  used  by  the  Greeks ;  and  so 
undoubtedly  it  is  used  in  1  John  iL  1,  "If  any 
man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate  \TrapdKKi]Tov\  with 
the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous."  But  it  also 
denotes  that  kind  of  aid  which  a  Comforter  affords 
to  one  who  needs  such.  The  question,  then,  is, 
Which  of  these  is  here  intended— the  general  sense 
of  a  Helper;  the  more  definite  sense  of  an  Ad- 
vocate ;  or  the  other  definite  sense  of  a  Comforter  ? 
Taking  all  the  four  passages  in  which  the  Spirit  is 
thus  spoken  of  in  this  Discourse,  that  of  a  Helper 
certainly  lies  at  the  foundation ;  but  that  of  a 
Comforter  seems  to  us  to  be  the  kind  of  help 
which  suits  best  with  the  strain  of  the  Discourse 
at  this  place.  The  comfort  of  Christ's  personal 
presence  with  the  Eleven  had  been  such,  that 
while  they  had  it  they  seemed  to  want  for  nothing ; 
and  the  loss  of  it  would  seem  the  loss  of  everything 
— utter  desolation  [v.  IS).  It  is  to  meet  this,  as 
we  think,  that  He  says  He  will  ask  the  Father 
to  send  them  another  Comforter;  and  in  all  these 
four  passages,  it  is  as  an  all-sufficient,  all-satisfying 
Substitute  for  Himself  that  He  holds  forth  this 
promised  Gift.  But  this  will  open  up  rnore  and 
more  upon  us  as  we  advance  in  this  Discourse, 
that  he  may  abide  with  you  for  ever— uever  to  go 
away  from  them,  as  in  the  body  Jesus  Himself 
was  about  to  do.  17.  Even  the  Spirit  of  truth— 
so  called  for  the  reason  mentioned  in  ch.  xvi.  13; 
whom  the  world  cannot  receive— see  on  1  Cor. 
ii.  14 ;  because  it  seeth — or  '  beholdeth '  him  not 
[decopet],  neither  knoweth  him — having  no  spiritual 
perception  and  apprehension:  hut  ye  know  him; 
for  he  dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall  he  in  you. 
[The reading — eo-xli/ — 'is  with  you,'  though  adopted 
by  LachmAxnn  and  Tregelles,  and  approved  by 
Tholuch,  Stier,  and  Luthardt,  is  insufiiciently  sup- 
ported. Tischendorf  abides  by  the  received  text, 
which  is  approved  by  de  Wette,  Meyer,  and  Alford. 
Lucke  is  doubtful.]  Though  the  proper  fulness  of 
both  these  was  yet  future,  our  Lord,  by  speaking 


First  great  promise 


JOHN  XIV. 


of  the  Comforter. 


18  he  dwelleth  with  you,  ^and  sliall  be  in  you.     I  will  not  leave  you  ^com- 

19  fortless:  I  will  come  to  yon.     Yet  a  little  while,  and  the  world  seeth  me 

20  no  more ;  but  *ye  see  me :  'because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also.  At  that  day 
ye  shall  know  that  ^'I  am  in  my  Father,  and  ye  in  me,  and  I  in  you. 
He  ■"that  hath  my  commandments,  and  keei^eth  them,  he  it  is  that 
loveth  me :  and  he  that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father,  and  I 
will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  myself  to  him. 

Judas  saith  unto  him,  (not  Iscariot,)  Lord,  how  is  it  that  thou  wilt 

23  manifest  thyself  unto  us,  and  not  unto  the  world?  Jesus  answered  and 
said  unto  him,  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words :  and  my 
Father  will  love  him,  '^and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode 

24  with  him.  He  that  loveth  me  not  keepeth  not  my  sayings:  and  ^the 
word  which  ye  hear  is  not  mine,  but  the  Father's  which  sent  me. 

25  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  being  yet  present  with  you. 

26  But  ^the  Comforter,  u-hich  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send 


21 


22 


A.  D.  33. 

''  Matt.  10. 20. 

Eom.  8.  10. 

1  Cor.  14.  15. 

1  John  2.2r. 
1  Or. 

orphans. 
'  ch.  IG.  16. 
<  I  Cor.  15. 20. 
"  ch  10.  38. 

ch  17.  21. 
"  1  John  2.  5. 

1  John  5.  3. 
"'  Ps  91.  1. 

1  John  2.24. 

1  John  4. 16. 

Kev  3.  20. 

Eev.  21.  3. 
^  ch.  7.  10. 
"  Luke  24.49. 


both  of  present  and  future  time,  seems  plainly 
say  that  they  already  had  the  substance,  though 
that  only,  of  this  great  blessing. 

18.  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless  {6p(pavov9\ 
— 'orphans,'  as  in  the  margin;  in  a  bereaved  and 
desolate  condition.  I  will  come  to  you  [epxofiai] 
— rather,  '  I  am  coming  to  you ;'  that  is,  by  the 
Spirit,  since  it  was  His  presence  that  was  to  make 
Christ's  personal  departure  from  them  to  be  no 
bereavement.  19.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  the 
world  seeth— ' beholdeth '  me  no  more;  but  ye 
see — 'behold'  me.  His  bodily  presence  being  all 
the  sight  of  Him  which  the  world  was  capable  of, 
they  were  to  behold  Him  no  more  on  His  de]iar- 
ture  to  the  Father:  whereas  by  the  coming  of  the 
Spirit  the  presence  of  Christ  was  not  only  con- 
tinued to  His  s]iiritiially  enlightened  disciples,  but 
rendered  far  more  efficacious  and  blissful  than  His 
bodily  presence  had  been  before,  because  I  live, 
ye  shall  live  also.  He  does  not  say,  'When  I 
shall  live,  after  My  resuiTection  from  the  dead,' 
but  "Because  I  do  live;"  for  it  is  of  that  inextin- 
guishable Divine  life  which  He  was  even  then 
living  that  He  is  speaking— in  reference  to  which 
His  approaching  death  and  resurrection  were  but 
as  momentary  shadows  passing  over  the  sun's 
glorious  disc.  See  Luke  xxiv.  5 ;  Rev.  i.  18.  And 
this  grand  saying  Jesus  littered  with  death  im- 
mediately in  view.  What  a  brightness  does  this 
tlirow  over  the  next  clause,  ye  shall  live  also ! 
20.  At— or  'In'  [kv]  that  day— of  the  Spirit's  com- 
ing, ye  shall  know — or  have  it  made  manifest  to 
you  that  I  am  in  my  Father,  and  ye  in  me,  and  I 
in  you.  See  on  ch.  xvii.  22,  23.  21.  He  that  hath 
my  commandments,  and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is 
that  loveth  me.  See  on  ch.  xv.  10.  and  he  that 
loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father,  and  I 
will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  myself  to  him. 
Mark  the  shari)  line  of  distinction  here,  not  only 
between  the  Divine  Persons,  but  the  actings  of 
love  in  Each  respectively,  towards  trire  disciples. 

22.  Judas  saith  unto  him,  (not  Iscariot).  De- 
lightful parenthesis  this !  The  traitor  being  no 
longer  present,  we  needed  not  to  be  told  that  this 
(luestion  came  not  from  liim;  nor  even  if  he  had 
lieeu  present  would  any  that  knew  him  have  ex- 
liected  any  such  question  from  him.  But  the  very 
name  had  got  an  ill  savour  in  the  Church  ever 
since  that  black  treason,,  and  the  Evangelist  seems 
to  take  a  pleasure  in  disconnecting  from  it  all  that 
was  offensive  in  the  association,  when  reporting 
the  question  of  that  dear  discii)le  whose  misfor- 
t'lne  it  was  to  have  that  name.  He  is  the  same 
with  Lebbceus,  whose  surname  was  1'haddreus, 
m  Matthew's  catalogue  of  the  Twelve.  (See  on 
43(3 


Matt.  X.  3. )  Lord,  how  is  it  that  thou  wilt  mani- 
fest thyself  unto  us,  and  not  unto  the  world  ?— a 
question,  as  we  think,  most  natural  and  pertinent, 
though  interpreters  (as  Lilcke,  Stler.  Alford,  &c.) 
think  it  proceeded  from  a  superficial,  outside, 
Jemsh  misconception  of  Christ's  kingdom.  Surely 
the  loving  tone  and  precious  nature  of  our  Lord's 
reply  ought  to  have  suggested  a  better  view  of  the 
question  itself.  23.  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  him.  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my 
words  [Xoyoy]  —  rather,  'My  word:'  and  my 
Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him, 
and  make  our  abode  with  him.  Astonishing  dis- 
closure !  Observe  the  links  in  this  golden  chain. 
First,  "  If  a  man  love  Me."  Such  love  is  at  first 
th&fnnt  of  love:  "We  love  Him  because  He  first 
loved  us."  Then  this  love  to  Christ  makes  His 
word  dear  to  us.  Accordingly,  "  If  a  man  love 
Me,  he  will  keep  My  word."  Further,  such  is 
My  Father's  love  to  Me,  that  Vhen  any  man  loves 
Me,  and  My  word  is  dear  to  him,  My  Father  will 
love  that  man.  Finally,  such  a  man— with  heart 
so  prepared  and  so  perfumed — shall  become  the 
permanent  habitation  of  both  My  Father  and  Me 
— the  seat  not  of  occasional  and  distant  discoveries, 
but  of  abiding  and  intimate  manifestations  of 
both  My  Father  and  Me,  to  his  unspeakable  satis- 
faction and  joy.  He  shall  not  have  to  say  with  the 
weeping  prophet,  "O  the  Hope  of  Israel,  the 
Sa\aoiir  thereof  in  time  of  trouble,  why  shouldest 
Thou  be  as  a  stranger  in  the  land,  and  as  a  way- 
faring man  that  turneth  aside  to  tarry  for  a  night?^'' 
but  from  his  own  deep  and  joyous  experience 
shall  exclaim,  "  The  Word  was  made  flesh,  and 
dwelt  among  us."  He  shall  feel  and  know  that  the 
Father  and  the  Son  have  come  to  make  a  iiermanent 
and  eternal  stay  with  him !  24.  He  that  loveth  me 
not  keepeth  not  my  sayings.  Hence  it  follows 
that  all  obedience  7iot  springing  from  love  to  Christ 
is  in  his  eyes  no  obedience  at  all.  and  the  word 
which  ye  hear  is  not  mine,  but  the  Father's  which 
sent  me.  (See  on  Matt.  x.  40.)  It  will  be  ob- 
served that  when  Christ  refers  back  to  His 
Father's  authority,  it  is  not  in  speaking  of  those 
who  love  Him  and  keep  His  sayings— in  their  case 
it  were  superfluous — but  in  speaking  of  those  who 
love  Him  not  and  keep  not  His  sayings,  whom  He 
holds  up  as  chargeable  ^\dth  the  double  guilt  of 
dishonouring  the  eternal  Sender  as  ^^■ell  as  the 
Sent. 

25.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  be- 
ing yet  present  [)iivu>v]  with  you— or  '  while  yet 
abiding  with  you.'  26.  But  thp  Comforter,  which 
is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send 
in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things— see 


Christ's  own  peace  Ills 


JOHN  XIV. 


legacy  to  His  people. 


in  my  name,  ^lie  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your 

27  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you.  Peace  "I  leave  with 
you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  you  :  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you. 

28  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid.  Ye  have  heard 
how  I  said  unto  you,  I  go  away,  a]id  come  again  unto  you.  If  ye  loved 
me,  ye  would  rejoice,  because  I  said,  I  go  unto  the  Father:  for  ^my 


A.  D.  33. 


'  lJohn3,.7. 
•^  PhU.  4.  7. 

Col.  3.  15. 
6  Isa.  9.  6. 

Isa.  42.  1. 

Isa.  49.  1-8. 

Ch.  5.  18. 


oa  vv.   16,   17;  and  bring  all  things  to  your  re- 
membrance, whatsoever   I  have  said  unto  you. 

As  the  Son  came  in  the  Father's  name,  so  the 
Father  was  to  send  the  Spirit  in  the  Son's  name, 
with  like  divine  authority  and  power — to  do  two 
great  things.  First,  to  '^  teach  them  all  things," 
and  second,  to  y  briuf/  to  remembrance  all  things 
whatsoever  Christ  had  said  to  them."  So  imper- 
fectly did  the  apostles  apprehend  what  Jesus  said 
to  them,  that  to  have  recalled  it  all  to  them 
merely  as  it  fell  on  their  ears  from  their  Master's 
lips  would  have  left  them  the  same  half-instructed 
aud  bewildered,  weak  and  timid  men,  as  before-;- 
all  unfit  to  evangelize  the  world  either  by  their 
•  preaching  or  their  writings.  But  the  Spii'it  was  to 
teach  as  well  as  to  remind  them — to  reproduce  the 
whole  teaching  of  Christ,  not  as  they  understood 
it,  but  as  He  meant  it  to  he  understood.  But  does 
not  the  promise  of  the  Si^irit  to  "teach  them  all 
things"  mean  something  more  than  "  to  bring  all 
things  to  their  remembrance?"  This  promise  at 
least  does  not;  for  the  sense  plainly  is,  "He 
shall  teach  you,  and  bring  to  your  remembrance 
all  things  whatsoever  I  have  said  imto  you" — the 
teaching  and  the  recalling  relating  to  the  same 
things,  namely,  all  that  Christ  had  said  to  them. 
Thus  have  we  here  a  double  promise  with  refer- 
ence to  our  Lord's  actual  teaching— that  througli 
the  agencjr  of  the  Holy  Ghost  it  should  stand  up 
before  their  minds,  when  He  was  gone  from  them, 
in  all  its  entireness,  as  at  first  uttered,  and  in  all 
its  vast  significance  as  by  Him  intended.  Before 
the  close  of  this  same  Discourse,  our  Lord  an- 
nounces an  extension  even  of  this  great  office  of 
the  Spii-it.  They  were  not  able  to  take  in  allthat 
He  had  to  tell  them,  and  He  had  accordingly 
withheld  some  things  from  them.  But  when  the 
Spirit  should  come,  on  His  departure  to  the 
Father,  He  should  "guide  them  into  all  the  truth," 
tilling  up  whatever  was  wanting  to  their  coinplete 
apprehension  of  the  mind  of  Christ.  (See  on  ch. 
xvL  12-15.)  On  these  great  promises  rests  the 
Credibility,  in  the  highest  sense  of  that  term, 
OF  THE  Gospel  History,  and  so,  its  Divine 
Authority. 

Christ's  Own  Peace,  His  Legacy  and  Gift  to  His 
People  (27).  27.  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my 
peace  I  give  unto  you.  If  the  two  preceding 
verses  sounded  like  a  note  of  i^reparation  for  de- 
parture, what  would  they  take  this  to  be  but  a 
farewell?  But  0  how  different  from  ordinary 
adieus !  It  is  a  parting  word,  but  of  richest  im- 
port. It  is  the  peace  of  a  parting  friend,  sublimed 
m  the  sense  of  it,  aud  made  efficacious  for  all  time 
by  those  Lips  that  "spieak  and  it  is  done,"  As 
the  Prince  of  peace  (Isa.  ix.  6)  He  brought  it  into 
flesh  in  His  own  Person  ;  carried  it  up  and  down 
as  His  Own — "My  p)eace,"  as  He  here  calls  it; 
died  to  make  it  ours,  through  the  blood  of  His 
cross ;  left  it  as  the  heritage  of  His  disciples  here 
below;  and  from  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on 
high  implants  and  maintains  it  by  His  Spirit  in 
their  hearts.  Many  a  legacy  is  "left"  that  is 
never  "given"  to  the  legatee,  many  a  gift  destined 
that  never  reaches  its  proper  object.  But  Christ 
}s  the  Executor  of  His  own  Testament;  the  peace 
He  'Heaves"  He  "gives."  Thus  all  is  secure. 
not  a3  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you. 
437 


Ayhat  hollowness  is  there  in  many  of  the  world's 
^ivings :  but  Jesus  gives  sincerely.  How  super- 
ficial, even  at  their  best,  are  the  world's  givings : 
but  Jesus  gives  sidistantially.  How  temporary 
are  all  the  world's  givings :  but  what  Jesus  gives 
He  gives /or  ever!  Well,  then,  might  He  add, 
Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be 
afraid— for  the  entrance  of  such  words  into  any 
honest  and  good  heart  necessarily  casteth  out  fear. 
The  Gain  to  Christ  Himself  of  His  Departure  to 
the  Father,  and  the  Joy  which  this  shoidd  inspire  in 
His  loving  People  (28).  28.  Ye  have  heard  how  I 
said  unto  you,  I  go  away,  and  come  again  unto 
you.  If  ye  loved  me,  ye  would  rejoice,  because 
I  said,  I  go  unto  the  Father:  for  my  Father  is 
greater  than  I.  This  is  one  of  the  passages  which 
have  in  all  ages  been  most  confidently  appealed  to 
by  those  who  deny  the  supreme  Divinity  of  Christ, 
in  proof  that  our  Lord  claimed  no  proper  equality 
with  the  Father :  here,  they  say,  He  explicitly  dis- 
claims it.  But  let  us  see  whether,  on  their  prin- 
ciples, it  would  yield  any  intelligible  sense  at  all. 
Were  some  holy_  man  on  his  deathbed  to  say  as 
he  beheld  his  friends  in  tears  at  the  prospect  of 
losing  him,  'Ye  ought  rather  to  rejoice  than  weep 
for  me,  and  if  ye  loved  me  ye  Avould ' — the  speech 
would  be  quite  natural,  and  what  many  dying 
saints  have  said.  But  should  these  weeping  by- 
standers ask  why  joy  was  more  suitable  than 
sorrow,  and  the  dying  man  reply,  "  Because  my 
Father  is  greater  than  /,"  woiilcl  they  not  start 
back  with  astonishment,  if  not  with  horror?  Does 
not  this  strange  speech,  then,  from  Christ's  lips 
presuppose  such  teaching  on  His  part  as  would 
make  it  hard  to  believe  that  He  could  gain  any- 
tliing  by  departing  to  the  Father,  and  render  it 
needful  to  say  expressly  that  there  was  a  sense  in 
which  He  could  and  luould  do  so?  Thus  this  start- 
ling saying,  when  closely  looked  at,  seems  plainly 
intended  to  correct  such  misapprehensions  as  might 
arise  from  the  emphatic  and  reiterated  teaching  of 
His  proper  eqtcaUty  with  the  Father— as  if  joy  at 
theju'ospect  of  heavenly  bliss  were  inapplicable  to 
Him— as  if  so  Exalted  a  Person  were  incapable  of 
any  accession  at  all,  by  transition  from  this  dismal 
scene  to  a  cloudless  heaven  and  the  very  bosom 
of  the  Father,  and,  by  assuring  them  that  it  was 
just  the  reverse,  to  make  them  forget  their  own 
sorrow  in  His  approaching  joy.  The  Fathers  of  the 
Church,  in  repelling  the  false  interi^retation  put 
upon  this  verse  by  the  Arians,  were  little  more 
satisfactory  than  their  opponents;  some  of  them 
saying  it  referred  to  the  Sonship  of  Christ,  in 
which  respect  He  was  inferior  to  the  Father, 
others  that  it  referred  to  His  Human  Nahire. 
But  the  human  nature  of  the  Son  of  God  is  not 
less  real  in  heaven  than  it  was  upon  earth. 
Plainly,  the  inferiority  of  which  Christ  here  speaks 
is  not  anything  which  would  be  the  same  whether 
He  went  or  stayed,  but  something  which  would 
be  removed  by  His  going  to  the  Father— on  which 
account  He  says  that  if  they  loved  Him  they 
would  rather  rejoice  on  His  account  than  sorrow 
at  His  departure.  With  this  key  to  the  sense  of 
the  words,  they  involve  no  real  difficulty ;  and  in 
this  view  of  them  all  the  most  judicious  inter- 
preters,  from   Calvin   downwards,  substantially 


Jesus  Loving  Obedience 


JOHN  XIV.         to  His  Fathers  Commandment 


29  Father  is  greater  than  I.  And  now  I  have  told  you  before  it  come  to 
pass,  that,  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  might  believe. 

30  Hereafter  I  will  not  talk  much  with  you :  "^for  the  prince  of  this  world 

31  Cometh,  and  ''hath  nothing  in  me.  But  that  the  world  may  know  that 
I  love  the  Father;  and  *as  the  Father  gave  me  commandment,  even  so 
I  do.     Arise,  let  us  go  hence. 


A.  D.  33. 


'  ch.  12.  31. 
d  2  Cor.  6.  21. 

Heb.  4.  l.s. 

1  Pet.  1.  19. 

1  John  3  5. 
"  PhiL  2.  8. 

Heb.  5.  8 


Jesu,')  about  to  Die,  not  because  the  Pi-ince  of  this 
Woi-ld  had  anything  in  Him,  hut  out  of  Loving 
Obedience  to  His  Father's  Commandment  (29-31). 
29.  And  now  I  have  told  you  before  it  come  to 
pass — referring  to  His  departure  to  the  Father,  and 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  follow  thereon,  that, 
when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  might  believe— or  have 
your  faith  immoveably  established. 

30.  Hereafter  I  will  not  talk  much  with  you : — 
'  I  have  a  little  more  to  say,  but  My  work  hastens 
apace,  and  the  approach  of  the  adversary  ■wall  cut 
it  short.'    for  the  prince  of  this  world  cometh 
(seech,  xii.  31) — cometh  with  hostile  intent,  cometh 
for  a  last  grand  attack.     Foiled  in  his  first  deadly 
assault,  he  had  "departed" — but  "till  a  season  ' 
only  (see  on  Luke  iv.  13).     That  season  is  now  all 
but  come,  and  his  whole  energies  are  to  be  once  more 
put  foi'th — with  what  effect  the  next  words  sub- 
limely express,     and  hath  nothing  In  vie— nothing 
of  his  own  in  Me,  nothing  of  sin  on  which  to  fasten 
as  a  righteous  cause  of  condemnation:  'As  the 
Prince  of  this  world  he  wields  his  sceptre  over 
willing  subjects ;  but  in  Me  he  shall  find  no  sym- 
pathy with  his  objects,  no  acknowledgment  of  his 
sovereignty,  no  subjection  to  his  demands.'    Glo- 
rious saying!    The  truth  of  it  is  the  life  of  the 
world.     (Heb.  ix.  14;  1  John  iii.  5;  2  Cor.  v.  21.) 
31.  But  that  the  world  may  know  that  I  love  the 
Father;  and  as  the  Father  gave  me  command- 
ment, even  so  I  do.    The  sense  must  be  completed 
thus :  'But  though  the  Prince  of  this  world,  in  plot- 
ting My  death,  hath  nothing  to  fasten  on.  I  am 
going  to  yield  Myself  up  a  willing  Sacrifice,  that  the 
world  may  know  that  I  love  the  Father,  whose 
commandment  it  is  that  I  give  My  life  a  ransom 
for  many.'    Arise,  let   us  go  hence.     Did  they 
then,   at  this  stage  of  the  Discourse,   leave  the 
Supper-room,   as   some   able    interpreters  judge? 
If  so,  we  cannot  but  think  that  our  Evangelist 
would  have  mentioned  it:    on  the  contrary,  in 
ch.  xviii.   1,  the  EvangeHst  expressly  says  that 
not  till  the  concluding   prayer  was  offered  did 
the  meeting  in  the  upper-room  break  up.     But 
if  Jesus    did    not   "arise    and  go  hence"  when 
He  summoned  the  Eleven  to  go  with  Him,  how 
are  we  to   understand    His   words  ?     We  think 
they  were  spoken  in  the  spirit  of  that  earlier  say- 
ing, "I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with,  and 
how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accomplished."    It 
was  a  spontaneous  and  irrepressible  expression  of 
the  deep  eagerness  of  His  spirit  to  get  into  the 
conflict.     If  it  was  responded  to  somewhat  too 
literally  by  those  who  hung  on  His  blessed  lips,  in 
the  way  of  a  movement  to  depart,  a  wave  of  His 
hand  would  be  enough  to  show  that  He  had  not 
quite  done.     Or  it  may  be  that  those  loving  dis- 
cii>les  were  themselves  reluctant  to  move  so  soon, 
and  signified  their  not  unwelcome  wish  that  He 
should  prolong  His  Discourse.  _  Be  this  as  it  may, 
that  disciple  whose  pen  was  dipt  in  a  love  to  his 
Master   which    made    His  least    movement   and 
slightest  word  during  these  last  hours  seem  worthy 
of  record,  has  reported  this  little  hastening  of  the 
Lamb  to  the  slaughter  with  such  artless  life-like 
simplicity,  that  we  seem  to  be  of  the  party  our- 
selves, and  to  catch  the  words  rather  from  the 
Lips  that  spake  than  the  pen  that  recorded  them. 
Kemark, — Referring  the  reader  to  the  general 
4^3 


observations,   prefixed    to    this    chapter,  on    the 
whole  of  this  wonderful  portion  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel,   let    him  recall    for  a  moment  the  con- 
tents   of   the   present    chapter.      It  is   complete 
within   itself.      For  no  sooner  had  the  glorious 
Speaker  uttered  the  last   words   of   it  than  He 
proposed   to  "arise  and  go."    All  that  follows, 
therefore,  is  supplementary.     Everything  essential 
is  here,  and  here  in  wliat  a  foiin !    The  very  fra- 
grance of  heaven  is  in  these  out-pourings  of  Incar- 
nate Love.     Of  every  verse  of  it  we  may  say, 
'0,  it  came  o'er  my  ear  like   the  sweet  south. 
That  breathes  upon  a  bank  of  violet.?, 
Stealing  and  giving  odour.' — Shakspep.e. 

Look  at  the  varied  lights  in  which  Jesus  holds 
iorth  Himself  to  the  confidence  and  love  and  obe- 
dience of  His  disciples.     To  their  fluttering  hearts 
— ready  to  sink  at  the  prospect  of  His  suffering, 
His  departure  from  them,  and  their  own  desola- 
tion without  Him,  to  say  nothing  of  His  cause 
when  left  in  such  incompetent  hands — His  open- 
ing words  are,  "Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled: 
ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  Me."     'Though 
clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  Him,  and 
His  judgments    are  a  great  deep,  yet  ye   believe 
in   God.     What  time,  then,  your  heart  is  over- 
whelmed,   believe    in    Me,    and    darkness    shall 
become    light    before    you,    and    crooked   things 
straight.'    What  a  claim  is  this  on  the  part  of 
Jesus— to  be  in  the  Kingdom  of  Grace  precisely 
as  God   is  in  that  of  Nature  and  Providence,  or 
rather  to  be  the  glorious  Divine  x4dministrator  of 
all  things  whatsoever  in  the  interests  and  for  the 
pui"poses  of  Grace;  in  the  shadow  of  Whose  wings, 
therefore,  all  who  believe  in  God  are  to  put  their 
implicit  trust,  for  the  purposes  .of  salvation !    For 
He  is  not  sent  merely  to   show  men  the  way  to 
the  Father,  no,  nor  merely  to  prepare  that  way ; 
but  Himself  is  the  Way,  and  the  Truth,  and  the 
Life.     We  go  not  from  Him,  but  in  Him,  to  the 
Father.     For  He  is  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
in  Him ;  the  words  that  He  spake  are  the  Father's 
words,  and  the  works  that  He  did  are  the  Father's 
works ;  and  He  that  hath  seen  Him  hath  seen  the 
Father,  for  He  is  the  Incarnate  manifestation  of 
the  Godhead.     But  there  are  other  views  of  Him- 
self, equally  transcendent,  in  which  Jesus  holds 
Himself  forth  here.     To  what  a  cheerless  distance 
did  He  seem  to  be  going  away,  and   when   and 
where  sliould  His  disciples  ever  find  Him  again ! 
'  'Tis  but  to  Mj^  Father's  home,'  He  replies,  '  and 
in  due  time  it  is  to  be  yours  too.'    In  that  home 
there  will  not  only  be  room  for  all,  but  a  mansion 
for  each.     But  it  is  not  ready  yet,  and  He  is  going 
to  prepare  it  for  them.     For  them  He   is  going 
thither;  for  them  He  is  to  live  there ;  and,  when 
the  last  preparations  are  made,  for  them  He  will 
at  length  return,  to  take  them  to  that  home  of 
His  Father  and  their  Father,  that  w/iere  He  is, 
there  they  may  be  also.     The  attraction  of  heaven 
to  those  who  love  Him  is,  it  seems,  to  be  His  Own 
presence  there,  and  the  beatific  consciousness  that 
they  are  where  He  is- language  intolerable  in  a 
creature,  but  in  Him  who  is  the  Incarnate,  mani- 
fested  Godhead,   supremely  worthy,  and  to  His 
believing  people   in   every  age   unspeakably   re- 
assuring.    But  again,  He  had  said  that  in  heaven 
He  was  to  occupy  Himself  in  preiDaring  a  place 


The  union  of  Christ 


JOHN  XV. 


and  His  peo2)le. 


15,      I   AM   the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  husbandman.     Every 

2  "branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  frait  he  taketh  away;  and  every  branch 

that  beareth  fruit  he  purgeth  it,   that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit. 


■  Matt.  15.  IX 
Heb,  6.  8. 


for  them;  so,  a  little  afterwards.  He  tells  them 
one  of  the  w.ay.s  iu  which  this  was  to  be  done. 
To  "hear  prayer"  is  the  exclusive  prerogative  of 
Jehovah,  and  one  of  the  brightest  jewels  in  His 
crown.  But,  says  Jesus  here,  "  Whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  of  the  Father  in  My  name,  that  will 
I  do" — not  as  interfering  with,  or  robbing  God 
of  His  glory,  but  on  the  contrary — "that  the 
Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  8on:  If  ye  shall 
ask  anything  in  My  name,  I  will  do  it.  "  1  urther, 
He  is  the  Life  and  the  Laic  of  His  people.  Much 
do  we  owe  to  Moses ;  much  to  Paul :  but  never 
did  either  say  to  those  who  looked  up  to  them, 
"  Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also ;  If  ye  love 
jMe,  keep  My  commandments  ;  If  a  man  love  Me, 
lie  will  keep  My  word,  and  My  Father  will  love 
him,  and  We  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  Our 
abode  with  him." 

Such  is  Jesus,  by  His  own  account;  and  this  is 
■conveyed,  not  iu  formal  theological  statements,  but 
iu  warm  outpourings  of  the  heart,  in  the  immediate 
prospect  of  the  hour  and  power  of  darkness, 
yet  without  a  trace  of  tliat  jierturbatiou  of  spirit 
which  he  experienced  afterwards  in  the  Garden : 
iis  if  while  the  Eleven  were  around  Him  at  the 
Supper-table  their  interests  had  altogether  ab- 
sorbed HiiiL  The  tranquillity  of  heaven  reigns 
throughout  this  Discourse.  The  l)right  splendour 
of  a  noon-tide  sun  is  not  here,  and  had  been  some- 
what incongruous  at  that  hour.  But  the  serenity 
of  a  matchless  sunset  is  what  we  find  here,  which 
leaves  in  the  devout  mind  a  sublime  reix)se— as  if 
the  glorious  Sj")eaker  had  gone  from  us,  saying, 
■"Peace  I  leare  with  you.  My  peace  I  give  unto 
you :  not  as  the  world  givetli,  give  I  unto  you. 
Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be 
afraid." 

CHAP.  XV.     1-27. —Continuation   of  the 
Discourse  at  the  Supper-Table. 

The  Vine,  the  Branches,  and  thf.  Fruit  (1-S).  By 
a  figure  familiar  to  Jewish  eai-s  (Isa.  v.  1-7 ;  Ezek. 
XV.  ;  &c.)  Jesus  here  beautifully  sets  forth  the 
spiritual  Oneness  of  Himself  and  His  people,  and 
His  relation  to  them  as  the  Source  of  all  their 
s])iritual  life  and  fruitfulness.  1.  I  am  tlie  true 
vine — of  which  the  natural  vine  is  no  more  than  a 
shadow,  and  my  Father  is  the  husbandman — 
tlie  great  Projirietor  of  the  Vineyard,  the  Lord  of 
the  spiritual  Kingdom.  2.  Every  branch  in  me 
that  beareth  not  fruit  he  taketh  away  [alpei]; 
and  every  brancli  that  beareth  fruit  he  purgeth 
it  [Ku6aip6L],  that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit. 
There  is  a  verbal  play  u])on  the  two  Greek  words 
for  "  taketh  away"  and  "  purgeth"  [airein — 
kathairei?)],  which  it  is  impossible  to  convey  in 
Euglisli.  But  it  explains  why  so  uncommon  a 
word  as  "  purgeth,"  with  reference  to  a  fruit  tree, 
was  chosen — tne  one  word  no  doubt  suggesting  the 
oi^her.  The  sense  of  both  is  obvious  enotigh,  and 
the  truths  convej^ed  by  the  whole  verse  are  deeply 
important.  Two  classes  of  Christians  are  here  set 
forth — both  of  them  in  Christ,  as  truly  as  the 
branch  is  in  the  vine ;  but  while  the  one  class  bear 
fruit,  the  other  bear  none.  The  natural  husbandly 
will  sufficiently  explain  the  cause  of  this  difference. 
A  graft  may  be  rnechanically  attached  to  a  fruit 
tree,  and  yet  take  no  vital  hold  of  it,  and  have  no 
tntal  connection  with  it.  In  that  case,  receiving 
none  of  the  juices  of  the  tree — no  vegetable  sap 
from  the  stem — it  can  bear  no  fruit.  Such  merely 
mechanical  attachment  to  the  True  Vine  is  that 
of  all  who  believe  in  the  truths  of  Christianiby, 


and  are  in  visible  membership  with  the  Church  of 
Christ,  but,  having  no  living  faith  in  Jesus  nor 
desire  for  His  salvation,  open  not  their  souls  to 
the  spiritual  life  of  which  He  is  the  Source,  take 
no  vital  hold  of  Him,  and  have  no  living  union  to 
Him.  All  such  are  incapable  of  fruit-bearing. 
They  have  an  external,  mechanical  connection 
with  Christ,  as  members  of  His  Church  visible ; 
and  in  that  sense  they  are,  not  in  name  only  but 
in  reality,  branches  "in  the  true  Vine."  Mixing, 
as  these  sometimes  do,  with  living  Christians  iu 
their  most  sacred  services  and  spiritual  exercises, 
where  Jesus  Himself  is,  according  to  His  promise, 
they  may  come  into  such  close  contact  with  Him 
as  those  did  who  "  pressed  upon  Him"  in  the  days 
of  His  flesh,  when  the  woman  with  the  issue  of 
blood  toiiched  the  hem  of  His  gannent.  But  just 
as  the  branch  that  opens  not  its  pores  to  let  in  the 
vital  juices  of  the  vine  to  which  it  may  be  most 
tirmly  attached  has  no  more  vegetable  life,  and  is 
no  more  capable  of  bearing //*mj<,  than  if  it  were  in 
the  fire ;  so  such  merely  external  Christians  have 
uo  more  spiritual  life,  and  are  no  more  capable  of 
siiiritual  truitfulness,  than  if  tliey  had  never  heard 
of  Christ,  or  were  already  separated  from  Him. 
The  reverse  of  this  class  are  those  "in  Christ  that 
bear  fruit."  Their  union  to  Christ  is  a  vital,  not  a 
mechanical  one  ;  they  are  one  sjnritual  life  with 
Him :  only  in  Him  it  is  a  Fontal  life ;  in  them  a 
derived  life,  even  as  the  life  of  the  branch  is  that 
of  the  vine  with  which  it  is  vitally  one.  Of  them 
Christ  can  say,  "Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also :" 
of  Him  do  they  say,  "  Of  His  fulness  have  all  we 
received,  and  gi'ace  for  grace."  Such  are  the  two 
classes  of  Christians  of  which  Jesus  here  speaks. 
Observe  now  the  procedure  of  the  great  Husband- 
man towards  eacli.  Every  fi-uitless  branch  He 
"taketh  away."  Compare  what  is  sai<l  of  the 
barren  fig  tree,  "Cut  it  down"  (see  on  Luke  xiiL 
1-9,  Remark  5  at  the  close  of  that  Section).  The 
thing  here  intended  is  not  the  same  as  "  casting  it 
into  the  fire"  [v.  6) :  that  is  a  subsequent  process. 
It  is  'the  severance  of  that  tie  which  bound  tht  ni 
to  Christ'  here;  so  that  they  shall  no  longer  be 
fniitless  branches  in  the  true  Vine,  uo  longer  un- 
clothed guests  at  the  marriage-feast.  That  con- 
dition of  things  shall  not  last  always.  "The 
ungodly  shall  not  stand  in  the  judgment,  nor 
sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous"  (Ps. 
i.  5).  But  "every  branch  that  beareth  fruit"— in 
virtue  of  such  living  connection  with  Christ  and 
reception  of  spiritual  life  from  Him  as  a  fruitful 
branch  has  from  the  natural  vine— "He  purgeth 
it,  that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit."  Here  also 
tlie  processes  of  the  natural  husbandry  may  help  us. 
Witnout  the  pruning  knife  a  tree  is  apt  to  go  all  to 
icood,  as  the  jihrase  is.  This  takes  jilace  when  the 
sap  of  the  tree  goes  exclusively  to  the  formation 
and  growth  of  fresh  branches,  and  none  of  it  to  the 
]iroduction  of  fruit.  To  prevent  this,  the  tree  is 
pruned;  that  is  to  say,  all  superfluous  shoots  are 
lopped  off,  which  would  have  drawn  away,  to  no 
useful  purpose,  the  sap  of  the  tree,  and  thus  the 
whole  vegetable  juices  and  strength  of  the  tree  go 
towards  their  proper  use— the  nourishment  of  the 
healthy  branches  and  the  production  of  fi-uit. 
But  what,  it  may  be  asked,  is  that  rankuess  and 
luxuriance  in  lix-ing  Christians  which  requires  the 
pruning  knife  of  the  gi'eat  Husbandman?  The 
words  of  another  parable  will  sufficiently  answer 
that  question:  "The  cares  of  this  world,  and  the 
deceitf  uluess  of  riches,  and  the  lusts  of  other  things 


The  Vine,  the  Branches, 


JOHN  XV. 


and  the  Fruit. 


3  Now  *ye  are  clean  througli  the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you. 

4  Abide  ""'in  me,  and  I  in  you.     As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself, 
except  it  abide  in  the  vine;  no  more  can  ye,  except  ye  abide  in  me. 

5  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches :  He  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in 
him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  ''fruit:  for  ^without  me  ye  can  do 

6  nothing.     If  a  '^man  abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a  branch,  and 
is  withered;  and  men  gather  them,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and  they 

7  are  burned.     If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask 


A.  D.  33. 
6  Eph.  5.  20. 

1  Pet.  1.  22. 

'  Col   1.  23. 

1  John  2.  6. 
d  Hos.  14.  8. 

Phil.  4.  13. 
1  Or,  severed 

from  me. 
•  Heb  6.  4-6. 


entering  in,  choke  the  word,  and  it  becometh  nn- 
fruitful"  (see  on  Mark  iv.  19).  True,  that  is  said 
of  such  hearers  of  the  word  as  "bring  no  fruit  to 
jierfection"  at  all.  But  the  very  same  causes 
operate  to  the  hindrance  of  fruitfulness  in  the 
living  branches  of  tlie  true  Vine,  and  the  great 
Husbandman  has  to  "purge"  them  of  these,  that 
they  may  bring  forth  more  fruit ;  lopping  off  at  one 
time  their  worldly  prosperity,  at  another  time  the 
olive  i^lants  that  grow  around  their  table,  and  at 
yet  another  time  their  own  health  or  peace  of 
mind :  a  process  painful  enough,  but  no  less  need- 
ful and  no  less  beneficial  in  the  spiritual  than  in 
the  natural  husbandry.  Not  one  nor  all  of  these 
operations,  it  is  true,  will  of  themselves  increase 
the  fruitfulness  of  Christians.  But  He  who 
atflicteth  not  willingly,  but  smites  to  heal — who 
purgetli  the  fruitful  branches  for  no  other  end 
than  that  they  may  bring  forth  more  fruit — makes 
these  "  chastenings  afterward  to  yield  the  peace- 
able fruit  of  righteousness"  in  larger  measures 
than  before.  3.  Now  ye  are  clean  througli  the 
word  ["Hoi)  !jfxei9  Kadapoi  euTe  olu  tov  Xoyou]  — 
'Already  are  ye  clean  by  reason  of  the  word' 
wliich  I  have  spoken  unto  you.  He  had  already 
said  of  the  Eleven,  using  another  figure,  that  they 
were  "clean,"  and  "needed  only  to  wash  their 
feet."  Here  He  repeats  this,  reminding  them  of 
the  means  by  which  this  was  brought  about — 
"the  word  which  He  had  spoken  to  them." 
For  "  as  many  as  received  Him,  to  them 
gave  He  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God." 
He  "i)uriiied  their  hearts  by  faith,"  and  "sanc- 
tified them  through  His  truth ;  His  word  was  the 
truth."  (See  on  ch.  xvii.  17.)  Such,  then,  being 
their  state,  what  would  He  have  them  to  do  ?  4. 
Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  The  latter  clause 
may  be  taken  as  a  jyromise :  '  Abide  in  Me,  and  I 
will  abide  in  you.'  (So  Calvin,  Beza,  Meyer, 
Lucl-e,  Luthardt  understand  it.)  But  we  rather 
take  it  as  i^art  of  one  injunction:  'See  to  it  that 
ye  abide  in  Me,  and  that  I  abide  in  you;'  the  two- 
fold condition  of  spiritual  fruitfulness.  (So  Gro- 
itu.%  Benrjid,  Tholuc.k,  Alford,  Webster  and  Wil- 
kinson view  it.)  What  follows  seems  to  confii-in 
this.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself, 
except  it  abide  in  the  vine;  no  more  can  ye, 
except  ye  abide  in  me.  Should  anything  inter- 
rupt the  free  communication  of  a  branch  with 
the  tree  of  which  it  is  a  pai-t,  so  that  the  sai> 
should  not  reach  it,  it  comd  bear  no  fruit.  In 
order  to  this  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  one 
abide  in  the  other,  in  this  vital  sense  of  reception 
on  the  one  hand,  and  communication  on  the  other. 
So  with  Christ  and  His  people.  5.  I  am  the  vine, 
ye  are  the  branches:  He  that  abideth  in  me, 
and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much 
fruit.  This  is  just  the  positive  form  of  what  had 
been  said  negatively  in  the  previous  verse.  But  it  is 
more.  Without  abiding  in  Christ  we  cannot  bear 
any  fruit  at  all ;  but  he  that  abideth  in  Christ,  and 
Christ  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  foi-th — not  fruit 
merely,  as  we  should  expect,  but — "much  fruit:" 
meaning,  that  as  Christ  seeks  only  a  receptive  soid 
to  be  a  comniunicatire  Saviour,  so  thei'e  is  no  limit 
410 


to  the  communication  from  Him  but  in  the  power 
of  reception  in  \is.  for  without  me — disconnected 
from  Me,  in  the  sense  explained,  ye  can  do 
nothing — nothing  s^iiritually  good,  nothing  which 
God  Avill  regard  and  accept  as  good.  6.  If  a  man 
abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a  branch, 
and  is  withered.  This  witlierinf/,  it  Avill  be  ob- 
served, comes  before  the  Ini7'ning,  just  as  the 
withering  is  preceded  by  the  taking  atcay  {v.  2*. 
The  thing  intended  seems  to  be  the  decay  and 
disapipearauce  of  all  that  in  religion  (and  in  many 
cases  this  is  not  little)  which  even  an  external 
connection  with  Christ  imparts  to  those  who  are 
destitute  of  vital  religion,  and  [men]  gather 
them.  Compare  what  is  said  in  the  parable  of  the 
Tares:  "The  Son  of  Man  shall  send  forth  His 
angels,  and  they  shall  (/either  out  of  His  kingdom  all 
things  that  ofi'end,  and  them  which  do  iniquity" 
(Matt.  xiii.  41).  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and 
they  are  burned.  The  one  proper  use  of  the  vine 
is  to  bear  fruit.  FaiMng  this,  it  is  xiseless,  save 
ior  fuel.  This  is  strikingly  set  forth  in  the  form 
of  a  j)arable  in  Ezek.  xv.,  to  which  there  is  here 
a  manifest  allusion :  "  Sou  of  man,  what  is  the  vine 
tree  more  than  any  tree,  or  than  a  branch  which 
is  among  the  tress  of  the  forest?"— Why  is  it 
planted  in  a  vineyard,  and  dressed  with  such  care 
and  interest,  more  than  any  other  tree  save  only  for 
the  fruit  which  it  yields? — "  Shall  wood  be  taken 
thereof  to  do  any  work?  or  will  a  man  take  a  piu 
of  it  to  hang  any  vessel  thereon  ? " — Does  it  admit 
of  being  turned  to  any  of  the  purjioses  of  wood- 
work, even  the  most  insignificant? — "Behold,  it  is 
cast  into  the  fire  for  fuel " — that  is  the  one  use  of  it, 
failing  fruit ; — "the  fire  devoureth  both  the  ends  of 
it,  and  the  midst  of  it  is  burned"— not  an  inch  of  it 
is  fit  for  aught  else: — "Is  it  meet  for  any  work?" 
7.  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you. 
Mark  the  chanjre  from  the  inhabitation  of  Him- 
self to  that  of  His  words.  But  as  we  are  clean 
through  His  word  (r.  2),  and  sanctified  through 
His  word  (ch.  xvii.  17),  so  He  dwells  in  us 
through  "His  words"  —  those  words  of  His, 
the  believing  reception  of  which  alone  opens 
the  heart  to  let  Him  come  in  to  us.  So  in  the 
preceding  chaY>ter  (xiv.  23),  "If  a  man  love  Me,  he 
will  keep  My  words :  and  ^ly  Father  will  love  him, 
and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode 
with  him."  And  so  in  the  last  of  His  epistles  to 
the  churches  of  Asia,  "  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door 
and  knock :  if  any  man  keccr  my  voice" — and  so  my 
words  abide  in  him,  "I  will  come  in  to  him,  and 
will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  j\Ie"  (Eev.  iii.  20). 
ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done 
unto  you.  A  startling  hititude  of  asking  this 
seems  to  be.  Is  it,  then,  to  be  understood  with 
limitations?  and  if  not,  would  not  such  boundless 
license  seem  to  countenance  all  manner  of  fanatical 
extravagance?  The  one  hmitation  expressly  men- 
tioned is  all-suiScient  to  guide  the  askings  so  as  to 
ensure  the  answering.  If  we  but  abide  in  Christ, 
and  Christ's  words  abide  in  us,  "eveiy  thought" 
is  so  "  brought  into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of 
Christ,"  that  no  desires  will  rise  and  no  jietition  be 
offered  but  such  as  are  in  harmony  with  the  divine 


TIoic  to  retain  Christ's  love 


JOHN  XV. 


and  our  oicnjoy. 


8  -what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  nnto  you.     Herein  •'"is  my  Father 
glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit ;  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples. 

9  As  the  Father  hath  loved  me,  so  have  I  loved  you :  continue  ye  in  my 

1 0  love.  If  ye  keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love ;  even  as 
I  have  kept  my  Father's  commandments,  and  abide  in  his  love. 

1 1  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy  might  remain  in  you, 

12  and  ^that  your  joy  migiit  be  full.     This  ''is  my  commandment,  That  ye 

13  love  one  another,  as  I  have  loved  you.     Greater  'love  hath  no  man  than 

14  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends.     Ye  are  my  friends,  if 

15  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you.  Henceforth  I  call  you  not  servants; 
for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth :  but  I  have  called  you 
friends;  ■'for  all  things  that  I  have  heard   of  my  Father  I  have  made 

IG  known  unto  you.  Ye  "^have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you,  and 
'ordained  you,  that  ye  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit 


A.  D.  33 


/  Matt  5.  10. 
Phil.  1.  II. 

"  Ch    IC.  24. 

iJohn  1.4. 

*  1  Thes  4.  a 
1  Pet.  4.  s. 

1  John  3.11. 
»  Eom.  5.  r. 
Eph.  5.  2. 
J  Gen.  IS.  ir- 
19. 

Lnke  10.23, 
24. 
Acts  20.  2r. 

*  lJohli4.10. 
'  WajklClA 

Col.  1.  G. 


will.  The  soul,  yielding  itself  implicitly  and 
wholly  to  Christ,  and  Christ's  words  penetrating 
and  moulding  it  sweetly  into  conformity  with  the 
■will  of  God,  its  very  breathings  are  of  God,  and 
so  cannot  but  meet  with  a  divine  response.  8. 
Herein  is  my  Father  glorified  [eoogacttij  —  on 
which  peculiar  use  of  the  aorist,  see  on  ch.  x.  4], 
that  ye  bear  much  fruit.  As  His  whole  design 
in  iiroviding  "  the  True  Vine,"  and  making  men 
living  branches  in  Him,  was  to  ohtaxw  fruit ;  and 
as  He  purgeth  every  branch  that  beareth  fruit, 
that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit;  so  herein  is 
He  glorified,  that  we  bear  much  fruit.  As  the 
hus1)andmaii  feels  that  his  iiains  are  richly  re- 
warded when  the  fruit  of  his  vineyard  is  abun- 
dant, so  the  eternal  designs  of  Grace  are  seen  to 
come  to  glorious  effect  when  the  vessels  of  mercy, 
the  redeemed  of  the  Lord,  abound  in  the  fruits  of 
righteousness,  which  are  by  Jesus  Christ  unto  the 
glory  and  praise  of  God,  and  then  the  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  "rests  in  His  love  and  joys 
over  them  with  singing."  so  shal  ye  tee  [yevv- 
<re(T06]— or  'become'  my  disciples — that  is,  so  shall 
ye  manifest  and  evidence  your  discipleship. 

lloio  to  Iletain  Christ's  Love  and  our  oicn  Joy 
(9-11).  9.  As  the  Father  hath  loved  me,  so  have 
I  loved  you.  See  on  ch.  xvii.  22,  26.  continue— 
or  'abide'  ye  in  my  love— not,  'continue  ye  to 
love  Me,'  but  '  abide  ye  in  the  iiossession  and  en- 
joyment of  My  love  to  you ;'  as  is  evident  from 
what  follows.  10.  If  ye  keep  my  commandments, 
ye  shall  abide  in  my  love— the  obedient  spirit  of 
true  discipleship  attracting  and  securing  the  con- 
tinuance and  increase  of  Christ's  lo\'ing  regaj-d; 
even  as  I  have  kept  my  Father's  commandments, 
and  abide  in  his  love.  What  a  wonderful  state- 
ment is  this  which  Christ  ma.kes  about  Himself. 
In  neither  case,  it  will  be  observed,  is  obedience 
the  original  and  ]iroper  ground  of  the  love  spoken 
of.  As  an  earthly  father  does  not  primarily  love 
his  son  for  his  obedience,  but  because  of  the  filial 
relation  which  he  bears  to  him,  so  the  love  which 
Christ's  Father  bears  to  Him  is  not  primarily 
drawn  forth  by  His  obedience,  but  by  the  Filial 
relation  which  He  sustains  to  Him.  _  The  Son'3 
Incarnation  neither  added  to  nor  diminished  from 
this.  But  it  provided  a  new  form  and  manifesta- 
tion of  that  love.  As  His  own  Son  ia  our  nature, 
the  Father's  affection  went  out  to  Him  as  the  Son 
of  Man ;  and  j\i.st  as  a  human  father,  on  beholding 
the  cordial  and  constant  obedience  of  his  own 
child,  feels  his  own  affection  thereby  irresistibly 
drawn  out  to  him,  so  every  beauty  of  the  Son's 
Incarnate  character,  and  every  act  of  His  Human 
obedience,  rendered  Him  more  lovely  in  the  Fa- 
ther's eye,  drew  down  new  complacency  upon 
Him,  fresh  love  to  Him.  Thus,  then,  it  was  that 
441 


by  the  keejiing  of  His  Father's  commandments 
Jesus  abode  in  the  possession  and  enjoyment  (A 
His  Father's  love.  And  thus,  sa5's  Jesus,  shall  it 
be  between  you  and  Me:  If  ye  would  retain  My 
love  to  you,  know  that  the  whole  secret  of  it  lic^s 
in  the  keeping  of  My  commandments .-  Kever  need 
ye  be  without  the  full  sunshine  of  IMy  love  on  your 
souls,  if  ye  do  but  carry  yourselves  in  the  same 
obedient  frame  towards  Me  as  I  do  towards  My 
Father.  11.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto 
you,  that  my  joy  might  remain — 'abide'  in  you^ 
and  that  your  joy  might  be  full  [TrX?;pt«t)jj]— or  '  bo- 
fulfilled.'  We  take  "^these  things  which  Christ 
had  spoken  nnto  them"  to  mean,  not  all  that 
Christ  uttered  on  this  occasion — as  interpreters 
generally  do— but  more  definitely,  the  things  He 
had  just  before  said  about  the  true  secret  of  His 
abiding  in  His  Father's  love  and  of  their  abiding 
in  His  love.  In  that  case,  the  sense  will  be  this  : 
'As  it  is  My  joy  to  have  My  Father's  love  resting 
on  Me  ia  th«  keeping  of  His  commandments,  so> 
have  I  told  how  ye  yourselves  msiy  have  that  very 
joy  of  Mine  abiding  in  yon  and  filling  you  full.' 

The  Love  of  the  Brethren  (12-17).  12.  This  is 
my  commandment,  That  ye  love  one  another,  as 
I  have  loved  you.  See  on  ch.  xiii.  34,  35.  13. 
Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man. 
lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends.  The  emphasis 
here  lies,  not  on  "  friends,"  but  on  "  layimj  dotoi 
his  life"  for  them: — q.  d., '  One  can  show  no  greater 
regard  for  those  dear  to  him  than  to  give  his  life 
for  them,  and  this  is  the  love  ye  shall  find  in  Me.'' 
14:,  Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I 
command  you— 'if  ye  hold  yourselves  in  absolute- 
subjection  to  Ms.'  15.  Henceforth  I  call  you  not 
servants— that  is,  in  the  restricted  sense  explained 
in  the  next  words ;  for  servants  He  still  calls  them 
(('.  20),  and  such  they  delight  to-  call  themselves, 
in  the  sense  of  being  "^ under  law'to  Christ"  (1  Cor. 
ix.  21);  for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his 
lord  doeth— knows  nothing  of  his  mastes's  plans 
and  reasons,  but  simply  receives  and  executes  his 
orders:  but  I  have  called  you  friends;  for  all 
things  that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father  I  have 
made  known  unto  you — 'I  have-  admitted  you 
to  free,  unrestrained  fellowship,  keeping  back 
nothing  from  you  which  I  have  received  to  com- 
municate.' (See  Gen.  xviii.  17;  Ps.  xxv.  14;  Isa. 
1.  4).  16.  Ye  have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have 
chosen  you— a  wholesome  memento  after  the 
lofty  things  He  had  just  said  aboi'st  their  nnitual 
indwelling,  and  the  unreservedness  of  the  friend- 
ship to  which  He  had  admitted  them,  and 
ordained  [eftjKu]— or  'aiipointed'  you,  that  ye 
should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit— that  is,  ye 
are  to  give  yourselves  to  this  as  your  proper 
business.     The  fruit  intended,  though  embracing 


The  inexcusableness  of  the 


JOHN  XV. 


vorlTs  hatred  of  Chi'lst. 


should  remain ;  that  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  of  the  Father  in  my  name, 

17  he  may  give  it  you.  These  things  I  command  you,  that  ye  love  one 
another. 

18  If  ™the  world  hate  you,  ye  know  that  it  hated  me  before  it  hated  you. 

19  If  "ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  his  own:  but  "because  ye 
are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore 

20  the  world  hateth  you.  Ptemember  the  word  that  I  said  unto  you,  The 
servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord.  If  they  have  persecuted  me,  they 
will  also  persecute  you ;  ^  if  they  have  kept  my  saying,  tliey  will  keep 
yours  also.  But  all  these  things  will  the}'-  do  unto  you  for  my  name's 
sake,  because  they  know  not  him  that  sent  me. 

If  *I  had  not  come  and  spoken  unto  them,  they  had  not  had  sin :  '  but 

23  now  they  have  no  -cloak  for  their  sin.     He  *that  hateth  me  hateth  my 

24  Father  also.  If  I  had  not  done  among  them  the  works  which  none  other 
man  did,  they  had  not  had  sin :  but  now  have  they  both  seen  and  hated 

25  both  me  and  my  Father.  But  this  cometh  to  pass,  that  the  word  might  be 
fulfilled  that  is  written  in  their  law,  'They  hated  me  witliout  a  cause. 


21 


22 


A.  D.  33. 


'"Zee.  a.  8. 
Matt  5.  II. 
Markl3.i.T 
Luke  6.  2J. 
1  John  3.  1, 
13. 
"  Luke  6.  32, 
33. 

1  John  4.  .'>. 
°  ch.  17.  14. 

P  I  Sam.  8.  r. 

l.sa.  53.  1,3. 

Fzek  3.  7. 
9  ch  9.  41. 
'"  Rom.  1.  20. 

Jas.  4.  17. 
2  Or  excuse. 
'  1  John  2.2.!. 

2  John  4. 
e  Ps.  35. 19. 

Ps.  69.  4. 
Ps.  10.1).  3. 


all  spiritual  fruitfulncss,  is  here  specially  that 
particular  fruit  of  "loving  one  another,"  which 
V.  17  shows  to  be  still  the  subject  spoken  of.  and 
that  your  fruit  should  remain— showing  itself 
to  be  an  imperishable  and  ever-groAving  principle. 
(See  Prov.  iv.  18;  2  John  8.)  that  whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  of  the  Fatlxer  in  my  name,  he  may  give 
it  you.  See  on  v.  7.  17.  These  things  I  com- 
mand you,  that  ye  love  one  another.  Our  Lord 
repeats  here  what  He  had  said  in  v.  12,  but  He 
recurs  to  it  here  in  order  to  give  it  fresh  and 
affecting  point.  He  is  about  to  forewarn  them 
of  the  certain  hatred  and  persecution  of  the 
world,  if  they  be  His  indeed.  But  before  doing 
it,  He  enjoins  on  them  anew  the  love  of  each 
other.  It  is  as  if  He  had  said,  'And  ye  will 
have  need  of  all  the  love  ye  can  receive  from 
one  another,  for  outside  your  own  pale  ye  have 
nothing  to  look  for  but  enmity  and  opposi- 
tion.' This,  accordingly,  is  the  subject  of  what 
follows. 

Hoiv  the  World  may  he  Expected  to  Regard  and  to 
Treat  Chrwfs  Gemiine  Disciples  (\S-2\).  The  sub- 
stance of  these  important  verses  has  occurred  more 
than  once  before.  (See  on  Matt.  x.  34-39,  and  Re- 
mark 2  at  the  close  of  that  Section  ;  and  on  Luke 
xii.  49-53,  and  Remark  4  at  the  end  of  that  Sec- 
tion.) But  the  reader  will  do  well  to  mark  the 
peculiar  light  in  which  the  subject  is  here  pre- 
sented. 18.  If  the  world  hate  you,  ye  know  that 
it  hated  me  before  it  hated  you.  19.  If  ye  were 
of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  his  own :  but 
because  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen 
you  out  of  the  world  [egeXegaui/j/],  therefore  the 
world  hateth  you.  Here  Jesus  holds  Himself 
forth  as  the  Hated  and  Persecuted  One;  and  this, 
not  only  as  going  before  all  His  people  in  that 
respect,  but  as  being  the  great  Embodied  Manifes- 
tation of  that  holiness  which  the  world  hates,  and 
the  Fountain  of  that  hated  state  and  character  to 
all  that  believe  in  Him.  From  the  treatment, 
therefore,  which  He  met  with  they  were  not  only 
to  lay  their  account  with  the  same,  but  be  en- 
couraged to  submit  to  it,  and  cheered  in  the  en- 
durance of  it,  by  the  company  they  had  and  the 
cause  in  which  it  lighted  upon  them.  Of  course, 
this  implies  that  if  their  se^ xiration  from  the  world 
was  to  bring  on  them  the  world's  enmity  and  op- 
position, then  that  enmity  and  opposition  would 
be  jitst  so  great  as  their  separation  from  the  world 
was,  and  no  greater.  Observe  again  that  Christ 
here  ascribes  all  that  severance  of  His  people  from 
the  world,  which  brings  upon  them  its  enmity  and 
442 


opposition,  to  His  own  'choice  of  them  out  of  it.' 
This  cannot  refer  to  the  mere  external  separation 
of  the  Eleven  to  the  apostleship,  for  Judas  was  so 
separated.  Besides,  this  was  spoken  after  Judas 
had  voluntarily  separated  himself  from  the  rest. 
It  can  refer  only  to  such  an  inward  operation 
upon  them  as  made  them  entirely  different  in 
character  and  spirit  from  the  world,  and  so  objects 
of  the  world's  hatred.  20.  Remember  the  word 
that  I  said  unto  you.  The  seivant  is  not 
greater  than  his  lord.  If  they  have  perse- 
cuted me,  they  will  also  persecute  you;  if 
they  have  kept  my  sa3ring,  they  will  keep 
yours  also.  See  on  Matt.  x.  24,  25.  21.  But  all 
these  things  will  they  do  unto  you  for  my  name's 
sake,  because  they  know  not  him  that  sent  me. 
Here  again  are  they  cheered  with  the  assurance 
that  all  the  oj 'position  they  would  experience  from 
the  world  as  His  disciples  would  arise  from  its 
dislike  to  Him,  and  its  estrangement  in  mind  as 
well  as  heart  from  the  Father  that  sent  Him.  But 
to  impress  this  the  more  upon  them,  our  Lord 
enlarges  ujwn  it  in  what  follows. 

The  Inexcumhleness  of  the  WorMs  Hatred  of 
Christ  (22-25).  22.  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken 
unto  them,  they  had  not  had  sin  [ovk  eTxoj/] — 
rather,  'would  not  have  sin;' that  is,  of  course, 
comparatirely :  all  other  sins  being  light  compared 
with  the  rejection  of  the  Son  of  God:  but  now 
they  have  no  cloak  {Trpofpamv] — or  'pretext'  for 
their  sin.  23.  He  that  hateth  me  hateth  my 
Father  also— so  brightly  revealed  iu  the  incarnate 
Son  that  the  hatred  of  the  One  was  just  naked 
enmity  to  the  other.  24.  If  I  had  not  done  among 
them  the  works  which  none  other  man  did 
[iiroiticrev  is  beyond  doubt  the  tnie  reading:  the 
received  text — ireTrniriKeif,  'hath  done' — has  but 
inferior  support],  they  had  not  had  sin— rather, 
as  before,  'would  not  have  sin,'  comparafireh/ :  but 
now  have  they  both  seen  and  hated  both  me  and 
my  Father:  they  saw  His  Father  revealed  in  Him, 
and  in  Him  they  hated  both  the  Father  and  the 
Son.  In  V.  22  He  places  the  peculiar  aggravation 
of  their  guilt  in  His  having  "come  and  spoken  to 
them;"  here  He  makes  it  consist  in  their  hav- 
ing seen  Him  do  the  works  which  none  other 
man  did.  See  on  ch.  xiv.  10,  11,  where  we  have 
the  same  association  of  His  viorks  and  His  ivorcfs, 
as  either  of  them  sufhcient  to  show  that  the 
Father  was  in  Him  and  He  in  the  Father.  25. 
But  [this  cometh  to  pass],  that  the  word  might  be 
fulfilled  that  is  written  in  their  law  (Ps.  Ixix.  4), 
They  hated  me  without  a  cause.    The  New  Testa- 


The  Office  of  the 


JOHN  XV. 


Holy  Ghost. 


2G 


27 


Biit  "when  the  Comforter  is  come,  whom  I  will  send  unto  you  from  the 
Father,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth,  which  proceedeth  from  the  Father,  "he 
shall  testify  of  me:  And  ""ye  also  shall  bear  witness,  because  "^ye  have 
been  with  me  from  the  beginnint?. 


A.  D  33. 

"  Acts  2.  S' 
"  1  John  5, 
""  Acts  I.  8. 
"^  Luke  1.  2. 


ment  references  to  this  Messianic  psalm  of  suffer- 
ing are  nnmeroiis  (see  ch.  ii.  17 ;  Acts  i.  20 ;  Rom. 
xi.  9,  10;  XV.  3),  and  this  one,  as  here  used,  is 
very  striking. 

The  Two-fold  Witness  which  Christ  was  to  receive 
from  the  Holy  Ghost  and  from  His  chosen  Apostles 
(26).  26.  But  when  the  Comforter  is  come,  whom 
I  will  send  unto  you  from  the  Father,  even  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  which  proceedeth  from  the  Father. 
How  brightly  are  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost — 
in  their  distinct  Personality,  brought  here  before 
us  !  While  tlie  '  procession '  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as 
it  is  called,  was  by  the  whole  ancient  Church 
founded  on  this  statement  regarding  Him,  that  He 
"proceedeth  from  the  Father,"  the  Greek  Church 
inferred  from  it  that,  in  the  internal  relations  of  the 
Godhead,  the  Spirit  proceedeth  from  the  Father 
only,  through  the  Son ;  while  the  Latin  Church  in- 
sisted that  He  proceedeth  from  the  Father  and  the 
Son:  and  one  short  word  (Filioqne),  which  the  latter 
would  exclude  and  the  former  insert  in  the  Creed, 
was  the  cause  of  the  great  schism  between  the 
Eastern  and  the  Western  Churches.  That  the  inter- 
nal or  essential  procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
the  thing  here  intended,  has  been  the  prevailing 
opinion  of  the  orthodox  Churches  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, and  is  that  of  good  critics  even  in  our  day. 
But  though  we  seem  warranted  in  affirming— in 
the  technical  language  of  divines— that  the  econo- 
mic order  follows  the  essential  in  the  relations  of 
the  Divine  Persons — in  other  words,  that  in  the 
economy  of  Redemption  the  relations  sustained  by 
the  Divine  Persons  do  but  reflect  their  essential 
relations— it  is  very  doubtful  whether  more  is  ex- 
pressed liere  than  the  historical  aspect  of  this  mis- 
sion and  procession  of  the  Spirit  from  the  Father 
by  the  Agency  of  the  Son.  he  shall  testify  of  me 
— referring  to  that  glorious  Pentecostal  attestation 
of  the  Messiahship  of  the  Lord  Jesus  which,  in 
a  few  days,  gave  birth  to  a  flourishing  Christian 
Church  in  the  murderous  capital  itself,  and  the 
speedy  diffusion  of  it  far  and  wide.  27.  And  ye 
also— as  the  other  witness  required  to  the  validity 
of  testimony  among  men  (Deut.  xix.  15)  shall  bear 
witness  {putpTupeiTe]  —  or  'do  bear  witness'  he- 
cause  ye  have  been  [etn-e]  —  or  'are'  with  me 
from  the  beginning.  Our  Lord  here  uses  the 
present  tense— "do  testify"  and  "are  with  Me'' — 
to  express  the  opportunities  which  they  had  en- 
joyed for  this  office  of  witness-bearing,  from  their 
ha,ving  been  with  Him  from  the  outset  of  His 
ministry  (see  on  Luke  i.  2),  and  how  this  observa- 
tion and  experience  of  Him,  being  now  all  but 
completed,  tliey  were  already  virtually  a  comi^any 
of  chosen  witnesses  for  His  Name. 

Remarks. — 1.  If  the  strain  in  which  our  Lord 
spoke  of  Himself  in  the  foregoing  chapter  was 
such  as  betitted  only  Lips  Divine,  in  no  less  ex- 
alted a  tone  does  He  speak  throughout  all  this 
chapter.  For  any  mere  creature,  however  lofty, 
to  represent  himself  as  the  one  Source  of  all  spir- 
itual vitality  in  men,  would  be  insufferable.  But 
this  our  Lord  here  explicitly  and  emphatically 
does,  and  that  at  the  most  solemn  hour  of  His 
earthly  history — on  the  eve  of  His  death.  To 
abide  in  Him,  he  says,  is  to  have  spiritual  life  and 
fruitfulness  ;  not  to  abide  in  Him  is  to  be  flt  only 
for  the  Are — "  whose  end  is  to  be  burned."  What 
pro])het  or  apostle  ever  ventured  to  put  forth  for 
himself  such  a  claim  as  this  ?  Yet  see  how  the 
Father's  rights  and  honours  are  upheld.  My 
443 


Father,  says  Jesus,  is  the  Husbandman  of  that 
great  Vineyard  whose  whole  spring  of  life  anil 
fruitfulness  is  in  Me;  and  herein  is  My  Father 
gloritted,  that  all  the  branches  in  the  Tn:e 
Vine  do  bear  much  fruit.  Then,  again,  such 
power  and  prevalency  with  God  does  He  attacli 
to  His  people's  abiding  in  Him,  and  His  words 
abiding  in  them,  that  His  Father  will  withhold 
nothing  from  such  that  they  shall  ask  of  Him.  In 
a  word,  so  perfect  a  manifestation  of  the  Father 
does  He  declare  Himself  to  be  in  our  nature,  that 
to  see  Him  is  to  see  Both  at  once,  and  to  hate  Him 
is  to  be  guilty  in  one  and  the  same,  act  of  deadly 
hostility  to  Both.  2.  When  our  Lord  said,  "If  ye 
abide  in  Me,  and  My  tvords  abide  in  you,"  tie 
must  have  contemplated  the  preservation  of  JJis 
words  in  a  written  Itecord,  and  designed  that,  over 
and  above  the  general  truth  conveyed  by  His 
teaching,  the  precise  form  in  which  He  couched 
that  truth  should  be  carefully  treasured  Tip  and 
cherished  by  His  believing  people.  Hence  the  im- 
portance of  that  promLse,  that  the  Spirit  should 
"bring  all  things  to  their  remembrance,  whatso- 
ever He  had  said  unto  them."  (See  on  ch.  xiv. 
26.)  And  hence  the  danger  of  those  loose  views 
of  Inspiration  which  would  abandon  all  faith 
even  in  the  words  of  Christ,  as  reported  in  the 
Gospels,  and  abide  by  what  is  called  the  spirit 
or  general  import  of  them — as  if  even  this  could 
be  depended  upon  when  the  form  in  which  it  was 
couched  is  regarded  as  uncertain.  (See  on  ch. 
xvii.  17.)  3.  If  we  would  have  Christ  Himself 
abiding  in  us,  it  must  be,  we  see,  by  "  His  woras 
abiding  iu  us"  ('".  7).  Let  the  word  of  Christ, 
then,  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom  (Col.  iii. 
16).  4.  How  small  is  the  confidence  reposed  in 
that  promise  of  the  Faithful  and  True  Witness, 
"If  ye  abide  in  Me,  and  My  words  abide  in  you, 
ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto 
you" — if  we  may  judge  by  the  formal  character 
and  the  languid  and  uncertain  tone  of  the  gener- 
ality of  Christian  prayers !  Surely,  if  we  had  full 
faith  in  such  a  promise,  it  would  give  to  our 
prayers  such  a  definite  character  and  such  a  lively 
assured  tone  as,  while  themselves  no  small  part  of 
the  true  answer,  to  prepare  the  petitioner  for  the 
divine  response  to  his  suit.  Such  a  manner  of 
praying,  indeed,  is  apt  to  be  regarded  as  presump- 
tuous by  some  even  true  Christians,  who  are  too 
great  strangers  to  the  spirit  of  adoption.  But  if 
we  abide  in  our  living  Head,  and  His  words  abide 
in  us,  our  carriage  in  this  exercise,  as  in  every  othei-, 
will  commend  itself.  5.  Let  Christians  learn  from 
their  Master's  teaching  in  this  chapter  whence 
proceeds  much,  if  not  most,  of  their  darkness  and 
uncertainty  as  to  whether  they  be  the  gracious 
objects  of  God's  saving  love  in  Christ  Jesus.  "  If 
ye  keep  My  commandments,"  says  .Jesus,  "ye 
shall  abide  iu  My  love,  even  as  I  have  kept  My 
Father's  commandments,  and  abide  in  His  love." 
Habitual  want  of  conscience  as  to  any  one  of  these 
will  suffice  to  cloud  the  mind  as  to  the  love  of 
Christ  resting  upon  us.  Take,  for  example,  that 
one  commandment  which  our  Lord  so  emphatically 
reiterates  in  this  chajiter :  "  This  is  My  com- 
mandment, That  ye  love  one  another,  as  I  have 
loved  you.  These  things  I  command  you,  that  ye 
love  one  another."  No  ordinary  love  is  this. 
"As  I  have  loved  you"  is  the  sublime  Model,  as 
it  is  the  only  spring  of  this  commanded  love  of 
the  brethren.     How  much  of  this  is  there  among 


Persecution  even  unto 


JOHN  XVL 


death  to  be  expected. 


16 

2 
3 


THESE  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  ye  should  not  be  offended. 
They  shall  put  you  out  of  the  synagogues:  yea,  the  time  cometh,  "that 
whosoever  killeth  you  will  think  that  he  doeth  God  service.  And  ^  these 
things  will  they  do  unto  you,  because  they  have  not  known  the  Father, 

4  nor  me.     But  these  things  have  I  told  you,  that,  when  the  time  shall 
come,  ye  may  remember  that  I  told  you  of  them.     And  these  things  I 

5  said  not  unto  you  at  the  beginning,  because  I  was  with  you.      But  now 
I  go  my  way  to  him  that  sent  me ;  and  none  of  you  asketh  me,  Whither 

6  goest  thou?      But  because  I  have  said  these  things  unto  you,  sorrow 
hath  filled  your  heart. 

7  Nevertheless  I  tell  you  the  truth;  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go 
away :  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you ;  but 

if  I  depart,  I  will  send  him  unto  you.    And  when  he  is  come,  he  will  h-e- 


8 


A.  D.  33. 

CHAP.  Hi. 

*  Matt.  10  -ix 

Acts  5.  33. 

Acts  8.  1. 

Acts  9.  1. 

Acts  26.  9. 

Eom.  10.  2. 

Gal  1.  13. 
&  Eom.  10  2. 

1  Cor.  ?.  8. 

iTim.  1.13. 
"  Acts  2.  33. 

Eph.  4.  8. 
1  Or, 

convince. 

1  Cor.  14.  24. 


Christians  ?  To  what  extent  is  it  characteristic  of 
them — how  far  is  it  their  notorious  undeniable 
character?  (See  on  ch.  xvii.  21.)  Alas!  whether 
we  look  to  churches  or  to  individual  Christians, 
the  open  manifestation  of  any  such  feeling  is 
the  exception  rather  than  the  rule.  Or  let  xis 
try  how  far  the  generality  of  Christians  are 
like  their  Lord  by  the  world's  feeling  towards 
them.  We  know  how  it  felt  towards  Jesus  Him- 
self. It  was  what  He  was  that  the  world  hated: 
it  was  His  fidelity  in  exposing  its  evil  ways  that 
the  world  could  not  endure.  Had  He  been  less 
holy  than  He  was,  or  been  contented  to  endure  the 
unholiness  that  reigned  around  Him  without  wit- 
nessing against  it.  He  had  not  met  with  the  op- 
l^osition  tliat  He  did.  ' '  The  world  cannot  hate 
you,"  said  He  to  His  brethren,  "  but  Me  it  hateth, 
laecause  I  testify  of  it,  that  the  works  thereof  are 
evil"  (ch.  vii.  7).  And  the  same  treatment,  in 
principle,  He  here  prepares  His  genuine  disciples 
for,  when  He  should  leave  them  to  represent  Him 
in  the  world — "  Remember  the  word  that  I  said 
nnto  you.  The  servant  is  not  greater  than  His  lord. 
If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  his 
own ;  but  because  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I 
have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the 
world  hateth  you."  Is  it  not,  then,  too  much  to 
be  feared  that  the  good  terms  which  the  generality 
of  Christians  are  on  with  the  world  are  owing,  not 
to  the  near  approach  of  the  world  to  them,  but 
to  their  so  near  approach  to  the  world,  that  the 
essential  and  unchangeable  difference  between 
them  is  hardly  seen  ?  And  if  so,  need  we  w^onder 
that  those  words  of  Jesus  seem  too  high  to  be 
reached  at  all— "If  ye  keex)  My  commandments, 
ye  shall  abide  in  My  love;  even  as  I  have  kept  My 
Father's  commandments,  and  abide  in  His  love"? 
When  Chi'istians  cease  from  the  vain  attempt  to 
serve  two  masters,  and  from  receiving  honour  one 
of  another,  instead  of  seeking  the  honour  that 
cometh  from  God  only ;  when  they  count  all  things 
but  loss,  that  they  may  win  Christ,  and  the  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  them  to  live  not  unto  them- 
selves, but  unto  Him  that  died  for  them  and 
rose  again :  then  will  they  abide  in  Christ's  love, 
even  as  He  abode  in  His  Father's  love ;  His  joy 
sliall  then  abide  in  them ;  and  their  jov  shall  be 
full. 
CHAP.  XVI.    1-33.— Conclusion  of  the  Pis-7 

COURSE  AT  THE  SuPPER-TaBLE.  J 

Persecution^  even  unta  Death,  to  he  Eocp^cted 
(1-4).  1.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you, 
that  ye  should  not  be  offended— or  '  scandalized ; ' 
referring  back  both  to  the  warnings  and  the  en- 
couragements He  had  just  given.     2.  They  shall 

put  you  out  of  the  synagogues    ['ATroo-uj/aytiyous 

■noinaovcsLv  ij/uas]— (s  e  on  ch.  ix.  22;  see  also  xii. 

42) :    yea,   the  time    cometh,   that    whosoever 

444 


killeth  you  will  think  that  he  doeth  God  service 
\\aTpelav  Trpoacpepetv] — or  '  that  he  is  offering  a 
[religious]  service  unto  God;'  as  Saul  of  Tarsus 
did  (Acts  xxvi.  9,  10;  Gal.  i.  9,  10;  Phih  iii.  6). 
3.  And  these  things  will  they  do  unto  you,  be- 
cause they  have  not  known  the  Father,  nor  me. 
See  on  ch.  xv.  21,  of  which  this  is  nearly  a  verbal 
repetition.  4.  But  these  things  have  I  told  you, 
that,  when  the  time  [wpa]~ov  'the  hour'  shall 
come,  ye  may  remember  that  I  told  you  of  them 
— and  so  be  confirmed  in  your  faith  and  strength- 
ened in  courage.  And  these  things  I  said  not 
unto  you  at  the  beginning,  because  I  was  with 
you.  He  had  said  it  pretty  early  (Luke  vi.  22), 
but  not  so  nakedly  as  in  t\  2. 

His  api)roachin(f  Departure  to  His  Father  again 
Announced,  and  the  Necessitij  of  it  in  order  to  the. 
Mission  of  the  Comforter  (5-7).  5.  But  now  I  go 
my  way  to  him  that  sent  me.  While  He  Avas 
with  them  the  world's  hatred  was  directed  chiefly 
against  Himself ;  but  His  departure  would  bring 
it  down  upon  them  as  His  representatives,  and 
none  of  you  asketh  me,  Whither  goest  thou? 
They  AacZ  done  so  in  a  sort,  ch.  xiii.  36;  xiv.  5; 
but  He  wished  more  intelligent  and  eager  enquiry 
on  the  subject.  6.  But  because  I  have  said  these 
things  unto  you,  sorrow  hath  filled  your  heart. 
And  how,  it  may  be  asked,  could  it  be  otherwise? 
But  this  sorrow  had  too  much  paralyzed  them, 
and  He  would  rouse  their  enei'gies.  7.  Neverthe- 
less I  tell  you  the  truth;  It  is  expedient  for  you 
that  I  go  away— 

'  My  Saviour,  cnn  it  ever  be 
That  I  should  gain  by  losing  thee?'— Keele. 

Yes,  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will 
not  come  unto  you ;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send 
him  unto  you.  See  on  ch.  vii.  39,  and  Remark  3 
at  the  end  of  that  Section  ;  and  on  ch.  xiv.  16. 

The  Threefold  Office  of  the  Comforter  (8-11).  This 
passage,  says  Olshausen,  'is  one  of  the  most  preg- 
nant with  thought  in  the  profound  discourses  of 
Christ.  With  a  few  grea.t  strokes  He  depicts  all 
and  every  part  of  the  ministry  of  the  Divine 
Spirit  in  the  world ;  His  operation  with  reference 
to  individuals  as  well  as  the  mass,  on  believers 
and  unbelievers  alike.'  It  is  laid  out  in  three 
particulars,  each  of  which  is  again  taken  up  and 
explained  in  detail. 

8.  And  when  he  is  eome,  he  will  reprove  the 
world  of  SIN,  and  of  RIGHTEOUSNESS,  and  of 
JUDGMENT. 

The  word  rendered  're;prove'  [eXe'yJei]  means 
more  than  that.  Beproof  is  indeed  implied,  and 
doubtless  the  work  begins  with  it.  But  '  convict,' 
or,  as  in  the  margin,  'convince,'  is  the  thing  in- 
tended ;  and  as  the  one  word  expresses  the  work 
of  the  Spivit  on  the  unbelieving  portion  of  man- 


The  Three-fold  Office 


JOHN  XVI. 


oj  the  Comforter. 


9  ^  prove  the  world  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment:  of ''sin, 

10  because  they  believe  not  on  me;  of  ^righteousness,  because  I  go  to  my 

11  Father,  and  ye  see  me  no  more;  of -^judgment,  because  ^ the  prince  of 
this  world  is  judged. 


A.  D.  33. 

<>■  Acts  2.  22. 
*  Acts  2.  32. 
/  Acts  26.  18. 
"  Luke  10.18. 


kind,  and  the  otber  ou  the  believing,  it  is  better 
not  to  restrict  the  term  to  either. 

First,  9.  Of  SIN,  because  they  believe  not  en 
me.  By  this  is  not  meant  that  He  shall  deal  ■with 
men  about  the  sin  of  xinbelief  onhj;  nor  yet  about 
that  sin  as,  in  comparison  with  all  other  sins,  the 
(jrcatest.  There  is  no  comiiarison  here  between 
the  sin  of  unbelief  and  other  breaches  of  the  moral 
law,  in  point  of  criminality.  The  key  to  this  impor- 
tant statement  will  be  found  in  such  sayings  of  our 
Lord  Himself  as  the  following:  "He  that  be- 
lieveth  is  not  condemned;  but  he  that  believeth 
not  is  condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not 
believed  in  the  name  of  the  Only  begotten  Sou 
of  God:  He  that  heareth  My  word,  and  believeth 
on  Him  that  sent  Me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and 
shall  not  come  into  condemnation,  but  is  passed 
from  death  unto  life :  He  that  believeth  not  the 
Sou  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God 
abideth  on  him"  (ch.  iii.  18,  3(>;  v.  24).  What 
the  Spirit,  then,  does  in  the  discharge  of  this  first 
department  of  His  work,  is  to  bear  in  upon  men's 
consciences  the  conviction  that  the  one  divinely 
provided  way  of  deliverance  from  the  guilt  of  all 
sin  is  believing  on  the  Son  of  God ;  that  as  soon 
as  they  thus  believe,  there  is  no  condemnation  to 
them ;  but  that  unless  and  until  they  do  so,  they 
underlie  the  guilt  of  all  their  sins,  A^dth  that  of 
this  crowning  and  all-condemning  sin  sujier- 
added.  Thus  does  the  S])irit,  in  fastening  this 
truth  upon  the  conscience,  instead  of  extinguish- 
ing, only  consummate  and  intensify  the  sense  of 
all  other  sins;  causing  the  convicted  sinner  to 
perceive  that  liis  complete  absolution  from  guilt, 
or  his  remediless  condemnation  under  the  weight 
of  all  his  sins,  hangs  upon  his  believing  on  the 
Son  of  God,  or  his  deliberate  rejection  of  Him. 

But  what,  it  may  be  asked,  is  the  sinner  to 
believe  regarding  Christ,  in  order  to  so  vast  a 
deliverance?  The  next  department  of  the  Si)irit's 
work  will  answer  that  question. 

Second,  10.  Of  RIGHTEOUSNESS,  because  I  go 
to  my  Father,  and  ye  see  [dewpel-re]— or  'behold' 
— me  no  more.  Beyond  doubt,  it  is  Christ's  per- 
sonal rUjhteoiLsness  which  the  Spirit  was  to  bring 
home  to  the  sinner's  heart.  The  evidence  of  this 
was  to  lie  in  the  great  historical  fact,  that  He  had 
"gone  to  His  Father,  and  was  no  more  visible  to 
men :"  for  if  His  claim  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  had  been  a  lie,  how  should 
the  Father,  who  is  "a  jealous  God,"  have  raised 
such  a  blasjthemer  from  the  dead,  and  exalted  him 
to  His  right  hand?  But  if  He  was  the  "Faithful 
and  True  Witness,"  the  Father's  "  Righteous  Ser- 
vant," "  His  Elect,  in  whom  His  soul  delighted," 
then  was  His  departure  to  the  Father,  and  con- 
sequent disappearance  from  the  view  of  men,  but 
the  fitting  consummation,  the  august  I'eward,  of 
all  that  He  did  here  below,  the  seal  of  His  mis- 
sion, the  glorification  of  the  testimony  which  He 
bore  ou  earth,  by  the  translation  of  its  Bearer  to  the 
Father's  bosom.  This  triumiihant  v-indication  of 
Christ's  rectitude  is  to  us  divine  evidence,  bright 
as  heaven,  that  He  is  indeed  the  Saviour  of  the 
world,  God's  Righteous  Servant  to  justify  many, 
because  He  bare  their  iniquities  (Is.  liii.  11).  Thus 
the  Spirit,  in  this  second  sphere  of  His  work,  is  seen 
convincing  men  that  there  is  in  Christ  perfect  relief 
under  the  sense  of  sin,  of  which  He  had  before  con- 
vinced them ;  and  so  far  from  mourning  over  His 
absence  from  us,  as  an  irreparable  loss,  we  learn 
445 


to  glory  in  it,  as  the  evidence  of  His  perfect  ac- 
ceptance on  our  behalf,  exclaiming  Mdtli  one  who 
understood  this  point,  "Who  shall  lay  any  thing 
to  the  charge  of  God's  elect?  It  is  God  that  justi- 
tieth ;  who  is  he  that  coudemneth?  It  is  Christ 
that  died,  yea  rather,  that  is  risen  again,  ivho  is 
even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,"  &c.  (Kom.  viii. 
33,  34).  'But,  alas!' — may  some  say,  who  have 
long  been  "  sold  under  sin,"  who  have  too  long 
been  willing  captives  of  the  prince  of  this  world — 
'  Of  what  avail  to  me  is  deliverance  from  any 
amount  of  guilt,  and  investiture  even  in  the  righ- 
teousness which  cannot  be  challenged,  if  I  am  to 
be  left  under  the  power  of  sin  and  Satan?  for  he 
that  committeth  sin  is  of  the  devil,  and  to  be 
carnally  minded  is  death.'  But  you  are  not  to 
be  so  left.  For  there  remains  one  more  depart- 
ment of  the  Spirit's  work,  which  exactly  meets, 
and  was  intended  to  meet,  vour  case. 

Third,  11.  Of  JUDGMENT,  because  the  prince 
of  this  world  is— or  'hath  been'  judged.  By 
taking  the  word  "judgment"  to  refer  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  great  day — as  is  done  even  by  good 
interpreters— the  point  of  this  glorious  assurance 
is  quite  missed.  Beyond  all  doubt,  when  it  is 
said,  "  The  prince  of  this  world  hath  heen  jiaJged" 
[Kc'h.cixaj]— or,  in  our  Lord's  usual  sense  of  that 
term,  condemned — the  meaning  is  the  same  as  in 
a  former  chapter,  where,  speaking  of  His  death. 
He  says,  "  Now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be 
cast  out  [eK/3\j|6ri(re-rat  e^w];  and  ill  both  places  the 
meaning  clearly  is,  that  the  i)riuce  of  this  world 
is,  by  the  death  of  Christ,  judicicdly  overtliroivn, 
or  condemned  to  lose  his  hold,  and  so,  "cast  out" 
or  expelled  from  his  usurxted  dominion  over  men 
who,  believing  in  the  Son  of  God,  are  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  Him :  so  that,  looking  to 
Him  who  spoiled  jirincipalities  and  powers,  and 
made  a  show  of  them  openly,  triumphing  over 
them  in  His  cross,  they  need  henceforth  have  no 
fear  of  his  enslaving  power.  (See  Col.  ii.  15;  Heb. 
ii.  14;  IJohniii.  8.) 

Thus  is  this  three-fold  office  of  the  Spirit 
entirely  of  one  character.  It  is  in  all  its  de- 
partments Evangelical  and  Saving :  bringing  home 
to  the  conscience  the  sense  of  sin,  as  all  con- 
summated and  fastened  down  ujion  the  sinner 
who  rejects  Him  that  came  to  put  away  sin 
by  the  sacrifice  of  Himself;  the  sense  of  per- 
fect relief  in  the  righteousness  of  the  Father's 
servant,  now  taken  from  the  earth  that 
spurned  Him  to  that  bosom  where  from  ever- 
lasting He  had  dwelt;  and  the  sense  of  eman- 
cipation from  the  fetters  of  Satan,  whose  judg- 
ment brings  to  men  liberty  to  he  holy,  and  trans- 
formation out  of  servants  of  the  devil  into  sons 
and  daughters  of  the  Lord  Almighty.  To  one  class 
of  men,  however,  all  this  will  camy  conviction 
only;  they  "will  not  come  to  Christ" — revealed 
though  He  be  to  tliem  as  the  life-giving  One— that 
they  may  have  life.  Such,  abiding  voluntarily 
under  the  dominion  of  the  Prince  of  this  world, 
are  judged  in  his  judgment,  the  visible  consumma- 
tion of  which  will  be  at  the  great  day.  But  to 
another  class  this  blessed  teaching  will  have  a 
different  issue — translating  them  out  of  the  king- 
dom of  darkness  into  the  kingdom  of  God's  dear 
Son. 

The  Bearing  of  the  Spirit's  Wdrk  upon  the 
Work  of  Christ  ( 12-15).  12. 1  have  yet  many  things 
to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now. 


Christ  comforteth 


JOHN  XVI. 


His  disciples. 


]  2       I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them 

13  now.  Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  Ls  come,  ''he  ■will  guide  you 
into  all  truth:  for  he  shall  not  speak  of  himself;  but  whatsoever  he  shall 

14  hear,  that  shall  bespeak:  and  he  will  *show  you  things  to  come.  He 
shall  glorify  me ;  for  he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you. 

15  All  -'things  that  the  Father  hath  are  mine:  therefore  said  I,  that  he 

16  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you.  A  little  while,  and  ye 
shall  not  see  me:  and  again,  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me;  be- 
cause I  go  to  the  Father. 

17  Then  said  some  of  his  disciples  among  themselves.  What  is  this  that  he 
saith  unto  us,  A  little  while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me :  and  again,  a  little 

1 8  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me :  and.  Because  I  go  to  the  Father  ?  They  said 
therefore.  What  is  this  that  he  saith,  A  little  while?  we  cannot  tell  what 

19  he  saith.  Now  Jesus  knew  that  they  were  desirous  to  ask  him,  and  said 
unto  them,  Do  ye  enquire  among  yourselves  of  that  I  said,  A  little  while, 
and  ye  shall  not  see  me :  and  again,  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me  ? 

20  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  That  ye  shall  weep  and  lament,  but  the 
world  shall  rejoice:  and  ye  shall  be  soiTowful,  but  your  sorrow  shall  be 

21  turned  into  joy.  A  woman  when  she  is  in  travail  hath  sorrow,  because 
her  hour  is  come :  but  as  soon  as  she  is  delivered  of  the  child,  she  re- 
membereth  no  more  the  anguish,  for  joy  that  a  man  is  born  into  the 

22  world.     And  ye  now  therefore  have  sorrow :  but  I  will  see  you  again,  and 


A.  D.  33. 

*  ch.  14.  26. 

1  Cor.  2, 10- 
13. 

Eph   4.  7. 
15. 

lJohn2  20, 

27. 

•  Joel  2.  28. 
Acts  2.  17, 

18. 
Acts  11.  28. 
Acts  20.  23. 
Acts  21.  9. 

11. 

2  Thes.  2.  3- 

12. 

1  Tim.  4.  1. 

2  Tim.  3.  1- 
6. 

2  Pet.  2.  1. 
Eev.  1.1,19. 
i  Matt  11.27. 
Matt.  28. 18. 
Luke  10.  22. 
ch.  3.  35. 
ch.  17. 10. 
Col  1.  19. 
Col.  2.  3,  9. 


This  refers  not  so  much  to  truths  not  uttered  by 
Himself  at  all,  as  to  the  full  development  and 
complete  exposition  of  truths  which  at  that  sta^e 
could  only  be  expressed  generally  or  in  their 
germs.  13.  Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth 
— so  called  for  the  reason  mentioned  in  the  next 
clause,  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth 
{ivdaav  ti)ii  a\v6ei.ai>] — rather, '  all  the  truth;'  for  the 
reference  is  not  to  'truth  in  general,'  but  to  'that 
whole  circle  of  truth  whose  burden  is  Christ  and 
His  redeeming  work : '  for  he  shall  not  speak  of 
himself  [atp'  kauTov],  The  meaning  is  not,  '  He 
shall  not  speak  concernmg  Himself,'  but  '  He  shall 
not  speak //-owi  Himself;'  in  the  sense  immediately 
to  be  added,  hut  whatsoever  he  shall  hear — or 
receive  to  communicate,  that  shall  he  speak:  and 
he  will  show  you  things  to  come  [tu  epxoi^eua] — 
'  the  things  to  come ; '  referring  specially  to  those 
revelations  which,  in  the  Epistles  partially,  but 
most  fullv  in  the  Apocalypse,  o])en  up  a  vista 
into  the  t'uture  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  whose 
horizon  is  the  everlasting  hills.  14.  He  shall 
glorify  me;  for  he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and 
shall  show  it  unto  you.  Thus  the  whole  design 
of  the  Spirit's  office  is  to  glorify  Christ— not  in 
His  own  Person,  for  this  was  done  by  the  Father 
when  He  exalted  Him  to  His  own  right  hand — 
but  in  the  view  and  estimation  of  men.  For  this 
purpose  He  was  to  ^'receive  of  Christ" — that  is,  all 
that  related  to  His  Person  and  Work — "  and  show 
it  unto  them"  or  make  them,  by  His  inward  teach- 
ing, to  discern  it  in  its  own  light.  The  internal  or 
subjective  nature  of  the  Spirit's  teaching — how  His 
office  is  to  discover  to  the  souls  of  men  what 
Christ  is  outwardly  or  ohjectively  —  is  here  very 
clearly  expressed;  and,  at  the  same  time,  the 
vanity  of  looking  for  revelations  of  the  Spirit 
which  shall  do  anything  beyond  throwing  light  in 
the  soul  upon  what  Christ  Himself  is,  and  taught, 
and  did  ujion  earth.  15.  All  things  that  the 
Father  hath  are  mine :  therefore  said  I,  that  he 
shall  take  [Xi'iixxl/eTcu,  as  in  v.  14]— or,  according 
to  Avhat  appears  the  better  supported  reading, 
'receiveth'  [\ttfjLl3avei],  a  lively  way  of  saying  '  He 
is  just  about  to  receive '  of  mine,  and  shall  show 
it  unto  you.  A  plainer  expression  than  this  of 
446 


absolute  community  with  the  Father  in  all  things 
cannot  be  conceived,  although  the  "all  things  "here 
have  reference  to  the  things  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Grace,  which  the  Spirit  was  to  receive  that  He 
might  show  them  to  us.  We  have  here  a  wonder- 
ful glimpse  into  the  in?ier  relations  of  the  Godhead. 
The  design  of  this  explanation  seems  to  be  to 
prevent  any  mistake  as  to  the  relations  which  He 
sustained  to  tlie  Father. 

Christ  Soon  to  Go,  but  Soon  to  Betuni,  and  the 
Efect  of  these  3Ioi'ements  on  those  ivho  Loved 
and  those  loho  Hated  Him  (16-22).  16.  A  little 
while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me  [OeajpelT-e]— 'and 
ye  behold  JMe  not : '  and  again,  a  little  while,  and 
ye  shall  see  me;  because  I  go  to  the   Father. 

[The  last  clause — otl  iyw  v-rrayw  irpo'S  tov  iraTcpa — 
is  omitted  by  Tischendorf  and  Tregelles,  and 
bracketed  by  Lachmann.  But  the  evidence  in  its 
favour  is,  in  oiir  judgment,  preponderating;  and 
the  question  of  the  disciples  in  v.  17  seems  to  pre- 
suppose it.]  17.  Then  said  some  of  his  disciples 
among  themselves — afraid,  perhaps,  to  question 
the  Lord  Himself  on  the  subject,  or  unwilling  to 
interrupt  Him,  What  is  this  that  he  saith  unto 
us,  A  little  while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me— or, 
'  and  ye  behold  ISIe  not :'  and  again,  a  little  while, 
and  ye  shall  see  me :  and,  Because  I  go  to  the 
Father?  18.  They  said  therefore.  What  is  this 
that  he  saith,  A  little  while?  [to  fxiKp6v]—xa,t\\er, 
'The,'  or  'That  little  while?'  we  cannot  tell 
what  he  saith — [oIk  o'ldafxev  ti  XaXei] — '  We  know 
not  what  He  speaketh  of.'  19.  Now  Jesus  knew 
that  they  were  desirous  to  ask  him— showing 
with  what  tender  minuteness  He  watched  how  far 
they  ai)prehended  His  teaching,  what  impres- 
sions it  produced  upon  them,  and  what  steps  it 
prompted  to.  and  said  unto  them,  Do  ye  enquire 
among  yourselves  of  that  I  said,  A  little  whUe, 
&c.  20.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  That  ye 
shall  weep  and  lament,  but  the  world  shall 
rejoice:  and  ye  shall  be  sorrowful,  but  your 
sorrow  shall  be  turned  into  joy.  21.  A  woman 
when  she  is  in  travail  hath  sorrow,  &c.  22. 
And  ye  now  therefore  have  sorrow:  but  I  will 
see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice, 
and  your  joy  no  man  taketh  from  you.     The 


The  relation  of  believers 


JOHN  XVI. 


to  an  absent  Saviour. 


23  ^your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  joy  no  man  taketli  from  you.  And 
in  that  day  ye  shall  ask  me  notliing.  ^^erily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  he  will  give  it  you. 

24  Hitherto  have  ye  asked  nothing  in  my  name :  ask,  and  ye  shall  receive, 
that  your  joy  may  be  full. 

25  These  things  have  I  s^wken  unto  you  in  -proverbs:  but  the  time 
Cometh,  when  I  shall  no  more  speak  unto  you  in  "  proverbs,  but  I  shall 

26  show  you  plainly  of  the  Father.     At  that  day  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name : 

27  and  I  say  not  unto  you,  that  I  will  pray  the  Father  for  you;  for  '"the 
Father  himself  loveth  you,  because  ye  have  loved  me,  and  "have  believed 

28  that  I  came  out  from  God.  I  "came  forth  from  the  Father,  and  am 
come  into  the  world :  again,  I  leave  the  world,  and  go  to  the  Father. 

29  His   disciples   said   unto   him,   Lo,  now  speakest  thou   plainly,  and 

30  speakest  no  ''proverb.  Now  are  we  sure  that  ^thou  knowest  all  things, 
and  needest  not  that  any  man  should  ask  thee:  by  this  ^we  believe  that 

31  thou  camest  forth  from  God.     Jesus  answered  them.  Do  ye  now  believe? 


A.  D.  33. 

k  Luke  24  41. 
ch.  14.  1,1:7. 

Ch.  20.  2l». 
Acts  2.  40. 
Acts  13.  b-i. 
1  Pet.  1.  s. 

i  ch.  14.  13. 
ch.  15.  16. 

2  Or, 
parables. 

3  CJr, 
parables. 

"'ch.  14.  21. 
"  ch.  3. 13. 

ch.  17.  S. 
»  ch.  13.  3. 
*  Or, 

parable. 

P  ch.  21.  17. 
«  ch.  17.  8. 


joy  of  the  world  at  His  disappearance  seems  to 
show  that  the  thing  meant  was  His  removal  from 
them  by  death.  In  that  case,  the  joy  of  the  dis- 
ciples at  seeing  Him  again  must  refer  to  their 
transport  at  His  reappearance  amongst  them  on 
His  resurrection,  when  they  could  no  longer  doubt 
His  identity.  But  the  woi'ds  go  beyond  this :  for 
as  His  personal  stay  amongst  them  after  His  re- 
surrection was  brief,  and  His  actual  manifesta- 
tions but  occasional,  while  the  language  is  that  of 
permanence,  we  must  view  His  return  to  them  at 
His  resurrection  as  virtually  uninterrupted  by  Hin 
u.^cension  to  gloiy  (according  to  His  way  of  speak- 
ing in  ch.  xiv.  18-20).  But  the  words  carry  ns  on 
even  to  the  transport  of  the  widowed  Church  when 
her  Lord  shall  come  again  to  receive  her  to  Him- 
self, that  where  He  is,  there  she  may  be  also. 

The  Relation  of  Believers  to  the  absent  Saviour 
and  to  the  Father  (23-27).  23.  And  in  tliat  day— 
when  He  should  return  to  them  by  resurrection, 
but  be  in  glory,  ye  shall  ask— or  'enquire  of 
me  notliing — 'ye  shall  not,  as  ye  do  now,  bring 
all  your  enquiries  to  Me  iii  Person,  as  one  beside 
you. '  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever 
ye  shall  ask  th3  Father  in  my  name,  lie  will  give 
it  you.  See  on  ch.  xiv.  13,  14 ;  xv.  7.  Thus  would 
they  be  at  no  real  loss  for  want  of  Him  amongst 
them,  in  the  way  of  earthly  intercourse,  but  vastly 
the  better.  24.  Hitherto  have  ye  asked  nothing 
in  my  name.  Ordiuaiy  readers  are  apt  to  lay  the 
emphasis  of  this  statement  on  the  word  ' '  nothing ;" 
as  if  it  meant,  '  Hitherto  your  askings  in  My  name 
have  been  next  to  nothing,  but  now  be  encouraged 
to  enlarge  your  petitions.'  Clearly  the  emphasis 
is  on  the  words  "  in  My  Name,"  and  the  state- 
ment is  absolute :  '  hitherto  your  prayers  to  the 
Father  have  not  been  oft'ered  in  My  Name;'  for, 
as  Olshausen  correctly  says,  prayer  in  the  mime  of 
Christ,  as  well  as  prayer  to  (;A/7'&i,  presupposes  His 
iilorincation.  ask — 'When  I  shall  have  gone  to 
tlie  Father,  ye  shall  have  but  to  ask  in  this  new, 
all-prevailing  form;'  and  ye  shall  receive,  that 
your  joy  may  he  fuU.  So  that  the  new  footing  on 
which  they  would  find  themselves  with  Jesus — 
no  longer  beside  them  to  be  consulted  in  every 
diiJiculty,  but  with  them,  notwithstanding,  as  an 
all-prevalent  Medium  of  communication  with  the 
Fatlier — would  be  vastly  yireferable  to  the  old. 

25.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you  in  pro- 
verbs—or '  ijarables ;'  that  is,  in  obscure  language ; 
as  opposed  to  speaking  "plainly"  in  the  next 
clause :  hut  the  time  cometh — '  but  there  cometh 
an  hour,'  when  I  shall  no  more  speak  unto  you 
in  proverbs,  but  I  shall  show -or  'tell'  you 
447 


plainly  of  the  Father— that  is,  by  the  Spirit's 
teaching.  How  "plain"  that  made  all  things, 
compared  with  anything  they  took  up  from 
Christ's  own  teaching,  will  be  seen  by  comparing 
Peter's  addresses  after  the  day  of  Pentecost  with 
his  speeches  while  his  Lord  Avas  going  out  and  in 
with  the  TAvelve.  26.  At  that  day  ye  shall  ask 
in  my  name.  He  had  'heioi-Q  bidden  them  do  so: 
here  He  intimates  that  this  is  to  be  the  apjjro- 
jtriate,  characteristic  exercise  of  the  believing 
Church,  in  its  intercourse  with  the  Father,  and 
I  say  not,  that  I  will  pray  the  Father  for  you— 
that  is,  as  if  the  Father  were  of  Himself  indisposed 
to  hear  them,  or  as  if  His  own  solicitations  were 
needed  to  incline  an  umcilUnij  Ear.  Christ  does 
pray  the  Father  for  them,  but  certainly  not  for 
this  reason.  27.  For  the  Father  himself  loveth 
you,  because  ye  have  loved  me,  and  have  be- 
lieved that  I  ca-me  out  from  God.  This  love  of 
theirs  is  that  which  is  called  forth  by  God's 
eternal  love  in  the  gift  of  his  Sou,  inirrored  in  the 
hearts  of  those  who  believe,  and  resting  on  His 
dear  Son. 

Tlie  Disciples,  Re-assured  by  the  greater  explkit- 
ness  of  their  Master''s  Statements,  are  Warned  how 
speedily  then  v:ill  Desert  Him  ('28-32).  28.  I  came 
forth  from  the  Father,  and  am  come  into  the 
world:  again,  I  leave  the  world,  and  go  to 
the  Father : — '  Ye  have  believed  that  I  came  out 
from  God,  and  ye  are  right;  for  I  came  indeed 
forth  from  the  Father,  and  am  soon  to  return 
whence  I  came.'  This  echo  of  the  truth  alluded 
to  in  the  preceding  verse  seems  like  tldnking 
aloud,  as  if  it  were  grateful  to  His  own  spirit  on 
such  a  subject  and  at  such  an  hour. 

29.  His  disciples  said  unto  him,  Lo,  now  speak- 
est thou  plainly,  and  speakest  no  proverb.  It 
was  not  much  plainer  than  before— the  time  for 
perfect  plainness  was  yet  to  come :  but  haying 
caught  a  glimj)se  of  His  meaning— for  it  \vas  little 
more — they  eagerly  express  their  satisfaction,  as  if 
glad  to  make  anything  of  His  words.  How 
touchingly  does  this  show  botli  the  simplicity 
of  their  hearts  and  the  infantile  character  of 
their  faith!  30.  Now  are  we  sure  that  thou 
knowest  all  things— the  very  thought  of  their 
hearts,  in  this  case,  and  how  to  meet  it ;  and 
needest  not  that  any  man  should  ask  thee:  by 
this  we  believe  that  thou  camest  forth  from  God. 
'There  was  more  sincerity  in  this  than  enlightened 
knowledge  of  the  meaning  of  their  own  words. 
But  our  Lord  accepted  it  so  far  as  it  went.  31. 
Jesus  answered  them,  Do  ye  now  believe? — 'It 
is  well  ye  do,  for  that  faith  is  soon  to  be  tested, 


Peace  in  Jesus,  and 


JOHN  XVI. 


in  the  world  tribulation. 


32  Behold,  the  hour  cometh,  yea,  is  now  come,  that  ye  shall  be  scattered, 
every  man  to  ^  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me  alone :  and  yet  I  am  not 

33  alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me.  These  things  I  have  spoken  unto 
you,  that  'in  me  ye  might  have  peace.  *In  the  world  ye  shall  have 
tribulation:  but  be  of  good  cheer;  ^I  have  overcome  the  world. 


A.  D.  33. 

5  Or,  his  own 

home. 
*■  Isa  9.  6. 
*  Acts  14.  22. 
«  Eom.  8.  37. 


and  iu  a  way  ye  little  expect.'  32.  Behold,  the 
tour  cometh— '  there  cometh  an  hour,'  that  ye 
sliall  be  scattered,  every  man  to  his  own  [ek 
TO.  i'5ia]— '  his  own  fhome'J,  as  in  ch.  xix.  27, 
what  he  formerly  lert  for  My  sake,  as  Benyel 
explains  it;  and  shall  leave  me  alone:  and  yet 
I  am  not  alone.  A  deep  and  awful  sense  of 
lorong  experienced  is  certainly  expressed  here,  but 
how  lovingly !  That  He  was  not  to  be  utterly 
deserted— that  there  was  One  who  would  not  for- 
sake Him— was  to  Him  matter  of  inefiable  sup- 
port and  consolation  ;  but  that  He  should  be  with- 
out all  human  countenance  and  cheer,  who  as 
Man  was  exquisitely  sensitive  to  the  law  of  sym- 
pathy, would  till  themselves  with  as  much  shame, 
when  they  afterwards  recurred  to  it,  as  the  Re- 
deemer's heart  in  His  hour  of  need  with  pungent 
sorrow.  "I  looked  for  some  to  take  pity,  but 
there  was  none ;  and  for  comforters,  but  I  found 
uone"  (Ps.  Ixix.  20.)  because  the  Father  is  with 
me — how  near,  and  with  what  sustaining  power, 
who  can  express  ? 

The  Intent  of  this  whole  Discourse  expressed  in 
one  comprehensive,  closina  word  (33).  33.  These 
things  I  have  spoken  unto  you — not  the  imme- 
diately preceding  words,  but  this  whole  discourse, 
of  which  these  w^ere  the  very  last  words,  and 
which  He  thus  winds  up ;  that  in  me  ye  might 
have  peace — in  the  sublime  sense  l)efore  explained 
on  ch.  xiv.  27.  In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribu- 
lation [eje-rc] — but  this  reading  has  very  slender 
support :  the  true  reading  undoubtedly  is,  '  In  the 
world  ye  have  tribulation'  [ex^^^] ;  for  being 
already  "not  of  the  world,  but  chosen  out  of  the 
world,"  they  were  already  beginning  to  experience 
its  deadly  opposition,  and  would  soon  know  more 
of  it.  So  that  the  "peace"  promised  was  to  be 
far  from  an  unruffled  one.  but  be  of  good  cheer; 
I  have  overcome  the  world  -not  only  before  you, 
but  for  you,  that  ye  may  be  not  only  encouraged, 
but  enabled  to  do  the  same.  (See  1  John  v.  4,  5.) 
The  last  and  crowning  act  of  His  victory,  indeed, 
was  yet  to  come.  But  it  was  all  but  come,  and 
tiie  result  was  as  certain  as  if  all  had  been  already 
over— the  consciousness  of  which,  no  doubt,  was 
the  chief  source  of  that  wonderful  calm  with 
which  He  went  through  the  whole  of  this  solemn 
scene  in  the  upjier  room. 

Remarks.— \.  The  language  iu  which  the  blessed 
Spirit  is  sjioken  of  throughout  all  this  last  Dis- 
course of  Our  Lord  is  quite  decisive  of  His  Divine 
Personality.  Nor  does  Stier  express  himself  too 
strongly  when  he  says  that  he  who  can  regard  all 
the  personal  expressions  applied  to  the  Spirit  in 
these  three  chapters— "teaching,"  "reminding," 
"testifying,"  "coming,"  "convincing,"  "guiding," 
"sneaking,"  "hearing,"  "prophesying,"  "taking" — 
asbein^  no  other  than  a  long-drawn  figure,  deserves 
not  to  be  recognized  as  an  interpreter  of  intelli- 
gible words,  much  less  an  expositor  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture. 2.  As  there  is  no  subject  in  Christian  Theo- 
logy on  which  accurate  thinking  is  of  more  im- 
])ortance  than  the  relation  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
to  the  luork  of  Christ,  so  there  is  no  place  iu  which 
that  relation'  is  more  precisely  defined  and  amply 
expressed  than  in  this  chapter.  For,  first,  we  are 
expressly  told  that  the  Spirit's  teaching  is  limited 
to  that  which  He  receives  to  communicate  (y.  13) ; 
that  what  He  receives  is  "of  that  which  is 
448 


Christ's"  \eic  Tuv  'E/ioO] — or,  iu  other  words,  that 
the  Spirit's  teaching  relates  wholly  to  Christ's 
Person  and  Errand  into  the  world ;  and  lest  this 
should  seem  to  narrow  undesirably  and  dis- 
advantageously  the  range  of  the  Spirit's  func- 
tions, we  are  told  that  Christ's  things"  em- 
brace "all  the  Fathers  things"  [r.  15) — that 
is  to  say,  all  that  the  Father  contemplated 
and  arranged  from  everlasting  for  the  recovery 
of  men  in  His  Sou  Christ  Jesus.  Thus  are  the 
Spirit's  functions  not  mtrrow,  but  only  definite: 
they  are  as  wide  in  their  range  as  the  work  of 
Christ  and  the  saving  purposes  of  God  in  Him; 
but  they  are  no  wider—no  other.  Accordingly, 
when  our  Lord  lays  out  in  detail  the  subject- 
matter  of  the  Si)irit's  teaching,  He  makes  it  all 
to  centre  iu  Himself:— "He  shall  convince  the 
world  of  sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  Me;  of 
righteousness,  because  /  go  to  My  Father,  and  ye 
see  Me  no  more;  of  judgment,  because  (by  My 
"uplifting,"  ch.  xii.  31,  32)  the  Prince  of  this 
world  is  judged."  But  secondly,  this  being  so, 
it  clearly  follows  that  the  whole  design  of  the 
Spirit's  work  is  to  reveal  to  men's  minds  the  true 
nature  and  glory  of  Christ's  work  in  the  flesh,  as 
attested  and  crowned  by  His  resurrection  and 
glorihcatiou  ;  to  jtlant  in  men's  souls  the  assurance 
of  its  truth ;  and  to  bring  them  to  repose  on  it 
their  whole  confidence  for  acceptance  with  the 
Father  and  everlasting  life.  Tliiis,  as  Christ's 
work  was  objective  and  for  men,  the  Si)irit's  work 
is  subjective  and  in  men.  The  one  is  what  divines 
call  the  x>urchase,  the  other  what  they  call  the  ap- 
plication of  redemption.  The  one  was  done  out- 
wardly once  for  all,  by  Christ  on  earth ;  the  other 
is  done  inwardly  in  each  individual  saved  soul,  by 
the  Spirit  from  heaven.  And  thus  have  we  here 
l>rought  before  us  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost— one  adorable  Godhead,  distinct  in 
operation  even  as  in  Person,  yet  divinely  harmoni- 
ous and  concurrent  for  the  salvation  of  sinners. 
3.  How  beautifully  does  Jesus  here  teach  us  to 
travel  between  the  sense  of  His  Personal  absence 
and  the  sense  of  His  spiritual  presence.  He  would 
have  us  feel  the  desolating  effect  of  His  Personal 
absence,  but  not  be  paralyzed  by  it,  inasmuch  as 
His  spiritual  presence  would  be  felt  to  be  unspeak- 
ably real,  sustaining,  and  consolatory.  Aiid  by 
directing  them  to  ask  all  things  of  the  Father  in 
His  name,  during  the  period  of  His  dei>arture,  He 
would  teach  them  to  regard  His  absence  for 
them  in  heaven  to  be  vastly  better  for  them  than 
His  presence  with  them  as  they  then  enjoyed  it. 
At  the  same  time,  since  even  this  would  be  a  very 
inadequate  compensation  for  His  Personal  Pres- 
ence, He  would  have  them  to  rest  in  nothing  short 
of  this,  that  He  was  coming  again  to  receive  them 
to  Himself,  that  where  He  was,  there  they  mi^ht 
be  also.  4  In  Christ's  being  "left  alone"  in  His 
last  sufferings,  may  there  not  be  seen  a  divine 
arrangement  for  bringing  out  in  manifest  and  af- 
fecting fulfilment  that  ty]>ical  pi-ovision  for  the 
great  day  of  atonement:  '''And  there  shall  be  no 
man  in  the  tabernacle  of  the  cowiregation  ivhen  he 
(the  high  priest)  goeth  in  to  make  an  atonement  m 
the  holy  place,  until  he  come  out"  ?  (Lev.  xvi.  17). 
5.  How  sweet  is  the  summation  of  this  wonderful 
Discourse  in  its  closing  word— the  last  that  Jesus 
was  to  utter  to  the  whole  Eleven  before  He  suf- 


The  Intercessory 


JOHN  XVII. 


'rayer. 


17      THESE  words  spake  Jesus,  and  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  said. 

Father,  the  hour  is  come ;  glorify  thy  Son,  that  thy  Son  also  may  glorify 

2  thee:  as  "thou  hast  given  him  power  over  all  flesh,  that  he  should  give 


A.  D.  33. 

CHAP.  ir. 
^  Dan.  r.  U. 


fered:    "These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you, 
that  IN  Me  ye  might  have  peace  "—not  untroubled 

1)eace,  for  ' '  in  the  world  they  were  to  have  tribu- 
ation ;"  but  the  assurance  that  "  He  had  over- 
come the  world"  would  make  them  too  more  than 
conquerors, 

CHAP.  XVIL  1-2G.  —  The  Intercessory 
Prayer.  For  the  general  character  of  this  portion 
of  the  Fourth  GospeL,  see  the  opening  remarks  on 
ch.  xiv.  As  for  this  Prayer,  had  it  not  been  re- 
corded, what  reverential  reader  would  not  have 
e.Kclaimed,  0  to  have  been  within  hearing  of  such 
a  prayer  as  that  must  have  been,  which  wound  up 
the  whole  of  His  past  ministry  and  formed  the 
l>oint  of  transition  to  the  dark  scenes  which  im- 
mediately followed !  But  here  it  is,  and  with 
such  signature  of  the  Lips  that  uttered  it  that 
we  seem  rather  to  hear  it  from  Himself  than  read 
it  from  the  ])en  of  His  faithful  repoi'ter.  Were 
it  not  almost  profane  even  to  advert  to  it,  we 
might  ask  the  reader  to  listen  to  the  character 
given  of  this  Pi-ayer  by  the  first  critic,  bearing  a 
Christian  name,  who  in  modern  times  has  ques- 
tioned, though  he  afterwards  admitted,  the  gen- 
uineness and  aiithenticity  of  the  Fourth  Cospel 
{Bretschneider— with,  whom,  as  might  be  expected, 
l^trauss  agrees) :  he  calls  it  '  fi'igid,  dogmatic, 
metaphysical'  What  a  commentary  on  those 
apostolic  words,  "  The  natural  man  receiveth  not 
the  things  of  the  Spii'it  of  God;  for  they  are  fool- 
ishness unto  him:  neither  can  he  know  them, 
because  they  are  spu-itnally  discerned"  (1  Cor. 
ii.  14).  Haxipilv,  the  universal  instinct  of  Chris- 
tendom recoils  from  such  language,  and  feels  itself, 
while  standing  within  the  precincts  of  this  chapter, 
to  be  on  holy  ground,  yea,  in  the  very  holy  oi 
holies.  _We  may  add,  with  Bengel,  that  this 
chapter  is,  in  the  words  of  it,  the  most  simple, 
but  in  sense  the  most  |>rofound  in  all  the  Bible ; 
or,  as  Luthtr  said  long  before,  that  plain  and 
simple  as  it  sounds,  it  is  so  deep,  rich,  and  broad, 
that  no  man  can  fathom  it. 

The  Prayer  naturally  divides  itself  into  three 
parts:  First,  What  relates  to  the  Sou  Himself, 
wiio  ofl'ered  the  iirayer  (1-5);  secondly,  what  had 
reference  more  immediately  to  those  Eleven  dis- 
ciples in  whose  hearing  the  jirayer  was  uttered 
(S-19);  third! y,  what  belongs  to  all  who  should 
believe  on  Him  through  their-  word,  to  the  end  of 
the  world  (20-24) ;  with  t\\o  concluding  verses, 
simply  breathing  out  His  soul  in  a  survey,  at  once 
danc  and  bright,  of  the  whole  i^ast  results  of  His 
mission. 

We  address  ourselves  to  the  exposition  of  this 
Prayer,  with  the  warning  to  Moses  sounding  in 
our  ears — and  let  it  sound  in  thine,  0  reader! — 
"  fut  off  thy  shoes  from  off'  thy  feet,  for  the  place 
whei-eon  thou  standest  is  holy  ground"  (Exod. 
iii.  5) ;  yet  encouraged  by  the  assurance  of  Him 
that  uttered  it,  that  the  Comforter  "shall  glorify 
Him — receiving  of  His,  and  showing  it  unto  us." 

First,  Jesus  Prays  for  Himself  [l-^].  1.  These 
words  spake  Jesus,  and  lifted  up  his  eyes  to 
heaven.  'John,'  says  Alford,  'very  seldom  de- 
picts the  gestures  or  looks  of  our  Lord,  as  here. 
But  this  was  an  occasion  of  which  the  impression 
was  indelible,  and  the  uiiward  look  could  not  be 
passed  over.'  and  said,  Father.  Never  does  Jesus 
say  in  prayer,  '  Our  Father,'  though  He  directs 
His  disciples  to  do  it;  but  always  ''Father,"  and 
once,  during  His  Agony,  "My  Father:"  thus 
severing  Himself  as  Man  from  all  other  men,  as 
VOL.  V.  449 


the  "Separate  from  sinners,  "though  "Bone  of  our 
bone,  and  Flesh  of  our  flesh."  the  hour  is  come. 
But  did  not  the  Father,  you  will  say,  know  that  ? 
0  yes,  and  Jesus  knew  that  He  knew  it.  But  He 
had  not  that  narrow  and  distant  and  cold  view  of 
prayer  which  some  even  true  Christians  have,  as  if 
it  was  designed  for  nothiu,^'  else  but  to  express 
petitions  for  benefits  needed,  promised,  exi^ected. 
Prayer  is  the  creature  yearning  after  Him  that 
gave  it  being,  looking  \\\\  into  its  Father's  face, 
opening  its  bosom  to  the  brightness  and  warmth 
of  His  felt  iiresence,  clrinking  in  fresh  assurances 
of  safety  under  His  wing,  fresh  inspiiratious  of  His 
love,  fresh  nobility  from  the  consciousness  of  its 
nearness  to  Him.  In  prayer  believers  draw  near 
to  God,  not  merely  when  necessity  drives  them, 
but  under  the  promptings  of  filial  love,  and  just 
because  "it  is  good  for  them  to  draw  near  to  God." 
We  like  to  breathe  the  air  of  His  presence;  we 
love  to  come  to  Him,  though  it  were  for  nothing 
but  to  cry,  in  the  spirit  of  adoption,  "  Abba, 
Father."  "Walking  in  the  light  as  He  is  in  the 
light,  we  have  fellowship  One  with  the  other— He 
with  us  and  we  with  Him"— u])lifting,  invigorating, 
transfiguring  fellowship.  How  much  more,  then, 
must  Christ's  prayers,  and  this  one  above  all,  have 
been  of  that  character!  Hear  Him  telling  His 
Father  here,  with  sublime  simplicity  and  fami- 
liarity, that  "the  hour  M'as  come."  What  hour? 
The  hour  of  hours  ;  the  hour  %\ith  a  view  to  which 
all  the  purposes  of  grace  from  everlasting  were 
fixed ;  the  hour  v/ith  a  view  to  which  all  the  scaf- 
folding of  the  ancient  economy  was  erected;  the 
hour  with  a  view  to  which  He  had  come  into  the 
world,  and  been  set  apart  by  Circumcision  and 
Baptism  and  the  Descent  of  the  Spirit ;  the  hour 
with  a  view  to  which  He  had  lived  and  wrought 
and  taught  and  prayed ;  the  hour  for  M'hich 
Heaven,  for  the  ends  of  Grace,  and  Earth  and 
HelL,  to  defeat  those  ends,  were  waiting  alike  with 
eager  hope:  that  hour  was  now  "come" — virtually 
come,  all  but  come — '  All  things,'  Father,  '  are  now 
rcad3'.'  glorify  thy  Son— 'Put  honour  upon  Thy 
Son,  hy  o^|^evL\y  countenancinrj  Him,  when  all  others 
desert  Him ;  by  sustaining  Him,  when  the  waters 
come  in  unto  His  soul  and  He  sinks  in  deep  mire 
where  there  is  no  standing;  by  carryimi  Him 
through  the  horrors  of  that  hour,  when  it  shall 
please  the  Lord  to  biuise  Him,  and  make  His 
soul  an  ofi'eriug  for  sin.'  that  thy  Son  [also] 
may  glorify  thee— by  a  willing  and  absolute 
obedience  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the 
Cross,  thus  becoming  a  glorious  Channel  for  the 
extension  to  a  perishing  world  of  Thine  ever- 
lasting love,  flhe  (cat  of  the  received  text  has 
insuflicient  authority,  and  is  excluded  by  Lach- 
mann,  Tischendorf,  and  Treyelles.]  2.  As  thou 
hast  given  him  [Katiwe  £060Kasl—' According  as 
thou  gavest  Him'  power  over  all  flesh.  Compare 
ch.  iiu  35,  "  The  Father  loveth  the  Son.  and  hatli 
given  all  things  into  His  hand;"  Matt.  xi.  27,  "All 
things  are  delivered  unto  Me  of  My  Father;" 
xxviiL  18,  "  All  viower  is  given  unto  JSIe  in  heaven 
and  in  earth."  that  he  should  give  eternal  life  to 
as  many  as  thou  hast  given  him.  The  phrase- 
ology here  is  very  peculiar :  'That  all  that  which 
Thou  hast  given  Him,  He  should  give  to  them 
eternal  life.'  On  the  imiiort  of  this  language  and 
of  the  whole  sentiment  expressed  by  it,  see  on  ch. 
vL  37-40,  with  the  corresponding  remarks  at  the 
close  of  that  Section.  3.  And  this  is  life  eternal 
[/;  alwi'Loi  ^wli],  that  they  might  know  thee  the 
2g 


The  Intercessory 


JOHN  XVII. 


Prayer. 


eternal  life  to  as  mauy  ^as  thou  hast  given  him.  And  'this  is  life 
eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee  'Hhe  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ, 
whom  thou  hast  sent.  I  have  glorified  thee  on  the  earth :  I  have 
finished  the  work  which  thou  gavest  me  to  do.  And  now,  0  Father, 
glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self  with  the  glory  '  which  I  had  with 
thee  before  the  world  was. 

I  -^have  manifested   thy   name  unto  the  men  which  tliou  gavest  me 
out  of  the  world :  thine  they  were,  and  thou  gavest  them  me ;  and  they 


A.  D.  33. 


6  ch.  6.  37. 
"  Isa.  53.  11. 

Jer,  9.  24. 
•i  1  Cor  8.  4. 

1  Thes  1.  9. 
"  ch.  1.  1. 

ch.  10.  30. 

ch.  14.  9. 

/  r.s  21 11. 


only  true  God— the  sole  Personal,  Liviny  God,  in 
jrlorious  contrast  with  all  forms  of  heathen  voly- 
tlieism,  mystic  pantheism,  and  philosophic  natural- 
ism; and  Jesus  Christ,  vrhom  thou  hast  sent. 
This  is  the  only  place  where  our  Lord  gives  Him- 
self the  compound  name  "Jesus  Christ,"  after- 
wards so  current  in  apostolic  preaching  and  writ- 
ing. (See  on  Matt.  i.  I.)  Here  all  the  WM'ds 
are  employed  in  their  strict  signification :  First, 
"Jesus,"  because  He  ''saves  His  people  from 
their  sins;"  Second,  " Christ,"  as  anointed  with 
the  measureless  fulness  of  the  Holy  Ghost  iox  the 
exercise  of  His  saving  offices  (see  on  Matt.  i.  16) ; 
Third,  "  Whom  Thoij  hast  sent,"  in  the  pleni- 
tude of  Divine  Authority  and  Power,  to  save, 
"ihe  very  juxtaposition  here,' as  Alford  iiroperly 
ohserves,  of  Jesus  Christ  with  the  Father  is  a 
proof,  by  implication,  of  our  Lord's  Godhead. 
The  knowledge  of  G'od  and  a  creature  could  not 
be  eternal  life,  and  s\ich  an  association  of  the  one 
with  the  other  would  be  inconceivable.'  Thus, 
then,  "the  life  eternal"  of  which  Jesus  here 
speaks,  and  which  He  says  it  is  His  proper  office 
to  confer,  is  no  merely  conscious,  unending  exist- 
ence, but  a  life  whose  mo.-5t  distinguishing  char- 
acteristic is  acquaintance  with  the  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Clirist,  and  witli  Jesus  Himself  as  the 
W^ay  to  the  Father,  and  tlie  Truth  and  the  Life 
(Job  xxii.  21 ;  Matt.  xi.  27,  &c.)  4.  I  have  glorified 
thee  on  the  earth :  I  have  finished  the  work  which 
thou  gavest  me  to  do— or,  keeping  to  the  strict 
sense  of  the  tenses  here  emiiloyed,  'I  glorified 
1'hee  on  the  earth:  I  finished  the  work  which 
TllOU  hast  given  Me  to  do'  [e^ogatra-exeXet'too-a- 
ce'nioKus].  Observe  here,  hrst,  the  liglit  in  which 
Jesus  presents  Himself  and  His  woi-k  before  His 
Father  s  view.  His  whole  life  here  below  was,  He 
says,  a  nlorification  of  the  Father:  but  in  this  He 
only  did,  fie  says,  a  prescribed  ivurk  —  a,  work 
'■given  Him  to  do."  But  observe,  next,  the  re- 
trospective light  in  which  He  speaks  of  this.  He 
refers  to  the  time  when  He  was  "  on  the  earth"  as 
a  past  time:  His  glorification  of  the  Father  was 
now  completed;  the  "work  given  Him  to  do  "  was 
a  "finished"  work.  Manifestly  the  work  meant 
v\-as  not  so  much  of  His  work  merely  as  was  over 
at  the  moment  when  He  now  spake  ;  for  the  great 
consummating  surrender  of  HiS  life  Mas  yet  to 
come.  It  is  IJis  entire  toork  in  the  fiesh  oi  which 
He  speaks  as  now  finished.  And  in  the  sublime 
and  erect  consciousness  that  He  was  jjresenting 
before  the  Fathers  eye  a  glorification  of  Him  in 
which  He  would  see  no  flaw,  a  finished  work  in 
which  would  be  found  nothing  lacking.  He  now  asks 
the  fitting  return :  5.  And  now— 'the  whole  ])ur- 
liose  I  am  here  for  being  accomplished,'  0  Father, 
glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self  [Trapa  ^eavTiL] 
beside  Thine  own  Self  {apud   Teipsum,  or 


render  it).  The  nearest,  strictest,  Personal  con 
junction  is  beyond  doubt  mieaut,  as  in  ch.  i.  1, 
"  The  Word  was  ivith  God"  [irpoi  t6u  deov],  and  r. 
18,  The  Only  begotten  Son  who  is  m"— 'on'or 
'into' — "the  bosom  oi  the  Father"  [eh tov koXttov 
Tuu  IIuTjuJv].  Comxjare  Zee.  xiii.  7,  "The  Man 
4j0 


that  is  My  Fellow,"  or  '  My  Associate '  ['O'??;].  with 
the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee  [-n-apa  2oi] — 
or  '  beside  Thee,'  before  the  world  was.  Tliat 
the  Son  divested  Himself  of  this  glory  in  so/n.i 
sense  by  His  incarnation,  and  continued  divested 
of  it  during  all  the  days  of  His  flesh,  is  imiilied 
in  the  words.  And  that  the  restoration  of  this 
wliich  He  here  asks  was  the  restoration  of  what 
He  laid  aside— neither  more  nor  less — is  equally 
plain.  But  what  that  was  is  not  eafiily  con- 
ceived, though  more  easily  conceived  than  ex- 
pressed. Abstract  theological  discussions,  as  they 
do  nothing  whatever  to  clear  this  up,  so  on  such 
a  subject  they  are  very  unsavoury.  But  two 
tilings  seem  to  meet  tlie  facts  of  the  case,  and 
pretty  nearly  to  exhaust  all  that  can  safely  be 
said  upon  the  subject.  First,  In  His  ordinary  in- 
tercourse with  men  here  below.  He  appeared  not 
to  be  what  He  was,  and  appeared  to  be  what  He 
was  not.  Instead  of  its  being  impossible  for  any 
person,  at  any  moment,  to  doubt  that  He  m  as  the 
Everlasting  Son  of  the  Father  in  human  flesh,  it 
seemed  hardly  possible  to  believe  it — so  entirely 
like  otlier  men  was  He  in  His  appearance  and 
ordinary  movements,  and  often  even  more  help- 
less than  many  other  men.  Sec(,)ndly,  That  this 
was  a  shrouding  of  His  jiroper  {/lory,  and  a  con- 
tinual and  sublime  exercise  of  Self -restraint,  is 
evident  not  only  from  \\hat  we  know  of  His  iiroper 
glory  and  dignity  and  frcjdom,  and  what  He  once 
and  again  said  of  it,  but  fiom  the  occasional 
breakings  forth  of  that  glory  and  majesty  of  His 
— as  if  to  let  men  see  for  a  moment  \\'hom  they 
had  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  what  a  carriage  He 
might  have  assumed  if  it  had  been  but  fitting  that 
His  whole  glorious  Self  should  be  habitually  dis- 
played before  them.  Well,  He  submitted  diuiug 
all  the  days  of  His  flesh,  for  the  high  ends  on 
which  He  came  hither,  thus  to  restrain  Himself; 
and  so  "  the  world  knew  Him  not"  and  "  received 
Him  not."  But  it  could  not  be  that  He  should  be 
contented  with  this  abnormal  condition;  it  could 
not  be  but  that  He  should  desire  its  cessation  and 
feel  it  to  be  such  joy  as  He  told  His  disciples, 
scarcely  a  brief  half  hour  before  this,  they  should 
rejoice  in  on  His  account  (see  on  ch.  xiv.  28).  But 
the  wonder  of  this  restoration  of  the  glory  wliich 
He  had  with  the  Father  before  all  time  is,  that  it 
was  to  be  in  our  nature.  His  Divine  glory  as  the 
Only  begotte  i  of  the  Father  was  never  lost,  and 
could  not  be  parted  with ;  it  ^A'as  inalienable  and 
essential.  But  during  the  days  of  His  flesh  it  was 
shrouded  from  human  view  ;  it  was  not  externally 
manifested ;  in  respect  of  it,  He  restrained  Him- 
self. And  what  He  now  asks  is,  that  this  veil 
might  be  removed  from  Him  as  the  Incarnate  One, 
and  that  as  the  risen  and  ascended  Reiiresentative 
of  Humanity — the  Second  Adam — He  might  be  in- 


Temetipsum,    as  the    Vulgate,   Calvin,   and  i^e^a^. 'vested  and  manifested  in  the  glory  which  He  had 


with  the  Father  before  the  world  \Aas.     Trans- 
porting thought ! 

Jeszcs  Prays  -more  immediately  for  the  Eleven 
(6-19).  6.  I  have  manifested  ['T^fpavepuxxal—'l 
manifested'  thy  name  —'Thy  whole  revealed  char- 
acter towards    maulind,'  unto   the  men  vrhich 


The  Intercessory 


JOHN  XVII. 


P 


rayer. 


7  have  kept  tliy  word.     Now  they  have  known  that  all  things  whatsoever 

8  thou  hast  given  me  are  of  thee.  For  I  have  given  unto  them  the 
words  -which  thou  gavest  me;  and  they  have  received  them,  and  have 
known  surely  that  I  came  out  from  thee,  and  they  have  believed  that 

9  thou  didst  send  me.     I  pray  for  them:  ^I  pray  not  for  the  world,  but 

10  for   them  wdiich   thou   hast   given  me;    for  they  are  thine.      And  *all 

1 1  mine  are  thine,  and  thine  are  mine ;  and  I  am  glorified  in  them.  And 
now  I  am  no  more  in  the  world,  but  these  are  in  the  vrorld,  and  I  come 
to  thee.     Holy  Father,  ^keep  through  thine  own  name  those  whom  thou 

12  hast  given  me,  that  they  may  be  one,  ■^"as  we  are.  While  I  was  with 
them  in  the  world,  I  ^  kept  them  in  thy  name :  those  that  thou  gavest 
me  I  have  kept,  and  'none  of  them  is  lost,  '"but  the  son  of  perdition; 

1 3  "  tliat  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled.  And  now  come  I  to_  thee ;  and 
these  things  I  speak  in  the  world,  that  they  might  have  my  joy  fulfilled 
in  themselves. 


A.  D   33. 
"  iJohno.i'j. 
''  ch.  10.  30. 

ch.  16.  14. 

Eom  8  30. 

1  Cor.  3.  21. 

Col.  1.  15. 
«  1  ret.  1.  5. 
3  ch  10.  30. 
*  ch   6.  39. 

ch.  10.  28. 

Heb.  2.  13. 
(  Luke  4.  26. 

ch   18.  9. 

1  John  2. 10. 
"'ch   13.  18. 

1  Thes.  2.  3. 
"  Ps.  loa.  8. 

Acts  1.  20. 


thou  gavest  [ceooj/casj — 'liast  given'  me  out  of 
the  world.  He  had  said  to  them  in  the  foregoing 
Discourse,  "I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  workl" 
(ch.  XV.  19).  Here  He  says  the  Father  had  first 
j^'iven  them  to  Him  out  of  the  world  ;  and  it  was  in 
]>ursuauce  of  that  gift  from  everlasting  that  He  in 
time  made  that  c 'loke  of  them,  thine  they  were— 
as  the  sovereign  Lord  and  Proprietor  of  all  flesh 
(r.  2),  and  thou  gavest  them  me— as  the  Incarnate 
Son  and  Saviour,  to  be  themselves  separated  from 
the  world  and  saved,  in  the  first  instance  (accord- 
ing to  the  principles  of  ch.  vi.  37-40),  and  then  to 
be  separated  to  the  high  office  of  gathering  in 
others  ;  and  they  have  kept  thy  vr ord— retained 
it  (Luke  viii.  15) ;  not  taking  it  up  superficially, 
as  multitudes  did,  only  to  abandon  it  when  they 
saw  whither  it  would  lead  them,  but  forsaking  all 
for  it.  7.  Now  they  have  known  that  all  things 
whatsoever  thou  hast  given  me  are  of  thee.  8. 
For  I  have  given  unto  them  the  words  which 
thou  gavest— '  ha.st  given'  me;  and  they  have 
received  them,  and  have  known  surely  that  I 
came  out  from  thee,  and  they  have  believed 
that  thou  didst  send  nie  ['•iXaliou—'iyvMyav — 
t7rt'(TT6i)<raj/]  —  'they  received  them,  and  knew 
.«urely  that  I  came  out  from  Thee;  and  believed 
that  Thou  didst  send  Me;'  referring  doubtless  to 
tiieir  own  explicit  declaration,  but  a  little  before, 
'"Now  arewesiire" — 'Now  know  we' — "that Thou 
knowest  all  things :  by  this  we  believe  that  Thou 
camest  forth  from  God"  (ch.  xvi.  30).  How  be- 
nignant is  this  acknowledgment  of  the  feeble  faith 
of  those  infantile  believers!  Yet  unless  it  had 
been  genuine,  and  He  had  seen  in  it  the  germ  of 
noblest  faith  afterwards  to  be  displayed,  He  had 
not  so  spoken  of  it.  9.  I  pray  for  them— not  here 
as  apostles,  but  as  the  following  words  show,  as 
the  representatives  of  those  "chosen  out  of  the 
world:"  I  pray  not  for  the  world— for  the  things 
sought  for  them  were  totally  inapplicable  to  the 
world.  Not  that  the  indiriduals  composing  the 
world  were  shut  out  from  Christ's  compassions  (see 
the  last  clause  of  i\  21),  or  ought  to  be  shut  out 
from  ours  ;  but  they  come  within  the  sphere  of  this 
prayer  only  by  "being  chosen  out  of  tlie  tvorld." 
tout  for  them  which  thou  hast  given  me;  for 
they  are  thine.  He  had  just  said  that  the  Father 
"gave  them  to  Him ;"  but  here  He  says  they  were 
the  Fathers  still,  for  the  Father  did  not  give  them 
out  of  His  own  hands  in  committing  them  to  the 
Son's.  See  on  ch.  x.  28-30.  Accordingly  He 
adds,    10.   And  all  mine   are  thine,  and  thine 

are  mine  [ra  'E/xa  2a  earTiv,  Kal  Ta  Sd  'Ejua] — 
'  And  all  things  that  are  Mine  are  Thine,  and  Thy 
things  are  Mine.'    Absolute  community  of  pro- 

fEliXy   BETWEEN   THE    F.\THER    AND    THE    SoN    XS 

431 


here  expressed  as  nakedly  as  words  could  do  it. 
and  I  am  glorified  in  them.  11.  And  [now]  I  am 
no  more  in  the  world,  but  these  are  in  the 
world,  and  I  come  to  thee.  '  Though  ISIy  strug- 
gles are  at  an  end,  theirs  are  not:  though  I  have 
gotten  beyond  the  scene  of  strife,  I  cannot 
sever  Myself  in  sinrit  from  them,  left  behind, 
and  only  just  entering  on  their  great  conflict.' 
Holy  Father— an  expression  He  nowhere  else  uses. 
"Father"  is  His  wonted  appellation,  but  ''hob/" 
is  here  prefixed,  because  His  appeal  Avas  to  that 
perfection  of  the  Father's  nature,  to  "keep"  or 
preserve  them  from  being  tainted  by  the  unholy 
atmosiihere  of  "the  world"  they  were  still  in. 
keep  through  thine  own  name  [en  tw  ouoixuti 
o-ov] — rather,  in  'Thy  name;'  in  the  exercise  of 
that  gracious  and  holv  character  which,  as  re- 
vealed, is  the  "name''  by  which  God  is  known 
to  men.  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me.  The 
true  reading  clearly  is  '  what  thou  hast  given  me' 
[ttT,  instead  of  oiW].  So  Lachmann,  Tischendorf, 
aiid  Treijelles,  with  whom  the  best  critics  concur. 
that  they  may  be  one,  as  we  are.  See  on  r.  21. 
12.  While  I  was  with  them  in  the  world,  I  kept 
them  in  thy  name—'  lin-eserved  them  from  defec- 
tion through  the  revelation  to  their  souls  of  that 
"  grace  and  truth"  of  Thine  which,  whenever  they 
were  staggered  and  ready  to  give  way,  held  them 
fast.'  those  that  thou  gavest  me  I  have  kept— 
'Those  whom  Thou  hast  given  JSIe  I  kept'  or 
'guarded'  [leoMKai—ifj^Xala],  and  none— '  not 
one'  of  them  is  lost,  but  the  son  of  perdition. 
If  we  take  the  expressions,  "children  of  this 
world,"  "child  of  the  devil,"  "the  man  of 
sin,"  "children  of  light,"  "children  of  Zion," 
to  mean  men  who  have  in  them  tlie  nature  of  the 
things  mentioned  as  their  proper  character,  then, 
"the  son  of  perdition"  must  mean  'he  who  not 
only  is  doomed  to,  but  has  the  materials  of  perdi- 
tion already  in  his  character.'  So  we  are  to  un- 
derstand the  ex])ression  "children  of  wrath" 
(Eph.  ii.  3).  that  the  Scripture  might  be  ful- 
mied  (Ps.  Ixix.  25;  cix.  S;  Acts  L  16,  20).  The 
phrase  'not  one  hut  (or  'but  only')  the  son  cf 
perdition'  [el  m'';]  is  used  in  the  same  sense  as  in 
Luke  iv.  20,  27  (on  which  see).  '  It  is  not  implied,' 
as  Webster  and  Wilkinson  correctly  observe,  '  that 
Judas  was  one  of  those  whom  the  Father  had 
given  to  the  Son,  but  rather  the  contrary.  See  ch. 
xiii.  18.'  13.  And  now  [NCy  oe|— 'Butnow'  come 
I  to  thee.  Hehad  just  said  this  before;  but  He 
loves  to  say  it  again,  the  yearning  of  His  whole 
soul  after  the  Father  thus  finding  natural  rehef. 
and  these  things  I  speak  in  the  world,  that  they 
might  have  my  joy  fulfilled  in  themselves— 
'  Such  a  strain  befits  rather  the  upper  sanctuary 


The  Intercessory 


JOHN  XVII. 


Prayer. 


14  I   have   given  them    thy  -word;  "and  the  world  hath   hated   them, 

15  because  they  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world.     I 
pray  not  that  thou  shouldest  take  them   out  of  the  world,  but  ^that 

16  thou  shouldest  keep  them  from  the  evil.     They   are  not  of  the  world, 

17  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world.     Sanctify  ^them  through  thy  truth:  thy 

18  word  is  truth.     As  thou  hast  sent  me  into  the  world,  even  so  have  I 

19  also  sent  them  into  the  world.     And  '"for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself, 
that  they  also  might  be  ^sanctified  through  the  truth. 


A.  D.  33. 


»  iJohn3.i3. 
P  Gal.  1.  4. 

2  Thea.  3.  3. 

1  John  5,  IS. 
9  Acts  15.  9. 

Eph.  5.  26. 
'■  1  Cor.  1.  30. 
1  Or,  truly 

sanctified 


than  the  scene  of  conflict;  but  I  speak  so  "i?i  the 
loorld"  that  My  joy,  the  joy  I  experience  in 
knowing  that  such  intercessions  are  to  be  made 
for  them  by  their  absent  Lord,  may  be  tasted  by 
those  who  now  hear  them,  and  by  all  who  shall 
hereafter  read  the  record  of  them.'  See  on  ch.  xv. 
11;  only  here  the  ;7;-ow?ic^  of  that  joy  seems  more 
comprehensive  than  there. 

14.  I  have  given  them  thy  word  ;  and  the  world 
hath  hated  them  [e/xto-jjo-ej/] — 'the  world  hated 
them,'  because  they  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as 
I  am  not  of  the  world.  See  on  ch.  xv.  18-21.  15. 
I  pray  not  that  thou  shouldest  take  them  out  of 
the  world — for  that,  though  it  would  secure  their 
own  safety,  would  leave  the  world  unblessed  by 
their  testimony ;  but  that  thou  keep  them  from 
the  evil  [eK-rov  irovnpou^—ov  'from  evil;'  all  evil 
in  and  of  the  worlcL  The  translation  'from  the 
evil  one'  is  to  be  rejected  here,  as  not  suiting  the 
comprehensiveness  of  these  petitions.  See  also,  in 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  on  Matt.  \i.  13.  16.  They  are 
not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world. 
See  on  vv.  6-9;  and  on  ch.  xv.  IS,  19.  This  is  re- 
iterated here  to  pave  the  way  for  the  prayer  which 
follows :  17.  Sanctify  them  through  [ej/]— or  '  in ' 
thy  truth :  thy  word  Is  truth.  Principles  of  vast 
importance  are  here  expressed-  _  Observe,  first, 
the  connection  between  this  petition  and  that  of  v. 
15.  As  that  was  «ei7o;u-e—" Keep  them" — asking 
protection  for  them  from  the  poisonous  element 
which  surrounded  and  pressed  vxpon  their  renewed 
nature;  so  this  prayer — "  Scmctifij  them  "—is  posi- 
tive, asking  the  advancement  and  completion  of 
their  begun  sanctification.  _  Observe,  next,  the 
viediiim  or  element  of  sanctification.  All  sancti- 
fication is  represented  as  the  fruit  of  truth;  not 
truth  in  general,  but  what  is  called  distinctively 
"God's  truth,"  or  'Christ's  Father's  truth:'  in 
other  words,  not  only  religious  truth— as  dis- 
tinguished from  all  other  truth,  physical  or 
metaphysical — but  His  revealed  truth.  Accord- 
ingly, as  if  to  make  this  more  clear — for  the 
sake  of  those  who  listened  to  this  prayer,  and 
as  many  as  should  have  it  brought  Avithin  their 
reach  throughout  all  time— He  defines  what  He 
means  by  "Thy  truth,"  adding  that  important 
clause,  "  Thij  word  is  truth."  But  what,  it  may 
be  asked,  is  specifically  meant  by  "Thy  word?" 
This  he  had  already  explained  in  v.  14,  "I  have 
given  them  Thy  word;  and  the  world  hath  hated 
them,  because  they  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as 
I  am  not  of  the  world. "  And  in  a  previous  verse 
(S),  "  I  have  given  unto  them  the  words  which 
Thou  gavest  Me,  and  they  have  received  them," 
&c.  The  whole  of  His  own  teaching,  then,  as  an 
express  communication  from  the  Father,  throiigh 
the  Faithful  and  True  Witness,  was  that  "  word 
of  truth"  through  which  He  i)rays  that  they 
might  be  sanctified.  It  had  fetched  them  iu 
ali-eady  (ch.  xv.  3).  But  they  had  not  done  with 
it  when  it  ceased  to  drop  upon  their  ear  from  those 
Lips  into  which  grace  was  pourecL  Nay,  it  was 
only  when  He  "  went  unto  His  Father,  and  they 
saw  Him  no  more,"  tliat  it  was,  through  the 
ITomised  teaching  of  the  Spii'it,  to  take  its  full 
432 


"sanctifying"  effect  upon  them.  For  then  only 
was  it  seen  and  felt  to  be  but  the  fulness  of  all  the 
Old  Testament  revelations,  the  perfection  of  all 
gracious  communications  from  God  to  men, 
"  spoken  unto  us  in  tliese  last  days  by  His  own 
Son,"  and  the  substance  of  all  that  was  to  be  \\a- 
folded  in  detail  by  His  apostles  in  their  preaching 
and  by  their  writings  for  all  time.  (Eph.  i.  13; 
Col.  i.  5. )  _  Accordinglj^  just  before  His  ascension, 
He  commissioned  these  same  faithful  Eleven,  as 
the  rejiresentatives  of  His  ministering  servants  in 
every  succeeding  age,  to  teach  the  baptized  dis- 
ciples to  "observe  all  things  whatsoever  He  had 
commanded  them" — not  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
divine  truth  except  that  contained  in  the  Gospels, 
but  as  comprehensive  of  all  revealed,  saving  truth. 
(See  on  Matt,  xxviii.  16-20,  Remark  3  at  the  close 
of  that  Section.)  But  one  other  thing  here  must 
not  lie  passed  over.  While  our  Lord  holds  promi- 
nently forth  the  ordained  viedium  or  element  of 
sanctification — God's  word  of  truth — He  ascribes 
the  sanctification  which  is  thereby  wTOught  en- 
tirely to  God  Himself,  saying  to  His  Father, 
"Sanctify  Tliou  them."  Great  princix)les  these 
in  the  divine  economy  of  salvation,  which  cannot 
be  too  constantly  and  vividly  i^resent  to  the  minds 
of  believers,  and  especially  of  ministers.  18.  As 
thou  hast  sent — 'sentest'  me  into  the  world,  even 
so  have  I  also  sent  — '  sent  I  also'  them  into  the 
world.  As  their  mission  was  designed  for  no 
other  end  than  to  carry  into  eifect  the  purpose  of 
His  own  mission  into  the  world,  so  He  speaks  of 
the  authority  by  which  He  was  sending  them  into 
the  world  as  but  an  extension  of  the  same  authority 
by  which  Himself  was  sent  of  the  Father.  As  He 
was  the  Father's  Ambassador  and  Agent,  so  were 
they  to  be  His.  Nay,  He  represents  them  as 
already  sent,  just  as  He  represents  His  own  per- 
sonal work  on  earth  as  ab-eady  at  an  end ;  and 
what  His  soul  is  now  filled  with  and  looking  for- 
ward to  is  the  coming  fruit  of  that  work,  the 
travail  of  His  soul,  and  His  satisfaction  therein. 
19.  And  for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself,  that 
they  also  might— or  'may'  be  sanctified  through 
the  truth  [ev  a\.i]Qeia'\ — 'in  the  truth,'  or  'in 
truth.'  As  the  article  is  av anting  in  the  original, 
we  may  translate,  as  in  the  margin,  'that  they 
also  may  be  truly  sanctified,'  in  contrast  with 
those  ritual  sanctifications  with  which  as  Jews 
they  were  so  familiar.  So  C'hri/sostom,  Luther, 
Calvin,  Beza,  Bengel,  Meyer.  But  since,  in  2 
John  3,  and  3  John  3,  4,  the  beloved  disciple 
speaks  of  "walking  in  [the]  truth,"  without  the 
article— meaning  certainly  not  '  walking  truly,' 
but  'walking  in  the  truth  of  the  Gospel' — it  is 
much  better  to  understand  our  Lord  to  refer  here 
to  that  same  truth  of  which  he  had  spoken  in  v. 
17  as  the  element  or  medium  of  all  sanctification. 
So  Erasmus,  Liiche,  Tholuck,  Alford,  Lange.  'The 
only  ditt'erence,'  says  Olshausen  excellently,  'be- 
tween the  aiiplication  of  the  same  tenn  (sanctify) 
to  Christ  and  the  disciples  is  that,  as  applied  to 
Christ,  it  means  only  to  consecrate ;  whereas  in  ap- 
plication to  the  disciples,  it  means  to  consecrate 
A^dth  the additiona'.  idea  of  previous  sanctification, 


The  Intercessory 


JOHN  XVII. 


Prayer 


20  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  ^also  which  shall  believe 

21  on   me   through  their   word;    that  Hhey  all  may  be   one;  as  ^'thou, 
Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us :  that 


A.  D.  33. 


'  Acts  2.  41. 
«  Rom.  12.  5. 
"  Ch.  10.  38. 


since  nothing  but  what  is  holy  can  be  presented  as 
an  offering.  The  whole  self-sacriticing  work  of 
the  disciples  appears  here  as  a  mere  result  of  the 
offering  of  Christ.'  But  it  should  be  added,  in 
further  illustration  of  the  vast  difference  between 
the  sanctification  of  the  Master  and  that  of  the 
servants,  that  He  does  not  say,  '  I  sanctify  Myself 
throiLgh  the  truth,^  but  simply,  "  I  sanctify  My- 
self," that  is,  '  set  Myself  apart  by  Self-consecra- 
tion;' and  while  He  says  of  His  own  sanctification 
that  it  was  "/o?*  their  sakes"  He  does  not  say  that 
they  were  to  be  sanctified  for  others'  sakes — 
though  that,  in  a  certain  inferior  and  not  unim- 
portant sense,  is  true  enough — but  simply,  "  that 
they  also  might  be  sanctified  through  the  truth." 
Thus,  in  language  which  brings  His  people  into 
the  nearest  and  most  blessed  conjunction  with 
Himseif— in  a  common  sanctification — does  Jesus, 
by  sharpest  lines  of  demarcation,  distinguish 
between  Himself  and  them  in  that  sanctification. 

Jesus  Prays  for  all  that  should  ever  Believe  on 
Him  (20-24).     20.  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone 

[Oil   7r6|0t    TOVTwu    C€    eptoTU)    fxovov] — '  Yet    not    for 

these  alone  do  I  pray,'  but  for  them  also  which 
shall  believe  on  me.  The  true  reading  here  is  one 
we  should  not  have  expected — '  for  them  which 
believe  on  me'  IprLaTevovTuiv — not  "TnaTevcrovTwu]. 
But  the  evidence  in  its  favour  is  decisive,  while  the 
received  reading  has  but  feeble  sui^port.  Of  course, 
the  sense  is  the  same;  but  this  readiug  exhibits 
the  whole  company  of  believers  as  already  before 
the  eye  of  Jesus  in  that  character — a  present  mul- 
titude already  brought  in  and  filling  His  mighty 
soul  \\\i\\  a  Bedeemer's  "  satisfaction."  How 
striking  is  it,  that  while  all  future  time  is  here 
viewed  as  ^jreseni,  the  present  is  viewed  as  "past 
and  gone !  through  their  word.  The  Eleven  are 
now  regarded  as  the  carriers  of  the  glad  tidings  of  His 
salvation  "  to  every  creature;"  but  of  course,  only 
as  the  first  of  a  race  of  preachers,  whose  sound 
was  to  go  into  all  the  earth,  and  their  words  unto 
the  ends  of  the  world ;  whose  beautiful  feet  upon 
the  mountains,  as  they  carried  the  news  of  salva- 
tion from  land  to  land,  were  hailed  even  by  the 
evangelical  prophet  (Tsa.  lii.  7).  21.  That  they  all 
may  be  one  [ey]— 'one  thing;'  as  thou,  Father, 
art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be 
one  [ei']— '  one  thing '  in  us :  that  the  world  may 
believe  that  thou  hast  sent— 'sentest'  me.  No 
language  which  we  at  present  have  can  adequately 
express  the  full  import  of  these  wonderful  words, 
nor  can  any  heart  here  below  completely  conceive 
it.  But  the  tliree  great  unities  here  brought  be- 
fore us  may  be  pointed  out.  First  in  order  is  the 
Unity  of  the  Father  and  the  Son— "as  Thou, 
Father,  art  in  Me,  and  I  in  Thee :"  next,  the  as- 
sumption of  all  believers  into  that  Unity,  thus 
constituting  a  new  Unity — "that  they  also  may 
be  one  in  Us :"  Finally,  and  as  the  consequence  of 
this,  the  Unity  of  all  believers  amongst  them- 
selves—"that  they  all  may  be  one,"  that  is, 
amongst  themselves.  Had  our  Lord  been  here 
speaking  of  the  absolute  or  essential  unity  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son  in  the  Godhead,  He  could  not 
have  prayed  that  believers  might  be  taken  into 
that  XJnity.  But  we  have  already  seen  (on  ch. 
X.  30,  where  the  very  same  remarkable  expression 
is  used),  what  He  meant  by  the  Father  and  Him- 
self being  "one  thing"  [ei-].  Th^y  have  all  in 
C07nvion,  They  have  mie  interest— in  the  Kingdom 
of  Grace,  the  salvation  of  sinners,  the  recovery  of 
Adam's  family.  Oneness  of  essence  is  the  manifest 
453 


basis  of  this  community  of  interest,  as  only  on  that 
principle  would  the  language  be  endurable  from 
Human  Lips.  But  the  oneness  here  meant  is 
'oneness  in  thought,  feeling,  ijurpose,  action, 
interest,  property — in  the  things  of  salvation.' 
And  it  is  into  tins  Unity  that  Jesus  prays  that 
all  believers  may  be  taken  up ;  so  as  to  become  one 
with  the  Father  and  the  Son  spirituaU//,  yet  really 
for  all  the  purposes  of  salvation  and  gloiy.  This 
explanation  makes  it  easy  to  see  what  is  meant  by 
the  first  petition,  that  "  all  believers  may  be  one." 
It  is  not  mere  unity — whether  in  a  vast  common 
external  organization,  or  even  in  internal  judgment 
and  feeling  about  religious  matters.  It  is  oneness 
in  the  Unity  of  the  Father  and  the  Son — "that 
they  also  may  be  one  ix  Us " — in  the  matters  of 
Grace  and  Salvation.  Thus,  it  is  a  union  in  spirit- 
ual life;  a  union  in  faith  on  a  common  Saviour,  in 
love  to  His  blessed  name,  in  hope  of  His  glorious 
appearing:  a  union  brought  about  by  the  teaching, 
quickening,  and  indwelling  of  the  one  Spirit  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son  in  all  alike ;  in  virtue  of  which 
they  have  all  one  common  character  and  interest- 
in  freedom  from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  Sa,tan,  in 
separation  from  this  present  evil  w^orld,  in  con- 
secration to  the  service  of  Christ  and  the  glory  of 
God,  in  witnessing  for  truth  and  righteousness  on 
the  earth,  in  iiarticipation  of  all  spiritual  blessings 
in  Christ  Jesus.  But  one  other  thing  remains  to 
be  noticed  in  this  great  iprayer — "that  the  world 
may  believe  that  Thou  didst  send  Me."  This 
shows  clearly  that  the  Unity  of  believers  amongst 
themselves  was  meant  to  be  such  as  would  have 
an  outstanding,  visible  manifestation — such  as  the 
vast  outlying  world  might  be  able  to  recognize,  and 
should  be  constrained  to  own  as  the  work  of  God. 
Thus,  the  grand  impression  upon  the  world  at 
large,  that  the  mission  of  Christ  is  Divine,  is  to  be 
produced  by  the  manifested,  undeniable  Unittj  of 
His  disciples  in  spiritual  life,  love,  and  holiness. 
It  is  not  a  merely  formal,  mechanical  unity  of 
ecclesiastical  machinery.  For  as  that  may,  and 
to  a  large  extent  does,  exist  in  both  the  Western 
and  Eastern  Churches,  with  little  of  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  yea  much,  much  with  which  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  cannot  dwell,  so,  instead  of  convincing  the 
world  beyond  its  own  pale  of  the  divinity  of  the 
Gospel,  it  generates  infidelity  to  a  large  extent 
within  its  own  bosom.  But  the  Spirit  of  Christ, 
illuminating,  transforming,  and  reigning  in  the 
hearts  of  the  genuine  disciples  of  Christ,  drawing 
them  to  each  other  as  members  of  one  family,  and 
prompting  them  to  loving  co-operation  for  the  good 
of  the  world— this  is  what,  when  sufficiently  glow- 
ing and  extended,  shall  force  conviction  upon  the 
world  that  Christianity  is  divine.  Doubtless,  the 
more  that  differences  among  Christians  disappear 
— the  more  they  can  agree  even  in  minor  matters 
— the  impression  upon  the  world  may  be  expected 
to  be  greater.  But  it  is  not  altogether  dependent 
upon  this ;  for  living  and  loving  oneness  in  Christ 
is  sometimes  more  tonchingly  seen  even  amidst 
and  in  spite  of  minor  differences,  than  where  no 
such  differences  exist  to  try  the  strength  of  their 
deeper  unity.  Yet  till  this  hving  brotherhood  in 
Christ  shall  show  itself  strong  enough  to  destroy 
the  sectarianism,  selfishness,  carnality,  and  apathy 
that  eat  out  the  heart  of  Christianity  in  all  the 
visible  sections  of  it,  in  vain  shall  we  expect  the 
world  to  be  overawed  by  it.  It  is  when  "the 
Spirit  shall  be  poured  upon  us  from  on  high,'  as 
a  Spii'it  of  truth  and  love,  and  upon  all  parts  of 


The  Intercessory 


JOHN  XVII. 


Prayer. 


22  the  world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  rue.  And  the  glory  which 
thou  gavest  me  I  have  given  them;  "that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we 

23  are  one:  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  '"tliat  they  may  be  made  ^perfect 
in  one;  and  that  the  world  may  know  that  thou  hast  sent  me,  and 
hast  loved  them,  as  thou  hast  loved  me. 


V 

1  John 

.3. 

1  John 

3. 

21. 

(ol  3.  14. 

» 

Heb.  12. 

n. 

the  Christian  territory  alike,  melting  down  differ- 
ences and  heart-buroiiigs,  kindling  astonishment 
and  shame  at  past  iiufniitfulness,  drawing  forth 
longings  of  catholic  affection,  and  yearnings  over  a 
world  lying  in  wickedness,  embodying  themselves 
in  palpable  forms  and  active  measures— it  is  then 
that  we  may  expect  the  effect  here  r.nnonnced  to 
be  produced,  and  then  it  will  be  iri'esistible.  22. 
And  tlie  glory  which  thou  gavest— 'hast  given' 
me  I  have  given  them;  that  they  may  be  one, 
even  as  we  are  one.  This  verse  is  to  be  viewed 
as  the  proi)er  complement  of  the  former  one.  Our 
Lord  had  prayed  that  those  who  believed  on  Him 
mi.^ht  be  one,  and  one  in  the  Unity  of  the  Father 
and  the  Son.  But  what  {/rounds  were  there  for 
expecting  such  a  thin.g,  or  rather,  what  materials 
existed  for  bringing  it  about  ?  The  answer  to 
that  question  is  what  we  have  in  the  present 
verse.  "In  order,"  says  Jesus,  "that  they  ma!/ 
be  one,  even  as  We  are  one,  I  have  given  unto 
them  the  glory  wliich  Thou  hasfc  given  unto 
Me."  The  glory,  then,  here  meant  is  all  that 
which  Jesus  received  from  the  Father  as  the  In- 
carnate Redeemer  and  Head  of  His  people— the 
glory  of  a  Perfect  Acce\)tance  as  the  8])otless 
Lamb— the  glory  of  Free  Access  to  the  Father  and 
Right  to  be  Heard  always— the  glory  of  the  Spirit's 
Indwelling  and  Sanctiticatiou—  the  glory  of  Divine 
Support  and  Victory  over  sin,  death,  and  hell — the 
glory  of  tiually  inheriting  all  things.  This  glory, 
Jesus  says  not,  '  I  vnlL  give,'  but  "  I  have  given 
them ;"  thus  teaching  us  that  this  glory  is  the 
jiresent  heritage  of  all  that  believe,  and  the  divine 
provision  —  the  heaveu-provided  furniture  —  for 
their  attaining  even  here  to  that  exalted  Unity 
amongst  themselves  which  would  stami)  the  mis- 
sion of  their  Lord  as  Divine  even  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world.  23.  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  that 
they  may  be  made  perfect  in  one  [tis  ev\ — 'into 
one  [thing] ;'  and  that  the  world  may  know  that 
thou  hast  sent—'  didst  send'  me,  and  hast  loved 
them,  as  thou  hast  loved  me  [dTre'orxci-Vas— //ya-n-- 
i/CT-as] — 'and  lovedst  them  even  as  Thou  lovedst 
Me.'  Everything  in  this  verse,  save  the  last 
clause,  had  been  substantially  said  liefore.  But 
while  the  reiteration  adds  weight  to  the  wonderful 
sentiment,  the  variation  in  the  way  of  putting  it 
throws  additional  light  on  a  subject  on  which  all 
the  light  afforded  us  is  unspeakably  precious. 
Before,  the  oneness  of  Ijelievers  was  said  to  be 
simply  'in  the  Father  and  the  Son.'  Here,  a 
certain  arrangement  of  the  steps,  if  we  may  so 
speak,  is  indicated.  First  in  order  is  the  Father's 
indwelling  in  the  Son,  by  His  Spirit — "  Thou  in 
Me ; "  next,  the  Son's  indwelling  in  believers  by 
the  same  Spirit — "I  in  them:"  only  "God.giveth 
not  His  Spii'it  by  measure  unto  the  Son"  (ch. 
iii.  34),  but  "  anointeth  Him  with  the  oil  of  glad- 
ness above  His  fellows"  (Ps.  xlv.  7),  because  it  is 
His  of  right,  as  the  Sou  and  the  Righteous  One  in 
our  nature.  Thus  is  provision  made  for  "their 
being  made  perfect  into  one,"  or  wrought  into  a 
glorious  Unity,  only  reflecting  the  Higher  Divine 
Unity.  We  have  said  that  the  last  clause  of 
this  verse  is  the  only  part  of  it  which  had  not 
been  expressed  before ;  nor  had  such  an  astonish- 
ing word  been  ever  uttered  before  by  the  Lord 
Jeaus:  "  that  the  world  may  know  that  thou  .  . 
LOVEDST    THEM    EVEN    AS    ThOU     LOVEDST    Me." 

4&4 


In  much  that  He  had  before  said  this  was  impVwl; 
but  never  till  now  was  it  actually  expressed. 
Here,  again,  it  is  not  the  essential  love  of  the  So;i 
by  the  Father,  in  their  eternal  Divine  Personality, 
that  Jesus  here  speaks  of ;  fur  with  that  no  creature 
may  intermeddle.  It  is  the  Fathers  lure  of Hh 
Incarnate  Son,  as  Head  of  His  redeenitd,  that  i.5 
meant — ravishing  the  Father's  eye  with  the  beauty 
of  a  divine  cliaracter,  a  iierfect  righteousness,  a 
glorious  satisfaction  for  sin  in  our  nature.  This 
complacency  of  the  Father  in  the  Son  passes  over 
to  and  rests  U])on  all  that  believe  in  the  Son ;  (,r 
rather  it  descends  from  and  penetrates  through  the 
Head  to  all  the  members  of  that  living  Unity 
which  is  made  up  of  Him  and  them— "'like  the 
precious  ointment  upon  the  head,  that  ran  dow  n 
njion  the  beard,  even  Aaron's  beard;  that  went 
down  to  the  skirts  of  his  ganueuts ;  as  the  dew 
that  descended  upon  the  mountains  of  Zion:  for 
there  the  Lord  commanded  the  l>lessing,  even 
life  for  evermore"  (Ps.  cxxxiii.  2,  3).  But  though 
we  should  suppose  that  of  all  things  this  was  the 
most  inrisiUe  to  the  world,  yet  it  seems  that  even 
the  conviction  of  this  was  in  some  sense  to  be  im- 
pressed n])on  the  world:  "that  the  world  may 
know  that  Thou  hast  loved  them,  as  Thou  hast 
loved  Me."  Of  course  this  could  only  be  by  its 
effects:  nor  can  even  these  be  expected  to  convince 
the  world  that  the  Father's  love  to  believers  is  the 
same  as  His  love  to  His  own  Sou,  in  any  but  a 
very  general  sense,  so  long  as  it  remains  "the 
world."  But  it  would  have  a  double  effect:  it 
would  inspire  the  world,  even  as  such,  with  a  con- 
viction, which  they  would  be  unable  to  resist  and 
could  ill  conceal,  that  Christ  and  Christians  are 
alike  of  God  and  owned  of  God ;  and  that  convic- 
tion, going  deeper  down  into  the  hearts  of  some, 
would  ripen  into  a  surrender  of  themselves,  as 
willing  captives,  to  that  love  Divine  which  sent 
through  the  Sou  salvation  to  a  lost  world. 

24.  Father,  I  will  [Oe\a)]  that  they  also  whom 
thou  hast  given  me.  [The  reading  '6  here,  instead 
of  ov's  of  the  received  text—'  that  that  also  which 
Thou  hast  given  Me'  —  which  Tiscliendorf  and 
TregeUes  have  adopted,  but  not  Lachmann—iri 
insufficiently  suppoited,  as  Ave  judge,  and  to 
1)6  rejected.  1  be  with  me  where  I  am ;  that 
they  may  behold  my  glory,  which  thou  hast 
given  me  [Jowica?] — 'gavest  Me;'  but  the  true 
reading  clearly  is,  'which  Thou  hast  given  Me;' 
[deowKu^] :  for  thou  lovedst  me  before  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world.  Here  our  Lord,  having  ex- 
hausted all  His  desires  for  His  people  which  could 
be  fulfilled  here  below,  stretches  them,  in  this  JJli 
last  petithn,  onwards  to  the  eternal  state.  Let  us 
attend,  tii-st,  to  the  st>/le  of  petition  here  only  em- 
ployed by  our  Lord :  "  1  will."  The  m.ajesty  of  this 
style  of  sjieaking  is  the  first  thing  that  strikes  the 
reverential  reader.  Some  good  expositors,  indeed 
(as  Be::a,  who,  instead  of  the  Volo  of  the  Vulyate, 
renders  it  Velim),  conceive  that  nothing  more  is 
meant  by  this  word  than  a  simple  wi.sh,  desire, 
request ;  and  they  refer  us  in  proof  of  this  to  such 
passages  as  Mark  x.  35;  John  xii.  21,  (Gr.)  But 
such  a  word  from  the  mouth  of  a  creatm'e  cannot 
determine  its  sense,  when  taken  up  into  the  lips  of 
the  Son  of  God.  Thus,  when  He  said  to  the  leper 
(Matt.  viii.  3),  "I  will  [de\w],  be  thou  clean!" 
something  more,  surely,  was  meant  than  a  mere 


The  Intercessor]! 


JOHN  XVII. 


Prayer. 


24  Father,  ^I  will  that  they  also  whom  thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me 
where  I  am ;  that  they  may  behold  my  glory,  whicli  thou  hast  given  me : 

25  for  thou  lovedst  me  before  the  foundation  of  the  world.     0  righteous 


wish  for  his  recovery.  And  such  a  vnll,  we  cannot 
doubt,  was  meant  in  this  prayer  of  the  Son  to  the 
Father,  which  breathes  throughout  the  siiirit  of 
loftiest  unity  with  the  glorious  Olyect  addressed, 
and  of  highest  claim  to  be  heard,  more  particularly 
occurring  as  it  does  in  the  final  petition,  a  petition 
manifestly  designed  to  exhaust  all  that  He  had  to 
ask  in  His  people's  behalf.  'In  vv.  9,  1.5,  20,'  says 
Bengel,  'He  had  said,  "I  pray"  [epfo-ruj,  ro<jo\;  now 
the  language  rises,  and  the  ^^•ord  is  to  be  rendered 
"  I  will ;"  not  by  the  weak  "  I  desire."  Jesus  asks 
in  the  exercise  of  a  right,  and  demands  with  con- 
fidence; as  Son,  not  as  servant  (compare  Ps.  ii.  8).' 
To  the  same  effect  (/e  Welte,  Me.ijer,  Stier,  Al/ord, 
Luthardt,  MV'ster  and  M"dldmf»i,  Laniic.  But 
observe  now  the  two  things  thus  majestically 
asked.  First,  "that  they  also  whom  Thou  hast 
i^iven  Me  l)e  with  Me  where  I  am."  He  had  be- 
fore assured  His  faithful  Eleven,  as  representing 
all  believers,  that  they  should  be  so ;  using  the 
same  form  of  expression  as  here,  "I  will  come 
again,  and  receive  you  unto  Myself,  that  where  I 
am  [oTToi'  eiV'  Eyi],  there  ye  may  be  also"  (see  on 
ch.  xiv.  3).  In  now  askuifj  what  He  had  before 
explicitly  promiied,  the  majestic  authority  of  that 
"I  will"  is  further  revealed.  But  next,  when 
they  have  arrived  where  I  am,  it  is  hnt  in  order 
"that  they  may  behold  My  glory,  which  Thou  hast 
given  Me:  for  Thou  lovedst  Me  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world."  The  glory  here  intended  has  been 
already  explained.  It  is  not  His  essential  glory,  the 
glory  of  His  Divine  Personality,  but  His  glory  as 
the  Incarnate  Head  of  His  people,  the  Second 
Adam  of  a  redeemed  humanity,  in  which  glory 
the  Father  beheld  Him  with  ineffable  complacency 
from  everlasting.  Jesus  regards  it  as  glory  enough 
for  us  to  be  admitted  to  see  and  gaze  for  ever  upon 
this  //is  glory!  This  is  'the  beatific  vision;'  but 
it  shall  be  no  mere  vision— "we  shall  be  like 
Him,  for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is"  (1  John 
iii.  2). 

Here  end  the  petitions  of  this  wonderful  chap- 
ter. In  the  two  concluding  verses  He  just 
breathes  forth  His  reflections  into  His  Fathers 
eai-,  but  doubtless  for  the  benefit  of  those  mortal 
ears  that  were  privileged  to  listen  to  Him,  and  of 
all  who  should  read  it  in  this  priceless  Gospel. 

Concluding  Breathings  forth  of  the  luJiole  past 
Results  of  His  Mission  (ii"),  2<i).  25.  0  righteous 
Father,  the  world  hath  not  known  thee:  but  I 
have  known  thee,  and  these  have  known  that 
thou  hast  sent  me-  oi%  preserving  the  strict  sense 
of  the  tenses,  'the  world  knew  Thee  not,  but  I 
knew  Th'e,  and  these  knew  that  Thou  didst  send 
Me  ; '  all  this  being  regarded  as  past.  '  The  world 
knew  Thee  not.'  Clearly  this  refers  to  its  whole 
treatment  of  "Him  whom  He  had  sent."  Ac- 
cordingly, in  a  jirevious  chapter.  He  says,  "  He 
that  hateth  Me  hateth  My  Father  also;"  "Now 
have  they  both  seen  and  hated  both  Me  and  My 
Father;"  "All  these  things  will  they  do  unto 
you  for  My  name's  sake,  because  tliey  know 
not  Him  that  sent  Me"  (ch.  xv.  2;?,  '24,  21): 
for,  "  had  they  known  it,"  says  the  apostle,  "  they 
would  not  have  crucified  the  Lord  of  Glory"  (1 
Cor.  ii.  8).  Our  Loi-d,  it  will  be  perceived,  utters 
this  with  a  certain  tender  mournfulness,  which  is 
rendered  doubly  affecting  when  He  falls  back,  in 
the  next  words,  upon  tiie  very  different  treat- 
ment which  the  Father  had  received  from  Him- 
self—" The  world  knew  Thee  not,  O  righteous 
Father :  hut  I  knew  Thee!'''  '  While  the  world  was 
455 


showing  its  disregard  of  Thee  in  its  treatment  of 
Him  whom  Thou  hadst  sent,  from  Me  Thou  gatest 
ever  the  glory  due  unto  Thy  name,  0  Lord,  Thou 
kuowest.'  But  Jesus  has  another  source  of  con- 
solation in  the  recognition  of  His  Divine  Mission 
by  "these"  Eleven  that  were  in  that  u])per  room 
with  Him,  in  whom  doubtless  His  eye  beheld  a 
multitude  that  no  man  could  number  of  kindred 
spirits  to  the  end  of  time;  just  as  in  "the  world" 
that  knew  Him  not  He  must  have  seen  the  same 
blinded  world  in  every  age: — "  I  knew  Thee,  and 
these  knew  that  Thou  didst  send  Me."  Once  and 
again  had  He  said  the  same  thing  in  this  prayer. 
But  here  He  introduces  it  for  tlie  last  time  in 
bright  and  cheering  contrast  with  the  dark  ami 
dismal  rejection  of  Him,  and  of  the  Father  in 
Him,  by  the  world.  One  other  thing  deserves 
notice  in  this  verse.  As  before  He  had  said 
"  Holy  Father,"  when  desiring  the  display  of  that 
perfection  on  His  disciples  [r.  11),  so  here  He 
styles  him  "  Righteous  Father,"  because  He  is 
appealing  to  his  righteousness  or  justice,  to  make  a 
distinction  between  those  two  diametrically  op];o- 
site  classes — "  the  world  "  on  the  one  hand,  which 
would  not  know  the  Father,  though  brought  so  nigh 
to  it  in  the  Son  of  His  love,  and,  on  the  other,  Him- 
self, who  recognized  and  owned  Him,  and  along 
with  Him  His  disciples,  who  owned  His  mission 
from  the  Father.  26.  And  I  have  declared  [eyi/w- 
piaa] — 'I  declared'  or  'made  known'  unto  them 
thy  name.  He  had  said  this  variously  before  (rr. 
6,  8,  14,  22);  but  here  He  rejieats  it  for  the  sake  of 
adding  what  follows :  and  will  declare  it— or 
'make  it  known'  [eyvwpia-a — yvii>in<rw].  As  this 
could  not  mean  that  He  was  to  continue  His  own 
Personal  ministry  on  earth,  it  can  refer  only  to  the 
ministry  of  His  apostles  after  His  ascension  "with 
the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven,"  and  of 
all  who  should  succeed  them,  as  ambassadors  of 
Christ  and  ministers  of  reconciliation,  to  the  end 
of  time.  This  ministry — Jesus  here  tells  His 
Father— would  be  but  Himself  continuing  to  make 
known  His  Father's  name  to  men,  or  the  2^rolonga- 
tion  of  His  own  ministry.  How  consolatory  a 
truth  this  to  the  faithful  ministers  of  Jesus,  and 
under  what  a  responsibility  does  it  lay  all  who 
from  their  lips  hear  the  message  of  eternal  life  in 
Christ  Jesus!  that  the  love  wherewith  thou 
hast  loved  [i|ya■^^^(Ta's\ — 'lovedst'  me  may  he  in 
them,  and  I  in  them.  He  had  just  expressed 
His  desire  "that  the  world  may  know  that  Thou 
lovedst  them  as  Thou  lovedst  Me"  (v.  23).  Here 
it  is  the  implantation  and  preservation  of  that 
love  in  His  people's  hearts  tliat  He  speaks  of; 
and  the  way  by  which  this  was  to  be  done.  He 
says,  was  "the  making  known  to  them  of  the 
Father's  name;"  that  is,  the  revelation  of  it  to 
their  souls  by  the  Spirit's  efficacious  scaling  of  the 
Gospel  message— as  He  had  explained  in  ch.  xvi. 
8-15.  This  eternal  love  of  the  Father,  resting 
first  on  Christ,  is  by  His  Spirit  imparted  to  and 
takes  up  its  permanent  abode  in  all  that  believe 
in  Him;  and  "He  abiding  in  them,  and  they  in 
Him"  (ch.  XV.  5),  they  are  "one  Spirit."  'With 
this  lofty  thought,' says  0/s/;aM.sm,  'theEedeemer 
concludes  His  iirayer  for  His  disciples,  and  in 
them  for  His  Church  through  all  ages.  He  has 
compressed  into  the  last  moments  given  Him  for 
conversation  ^vith  His  own  the  most  sublime  and 
glorious  sentiments  ever  uttered  by  mortal  lips. 
But  hardly  has  the  sound  of  the  last  word  died 
away,  when  He  passes  with  the  disciples  over  the 


The  Intercessory 


JOHN  XVII. 


Prayer. 


Father,  Hhe  world  hath  not  known  thee:  but  I  have  known  thee,  and 
26  these  have  known  that  thou  hast  sent  me.     And  I  have  declared  unto 


lJolin5.i9. 


1  rook  Keclron  to  Gethsemane — and  the  bitter  con- 
flict draws  on.  The  seed  of  the  new  world  must 
be  sown  in  Death,  that  thence  Life  may  spring 
up.' 

BemarJcs.  —1.  How  strange  is  the  spiritual  ob- 
tuseness  which  can  imagine  it  possible  that  such  a 
Prayer  should  have  been  2)enn€d  if  it  had  not  lii'st 
been  jtrayed  by  th  e  glorious  One  of  whom  this  Gospel 
is  the  historic  Record !  But  it  is  not  only  the  historic 
reality  of  this  Prayer,  in  the  Life  of  Jesus,  which 
is  seli-evidenciug.  It  throws  a  strong  light  upon 
the  question  of  Inspiration  also,  which  in  this  case 
at  least  must  be  held  to  attach  to  the  lanyuarie  as 
well  as  to  the  thouf/hts  which  it  conveys.  In  such 
a  case,  every  intelligent  reader  must  see  that  apart 
from  the  language  of  this  Prayer,  we  can  have  no 
confidence  that  its  thoughts  are  accurately  con- 
veyed to  lis.  But  who  that  has  any  spiritual 
discernment,  and  any  of  that  spiritual  taste  and 
delicacy  which  constant  dealing  with  Scripture  in 
a  devout  and  loving  spirit  begets,  does  not  feel 
that  the  language  of  this  Prayer  is  all-worthy  of 
the  thoughts  whicli  it  conveys  to  us — worthy  of 
the  Lips  that  poured  forth  this  Prayer :  and  what 
internal  testimony  to  its  inspiration  could  be 
stronger  than  this?  We  are  not  inseusible  to  the 
difEculty  of  explaining  all  the  facts  of  the  Biblical 
language,  considering  it  as  inspired ;  but  let  not 
this  despoil  us  of  what  is  beyond  reasonable  dis- 
pute, as  illustrated  by  the  language  of  this  Di- 
vine Prayer.  Nor  need  we  conmiit  ourselves 
to  the  many  rash  and  at  least  dubious  theories, 
by  which  it  has  been  sought  to  explain  and 
reconcile  acknowledged  difficulties  on  this  sub- 
ject. Sitting  _  loose  to  all  these,  let  us  never- 
theless— planting  our  foot  upon  such  a  Prayer  as 
this — rest  perfectly  assured  tnat  He  of  Whom  the 
Lord-  Jesus  promised  that  He  should  "bring  all 
things  to  their  remembrance,  whatsoever  He  had 
spoken  to  them,"  has  so  guided  the  sacred  penman 
in  the  reproduction  of  this  Prayer  that  we  have  it 
not  only  in  the  substance  and  spirit  of  it,  but  in 
the  for7n  also  in  which  it  was  poured  forth  in  the 
upper  room.  2.  One  feels  it  almost  trifling  to  ask 
again  whether  such  a  Pra.yer  as  this  could  have 
been  uttered  by  a  creature?  But  it  may  not  be 
amiss  to  call  the  reader's  attention  to  the  studious 
care  ivlth  ivhich  Jesus  avoids  mixing  Himself  up 
with  His  disciples  as  He  associates  Himself  with  the 
Father.  "TnouiNME,"He3ays,  "andliNTHEE;" 
and  again,  "  /  in  them,  and  they  in  Us."  This,  we 
think,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  features  in 
tlie  i)hraseology  of  this  chapter ;  and  as  it  has  a 
most  important  bearing  on  the  subject  of  the 
foregoiug  Remark — the  inspiration  attaching  to 
the  language — so  it  is  in  singular  harmony  with 
our  Lord's  manner  of  speaking  on  other  occasions 
(see  on  ch.  iii.  7,  and  Remark  3  at  the  close  of 
that  Section;  and  on  ch.  xx.  17).  3.  Has  Christ, 
in  order  to  give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  the 
Father  hath  given  Him,  obtained  from  the  Father 
"power  over  all  flesh"?  With  confidence,  then, 
may  we  entrust  to  Him  our  eternal  all,  assured 
"  that  He  is  able  to  keep  that  which  we  have  com- 
mitted unto  Him  against  that  day  "  (see  on  2  Tim. 
i.  12).  For  since  His  power  is  not  lunited  to  the 
objects  of  His  saving  operations,  but  extends  to 
"  all  flesh,"  He  can  and  assuredly  will  make  "all 
things  to  work  together  for  the  good  of  them  that 
love  God,  of  them  who  are  the  called  according  to 
Hi.s  pui'posc."  4  How  fixed  are  the  banks  wdthin 
which  the  waters  of  "eternal  life"  flow  to  men: 
"  This  is  life  eternal,  to  know  Thee  the  only  true 
456 


God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  Thon  hast  sent." 
Beyond  this  embankment  the  water  of  life  may 
not  be  sought,  and  ^ill  not  be  found ;  and  the  spu- 
rious liberality  which  would  break  down  this  em- 
bankment is  to  be  eschewed  by  all  to  whom  the 
teaching  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  sacred  and  dear.  5. 
Did  Jesus  yearn  to  "ascend  ui)  where  He  was 
licfore,"  and  be  "glorified  beside  the  Father  with 
the  glory  which  He  had  along  with  Him  before 
the  world  was  "  ?  What  an  affecting  light  does  this 
throw  upon  His  self-saci-ificing  love  to  His  Father 
and  to  men,  in  coming  hither  and  staying  here 
during  all  the  period  of  His  work  in  the  flesh — 
enduring  the  privations  of  life,  the  contradiction 
of  sinners  against  Himself,  the  varied  assaults  of 
the  great  Enemy  of  souls,  the  slowness  of  His 
discijjles'  apprehension  in  spiritual  things,  not 
to  speak  of  the  sight  of  evil  all  around  Him, 
and  the  sense  of  sin  and  the  curse  pressing 
upon  His  si)irit  all  throughout,  and  bringing  Him 
at  length  to  the  accursed  tree!  "Ye  know  the 
grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  though  He  was  rich, 
yet  for  your  sakes  He  became  poor,  that  ye  through 
His  poverty  might  be  rich."  6.  Small  indeed  was 
the  saving  fi-nit  of  Christ's  personal  ministry 
— few  the  souls  that  were  thoroughly  won  to 
Him;  but  those  few— how  dear  were  they  to 
Him,  as  the  representatives  and  pledges  of  a 
mighty  harvest  to  come!  and  how  does  fie  yearn 
over  those  Eleven  faithful  ones,  Avho  represented 
those  that  were  to  gather  His  redeemed  in  all 
time!  And  will  not  His  faithful  servants 
learn  from  Him  to  value  and  cherish  the  first 
fruits  of  their  labours  in  His  service  —  however 
few  and  humble  they  may  be — according  to  His 
valuation?  7.  Hardly  anything  in  this  prayer  is 
more  remarkable  than  the  much  that  Christ  makes 
in  it  of  the  exceedingly  small  amount  of  light  and 
faitli  to  v/hich  His  most  advanced  disciiiles  had 
up  to  that  time  attained.  But  He  looked  doubt- 
less rather  to  the  frame  of  their  hearts  towards 
Him,  and  the  degree  of  teachableness  they  had, 
than  to  the  extent  of  their  actual  knowledge — to 
their  implicit  rather  than  their  explicit  belief  in 
Him.  The  servants  of  Christ  have  much  to  learn 
from  Him  in  this  matter.  While  mere  general 
goodness  of  heart  is  of  no  saving  value,  a  guile- 
less desire  to  be  taught  of  God,  and  an  honest 
willingness  to  follow  that  teaching  wherever  it 
may  lead  us — which  distinguished  the  Eleven — 
is,  in  the  sight  of  God  and  the  estimation  of  Jesus, 
of  great  price.  It  was  i^recisely  this  which  Jesus 
commended  in  Nathanael,  and  in  this  respect 
they  were  in  eifect  all  Nathanaels.  Is  there  not  a 
tendency  in  some  of  the  servants  of  Christ,  jealous 
for  soundness  in  the  faith,  to  weigh  all  religious 
character  in  the  scales  of  mere  theological  ortho- 
doxy? to  prefer  rounded  but  cold  accuracy  of 
knowledge  to  the  rudimental  simj ilicity  of  a  babe  in 
Christ?  to  reject  an  implicit,  if  it  be  not  an  explicit 
faith?  Of  course,  since  the  one  of  these  advances 
surely  into  the  other  in  the  case  of  all  divinely 
taught  believers,  even  as  the  shining  light  shineth 
more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day,  so  those 
who,  under  shelter  of  an  implicit  faith,  advisedly, 
and  after  full  opportunity,  decline  an  explicit 
acknowledgment  of  the  distinctive  peculiarities  of 
the  Gospel,  as  they  are  opened  up  m  the  writings 
of  the  apostles  under  the  full  teaching  of  the 
Spirit,  show  clearly  that  they  are  void  of  that 
childlike  faith  in  which  they  pretend  to  rest. 
But  the  tender  and  discerning  eye  of  the  true 
shepherd  will  look   with   as  much  benignity  on 


The  Intercessonj                              JOHN  XVII.                                            Prayer. 

them  thy  iicame,  and  will  declare  it;  that  the  love  wherewith  thou  hast 
loved  me  may  be  in  them,  and  "I  in  them. 

A.  D.  33. 

"  Eph.  3.  17. 

the  lambs  of  his  flock  as  on  the  sheep  of  his 
pasture.  8.  The  whole  treatment  of  believers  by 
the  Lord  Jesus  has  three  great  divisions.  The 
first  is  the  drawing  of  them,  and  bringing  them 
to  commit  their  souls  to  Him  for  salvation  ;  or  in 
other  words,  their  conversion:  the  second,  the 
preserving  of  them  in  this  state,  and  maturing 
them  for  heaven;  or  in  other  words,  their  sanctifi- 
cation:  the  third,  the  bringing  of  them  at  length 
to  His  Father's  house;  or  in  other  wordsj  their 
glorification.  The  first  of  these  sta";es  is,  in  this 
prayer,  viewed  as  past.  Those  for  whom  He  pi-ays 
have  received  His  word,  and  are  His  already. 
The  second  being  that  of  which  they  now  stood 
in  need,  and  all  depending  upon  that,  the  burden 
of  this  prayer  is  devoted  to  that  sphere  of  His 
work:  '■'Keep  through  Thine  own  name  those 
whom  Thoii  hast  given  Me ;"  "  I  pray  not  that 
Thou  shouldest  take  them  out  of  the  world,  but 
that  Thou  shouldest  keep  them  from  the  evil ; " 
"  Sanctify  them  through  Thy  truth,  Thy  word  is 
truth."  One  petition  only,  but  that  a  majestic 
and  all-comprehensive  one,  is  devoted  to  the  third 
department :  "Father,  I  mil  that  they  also  whom 
Thou  hast  given  Me  be  with  Me  Avhere  I  am; 
that  they  may  behold  My  glory,  which  Thou  hast 
given  Me :  for  Thou  lovedst  me  before  the  fouuda- 
tion  of  the  world."    9.  Does  Jesus  so  emphatically 

itray  here  for  His  believing  people,  first,  that  His 
''ather  would  ''''keep  them  through  His  own  name" 
(".  11);  and  then— dividing  this  keeping  into  its 
negative  and  positive  elements — pray  both  nega- 
tively, that  they  may  be  "not  taken  out  of  tlie 
world,  but  kept  from  the  evil"  (v.  15),  and  posi- 
tively, "that  they  may  be  sanctified  through  the 
truth  "?  (i\  17).  What  a  tender  and  powerful  call  is 
this  upon  themseh^es,  to  keep  praying  along  with 
and  wwrfe?"  their  gi'eat  Intercessor,  to  His  Father  and 
their  Father,  that  He  would  do  for  them  all  that 
He  here  asks  in  their  behalf !  And  is  it  not  an 
interesting  fact,  that  this  "keeping"  is  the  burden 
of  some  of  the  most  precious  promises  of  God  to 
His  ancient  people,  of  many  of  their  weightiest 
prayers,  and  of  some  of  the  chiefest  passages 
of  the  New  Testament;  as  if  it  had  been  de- 
signed to  provide  believers  of  every  age  with 
a  Manual  on  this  subject?  Thus,  "He  will 
keep  the  feet  of  His  saints"  (1  Sam.  ii.  9); 
'"'  Preserve  me,  0  God:  for  in  Thee  do  I  put  my 
trust"  (Ps.  xvi.  1);  "  0  that  Thou  wouldest  bless 
me  indeed,  and  that  Thou  wouldest  keep  me  from 
eril,  that  it  may  not  grieve  me"  (1  Chr.  iv.  10); 
"He  that  scattered  Israel  will  gather  him,  and 
keep  him  as  a  shepherd  doth  his  nock"  (Jer.  xxxi. 
10).  " The  Lord  is  faithful,"  says  the  apostle,  "who 
shall  stablish  you,  and  keep  you  from  eiiV  (2  Thess. 
iii.  3) ;  "I  know  Whom  I  have  believed,  and  am 
persuaded  that  He  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I 
have  committed  unto  Him  against  that  day"  (2 
Tim.  i.  12);  "Now  unto  Him  that  is  able  to  keep 
you  from  falling  (this  answers  to  the  negative  part 
of  our  Lord's  petition  here)  and  to  present  you 
few/^Zess  (this  is  the  positive)  before  the  presence 
of  His  glory  with  exceeding  joy,"  &c.  (Jude  24). 
But  10.  In  thus  praying,  we  not  only  follow  the 
example,  and  are  encouraged  by  the  model  here 
presented  to  us,  but  we  utter  here  below  just 
what  our  great  Intercessor  within  the  A'eil  is 
continually  presenting  in  our  behalf  at  the  right 
hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high.  Indeed,  as  this  In- 
tercessory Praver  of  Christ,  though  actually  pre- 
sented on  earth  and  before  His  death,  represents 
His  work  in  the  flesh  in  nearly  every  verse  as 
457 


already  past — insomuch  that  He  says,  "Now  I 
am  no  more  in  the  world" — we  are  to  regard  it, 
and  the  Church  has  always  so  regarded  it,  as  vir- 
tually a  Prayer  from  within  the  veil,  or  a  kind  of 
specimen  of  the  things  He  is  now  asking,  and  the 
style  in  which  He  now  asks  them,  at  the  right 
hand  of  God.  So  that  believers  should  never 
doubt  that  whensoever  they  pour  out  their  hearts 
for  what  this  Prayer  teaches  them  to  ask  of  tlie 
Father  in  Jesus'  name  a  dotille  pleading  for  the 
same  things  enters  into  the  Father's  ready  ear — 
theirs  on  earth  and  Christ's  in  heaven ;  in  their 
case  the  Spirit  making  intercession  with  groan- 
ings  which  often  cannot  be  uttered  (see  on  Rom. 
viii.  26),  and  so,  as  the  Spirit  who  takes  of  the 
things  of  Christ  and  shows  them  unto  us,  making 
our  cries  to  chime  in  with  the  mightier  demands 
of  Him  who  can  say,  "Father,  I  will."  11.  Does 
Jesus  so  emphatically  represent  the  Father's 
"■ivord"  as  the  medium  through  which  He  asks 
Him  to  sanctify  them,  and  the  very  element  of  all 
true  sanctification  ?  How  does  this  rebuke  the 
rationalistic  teaching  of  our  day,  which  systema- 
tically depreciates  the  imi^ortance  of  Biblical  truth 
to  men's  salvation !  Between  this  view  of  God's 
truth,  and  that  of  our  Lord  here,  there  is  all  the 
difference  that  there  is  between  utter  and  dismal 
uncertainty  in  eternal  things,  and  solid  footing 
and  assured  confidence  founded  on  that  which 
cannot  lie.  On  the  one  we  cannot  live  with  com- 
fort, nor  die  with  any  well-grounded  hope ;  on  the 
other  we  can  rise  above  the  ills  of  life  and  triumph 
over  the  terrors  of  death.  On  nothing  less  than, 
"  Thus  saith  the  Lord,''''  has  the  soul  that  repose 
which  it  irresistibly  yearns  for;  but  on  this  it  en- 
joys unruffled  peace,  the  peace  of  God  which  pass- 
eth  all  understanding.  12.  Do  believers  realize  the 
length  and  breadth  of  that  saying  of  Jesus,  '''The 
glory  which  Thou  hast  given  Me  I  have  given 
them,  that  they  may  be  one  even  as  We  are  one"? 
The  glory  of  a  perfect  Bighteousness;  the  glory  of 
a  full  A  cceptance ;  the  glory  of  a  free  and  ready 
Access;  the  glory  of  an  indwelling  Spiirit  of  life, 
and  love,  and  liberty,  and  universal  holiness ;  the 
glory  of  an  assured  and  rightful  and  abundant 
entrance  into  the  everlasting  kingdom — and  all  this 
as  a  presently  possessed,  and  to-be-presently  re- 
alized glory?  And  lest  this  should  seem  an  over- 
strained exposition  of  the  mind  of  Christ  in  v.  22, 
the  words  which  follow  seem  almost  to  go  beyond 
it — "  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  Mo,  that  they  may  Le 
madeperfect  in  one ;  and  that  tlie  world  may  know 
that  Thou  hast  sent  Me,  and  liast  loved  them,  as 
Thou  hast  loved  Me:"  and  the  Prayer  dies  away 
with  the  expression  of  the  means  He  had  taken 
and  should  continue  to  take,  in  order  "  that  the 
love  wherewith  Thou  hast  loved  Me  (says  He)  may 
be  in  them,  and  I  in  them."  It  is  too  much  to  be 
feared  that  few  believers  rise  to  this.  Yet  "  this," 
according  to  our  Lord's  intercessory  Prayer,  "  is 
the  heritage  of  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  and  their 
righteousness  is  of  Me,  saith  the  Lord"  (Isa.  liv. 
17).  A  grovelling  carnality,  a  false  humility,  and 
an  erroneous  style  of  teaching,  gi-owing  out  of  both 
these,  seem  to  be  the  main  causes  of  the  general 
indisposition  to  rise  to  the  standing  which  the 
Lord  here  gives  to  all  His  believing  people.  Bvit 
shall  we  not  strive  to  shake  these  ofi^  and  "walk 
in  the  light  as  He  is  in  the  light" ?  Then  shall  we 
"have  fellowship  with  each  other"— He  and  we— 
"and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His  Son  shall 
cleanse  us  from  all  sin."  And  then  may  we 
sing,-- 


The  betrayal 


JOHN  XVIIT. 


of  Jems. 


18      WHEN  Jesus  had  spoken  these  words,  he  "went  forth  with  his  disciples 
over  the  ''brook  Cedron,  where  was  a  garden,  into  the  which  he  entered, 

2  and  his  disciples.     And  Judas  also,  which  betraj^ed  him,  knew  the  place ; 

3  '^for  Jesus  ofttimes  resorted  thither  with  his  disciples.  Judas  '^then, 
having  received  a  band  of  men  and  officers  from  the  chief  priests  and 
Pharisees,  cometh  thither  with  lanterns  and  torches  and  weapons. 

4  Jesus  therefore,  knowing  all  things  that  should  come  u])on  him,  went 


A.  D.  33. 

CHAP.  18. 
"  Luke  22.  ;,9. 

ch   14.  20. 

Kom.  8.  10. 
*  2  Sam.  15. 

'  I  uke  21.37. 

d  Acts  1.  ID. 


'So  nigh,  so  very  iiitrli  to  God, 

I  cannot  nearer  be  : 
For  in  the  Person  of  His  Sou 
I  am  as  near  as  He. 

So  dear,  so  very  dear  to  God, 

More  dear  I  cannot  be ; 
Tlie  love  wherewitli  He  loves  the  Son — 

Such  is  His  love  to  Me.' 

CHAP.    XVIir.       1-12.— BETR.A.YAL  AND  APPRE- 

II  EXsiON  OF  Jesu.s.  (  =  Matt.  xxvi.  30,  .36,  47-56 ; 
Mark  xiv.  26,  32,  43-52;  Luke  xxii.  3H,  47-54.) 
Here  all  the  four  Evai)geli.sts  at  length  meet  again ; 
each  of  them  recording  the  great  historical  facts 
at  which  \ve  have  now  arrived — the  de])arture 
from  the  upjier  room  and  out  of  the  city,  the 
entrance  into  Gethsemane,  the  treason  of  Judas, 
and  the  seizure  of  their  Lord.  But  whereas  all 
the  tivst  three  Evangelists  record  the  A,gony  in 
the  Garden.  .John — holding  this,  no  doul^t,  as 
ah-eady  familiar  to  his  readei-s— gives  us,  instead 
of  it,  some  of  the  circumstances  of  the  ajiprehen- 
sion  in  more  minute  detail  than  had  been  before 
recorded. 

T?ie  Bulrnyal  (1-3).  1.  When  Jesus  had  spoken 
these  words,  he  went  forth  with  his  disciples. 
Witli  this  explicit  statement  before  them,  it  is 
siu'lirisiug  tliat  some  good  critics  should  hold  that 
tlie  departure  took  place  when  Jesus  said.  "Arise, 
let  us  go  hence'  (ch.  xiv.  31),  and  that  all  which 
is  recorded  in  ch.  xv.  and  xvi.,  inchiding  the 
Prayer  of  ch.  xvi;.,  was  uttered  in  the  oi)eii  air, 
and  on  the  way  to  Gethsemane.  As  to  how  we 
are  to  view  the  proposal  to  depart  so  long  before 
it  actually  took  place,  see  on  cli.  xiv.  31.  over 
the  brook  Cedron  (Kedron)— a  deep,  dark  ravine, 
to  the  north-east  of  Jerusalem,  through  which 
flowed  this  small '  stoi-m-brook'  or  'winter-torrent,' 
and  which  in  summer  is  dried  up.  As  it  is  in  the 
rejlective  Gos])el  only  that  the  circumstance  of  His 
crossing  the  brook  Kedron  is  mentioned,  we  can 
hardly  doubt  that  to  the  Evangelist's  own  mind 
there  was  present  the  strikingly  owrtfof/o?/.?  crossing 
of  the  same  dark  streamlet  by  the  royal  sufferer 
(2  Sam.  XV.  2;^) ;  possibly  also  certain  other  his- 
torical associations  (see  2  Ki.  xxiii.  12) :  '  Thus 
surrounded,'  says  Stiev,  by  such  memorials  and 
typical  allu.sious,  the  Loid  descends  into  the  dust 
of  humiliation  and  anguish.'  where  was  a  garden 
— at  the  foot  of  the  mount  of  Olives,  "called 
Gethsemane"  (Matt.  xxvi.  30,  3G)  or  'oil-press' 
[s'30)L*  njl,  from  the  olives  with  whicli  it  was  tilled, 
into  the  which  he  entered,  and  his  disciples.  2. 
And  Judas  also,  which  betrayed  him,  knew  the 
place ;  for  Jesus  ofttimes  resorted  thither  with  his 
disciples.  The  baseness  of  this  abuse  of  knowledge 
in  Judas,  derived  from  the  privilege  he  enjoyed  of 
admission  to  the  closest  privacies  of  His  Master, 
is  most  touchingly  conveyed  here,  though  only  in 
the  form  of  simiile  narrative.  Jesus,  however, 
knowing  that  in  this  spot  Judas  would  expect  to 
find  Him,  instead  of  avoiding  it,  hies  Him  thither, 
as  a  Lamb  to  the  slaughter.  "No  man  taketh 
my  life  from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself"  (ch. 
X.  18).  For  other  reasons  why  this  spot  was 
selected,  see  on  the  Agony  in  the  garden  (Luke 
xxii.  39-4(i),  page  331,  second  column,  third  para- 
graph. 3.  Judas  then  — "He  that  was  called 
4tS 


Judas,  one  of  the  Twelve,"  says  Luke  (xxii.  47), 
in  langua.ge  which  brands  him  with  peculiar  in- 
famy, as  in  the  sacred  circle,  though  in  no  profit r 
sense  o/it.  having  received  a  band  [of  men]  and 
officers  from  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  [t-i;i/ 

oireTpav,  Kal  ck  -twd  dp^iepewv  k«i  ^(ipKyaiwu  vtdi- 
peVrts] — rather,  '  the  l)and  (without  the  supplement, 
"of  men")  and  officers'  or  'servants  of  the  chief 
priests  and  Pharisees.'  Two  bodies  ai-e  here  men- 
tioned:   "the    band,"   meaning,    as    Webster  and 

Wilkinson  express  it,  the  detachment  of  the  Eoman 
cohort  on  duty  at  the  festival,  for  tlie  ]nirpose  of 
maintaining  order  ;  and  the  officials  of  the  ecclesi- 
astical authorities — the  ca]>tains  of  the  temjile 
and  armed  Levites.  cometh  thither  with  lan- 
terns and  torches  and  weapons.  It  was  full 
moon,  but  in  case  He  should  have  secreted  Him- 
self somewhere  in  the  dark  ra^^ne,  they  bring  the 
means  of  exploring  its  hiding-places — little  know- 
ing Whom  they  had  to  do  with.  The  other  Gos- 
pels tell  us  that  the  time  Avhen  Judas  drew  near 
was  "immediately,  wliile  Jesus  yet  sjiake,"  that 
is,  while  He  was  saying,  after  the  Agony  was 
over,  to  the  three  whom  He  had  found  sleeping 
for  sorrow,  "Pise,  let  us  be  going:  behold,  he  is 
at  hand  that  dotli  betray  Me"  (Matt.  xxvi.  4(), 
47).  The  next  step,  as  we  take  it,  is  the  act  of 
Betrayal — not  recorded  at  all,  but  only  alluded  to, 
in  our  Fourth  Gospel ;  the  other  Evangelists  having 
given  it  fully,  whom  we  shall  now  follow. 

"Now  he  that  betiayed  Him  gave,"  or  had 
given  "  them  a  si^n,  saying.  Whomsoever  I  shall 
kiss,  that  same  is  he  :  hold  him  fast"  (Matt,  xxv-i. 
48).  The  cold  bloodedness  of  this  s]ieech  was  only 
exceeded  by  the  deed  itself.  "And  Judas  went 
before  them  (Luke  xxii.  47),  and  said,  Hail,  Master! 
and  kissed  Him"  (Matt.  xxvi.  49:  see,  for  illus- 
tration of  the  act,  1  Sam.  xx.  41 ;  and  mark  Pro  v. 
xxvii.  6. )  The  inumdence  of  this  atrocious  deed 
shows  how  thoroughly  he  had  by  this  time  mas- 
tered all  his  scruples.  If  the  dialogue  between 
our  Lord  and  His  ca]itors  was  hefore  this,  as  some 
interpreters  think  it  was,  the  kiss  of  Judas  was 
purely  gratuitous,  and  probably  to  make  good  his 
right  to  the  money ;  our  Lord  having  presented 
Himself  unexpectedly  before  them,  and  rendered 
it  unnecessary  for  any  one  to  i>oint  him  out. 
But  a  coim''ii"ison  of  the  narratives  seems  to  show 
that  our  Lord's  "coming  forth"  to  the  band  was 
subsequent  to  the  interview  of  Judas.  ''And 
Jesus  said  unto  him,  Friend"  ['ETalijel.  The  dif- 
ference between  the  term  here  studiously  em- 
ployed—which si.gnifies  rather  'companion'  in 
mere  social  intercourse,  and  which  is  used  on 
other  occasions  of  remonstrance  and  rebuke  (as 
Matt.  XX.  13;  xxii.  12) — and  the  endearing  term 
properly  rendered  "friend"  (in  Luke  xii.  4,  and 
John  XV.  13  15)— is  very  striking:  "Wherefore  art 
thou  come?"  (Matt.  xxvi.  50).  "  Betrayest  thou 
the  Son  of  Man  with  a  kiss?"  (Luke  xxii.  48)— 
imprinting  on  the  foulest  of  all  acts  the  mark 
of  tenderest  affection?  What  wounded  feelimj 
does  this  express!  Of  this  Jesus  showed  Him- 
self on  various  occasions  keenly  susceptible — as 
all  generous  and  beautiful  natures  are.  This  brings 
us  back  to  our  own  Gospel. ' 

2"he  AppreJmision  (4-12).    4.    Jesus  therefore, 


The  apprehension 


JOHN  XVIII. 


of  Jesus. 


5  forth,  and  said  unto  them,  Whom  seek  ye?     They  answered  him,  Jesus 
of  Nazareth.     Jesus  saith  unto  them,  I  am  he.     And  Judas  also,  which 

6  betrayed  him,  stood  with  them.      As  soon   then    as  he  had  said  unto 

7  them,  I  am  he,  they  went  backward,  and  fell  to  the  ground.     Then  asked 
he   them  again.  Whom  seek  ye?     And   they  said,  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

8  Jesus  answered,  I  have  told  you  that  I  am  he.     If  therefore  ye  seek  me, 

9  ''let  these  go  their  way:    that  the  saying  might  be  fulfilled  which  he 
spake,  ■>  Of  them  which  thou  gavest  me  have  I  lost  none. 

10  Then  "Simon   Peter   having   a  sword   drew  it,    and   smote  the    high 
priest's   servant,   and   cut  off  his  right   ear.      The  servant's   name  was 

11  Malchus.     Then  said  Jesus  unto  Peter,  Put  up  thy  sword  into  the  sheath : 
''the  cup  which  my  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it? 


A.  D.  33. 


rs,  34.  15. 
Jlatt.  6.  25, 
34. 

1  ret.  5.  7. 
ch.  C.  39. 
ch.  17.  12. 

2  Tim. 4.  IS. 
1  Pet.  1.  5. 
Jude  1. 
Matt.  26. 51. 
Mark  14.57. 
Luke  12.411. 
Ps.  75.  S. 
Matt  20.22. 


knowing  all  things  that  should  come— or  '  were 
coiniag'  upon  him,  went  forth — from  the  shade 
of  the  trees,  probably,  into  opeu  view,  iodicating 
His  sublime  preparedness  to  meet  His  ca])tors, 
and  said  unto  them,  Whom  seek  ye? — partly  to 
prevent  a  rush  of  the  soldiery  upon  the  disciples, 
as  Benijel  thinks  (see  JNIark  xiv.  51,  52,  which  may 
lend  some  countenance  to  this),  but  still  more  in 
the  exercise  of  that  o.nira,i,'e  and  majesty  which  so 
ovei'awed  them : — He  would  not  wait  to  be  taken. 
5.  They  answered  him,  Jesus  of  Nazareth— just 
the  sort  of  blunt,  straightforward  rejjly  one  ex- 
pects from  military  men,  simply  acting  on  their 
instructions.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  I  am  [he]. 
On  this  sublime  expression,  see  on  Mark  vi.  5(). 
And  Judas  also,  which  betrayed  him,  stood  with 
them.  No  more  is  recoi'cled  here  of  his  part  of 
the  scene,  but  we  have  found  the  gap  painfully 
supplied  by  all  the  other  Evangelists.  6.  As  soon 
then  as  he  had  said  unto  them,  I  am  [he], 
they  went  backward— recoiled,  and  fell  to  the 
ground  -struck  down  by  a  power  such  as  that 
which  smote  Saul  of  Tarsus  and  his  companions 
to  the  eai'th  (Acts  xxvi.  14).  It  was  the  glorious 
etfiilgeuce  of  the  majesty  of  Christ  which  over- 
powered them.  'This,'  as  Meyer  well  remarks, 
occuri-ing  l)efore  His  surrender,  would  show  His 
power  over  His  enemies,  and  so  the  freedom  with 
which  He  gave  Him.«elf  up.'  7.  Then  asked  he 
them  again,  Whom  seek  ye? -giving  them  a  door 
of  escajie  from  the  guilt  of  a  deed  which  now  they 
were  able  in  some  measure  to  understand.  And 
they  said,  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Tlie  stunning 
effect  of  His  first  answer  wearing  off,  they  think 
only  of  the  necessity  of  executing  their  orders. 
8.  Jesus  answered,  I  have  told  you  that  I  am 
[he].  If  therefore  ye  seek  me,  let  these  go  their 
way — Wonderful  self-possessiou  and  considera- 
tion for  others  in  such  circumstances !  9.  That 
the  saying  might  be  fulfilled  which  he  spake,  Of 
them  which  thou  gavest — 'hast  given'  me  have  I 
lost  none.  The  reference  is  to  such  sayings  as  ch. 
vi.  .'J9;  xvii.  12;  showing  how  conscious  the  Evan- 
gelist was,  that  in  reporting  his  Lord's  former  say- 
ings, he  was  giving  them  not  in  sul/atance  merely, 
but  in  form  also.  (See  on  ch.  xvii. ,  Remark  1  at  the 
close  of  that  Section.)  Observe,  also,  how  the 
preservation  of  the  disciples  on  this  occasion  is 
viewed  as  part  of  that  deeper  preservation  un- 
doubtedly intended  in  the  saying  quoted. 

10.  Then  Simon  Peter  having  a  sword  drew 
it,  and  smote  the  high  priest's  servant,  and  cut 
0.T  his  right  ear.  The  servant's  name  was  Mal- 
chus. None  of  the  other  Evangelists  mention  the 
name  either  of  the  ardent  disciple  or  of  his 
victim.  But  John  being  "  known  to  the  high 
priest"  {v.  15),  the  mention  of  the  servant's  name 
t)y  him  is  quite  natural,  and  an  interesting  mark 
of  truth  in  a  small  matter.  As  to  the  rigid  ear, 
specified  both  here  and  in  Luke,  the  man,  as 
459 


Webster  and  Wilkinson  remark,  '  vvas  likely  fore- 
most of  those  who  advanced  to  seize  Jesus,  and 
presented  himself  in  the  attitude  of  a  combatant ; 
hence  his  right  side  would  be  exp(jsed  to  attack. 
The  blow  of  Peter  was  evidently  aimed  vertically 
at  his  head.'  "And  Jesus  answered  and  said, 
Suffer  ye  thus  far"'  (Luke  xxii.  51).  •  It  seems  un- 
natural to  undei-stand  this  as  addressed  to  the 
captors,  as  if  He  had  said,  'Suffer  My  disciples 
thus  far  to  show  their  attachment  to  Me ;  excuse 
it  to  this  extent;  they  shall  do  nothing  more  of 
this  kind,'  as  Webster  and  WilLiiison  put  it,  and 
de  Wette  and  ran  Osterzee  view  it.  Still  less 
natural  does  Alford's  view  appear,  which  takes  it 
as  a  request  to  those  who  were  holding  and  bind- 
ing Him,  to  permit  Him  to  heal  the  wounded 
ear.  It  seems  x)lainly  to  be  addressed,  as  Meyer 
says,  to  the  disciples,  bidding  them  go  no  further  in 
the  way  of  defending  Him  ;  and  so  the  majority 
of  inter] ireters  understand  it.  "  And  He  touched 
his  ear,  and  healed  him."  Luke  only  records  this 
mii-acle,  which  in  the  apparently  heii)less  circum- 
stances in  which  our  Lord  stood,  was  most  signal. 
But  "  The  Son  of  Man  came  not  to  destroy  men's 
lives,  but  to  save  them"  (Luke  ix.  50),  and,  even 
when  they  were  destroying  His,  to  save  theirs. 
11.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  Peter,  Put  up  thy 
sword  into  the  sheath:  the  cup  which  my 
Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it? 
It  is  reniarkaltle  that  though  the  Agony  in  the 
Garden  is  not  here  reconled,  this  question  ex- 
presses with  affecting  clearness  loth  the  feelings 
which  during  that  scene  struggled  in  the  breast 
of  Jesus —' are/-.s/o«  to  the  cup,  viewed  in  itself,' 
and,  'in  the  light  of  the  Father's  will,  p«-y€f<  pre- 
paredness to  drink  it  up.'  (See  the  exposition  of 
that  wonderful  scene,  on  Luke  x.vii.  ,S9-4C. ) 

In  the  other  Gospels  we  have  some  fuller  par- 
ticulars, Matt.  xxvi.  52-5(3:  "Put  up  thy  sword 
into  his  place :  for  all  they  that  take  the  swortl 
shall  perish  by  the  sword."  ' Those  who  take  the 
sword  must  run  all  the  risks  of  human  warfare  ; 
but  Mine  is  a  warfare  whose  weapons,  as  they  are 
not  carnal,  are  attended  with  no  such  hazards, 
but  carry  certain  victory.'  "  Thinkest  thou  that 
I  cannot  now"— even  after  things  have  proceeded 
so  far,  "pray  to  My  Father,  and  He  snail  pres- 
ently give  Me"— rather,  '  place  at  My  disposal' 
[irapacTTncreL  fxoi]  "more  than  twelve  legions  of 
angels;"  with  allusion,  possibly,  to  the  one  angel 
who  had,  in  His  agouv,  "appeared  to  Him  from 
Heaven  strengthening  Him"  (Luke  xxii.  43);  and 
in  the  precise  number,  alluding  to  the  twelve  who 
needed  the  help,  Himself  aud  His  eleven  disciplas. 
(The  full  complement  of  a  legion  of  Roman  soldiers 
was  six  thousand.)  "But  how  then  shall  the 
Scripture  be  fulfilled  that  thus  it  must  be?"  He 
could  not  suffer,  according  to  the  Scripture,  if  He 
allowed  Himself  to  be  delivered  from  the  pre- 
dicted death. 


Jesus  is  hrongJit 


JOHN  XVIII. 


before  Annas. 


12  Then  the  band  and  the  captain  and  officers  of  the  Jews  took  Jesus, 

13  and  bound  him,  and  Ued  him  away  to  •'Annas  first:  for  he  was  father- 

14  in-law  to  Caiaphas,  which  was  the  high  priest  that  same  year.^  Now 
^Caiaphas  was  he  which  gave  counsel  to  the  Jews,  that  it  was  expedient 
that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people. 

15  And  Simon  Peter  followed  Jesus,  and  so  did  another  disciple.  That 
disciple  was  known  unto  the  high  priest,  and  went  in  with  Jesus  into 

16  the  palace  of  the  high  priest.     But  Peter  stood   at  the   door  without. 


A.  D.  33. 


'  Matt.  26. 5r. 

;  Luke  3.  2. 

1  AndAnnas 
sent  Christ 
boundunto 
Caiaphas, 
Ihe  high 
priest, 
ver.  24. 

fc  ch.  11.  JO. 


12.  Til  en  the  band  and  the  captain  and  ('the') 
ofiacers  of  the  Jews  took  Jesus,  and  bound  him 
— but  not  until  He  had  made  them  feel  that  "no 
man  took  His  life  from  Him,  but  that  He  laid  it 
doMTi  of  Himself"  (ch.  x.  18). 

Id  the  first  three  Gospels  we  have  here  the  fol- 
lowing additional  particulars :  Matt.  xxvi.  55,  "  In 
that  same  hour,"  probably  on  the  way  to  .judg- 
ment, when  the  crowds  were  pressing  upon  Him, 
"said  Jesus  to  the  multitudes"— or  as  in  Luke 
xxii.  52,  "unto  the  chief  priests,  and  captains  of 
the  temple,  and  the  elders,  which  were  come  to 
Him" — "  Are  ye  come  out  as  against  a  thief  with 
swords  and  staves  for  to  take  Me?"  He  thus 
keenly  yet  loftily  expresses  the  indignity  which 
He  felt  to  be  done  to  Him.  "I  sat  daily  with 
you  teaching  in  the  temple,  and  ye  laid  no  hold  oi\ 
Me."  "But  this  is  your  hour,  and  the  power  of 
darkness"  (Luke  xxii.  53.)  Matthew  continues 
(xxvi.  56)  "But  all  this  was  done,  that  the  Scrip- 
tures of  the  prophets  might  be  fulfilled." 

Here  follows,  in  the  first  two  Gospels,  an  affect- 
ing particular,  the  mention  of  which  somewhere  we 
should  have  expected  from  the  sad  announcement 
which  Jesus  had  made  at  the  Supper-table — "All 
ye  shall  be  offended  because  of  Me  this  night,"  &c. 
(Matt.  xxvi.  31;  Mark  xiv.  27:  see  opening  re- 
marks on  Luke  xxii.  31-39).  It  is  the  same  two 
Evangelists  that  report  this  Vv-aruiug  who  record 
the  too  sp.eedy  fulfilment. 

Desertion  and  Flight  of  the  Disciples  (Matt, 
xxvi.  56;  Mark  xiv.  50).  "Then  all  the  disciples 
forsook  Him,  and  fled." 

A  singular  incident  is  here  recorded  by  Mark 
alone  (xiv.  51,  52):  "And  there  followed  Him 
a  certain  young  man,  having  a  linen  cloth  cast 
about  his  naked  body " — they  were  wont,  says 
Grotius,  to  sleep  in  linen,  and  in  this  condition 
this  youth  had  started  \\))  from  his  bed :  "and 
the  young  men  laid  hold  on  him"— the  attendants 
of  the  chief  priests,  mentioned  in  John  xviii.  3, 
or  some  of  their  junior  assistants  [but  ol  vea- 
vicTKoi  seems  not  to  be  genuine] :  "  And  he  left  the 
linen  cloth,  and  fled  from  them  naked"— for,  as 
Bengel  says,  in  great  danger  fear  conquers  shame. 
The  general  object  for  which  this  was  introduced 
is  easily  seen.  The  flight  of  all  the  ajiostles,  re- 
corded in  the  preceding  verse,  suggested  the  men- 
tion of  this  other  flight,  as  one  of  the  noticeable 
incidents  of  that  memorable  night,  and  as  show- 
ing what  terror  the  scene  inspired  in  all  who 
were  attached  to  Jesus.  By  most  interpreters  it 
is  passed  over  too  slightly.  One  thing  is  stamped 
on  the  face  of  it — it  is  the  narrative  of  an  eye- 
toitness  of  what  is  described.  The  mention  of  the 
fate  of  one  individual,  and  him  "  a  certain  young 
man" — expressively  put  in  the  original  [els  tis 
veai)iarKu^]—oi  his  single  piece  of  dress,  and  that 
of  "  linen,"  of  the  precise  parties  who  laid  hold  of 
him  [thouoh  ol  veaviaKoi  caunot  be  relied  on], 
and  how  he  managed  to  make  a  hair-breadth 
escape,  even  though  it  obliged  him  to  part 
with  all  that  covered  his  nakedness — this  sin- 
gular minuteness  of  detail  suggests  even  more 
than  the  pen  of  an  eye-witness.  It  irresistibly 
460 


leads  to  a  further  question — Had  the  writer  of  this 
Gospel  himself  nothing  to  do  with  that  scene? — 
'  To  me,''  says  Olshaiisen,  ''it  apptars  viost 2y>'ohahle 
that  here  Mark  lorites  concerning  himself.^  So  also 
Lange. 

Remarks. — 1.  But  once  only,  from  the  time  that 
the  officers  came  to  take  Him  till  He  expired  on  the 
cross,  did  Jesus  think  fit  to  show,  by  any  overt 
act,_  how  voluntarily  He  endured  all  that  was 
inflicted  on  Him  by  the  hands  of  men;  and 
that  was  immediately  before  they  proceeded 
to  their  first  act  of  violence.  One  such  mani- 
festation of  His  glorious  superiority  to  all  the 
power  of  earth  is  wdiat  we  should  perhaj^s  ex- 
pect ;  and  as  it  was  put  forth  at  the  critical 
moment — when  His  disciples  would  be  watching 
with  breathless  interest  to  see  whether  He  would 
endure  to  he,  seized,  and  perhaps  His  captors  were 
apprehensive  of  some  difficulty  in  the  matter — so 
it  was  of  such  a  nature  as  rendered  a  second  mani- 
festation of  it  altogether  superfluous.  From  this 
time  forth  it  must  have  been  seen,  by  any  eye 
that  could  read  what  He  had  done,  that  all-un- 
forced. He  went  as  a  Lamb  to  the  slaughter.  2. 
How  quickly,  when  men  "  sell  themselves"  to  do 
evilj  do  their  hearts  become  steeled  against  all 
feeling,  and  capable  of  whatever  blackness  of 
demon-like  ingratitude  and  treachery  may  be  re- 
quired for  the  perjietration  of  the  crimes  they  have 
resolved  on !  Thmk  of  Judas  but  a  brief  hour  or 
two  before  this,  sitting  at  the  Su])per-table  as  one 
of  the  apostles  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  all  unsuspected 
by  the  rest ;  think  of  him  but  six  days  before  this 
at  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper,  unsuspected  in 
all  likeliliood  even  by  himself,  until  his  disappoint- 
ment in  the  matter  of  the  "three  hundi-ed  pence" 
ripened  into  rage  and  suggested,  apparently  for 
the  first  time,  thefoid  deed  (see  on  Mark  xiv.  l-ll. 
Remark  8  at  the  close  of  that  Section) ;  and  then 
think  of  the  pitch  of  wickedness  he  had  now 
reached.  It  may  be  thought  that  only  the  con- 
tinual overawing  presence  of  his  Lord  kejit 
down  the  already  matured  wickedness  of  his 
heart.  But  it  should  rather  be  said,  it  kept 
the  seeds  of  that  Avickedness,  which  undoubt- 
edly were  there  from  the  fu-st  (ch.  vi.  70),  from 
coming  to  maturity  and  acquiring  their  full  mas- 
tery before  the  time.  Nay,  the  end  which  Judas 
made  of  himself  seems  clearly  to  show  how  far 
he  was  from  being  a  long  hardened  ^vretch, 
what  qiiick  work  Satan  had  made  of  his  natural 
tendencies  at  the  last,  and  how,  when  his  full  crim- 
inality stared  him  in  the  face,  instead  of  being 
able  to  wij^e  his  mouth,  as  those  whose  conscience 
is  seared  as  with  a  hot  iron,  he  felt  it  to  be  insup- 
portable. We  make  these  observations,  not  to 
lessen  the  execration  with  which  the  deed  and  the 
doer  of  it  are  instinctively  regarded,  but  to  show 
that  there  is  nothing  in  this  case  of  Judas  but 
what  niay  in  substance  have  been  done  once  and 
again  since  that  time — nothing  exceptional  to  the 
ordinary  working  of  evil  principles  in  the  human 
heart  and  life.  "Let  him,"  then,  "that  thinketh 
he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall ! " 
13-23.  Jesus  is  Bkought  Pkivately   eefoke  • 


Jesus  is  led  from 


JOHN  XVIII. 


Annas  to  Caiaphas. 


Then  went  out  that  other  disciple,  which  was   known  unto   the  high 
priest,  and  spake  unto  her  that  kept  the  door,  and  brought  in  Peter. 

17  Tlien  saith  the  damsel  that  kept   the  door  unto  Peter,  Art  not  thou 

1 8  also  one  of  this  man's  disciples  ?  He  saith,  I  am  not.  And  the  servants 
and  officers  stood  there,  who  had  made  a  fire  of  coals ;  for  it  was  cold  : 
and  they  warmed  themselves :  and  Peter  stood  with  them,  and  warmed 
himself 

1 9  The  high  priest  then  asked  Jesus  of  his  disciples,  and  of  his  doctrine. 

20  Jesus  answered  him,  'I  spake  openly  to  the  world  ;  I  ever  taught  in  the 
synagogue,  and  in  the  temple,  whither  the  Jews  always  resort;  and  in 
secret  have  I  said  nothing.  Why  askest  thou  me?  ask  them  which 
heard  me,  what  I  have  said  uirto  them :  behold,  they  know  what  I  said. 
And  Avhen  he  had  thus  spoken,  one  of  the  officers  which  stood  by 
'"struck  Jesus  ^with  the  palm  of  his  hand,  saying,  Answerest  thou  the 

23  high  priest  so?     Jesus  answered  him,  "If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness 

24  of  the  evil;  but  if  well,  why  smitest  thou  me?  Now  Annas  had  sent 
him  bound  unt«  Caiaphas  the  high  priest. 

And  Simon  Peter  stood  and  warmed  himself  °  They  said  therefore 
unto  him.  Art  not  thou  also  one  of  his  disciples?  He  denied  it,  and 
said,  I  am  not.  One  of  the  servants  of  the  high  priest,  being  his  kins- 
man whose  ear  Peter  cut  off,  saith,  Did  not  I  see  thee  in  the  garden  with 
him?     Peter  then  denied  again:  and  ^immediately  the  cock  crew. 

Then  *  led  they  Jesus  from  Caiaphas  unto  ^  the  hall  of  judgment :  and 
it  was  early;  and  'they  themselves  went  not  into  the  judgment  hall,  lest 


21 


22 


25 

26 

27 
28 


A.  D.  33. 


'   Luke  4.  15, 

ch.  7. 14,  20, 
23. 

ch.  8.  2. 
'"  Isa.  50.  6. 

Jer.  20.  2. 

Mic.  5. 1. 

Acts  23.  2. 

2  Cr,  with  a 
rod. 

"  P3.38. 12-14. 

Isa.  63,  7. 

Heb.  12  3. 

1  Pet.  2  2.3. 
"  Matt.  26.1  y, 
71. 

Markl4.6!i. 

Luke  -22. 58. 
1"  Watt.2G.  74 

Mark  14.72. 

Luke  22.0(1. 

Cll.  13.  38. 
9  Alatt.  27.  2. 

Mark  15.  1. 

Luke  23.  I. 

Acts  3   13. 

3  Or,  Pilate's 
house. 
Matt.  27. 27. 

'■  Acts  10   28. 
Acts  11.  3. 


Annas  first — Peter  Obtains  Access  within 
THE  Quadrangle  of  the  High  Priest's  Resi- 
dence, AND  Warms  Himself  at  the  Fire — The 
Lord  is  Interrogated  by  Annas— His  Digni- 
fied Reply — He  is  Treated  with  Indignity  by 
ONE  of  the  Officials— His  Meek  Rebuke.  For 
the  exposition,  see  on  Mark  xiv.  53,  &c.,  as  far  as 
l^age  204,  second  paragrayih. 

24-27. — Jesus  is  Led  fro.m  Annas  to  Caiaphas 
to  be  Judged  by  the  Sanhedrim— The  Fall  of 
Peter.  Our  Evangelist,  it  would  seem,  had 
nothing  to  add  to  the  ample  details  of  the  trial 
and  condemnation  _  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  the 
indignities  with  which  He  was  thereafter  treated, 
and  next  to  nothing  on  the  sad  fall  of  Peter  iu 
the  midst  of  these  transactions.  With  all  this  he 
holds  his  readers  already  familiar,  through  the 
records  of  the  three  preceding  Evangelists.  In 
the  first  of  these  four  verses,  accordingly,  he 
simply  tells  us  that  "Annas  sent  Him  bound  unto 
Caiajihas  the  high  priest,"  without  so  much  as 
mentioning  what  this  was  for,  still  less  giving  any 
particidara  of  the  trial.  And  though  he  relates 
in  the  briefest  terms  two  of  Peter's  denials,  and 
the  crowin"  of  the  cock,  this  is  merely  to  supply 
one  small  but  striking  particular  which  had  not 
been  noticed  in  the  preceding  Gospels — how  one 
of  those  who  charged  Peter  with  l^eing  a  dis- 
ciple of  Jesus  was  able  to  identify  him,  by  his 
own  relationship  to  the  man  whose  ear  Peter  had 
cut  off  in  the  garden,  and  who  saw  him  do  it 
(r.  26).  For  the  exposition  of  all  the  Evangelical 
matter  embraced  by  these  four  verses,  see  on  Mark 
xiv.  53-72,  page  20.3,  second  i)aragraph,  and  204, 
second  paragraph  to  page  211. 

28- XIX.  l(i.— Jesus  before  Pilate.  (=Matt. 
xxvii.  1,  2,  11-31;  Mark  xv.  1-20;  Luke  xxiii.  1-7, 
13-25.)  As  one  of  the  most  important  details  of 
this  varied  Section  is  omitted  altogether  by  our 
Evangelist,  while  the  rest  are  given  very  sum- 
marily, we  must  avail  ourselves  of  the  other 
Gospels  in  order  to  have  the  whole  before  us  for 
exposition. 

461 


From  the  time  of  the  deposition  of  Archelaus, 
and  the  reduction  of  Judea  to  the  condition  of  a 
Roman  province  (see  on  Matt.  ii.  22),  the  power 
of  life  and  death  was  taken  from  the  Jewish 
tribunals.  Ko  sentence  of  death,  therefore,  which 
they  pronounced  could  be  executed  without  the 
sanction  of  the  Roman  Governor.  Accordingly, 
as  soou  as  our  Lord  was  condemned  by  the  San- 
hediim  to  die,  and  the  contemptuous  treatment 
of  Him  which  followed  had  time  to  spend  itself— 
it  being  now  early  morn— they  proceed  to  bring 
Him  before  Pilate  that  he  might  authorize  His 
execution. 

The  Chief  Priests,  having  brought  Jesus  to  the 
Pratorlum,  Full,  in  the  first  instanee,  in  Persuading 
Pilate  to  Sanetlun  Ills  Execution  (28-32).  28.  Then 
led  they  ["Ayouo-ti/] — 'Then  lead  they'  Jesus  from 
Caiaphas  unto  the  hall  of  judgment  [xo  nrinn- 
TMpwv\  —  rather,  'the  Pro'torlumf  that  is,  the 
official  residence  of  the  Roman  Governor.  His 
usual  place  of  residence  was  at  OiBsarea;  but 
during  the  Passover  season  it  was  his  duty  to  be 
at  Jerusalem,  on  account  of  the  vast  influx  of 
strangers,  to  see  tliat  all  things  were  conducted 
legally  and  iieaceably.  and  it  was  early.  Wc 
learn  from  Mark  (xv.  1)  that  this  step  was  the 
result  of  a  sijecial  consultation:  "And  straight- 
way in  the  morning  the  chief  priests  held  a  con- 
sultation with  the  elders  and  scribes  and  the  whole 
council"  [oXov  TO  crupeoiuoii] — no  doubt  to  arrange 
their  plans  and  frame  their  charge,  "and  bound 
Jesus,  and  carried  Him  away,  and  deliveied  Him 
to  Pilate. "  and  they  themselves  went  not  into  the 
judgment  hall— 'the Pra^torium,'  lest  they  should 
be  defiled,  but  that  they  might  eat  the  passover. 
These  words  have  occasioned  immense  research, 
and  given  rise  to  much  controversy  and  not  a  few 
learned  treatises.  From  these  words  chiefly  it 
has  been  argued  that  the  Jews  had  not  eaten  the 
Passover  up  to  the  time  here  referred  to,  and  con- 
sequently, as  our  Lord  and  His  apostles  ate  it  the 
previous  evening,  they  must  have  eaten  it  a  day 
earlier  than  the  proper  statutory  day.    In  that  case 


Jesus  brought 


JOHN  XVIII. 


before  Pilate. 


29  tliey  should  be  defiled,  but  that  they  might  cat  ''the  passovcr.     Pilate 

then  went  out  unto  them,  and  said,  What  accusation  bring  ye  against 

80  this  man?     They  answered  and  said  unto  him,  If  he  Avere  not  a  male- 

31  factor,  we  would  not  have  delivered  him  up  unto  thee.  Then  said  Pilate 
unto  them,  Take  ye  him,  and  judge  him  according  to  j-our  law.  The 
Jews  therefore  said  unto  him,  It  'is  not  lawful  for  us  to  put  any  man  to 

32  death:  That  "the  saying  of  Jesus  might  be  fulfilled,  which  he  spake, 
signifying  what  death  he  should  die. 


A.  D.  33. 

r>eut.  16.  2. 
Matt  27.23. 
Acts  23.  28. 
Gen  49.  10. 
Ezek  21. 2G, 

27. 

'  ]*Iatt  20.19. 

Ch  12.32,33. 


tliere  is  a  manifest  discrepancy  between  the  first 
tliree  Gospels  and  the  fourth,  and  this  on  a  X'oint 
not  only  of  considerable  importance,  but  one  on 
which  it  is  dilBcnlt  to  conceive  that  there  ahonld 
on  either  side  be  any  mistake.  As  to  this  particu- 
lar passage,  it  is  not  easy  to  see  how  it  helps  the 
theory  which  it  is  supiiosed  to  establish.  For 
supposing  that  the  ]iroper  season  for  eating  the 
Passover  was  not  to  be  till  that  erenlng  after  six 
o'clocl;  and  this  party  that  brought  Jesus  to  Pilate 
in  the  morninfi  had  ceremonially  deliled  themselves 
by  going  into  the  Prcetorium,  that  defilement — as  it 
would  only  have  lasted,  according  to  law,  during  the 
one  day  of  twelve  hours  on  which  it  was  contract- 
ed— would  have  passed  away  of  itself  before  the 
liroper  time  for  eating  their  Passover.  Does  not 
this  show  that  the  statement  of  our  Evangelist  here 
has  no  reference  to  tlie  reaular  time  for  eatiw]  the 
Passover?  Having  already  expressed  our  belief 
that  all  the  four  Gospels  are  at  one  on  this  subject, 
and  that  our  Lord  ate  the  Passover  on  the  usual 
day — the  14th  of  the  month  Nisan  (see  opening 
remarks  on  the  '  Preparation  for  the  Passover,'  on 
Luke  xxii.  7-30;  and  on  ch.  xiii.  1) — it  only  remains 
that  we  here  state  what  we  take  to  be  our  Evan- 
gelist's meaning  in  the  words  before  lis.  We 
cannot  accejit  the  explanation  of  some  good  critics 
— Bohinson,  for  example— that  by  "eating  the  Pass- 
over "  the  Evangelist  means,  not  the  eating  of  the 
Paschal  lamb,  which  was  the  first  and  princi])al 
part  of  the  feast,  but  keeping  the  feast  of  un- 
leavened bread.  Tlie  passages  which  are  thought 
to  justify  this  way  of  speaking  are  insufficient;  it 
is  not,  at  least,  according  to  the  usual  language  of 
the  Evangelists ;  and  it  has  a  forced  aiii)earance. 
But  there  is  a  simpler  explanation  of  the  words. 
If  we  sup]iose  that  the  ]iarty  who  were  bringing 
Jesus  before  the  Governor  had  been  so  engrossed 
with  the  exciting  circumstances  of  His  capture  and 
trial  and  condemnation  the  previous  evening  as  not 
to  have  leisure  to  eat  their  Passover  at  the  proper 
time;  but  that  having  only  deferred  it  on  the  ground 
of  unavoidable  hindrances,  and  fully  intending 
to  eat  it  as  early  that  mine  day  as  this  urgent 
lousiness  would  allow,  they  abstained  from  enter- 
ing the  Pnetorium,  because  bj'  doing  so  they  would 
have  been  defiled,  and  so  legally  disqualified  from 
eating  it  till  the  day  was  over — we  have,  in  our 
judgment,  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  our  Evan- 
gelist's statement.  ISIor  were  similar  postpone- 
ments, and  even  omissions,  of  the  most  solemn 
observances  of  their  ritual  altogether  unknown  in 
the  Jewish  history,  as  may  be  seen  in  Josephus. 
(See  an  able  Essay  on  this  subject  in  Fairlairns 
" Hermeneutical  ]\Ianual.") 

29.  Pilate  then  went  out  unto  them— since  they 
would  not  come  in  to  him,  and  said,  Wliat  ac- 
cusation bring  ye  against  this  man? — 'State 
your  charge.'  30.  They  answered  and  said  unto 
him,  If  he  were  not  a  malefactor,  we  would 
not  have  delivered  him  up  unto  thee— a  Aery 
lame  reply.  But  they  were  conscious  they  had 
no  case  of  which  Pilate  could  take  cognizance  and 
inferring  death,  or  any  punishment  at  all,  according 
to  the  Roman  law.  l  hey  therefore  simply  insin- 
4U2 


uate  that  the  case  must  have  been  ])ad  enough 
before  they  would  have  come  to  him  w  ith  it,  and 
that  having  found  him  woi-thy  of  death  by  their 
own  law,  they  merely  wished  him  to  sanction 
the  execution.  31.  Then  said  Pilate  unto  them, 
Take  ye  him  \\ap6Te  cwrov  i'/xels]— '  Take  him 
yourselves,'  and  judge  him  accordin?  to  your 
law.  This  was  not  an  admission,  as  some  view  it, 
of  their  independence  of  him  in  matters  of  life 
and  death :  for  they  themselves  saj'  the  contrary 
in  the  very  next  Avords,  and  Pilate  surely  did  not 
need  to  Itarn  what  his  jiowers  Avere  from  these 
Jews.  But  by  this  general  rejjly  he  would  throw 
upon  themselves  the  resjionsibility  of  all  they 
should  do  against  this  Prisoner:  for  no  doubt  he 
liad  been  informed  to  some  extent  of  their  jirct- 
ceedings.  The  Jews  therefore  said  unto  him, 
It  is  not  lawful  for  us  to  put  any  man  to  death. 
See  Josephus  (Antt.  xx.  9.  I)^  Avho  tells  us  that  the 
high  ]!i'iest  Avas  charged  with  acting  illegally  for 
assembling  the  Sanhedrim  that  condemned  'James 
the  just'  to  die,  Avithout  the  consent  of  the  Pomau 
Governor.  32.  That  the  saying  of  Jasus  might 
he  fulfilled,  which  he  spake,  signifying  what 
death  [iroiw  dcwdTw'] — 'what  kind'  or  'manner  of 
death'  he  should  die— that  is,  the  death  of  the 
cross,  Avhich  Jesus  had  once  and  again  predicted 
He  should  die  (Matt.  xx.  19;  John  iii.  14;  viii.  28; 
xii.  32).  Had  it  been  left  to  the  Jews  to  execute 
their  oAvn  sentence,  it  would  have  been,  as  their  law 
required  in  cases  of  blas])hemy,  by  ston/n/.  (Lev. 
xxiv.  16;  1  Ki.  xxi.  10;  Acts  vi.  13,  Avith  vii.  5S; 
and  see  on  ch.  x.  32,  33.)  But  as  this  would 
have  defeated  the  divine  arrangements,  it  Avas  so 
ordered  that  they  should  not  haA'e  this  in  their 
power;  and  the  divinely  fixed  mode  of  crucifi,cion, 
being  a  Roman  mode  of  execution,  could  only  be 
carried  iuto  effect  by  order  of  the  Roman  Governor. 
Finding  it  now  indispensable  to  success  to  get  up 
a  criminal  charge  against  their  Prisoner,  they  pro- 
ceed with  shameless  audacity  to  say  that  they  had 
found  Him  guilty  of  Avhat  on  His  trial  they  seem 
not  so  much  as  to  haA^e  laid  to  His  charge.  This 
is  recorded  only  in 

Luke  xxiii.  2:  '"And  they  began"— or  ']iroceeded' 
"to  accuse  Him,  saying.  We  haA'e  found  this  [fel- 
low] perverting  the  nation" — '  our  nation'  the  true 
reading  jirobably  is — "  and  forbidding  to  giA'e  trib- 
ute to  Cesar,  saying  that  He  Himself  is  Christ  a 
King."  In  two  things  this  speech  was  peculiarly 
base.  First,  It  Avas  a  lie  that  He  had  ever  for- 
bidden to  giA'e  tribute  to  Cesar ;  nay,  to  some  of 
themselves,  not  many  days  before  this,  in  reply 
to  their  ensnaring  question  on  this  ^•cry  subject, 
and  with  a  Roman  coin  in  His  hands.  He  had  said, 
''''Bender  to  Cesar  the  thinr/s  which  be  Cesar^s^' 
(Luke  xx.  2-3).  Secondly,  Their  pretended  jealousy 
for  the  rights  and  honours  of  Cesar  Avas  so  far 
from  being  real,  that  their  restless  impatience 
under  the  Roman  yoke  was  already  creating  un- 
easiness at  Rome,  and  ultimately  brought  ruin  on 
their  whole  commonwealth  ;  nor  can  there  be  any 
doubt  that  if  our  Lord  had  given  the  least  indica- 
tion of  a  willingness  to  assume  royal  honours,  in 
opposition  to  the  Roman  power,  they  Avould  have 


Intertlew  hetwecn 


JOHN  XVIII. 


Pilate  and  Jesus. 


33  Then  Pilate  entered  into  the  judgment  hall  again,  and  called  Jesus, 

34  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?    Jesus  answered  him, 

35  Saj^est  thou  this  thing  of  thyself,  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  of  me?  Pilate 
answered,  Am  I  a  Jew?     Thine  own  nation  and  the  chief  priests  have 

3G  delivered  thee  unto  me:  what  hast  thou  done?  Jesus  ^'answered,  '"My 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.  If  my  kingdom  Avere  of  this  world,  then 
would  my  servants  fight,  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews :  but 


A.  D.  33. 

"  1  Tim. 6  13. 

Kev.  1.  3. 
•"  Isa.  9.  e 

Dan.  2.  44. 

Dan.  7.   14. 

Luke  12. 14. 

ch  6.  15. 

2  Cor  10.  4 


rallied  around  Him.  But  how  does  Pilate  treat 
this  charge  aojaiiist  the  blessed  Jesus?  It  was  at 
least  a  tangible  charge,  and  whatever  suspicion  he 
might  have  as  to  the  motives  of  His  accusers,  it 
was  not  to  be  trifled  with.  Perha])s  rumours  of 
our  Lord's  regal  claims  may  have  reached  the 
(Governor's  ears;  but  instead  of  eutering  on  the 
subject  with  the  accu.sers,  he  resolves  to  inter- 
rogate the  Accused  Himself,  and  that  alone,  in 
tne  first  instance. 

Intenieiv  hctivecn  Pllnte  and  Jems  (3.3  "8).  33. 
Then  Pilate  entered  into  the  judgment  hall— 'the 
Prastorium'  again,  and  called  Jesus,  and  said 
unto  him.  Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?  34. 
Jesus  ansv/ered  him,  Sayest  thou  this  thing  of 
thyself,  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  of  me?—'  Is  this 
(luestinn  in'omiited  by  any  evidence  which  has 
come  to  thine  ears  of  treasou  on  My  i)art  against 
the  Roman  government ;  or  hast  thou  merely  been 
put  up  to  it  by  those  who,  having  failed  to  convict 
Me  of  aught  that  is  criminal,  ase  yet  urging  thee 
to  put  Me  to  death?'  35.  Pilate  answered,  Am  I 
a  Jew  ?  Thine  own  nation  and  the  chief  priests 
have  delivered  thee  unto  me :  what  hast  thou 
done? — q.  d.,  'Jewish  questions  I  neither  under- 
stand nor  meddle  with;  but  thou  art  here  on  a 
charge  which,  though  it  seems  only  Jewish,  rnai/ 
yet  involve  trcasonalsle  matter.  As  they  state  it  I 
cannot  decide  the  iioint ;  tell  nie,  then,  what  lu-o- 
cedure  of  thine  has  brought  thee  into  this  posi- 
tion.' In  modern  jihrase,  Pilate's  olyect  in  this 
question  was  merely  to  determine  the  relevancy 
of  the  charge,  or  whether  the  claims  which  he 
was  accused  of  making  were  of  a  treasonable 
nature.  If  it  should  be  fo\xnd  that  they  were, 
the  eridence  of  His  having  actually  advanced  such 
claims  would  still  remain  to  be  sifted.  36.  Jesus 
answered,  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world  [H 
(iaatXeia  i';  e,u'i].  The  "My"  here  is  emphatic: — 
(/.  (I.,  'This  kingdom  of  Mine.'  He  does  not  say 
it  is  not  '  in' or  ^oi:er,'  but  it  is  not  "  o/ this 
world"  [eK  Tuu  liixjuov  toi'tou],  that  is,  in  its  oriijin 
and  nature;  and  so,  is  no  such  kingdom  as 
need  give  thee  or  thy  ma.ster  the  least  alarm. 
If  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then  would 
my  servants  fight,  that  I  should  not  he  delivered 
to^  the  Jews— 'a  very  convincing  argument,'  as 
Webster  and  Wilkinson  observe;  'for  if  His  ser- 
vants did  not  fight  to  ]U-event  their  king  from 
being  delivered  up  to  His  enemies,  much  less  would 
they  use  force  for  the  establishment  of  His  king- 
dom: '  tout  now  is—'  but  the  fact  is '  my  kingdom 
not  from  henc^.  Our  Lord  only  says  whence  His 
kingdom  is  not  —  lirst  simply  affirming  it,  next 
giving  proof  of  it,  then  re-alhrming  it.  This  was 
all  that  Pilate  had  to  do  with.  The  positire  nature 
of  His  kingdom  He  would  not  obtrude  upon  one 
who  was  as  little  able  to  comi)rehend  it  as  entitled 
officially  to  information  about  it.  It  is  worthy  of 
notice  that  the  "my,"  which  occurs /ottr  times  in 
this  one  verse— ^/wire  of  His  kinijdom  and  once  of 
His  servants — is  put  in  the  emphatic  form.  37. 
Pilate  therefore  said  vinto  him.  Art  thou  a  king 
then  ?  There  was  no  sarcasm  or  disdain  in  this 
((uestion,  as  Tholucl;  Alford,  &c.,  allege,  else  our 
Lord's  answer  would  have  been  different.     Putting 


em])hasis  upon  "  thou"  his  question  betrays  a. 
mixture  of  surprise  and  uneasiness,  partly  at  the 
possibility  of  there  being,  after  all,  something 
dangerous  under  the  claim,  and  partly  from  a  cer- 
tain awe  which  our  Loi-d's  demeanour  probably 
struck  into  him.    Jesus  answered,  Thou  sayest 

that  I  am  a  king  \^i  \iyei^  tin  /?«o-i\ei;s  eljxi  'EytoJ 
— or  rather,   'Thou  sayest  [it^,  for  a  king  I  am.' 
To    this   end  was  I— 'have  I   been'  horn,   and. 
for  this  cause  came  I — 'to  this  end  am  I  come' 
into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness  unto 
the  truths    His  Inrth  expresses  His  maaihood ;  His 
coming  into  the  world,  His  existence  before  assum- 
ing humanity:   the  truth,    then,    here    affirmed, 
though  Pilate  would  catch  little  of  it,  was,  that 
'  His  Incarnation   was   expressly  in   order  to  the 
assumjition  of  Pioyalty  in   our  nature.'    Yet,  in- 
stead of  saying  He  came  to  be  a  king,  which  is 
His  meaning.  He  says  He  came  to  testify  to  the 
truth.      Why    this?     Because,    in     such    circum- 
stances, it  required  a  noble  courage  not  to  flinch 
from  His  royal  claims ;  and  our  Lord,   conscious 
that  He  was  putting  forth  that  courage,  gives  a  turn 
to  His  confession  expressive  of  it.    It  is  to  this  that 
Paul  is  commonly  understood  to  allude,  in  those 
remarkable  words  to  Timothy:    "I   charge  thee 
before  God,  who  quick  en  eth  all  things,  and  before 
Christ   Jesus,    who    before    Pontius    Pilate    wit- 
nessed the  good  confession"  [ti'/i/  kuXiiu  v/xu\oyiav] 
(1  Tim.  vi.  1.3).     But  we  have  given  our  o]iinion 
(page  205,  first  colimin)  that  tlie  reference  is  to  the 
solemn  confession  which  He  witnessed  before  the 
supreme  ecclesiastical  council,  that  He  was  "  the 
Christ,  the  Son   of  the  Blessed,"  which  the 
apostle  would  hold  up  to  Timothy  as  a  sublime 
exanqile    of     the     fidelity    and    courage     which 
he    himself    should     display.     These    two    con- 
fessions, however,  are  the  complements  of  each 
other.      For,    in     the    beautiful    words    of    O's- 
hausen,   'As   the  Lord  owned   Himself    the  Son 
of    God    before    the    most    exalted    theocratic 
council,    so    He    confessed    His    7-egcd_  dignity  in 
presence  of  tlie  representative  of  the  highest  poli- 
tical authority  on  eaith.'    Every  one  that  is  of 
the  truth  heareth  my  voice.     Our  Lord  here  nut 
only  affirms  that  His  word  had  in  it  a  self-evi- 
dencing,  self-recommending  i)Ower,  but  gently  in- 
sinuates the  true  secret  of  Ike  growth  and  grandeur 
of  I  lis  kingdom:  it  is  a  Kingdom  of  tiiuth,  in  its 
highest   sense,    into    which    all    souls  who   have 
learnt  to  live  and  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the 
truth  are,  by  a  most  heavenly  attracticrti,  drawn  as 
into  their  proper  element;    whose   King    Jesiis 
is,   fetching    them  in   and    ruling    them   by   His 
captivating  jiower  over  their  hearts.     38.  Pilate 
saith  unto  him,  What  is  truth?  — g.  f?.,  'Thou 
stirrest    the   question    of    questions,    which   the 
thoughtful  of   every  age  have  asked,  but  never 
man  yet  answered.'    And  when  he  had  said  this— 
as  if,  by  putting  such  a  question,  he  was  getting 
into    interminable   and    unseasonable    enquiries, 
when  this  business  demanded  rather  jirompt  action, 
he  went  out  again  unto  the  Jews— thus  missing  a 
noble  opportunity  for  himself,  and  giving  utter- 
ance to  that  consciousness  of  the  want  of  all  in- 
tellectual and  moral  certainty,  N\hich  was  the  feel- 


Interview  between 


JOHN  XVIII. 


Pilate  and  Jesus. 


37  now  is  my  kingdom  not  from  hence.  Pilate  therefore  said  unto  him,  Art 
thou  a  king  then  ?  Jesus  answered,  ^  Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king.  To 
this  end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I 


A.  D.  33. 

Luke  23  3. 
1  Tim.  6. 13. 


lu^of  every  thoughtful  mind  at  that  time.  'The 
only  certainty,'  says  the  elder  Pliny,  quoted  by 
Ohhausen,  'is  that  nothing  is  certain,  nor  more 
miserable  than  man,  nor  more  proud.'  '  The  fear- 
ful laxity  of  morals,'  adds  the  critic,  '  at  that 
time  must  doubtless  be  traced  in  a  great  degree  to 
this  scepticism.  The  revelation  of  the  eternal 
truth  alone  was  able  to  breathe  new  life  into 
I'uiued  human  nature,  and  that  in  the  ai)prehen- 
sion  of  complete  redemption.' 

Pilate,  again  Going  Forth  to  the  Jews,  Vainly  At- 
tempts  to  Obtain  their  Consent  to  the  Release  of  Jesus 
(38).  38.  .  .  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  went 
out  again  unto  the  Jews,  and  saith  unto  them— in 
the  hearing  of  our  Lord,  who  had  been  brought 
forth  to  them,  I  find  in  him  no  fault  [at  all]— that 
is,  no  ground  of  criminal  charge,  "touching  those 
things  whereof  ye  accuse  him"  (Luke  xxiii.  14). 
This  testimony  is  all  the  more  important  imme- 
diately after  our  Lord's  explicit  confession  that 
He  was  a  Kiu^,  and  speaking  of  "His  kingdom," 
But  how  could  Pilate  with  any  truth  say  else  than 
Jie  did,  after  the  explanation  that  His  kingdom 
was  not  of  a  nature  to  come  into  collision  at  all 
with  Cesar's?  Indeed,  it  is  clear  that  Pilate 
regarded  our  Lord  as  a  high-minded  Advocate  of 
some  mysterious  religions  principles,  more  or  less 
connected  with  the  Jewish  Faith  but  at  variance 
\vith  the  reigning  ecclesiastical  system — thoroughly 
sincere,  at  the  least,  but  whether  more  than  that 
lie  was  unable  to  judge ;  yet  cherishing  no  treason- 
able designs  and  meddling  with  no  political  af- 
fairs. This  conclusion,  candidly  expressed,  so 
•exasperated  "the  chief  priests  and  elders,"  who 
were  panting  for  His  death,  that  afraid  of  losing 
their  Victim,  they  poiu-  forth  a  volley  of  charges 
against  Him,  as  if  to  overbear  the  Governor  by 
their  very  vehemence.  The  precise  succession  of 
the  incidents  and  speeches  here,  as  reported  by  the 
different  Evangelists,  it  is  not  quite  easy  to  see, 
though  the  general  course  of  them  is  plain  enough. 

Matt,  xxvii.  12-14  (  =  Mark  xv.  3-5) :— "And  when 
He  was  accused  of  the  chief  priests  and  elders. 
He  answered  nothing.  Then  said  Pilate  unto 
Him,  Hearest  thou  not  how  many  things  they 
witness  against  thee  ?  And  He  answered  him  to 
never  a  word" — Mark  says,  "Jesus  yet  answered 
nothing," or  rather,  'answered  nothing  more'  [oli- 
KETi  oijoev] ;  that  is,  nothing  more  than  He  had 
answered  already  to  Pilate  alone —  "  insomuch 
that  the  governor  marvelled  greatly."  Pilate, 
fully  persuaded  of  His  innocence,  seems  to  have 
been  surprised  that  He  did  not  refute  nor  even 
challenge  their  charges.  But  here  a  very  import- 
ant incident  occurred — the  transference  of  Jesus 
to  Herod— which  is  recorded  only  in  the  third 
Gospel.     It  is  thus  iutroduced: — 

Luke  xxiii.  4,  5: — "Then  said  Pilate  to  the  chief 
priests  and  to  the  people,  I  find  no  fault  in  him." 
(This  appears  to  us  clearly  to  be  the  same  testi- 
mony as  we  found  recorded  in  John,  though  Robin- 
son in  his  'Harmony'  represents  it  as  a  second 
statement  of  the  same  thing. )  "And  thej'  were  the 
more  tierce,  saying,  He  stirreth  up  the  jieople, 
leaching  throui'hout  all  Jewry,  beginning  from 
Galilee  to  this  place."  They  see  no  hope  of  getting 
Pilate's  sanction  to  His  death  unless  they  can 
fasten  upon  Him  some  charge  of  conspiracy  against 
the  government ;  and  as  Galilee  was  noted  for  its 
turbulence  (see  Lidie  xiii.  1 ;  Acts  v.  37),  and  our 
Lord's  ministry  lay  cliieHy  there,  while  Pilate 
might  well  be  ignorant  of  much  disaffection  bred 
464 


there,  beyond  his  own  jurisdictioUj  they  artfully 
introduce  this  region  as  that  in  which  the  alleged 
treason  had  been  hatched,  and  whence  it  had  at 
length  spread  to  Judea  and  the  capital.     In  his 

Eerplexity,  Pilate,  hearing  of  Galilee,  bethinks 
imself  of  sending  the  Prisoner  to  Herod,  in  the 
hope  of  thereby  snaking  off"  all  further  responsi- 
bility in  the  case.  Accordingly  we  have  in  the 
sequel  of  this  third  Gospel  the  following  remark- 
able incident : — 

Jesus  before  Herod  AntijMS  (Luke  xxiii.  6-12). 
6.  "When  Pilate  heard  of  Galilee,  he  asked 
whether  the  man  were  a  Galilean.  7.  And  as  soon 
as  he  knew  that  He  belonged  unto  Herod's  juris- 
diction, he  sent  Him  to  Herod,  who  also  was  at 
Jerusalem  at  that  time" — hojiing,  as  we  have 
said,  to  escape  the  dilemma  of  an  unjust  con- 
demnation or  an  unpopular  release;  possibly  also 
in  hoj)e  of  some  light  being  cast  upon  the  case 
itself.  Herod  was  then  at  Jerusalem,  no  doubt 
to  keep  the  Passover.  8.  "And  when  Herod 
saw  Jesus,  he  was  exceeding  glad:  for  he  was 
desirous  to  see  him  of  a  long  season."  (See  Luke 
ix.  9.)  This  is  not  inconsistent  with  what  is 
said  in  Luke  xiii.  31 ;  for  Herod,  though  full 
of  curiosity  for  a  considerable  time  to  see  Jesus, 
might  not  care  to  have  Him  wandering  about 
in  his  own  dominions,  and  too  near  to  the  scene 
of  the  bloody  deed  done  on  his  faithful  reprover. 
"Because  he  had  heard  many  things  of  Him,  and 
he  hoped  to  have  seen  some  miracle  done  by 
him. "  Fine  sport  thou  expectest,  0  coarse,  crafty, 
cruel  tyrant,  as  the  Philistines  with  Samson  (Jud. 
xvi.  25).  But  thou  hast  been  baulked  before 
(see  on  Luke  xiii.  31-33),  and  shaft  be  again.  9. 
"  Then  he  questioned  with  Him  in  many  words ; 
V)ut  He  answered  him  nothing."  (See  Matt.  vii.  6.) 
10.  "And  the  chief  jmests  and  scribes  stood 
and  vehemently  accused  Him" — no  doubt  both  of 
treason,  Herod  being  a  king,  and  of  blasphemy,  for 
Herod,  though  of  Idumean  descent,  was  by  religion 
a  circumcised  Jew.  11.  "And  Herod  with  his  men 
of  war"  [toTs  cTTpaTevfxaaiv] — or  his  body  guard, 
"  set  Him  at  nought " — stung  with  disappointment 
at  His  refusal  either  to  amuse  him  with  miracles  or 
to  answer  any  of  his  questions.  But  a  day  is  com- 
ing, 0  proud  Herod,  wlieu  He  who  now  stands 
before  thee,  to  outward  ajipcarance  a  helpless  pris- 
oner, shall  from  His  great  white  throne  "  laugh 
at  thy  calamity,  and  mock  when  thy  fear  cometh  ' ! 
— "and  arrayed  Him  in  a  gorgeous  (or  'bright') 
Yo\)&"  {((T^u-^a  XnixTrpav].  If  this  mean,  'of  shin- 
ing white,'  as  sometimes,  it  may  have  been  in 
derision  of  His  claim  to  be  "  King  of  the  Jews ;" 
that  being  the  royal  colour  among  the  Jews.  But 
if  so,  he  in  realitj'^  honoured  Him,  as  Bengel  re- 
marks, just  as  Pilate  did  by  blazoning  His  true 
title  on  the  Cross :  "  and  sent  Him  again  to  Pilate" 
— instead  of  releasing  Him  as  he  ought,  having 
established  nothing  against  Him  (rr.  14  15).  Thus, 
to  use  again  the  words  of  Bengel,  did  Herod  im- 
plicate himself  with  Pilate  in  all  the  guilt  of  His 
condemnation ;  and  accordingly  he  is  classed  with 
him  in  this  deed  in  Acts  iv.  27.  12.  "And  the 
same  day  Pilate  and  Herod  were  made  friends  to- 
gether: for  before  they  were  at  enmity  between 
themselves" — perhajis  aliout  some  point  of  disputed 
jurisdiction,  which  this  exchange  of  the  Prisoner 
might  tend  to  heal. 

Pilate,  a  second  and  a  third  time  Failing  to  Ob- 
tain the  Consent  of  the  Jems  to  the  Release  of  Jesus, 
even  though  Offering  to  Scourge  Him,  and  Borne 


Pilate  Tciinly  attempts 


JOHN  XVIII. 


to  release  Jesus. 


sliould  bear  witness  unto  the  truth.     Every  one  that  ^is  of  the  truth 
38  heareth  my  voice.     Pilate  saith  unto  him,  What  is  truth  ? 

And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  went  out  again  unto  the  Jews,  and 


y  Ch   8.  47. 
iJohns.lO. 


Down  by  Clamour,  at  length,  in  spite  of  a  Divine 
Warning,  Surrenders  Him  to  their  Will  (39,  40.) 
The  materials  of  tins  portion  must  be  drawn 
chiefly  from  the  other  Gosijels. 

Luke  xxiii.  13-16: — "And  Pilate,  when  he  had 
called  together  the  chief  piiests  and  the  rulers  and 
the  people,  said  unto  them,  Ye  have  brought  this 
man  unto  me,  as  one  that  perverteth  the  jieople: 
and, behold,  I,  having  examined  him  before  you" — 
from  the  first  three  Gospels  we  should  conclude 
that  the  whole  examination  hitherto  had  been  in 
their  presence,  while  John  represents  it  as  private; 
but  in  all  likelihood  the  reference  here  is  to  what 
is  related  in  vv.  3-5,  though  too  briefly  to  enable 
us  to  see  the  precise  form  which  the  examination 
took  throughout — "  have  found  no  fault  in  this 
man  touching  those  things  whereof  ye  accuse  him : 
No,  nor  yet  Hei'od :  for  I  sent  you  to  him ;  and,  lo, 
nothing  worthy  of  death  is  done  unto  Him"  [au-rto] 
—or  rather,  'by  Him,'  as  the  phrase  sometimes 
means  classically,  and  here  must  be  held  to  mean. 
"I  will  therefore  chastise  Him,  and  let  Him  go" 
{irai&evaai — airo\\)(Toi>\ — 'When,  therefore,  I  have 
corrected,  I  will  dismiss  Him.'  Though  the  kind 
of  correction  which  he  proposed  to  intfict  was  not 
specified  by  Pilate  on  this  occasion,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  scourging  was  what  he  meant,  and 
the  event  soon  i)roved  it.  It  seems  strange  to  our 
ideas  of  justice,  that  a  Roman  governor  should 
propose  to  punish,  however  lightly,  a  prisoner 
whose  innocence  he  had  just  i:)roclaimed.  But 
it  was  of  the  nature  of  a  well  meant  yet  indefens- 
ible offer,  in  hope  of  saving  the  prisoner's  life. 

At  this  moment,  as  would  ap)  ;ear,  two  of  those 
strange  incidents  occurred  which  throw  such  a 
lurid  light  on  these  awful  transactions.  We  refer 
to  the  choice  of  Barahhas  for  release  at  the  feast, 
in  preference  to  Jesus,  and  the  dream  of  Pilate's 
vjife. 

Matt,  xxvii.  15-23: — 15.  "  Now  at  that  feast  the 
governor  was  wont  to  release  unto  the  people  a 
prisoner,  whom  they  would."  16.  "  And  they  had 
then  a  notable  (or  '  notorious')  prisoner  called  Bar- 
abbas" — "which,"  says  Mark  (xv.  7),  "lay  bound 
with  them  that  had  made  insurrection  with  him" 
[cr\i<TTa<TLa<TTwv],  or  'with  his  fellow  insurgents,' 
"  who  (that  is,  which  insurgents)  had  committed 
murder  in  the  insurrection."  But  in  Luke  (xxiii. 
19)  the  miirder  is  expressly  ascribed  to  this  Bar- 
abbas,  who  is  also  called  "  a  rob1;)er."  He  was  evi- 
dently the  ringleader  of  this  lawless  gang;  an.d 
there  we  leai-n  that  the  "sedition"  here  referred 
to  was  "  made  in  the  city. "  "And  the  multitude," 
says  Mark,  "  crying  aloud,  began  to  desire  him  to 
do  as  he  had  ever  done  unto  them."  This  is  pecu- 
liar to  Mark,  and  enaljles  us  vividly  to  realize  the 
rising  of  the  jjopular  excitement  before  which 
Pilate — reluctantly  though  it  was  —  gave  way. 
But  this  clamour  for  the  exercise  of  his  usual 
clemency  at  the  feast  suggested  another  expedient 
for  saving  his  conscience — the  selection  of  Jesus 
as  the  j)risoner  of  his  choice  for  this  release ;  not 
doubting  that  between  Jesus  aud  such  a  villain 
as  this  Barabbas  they  would  for  very  shame  be 
forced  to  jirefer  the  former.  But  he  little  knew 
his  men,  if  he  thought  that.  17.  "Therefore," 
continues  Matthew,  "  when  they  were  gathered 
together,  Pilate  saith  unto  them.  Whom  will  ye 
that  I  release  unto  you?  Barabbas,  or  Jesus 
which  is  called  Christ?^'  18.  "  For  he  knew  that 
for  envy  they  had  delivered  Him" — that  is,  out 
of  jealousy  at  the  pormlarity  of  Jesus,   and  fear 

VOL.  V.  465 


of  losing  their  own.  This  woidd  seem  to  show 
that  Pilate  was  not  ignorant  of  the  leading  facts 
of  this  case. 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  or  rather  just 
after  they  had  formally  beguu,  the  strange  mes- 
sage from  his  wife,  recorded  only  by  Matthew, 
seems  to  have  deepened  the  anxiety  of  Pilate  to 
save  Jesus,  aud  was  probably  what  induced  him 
to  set  up  Barabbas  as  the  only  alternative  he 
would  give  them  for  release,  if  they  would  not 
have  Jesiis.  19.  "  When  he  was  set  down  on  the 
judgment  seat,  his  wife  sent  unto  him" — it  has 
been  noticed  as  a  striking  confirmation  of  the  his- 
torical accuracy  of  this  Gosiiel,  that  (as  Tacitus 
relates,  in  his  Annals,  iii.  33,  34)  the  Governors  of 
provinces  had  not  begim  to  take  their  wives  with 
them  till  the  time  of  Augustus — "  saying.  Have 
thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  just  man"  [ixi]&hv  rrol 
Kcd  T(o  oiKa'uo  eKe'ivu},  see  on  John  ii.  4]:  "for  I 
have  suffered  many  things  this  day  in  a  dream 
because  of  Him  ;"  a  testimony  to  the  innocence  of 
Jesus,  and  a  warning  to  Pilate,  from  the  unseen 
world,  which,  though  finally  ineffectual,  made 
doubtless  a  dee]i  impression  upon  his  mind.  20. 
"But  the  chief  priests  and  elders,"  continues 
Matthew,  "  persuaded  the  multitude  that  they 
should  ask  Barabbas,  and  destroy  Jesus."  Pos- 
siljly  they  took  advantage  of  the  pause  in  the  pro- 
ceedings, occasioned  by  the  delivering  of  the  mes- 
sage from  the  Governor's  wife.  21.  "The  governor 
answered  and  said  iinto  them.  Whether  of  the 
twain  will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you  ?  They  said, 
Barabbas  " — aud  said  it  with  a  vehemence  which 
sho\ved  how  successful  the  leaders  had  been  in 
]:)utting  them  up  to  this  simultaneous  way  of 
clamouring.  "And  they  cried  out,"  says  Luke, 
"all  at  once,  saying.  Away  with  this  man,  aud  re- 
lease unto  us  Barabbas." 

Pilate  now  makes  a  last  feeble  effort  to  induce 
them  to  acquiesce  in  the  release  of  Jesus.  "Pi- 
late therefore,"  says  Luke,  "willing  to  release 
Jesus,  spake  a^ain  to  them ; "  but  what  he  said 
is  recorded  only  by  the  first  two  Evangelists. 
22.  "Pilate,"  says  Matthew,  "said  unto  them. 
What  shall  I  do  then  with  Jesus  which  is  called 
Chi-ist?"— or,  according  to  the  keener  form  of  the 
question  in  Mark,  "  Him  whom  ye  call  the  King  of 
the  Jews?"  This  was  just  the  thing  they  could 
not  endure,  and  Pilate  was  sharp  enough  to 
see  it.  "  But  they  all  cried.  Crucify  Him,  crucify 
Him"  (Luke  and  Matthew).  The  shocking  cry  is 
redoubled.  "And  the  governor  said  unto  them 
the  third  time.  Why,  what  evil  hath  he  done?  I 
have  found  no  cause  of  death  in  Him:  I  will 
therefore  chastise  Him,  and  let  Him  go"  (Luke). 
Why  chastise  Him,  0  Pilate,  if  thou  hast  foiind 
no  fault  in  Him?  Biit  his  remonstrances  are  wax- 
ing feebler;  this  offer  of  chastisement,  already  re- 
jected as  a  comjiromise,  is  but  another  slight  effort 
to  stem  the  torrent,  and  presently  he  will  give 
way.  They  see  this,  and  hasten  to  bury  his 
scruples  in  a  storm  of  cries  for  His  cmcifixion. 
What  a  scene!  2.3.  "But  they  cried  out  the  more, 
saying.  Let  Him  be  crucified."  Luke  is  more  em- 
phatic: "And  they  were  instant  with  loud  voices, 
reo|uiring  that  He  mi^'ht  be  crucified.  And  the 
voices  of  them  and  of  the  chief  priests  prevailed." 

A  very  striking  incident  is  here  again  related  in 
the  first  Gospel  only. 

Matt,  xxvii.  24,  25:— 24  "When  Pilate  saw  that 
he  could  prevail  nothing" — his  humiliating  help- 
lessness was  manifest  to  himself — "but  that  rather 
2h 


I^courging  and  cruel 


JOHN  XIX. 


mockeries  of  Jems. 


39  saith  unto  them,  I  ""find  in  him  no  fault  at  all.     But  ye  have  a  custom, 
that  I  should  release  unto  you  one  at  the  passover:  will  ye  therefore  that 

40  I  release  unto  you  the  King  of  the  Jews?     Then  "cried  they  all  again, 
saying,  Not  this  man,  but  Barabbas.     ''Now  Barabbas  was  a  robber. 

19      THEN   "Pilate   therefore  took   Jesus,  and  scourged  him.     And   the 

2  soldiers  platted  a  crown  of  thorns,  and  put  it  on  his  head,  and  they  put 

3  on  him  a  purple  robe,  And  said,  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews !  and  they  smote 
him  with  their  hands. 

4  Pilate   therefore   went    forth   again,   and   saith   unto   them.   Behold, 
I  bring  him   forth  to  you,  ''that  ye  may  know  that  I  find  no   fault 

5  in   him.     Then   came   Jesus  forth,   wearing   the   crown  of  thorns,  and 
the    purple  robe.      And   Pilate  saith  unto   them.   Behold    the   man ! 

6  When  "^the  chief  priests  therefore  and  officers  saw  him,  they  cried  out, 
saying,  Crucify  him,  crucify  him.     Pilate  saith  unto  them.  Take  ye  him. 


A.  D.  33. 


'  AIatt.27.  IS, 
19,  24. 
Mark  ;5  14. 
Luke  23.  4, 

14-16. 

ch.  19.  4,  6. 
°-  Acts  3.  14. 
6  Luke  23. 19. 

CHAP.  19. 

"  Isa  50.  6. 

Matt.  20. 19. 

Matt.2r.26. 

Mark  15.15. 

Luke  18.33. 
6  ch.  18.  38. 

2  Cor.  5  21. 
"  Acts  3.  13. 


a  tumult  was  made,  he  took  water,  and  washed 
his  hands  before  the  multitude"  (compare,  in  illus- 
tration of  this  act,  Deut.  xxi.  6,  7 ;  rs.  xxvi.  6), 
as  a  solemn  and  public  protest  against  the  deed, 
"saying,  I  am  innocent  of  the  blood  of  this  [just] 
person:"  [the  words  toD  oiKalov  are  omitted  by 
Tischendorf,  and  bracketed  by  Lachmann  and 
Tregelles.  They  appear  to  be  of  doubtful  author- 
ity.] "see  ye  to  it."  'Tis  not  so  easy,  0  Pilate, 
to  wash  out  sin,  much  less  the  innocent  blood  of 
the  Holy  One  of  God !  But  thy  testimony  to  Him, 
and  to  the  uneasiness  of  thy  conscience  in  con- 
demning Him,  we  accept  with  all  thankfulness — 
to  a  Higher  than  thou.  2.5.  "Then  answered  all 
the  people,  and  said.  His  blood  be  on  us,  and  on 
our  children. "  0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  how  heavy 
has  that  word  been  to  thee!  And  the  dregs  of 
that  cup  of  fury,  V'oluntarily  called  down  u|ion 
thine  own  head,  are  not  all  drunken  yet.  "But 
thou,  0  Lord,  how  long?"  "And  Pilate,"  says 
Luke,  "gave  sentence  that  it  should  be  as  they 
required.  And  he  released  unto  them  him  that 
for  sedition  and  murder  was  cast  into  prison,  whom 
they  desired ;  but  he  delivered  Jesus  to  their  will." 
There  is  a  heavy  reflection  conveyed  by  these 
words,  though  they  be  but  the  studious  repetition 
of  the  black  facts  of  the  case;  for  it  is  not  the 
manner  of  the  first  three  Evangelists  to  make 
reflections  on  the  facts  which  they  record,  as  the 
fourth  does. 

From  the  fulness  of  the  matter  embraced  in  tlie 
foregoing  portions  of  the  first  three  Gospels,  it  will 
at  once  he  seen  that  the  beloved  disciple,  in  the 
two  following  verses,  designed  not  so  much  to  re- 
cord as  merely  to  remind  his  readers  of  facts  already 
fully  recorded  and  familiar  to  all  Christians,  in 
order  to  pave  the  way  for  the  fuller  details  of  what 
followed,  which  he  was  about  to  give :  39.  But  ye 
have  a  custom,  that  I  should  release  unto  you 
one  at  the  passover :  will  ye  therefore  that  I  re- 
lease unto  you  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  40.  Then 
cried  they  all  again,  saying,  Not  this  man,  but 
Barahhas.    Now  Barahhas  was  a  robber. 

CHAP.  XIX.  1-lG. — Jesua  is  Scourged  by  Pilate 
— After  being  Treated  with  other  Severities  and  In- 
sults, and  Two  more  Efforts  to  Save  Him  Failing, 
He  is  Delivered  Up  and  Led  Away  to  be  Cruci- 
fied. 

TheScourging  and  Cruel  Mockeries  (1-3.)  1.  Then 
Pilate  therefore  took  Jesus,  and  scourged  him. 
As  a  compromise,  he  had  ofl'ered  before  to  commit 
this  less  injustice  on  the  person  of  the  prisoner,  in 
hope  of  that  contenting  them.  (See  page  465,  first 
column,  second  paragraph,  and  second  column, 
third  paragraph. )  But  this_  victim  of  conflicting 
emotions  is  now  resigning  himself  to  the  fiendish 
clamours  of  a  Je\vish  mob,  set  on  by  sacerdotal 
4GG 


hypocrites.  This  scourging,  says  Philo  Judavs, 
was  what  was  inflicted  on  the  worst  criminals. 
The  next  stey)  was  the  following,  recorded  in  Matt, 
xxvii.  27;  and  Mark  xv.  16:  "Then  the  soldiers 
of  the  governor  took  Jesus  into  the  common  hall 
( '  the  Praitorium '),  andgathered  unto  him  the  whole 
band  (of  soldiers) " — the  body  of  the  military  cohort 
stationed  there,  to  take  yiart  in  the  mock-coro- 
nation now  to  be  enacted.  2.  And  the  soldiers 
platted  a  crown  of  thorns,  and  put  it  on  his  head 
— in  mockery  of  a  regal  crown,  and  they  put  on 
him  a  purple  robe— in  mockery  of  the  imperial 
purple;  first  "stripping  Him"  of  His  own  outer 
garment  (Matt,  xxvii.  28).  It  is  possible  that  this 
was  the  "gorgeous"  robe  in  which  Herod  arrayed 
and  sent  Him  back  to  Pilate  (Luke  xxiii.  11) ;  but 
it  may  have  been  one  of  the  military  cloaks  worn 
by  the  Boman  officers.  In  Matthew  (xxviL  29) 
we  have  the  following  addition :  "  they  put  a  reed 
in  his  right  hand  " — in  mockery  of  the  regal  sceptre 
— "and  they  bowed  the  knee  before  Him,  and 
mocked  Him."  3.  And  said,  Hail,  King  of  the 
Jews! — doing  Him  derisive  homage  in  the  form 
used  on  approaching  the  emperors  (see  also,  on 
the  same  derisive  epithet,  iiage  472).  and  they 
smote  him  with  their  hands.  Matthew  says 
"  they  sv>it  upon  Him,  and  took  the  reed,  and 
smote  Him  on  the  head"  (see  Mic.  v.  1).  The 
best  comment  on  these  affecting  details  is  to 
cover  the  face. 

Pilate  Again  Tries  to  save  the  Prisoner  (4-1.3). 
4.  Pilate  therefore  went  forth  again,  and  saith 
unto  them,  Behold,  I  bring— or  'am  bringing'  him 
forth  to  you,  that  ye  may  know  that  I  find  no 
fault  in  him — 'and  by  scourging  and  allowing  the 
soldiers  to  make  sj)ort  of  him,  have  gone  as  far  to 
meet  your  exasyjeration  as  can  be  expected  from  a 
judge.*'  5.  Then  came  Jesus  forth,  wearing  the 
crown  of  thorns,  and  the  purple  robe.  And  Pilate 
saith  unto  them,  Behold  the  man! — There  is  no 
reason  to  think  that  contempt  dictated  this  memor- 
able speech.  There  was  clearly  a  struggle  in  the 
breast  of  this  wretched  man.  Xot  only  was  he 
reluctant  to  surrender  to  mere  clamour  an  innocent 
person,  but  a  feeling  of  anxiety  about  His  mys- 
terious claims,  as  is  plain  from  what  follows,  was 
beginning  to  rack  his  breast,  and  the  object  of  his 
exclamation  seems  to  have  been  to  move  their  pity. 
But,  be  his  meaning  what  it  may,  those  three 
words  have  been  eagerly  appropriated  by  all  Chris- 
tendom, and  enshrined  for  ever  in  its  heart,  as  a 
sublime  expression  of  its  calm,  rapt  admii-ation  of 
its  suffering  Lord  6.  When  the  chief  priests  there- 
fore and  officers  saw  him,  they  cried  out,  sas^ng, 
Crucify  him,  crucify  him.  (See  yiage  465,  second 
column,  third  paragiaph. )  Pilate  safth  unto  them, 
Take  ye  him,  and  crucify  him :  for  I  And  no  fault 


Pilate  again  seeks 


JOHN  XIX. 


to  release  Jesus. 


and  crucify  /lim:  for  I  find  no  fault  in  him.  Tlie  Jews  answered  him, 
''We  have  a  law,  and  by  our  law  he  ought  to  die,  because  he  *made  him- 
self the  Son  of  God. 

"VVlien  Pilate  therefore  heard  that  saying,  he  was  the  more  afraid; 
and  went  again  into  the  judgment  hall,  and  saitli  nnto  Jesus,  Whence 
art  thou?  But  'Jesus  gave  him  no  answer.  Then  saitli  Pilate  unto  him, 
Speakest  thou  not  unto  me?  knowest  thou  not  that  I  have  power  to 
crucify  thee,  and  have  power  to  release  thee?  Jesus  answered,  ^Thou 
couldest  have  no  power  at  all  against  me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from 
above :  therefore  he  that  delivered  me  unto  thee  hath  the  greater  sin. 

And  from  thenceforth  Pilate  sought  to  release  him :  but  the  Jews  cried 
out,  saying,  ^If  thou  let  this  man  go,  thou  art  not  Cesar's  friend:  ^who- 
13  soever  maketh  himself  a  king  speaketh  against  Cesar.  When  Pilate 
therefore  heard  that  saying,  he  brought  Jesus  forth,  and  sat  down  in  the 
judgment  seat  iu  a  place  that  is  called  the  Pavement,  but  in  the  Hebrew, 
^  Gabbatha. 


9 
10 

11 


12 


A.  D.  33. 


d  Lev.  21.  16. 
°  Matt. 26.65. 

ch.  5.  18. 

ch.  10.  33. 
/  Isa.  53.  7. 

Matt.  27. 12, 

14. 

Acts  8.  32. 

"  Gen.45. 1,9. 

Ps.  62.  11. 

Dan.  4. 17, 

25. 

Matt.  6. 18. 

Luke  22.53. 

ch.  7.  30. 

Acts  2.  23. 
h  Luke  23.  2. 
i  Acts  17.  7. 
1  That  is, 

elevated. 


in  him — as  if  that  would  relieve  hhn  of  the  resiion- 
sibility,  who,  Ijy  surreuderiug  him  to  an  uurigh- 
teous  death,  incurred  it  all!  7.  The  Jews  an- 
swered him,  We  have  a  law,  and  by  our  law  he 
ought  to  die,  because  he  made  himself  the  Son 
of  God.  Their  criminal  charges  having  come  to 
nothing,  they  give  that  up,  and  as  Pilate  was 
throwing  the  whole  responsibility  uiwn  them, 
they  retreat  into  their  own  Jewish  law,  by  which, 
as  claiming  equality  M'ith  God  (see  on  ch.  v.  18,  and 
viii.  58,  59),  He  ought  to  die ;  insinuating  that  it 
was  Pilate's  duty,  even  as  civil  governor,  to  pro- 
tect their  law  from  such  insult. 

8.  When  Pilate  heard  that  sajang,  he  was  the 
more  afraid— the  name  "  Son  of  God,"  the  lofty 
sense  evidently  attached  to  it  by  His  Jewish 
accusers,  the  dialogue  he  had  already  held  with 
Him,  and  the  dream  of  his  wife  (Matt,  xxvii.  19), 
all  working  together  in  the  breast  of  the  unhappy 
man.  9.  And  went  again  into  the  judgment  hall— 
'the  Prffitorium,'  and  saith  unto  Jesus,  Whence 
art  thou  ? — a  question  relating,  beyond  all  doubt, 
not  to  His  'mission,  but  to  His  personal  origin. 
But  Jesus  gave  him  no  answer.  He  had  said 
enough  ;  the  time  for  answering  svich  a  question 
was  past;  the  weak  and  wavering  governor  is 
already  on  the  point  of  giving  way.  10.  Then  saith 
Pilate  unto  him,  Speakest  thou  not  unto  me? 
The  "me"  is  the  emphatic  word  in  the  question. 
He  falls  back  upon  the^j?-«/e  of  office,  which  doubt- 
less tended  to  check  the  workings  of  his  conscience. 
knowest  thou  not  that  I  have  power  to  crucify 
thee,  and  have  power  to  release  thee?— said  to 
work  upon  the  silent  Prisoner  at  once  by  fear  and 
by  hope.  11.  Jesus  answered,  Thou  couldest  [ovk 
fixes]- rather,  'Thou  shouldest'  have  no  power  at 
all  against  me — neither  to  crucify,  nor  to  release, 
nor  to  do  anything  whatever  against  Me,  as  Bengel 
expresses  it,  except  it  were — 'unless  it  had  been' 
given  thee  from  above.— (/.  d.,  'Thou  thiukest  too 
much  of  thy  power,  Pilate :  against  Me  that  power 
is  none,  save  what  is  meted  out  to  thee  by  special 
divine  appointment,  for  a  special  end.'  therefore 
he  that  delivered  me  unto  thee — to  wit,  Caiaphas; 
but  he  only  as  representing  the  Jewish  authorities 
as  a  body,  hath  the  greater  sin — as  having  better 
opportunities  and  more  knowledge  of  such  matters. 
12.  And  from  thenceforth — particularly  this 
speech,  which  seems  to  have  tilled  him  with  awe, 
and  redoubled  his  anxiety,  Pilate  sought  to  re- 
lease him — that  is,  to  gain  their  conse7it  to  it;  for  he 
could  have  done  it  at  once  on  his  own  authority: 
but  the  Jews  cried — seeing  their  advantage,  and 
not  slow  to  profit  by  it.  If  thou  let  this  man  go, 
4l>7 


thou  art  not  Cesar's  friend:  whosoever  maketh 
himself  a  king  speaketh  against  Cesar.  '  This,' 
as  Webster  and  Wilkinson  ohaevYo,  'was  equivalent 
to  a  threat  of  impeachment,  which  Ave  know  was 
much  dreaded  by  such  officers  as  the  procurators, 
especially  of  the  character  of  Pilate  or  Felix.  It 
also  consummates  the  treachery  and  disgrace  of 
the  Jewish  rulers,  who  were  willing,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  destroying  Jesus,  to  afi'ect  a  zeal  for  the 
supremacy  of  a  foreign  j>rince.'  The  reader  will 
do  well  also  to  observe  how  they  go  backwards 
and  forwards  in  their  charges.  Failing  in  obtain- 
ing a  condemnation  on  the  ground  of  treason,  they 
had  just  before  this  fallen  back  iu  despair  on  the 
charge  of  blasphemy.  But  as  they  could  not  but 
see  how  weak  that  was  as  an  argument  with  a 
mere  civil  governor,  they  avail  themselves  of 
Pilate's  manifest  embarrassment  and  vacillation  to 
re-urge  the  charge  of  treason,  but  in  the  form  of  a 
threat  against  Pilate  himself,  if  he  should  dismiss 
the  Prisoner.  13.  When  Pilate  heard  that  saying 
— or,  according  to  the  preferable  reading,  'these 
sayings,'  he  brought  Jesus  forth,  and  sat  down  in 
— 'upon,' the  judgment  seat— that  he  might  pro- 
nounce sentence  against  the  Prisonei',  on  this 
charge,  the  more  solemnly,  in  a  place  that  is 
called  the  Pavement  [XidocTTpwrov],  but  in  the 
Hebrew,  Gabbatha  [^'n?^]— either  from  a  word 
signifying  to  be  '  high,'  referring  to  the  raised  plat- 
form on  which  the  judgment  seat  was  placed;  or 
from  one  signifving  the  'back,'  frorn  its  arched 
form.  As  the  Greek  w'ord  denotes,  it  M'as  a  tes- 
selated  pavement,  much  used  by  the  Romans. 
There  is  a  minute  topographical  accuracy  in  the 
use  of  this  word  which  a  learned  defender  of  the 
authenticity  of  the  Gospel  History  has  not  failed 
to  notice.  '  Jesus,'  says  Hug,  '  is  led  out  to  re- 
ceive His  sentence,  and  Pilate  sat  in  a  place  called 
the  Lithostrvton  to  ijass  judgment  (John  xix.  13). 
The  transaction  is  represented  as  if  this  place  was 
in  front  of  the  Prtetor's  house,  or  at  least  at  no 
great  distance  from  it.  And  there  is,  in  fact,  such 
a  place,  Avhich  has  been  formerly  overlooked,  in 
the  outworks  of  the  Temple.  Mention  is  made 
of  it  in  an  assault  which  the  Romans  made  upon 
the  "Temple,  on  the  side  of  the  tower  Autonia 
(Joseph.  J.  W.  vi.  6  and  7).  Here  is  the  Lithos- 
troton,  and  the  house  of  the  Prsetor  must 
have  been  opposite  to  this  place.  Now  he 
lived,  as  appears  from  some  incidental  pas- 
sages in  Philo  (compare  Leg.  ad  Caium  with 
Joseph.  Antt.  xviii.  4),  in  Herod's  palace,  which 
was  certainly  in  this  quarter  and  neighbour- 
hood, north-west  of  the  tower  Autonia  and  the 


Pilate  delivers  Jesus 


JOHN  XIX. 


to  he  crucijiect. 


14  And  •'it  was  tlie  preparation  of  the  passover,  and  about   the  sixth 

15  hour:  and  he  saith  unto  the  Jews,  Behold  your  King!  But  they 
cried  out,  Away  with  him,  away  with  him,  crucify  him.  Pilate  saith 
unto  theni,  Shall  I  crucify  your  King?     The  cliief  priests  answered,  ^"We 

16  have  no  king  but  Cesar.  Then  'delivered  he  him  therefore  unto  them  to 
be  crucified. 


A.  D.  33. 

}  Matt.2r.62. 

*  Gen.  49.  10. 

£zek.21.26, 

27. 

'  Matt.2r.  26, 

31. 


Tem])le:  so  that  the  jiroximity  of  the  Lithostroton 
to  the  palace,  which  is  iinplieci  in  John's  narrative, 
is  strictly  accurate.' 

Pilate,  After  One  Morefruii'ess  Effort  to  save  Him, 
havi)ig  finally  Yielded  the  point,  Jesus  is  Delivered 
Up  and  Led  Aivay  to  be  Crurified  (14-16).  14.  And 
—or,  'Kow'  it  was  tlie  preparation  of  the  pass- 
over.  This  is  another  of  the  passages  from  which 
it  has  been  concluded  that  the  regular  Passover 
had  not  up  to  that  time  been  kept,  and  conse- 
quently that  our  Lord,  in  celebrating  it  with  His 
disciples  the  x^i'^vious  evening,  had  anticipated 
the  proper  day  for  its  observance.  To  this  question 
we  have  adverted  pretty  fully— on  Luke  xxii.  7-30, 
page  324  ;  on  ch.  xiii.  1 ;  and  on  ch.  xviii.  28.  As 
to  the  present  passage,  there  is  no  evidence  that 
"the  pre])aration  of  the  Passover."  means  the  pre- 
liaratiou  for  it.  The  day  before  every  sabbath  was 
called  "the  preparation"  (Mark  xv.  42)  from  the 
jireparatious  for  its  proper  observance  which  Avere 
made  on  the  previous  day ;  insomuch  that  in  enu- 
merating the  days  of  the  week  the  Friday  would 
1)6  named  '  Preijaration '  (day).  But  this  was  no 
ordinary 'preparation  day.'  It  was  ' the  Passover 
preparation,'  as  the  words  of  our  Evangelist  may 
be  rendered;  by  which  we  understand  that  it  was 
not  only  the  Prejjaration  Friday,  but  the  Friday 
of  the  Paschal  feast.  Accordingly,  it  is  called,  in 
V.  31,  "an  high  day."  and  about  the  sixth  hour. 
As  it  cannot  be  conceived  that  our  Evangelist 
meant  to  say  here  that  it  was  already  noon,  accord- 
ing to  Jewish  reckoning— for  Mark  says  (xv.  25), 
that  the  crucifixion  itself  took  place  at  the  third 
hour  (nine  o'clock,  of  our  reckoning),  and  that  is 
what  we  should  naturally  conclude  from  the  pro- 
gress of  the  events- two  expedients  have  been  re- 
sorted to  for  clearing  up  the  difl&culty,  neither  of 
which  appears  to  us  quite  satisfactory.  The  one 
is  to  adopt  the  reading  "third"  instead  of  "sixth" 
hour,  as  Bengel,  Rolnnson,  Webster  and  Wilkinson 
do,  and  as  Alford  half  inclines  to  do.  But  the 
evidence  for  this  reading  is  so  weak  that  it  seems 
like  a  tampering  with  the  sacred  text  to  adopt 
it.  The  other  way  of  solving  the  difficulty  is  to 
suppose  that  our  Evangelist  here  adopts  the  noman 
method  of  computation,  and  means  that  it  was 
about  six  o'clock,  according  to  our  reckoning.  So 
Otshausen,  Tholiick,  Hug,  &c.  But  as  there  is  no 
ground  to  suppose  that  in  other  cases  our  Evan- 
gelist adopts  the  Eoman  divisions  of  time,  so  the 
hour  which  that  reckoning  brings  out  here  can 
hardly  be  the  right  one;  for  it  must  have  been 
considerably  later  than  six  in  the  morning  when 
that  took  place  which  is  here  related.  It  remains 
then  to  understand  the  Evangelist  to  refer  to  the 
two  broad  divisions  of  the  day,  so  familiar  to  the 
Jews,  the  third  and  the  sixth  hours ;  and  to  suppose 
that  as  the  event  occurred  between  the  two,  the 
one  Evangelist  sj^ecified  the  hither  terminus,  while 
the  other  takes  the  further  one.  So  Ellicott  and 
others. 

And  he  saith  unto  the  Jews,  Behold  your  King! 
Having  now  made  up  his  mind  to  yield  to  them, 
he  takes  a  sort  of  quiet  revenge  on  them  by  this 
irony,  which  he  knew  would  sting  them.  This 
only  re-awakens  their  cry  to  despatch  Him.  15. 
But  they  cried  out,  Away  with  him,  away  with 
him.  crucify  him.    Pilate  saith  unto  them,  Shall 


I  crucify  your  King  ?  The  chief  priests  answered, 
We  have  no  king  but  Cesar.  Some  of  those  who 
thus  cried  died  miserably  in  rebellion  against 
Cesar  forty  years  afterwards,  as  Alford  remarks. 
But  it  suited  their  jjresent  iiur])Ose.  16.  Then 
delivered  he  him  therefore  unto  them  to  be  cru- 
cified— against  all  justice,  against  his  own  con- 
science, against  his  solemnly  and  repeatedly  pro- 
nounced judicial  decision  that  He  was  innocent 
whom  he  now  gave  up.  And  they  took  Jesus,  and 
led  him  away.  And  so,  amidst  the  conflict  of 
human  passions  and  the  advancing  tide  of  crime, 
the  Scripture  was  fulfilled  which  said,  "He  is  led 
as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter." 

Bemarks. — 1.  If  the  complicated  details  of  the 
ecclesiastical  trial  of  our  Lord  bear  such  indubi- 
table marks  of  truth  as  we  have  seen  that  they  do 
(see  on  Mark  xiv.  53-72,  Eemark  9  at  the  close  of 
that  Section,  jyages  210,  211),  surely  those  of  the 
IMlitical  trial  which  followed  are  not  less  self- 
evidencing.  Think  first  of  the  dark  consistency 
with  which  His  accusers  held  to  their  point  of  ob- 
taining a  condemnation  from  Pilate ;  the  facility 
with  which  they  oscillated  between  tAvo  kinds  of 
charges  —  of  treason  against  Cesar  and  treason 
against  God— just  as  the  chances  of  success  by 
urging  the  one  or  the  other  of  these  charges  seemed 
to  preponderate  for  the  moment;  the  ingenuity 
with  wnich  they  set  on  the  mob  to  shout  for  His 
crucifixion,  and  the  fiendish  violence  with  which, 
when  Pilate  wavered  at  the  very  last,  they  bore  him 
down,  and  by  insinuating  the  disloyalty  of  spar- 
ing the  Prisoner,  at  length  extorted  compliance. 
Think,  next,  of  that  extraordinary  conflict  of  emo- 
tions which  agitated  the  breast  of  Pilate— such  as 
we  may  safely  say  no  literary  ingenuity  could  have 
invented,  and  so  artlessly  managed  as  we  have  it 
told  in  the  Evangelical  Narratives.  Think,  finally, 
of  the  placid  dignity  of  the  Sufferer,  in  all  these 
scenes— the  dignity  vnth.  which  He  S2)eaks,  when 
alone  with  Pilate,  and  what  is  even  more  remark- 
able, the  dignity  of  His  silence  before  the  multitude 
and  in  the  presence  of  Herod.  Whether  we  look 
at  each  of  these  features  of  the  political  trial  by 
itself,  or  at  all  of  them  as  composing  one  whole — 
their  originality,  their  consistency,  their  wonder- 
ful verisimilitude,  must  strike  every  intelligent 
and  im]iartial  reader.  Can  we  be  surjn-ised  that 
such  a  History  makes  way  for  itself  throughout 
the  world  without  the  need  of  laboured  books  of 
evidence,  and  is  rejected  or  suspected  only  by  per- 
verted ingenuity?  Similar  remarks  are  applicable 
even  to  the  minor  details  of  this  Section,  such  as 
what  is  said  of  Barabla-s;  but  the  reader  can  fol- 
low this  out  for  himself.  2.  As  the  subjects  of 
Christ's  Kingdom  are  at  the  same  time  under  the 
Civil  Government  of  the  country  in  which  they  re- 
side, and  may  be  helped  or  hindered  by  it  in  their 
Christian  duties  according  to  the  procedure  of  that 
government  towards  them,  it  is  plainly  both  the 
right  and  the  duty  of  Christians  to  procure  such 
civil  arrangements  as  shall  be  most  for  the  advan- 
tage of  religion  in  the  land.  What  these  ought  to 
be  is  a  question  on  which  Christians  are  not 
agreed,  and  on  which  they  may  reasonably 
differ;  and,  indeed,  the  vaiying  conditions  of  civil 
society  may  render  the  policy  which  would  be 
proper  or  warrantable  in  one  case  neither  right  nor 


Jesus  is  made  to 


JOHN  XIX. 


bear  His  oini  cross. 


17       And  tliey  took  Jesus,  and  led  kim  away.     And  he  bearing  his  cross 
'"went  forth  into  a  place  called  the  place  of  a  skull,  which  is  called  in 


practicable  in  another.  Bi;t  since  Civil  Govern- 
ment never  will  nor  can  nor  onght  to  be  altogether 
indifi'erent  to  Religion,  it  is  the  duty  of  Christians 
to  endeavour  that  at  least  nothing  injurious  to 
Religion  be  enacted  and  enforced.  But  the  Chris- 
tian world  has  grievously  erred  on  this  subject. 
Since  the  days  of  Consbantine,  .when  the  Roman 
Empire  became  externally  Christian,  the  desire  to 
turn  civil  government  to  the  advantage  of  Christi- 
anity has  led  to  the  incoriioration  of  such  a  multi- 
tude of  civil  elements  \\'ith  the  government  of  the 
Church,  that  the  lines  of  essential  distinction 
between  the  political  and  the  religious  have  been 
obliterated,  nob  only  under  Romanism,  but  even 
in  the  constitution  of  Church  and  State  in  the 
countries  of  the  Reformation ;  insomuch  that  the 
explicit  declaration  of  our  Lord  to  Pilate— "  My 
Kingdom  is  not  of  this  world" — would  scarcely 
have  satisfied  the  Roman  Governor  that  His 
masters  interests  were  unaffected  by  such  a  king- 
dom, if  explained  according  to  some  modern  princi- 
ples of  ecclesiastical  government.  Let  Christians 
but  interpret  our  Lord's  ex]ilanation  of  the  nature 
of  His  kingdom  honestly  and  in  all  its  latitude,  and 
their  differences  on  this  subject,  if  they  do  not 
melt  away,  will  become  small  and  unimportant. 
3.  If  in  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ  we  have 
the  substitution  of  the  Innocent  for  the  guilty,  we 
have  a  kind  of  visible  exhibition  of  this  in  the 
choice  of  Barabbas,  which  was  the  escape  of  the 
guilty  in  virtue  of  the  condemnation  of  the  Inno- 
cent. 4.  Often  as  we  have  had  occasion  to  notice 
in  this  History  the  consistency  of  the  divine  de- 
terminations with  the  liberty  of  human  actions, 
nowhere  is  it  more  conspicuous  than  in  this  Sec- 
tion. Observe  how  our  Lord  meets  the  threat  of 
Pilate,  when  he  asked  Him  if  He  knew  not  that 
the  power  of  life  and  death  was  in  his  hands. 
'  No,  Pilate,  it  is  not  in  thine  hands,  but  in  Hands 
which  thine  only  obey;  therefore  is  the  guilty  man 
who  delivered  Me  unto  thee,  the  more  guilty.' 
But  "  He  taketh  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness, 
and  the  counsel  of  the  froward  is  carried  head- 
long." 

17-39. — Crucifixion  and  Death  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  (^  Matt,  xxvii.  32-5U;  Mark  xv.  21-37; 
Luke  xxiiL  2o-4(). ) 

No  sooner  do  those  envenomed  enemies  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  get  Him  again  into  their  hands,  than 
they  renew  their  mockeries,  as  we  learn  from  the 
first  two  Gospels. 

Jesus  is  Again  Subjected  to  Moclcery  (Matt. 
xxvii.  31;  Mark  xv.  20).  "And  after  they  had 
mocked  Him,  they  took  the  (purple)  robe  off  from 
Him,  and  put  His  own  raiment  ou  Him,  and  led 
Him  away  to  be  crucitied." 

The  next  two  steps  possess  the  deepest  interest. 

Jesus  is  first  Made  to  Bear  His  Oiun  Gross,  but 
afterwards  they  Compel  Simon  the  Cyrenian  to 
Bear  it  for  Him  (17).  And  lie  bearing  his  cross 
went  fortb— that  is,  without  the  city ;  a  most  sig- 
nificant circumstance  in  relation  to  a  provision  of 
the  Levitical  law.  "For,"  says  the  apostle,  "the 
bodies  of  those  beasts,  whose  blood  is  brought 
into  the  sanctuary  by  the  high  x>riest  for  sin,  are 
hwcneA  xoithout  the  camp:  Wherefore  Jesus  also, 
that  He  might  sanctify  the  people  with  His  own 
blood,  suffered  tvithout  the  gate''  (Heb.  xiii.  11,  12). 
None  of  the  Evangelists  but  John  mentions  the 
important  fact  that  Christ  was  made  to  bear  His 
own  cross ;  although  we  might  have  presumed  as 
much,  lioth  from  the  practice  of  the  Romans,  which 
imijosed  upon  criminals  condemned  to  be  crucified 
4G9 


the  burdeu  of  bearing  their  own  cross,  as  Plutar  h 
expressly  states,  and  from  our  Lord's  injunctions 
to  his  followers  to  bear  their  cross  after  Him  (see 
on  Matt.  X.  38).  But  soon,  it  would  appear,  it 
became  necessary  to  lay  this  burden  upon  some 
one  else  if  He  was  not  to  sink  under  it.  How  this 
was  done  our  Evangelist  does  not  say,  nor  that  it 
was  done  at  all.  But  it  had  been  related  by  all 
the  three  preceding  Evangelists. 

Matt,  xxvii.  32 ;  Mark  xv.  21 ;  Luke  xxiii  26 : — 
"  And  as  they  came  out,"  says  Matthew, ' '  they  found 
a  man  of  Cyrene,"  in  Libya,  on  the  north  coast  of 
Africa,  "  Simon  by  name,"  "  who  passed  (or  '  was 
passing')  by,"  says  Mark.  He  M'as  not,  then,  one  of 
the  crowd  that  had  come  out  of  the  city  to  witness 
the  execution;  and  Mark  adds  that  he  was  "  com- 
ing out  of  the  country,"  probably  into  the  city,  all 
ignorant,  perhaps,  of  what  was  going  on ;  and  was 
'  the  fatlier  of  Alexander  and  llufus."  This 
stranger,  then,  "  they  compelled  to  bear  His  cross." 
Jesus,  it  would  appear,  was  no  longer  able  to  hear 
it.  And  when  we  think  of  the  Agony  through 
which  He  passed  during  the  previous  night,  not  to 
speak  of  other  causes  of  exhaustion,  xmder  which 
the  three  disciples  were  unable  to  keep  awake  in 
the  garden ;  if  we  think  of  the  night  He  passed  with 
Annas,  and  the  early  morn  before  the  Sanhedrim, 
with  all  its  indignities;  of  the  subsequent  scenes 
before  Pilate  first,  then  Herod,  and  then  Pilate 
again ;  of  the  scourging,  the  crown  of  thorns,  and 
tlie  other  cruelties  before  He  was  led  forth  to 
execution — can  we  wonder  that  it  soon  appeared 
necessary,  if  He  was  not  to  sink  under  this  burden, 
that  they  should  find  another  to  bear  it  ?  For  we 
must  remember  that  "  He  was  crucified  through 
weakness"  [eg  ao-Oereias],  2  Cor.  xiii.  4  (See  ou 
the  "loud  voice"  which  He  emitted  on  the  cross 
as  He  expired,  page  474. ) 

It  will  lie  observed  that  this  Simon  the  Cyrenian 
is  said  to  be  "  the  father  of  Alexander  and  Rufus" 
(Mark  xv.  21).  From  this  we  naturally  conclude 
that  when  Mark  wrote  his  Gospel  these  two  per- 
sons—Alexander and  Rufus — were  not  only  Chris- 
tians, but  well  known  as  such  among  those  by 
whom  he  expected  his  Gospel  to  be  first  read. 
Accordingly,  when  we  turn  to  Romans  xvi.  13, 
we  find  these  words,  "  Salute  Rufus,  chosen  in 
the  Lord — that  is,  '  the  choice  one '  or  '  precious 
one  in  the  Lord',  and  his  mother  and  mine." 
That  this  is  the  same  Rufus  as  Mark  supposes  his 
readers  would  at  once  recognize,  there  can  hardly 
be  a  doubt.  And  ■when  the  apostle  calls  Riifus' 
mother  '  his  own  mother,'  in  grateful  acknow- 
ledgment of  her  motherly  attentions  to  himself 
for  the  love  slie  bore  to  his  Master,  does  it 
not  seem  that  Simon  the  Cyrenian's  conversion 
dated  from  that  memorable  day  when,  '  passing 
casually  by  as  he  came  from  the  country,'  they 
"compelled  him  to  bear"  the  Saviour's  cross. 
Sweet  compulsion,  and  noble  pay  for  the  enforced 
service  to  Jesus  then  rendered,  if  the  spectacle 
which  his  eyes  then  beheld  issued  in  his  volun- 
tarily taking  up  his  own  cross !  Through  him  it  is 
natui-al  to  supjiose  that  his  wife  would  be  brought 
in,  and  that  this  believing  couple,  now  "heirs 
together  of  the  grace  of  life"  (1  Pet.  iii.  7),  as  they 
told  their  two  sons,  Alexander  and  Rufus,  what 
honour  had  been  put  upon  their  father  all  unwit- 
tingly, at  that  hour  of  deepest  and  dearest  interest 
to  all  Chi'istians,  might  be  blessed  to  the  fetching 
in  of  both  those  sons.  By  the  time  that  Paul 
wrote  to  the  Romans,  the  elder  of  the  two  may 
have  gone  to  reside  iu  some  other  place,  or  de- 


Jesus  is  crucified 


JOHN  XIX. 


heticeen  tifo  malefactors. 


18  ttie  Hebrew,  Golgotha:  where  *^they  crucified  him,  and  two  others  with 
him,  on  either  side  one,  and  Jesus  in  the  midst. 


A.  D.  33. 
Isa.  53.  12. 


parted  to  be  with  Christ,  which  was  far  better ; 
and  Eufus  being  left  alone  with  his  mother,  they 
ouly  were  mentioued  by  the  apostle. 

The  Spectacle  of  Christ's  Sufferings  Draws  Tears 
from  the  Women  that  followed  Him— His  Remark- 
able Address  to  Them.  For  this  we  are  indebted 
exclusively  to  the  third  Gospel. 

Luke  xxiii.  27-32 : — 27.  "  Aud  there  followed  Him 
a  great  company  (or  'multitude')  of  i^eople,  and 
of  women,  which  also" — that  is,  the  women  [a'ij — 
"bewailed  and  lamented  Him."  These  women 
are  not  to  be  confounded  with  those  precious 
Galilean  women  afterwards  expressly  mentioned. 
Our  Lord's  reply  shows  that  they  were  merely  a  mis- 
cellaneous collection  of  females,  whose  sympathies 
for  the  Sufferer— of  whom  some  would  know  more 
aud  some  less — drew  forth  tears  and  lamentations. 
"But  Jesus  turning  unto  them  said,  Daughters  of 
Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  Me,  but  weep  for  your- 
selves, and  for  your  children."  Noble  spirit  of 
compassion,  rising  above  His  own  di-ead  endur- 
ances in  tender  commiseration  of  siiff'erings  yet  in 
the  distance  and  far  lighter,  but  ivithout  His  su2> 
23orts  and  consolations!  "  For,  behold  the  days  (or 
'days')  are  coming,  in  the  which  they  shall  say, 
Blessed  are  the  barren,  and  the  wombs  that  never 
bare,  and  the  ]3aps  which  never  gave  suck.  Then 
shall  they  begin  to  say  to  the  moimtaius.  Fall  on 
us;  and  to  the  hills.  Cover  us."  These  words, 
taken  from  Hos,  x.  8,  are  a  lively  way  of  express- 
ing the  feelings  of  persons  flying  hither  and 
thither  despairingly  for  shelter.  The  more  imme- 
diate reference  of  them  is  to  the  sufferings  which 
awaited  them  during  the  approaching  siege  of 
Jerusalem ;  but  they  are  a  premonition  of  cries  of 
another  and  more  awful  kind  (Rev.  yi.  16,  17;  aud 
compare,  for  the  language,  Isa.  ii.  10,  19,  21). 
"For  if  they  do  these  things  in  a  green  tree" — 
that  naturally  resists  the  nre  —  "wliat  shall  be 
done  in  the  dry,"  that  attracts  the  flames,  being 
their  proper  fuel.  The  proverb  plainly  means :  '  If 
such  sufl'erings  alight  upon  the  innocent  One,  the 
very  Lamb  of  God,  what  must  be  in  store  for 
those  who  are  provoking  the  flames?' 

On  Arriring  at  the  Place  of  Execution,  Jesus  is 
Offered  Vinegar  to  drink,  hut  Having  Tasted,  He 
Refuses  to  drink  it  (17).  Our  Evangelist  only 
brings  us  to  Calvary.  For  the  rest  we  are  indebted 
to  the  first  two  Gospels.  17.  he  went  forth  into  a 
place  called  the  place  of  a  skull— or  'unto  the 
place  called  Skull-place,'  which  is  called  in  the 
Hebrew,  Golgotha  ixri""3^3  softened  into  Tn\- 
yoda\.  'Roll-formed'  or  ' roll-shaped,' is  the  idea 
of  the  word.  But  whether  this  reter  to  the  round 
shape  of  the  skulls  of  criminals  executed  there, 
which  has  hitherto  been  the  prevailing  opinion, 
or  to  the  shape  of  the  grouucl— a  round  hill  or 
knoll  there— as  others  think,  is  not  agreed.  That 
a  hill  of  that  form  lay  to  the  north  of  the  city 
seems  true  enough ;  but  as  this  would  place  the 
spot  outside  the  city,  it  is  at  least  inconsistent 
with  what  is  now  shown  as  the  place  -where  our 
Lord  suS'ered,  which  is  within  the  city,  and  must 
have  been  so  then,  as  Dr.  Robinson  contends — 
though  3fr.  Williams,  who  has  examined  the 
ground  with  equal  care,  endeavours  to  disprove 
his  positions. 

Matt  xxvii.  3.3,  34;  Mark  xv.  22,  23:— "And 
when  they  were  come  unto  a  ]ilace  called  Golgotha, 
that  is  to  say,  A  place  of  a  skull,  they  gave  Him 
vinegar  to  drink  mingled  with  gall ; '  using  the 
words  of  the  prophetic  Psalm  (Ixix.  21),  "They 
gave  Me  also  gall  for  Mv  meat ;  and  in  My  thirst 


they  gave  Me  vinegar  to  drink."  But  Mark,  no 
doubt,  gives  the  precise  mixture:  "They  gave 
Him  to  drink  wine  mingled  with  myrrh.''  This 
potion  was  stupefying,  and  given  to  criminals  just 
before  execution,  to  deaden  the  sense  of  pain. 

'  Fill  high  the  howl,  and  spice  it  well,  and  pour 
The  dews  oblivious  ;  for  the  Cross  is  sharp. 
The  Cross  is  sharp,  and  He 
Is  tenderer  than  a  lamb.' 

But  our  Lord  toould  die  with  erery  faculty  clear, 
and  in  full  semibility  to  all  His  sufferings. 

'  Thou  wilt  feel  all,  that  thou  may'st  pity  all ; 
And  rather  would'st  Thou  wrestle  with  strong  pain, 

Than  overcloud  Thy  soul, 

So  clear  in  agony, 
Or  lose  one  glimpse  of  heaven  before  the  time. 
O  most  entire  and  perfect  sacrifice, 

flenewed  in  every  pulse,'  &c. — Keble. 

The  Act  of  Crwifirion  between  Two  Malefactors 
(18).  18.  Where  they  crucified  him.  Four  soldiers 
were  employed  in  this  operation,  which  was  done 
by  fastening  the  body — after  being  strij^ped  of  all 
clothing  save  a  broad  belt  round  the  loins — by  nails 
or  bolts  driven  through  the  hands  to  the  transverse 
part  of  the  cross.  The  feet,  though  not  ahvays 
nailed,  but  simply  bound,  to  the  ivi)right  beam,  were 
almost  certainly  so  in  this  case  (rs.  xxii.  16).  The 
body  was  sup]iorted  by  a  piece  of  wood  jmssing 
between  the  legs.  The  excruciating  agony  of  this 
kind  of  death  is  uniA^ersally  attested,  and  may  easily 
be  sujjposed.  But  the  shame  of  it  was  equal  to  the 
torture,  and  two  others  with  him.  In  Luke  these 
are  called  })y  the  general  name  of  "  malefactors," 
or  'evil-doers'  {KaKoipyovi] ;  in  Matthew  and 
Mark  "thieves,"  or  rather  'robbers'  [Xjio-tcs]: 
on  either  side  one,  and  Jesus  in  the  midst — a 
hellish  expedient  to  hold  him  up  as  the  worst  of 
the  three.  But  in  this,  as  in  many  other  of  their 
doings,  "the  Scripture  was  fulfilled  which  saith 
(Isa.  liii.  12),  And  He  ivas  numbered  with  the 
transgressors,"  as  it  is  in  Mark  xv.  28 — though  the 
prophecy  reaches  deeper  than  that  outside  fulfil- 
ment. [This  entire  verse,  however  (Mark  xv.  28), 
is  of  extremely  doubtful  genuineness.  Lachmann 
inserts  it,  no  doubt  on  the  strength  of  the  ancient 
versions ;  but  the  MS.  evidence  against  it  is  very 
strong,  and  while  Tregelles  brackets  it,  Tischendorf 
excludes  it  altogether.  It  seems  to  have  come  in 
from  Luke  xxii,  37,  where  we  have  the  same  words 
from  our  Lord's  own  moutL] 

Jesus  now  Utters  the  First  of  His  Seven  Sayings 
on  the  Cross.  Of  these  Seven  »So»/i?!.^/s— embalmed 
for  ever  in  the  hearts  of  believers— one  is  recorded 
by  ^latthew,  three  by  Luke,  and  three  by  John. 
This  first  one  is  recorded  in  the  third  Gospel  ouly. 

Luke  xxiii.  34:  "Then  said  Jesus," 

Fii'st  Saying:  "Father,  forgive  them;  for 
THEY  KNOW  NOT  WHAT  THEY  DO."  [Lachmann 
unhappily  bi-ackets  this  most  pi-ecious  verse  as  of 
doul)tiul  authority.  But  the  evidence  for  it,  ex- 
ternal as  well  as  internal,  is  most  decisive ;  and 
both  Tischendojfand  Tregelles  print  it  as  it  stands 
in  the  received  text.  ] 

The  Evangelist  seems  to  intimate  that  this  was 
said  as  the  executioners  were  doing,  or  just  as 
they  finished,  their  dread  task.  But  we  must  not 
limit  the  prayer  to  them.  Beyond  doubt,  it  em- 
braced all  who  had  any  hand,  directly  or  indirectly, 
in  the  death  of  Him  who  offered  tliat  piayer — of 
all  of  whom,  even  the  most  enlighten e<l,  the 
apostle  could  with  truth  say,  that,_  "  had  they 
known  it,  they  would  not  have  crucified  the  Lord 
of  glory"  (1  Cor.  ii.  8:  see  also  Acts  iii.  17;  xiii. 


Pilate  proclaims  Jems 


JOHN  XIX. 


King  of  the  Jews. 


19  And  Pilate  wrote  a  title,  and  put  it  on  the  cross.     And  the  writing 

20  was,  "JESUS  OF  NAZARETH  THE  KING  OF  THE  JEWS.  This 
title  then  read  many  of  the  Jews;  for  the  jilace  where  Jesus  was  crucified 
was  nigh  to  the  city:  and  it  was  written  ^^in  Hebrew,  and  Greek,  and 

21  Latin.     Then  said  the  chief  priests  of  the  Jews  to  Pilate,  Write  not,  The 

22  King  of  the  Jews;  but  that  he  said,  I  am  King  of  the  Jews.  Pilate 
answered,  What  I  have  -RTitten  I  have  written. 

23  Then  the  soldiers,  when  they  had  crucified  Jesus,  took  his  garments,  and 
made  four  parts,  to  every  soldier  a  part ;  and  also  his  coat :  now  the  coat 

24  was  without  seam,  ^ woven  from  the  top  throughout.  They  said  there- 
fore among  themselves.  Let  us  not  rend  it,  but  cast  lots  for  it,  whose  it 
shall  be:  that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  which  saith,  ^''They  parted 
my  raiment  among  them,  and  for  my  vesture  they  did  cast  lots.  These 
things  therefore  the  soldiers  did. 


A.  D.  7iZ. 

"  ch  1.  46,  iii, 
49. 

ch.  18.  33. 

ver.  3,  12. 

Acts  .3.  6. 

Acts  26.  9. 
''  ch    5.  2. 

ver  13. 

Ac's  21.  40. 

Acts  22.  2. 

Acts  26.  14. 

Fev.  16.  16. 
■  Or, 

wrought. 
9  Ps.  22.  18. 

Isa.  10.  7. 

Acts  13.  27. 


27;  and  compare  1  Tim,  i.  13).  In  a  wider  and 
deeper  sense  still,  that  ]irayer  fulfilled  the  great 
Messianic  prediction,  "And  He  made  intercession 
for  the  transgressors"  (Isa.  liii.  r2)— extending  to 
aU  whose  sins  He  bore  in  His  own  body  on  the 
tree.  In  the  Sermon  on  the  Monnt  our  Lord  says, 
"Fray  for  them  which  despitefuUy  use  you  and  j)er- 
secute  you"  (Matt.  v.  44);  and  here,  as  in  so  many 
other  cases,  we  iind  Him  the  first  to  fulfil  His 
own  precept — thus  furnishing  the  right  interpre- 
tation and  the  iierfect  model  of  tlie  duty  enjoined. 
And  how  quickly  was  it  seen  in  "His  martyr 
Stephen,"  that  though  He  had  left  the  earth  in 
Person,  His  spirit  remained  behind,  aud  Himself 
could,  in  some  of  His  brightest  lineaments,  be  re- 
produced in  His  disciples!  (See  on  Acts  vii.  GL\) 
And  what  does  the  woi-ld  in  every  age  owe  to  these 
few  words,  spoken  vjJiere  and  afs  they  were  spoken! 

In  the  Title  irhirh  Pilate  Wrote  and  Put  upon 
the  C7-0SS,  he  2^1'oclaims  Jems  King  of  the  Jeirf<, 
and  Pefu.^ps  to  Alter  it  (19-22).  19.  And  Pilate 
wrote  a  title,  and  put  it  on  tlie  cross.  And  the 
writing  was,  JESUS  OF  NAZARETH  THE  KING 
OF  THE  JEWS.  20.  This  title  then  read  many  of 
the  Jews ;  for  the  place  where  Jesus  was  crucified 
was  nigh  to  the  city:  and  it  was  written  in 
Hebrew — that  is,  Syro-Chaldaic,  the  language  of 
the  country,  and  Greek — the  current  language, 
and  Latin — the  official  language.  These  were 
then  the  chief  languages  of  the  earth,  and  this 
secured  that  all  spectators  should  be  aljle  to  read 
it.  Stung  by  this,  the  Jewish  ecclesiastics  entreat 
that  it  may  be  so  altered  as  to  express,  not  His 
regal  dignity,  but  His  false  claim  to  it.  21.  Then 
said  the  chief  priests  of  the  Jews  to  Pilate,  Write 
not,  The  King  of  the  Jews ;  taut  that  he  said,  I  am 
King  of  the  Jews.  But  Pilate  thouglit  he  had 
yielded  quite  enough  to  them ;  and  having  intended 
expressly  to  spite  and  insult  them  by  this  title, 
for  having  got  him  to  act  against  his  own  sense  of 
justice,  he  peremptorily  refused  them.  22.  Pilate 
answered,  What  I  have  written  I  have  written. 
And  thus,  amidst  the  conflicting  passions  of  men, 
was  proclaimed,  in  the  chief  tongues  of  mankind, 
from  the  Cross  itself,  and  in  circumstances  which 
threw  upon  it  a  lurid  yet  grand  light,  the  truth 
which  drew  the  Magi  to  His  manger,  and  will  yet 
be  owned  by  all  the  world! 

The  Garmentt  of  Jesus  are  Parted  among  the 
soldiers,  and  For  His  Vesture  They  Cast  Jjots 
(23,  24).  23.  Then  the  soldiers,  when  they  had 
crucified  Jesus,  took  his  garments,  and  made 
four  parts,  to  every  soldier  a  part— of  the  four 
soldiers  who  were  the  executioners,  and  whose 
perquisite  they  were,  and  also  his  coat  [xoy 
XiTwi/a] — the  Pioman  tunic,  or  close-fitting  vest: 
now  the  coat  was  without  seam,  woven  from 
471 


the  top  throughout.  Perhaps,  say  Webster  and 
Wilkinson,  denoting  considerable  skill  and  labour, 
as  necessary  to  produce  such  a  garment— the  work, 
probably,  of  one  or  more  of  the  women  who  min- 
istered in  such  things  unto  Him  (Luke  viii.  3). 
24.  They  said  therefore  among  themselves,  Let 
us  not  rend  it,  tout  cast  lots  for  it,  whose  it 
shall  toe:  that  the  scripture  might  tae  fulfilled, 
which  saith  (Ps.  xxii.  IS),  They  parted  my  rai- 
ment among  them,  and  for  my  vesture  they 
did  cast  lots.  These  things  therefore  the 
soldiers  did.  That  a  prediction  so  exceedingly 
specific — distinguishing  one  ]iiece  of  dress  from 
othei's,  and  announcing  that  while  tliose  should  ))e 
parted  amongst  several,  that  should  be  given  l>y 
lot  to  one  jierson — that  such  a  prediction  should 
not  only  be  fulfilled  to  the  letter,  but  by  a  party 
of  heathen  military,  without  interference  from 
cither  the  friends  or  the  enemies  of  the  Crucified 
One,  is  surely  eminently  worthy  to  be  ranked 
among  the  wonders  of  this  all-wonderful  scene. 
Now  come  the  moekeries,  which  are  passed  by  in 
silence  by  our  Evangelist,  as  sufficiently  recorded 
in  the  first  three  Cospels.  These  mockeries  came 
from  four  distinct  quarters. 

Jesus  is  Mocked,  first,  hy  the  Passers-hy.  For 
this  jiarticular  we  are  indebted  to  the  first  two 
Gospels. 

Matt,  xxvii.  39,  40;  Mark  xv.  29,  30:— "And 
they  that  passed  by  reviled  Him,  wagging  their 
heads" — in  ridicule:  see  Ps.  xxii.  7;  cix.  25;  and 
compare  Job  xvi.  4;  Isa.  xxxvii.  22;  Jer.  xviii. 
16;  Lam.  ii.  15— "  and  saying,"  "Ah!"  [OiV<] 
an  exclamation  here  of  derision.  "Thou  that 
destroyest  the  temjjle,  and  bulkiest  it  in  three 
days,  save  thyself" — "and  come  down  from  the 
cross."  If  one  wonders  that  in  seeking  for  evi- 
dence a,gainst  our  Lord  at  His  trial.  His  enemies 
should  he  obliged  to  fall  back  u])0n  a  few  words 
tittered  by  Him  at  the  very  outset  of  his  ministry, 
and  after  having  to  distort  even  these,  in  order 
to  give  them  even  the  appearance  ot  indictable 
matter,  that  the  charge  should  break  down  so 
completely  that  the  high  priest  felt  he  had  no 
]iretext  for  condemning  Him  unless  He  could 
di-aw  something  worthy  of  death  from  Him- 
self on  the  spot ;  much  more  may  one  wonder 
that  the  same  distorted  words  which  had  failed 
at  the  most  solemn  moment  should  now  be 
brought  up  afresli  and  cast  in  the  teeth  of  the 
blessed  One,  as  He  hung  upon  the  cross,  even 
liy  the  passers-by.  (See  on  Mark  xiv.  58,  59.) 
One  thing  it  would  seem  to  show,  that  the  prose- 
cutors in  this  case  had  had  to  send  hither  and 
thither  for  witnesses  against  our  Lord,  and  col- 
lect from  all  quarters  whatever  might  seem  to 
tell   against   Him ;  that  in  this   way  the   more 


Jesus  commendeth 


JOHN  XIX. 


His  mother  to  John. 


25  Now  there  stood  by  the  cross  of  Jesus  his  mother,  and  his  mother's 

26  sister,  Mary  tlie  tdfe  of  ^Cleophas,  and  Mary  Magdalene.  When  Jesus 
therefore  saw  his  mother,  and  ^the  disciple  standing  by  whom  he  loved, 

27  he  saith  unto  his  mother,  '''Woman,  behold  thy  son!  Then  saith  he  to 
the  disciple,  Behold  thy  mother!  And  from  that  hour  that  disciple  took 
her  'unto  his  own  home. 


A.  D.  33. 
3  Or,  Clopas 

Luke  24.  IS. 
P  ch.  13.  23. 

ch.  20.  2. 
9  ch.  2.  4. 

"■  Gen.  47.  12. 
ch  1.  11. 


it  came  to  be  seen  that  the  materials  were  few 
aud  trivial,  the  more  stress  would  need  to  be 
laid  upon  the  little  they  had  to  rest  on ;  that 
thus  it  had  come  to  be  understood  that  if  all 
failed,  this  speech  at  least  would  suffice  to  con- 
demn Him ;  and  as  the  ecclesiastical  prosecutors 
were  not  likely  to  proclaim  how  signally  tliey  had 
failed  in  making  out  this  charge,  and  too  little 
time  had  elapsed  between  the  Trial  and  the  Ex- 
ecution for  the  proceedings  of  the  Sanhedrim  to 
get  abroad,  these  "  passers-by"  had  cast  the  say- 
ing in  oiir  Lord's  teeth  in  their  reckless  simpli- 
city, taking  it  for  granted  that  He  was  now  suf- 
fering for  that  si>eech  as  for  other  misdeeds. 
And  yet  that  memorable  speech  in  its  true  sense 
was  now  receiving  the  first  part  of  its  fulfilment 
-7" Destroy  ?/e  this  Temple;"  as  in  His  resurrec- 
tion it  was  speedily  to  be  fulfilled  in  the  second 
part  of  it — "In  three  days  /  will  raise  it  up." 
See  John  ii.  22. 

Jesus  is  Mocked,  secondly,  hy  the  Eiders.  We 
have  this  in  the  first  three  Gospels,  but  most  fully 
— as  might  be  expected — in  the  first,  the  peculiarly 
Jewish  Gospel. 

Matt,  xxvii.  41-43;  Mark  xv.  31,  32;  Luke  xxiil 
35 : — "Likewise  also  the  chief  priests,  mocking  him, 
with  the  scribes  and  elders,  said.  He  saved  others ; 
himself  he  cannot  save."  In  this,  as  in  other  taunts 
(such  as  Luke  xv.  2),  there  was  a  deep  truth. 
Both  things  He  could  not  do;  for  He  had  come 
to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many.  No  doubt  this 
added  a  sting  to  the  reproach,  unknown  at  that 
moment  save  to  Himself.  But  the  taunt  of  the 
rulers  ends  not  here.  "  If  He  be  the  King  of  Israel 
(they  add),  let  Him  now  come  down  from  the  cross, 
and  we  will  believe  Him."  JV^o,  they  would  not; 
for  those  who  resisted  the  evidence  from  the 
resurrection  of  Lazarus,  and  afterwards  resisted 
the  evidence  of  His  own  resurrection,  were  beyond 
the  reach  of  any  amount  of  merely  external  evi- 
dence. But  they  go  on  to  say,  "He trusted  in  God; 
let  Him  deliver  Him  now,  if  He  will  have  Him 
\ei  diXet.  avTov],  answering  to  "seeing  He  delighted 
in  Him"  \\z  yen,  on  6eA.6i  aWov].  These  are 
the  words  of  the  Messianic  Psalm,  xxii.  8.  The 
last  words  of  their  taunt  are,  "  for  He  said,  I  am 
the  Son  of  God."  We  thank  you,  0  ye  chief 
priests,  scribes,  and  elders,  for  this  triple  testi- 
mony, unconsciously  borne  by  you,  to  our  Christ : 
first  to  His  habitual  trust  in  God,  as  a  feature  in 
His  character  so  marked  and  palpable  that  even 
ye  found  ujion  it  your  impotent  taunt ;  next,  to  His 
identity  with  the  Sufferer  of  the  22nd  Psahn,  whose 
very  words  ye  unwittingly  appropriate,  thus  se^'v- 
ing  yourselves  heirs  to  the  darlc  office  and  impotent 
malignity  of  Messiah's  enemies;  and  again,  to  the 
true  sense  of  that  august  title  which  He  took  to 
Himself,  "The  Son  of  God,"  which  ye  rightly 
interpreted  at  the  very  first  (see  on  ch.  v.  18),  as 
a  claim  to  that  oneness  of  nature  with  Him,  and 
dearness  to  Him,  which  a  son  has  to  his  father. 

Jesus  is  Mocked,  thirdly,  hy  the  Soldiers.  We 
have  this  in  the  third  Gospel  only. 

Luke  xxiii.  36,  37: — "Aud  the  soldiers  also 
mocked  Him,  coming  to  Him,  and  oft'ering  Him 
vinegar,  and  saying,  If  thou  be  the  King  of  the 
Jews,  save  thyself."  They  insultingly  offer  to 
share  with  Him  their  own  vinegar,  or  sour  wine, 
472 


the  usual  drink  of  Roman  soldiers,  it  being  about 
the  time  of  their  mid-day  meal.  In  the  taunt  of 
the  soldiers  we  have  one  of  those  casual  touches 
which  so  strikingly  verify  these  historical  records. 
While  the  ecclesiastics  deride  Him  for  calling 
Himself  "  the  Christ,  the  King  of  Israel,  the 
Chosen,  the  Son  of  God,"  the  sol4iers,  to  whom 
all  such  phraseology  was  mere  Jewish  jargon,  make 
sport  of  Him  as  a  pretender  to  royalty —  'King  of 
the  Jews  " — an  office  and  dignity  which  they  would 
think  it  belonged  to  them  to  comprehend. 

Jesus  Mocked,  fourthly,  hy  One  of  His  Fellow- 
Siifferers — Addresses  to  the  Other,  in  answer  to  his 
penitent,  believing  Appeal,  the  Secoml  of  His  Seirn 
Sayings  on  the  Cross.  This  is  the  only  one  of  the 
four  cases  of  mockery  which  is  recorded  by  all  the 
first  three  Evangelists ;  but  the  inestimable  details 
are  given  only  by  Luke. 

Matt,  xxvii.  44 ;  Mark  xv.  32 ;  Luke  xxiii.  39-43  :— 
"  The  thieves  also,  which  were  crucified  with  Him, 
cast  the  same  in  His  teeth."  So  also  Mark.  But 
from  Luke — the  precision  and  fidness  of  whose 
narrative  must  rule  the  sense  of  the  few  brief  words 
of  the  other  two — we  learn  that  the  taunt  came  only 
from  one  of  the  thieves,  whom  the  other  in  a  won- 
derful style  rebuked :  "And  one  of  the  malefac- 
tors which  were  hanged  railed  on  Him,  saying.  If 
thou  be  Christ,  save  thyself  and  us.  But  the  other 
answering  rebuked  him,  saying.  Dost  not  thou  fear 
God,  seeing  thou  art  in  the  same  condemnation? 
And  we  indeed  justly;  for  we  receive  the  due 
reward  of  our  deeds:  but  this  man  hath  done 
nothing  amiss.  And  he  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord, 
remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom. 
And  Jesus  said  unto  him" — this  is  His 

Second  Saying:  "Verily  I  say  unto  thee, 
To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  Me  in  Paradise." 

For  the  exposition  of  this  grand  episode,  see  on 
Luke  xxiii.  39-43,  pages  337-339. 

But  we  are  now  at  length  brought  back  to  our 
Fourth  GospeL 

Jes-us,  in  the  Third  of  His  Seven  Sayings  on  the 
Cross,  Commits  His  Mother  to  the  Belored  Disciple, 
Who  takes  Her  to  His  own  Home  (25-27).  25.  Now 
tliere  stood  [EiaTi'iKeKrav] — or  'were  standing'  by 
the  cross  of  Jesus  his  mother,  and  Ms  mother's 
sister,  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleophas.  This  should 
be  read,  as  in  the  margin,  Clojxis;  the  same  per- 
son, as  would  seem,  with  "Alpheus":  see  on 
Matt.  x.  3.  The  "Cleopas"  of  Luke  xxiv.  18  was 
a  difterent  person,  and  Mary  Magdalene.  These 
dear  women  clustered  around  the  cross ;  and  where 
else  should  one  expect  them  ?  The  male  disciples 
might  be  consulting  for  their  own  safety  (though 
John  was  not) ;  but  those  precious  women  would 
have  died  sooner  than  be  absent  from  this  scene. 
26.  When  Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother,  and 
the  disciple  standing  by  whom  he  loved,  he  saith 
unto  his  mother, 

r  "  Woman,  behold  thy  Son  ! 
Third  J  27.  Then  saith  he 

Saying:  ]  to  the  disciple, 

(^"Behold  thy  Mother!" 
What  forgetfulness  of  self,  and  what  filial  love,  at 
such  a  moment!  And  what  a  jiarting  word  to 
both  "mother  and  son"!  And  from  that  hour 
that  ('the')  disciple  took  her  to  his  own  [home]— 
that  is,  home  with  him;  for  his  father,  Zebedee, 


Jesus  thirsting, 


JOHN  XIX. 


is  offered  vinegar. 


28  After  this,  Jesus  knowing  that  ^all  things  were  now  accomplished,  'that 

29  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  saith,  1  thirst.     Now  there  was  set  a 
vessel  full  of  vinegar :  and  they  filled  a  sponge  with  vinegar,  and  put  it 


"  Gen.  3.  16 
t  Ps.  69.  21. 


and  his  mother,  Salome,  were  both  alive,  and  the 
latter  was  here  present  (Mark  xv.  40). 

A  Stipernatural  Darkness  Overspreads  the  Shy, 
ahout  the  extremity  of  which  Jesus  utters  an  Awful 
Cry,  being  the  Fourth  of  His  Seven  Sayings  on  the 
Cross. 

For  this  deeply  significant  stage  of  our  Lord's 
Sutferings  on  the  cross,  we  have  the  testimony  of 
the  first  two  Evangelists,  and  partially  of  the 
third.  The  beloved  disciple  accordingly  passes 
it  by,  as  sufficiently  recorded. 

Matt,  xxvii.  4;5-49 ;  Mark  xv.  0.3-.38 ;  Lnke  xxiii. 
44,  45 : — "Now  from  the  sixth  hour" — the  hour  of 
noon — "there  was  darkness  over  all  the  land  nnto 
the  ninth  hour"— </(e  hour  of  the  evening  sacrifice. 
No  ordinary  ecli]ise  of  the  sun  could  have  occurred 
at  this  time,  it  being  then  full  moon,  and  this  ob- 
scuration lasted  about  twelve  times  the  length  of 
any  ordinary  eclipse.  (Compare  Exod.  x.  21-23.) 
Beyond  doubt,  the  divine  intention  of  the  portent 
was  to  invest  this  darkest  of  all  tragedies  with  a 
gloom  expressive  of  its  real  character.  "And 
about  the  ninth  hour  Jesus  cried  with  a  loud 
voice"  (Ps.  xxii.  1), 

r"ELi,  Eli,  lama  sabachthani? 
Fourth   !  that  is  to  say, 

Sayi7ig:]  My  God,  My  God,  why   hast   thou 
(^    forsaken  Me?" 

There  is  something  deeply  instructive  in  this 
cry  being  uttered,  not  in  the  tongue  which  onr 
Lord,  we  believe,  usually  employed — the  current 
Greek — but  in  that  of  the  jisalm  from  which  it 
is  quoted;  and  yet,  not  as  it  stands  in  the 
Hebrew  original  of  that  psalm  ["'■??}}-'],  but  in 
the  native  Chaldee  ['^'"JP:?"?],  or  Syriac  form  ['EXtu'i, 
the  Syriac  form  of  '"???] — as  if  at  that  awful 
moment  not  only  would  no  other  words  express 
His  mind  but  those  which  had  been  prophetically 
prepared  for  that  hour,  but,  as  in  the  Agony  in 
the  Garden  (see  page  332,  second  column),  that  the 
mother-tongue  came  to  Him  spontaneously,  as  most 
natively  and  freely  giving  forth  the  deep  cry.  As 
the  darkness  commenced  at  the  hour  of  noon,  the 
second  of  tlie  Jewish  hours  of  prayer,  and  con- 
tinued till  the  hour  of  the  evening  sacrifice,  it 
probably  increased  i}i  depth,  and  reached  its  deepest 
gloom  at  the  moment  of  this  mysterious  cry — when 
the  flameof  the  one  great  "Evening  Sacrifice"  was 
burning  fiercest.  The  words,  as  we  have  said, 
were  made  ready  to  His  hand,  being  the  opening 
words  of  that  psalin  which  is  most  full  of  the 
last  "Sufferings  of  Christ  and  the  glories  which 
followed  them"  [-ras  jueT-a  TUVTU  oo^rts,  1  Pet.  i. 
11].  "Father,"  was  the  cry  in  the  first  x>rayer 
which  He  uttered  on  the  cross ;  for  matters  had 
not  then  come  to  their  worst ;  "  Father"  was  the 
cry  of  His  last  prayer ;  for  matters  had  then  passed 
their  worst.  But  at  this  crisis  of  His  sutt'erings, 
"  Father"  does  not  issue  from  His  lii)s,  for  the 
light  of  a  Father's  countenance  was  then  mysteri- 
ously eclipsetl.  He  falls  back,  however,  on  a  title 
expressive  of  His  officicd  relation,  which,  though 
more  distant  in  itself,  yet  when  grasped  in  pure 
and  naked  faith,  was  mighty  in  its  claims,  and 
rich  in  psalmodic  associations—"  My  God."  And 
what  deep  earnestness  is  conveyed  by  the  re- 
doubling of  this  title!  But  as  for  the  cry  itself, 
it  will  never  be  fully  comxirehended.  An  absolute 
desertion  is  not  indeed  to  be  thought  of ;  but  a 
total  eclipse  of  the  felt  sense  of  God's  presence  it 
certainly  ex]jresses.  It  expresses  surprise,  as 
473 


under  the  experience  of  something  not  only  7>ern- 
before  Icnoivn  but  ine-cplicable  on  the  footing  whicl) 
had  till  then  suKsisted  between  Him  and  God. 
It  is  a  question  which  the  lost  cannot  utter.  They 
are  forsaken,  but  they  know  why.  Jesus  is  for- 
saken, but  does  not  know,  and  asks  to  know  why.  It 
is  thus  the  cry  of  conscious  innocence,  but  of  inno- 
cence unavailing  to  draw  down  at  that  moment 
the  least  token  of  approval  from  the  unseen  Judge 
— innocence  whose  only  recognition  at  that  moment 
lay  in  the  thick  surrounding  gloom  which  but  re- 
flected the  horror  of  great  darkness  that  invested 
His  own  spirit.  There  was  indeed  m  cause  for  ity 
and  He  knew  it  too — the  "why"  must  not  be 
pressed  so  far  as  to  exclude  this.  He  must  taste 
this  bitterest  of  the  loages  of  sin  "  Who  did  no  sin." 
But  that  is  not  the  jwint  now.  In  Him  there  was 
no  cause  at  all  (ch.  xiv.  30),  and  He  takes  refiige 
in  the  glorious  fact.  When  no  ray  from  above 
shines  in  upon  Him,  He  strikes  a  light  out  of  His. 
own  breast.  If  God  will  not  owa  Him,  He  shall 
own  Himself.  On  the  rock  of  His  unsullied 
allegiance  to  Heaven  He  will  stand,  till  the  light 
of  Heaven  return  to  His  spirit.  And  it  is  near  to 
come.  Whilst  He-  is  yet  speakisvg  the  fierceness 
of  the  flame  is  beginning  to  abate.  One  incident, 
and  insult  more,  and  the  experience  of  one  other 
iwedicted  element  of  suffering,  and  the  victory  is 
His.  *■'  Some  of  them  that  stood  there,  when  they 
heard  that" — the  cry  just  mentioned — "said.  This 
man  calleth  for  Elias"  (Matt,  xxvii.  47).  That  in 
this  they  simply  misunderstood  the  meaning  of 
His  cry — "Eli,  Eli" — there  can  be  no  reasonable 
doubt;  especially  if,  as  is  probable,  this  remark 
was  made  by  Hellenistic  spectators,  or  the  Greek- 
speaking  Jews  from  the  provinces  who  had  come 
up  to  worship  at  the  feast. 

Jestis  Thirsting,  Utters  the  Fifth  of  His  Seven 
Sayings  oin  the  Cross,  and  Vinegur  being  Broughi 
to  Him,  the  Scripture  is  therein  FidfiUed  (28,  29). 
28.  After  tMs,  Jesus  knowing  that  all  things 
were  now  accomplished,  that  the  Scripture 
might  be  fulfilled  (Ps.  Ixix.  21),  saith— 

Fifth  Saying :  "  I  thirst." 

The  meaning  is,  that  perceiving  that  all  pro- 
phetic Scripture  regarding  Him  was  accomplished, 
up  to  the  very  article  of  Death,  save  that  one  in 
Ps.  Ixix.  21,  and  that  the  moment  had  now  arrived 
for  the  fulfilment  of  that  final  one,  in  consequence 
of  the  burning  thirst  which  the  fevered  state  ot 
His  frame  occasioned  (seePs.  xxii.  15), — He  uttered 
this  cry  in  order  that  of  their  oavu  accord  thejj 
might  fulfil  their  prophetic  destiny  in  fulfilling 
His.  29.  Now  there  was  set  a  vessel  full  of 
vinegar:  and  they  filled  a  sponge  with  vinegar, 
and  put  it  upon  hyssop,  and  put  it  to  his 
mouth.  The  off'er  of  the  soldiers'  vinegar,  on  His 
arriving  at  Golgotha,  might  seem  to  have  suffi- 
ciently fulfilled  the  Scripture  prediction  on  this 
subject  already.  But  our  Lord  only  regards  this 
as  properly  done  when  done  by  "  His  own,"  who 
"received  Him  not."  But  in  this  case  it  is  jirob- 
able,  as  in  the  former,  that  "when  He  had  tasted 
thereof.  He  would  not  drink  it."  Though  a  ^talk 
of  hyssop  does  not  exceed  eighteen  inches  in  length, 
it  would  suffice,  as  the  feet  of  crucified  persons 
were  not  raisetl  higher.  At  this  time,  some  said, 
"Let  alone"  ["At^exe]— that  is,  probably,  'Stand 
off,'  'Stop  that  officious  service'— " let  us  see 
whether  Elias  will  come  to  take  him  down."  This 
was  the  last  cruelty  which  He  was  to  suffer,  and 
it  was  one  of  the  most  unfeeling. 


Jbsus  receiveth  the 


JOHN  XIX. 


vinegar,  and  dieth. 


30  upon  liyssop,   and  put  it  to  his  mouth.     When   Jesus  therefore  had  j    ^  ^-  ^^- 
received  the  vine^-ar,  he  said,  "It  is  finished:  and  he  bowed  his  head,    "  ^'*  *^  ''^^• 
and    gave  up  the  gliost.  | 


Jesus  Utters  the  Sixth  of  His  Seren  Sayings  on 
the  Cross.  It  is  remarkable  that  while  we  have 
this  glorious  Saying  only  in  the  fourth  Gospel, 
we  have  the  manner  in  which  it  was  uttered  in  the 
first  three,  and  not  in  the  fourth. 

30.  When  Jesus  therefore  had  received  the 
vinegar,  he  said— or,  as  in  all  the  first  three  Gos- 
pels, "He  cried  with  a  loud  voice" — 

Sixth  Saying :  "It  is  finished"  [TeTe'Xeo-rail. 

In  this  one  astonishing  word  believers  will  find 
the  foundation  of  all  their  safety  and  bliss  through- 
out eternal  ages.  The  "loud  voice"  does  not  imx)ly, 
as  some  able  interpreters  contend,  that  our  Lord's 
strength  was  so  far  from  being  exhausted  that  He 
needed  not  to  die  then,  and  surrendered  up  His 
life  sooner  than  nature  required,  merely  because 
it  was  the  ainiointed  time.  It  was  indeed  the  a]i- 
pointed  time,  out  time  that  He  shoidd  be  crucified 
through  weakness  (2  Cor.  xiii.  4),  and  nature  was 
now  reaching  its  utmost  exhaustion.  But  just  as 
even  His  own  dying  saints,  particularly  the  mar- 
tyrs of  Jesus,  have  sometimes  had  such  gleams  of 
coming  glory  immediately  before  breatliing  their 
last  as  to  impart  to  them  a  strength  to  utter  their 
feelings  which  has  amazed  the  by-stauders,  so  this 
mighty  voice  of  the  expiring  Redeemer  was  nothing 
else  but  the  exultant  spirit  of  the  Dying  Victor, 
perceiving  the  fruit  of  His  travail  just  about  to  be 
endiraced,  aud  nerving  the  organs  of  utterance  to 
an  ecstatic  expression  of  its  sublime  feelings  in 
the  one  word,  '^  1 1  is  finishecV^  What  is  finished? 
The  Law  is  fulfilled  as  ncA^er  before,  and  never 
since,  in  His  obedience  unto  death,  even  the  death 
of  the  cross.  Messianic  prophecy  is  accomjilished ; 
Redemption  is  completed :  "  He  hath  finished  the 
transgression,  and  made  an  end  of  sin,  and  made 
reconciliation  for  iniquity,  and  brought  in  ever- 
lasting righteousness,  aud  sealed  up  the  vision 
aud  prophecy,  and  anointed  a  holy  of  holies." 
The  scaffolding  of  the  ancient  economy  is  taken 
down :  He  has  inaugurated  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  given  birth  to  a  new  world. 

Jesus,  having  Uttered  the  Last  of  His  Seren 
Sayings  on  the  Cross,  Expires. 

This  Saying  is  given  only  by  the  third  Evan- 
gelist. 

Luke  xxiiL  46: — "And  when  Jesus  had  cried 
with  a  loud  voice.  He  said  (Ps.  xxxi.  5)  — 

Seventh  Saying :    "  Father,   into  thy  hands 

I   COMMEND  MY  SPIRIT." 

Yes,  the  darkness  is  past,  aud  the  true  light 
now  shinetli.  His  soul  has  emerged  from  its  mys- 
terious horrors  ;  "  My  God"  is  heard  no  more,  Init 
in  unclouded  light  He  yields  sublime  into  His 
Father^s  hands  the  inrinitely  precious  spirit — 
using  here  also,  with  His  last  breath,  the  words 
of  those  Psalms  which  were  ever  on  His  lips.  30. 
And — "  having  said  this "  (Luke  xxiii.  46),  he 
bowed  his  head,  and  gave  up  the  ghost. 

Remarks. — L  When  we  read  that  Jesus  "  bear- 
ing His  cross,  went  forth,"  and  thus  "suffered 
without  the  gate,"  can  we  wonder  at  the  apostle's 
call  to  his  fellow-believers  of  the  house  of  Israel, 
"  Let  us  go  forth  therefore  unto  Him  without 
the  camp"?  (Heb.  xiiL  1.3).  For  what  was  city, 
tcmiile,  or  camp,  after  the  Lord  of  it  had  been 
judicially  rejected,  contemptuously  led  forth  from 
it,  and  without  the  gate,  as  one  accursed,  put 
to  the  death  of  the  cross?  Behold,  their  house 
was  left  unto  them  desolate:  the  Glory  was 
departed:  and  now,  as  never  before,  might  be 
heard  by  those  who  still  came  to  tread  those 
474 


once  hallowed  courts  a  Voice  saying  unto  them, 
"Bring  no  more  vain  oblations;  incense  is  an 
abomination  unto  me;  the  new  moons  and  sab- 
baths, the  calling  of  assemblies,  I  cannot  away 
with ;  it  is  iniquity,  even  the  solemn  meeting. 
Your  new  moons  and  your  appointed  feasts  my 
soul  hateth :  they  are  a  trouble  unto  me ;  I 
am  weary  to  Ijear  them.  And  when  ye  spread 
forth  your  hands,  I  will  hide  mine  eyes  from 
you;  yea,  when  ye  make  many  iirayers,  I  will 
not  hear:  your  hands  are  full  of  blood"  (Isa.  i. 
].'i-1.5).  Judaism  had  virtually  ceased  to  exist,  and 
all  the  grace  and  glory  which  it  contained — all  that 
"  Salvatiou"  which  "  ^^'as  of  the  Jews" — had  taken 
up  its  abode  with  the  handful  of  disciples,  from 
whom,  as  soon  as  the  Holy  Gliost  should  descend 
upon  them  at  Pentecost,  was  to  emei-ge  the  one 
living  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God  ujion  earth. 
Severe,  doubtless,  would  be  the  wrench  to  many  a 
Jew  which  severed  him  for  ever  from  ecclesiastical 
connection  with  that  fondly  loved,  time-honoured 
temple,  and  all  its  beautiful  solemnities.  One  con- 
sideration only  could  reconcile  him  to  it,  but  that 
one  to  the  believer  would  be  irresistible :  his  Lord 
was  not  there,  and,  what  was  worse,  all  that  he 
saw  there  was  associated  with  the  dishonour  and 
the  death  of  his  Lord;  while  in  the  assemblies  of 
the  disciples  with  whom  he  had  now  cast  in  his 
lot — all  mean  to  the  outward  eye,  and  small  in 
numbers,  though  they  might  be— Jesus  Himself, 
now  in  glory,  made  His  p7-escnce  felt,  Whom  hav- 
ing not  seen,  all  loved,  in  Whom,  thoiigh  now  they 
saw  Him  not,  yet  lielieving,  they  rejoiced  with  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glor}%  receiving  the  end  of 
their  faith,  even  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  And 
has  not  the  Lord  been  judicially  cast  out  and  "  cru- 
cified" aiVesh  "in  the  street  of"  another  "great 
city"  (Rev.  xi.  8),  regarding  which  the  word  is, 
"Come  out  of  her,  my  people"?  (Rev.  xviii.  4). 
Trying  to  flesh  and  V)lood  once  was. that  ■wrench 
too,  and  others  similar  which  the  faithful  wit- 
nesses for  the  truth  have  been  called  to  sufi'er.  But 
as  where  Jesus  is  not,  the  most  gorgeous  temiiles 
are  but  splendid  desolation  to  the  sold  that 
lives  aud  is  ready  to  die  for  Him,  so  the  rudest 
l)arns  are  beautiful  temiiles  when  irradiatcrl  with 
the  glory  of  His  presence  and  perfumed  with  the 
incense  of  His  grace.  2.  The  case  of  Simon  tb.e 
Cyrenian,  won  to  Jesus  by  being  "compelled" 
to  bear  His  cross,  has  had  its  bright  parallels 
in  not  a  few  who  have  been  made  to  take 
part  in  the  last  sufferings  of  His  martyrs.  In 
one  of  the  Homilies,  for  example,  of  the  Greek 
Father,  Basil  the  Great  (a.d.  316-379),  preached  at 
tlie  anniversary  of  the  erection  of  the  '  church  of 
the  Thirty  Martyrs'  at  Cesarea,  he  tells  us  that 
when  thirty  of  the  noblest  youths  of  the  Roman 
army  were  to  sufler  for  confessing  Christ,  by  lieing 
condemned  to  freeze  to  death  standing  naked  in  a 
cold  lake  in  the  depth  of  winter,  and  one  of  them, 
after  mortification  had  begun,  had  been  tempted 
by  the  oft'er  of  hot  baths  to  as  many  of  them  as 
would  deny  their  Lord,  aud  had  plunged  into  a 
bath — only  thereby  to  hasten  his  death — while  the 
rest  were  mourning  the  breach  in  their  number, 
one  of  the  lictors,  won  by  what  he  saw  and  heard 
from  those  servants  of  Jesus,  gave  away  his  badge 
of  office,  and  exclaimed,  "I  am  a  Christian,"  strip- 
ped himself  naked,  aud  taking  his  place  beside  the 
rest,  said,  'Now  are  your  ranks  filled  up,'  and 
nobly  died  with  them  for  the  name  of  Jesus.  Ana- 
logous cases  of  various  kinds  will  readily  occur 


The  breaking  of  the 


JOHN  XIX. 


malefactors^  legs. 


31  The  Jews  therefore,  '^because  it  was  the  preparation,  ^that  the  bodies 
should  not  remain  upon  the  cross  on  the  sabbath  day,  (for  that  sabliath 
day  was  ^an  high  day,)  besought  Pilate  that  their  legs  might  be  broken, 

32  and  that  they  might  be  taken  away.  Then  came  the  soldiers,  and  brake 
the  legs  of  the  lirst,  and  of  the  other  which  was  crucified  with  him. 

33  But  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  and  saw  that  he  was  dead  already,  they 


A.  D.  33. 

iMarkio.4-i. 
Deut  21.  a3. 
Ex.  12.  18. 
Lev.  23.  5-S. 
Num.  28. 17, 

18. 


to  those  to  whom  such  victories  of  the  cross  are 
a  study ;  nor  is  such  a  bearing  in  the  followers  of 
Christ  as  Simon  the  Cyreuian  beheld  in  Him  who 
went  as  a  Lamb  to  the  slaughter  perhaps  ever  in 
vain.  3.  Even  natural  sympathy,  in  those  who 
are  strangers  to  what  is  pecixliarly  Christian,  is 
beautiful,  and  to  the  Christian  sufferer  grateful. 
The  blessed  One  was  touched  by  the  tears  of  the 
daughters  of  Jerusalem.  To  the  Redeemer's  heart 
they  were  a  grateful  contrast  to  the  savage  cruelty 
of  the  rulers  and  the  rudeness  of  the  unfeeling 
crowd,  and  they  drew  from  Him  a  tender  though 
sad  reply.  Christians  do  wrong  when  they  think 
so  exclusively  of  the  absence  of  grace  in  any  as  to 
overlook  or  depreciate  in  them  those  natural  ex- 
cellences which  attracted  the  love  even  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  (See  on  Luke  xviii.  21,  and  Remark  3  at 
the  close  of  that  Section.)  4.  The  four  quarters 
whence  proceeded  the  mockeries  of  Jesus,  as  He 
hung  on  the  accursed  tree,  seem  designed  to  re- 
present the  contempt  of  all  the  classes  into  which 
men  can  be  divided  with  reference  to  religion. 
As  the  "passers-by"  cover  the  whole  region  of  re- 
ligious indifference,  so  "the  chief  i)riests,  the 
scribes,  and  the  elders"  fitly  represent  religious 
hypocrisy:  and  while  in  "the  soldiers"  we  recog- 
nize the  mere  underlings  of  secular  authority, 
whose  religion  lies  all  in  slavish  obedience  to  their 
superiors,  the  "malefactors"  represent  the  noto- 
riously wicked.  From  all  these  quarters,  in  quick 
succession,  the  Lord  of  glory  experienced  bitter 
revilings.  But  "when  reviled.  He  reviled  not 
again."  When  He  did  break  silence,  it  was  in 
blessing,  and  from  His  Lips  salvation  flowed.  5. 
Thei'e  is  something  very  striking,  surely,  in  the 
fact  that  our  Lord  uttered  on  the  cross  precisely 
Seven  Sayings — that  number  which  all  Scripture 
teaches  us  to  regard  as  sacred  and  complete ;  and 
when  we  observe  that  of  the  Four  Evangelists  no 
one  reports  them  all,  while  each  gives  some  of 
them,  we  cannot  but  look  upon  them — with  Bemel 
— as  fi^ur  voices  which  together  make  up  one  grand 
Symphony.  'The  suffering  Lord,'  says  St'wr  very 
beautifully,  'hanging  upon  the  cross,  broke  the 
silence  and  opened  His  lips  seven  times:  these 
words  are  to  us  as  the  bright  lights  of  heaven 
shining  at  intervals  through  the  darkness,  or  as 
the  loud  thunder-tones  from  above  and  from  ^yith- 
iu,  which  interpret  the  cross,  and  in  lohich  U  re- 
ceires,  so  to  speak,  another  coUect'ire  superscription.^ 
Observe  now  the  varied  notes  of  this  grand  seven- 
toned  Symphony.  The  first,  as  a  prayer  for  the 
forgiveness  of  those  who  were  nailing  Him  to  the 
tree,  proclaims  at  the  very  outset  the  oljject  of  Hi.s 
whole  mission,  the  essential  character  of  His  work  : 
The  second  opens  the  kingdom  of  heaven  even  to 
the  vilest  triie  penitent  that  believes  in  Him :  The 
third  assures  His  desolate  ones  of  all  needful  care 
and  provision  here  below:  T\\&  fourth,  revealing  to 
us  the  depths  of  penal  darkness  to  which  the  Re- 
deemer descended,  assures  ixs  both  that  He  was 
made  a  curse  for  us  and  that  in  our  seasons  of 
deepest  spiritual  darkness  we  have  One  who  is 
experimentally  acquainted  with  it,  and  is  able  to 
disperse  it:  The  fifth,  completing  the  circle  of  all 
previous  fulfilments  of  Scripture  in  the  intense 
sensation  of  thirst,  and  showing  thereby  that  the 
fevered  frame  was  almost  at  the  extremity  of  its 
475 


power  of  endurance,  assures  His  acutely  suffering 
people  of  the  precious  sympathy  of  Him 

'"WHio  not  in  vain 
Experienced  every  hiuuan  pain  :' 

The  sixth  is  the  briefest,  Iji-ightest,  richest  procla- 
mation of  the  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  for  all  time, 
stretching  into  eternity  itself:  The  seventh  and 
last  is  an  exalted  Directory  for  dying  believers  of 
every  age  and  in  all  circumstances — not  only  pro- 
viding them  with  the  language  of  serene  assur- 
ance in  the  rendering  up  of  the  departing  spirit 
into  their  Father's  hands,  but  impregnating  it 
with  the  strength  and  perfuming  it  with  the  odour 
of  "the  Firstborn  among  many  brethren."  Thus 
are  we  "complete  in  Him." 

31-42.— Circumstances  Following  the  De.4tii 
OF  THE  Lord  Jesus  — The  Burial.  (  =  Matt. 
xxviL  57-61;  Mark  xv.  42-47;  Lukexxiii.  50-5(3.) 

The  Soldiers,  Ordered  to  Put  an  End  to  the 
Life  of  the  Sufferers,  Break  the  Legs  of  the  Male- 
factors, Mtt,  Perceiving  that  Jesus  was  Dead 
already,  ihei/  Break  Aot  His  Legs,  and  thus  un- 
consciously Fulfil  the  Scripture  (31-33).  These  re- 
markable circumstances  are  recorded  by  our  Evan- 
gelist alone.  31.  The  Jews  therefore— meaning,  as 
usual  in  this  Gosiiel,  the  rulers  of  the  Jews, 
because  it  was  the  preparation — that  is,  "the 
day  before  the  Sabliath"  (Mark  xv.  42),  or  our 
Fridaii,  that  the  bodies  should  not  remain  upon 
the  cross  on  the  sabbath  day — which,  beginning 
at  six  in  the  evening,  must  have  been  close  at 
hand.  Indeed,  Luke  (xxiii.  54)  says,  "  the  Sabbatli 
drew  on^' [^iirecpwfxh-ev]  —  literally,  'was  dawning,' 
like  the  morning.  There  was  a  remarkable  com- 
mand of  the  Mosaic  law,  which  required  that  the 
body  of  one  hanged  on  a  tree  for  any  sin  worthy 
of  (leath  should  not  remain  all  night  upon  the 
tree,  but  should  in  any  wise  be  buried  that  day; 
"(for  he  that  is  hanged  is  accursed  of  God;)  that 
thy  land  be  not  defiled"  (Deut.  xxi.  22,  23).  These 
punctilious  rulers  were  afraid  of  the  land  being 
defiled  by  the  body  of  the  Holy  One  of  God  being 
allowed  to  remain  over  night  upon  the  cross ;  but 
they  had  no  sense  of  that  deeper  defilement  which 
they  had  already  contracted  by  having  His  l)lood 
upon  themselves,  (for  that  sabbath  day  was  an 
high  day)  [^teynXt)]  -or  '  a  great  day;'  as  being  the 
first  Sabl)ath  of  the  Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread,  t)ie 
most  sacred  season  of  the  whole  Jewish  ecclesias- 
tical year.  This  made  those  hypocrites  the  more 
afraid  lest  the  Sabbath  hour  should  arrive  ere  the 
bodies  were  removed,  besought  Pilate  that  their 
legs  might  be  broken— to  hasten  their  death.  It 
was  usually  done  with  clubs,  and  that  they 
might  be  taken  away— that  is,  taken  down  from 
the  cross  and  removed.  32.  Then  came  the 
soldiers,  and  brake  the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of 
the  other  which  was  crucified  with  him.  Cruci- 
fixion being  a  very  lingering  death,  the  life  of  the 
malefactors  was  still  in  them,  and  was  thus  bar- 
barously extinguished.  33.  But  when  they  came 
to  Jesus,  and  saw  that  he  was  dead  already— for 
there  were  in  His  case  elements  of  suffering  un- 
known to  the  malefactors,  which  would  naturally 
hasten  His  death,  not  to  speak  of  His  exhaustion 
from  iirevious  care  and  suffering,  all  the  more  tell- 
ing on  the  frame  now,  from  its  having  been  eu- 


Jesus  side  pierced 


JOHN  XIX. 


by  a  soldier's  spear ^ 


34  brake  not  his  legs :  but  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear  pierced  his  side, 
and  forthwith  ^came  thereout  blood  and  water. 

35  And  "he  that  saw  it  bare  record,  and  his  record  is  true :  and  he  knoweth 
30  that  he  saith  true,  that  ye  might  believe.     For  these  things  were  done, 

^that  the  scripture  should  be  fulfilled,  A  bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken. 

37  And  again  another  scripture  saith,  They  ''shall  look  on  him  whom  they 
pierced. 

38  And  ''after  this,  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  being  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  but 


A.  D.  33. 


1  John  5.  6. 

8. 

■  ch.  ir.  21, 

23. 
Ex.  12.  46. 
Num.  9.  12. 

r.s.22.  ifi.ir. 

Zee.  12.  10. 

'■  Matt.2r,  .57. 

Mark  15.42. 


durecl  in  silence,  they  brake  not  Ms  legs— a  fact 
of  vast  importance,  as  showing  that  the  reality  of 
His  death  was  visible  to  those  whose  business  it 
was  to  see  to  it.  The  other  divine  jDurpose  served 
by  it  Avill  appear  presently. 

To  Make  Sure  that  Jesus  xcas  Dead,  One  of  the 
Soldiers  with  a  Spear  Pierces  His  Side—  What 
Flowed  from  tliis  Woimd,and  How  Another  Scrip- 
ture teas  therelnj  Fulfilled  (34-37).  34.  But  one  of 
the  soldiers — to  make  assurance  of  the  fact  doubly 
sure,  with  a  spear  pierced  his  side  —  making  a 
wound  deep  and  wide,  as  indeed  is  plain  from  ch. 
XX.  27-29.  Had  life  still  remained  it  must  have 
fled  now.  and  forthwith  came  thereout  blood 
and  water.  '  It  is  now  well  known,'  to  use  the 
words  of  Wehster  and  Wilkinson,  '  that  the  effect 
of  long-continued  and  intense  agony  is  frequently 
to  jiroduce  a  secretion  of  a  colourless  lymph  within 
the  pericardium  (the  membrane  enveloping  the 
heart),  amounting  in  many  cases  to  a  very  con- 
siderable quantity.' 

35.  And  he  that  saw  it  bare  —  '  hath  borne ' 
record,  and  his  record  is  true :  and  he  knoweth 
that  he  saith  true,  that  ye  might  believe — '  that 
ye  also  may  believe,'  is  clearly  the  true  reading 
[\ai  vfxeli — SO  Lach'inami,  Tischendorf,  and  2Ve- 
(jelles] ;  that  is,  that  all  who  read  this  iGospel  may, 
along  with  the  writer  of  it,  believe.  The  use  of 
the  third  person  in  this  statement,  instead  of  the 
first,  gives  solemnity  to  it,  as  Alford  remarks. 
This  solemn  way  of  referring  to  his  own  testi- 
mony iu  this  matter  was  at  least  intended 
to  call  attention  both  to  the  fultilmeat  of 
Scripture  in  these  particulars,  and  to  the  uu- 
deniable  evidence  he  was  thus  furnishing  of 
the  reality  of  Christ's  death,  and  consequently 
of  His  resurrection ;  perhaps  also  to  meet 
the  growing  tendency,  in  the  Asiatic  churches, 
to  deny  the  reality  of  our  Lord's  body,  or  that 
"Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh"  (1  John  iv. 
1-3).  But  was  this  all?  Some  of  the  ablest  critics 
think  so.  But  if  we  give  due  weight  to  the  words 
of  this  same  beloved  disciple  in  his  First  E[iistle 
— "  This  is  He  that  came  by  water  and  blood, 
even  Jesus  Christ;  not  by  water  only,  but  by 
water  and  blood"  (1  John  v.  6)— it  is  difficult  to 
avoid  thinking  that  he  must  have  seen  iu  the 
"blood  and  water"  which  flowed  from  that 
wounded  side  a  symbolical  exhibition  of  the 
"  blood"  of  atonement  and  the  "  water"  of  sanctifi,- 
cation,  according  to  ceremonial  language,  which  un- 
doubtedly flow  from  the  pierced  Eedeemer.  Cer- 
tainly the  instincts  of  the  Church  have  from  age 
to  age  stamjied  this  sense  upon  the  fact  recorded, 
and  when  the  poet  cries— 

'  Rock  of  Ages !  cleft  for  me. 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  Thee : 
Let  Ike  water  and  the  bluod 
From  Thy  xvmmdcd  side  wh'chftov'd 
Be  of  sin  the  double  cure; 
Cleanse  Tnejrow,  its  guilt  andpoiver '— Toplady; 

he  does  but  nobly  interpret  our  Evangelist's  words 
to  the  heart  of  the  living  and  dying  Christian. 

36.  For  these  things  were  done,  that  the  scrip- 
ture should  be  fulfilled,  A  bone  of  him  Shall  nQt 

'47Q 


be  broken.  The  Scriiiture  referred  to  can  be  no 
other  than  the  stringent  and  remarkable  ordinance 
regarding  the  Paschal  Lamb,  that  a  bone  of  it  should 
not  be  broken  (Exod.  xii.  46;  Num.  ix.  12).  And  if 
so,  we  have  this  apostle,  as  well  as  Paul  (1  Cor. 
V.  7),  holding  forth  the  Paschal  Lamb  as  a  tyiiical 
foreshadowing  of  "  the  Lamb  of  God."  There  is 
indeed  iu  the  34th  Psalm  a  verse  which  some — 
regarding  it  as  Messianic — have  thought  to  be 
the  passage  referred  to  by  the  Evangelist:  "He 
keepeth  all  his  bones  ;  not  one  of  them  is  broken" 
(y.  2U).  But  that  is  rather  a  definite  way  of  ex- 
pressing the  minute  care  with  which  God  watches 
over  His  people  in  the  body ;  and  the  right  view 
of  its  bearing  on  Christ  is  to  mark  how  congruous 
it  was  that  that  should  be  literallii  realized  in  Him 
which  was  designed  but  (leneralhj  to  express  the 
safety  of  all  His  saints.  But  we  shall  miss  one  of 
the  most  aug\ist  designs  of  God  in  the  sufferings  of 
His  Son  if  we  rest  here.  Up  to  the  moment  of 
His  death,  every  imaginable  indignity  had  been 

Esrmitted  to  be  done  to  the  sacred  body  of  the 
ord  Jesus — as  if,  so  lon^  as  the  Sacrifice  was 
incomplete,  the  Lord,  who  had  laid  upon  Him  the 
iniquity  of  us  all,  would  not  interpose.  But  no 
sooner  has  He  "  finished"  the  work  given  Him  to 
do  than  an  Unseen  Hand  is  found  to  have  pro- 
vided against  the  clubs  of  the  rude  soldiers  coming 
in  contact  with  that  Temple  of  the  Godhead. 
Very  different  from  such  violence  was  that  spear- 
thrust,  for  which  not  only  doubting  Thomas  would 
thank  the  soldier,  but  intelligent  believers  in  every 
age,  to  whom  the  certainty  of  their  Lord's  death 
and  resurrection  is  the  life  of  their  whole  Chris- 
tianity. 37.  And  again  another  scripture  saith 
(Zee.  xii.  10),  They  shall  look  on  him  whom  they 
pierced.  This  quotation  is  not  taken,  as  usual, 
from  the  Sejjtuagint — the  current  Greeli  version — 
which  here  is  all  wrong,  but  direct  from  the 
Hebrew.  And  thei'«  is  a  remarkable  nicety  in 
the  choice  of  the  words  emjiloj'ed  both  by  the 
prophet  and  the  evangelist  for  "piercing."  The 
word  in  Zechariah  p"*!??]  means  to  thr'ust  throxKjh 
with  spear,  javelin,  sword,  or  any  such  weajion. 
In  that  sense  it  is  used  iu  all  the  ten  places,  be- 
sides this,  where  it  is  found.  How  suitable  this 
was  to  express  the  action  of  the  Roman  soldier  is 
manifest ;  and  our  Evaugehst  uses  the  exactly  cor- 
responding Moid  [egeKei/Ttjo-ai/],  while  the  word 
used  by  the  LXX.  {KaTwpxv'ya.vTo']  signifies  simply 
to  'insult'  or  'triumph  over.'  There  is  a  quite  dif- 
ferent word,  which  also  signifies  to  'pierce,'  used 
in  Ps.  xxii.  16,  "They  pierced  my  hands  and  my 
feet"  \P^^,  in  'T].  This  word  signifies  to  bore 
as  with  an  awl  or  hammer— just  as  was  done  in 
fastening  our  Lord  to  the  cross.  How  exceedingly 
striking  are  these  small  niceties  and  precisions ! 

The  Burial  (38-42).  38.  And  after  this,  Joseph 
of  Arimathea — a  place  which  cannot  now  be  iden- 
tified. Matthew  (xxviL  57)  says  he  was  "a  rich 
man" — thus  fulfilling  the  prediction  that  Messiah 
should  be  "with  the  rich  in  His  death"  (Isa.  liii 
9).  Mark  (xv.  43)  says  he  was  "an  honourable 
counsellor"  {eh<j\nfjiwii  pnvXeuTi)^] — or  a  member  of 
the  Sanhedrim  £vn4  of  superior  position — "which 


The  burial 


JOHN  XIX. 


of  Jesus. 


secretly  ^for  fear  of  the  Jews,  besought  Pilate  that  he  might  take  away 
the  body  of  Jesus :  and  Pilate  gave  him  leave.     He  came  therefore,  and 

39  took  the  body  of  Jesus.     And  there  came  also  -^'Nicodemus,  (which  at 
the  first  came  to  Jesus  by  night,)  and  broudit  ^a  mixture  of  myrrh  and 

40  aloes,  about  an  hundred  pound  iceiglit.     Then  took  they  the  body  of 
Jesus,  and  wound  '*it  in  linen  clothes  with  the  spices,  as  the  manner  of 

41  the  Jews  is  to  bury.     Now  in  the  place  where  he  was  crucified  there  was 
a  garden;  and  in  the  garden  a  *new  sepulchre,  wherein  was  never  man 


A.  D.  33. 

'  Pro.  29.  25. 

Ch.  9.  22. 

Ch.  12.  42. 
/  ch.  3.  1,  2. 

ch.  1.  50. 
"  2Chr.lC..ll. 

Luke  23  oG. 
ft  Acts  5  6. 
i   Luke  23  53. 


also  waited  for  the  kingdom  of  God,"  or  was  a 
devout  expectant  of  Messiah's  kingdom.  Luke 
(xxiii.  50,  51)  says  fm-ther  of  him,  '"  he  was  a  good 
man  and  a  just;  the  same  had  not  consented  to 
the  counsel  and  deed  of  them"— or  had  not  been  a 
consenting  party  to  the  condemnation  and  death 
of  Jesus.  Perhaps,  however,  this  does  not  mean 
that  he  openly  dissented  and  ]irotested  against 
the  decision  and  subsequent  proceedings  of  the 
Council  of  which  he  was  a  member;  but  simply 
that  he  had  avoided  taking  any  active  jiart  in 
them,  by  absenting  himself  from  their  meetings. 
Finally,  to  conijilete  our  knowledge  of  this  im- 
portant person,  for  ever  dear  to  the  Christian 
Church  for  what  is  about  to  be  related,  our  Evan- 
gelist adds,  being  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  but  secretly 
for  fear  of  the  Jews.  No  wonder  that  he  and 
Nicodemus  are  classed  together.  But  if  before, 
they  were  noted  for  timid  discipleship,  they 
are  now  signally  one  in  courageous  discipleship. 
Our  Evangelist  merely  says,  Joseph  besought 
Pilate  that  he  might  [be  permitted  to]  take 
away  the  body  of  Jesus:  and  Pilate  gave  him 
leave.  But  Mark,  in  the  following  passage,  notices 
the  courai/e  which  this  requu-ed,  and  gives  some 
otlier  particulars  of  the  deepest  interest. 

MarK  XV.  43-45: — "Joseph  .  .  .  went  in  boldly  " 
[TO/\/xiicras  6io-);/\6ei.'] — or  'had  the  courage  to  go  in,' 
"and  craved  the  body  of  Jesus."  That  act  would 
without  doubt  identify  him /or  the  first  time  with 
the  disciples  of  Christ.  Marvellous  it  certainly  is, 
that  one  who  while  Jesus  was  yet  alive  merely 
refrained  from  condemning  Him — not  having  the 
courage  to  espouse  His  cause  by  one  positive  act — 
should,  now  that  He  was  dead,  and  His  cause  ap- 
]iarently  dead  with  Him,  summon  uj)  courage  to 
go  in  personally  to  the  Roman  Goveinor  and  ask 
permission  to  take  down  and  inter  the  body.  But 
if  this  be  the  first  instance,  it  is  not  the  last,  that 
a  seemingly  dead  Christ  has  wakened  a  sympathy 
which  a  living  one  had  failed  to  evoke.  The 
heroism  of  faith  is  usually  kindled  by  desperate 
circumstances,  and  is  not  seldom  displayed  by 
those  who  before  were  the  most  timid,  and  scarce 
known  as  disciples  at  all.  "And  Pilate  marvelled 
if  he  were  already  dead"  [ei  vorj  redviiKev] — or 
rather, '  wondered  that  he  was  dead  already ' — "  and 
calling  the  centurion,  he  asked  him  whether  he 
had  been  any  while  (or  'long')  dead."  Pilate  could 
hardly  credit  what  Joseph  had  told  him,  that  He 
had  been  dead  'some  time,'  and  before  giving  up 
the  body  to  His  friends,  would  learn  how  the  fact 
stood  from  the  centurion,  whose  business  it  was  to 
oversee  the  execution.  "And  when  he  knew  it 
of  the  centurion,"  that  it  was  as  Joseph  had  said, 
"he  gave"  [eSojpvcraTo] — or  rather,  'made  a  gift  of 
"the  body  to  Joseph;"  struck,  possibly,  with  the 
rank  of  the  petitioner  and  the  dignified  boldness 
of  the  petition,  in  conti-ast  with  the  spirit  of  the 
other  party  and  the  low  rank  to  wliich  he  had  been 
led  to  oelieve  all  the  followers  of  Christ  belonged. 
Nor  would  he  be  unwilling  to  show  that  he  was 
not  going  to  carry  this  scandalous  proceedijig  any 
further.  But  whatever  M-ere  Pilate  s  motives,  two 
most  blessed  objects  were  thus  secured:  First,  The 
477 


reaJitij  of  our  Lord's  death  loas  attested  by  the  party 
of  all  others  most  competent  to  decide  on  it,  and 
certainly  free  from  all  bias— the  officer  in  attend- 
ance— in  full  reliance  on  whose  testimony  Pilate 
surrendered  the  body.  Second,  The  dead  Ee- 
deemer,  thus  delivered  o\it  of  the  hands  of  His 
enemies,  and  committed  V)y  the  supreme  political 
authority  to  the  care  of  His  friends,  -was  thereby 
protected  from  all  further  indignities  ;  a  thing 
most  befitting  indeed,  now  that  His  work  was 
done,  but  not  to  have  been  expected  if  His 
enemies  had  been  at  liberty  to  do  with  Him  as 
they  pleased.  How  wonderful  are  even  the  minut- 
est features  of  this  matchless  History !  He  came 
therefore,  and  took  the  body  of  Jesus.  39.  And 
there  came  also  Nicodemus,  (which  at  the  first 
came  to  Jesus  by  night).  It  is  manifestly  the 
Evangelist's  design  to  direct  his  readers'  attention 
to  the  timidity  of  both  these  friends  of  Jesus  iu 
tlieir  attachment  to  Him,  when  he  says  that  the 
one  was  for  fear  of  the  Jews  only  a  secret  disciple, 
and  reminds  us  that  the  visit  of  the  other  to  Jesus 
at  the  outset  of  His  ministry  was  made  by  night. 
and  brought  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes,  about 
an  hundred  pound  weight — an  immense  quantity, 
betokening  the  greatness  of  their  lo^  e,  biit  part  of 
it  probably  intended,  as  Mei/er  says,  as  a  layer  for 
the  spot  on  which  the  body  was  to  lie.  (See  2 
Chr.  xvi.  14.)  40.  Then  took  they  the  body  of 
Jesus,  and  wound  it  in  linen  clothes  with  the 
spices,  as  the  manner  of  the  Jews  is  to  bury— the 
mixed  and  jmlverized  myrrh  and  aloes  shaken  into 
the  folds,  and  the  entire  body,  thus  swathed, 
wrapt  in  an  outer  covering  of  ''clean  linen  cloth" 
(Matt.  xxviL  59).  Had  the  Lord's  own  friends 
had  the  least  re^ison  to  think  that  the  spark  of 
life  was  still  in  Him,  would  <Af7/ have  done  tliis? 
But  even  if  one  could  conceive  them  mistaken, 
could  any  one  have  lain  thus  enveloi>ed  for  the 
I)eriod  during  which  He  was  iu  the  grave,  and  life 
still  remained?  Impossible.  When,  therefore. 
He  walked  forth  from  the  tomb,  we  can  say  with 
the  most  absolute  certainty,  "Now  is  Christ  risen 
from  the  dead,  and  become  the  fh-st-fruits  of  them 
that  slept" !  (1  Cor.  xv.  20).  No  wonder  that  the 
learned  and  the  barbarians  alike  were  prepared  to 
die  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus ;  for  such  evi- 
dence was  to  the  unprejudiced  resistless.  No 
mention  is  made  of  anointing  in  this  o])eration. 
No  doubt  it  Mas  a  hurried  proceeding,  for  fear 
of  interruittion,  and  because  it  was  close  on 
the  Sabbath.  The  women  seem  to  have  set 
the  doing  of  this  more  perfectly  as  their  proper 
task  "as  soon  as  the  Sabbath  should  be  past" 
(Mark  xvi.  1).  But  as  the  Lord  graciously  held 
it  as  undesignedly  anticiijated  by  Mary  at  Beth- 
any (Mark  xiv.  S),  so  tliis  was  probably  all 
the  anointing,  in  the  strict  sense  of  it,  which  He 
received.  41.  Now  in  the  place  where  he  was 
crucified  there  was  a  garden ;  and  in  the  garden 
a  new  sepulchre,  wherein  was  never  man  yet  laid. 
The  choice  of  this  tomb  was,  on  their  part,  dictated 
by  the  double  circumstance  that  it  was  so  near  at 
hand,  and  its  belonging  to  a  friend  of  the  Lord ; 
and  as  there  was  need  of  haste,  even  they  would 


Mary  Magdalene  first 


JOHN  XX. 


thlts  the  sepulchre. 


42  yet  laid.  There  •'laid  they  Jesus  therefore,  because  of  the  Jews'  prepara- 
tion day ;  for  the  sepulchre  was  nigh  at  hand. 

20  THE  "first  day  of  the  week  cometh  Mary  Magdalene  early,  when  it 
was  yet  dark,  unto  the  sepulchre,  and  seeth  the  stone  taken  away  from 

2  the  sepulchre.  Then  she  runneth,  and  cometh  to  Simon  Peter,  and 
to  the  *  other  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  and  saith  unto  them,  They 
have  taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we  know  not  where 

3  they  have  laid  him.     Peter  "^therefore  went  forth,  and  that  other  disciple, 

4  and  came  to  the  sepulchre.     So  they  ran  both  together :  and  the  other 

5  disciple  did  outrun  Peter,  and  came  first  to  the  sepulchre.  And  he 
stooping  down,  and  looking  in,  saw  '^the  linen  clothes  lying;  yet  went  he 

6  not  in.     Then  cometh  Simon  Peter  following  him,  and  went  into  the 

7  sepulchre,  and  seeth  the  linen  clothes  lie,  and  ^the  napkin,  that  was 
about  his  head,  not  lying  with  the  linen  clothes,  but  wrapped  together  in 

8  a  place  by  itself.     Then  went  in  also  that  other  disciple  which  came  first 

9  to  the  sepulchre,  and  he  saw,  and  believed.     For  as  yet  they  knew  not 
10  the  -^'scripture,  that  he  must  rise  again  from  the  dead.     Then  the  disciples 

went  away  again  unto  their  own  home. 


A.  D.  33. 


3  Isa.  63.  9. 


CHAP.  20. 

"•  Jlatt.  28.  1 
Mark  16.  I 
Luke  24.  I. 

6  ch.  13.  23. 
ch.  19.  26. 

ch.  21.  r,  20, 
24. 

<^  Luke  24.12. 

d  ch.  19.  40. 
'  ch.  11.  44. 
/  Ps.  16.  10. 

Isa.  26.  19. 

Isa.  53.  10- 
12. 

HoS.  13.  14. 

Matt.  16. 21. 
Acts  2.  23- 
32. 

Acts  13.  31. 
1  Cor.  15.  4. 


be  struck  with  the  providence  which  thus  supplied 
it.  42.  There  laid  they  Jesus  therefore,  because 
of  the  Jews'  preparation  day ;  for  the  sepulchre 
was  nigh  at  hand.  There  was  however  one  recom- 
mendation of  it  which  probably  would  not  strike 
them;  but  God  had  it  in  view.  This  was  not  its 
being  "hewn  out  of  a  rock"  (Mark  xv.  46),  access- 
iljle  only  at  the  entrance,  though  this  doubtless 
would  imjiress  even  themselves  with  its  security  and 
suitableness;  but  its  being  "a  jiew;  sepulchre "  (v. 
41),  "whereinnefermayi before  waslaul"  (Lukexxiii. 
53) ;  and  in  Matt,  xxvii.  60  it  is  said  tliat  Joseph 
laid  Him  "in  his  own  neiv  tomb,  which  he  had 
hewn  out  in  the  rock" — doubtless  for  his  own  use, 
and  without  any  other  design  in  it — but  the  Lord 
needed  it.  Thus,  as  he  rode  into  Jerusalem  on  an 
ass  "whereon  never  man  before  had  sat,"  so  now  He 
shall  lie  in  a  tomb  loherein  never  tnan  before  had 
lain,  that  from  these  specimens  it  might  be  seen 
that    in   all    things    He    was    "separate    fkom 

SINNERS." 

For  remarks  on  the  Burial  of  Christ,  in  connec- 
tion with  His  Death  and  Kesurrection,  see  on 
Matt,  xxvii.  51-56,  Eemarks  4-8  at  the  close  of 
that  Section ;  and  those  on  ch.  xxviii.  1-15,  at  the 
close  of  that  Section. 

CHAP.  XX.  1-31.— On  the  First  Day  of  the 
Week  Mary  Magdalene  Visits  the  Sepulchre 
AND  Returns  to  it  with  Peter  and  John — Her 
PiiSEN  Lord  Appears  to  Her — In  the  Evening 
He  Appears  to  the  Assembled  Disciples,  and 
again  after  Eight  Days— First  Close  of  this 
Gospel. 

Mar}/  first  Visits  the  Sepulchre  Alone  (1).  1. 
['  Now ']  The  first  day  of  the  week  cometh  Mary 
Magdalene  (see  on  Luke  viii.  2)  early,  when  it  was 
yet  dark  (see  on  Matt,  xxviii.  1,  and  on  Mark 
xvi.  2),  unto  the  sepulchre,  and  seeth  the  stone 
taken  away  from  the  sepulchre  (see  on  Mark  xvi. 
3,4). 

Mary,  Returning  to  Peter  and  John,  Reports  to 
them  tliat  the  Sepulchre  had  been  Emptied — They 
Go  to  the  Grave— The  Residt  of  that  Visit  (2-10). 
2.  Then  she  runneth— her  whole  soul  strung  to  its 
utmost  tension  with  trepidation  and  anxiety,  and 
cometh  to  Simon  Peter,  and  to  the  other  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved — those  two  who  were  so  soon 
to  be  associated  in  proclaiming  the  Saviour's  resur- 
rection, and  saith  unto  them,  They  have  taken 
away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we  know 
not  where  they  have  laid  him.  Dear  disciple !  Thy 
478 


dead  Lord  is  to  thee  "The  Lord"  still.  3.  Peter 
therefore  went  forth,  and  that— or  'the'  other 
disciple,  and  came  to  the  sepulchre — to  see  with 
their  own  eyes.  4.  So  they  ran  both  together :  and 
the  other  disciple — being  the  younger  of  the  tM'o, 
did  outrun  Peter— but  love,  too,  haply  supplying 
swifter  wings.  How  lively  is  the  mention  of  this 
little  particular,  and  at  such  a  distance  of  time !  Yet 
how  could  the  very  least  particular  of  such  a  visit 
be  ever  forgotten?  5.  And  he  stooping  down,  [and 
looking  in].  The  supplement  here  should  not  be 
printed  in  Italics,  as  the  one  Greek  word  [irapaKu- 
|//as]  denotes  both  the  stooping  and  the  looking,  as 
in  V.  11,  and  in  1  Pet.  i.  12  ('desire,'  or  'stoop 
down,  to  look'  into):  saw — rather,  'seeth'  [/3\e- 
Trei]  the  linen  clothes  lying;  yet  went  he  not  in — 
held  back  i^robably  by  a  reverential  fear.  6.  Then 
cometh  Simon  Peter  following  him,  and— being  of 
a  bold,  resolute  character,  he  at  once  went  into 
the  sepulchre— and  was  rewarded  with  bright  evi- 
dence of  what  had  happened :  and  seeth  the  linen 
clothes  lie — '  lying.'  7.  And  the  napkin,  that  was 
about  his  head,  not  lying  with  the  linen  clothes 
—loosely,  as  if  hastily  thrown  down,  and  indica- 
tive of  a  hurried  and  disorderly  removal,  but 
wrapped— or  '  folded'  together  in  a  place  by  itself 
— showing  with  what  grand  tranquillity  "  the  Liv- 
ing One"  had  walked  forth  from  "the  dead."  (See 
on  Luke  xxiv.  5.)  'Doubtless,'  says  Bengel,  'the 
two  attendant  angels  {v.  12)  did  this  service  for 
the  Rising  One;  the  one  disposing  of  the  linen 
clothes,  the  other  of  the  napkin.'  But  perhaps 
they  were  the  acts  of  the  Risen  One  Himself, 
calmly  laying  aside,  as  of  no  further  use,  the  gar- 
ments of  His  mortality,  and  indicating  the  absence 
of  all  haste  in  issuing  from  the  tomb.  8.  Then 
went  in  also  that— or  '  the '  other  disciple  which 
came  first  to  the  sepulchre.  The  repetition  of 
this,  in  connection  with  his  not  having  gone  in  till 
after  Peter,  seems  to  show  tliat  at  the  moment 
of  penning  these  Avords  the  advantage  which  each 
of  these  loving  disciples  had  of  the  other  was  pres- 
ent to  his  mind,  and  he  saw  and  believed.  Prob- 
ably he  means,  though  he  does  not  say,  that  He 
believed  in  his  Lord's  resurrection  more  imme- 
diately and  certainly  than  Peter.  9.  For  as  yet 
they  knew  — ^.  e.,  understood  not  the  scripture, 
that  he  must  rise  again  from  the  dead.  In  other 
words,  they  believed  in  His  resiu-rection  at  hrst, 
not  because  they  were  prepared  by  Scriptiire  to 
exj^ect  it ;  bat  facts  carried  resistless  conviction  of 


Appearance  of  Jesus 


JOHN  XX. 


to  Mary  Magdalene. 


11  But  ^Maiy  stood  without  at  the  sepulchre  weeping:  and  as  she  wept, 

12  she  stooped  down,  and  looked  into  the  sepulchre,  and  seetli  two  augels 
in  white  sitting,  the  one  at  the  head,  and  the  other  at  the  feet,  where  the 

13  body  of  Jesus  had  lain.  And  they  say  unto  her.  Woman,  why  weepest 
thou  ?     She  saith  unto  them,  Because  they  have  taken  away  my  Lord, 

14  and  I  know  not  where  tliey  have  laid  him.  And  ''when  she  had  thus 
said,  she  turned  herself  back,  and  saw  Jesus  standing,  and  *knew  not 

15  that  it  was  Jesus.  Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Woman,  why  weepest  thou? 
whom  seekest  thou  ?  She,  supposing  him  to  be  the  gardener,  saith  unto 
him.  Sir,  if  thou  have  borne  him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid 

16  him,  and  I  will  take  him  away.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary!  She 
turned  herself,  and  saith  unto  him, -^ Rabboui !  which  is  to  say.  Master! 

17  Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Touch  me  not;  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended  to  my 
Father:  but  go  to  my  ^brethren,  and  say  unto  them,  'I  ascend  unto  my 


A.  D.  33. 

"  JIark  16.  5. 
''  Sons  3. 3, 4. 

Matt.  28  y. 

Mark  ic  :k 
i  Luke:i4.l0, 
31. 

ch.  21.  4. 
J  Song  2.  8 

Matt.  23.  S- 
10. 

ch.  1.38,  49. 
*  Ps.  22.  i2. 

Matt.28. 10. 
Rom.  8.  29. 
Heb.  2.  11. 
'   ch.  16.  28. 
1  Pet  1.  3. 


it  in  tlie  first  instance  to  their  minds,  and  fur- 
nished afterwards  a  liey  to  the  Scripture  predic- 
tions of  it.  10.  Then  the  disciples  went  away 
again  unto  their  own  home. 

Mary,  Bemaininr/  at  the  Sepulchre  Weepbu/,  is 
Asked  the  cause  of  her  tears  hy  Two  Angels  in 
White  sitting  within  the  Sepulchre — Scarcely  has  she 
answered  them  tvheii  Her  Risen  Lord  appeccrs  to 
her,  hut  is  not  recognized — Transporting  Disclosure 
and  Sublime  Address  of  Jesus  to  her— She  goes  and 
tells  the  tidings  to  the  Disciples  (11-18).  11.  But 
Mary  stood  without  at  the  sepulchre  weeping. 
Brief  had  been  the  stay  of  Peter  and  John.  But 
Mary,  who  may  have  taken  another  way  to  the 
sepulchre  after  they  left  it,  lingers  at  the  spot, 
weejiiiig  for  her  missing  Lord,  and  as  she  wept, 
sbe  stooped  down,  and  looked— through  her  tears, 
into  the  sepulchre,  12.  And  seeth  two  angels. 
There  need  be  no  dithculty  in  reconciling  this  with 
the  accounts  of  the  angelic  appearances  at  the 
seijulchre  in  the  other  Gospels  ;  since  there  can  be 
no  reasonable  doubt,  as  Ulshausen.  suggests,  that 
angels  can  render  themselves  visible  or  invisible 
as  the  case  may  require,  and  so  they  may  have 
been  seen  at  one  time  and  soon  after  unseen — seen 
also  by  one  ])arty  and  not  by  another,  one  seen  by 
one  set  of  visitants  and  two  by  another.  '  What 
wonder,'  asks  Alford  pei-tineutly,  'if  the  heavenly 
hosts  were  variously  and  often  visible  on  this 
great  day,  "  when  the  morning  stars  sang  together, 
aud  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy"?'  io 
white — as  from  the  world  of  light  (see  on  Matt, 
xxviii.  3),  sitting— as  if  their  i^roper  business  had 
already  been  Hnished,  but  they  had  been  left  there 
to  await  the  arrival  of  their  Lord's  friends,  and 
reassure  them  —  the  one  at  the  head,  and  the 
other  at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had 
lain.  Why  this  peculiar  posture?  To  proclaim 
silently,  as  Luthardt,  Alford,  &c.,  think,  how  en- 
tirely the  body  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  under  the 
guardianship  of  the  Father  and  his  servants.  But 
to  us  this  is  not  a  quite  satisfactory  explanation  of 
the  posture.  What  if  it  was  designed  to  call  mute 
attention  to  the  narrow  sitace  within  which  the 
Lord  of  glory  had  contracted  Himself  ?— as  if  they 
should  say,  Come,  see  witliiu  what  limits,  marked 
off  by  the  space  here  between  us  two,  the  Lord 
lay!  But  she  is  in  teai-s,  and  these  suit  not  the 
scene  of  so  glorious  an  Exit.  They  are  going  to 
point  out  to  her  the  incongruity.  13.  And  they 
say  unto  her,  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ? — You 
would  think  the  vision  too  much  for  a  lone  woman. 
But  absorbed  in  the  one  Object  of  her  aflt'ection 
and  pursuit,  she  speaks  out  her  grief  without  fear. 
Stie  saith  unto  them.  Because  they  have  taken 
away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they  have 
laid  him— the  very  Avords  she  had  used  to  Peter 
479 


and  John  (v.  2)  are  here  repeated  to  the  bright  visi- 
tants fi-om  the  world  of  light : — cj.  d. , '  Can  I  choose 
but  weep  when  thus  bereft?'  14.  And  when  she 
had  thus  said,  she  turned  herself  hack,  and  saw 
Jesus  standing,  and  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus, 
15.  Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Woman,  why  weepest 
thou?  whom  seekest  thou?— questions  which,  re- 
doubled, so  tenderly  reveal  the  yearning  desire  to 
disclose  Himself  to  that  dear  disciple.  She,  sup- 
posing him  to  be  the  gardener.  Clad,  therefore,  in 
some  such  style  He  must  have  been.  But  if  any 
ask,  as  too  curious  iuterjireters  do,  v/hence  He  got 
those  habiliments,  we  answer,  with  Olshausen  and 
Luthardt,  where  the  two  angels  got  theirs.  The 
voice  of  His  hrst  words  did  not,  it  seems,  reveal 
Him ;  for  He  would  try  her  ere  He  would  tell  her. 
Accordingly,  answering  not  the  stranger's  question, 
but  coming  straight  to  her  point  Avith  him,  she 
saith  unto  him.  Sir,  if  thou  have  borne  him 
hence — borne  ivhom  ?  She  says  not.  She  can 
think  only  of  One,  and  thinks  others  must  under- 
stand her.  It  reminds  one  of  the  question  of  the 
sjiouse,  "Saw  ye  him  whom  my  soul  loveth?" 
(Song  iii.  3.)  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  him, 
and  I  will  take  him  away.  Wilt  thou,  dear  fragile 
Avoman?  But  it  is  the  language  of  sublime  affec- 
tion, that  thinks  itself  tit  for  anything  if  once  in 
possession  of  its  Object.  It  is  enough.  Like  Jo- 
seph, He  can  no  longer  restrain  Himself  (Gen. 
xlv.  1).  16.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary !  It  is  not 
now  the  distant,  though  respectful  "Woman." 
It  is  the  oft-repeated  name,  uttered,  no  doubt, 
with  all  the  wonted  manner,  and  bringing  a  rush 
of  unutterable  and  overpowering  associations  Avith 
it.  She  turned  herself,  and  saith  unto  him  [in 
the  Hebrew  tongue],  Rahboni!  which  is  to  say. 
Master!  [Tischendorf  aud  Tregelles  introduce 
into  the  text  what  we  have  placed  in  brackets — 
'Ej3(jaio-Ti  —  on  Avhat  appears  to  be  preponderat- 
ing evidence.  Lachmann  brackets  it  as  Ave  have 
done.]  Mary  uttered  this  Avord  in  the  endeared 
mother-tongue,  and  the  Evangelist,  Avhile  perpetu- 
ating for  all  time  the  very  term  she  used,  gives  lus 
readers  to  whom  that  tongue  Avas  unknoAvn  the 
sense  of  it.  But  that  single  word  of  transported 
recognition  was  not  enough  for  Avoman's  full  heart. 
Not  knowing  the  change  which  had  passed  upon 
Him,  she  hastens  to  express  by  her  actions  what 
words  failed  to  clothe:  but  she  is  checked.  17. 
Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Touch  me  not;  for  I  am  not 
yet  ascended  to  my  Father : — '  Old  familiarities 
must  now  give  place  to  new  and  more  aAvful,  yet 
sweeter  approaches;  but  for  these  the  time  has 
not  come  yet'  This  seems  the  spirit,  at  least,  of 
these  mysterious  words,  on  which  much  difference 
of  opinion  has  obtained,  and  not  much  that  is 
satisfactory  been  said,    but  go  to  my  brethren. 


A2'>pearance  of  Jesus 


JOHN  XX. 


to  His  disciples. 


18  Father,  and  your  Father;  and  to  ™my  God,  and  your  God.  Mary 
"Magdalene  came  and  told  the  disciples  that  she  had  seen  the  Lord,  and 
that  he  had  spoken  these  things  unto  her. 

19  Then  "the  same  day  at  evening,  being  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when 
the  doors  were  shut  where  the  disciples  were  assembled  for  fear  of  the 
Jews,  came  Jesus  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  saith  unto  them.  Peace  be 

20  unto  you._  And  when  he  had  so  said,  he  ^showed  unto  them  his  hands 
and  his  side.     ^Then  were  the  disciples  glad  when  they  saw  the  Lord. 

21  Then  said  Jesus  to  them  again.  Peace  he  unto  you:  'as  my  Father  hath 

22  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you.     And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  breathed 

23  on  them,^  and  saith  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost:  whose 
^soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them;  and  whose  soever 
sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained. 

24  But  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  *  called  Didymus,  was  not  with  them 


A.  D.  33. 


'"  Eph.  1.  17. 
"  Matt.  28. 10. 

Luke  24.10. 
"  JMarkl6.14. 

Luke  24.36. 

1  Cor.  15.  5. 
P  1  John  1. 1. 
«  ch.  16.  22. 

'"  Isa.  01.  1. 
Isa  11.  2. 
Watt.  28. 18. 
ch  17.18,19. 
Heb.  3.  1. 

2  Tim.  2  2. 
'  Matt.16.19. 

Matt.18.18. 
«  ch.  11.  16. 


(Compare  Matt,  xxviii.  10;  Heb.  ii.  11,  17.)  That 
He  had  btill  our  Hiimauity,  and  therefore  "is  not 
ashamed  to  call  iim  hretliren,"  is  indeed  grandly  evi- 
denced by  these  words.  But  it  is  worthy  of  most 
reverential  notice,  that  we  nowhere  read  of  any  one 
ivho  presumed  to  call  Hhn  Brother.  "My  breth- 
ren?" exclaims  devout  Bishop  Hall,  'Blessed  Jesus, 
who  are  these?  Were  they  not  Thy  followers? 
yea,  Thy  forsakers?  .  .  .  How  dost  Thou  raise 
these  titles  with  Thyself  !  At  first  they  were  Thy 
servants;  then  disciples;  a  little  before  Thy  death, 
they  were  Thy  friends;  now,  after  Thy  resurrec- 
tion, they  were  Thy  brethren.  But  0,  mercy  with- 
out measure !  how  wilt  Thou,  how  canst  Thou, 
call  them  brethren  whom,  in  Tiiy  last  parting, 
Thou  foundest  fugitives  ?  Did  they  not  run  from 
Thee?  Did  not  one  of  them  rather  leave  his  in- 
most coat  behind  him  than  not  be  quit  of  Thee? 
And  yet  Thou  sayest,  "  Go,  tell  My  brethren ! "  It 
is  not  in  the  power  of  the  sins  of  our  iutii-mity  to 
unbrother  us. '  and  say  unto  them,  I  ascend  unto 
my  Father,  and  your  Father;  and  [to]  my  God, 
and  your  God — words  of  incomparable  glory! 
Jesus  had  called  God  habitually  His  Father,  and 
on  one  occasion,  in  His  darkest  moments,  His  God. 
But  Ijoth  are  here  united,  expressing  that  full- 
orbed  relationship  which  embraces  in  its  vast 
sweep  at  once  HimseK  and  His  redeemed.  Yet, 
note  well.  He  says  not,  Ovr  Father  and  our  God. 
All  the  deepest  of  the  Church  Fathers  were  wont 
to  call  attention  to  this,  as  expressly  designed  to 
distinguish  between  what  God  is  to  Him  and  what 
He  is  to  us — 7/w  Father  essentially;  ours  not  so  : 
our  God  essentially;  His  not  so :  His  God  only  in 
connection  with  us ;  02ir  Father  only  in  connection 
with  Him.  18.  Mary  Magdalene  came  and  told 
[HpXeTai  airayyeWova-a] — rather,  '  cometh  and  tell-  ! 
eth'  the  disciples  that  she  had  seen  the  Lord,  and 
that  he  had  spoken  these  things  unto  her.  7'o  a 
u'oman  loas  this  honour  (liren,  to  he  the  first  that  saw 
the  risen  Eedeemer,  and  that  woman  was  not  his 
inother. 

On  the  Eveninri  of  this  First  Day  of  the  Week 
Jesus  Ajjpears  to  the  Assembled  Disciples  (19-23). 
19.  Then  the  same  day  at  evening,  being  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  when  the  doors  were  shut  where 
the  disciples  were  [assembled],  for  fear  of  the 
Jews.  [The  word  enclosed  in  brackets — crumiy- 
/j-eDoi—is  probably  not  genuine.]  came  Jesus  and 
stood  in  the  midst.  That  this  was  not  an  entrauce 
in  the  ordinary  way  is  manifest  not  only  from  the 
very  peculiar  manner  of  expression,  but  from  the 
corresponding  language  of  Luke  xxiv.  36.  But 
there  is  no  need  to  fancy  any  penetrating  through 
the  doors,  as  several  of  the  Fathers  did  and 
some  still  do:  far  less  reason  is  there  to  fear 
that  by  holding  that  He  appeared  amongst  them 
4S0 


without    doing    so    we    compromise    the    reality 
of  His  resurrection-body.      The  natural  way  of 
viewing  it  is  to  conclude   that  the   kncs  of   the 
resurrection-body    are    different    from    those    of 
"flesh  and  blood,"  and  that  according  to  these 
the  risen   Saviour,   without  any  miracle,  but  in 
the  exercise  of  a  power  competent  to  the  risen 
body,  presented  Himself  amongst  the  assembled 
disciples,     and  saith  unto  them.  Peace  be  unto 
you — not  the  mere  loish  that  even  His  own  exalted 
peace  miglit  be  theirs  (ch.  xiv.  27) ;  but  conveying 
it  into  their  hearts,  even  as  He  "ojiened  their  un- 
derstandings to  understand  the  Scriptures"  (Luke 
xxiv.   45).     20.  And   when    he    had  so    said,  he 
showed  unto  them  his  hands  and  his  side— not 
only  as  ocidar  and  tangihle  evidence  of  the  reality 
of  His  resurrection  (see  on  Luke  xxiv.  37-43),  but 
as  through  "the  power  of  that  resurrection"  dis- 
pensing all  His  peace  to  men.     21.  Then  said  Jesus 
to    them   again — now    that  they  were  not  only 
calmed,  but  prepared  to  listen  to  Him  in  a  new 
character.     Peace  be  unto  you.    The  reiteration  of 
these  precious  words  shows  that  this  was  what  He 
designed  to  be  not  only  the  fundamental  but  ever- 
]>resent,  ever-conscious  possession  of  His  people, 
as  my  Father— rather,  'the  Father'  hath  sent  me, 
even  so  send  I  you — or  rather,  ]ierhaps,  'even  so 
am  I  sending  you,'  that  is,  just  about  to  do  it. 
(See  on  ch.  xvii.  IS.)    22.  And  when  he  had  said 
this,  he  breathed  on  them— a  symbolical  and  ex- 
pressive conveyance  to  them  of  the  Spirit,  which 
in  Scripture  is  so  often  compared  to  breath  (see  on 
ch.  iii.  8);  and  saith  unto  them.  Receive  ye  the 
Holy  Ghost— as  an  earnest  and  first-fruits  of  the 
more  gi-and  and  copious  Pentecostal  effusion,  with- 
out wnich  it  had  been  vain  to  send  them  at  all.    23. 
Whose  soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted 
unto  them ;  and  whose  soever  sins  ye  retain,  they 
are  retained.    In  any  literal  and  authoritative  sense 
this  jyoiver  icas  never  exercised  ly  one  of  the  apostles, 
and  plainly  was  never  understood  hy  themselves  as 
possessed  by  them  or  conveyed  to  them.     (See  on 
Matt.   xvi.  19.)    The  i)Ower  to  intrude  upon  the 
relation  between  men  and  God  cannot  have  been 
given  by  Christ  to  His  ministers  in  any  but  a  minis- 
terial or  declarative  sense — as  the  authorized  inter- 
preters of  His  word — while  in  the  actings  of  His 
ministers,  the  real  nature  of  the  power  committed 
to  them  is  seen  in  the  exercise  of  church  discipline. 
After  Fight  Days  Jesus  A'jain  Ap)pears  to  the 
Assembled  Disciples,  Giving  to  Doubting  Thomai 
A  ffecting  Evidence  of  the  Rea  'ity  of  His  Resurrection 
(24-29).     24,  But  Thomas,  one  "of  "the  twelve,  called 
Didymus,  was  not  with  them  when  Jesus  came — 
that  is,  on  the  evening  of  the  resurrection-day. 
Why  he  was  absent  we  know  not;  but  we  can- 
not persuade  ourselves,  with  Stier,   Alford,  and 


The  unbelief 


JOHN  XX. 


of  Thomas  rebuked. 


'■lb  when  Jesus  came.  The  other  disciples  therefore  said  unto  him,  We  have 
seen  the  Lord.  But  he  said  unto  them,  Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands 
the  ]print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and 
thrust  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe. 

26  And  after  eight  days,  again  his  disciples  were  within,  and  Thomas  with 
them.      Then  came  Jesus,  the  doors  being  shut,  and  stood  in  the  midst, 

27  and  said,  "Peace  be  unto  you.  Then  saith  he  to  Thomas,  Eeach  hither 
thy  finger,  and  behold  my  hands ;  ^and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and 

28  thrust  it  into  my  side :  and  be  not  faithless,  but  believing.     And  Thomas 

29  answered  and  said  unto  him,  *"My  Lord  and  my  God.  Jesus  saith  unto 
him,  Thomas,  because  thou  hast  seen  me,  thou  hast  believed:  blessed 
^are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed. 

30  And  ^many  other  signs  truly  did  Jesus  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples, 

31  which  are  not  written  in  this  book:  but  Hhese  are  written,  that  ye  might 
believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God;  and  "that  believing  ye 
miffht  have  life  through  his  name. 


A.  D.  33. 


"  Isa.  9.  7. 

Mic.  5.  5. 

Col.  1.  20. 
"  Ps.  103.  13. 
14. 

1  John  1. 1. 
•"Ps  73. 25,26. 

Ps.  91.  2. 

Ps.  118.  28. 

Liike  1.  40, 
47. 

1  Tim.  1. 17. 
^  2  Cor.  5.  7. 

1  Pet.  1.  8. 
y  Ch.  21.  25. 
*  Luke  1.  4. 

Kom.  15.  4. 

°-  ch.  3.  15, 10. 
ch.  5.  24. 

1  Pet.  1.  9. 


Liithardt,  that  it  was  intentioBal,  from  sullen  ob- 
stinacy. Indeed,  the  mention  here  of  the  fact  of 
his  absence  seems  designed  as  a  loving  apology 
for  his  slowness  of  belief!  25.  Tlie  other  disciples 
therefore  said  unto  him,  We  have  seen  the  Lord. 
This  way  of  speaking  of  Jesus — as  in  v.  20,  and  ch. 
xxi.  7  —  so  suited  to  His  resurrection-state,  was 
soon  to  become  the  prevailing  style.  But  he  said 
unto  them,  Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands  the 
print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the 
print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust  my  hand  into  his 
side,  I  will  not  helieve.  The  very  form  of  this 
speech  betokens  the  strengih  of  his  unbelief.  For, 
as  Bengel  says,  it  is  not,  '///  see,  I  %ulll  believe,' 
but  '  Unless  I  see,  I  will  not  believe ;'  nor  does  he 
think  he  xvill  see,  though  the  rest  had  told  him 
that  they  had.  How  Jesus  Himself  viewed  this 
state  of  mind  we  know  from  Mark  xvi.  14,  "He 
upbraided  them  with  their  unbelief  and  hardness 
of  heart,  because  they  believed  not  them  which 
had  seen  Him  after  He  was  risen."  But  whence 
springs  this  pertinacity  of  resistance  in  such 
minds?  Not  certainly  from  reluctance  to  believe, 
but  as  in  Nathanael  (see  on  ch.  i.  4G),  from  mere 
dread  of  mistake  in  so  vital  a  matter. 

26.  And  after  eight  days— that  is,  on  the  eighth 
or  first  day  of  the  following  week.  They  themselves 
probabij^  met  every  day  during  the  preceding  week, 
but  their  Lord  designedly  reserved  His  second 
appearance  amongst  them  till  the  recurrence  of 
His  resurrection-day,  that  He  might  thus  inaugu- 
rate the  delightful  sanctities  of  the  Lord's  Day 
(Rev.  i.  10).  his  disciples  were  within,  and  Thomas 
with  them.  Then  came  Jesus  {e^^x^-rai  6  'Ijjo-oCs] 
—rather,  'Jesus  cometh,'the  doors  being  shut  (see 
on  V.  19),  and  stood  in  the  midst— not  'sat;'  for 
the  manifestation  was  to  be,  as  on  the  evening  of 
the  week  preceding,  merely  to  show  Himself  among 
them  as  their  risen  Lord.  27.  Then  saith  he  to 
Thomas,  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and  behold 
my  hands;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and 
thrust  it.  This  is  here  rather  too  strong  a  word. 
Probably  'put  it'— as  the  same  word  |/iu,\A.(o]  is 
rendered  in  ch.  x.  4 — is  the  right  English  word 
here,  into  my  side:  and  be  not  faithless,  hut 
believing.  These  words  of  Jesus,  as  Luthardt 
remarks,  have  something  rhythmical  in  them. 
There  are  two  parallel  members,  with  an  exhor- 
tation referring  to  both.  And  Jesus  speaks  piu'- 
posely  in  the  M'ords  of  Thomas  himself,  that,  as 
Lampe  says,  he  might  be  covered  ■with  shame. 
But  with  what  condescension  and  gentleness  is 
this  done !  28.  [And].  This  "  And"  is  evidently 
no  part  of  the  genuine  text.    Thomas  answered 

VOL.  V.  481 


and   said   unto    him,    My    Lord    and   my   God. 

That  Thomas  did  not  do  what  Jesus  invited  him 
to  do,  and  what  he  had  made  the  condition  of  his 
believing,  seems  plain  from  v.  29 — "  Because  thou 
hast  seen  Me  thou  hast  believed."  He  is  over- 
powered, and  the  glory  of  Christ  now  breaks  upon 
him  in  a  flood.  His  exclamation  surpasses  all 
that  had  been  yet  uttered,  nor  can  it  be  surpassed 
by  anything  that  ever  will  be  uttered  in  earth  or 
heaven.  On  the  striking  jjarallel  in  Kathauael, 
see  on  ch.  i.  49.  The  bocinian  evasion  of  the 
supreme  Divinity  of  Christ  here  manifestly  taiight 
— as  if  it  were  a  mere  call  upon  God  in  a  fit  of 
astonishment — is  beneath  notice,  save  for  the  pro- 
fanity which  it  charges  upon  this  disciple,  and 
the  straits  to  which  it  shows  themselves  re- 
duced. 29.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  [Thomas].  The 
word  enclosed  in  brackets  is  almost  totally  desti- 
tute of  authority,  because  thou  hast  seen  me, 
thou  hast  believed — words  of  measured  commen- 
dation, but  of  indirect,  and  doubtless  painfully 
felt  rebuke: — q.  d..  Thou  hast  indeed  believed;  it 
is  well ;  but  it  is  only  on  the  evidence  of  thy  senses, 
and  after  jjereiuptorily  refusing  all  evidence  short 
of  that.'  blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen, 
and  yet  have  believed.  '  Wonderful  indeed,'  as 
Alford  well  says,  'and  rich  in  blessing  for  us  who 
have  not  seen  Him,  is  this  closing  word  of  the 
Gospel.' 

First  Close  of  this  Gospel  (.30,  31).  30.  And 
many  other  signs — or  '  miracles '  truly  did  Jesus 
in  the  presence  of  his  disciples,  which  are  not 
written  In  this  hook:  31.  But  these  are  written 
— as  sufficient  specimens,  that  ye  might  believe 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God;  and 
that  believing  ye  might  have  life— in  the  sense 
of  ch.  vi.  27,  &c.,  through— or  rather,  'in'  his 
name.  Two  things  about  Jesus  the  Evangelist 
says  his  Gospel  was  written  to  establish.  First, 
That  He  was  "the  Christ,"  or  'the  Messiah,' 
the  great  Hope  of  all  heaven-taught  souls  from 
the  beginning ;  and  next,  that  this  Messiah  was 
"the  Son  of  God."  The  one  of  these  titles 
was  the  official  one  with  which  all  who  were 
looking  for  the  promised  Deliverer  were  familiar; 
the  other  is  intended  to  express  His  Personcd 
dignity  and  relation  to  the  Father -for  claiming 
which  the  Jews  once  and  again  took  up  stones  to 
stone  Him,  and  at  length  put  Him  to  death. 
Without  the  Sonship,  the  Messiah  ship  would 
be  of  no  avail  to  sinful  men;  nor  would  the 
Sonship  have  done  aught  for  us  without  the  Mes- 
siahship.  But  as  the  two  together  constitute  that 
"all  fulness"  which  "it  hath  pleased  the  Father 
2l 


Jesus  appears  to  seben  disciples  JOHN  XXI. 


at  the  Sea  of  Tiberias. 


21       AFTER,  these  things  Jesus  showed  himself  again  to  the  disciples  at 

2  the  sea  of  Tiberias:  and  on  this  wise  showed  he  himself.     There  were 

together  Simon  Peter,  and  Thomas  called  Didymus,  and  "  Nathanael  of 


A.  D.  33. 

CHAP.  21. 

'■  Ch.  1.  45. 


sliould  dwell  in  Him"  (Col.  i.  19),  so  in  the  hal- 
lowed phrase,  that  ''''Jesus  is  the  Christ  the  Son  of 
God,"  we  have  that  full  Kame  which  is  as  oint- 
ment poured  forth  to  all  that  have  ever  tasted 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious. 

Beautiful  is  the  connection  between  these  con- 
cluding verses  and  the  last  words  of  the  preceding 
verse,  about  Thomas: — q.  d.,  'And  indeed,  as  the 
Lord  pronounced  them  blessed  who  not  having 
seen  Him  have  yet  lielieved,  so  for  that  one  end 
have  the  whole  contents  of  this  Gospel  been  re- 
corded, that  all  who  read  it  may  believe  on  Him, 
and  believing,  have  life  in  that  blessed  Name.' 

For  Remarks  on  the  Eesurrection  of  Christ,  see 
those  on  Matt,  xxviii.  ]-15,  at  the  close  of  that 
Section,  and  on  Luke  xxiv.  13-53,  Remarks  1 
and  5  at  the  close  of  that  Section.  But  on  the 
distinctive  features  of  the  present  Section  we  may 
add  the  following 

Bemarl's. — 1.  Referring  to  the  Remarks  already 
made  on  Christian  womanhood  (on  Luke  viii.  1-3,  at 
the  close  of  that  Section),  one  cannot  but  notice  how 
ex  piisitely  Woman's  position  in  relation  to  Christ 
and  His  cause  come  out  in  this  chapter.  Indeed, 
wei'e  one  internal  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the 
Bible,  and  of  the  divinity  of  the  religion  it  dis- 
closes, to  be  demanded — one  that  should  be  at  once 
decisive  and  level  to  ordinary  capacity,  perhaps 
the  position  ivhich  it  assigjis  to  Woinmi  might  as 
safely  be  fixed  u])on  as  any  other ;  for  Avhether  we 
take  her  destination  before  the  fall,  her  condition 
under  the  fall,  or  what  the  religion  of  the  Bible 
has  done  to  lift  her  out  of  it,  the  finger  of  God  is 
alike  clearly  seen.  But  nowhere  in  the  Bible — 
nowhere  iu  Christianity — is  her  place  more  beaiiti- 
ful  than  here,  in  lookitig,  ere  othei-s  were  astir,  for 
the  Saviour  so  dear  to  her,  receiving  from  the  lips 
that  had  fed  so  many  His  first  word  as  the  Risen 
One — a  word,  too,  of  such  familiarity  and  love— and 
getting  a  commission  from  Him  to  carry  the  glad 
tidings  to  His  disconsolate  "brethren."  0  Woman ! 
self-ruined  but  dearly  ransomed,  how  much  owest 
thou  unto  thy  Lofd !  The  Lord  hath  need  of  thee, 
tiot  only  for  all  thou  hast  in  common  with  the 
other  sex,  but,  over  aud  above  this,  for  all  that 
sanctified  Woman  has  to  render  to  Him ;  and  that 
is  miich.  Some  of  the  services  of  Woman  to 
Christ  are  recorded  in  the  New  Testament  for  her 
encouragement  in  all  time,  (see  on  Mark  xiv.  1-11, 
Remark  2  at  the  close  of  that  Section;  and  on  Rom. 
xvi.)  But  some  of  the  most  beautiful  specimens 
of  female  Christianity  will  never  be  heard  of  till 
the  resurrection -morn. 

'  Unseen,  unfelt  their  earthly  growth. 

And  self-accused  of  sin  and  sloth 

They  live  and  die  ;  their  names  decay, 

Theu-  fragrance  passes  clean  away; 

Like  violets  in  the  freezing  blast, 

No  vernal  steam  aromid  they  cast — 

But  they  shall  flourish  from  the  tomb, 
The  breath  of  God  shall  wake  them  into  od'rous  bloom.' 

Keble. 

And  this  should  be  enough  with  male  or  female. 
2.  As  "peace"  was  the  last  word  w-hich  Jesus 
spoke  to  His  assembled  disciples  before  He  suffered 
(ch.  xvi.  33),  so  it  was  His  Jlrst  word  to  them  as 
He  presented  Himself  in  the  midst  of  them  for 
the  first  time  on  the  evening  of  His  resurrection 
day  (v.  19).  As  this  was  what  His  death  emphati- 
cally ^woczo-eti?  (Eph.  ii.  14,  15),  so  this  is  what  His 
resurrection  emphatically  sealed  (Heb.  xiii.  20).  Let 
the  peace  of  God,  then,  rule  in  our  hearts,  to  the 
which  also  we  are  called  iu  one  body  (Col.  iii.  15). 
4S2 


3.  Did  Jesus,  when  He  was  announcing  to  the 
Eleven  His  purpose  to  send  them  forth  on  a  high 
mi.ssiou  into  the  woiid,  even  as  His  Father  had  sent 
Him,  breathe  on  them  and  say,  Receive  ye  the  Holy 
Ghost  ?  How  impressively  does  this  proclaim  to  all 
who  go  forth  to  preacli  the  Gosi^el,  that  their 
speech  and  their  preaching,  if  it  is  to  be  efficacious 
at  all,  must  not  be  with  enticing  words  of  man's 
wisdom,  but  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  aud  of 
power!  (1  Cor.  ii.  4).  4.  Is  not  a  Diviue  seal  set 
upon  the  faithful  exercise  of  church  discipline  in 
V.  23?  (See  on  Matt,  xviii.  18,  and  Remark  4  at 
the  close  of  that  Section. )  5.  As  our  Lord,  in  very 
emphatic  terms,  exalts  those  who  have  not  seen 
and  yet  have  believed,  over  those  who  have  be- 
lieved only  on  the  evidence  of  their  senses,  and  as 
the  mir-aculous  introduction  of  the  Gospel  Economy 
has  long  ago  given  place  to  the  noiseless  derelop- 
ment  of  it  under  the  ordinary  laws  of  the  spiritual 
kingdom,  so  there  is  no  reason  to  expect  that  this 
will  ever  on  earth  be  superseded  by  the  re-erectiou 
of  a  supernatural  economy  and  the  re-intioductiou 
of  palpable  intercourse  between  heaven  and  earth. 
"  Blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have 
believed,"  is  the  fitting  descrij)tion  of  all  who  have 
been  or  ever  shall  be  drawn  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
from  the  time  of  His  departure  till  He  come  again 
and  receive  us  to  Himself,  that  where  He  is,  Ave 
may  be  also.  Even  so,  Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come 
quickly ! 

CHAP.  XXI.  1-25.— SUPPLETWENTAEY  PARTICU- 
LARS—MANIFESTATION  OF  THE  Risen  Saviour  to 
Seven  of  the  Apostles  at  the  Sea  op  Galilee 
— The  Sequel  of  this— Conclusion.  That  this 
concluding  chapter  is  an  appendix  by  the  Evan- 
gelist's own  hand  was  never  doubted  by  Christians 
till  the  days  of  Grotius.  That  Neander  and  Lucke 
should  have  expressed  their  oi^inion  that  it  was 
written  by  another  hand  from  7naterials  left  by 
John,  and  so  is  to  be  regarded  as  authentic  history 
but  not  as  the  apostle's  composition,  is  to  be  re- 
gretted rather  than  wondered  at,  considering  their 
tendencies.  We  are  sorry  that  Wieseler  also  should 
have  given  in  to  this  opinion.  _  But  the  vast 
majority  of  the  ablest  and  most  impartial  critics 
are  satisfied  that  there  is  no  ground  to  doubt  its 
being  from  the  same  beloved  pen  as  the  rest  of 
this  Gospel.  It  is  in  almost  aU  the  MSS.  and  Ver- 
sions. As  to  the  difference  of  style — of  which 
Alford,  while  admitting  it  to  be  John's,  makes 
fully  too  much — even  Credner,  the  most  searching 
investigator  of  the  language  of  the  New  Testament, 
bears  the  following  testimony,  which,  from  him 
and  in  the  i^resent  case,  is  certainly  an  impartial 
one : — '  There  is  not  a  single  external  testimony 
against  the  21st  chapter ;  aud  regarded  internally, 
this  chapter  displays  almost  all  the  peculiarities 
of  John's  style.'  'There  is  positively  no  other  ob- 
jection to  it  except  that  the  Evangelist  had  already 
concluded  his  Gospel  at  the  end  of  ch.  xx.  But 
neither  in  the  Epistles  of  the  New  Testament  nor 
in  other  good  authors  is  it  unusual  to  insert  sup- 
plementary matter,  and  so  have  more  than  one 
conclusion. 

Of  the  ten  manifestations  of  the  Risen  Saviour 
recorded  in  Scripture,  including .  that  in  1  Cor. 
XV.  6,  this  in  orcfer  is  the  sevev'h— or  to  His  as- 
sembled disciples  the  thi7-d.  ,-._ 

The  Miraculous  Draught  of  ■  "<shes  (1-12).  1. 
After  these  things  Jesus  shower  or  '  manifested' 
himself  again  to  the  dlsciplf  at  the  sea  of 
Tiberias:  and  on  this  wise  sL    'ed  he  himself. 


Second  miraculous 


JOHN  XXI. 


draught  of  fishes. 


Cana  in  Galilee,  aud  *the  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  two  other  of  his  disciples. 

3  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  them,  I  go  a  fishing.  They  say  unto  him,  We 
also  go  with  thee.  They  went  forth,  and  entered  into  a  sliii^  imme- 
diately ;  and  that  night  they  caught  nothing. 

4  But  when  the  morning  was  now  come,  Jesus  stood  on  the  shore :  but 

5  the  disciples  knew  "^ not  that  it  was  Jesus.     Then  '^  Jesus  saith  unto  them, 

6  ^Children,  have  ye  any  meat?  They  answered  him.  No.  And  he 
said  unto  them,  ^Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  ship,  and  ye  shall 
find.     They  cast  therefore ;  and  now  they  were  not  able  to  draw  it  for 

7  the  multitude  of  fishes.  Therefore-^' that  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  saith 
unto  Peter,  It  is  the  Lord.  Now  when  Simon  Peter  heard  that  it  was 
the  Lord,  he  girt  his  fisher's  coat  unto  him,  (for  he  was  naked,)  and  ^did 

8  cast  himself  into  the  sea.  And  the  other  disciples  came  in  a  little  ship ; 
(for  they  were  not  far  from  land,  but  as  it  were  two  hundred  cubits,) 

9  dragging  the  net  with  fishes.     As  soon  then  as  they  were  come  to  land, 

10  they  saw  '*a  fire  of  coals  there,  and  fish  laid  thereon,  and  bread.     Jesus 

1 1  saith  unto  them,  Bring  of  the  fish  wliicli  ye  have  now  caught.  Simon 
Peter  went  up,  and  drew  tlie  net  to  land  full  of  great  fishes,  an  hundred 
and  fifty  and  three :  and  for  all  there  were  so  many,  yet  was  not  the 
net  broken. 


A.  D.  33. 


6  Matt,  4.  21. 

Luke  24.15, 
16,  31. 
"  Ch.  20.  14. 
d  Ps   37.  3. 

Luke  24. 4L 

rhU,  4.  Il- 
ia. 19. 

Heb.  13.  5. 
1  Or,  Sirs. 
'  Matt.  17. 2y. 

Luke  b.  4,«, 
7. 
/  Ps.  118.  23. 

Mark  ll.  3. 

Luke  2.  IL 

ch  13.  23. 

ch.  19.  28. 

ch.  20.  2. 

"  Song  8.  r. 
''  iKi.  19.  6. 

Matt.  4.  11. 

Mark  8.  3. 

Luke  12.  29- 
31. 


Tins  way  of  speakiug  shows  that  after  His  resur- 
rection He  appeared  to  them  but  occasionally, 
unexpectedly,  and  in  a  way  quite  unearthly, 
though  yet  really  and  corporeally.  2.  There  were 
together  Simon  Peter,  and  Thomas  called  Didy- 
mus,  and  Nathanael  of— or  '  from '  Cana  in  Galilee 
—as  to  wliose  identity  with  Bartholomew  the 
apostle,  see  on  Matt.  x.  3;  and  the  sons  of 
Zetoedee.  Hero  only,  as  Slier  obs.ervcs,  does  John 
refer  to  himself  ia  this  manner,  and  two  other 
of  his  disciples — that  is,  two  other  apostles :  so 
there  were  seven  in  all  present.  3.  Simon  Peter 
saith  unto  them,  I  go  a  fishing.  They  say  unto 
him,  We  also  go— rather  '  come'  with  thee.  They 
went  forth,  and  entered  into  a  ship  immediately ; 
and  that  night  they  caught  nothing— just  as  at 
the  first  miraculous  draught;  and  no  doubt  it  was 
so  ordered  that  the  miracle  might  strike  them  the 
more.  The  same  principle  is  seen  in  operation 
throughout  much  of  Christ's  ministry,  and  is  in- 
deed a  great  law  of  God's  spiritual  procedure  with 
His  people.  (See  on  Luke  v.  1-11,  Remark  1  at 
the  close  of  that  Section;  and  on  ch.  xi.,  Remark  4 
at  the  close  of  that  Section,) 

4.  But  when  the  morning  was  now  come,  Jesus 
stood  on  the  shore:  tout  the  disciples  knew  not 
that  it  was  Jesus.  Perhaps  there  had  been  some 
considerable  interval  since  the  last  manifestation, 
and  having  agreed  to  betake  themselves  to  their 
secular  ernployment,  they  would  be  unprepared 
to  expect  Him.  5.  Then  Jesus  saith  unto  them, 
Children.  This  term  would  not  necessarily  iden- 
tify Him,  being  not  unusual  from  any  suixirior; 
but  when  tliey  did  recognize  Him,  thpy  would  feel 
it  sweetly  like  Himself,  have  ye  any  meat? 
[irpo^cpayioii] — 'any  food?'  meaning.  Have  ye 
caught  anything?  They  answered  him,  No.  This 
was  in  His  wonted  style,  making  them  tell  their 
case,  and  so  be  better  iirejiared  for  Avhat  was  com- 
ing. 6.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Cast  the  net  on 
the  right  side — no  doubt,  by  this  very  specific  di- 
rection, intending  to  reveal  to  them  His  knowledge 
of  the  deep  and  power  over  it.  T-  Therefore  that 
disciple  whom  ^esus  loved  saith  unto  Peter,  It 
is  the  Lord — a'-xiu  having  the  advantage  of  his 
brother  in  or  kness  of .  recognition  (see  on  ch. 
XX.  8),  to  be  fo  wed,  however,  in  Peter  by  an  ala- 
crity all  his  m  Now  when  Simon  Peter  heard 
that  it  was  t  ,  Lord,  he  girt  his  fisher's  coat 
483 


[unto]— or  'about'  him,  (for  he  was  naked)— his 
vest  only  on,  worn  next  the  body,  and  did  cast 
himself  into  the  sea— the  shallow  part,  not  more 
than  a  hundred  yards  from  the  water's  edge  (r.  8) ; 
not  meaning  therefore  to  swim,  but  to  get  sooner 
to  Jesus  than  in  the  full  boat,  which  they  could 
hardly  draw  to  shore.  8.  And  —  or,  '■But'  the 
other  disciples  came  in  a  little  ship  [tw  vXaiaplw] 
— rather,  '  in  the  boat,'  (for  they  were  not  far 
from  land,  but  as  it  were— 'but  about'  two 
hundred  cubits,)  dragging  the  net  with  ['the'] 
fishes.  9.  As  soon  then  as  they  were  come  to 
land — or  'had  landed,'  they  saw — 'see'  a  fire  of 
coals  there,  and  fish  laid  thereon,  and  bread. 
By  comparing  this  with  1  Ki.  xix.  (5,  and  similar 
passages,  the  unseen  agency  by  which  Jesus  made 
this  provision  will  appear  evident.  10.  Jesus 
saith  unto  them,  Bring  of  the  fish  which  ye  have 
now  caught.  Observe  the  double  su])p]y  thus 
provided — His  and  theirs.  The  meaning  of  this 
will  ajipear  presently.  11.  Simon  Peter  went 
up — went  on  board,  and  drew  the  net  to  land 
full  of  great  fishes,  an  hundred  and  fifty  and 
three:  and  for  all  there  were  so  many,  yet 
was  not  the  net  broken.  The  manifest  reference 
here  to  the  former  miraculous  draught  (Luke 
V.  9)  furnishes  the  key  to  this  scene.  There  the 
draught  Avas  syvilioUeal  of  the  success  of  their 
future  ministry :  While  "  Peter  and  all  that  were 
with  him  were  astonished  at  the  di-aught  of  the 
fishes  Avhich  they  had  taken,  Jesus  said  unto  him. 
Fear  not,  from  henceforth  thou  shalt  catch  men." 
JSTay,  when  first  called,  in  the  act  of  "  casting  their 
net  into  the  sea,  for  they  were  fishers,"  the  same 
symholic  reference  was  made  to  their  secular  oc- 
cupation :  "Follow  me,  and  I  will  make  you 
fishers  of  men"  (Matt.  iv.  18,  19).  Here,  then, 
if  but  the  same  symbolic  rcf.eren.ce  be  kept  in  view, 
the  design  of  t!ie  whole  scene  will,  we  think,  be 
clear.  The  multitiuie  and  the  site  of  the  fishes 
they  caught  symbolically  foreshadowed  the  vast 
success  of  their  now  fast  approaching  ministry, 
and  this  only  as  a  beginning  of  successive  draughts, 
through  the  agency  of  a  Christian  ministry,  till, 
"  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea,  the  earth  should  be 
full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord."  And  whereas, 
at  the  first  miraculous  draught,  the  net  "was 
breaking,"  through  the  weight  of  what  it  contained 
— expressive,  perhaps,  of  the  difficulty  with  which, 


Christ's  thrice  rejyeafecl 


JOHN  XXL 


charge  to  Peter. 


12  Jesus  saitli  unto  them,  *Come  and  dine.     And  none  of  the  disciples 

13  durst  ask  him,  Who  art  thou?  knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord.     Jesus  then 

14  Cometh,  and  taketh  bread,  and  giveth  them,  and  fish  likewise.  This  is 
now  nhe  third  time  that  Jesus  showed  himself  to  his  disciples  after 
that  he  was  risen  from  the  dead. 

15  So  when  they  had  dined,  Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter,  Simon,  son  of 
Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ^'more  than  these?  He  saith  unto  him.  Yea, 
Lord;  Hhou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.     He  saith  unto  him,  "Teed  my 

16  lambs.  He  saith  to  him  again  the  second  time,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas, 
lovest  thou  me?     He  saith  unto  him.  Yea,  Lord;  thou  knowest  that  I 

17  love  thee.  He  '^saitli  unto  him,  Feed  my  sheep.  He  saith  unto  him 
"the  third  time,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me?  Peter  was  grieved 
because  he  said  unto  him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou  me?  And  he 
said  unto  him.  Lord,  ^thou  knowest  all  things;  thou   knowest  that  I 


A.  D.  33. 

i  Acta  10.  41, 

3   Ch.  20.  19,20. 
*  Matt  26.  33. 
'   2  KL  20.  3. 
"'  Acts  20.  28. 

Eph.  4.  11. 
"  Heb.  13.  20. 

1  Pet.  2.  25. 

1  Pet.o.  2,4. 
"  Ch.  13.  3S. 
P  Matt.  9.  4. 

Mark  2.  8. 

ch.  2.  24,  25. 

ch.  16.  30. 

Acts  1.  21. 

1  Thes.  2.  4. 

Kev.  2.  23. 


after  tliey  bad  "caught  men,"  tliey  would  be  able 
to  retain,  or  keep  them  from  escaping  back  into 
the  world — while  here,  ' '  for  all  they  were  so  many, 
yet  was  not  the  net  broken,"  are  we  not,  as  Lu- 
thardt  hints,  reminded  of  such  sayings  as  these 
(ch.  X.  28) :  "  I  give  unto  my  sheep  eternal  life ;  and 
they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  pluck 
them  out  of  my  hand"?  But  it  is  not  through  the 
agency  of  a  Christian  ministry  that  all  true  dis- 
ciples are  gathered.  Jesus  Himself,  by  unseen 
naethods,  gathers  some,  who  afterwards  are  recog- 
nized by  the  constituted  fishers  of  men,  and  mingle 
with  the  fruit  of  their  labours.  And  are  not  these 
symbolized  by  that  portion  of  our  Galilean  repast 
which  the  fishers  found,  in  some  unseen  way, 
made  ready  to  their  hand? 

The  Eejxist,  and  the  lie-estaJillshment  of  Peter 
(12-17).  12.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Come  and 
dine  [zici/T-e,  api(rTj';o-aT6]— sweet  familiarity,  after 
such  a  manifestation  of  His  command  over  the 
deep  and  its  living  contents !  And— or,  'But '  none 
of  the  disciples  durst  ask  Mm,  Who  art  thou? 
knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord— implying  that  they 
would  have  liked  Him  just  to  say,  "It  is  I ;"  but 
having  such  convincing  evidence,  they  were  afraid 
of  being  "upbraided  for  their  unbelief  and  hard- 
ness of  heart"  if  they  ventured  to  jnit  the  question. 
13.  Jesus  then  cometh,  and  taketh  [the]  bread, 
and  giveth  them,  and  [the]  fish  likewise.  See  on 
Luke  xxiv.  30,  31.  14.  This  is  now  the  third  time 
that  Jesus  showed  himself  [ec^  arepw  0i/]— rather, 
'was  manifested'  to  his  disciples — that  is,  His 
assembled^  disciples ;  for  if  we  reckon  His  appear- 
ances to  individual  disciples,  they  were  certainly 
more ;  after  that  he  was  risen  from  the  dead. 

15.  So  when  they  had  dined,  Jesus  saith  to 
Simon  Peter.  Silence  appears  to  have  reigned 
during  the  meal ;  unbroken  on  His  part,  that  by 
their  mute  observation  of  Him  they  might  have 
their  assurance  of  His  identity  the  more  confirmed ; 
and  on  thirs,  from  reverential  shrinking  to  speak 
till  He  did.  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me 
more  than  these?— referring  lovingly  to  those  sad 
words  of  Peter,  shortly  before  denying  his  Lord, 
"Though  cdl  men  shall  be  offended  because  of  thee, 
yet  will  I  never  be  offended"  (Matt  xxvi.  33),  and 
intending  by  this  allusion  to  bring  the  whole  scene 
vividly  before  his  mind  and  put  him  to  shame. 
He  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord;  thou  knowest  that 
I  love  thee.  He  adds  not,  "more  than  these," 
but  prefixes  a  touching  appeal  to  the  Saviour's 
own  omniscience  for  the  truth  of  his  protestation, 
which  makes  it  a  totally  different  kind  of  speech 
from  his  former.  Feed  my  lambs— It  is  surely 
wrong  to  view  this  term,  as  some  good  critics  do, 
as  a  mere  diminutive  of  affection,  and  as  meaning 
the  same  thing  as  "the  sheepi."  It  is  much  more 
484 


according  to  usage  to  understand  by  the  "lambs" 
young  and  tender  disciples,  whether  in  age  or 
Christian  standing  (Isa.  xl.  11 ;  1  John  ii.  12, 13),  and 
by  the  "  sheep  "  the  more  mature.  Shall  we  now 
say,  -with  many,  that  Peter  was  here  re-instated  in 
office  ?  Not  exactly,  since  he  was  not  actually  ex- 
cluded from  it.  But  after  such  conduct  as  his,  the 
deep  wound  Avhich  the  honour  of  Christ  had  re- 
ceived, the  stain  brought  on  his  office,  and  the  dam- 
age done  to  his  high  standing  among  his  brethren, 
nay  even  his  own  comfort,  in  i^rospect  of  the  great 
work  before  him,  required  some  such  rene\\al  of 
his  call  and  re-establishment  of  his  position  as 
this.  16.  He  saith  to  him  again  the  second  time, 
Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ?  He  saith 
unto  him,  Yea,  Lord;  thou  knowest  that  I  love 
thee.  In  this  repetition  of  the  question,  though 
the  wound  was  meant  to  be  re-opened,  the  words, 
'''more  than  tlic-te"  nve  not  relocated;  for  Christ  is 
a  tender  as  well  as  skilful  Physician,  and  Peter's 
silence  on  that  point  was  confession  enough  of  his 
sin  and  folly.  On  Peter's  repeating  his  protesta- 
tion in  the  same  words,  our  Lord  rises  higher  in 
the  manifestation  of  His  restoring  grace.  He  saith 
unto  him,  Feed— or  '  Keep '  my  sheep.  It  has  been 
observed,  i^articularly  by  Trenvh,  who  has  some 
beautiful  remarks  on  this  subject  in  his  'Syn- 
onyms of  the  New  Testament,'  that  the  word  here 
is  studiously  changed  from  one  signifying  simply 
to  'feed'  [/3oo-Ktu]  to  one  signifying  to  'tend' as  a 
shepherd  \Troiiiaiv(x^],  denoting  the  abiding  exercise 
of  the  i)astoral  vocation  and  its  highest  functions. 
17.  He  saith  unto  him  the  third  time,  Simon,  son 
of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ?  Peter  was  grieved  he- 
cause  he  said  unto  him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou 
me  ?  And  he  said  unto  him,  Lord,  thou  knowest  all 
things ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  This  was 
the  Physician's  deepest  incision  into  the  wound, 
while  the  patient  was  yet  smarting  under  the  t^yo 
former  jirobings.  Not  till  now  would  Peter  dis- 
cern the  object  of  this  succession  of  thrusts.  The 
third  time  reveals  it  all,  bringing  up  such  a  rush 
of  dreadful  recollections  before  his  Aaew,  of  his 
"thrice  denying  that  he  knew  Him,"  that  he  feels 
it  to  the  quick.  It  was  fitting  that  he  should ;  it 
was  meant  that  he  should.  But  this  accomplished, 
the  painful  dialogue  has  a  delightful  conclusion. 
Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my  sheep— 'My  little 
sheep'  [TrpolidTLct]  is  the  reading  of  Tischendorf  and 
Tregelles,  and  approved  hy  Mei/er  and  de  Wette: 
it  has  aljout  equal  support  Avith  that  of  the  re- 
ceived text.  If  we  so  read  it,  we  must  not  under- 
stand it  to  mean  "My  lambs,"  as  in  v.  15,  but  to 
be  used  as  a  varied  form,  and  designed  as  a  sweet 
diminutive,  for  "sheep;"  just  as  He  calls  His 
disciples,  "Little  children."  It  is  as  if  He  should 
say,  'Now,  Simon,  the  last  speck  of  the  cloud 


Jesus  foretells  Peter 


JOHN  XXI. 


of  Ills  martyr-death. 


18  love  tliee.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my  sheep.  Verily,  ^verily,  I  say 
unto  thee,  When  thou  wast  j^oung,  thou  girdedst  thj'self,  and  walkedst 
whither  thou  wouldest :  hut  when  thou  shalt  he  old,  thou  shalt  stretch 
forth  thy  hands,  and  another  shall  gird  thee,  and  carry  tliee  whither 

19  thou  wouldest  not.  This  spake  he,  signif3dng  'by  Avhat  death  he  should 
glorify  God.  And  when  he  had  spoken  this,  he  saith  unto  him,  Follow 
me. 

20  Then  Peter,  turning  about,  seeth  the  disciple  Svhom  Jesus  loved  follow- 
ing ;  which  also  leaned  on  his  breast  at  supper,  and  said,  Lord,  which  is 

21  he  that  betrayeth  thee?    Peter  seeing  him  saith  to  Jesus,  Lord,  and 

22  *what  shall  this  man  do'l    Jesus  saith  unto  him,  If  I  will  that  he  tarry 

23  '^till  I  come,  what  ""is  that  to  thee?  Follow  thou  me.  Then  went  this 
saying  abroad  among  the  brethren,  that  that  disciple  should  not  die: 
yet  Jesus  said  not  unto  him,  He  shall  not  die ;  but.  If  I  will  that  he 
tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee? 

24  This  is  the  disciple  which  testifieth  of  these  things,  and  wrote  these 

25  things:  ^"and  we  know  that  his  testimony  is  true.  And  there  are  also 
many  other  things  which  Jesus  did,  the  which,  if  they  should  be  written 


A.  D.  33. 

a  ch.  13.  38. 

Acts  12..%4. 
'<•  Phil.  1.  20. 

1  Pet.  4.  11, 
11. 

2  Pet.  1.  14. 

"  ch.  13.  23,25. 

ch.  20.  2. 
'  Matt.  24.  3, 
4. 

Luke  13.  23. 

Acts  1.  6. 
"  Matt  IG.  £7. 

Matt.  21.  3. 

Matt.  25.  31. 

1  Cor  4,  5. 

1  Cor.  11.26. 

Pev.  2.  25. 

Kev.  3.  11. 
"  rieut.'49.29. 
""  ch.  r.  17. 

ch.  19  35. 

3  John  12. 


which  overhung  thee  since  that  night  of  nights  is 
dispelled:  Henceforth  thou  art  to  Ale  and  to  My 
"work  as  if  no  such  scene  had  ever  happened.' 

Jesus  Forewarns  Peter  of  his  Marti/r-death,  hut 
Declines  to  Tell  him  how  it  should  be  ivith  the  Be- 
loved Disciple —  The  Misunderstanding  of  this  Cor- 
rected (18-2.3).  18.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee, 
When  thou  wast  young  — embracing  the  whole 
period  of  life  to  the  verge  of  old  age.  thou 
girdedst  thyself,  and  walkedst  whither  thou 
wouldest — in  other  words,  '  thou  wast  thine  own 
master : '  but  when  thou  shalt  be  old — or  '  art 
grown  old'  [yi;p«(7;js],  thou  shalt  stretch  forth 
thy  hands— to  be  bound  for  execution,  though  not 
necessai'ily  meaning  on  a  cross.  There  is  no 
reason,  however,  to  doubt  the  very  early  tradi- 
tion, that  Peter's  death  was  by  crucitixion.  19. 
This  spake  he,  signifying  by  what — 'manner 
of  death  [tto/m]  he  should  glorify  God — not, 
therefore,  a  mere  prediction  of  the  manner  of 
his  death,  but  of  the  honour  to  be  conferred 
upon  him  by  dying  for  his  Master.  And,  indeed, 
beyond  doubt,  this  prediction  M^as  intended  to 
follow  up  his  triple  restoration: — 'Yes,  Simon, 
thou  shalt  not  only  feed  My  lamlis,  and  feed  My 
sheep,  but  after  a  long  career  of  such  service, 
shalt  be  counted  worthy  to  die  for  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus. '  And  when  he  had  spoken  this,  he 
saith  unto  him.  Follow  me.  By  thus  connecting 
the  utterance  of  this  prediction  with  the  invitation 
to  follow  Him,  the  Evangelist  would  indicate  the 
deeper  sense  in  which  the  call  was  understood,  not 
merely  to  go  along  with  Him  at  that  moment,  but 
to  come  after  Him,  taking  uj>  his  cross. 

20.  Then— or,  'But' Peter,  turning  about— show- 
ing that  he  followed  immediately  as  directed, 
seeth  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  following ; 
which  also  leaned  on  his  breast  at  [the|  sup- 
per, and  said,  Lord,  which  is  he  that  betrayeth 
thee?  The  Evangelist  makes  these  allusions  to 
the  peculiar  familiarity  to  which  he  had  been  ad- 
mitted on  the  most  memorable  of  all  occasions, 
perhaps  lovingly  to  account  for  Peter's  somewhat 
forward  question  about  him  to  Jesus ;  which  is  the 
rather  probable  as  it  was  at  Peter's  suggestion  that 
he  had  put  the  question  about  the  traitor  which 
he  here  recalls  (ch.  xiii.  24,  25).  Peter  seeing  him 
saith  to  Jesus,  Lord,  and  what  [shall]  this  man 
[do]?— 'What  of  this  man? '  or,  'How  shall  it  fare 
with  him?'  22.  Jesus  saith  to  him,  If  I  will  that 
lie  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ?  Follow 
4S5 


thou  me.  From  the  fact  that  John  alone  of  the 
Twelve  survived  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and 
so  witnessed  the  commencement  of  that  series  of 
events  which  belong  to  "the  last  days,"  many 
good  interpreters  think  that  this  is  a  vii'tual  predic- 
tion of  fact,  and  not  a  mere  supposition.  But  this  is 
very  doubtful,  and  it  seems  more  natural  to  con- 
sider our  Lord  as  intending  to  give  no  x^ositire 
indication  of  John's  fate  at  all,  but  to  signify  that 
this  was  a  matter  which  belonged  to  the  Master 
of  both,  who  would  disclose  or  conceal  it  as  He 
thought  i3roper,  and  that  Peter's  part  was  to  mind 
his  own  afiairs.  Accordingly,  in  "Follow  thou 
me,"  the  word  ''^  thou"  ia  empthatic.  Observe  the 
absolute  disposal  of  human  life  which  Christ 
here  claims :  "  If  I  will  that  he  tarry,"  &c.  23. 
Then  went  this  saying  abroad  among  the  breth- 
ren, that  that  disciple  should  not  die— into  which 
they  the  more  easily  fell,  from  the  prevalent  be- 
lief that  Christ's  Second  Coming  was  then  near 
at  hand.  Yet  Jesus  said  not  unto  him.  He  shall 
not  die ;  but,  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come, 
what  is  that  to  thee?  The  Evangelist  is  jealous 
for  His  Master's  honour,  which  his  death  might 
be  thought  to  compromise  if  such  a  misunder- 
standing should  not  l>e  corrected. 

Final  Close  of  This  GosjmI  (24,  25).  24.  This  is 
the  disciple  which  testifieth  of  these  things,  and 
wrote  these  things— thus  identifying  the  author 
of  the  present  Gospel,  including  this  supplementari/ 
chapter,  with  all  that  it  says  of  this  discij)le :  and 
we  know  that  his  testimony  is  true.  Compare 
ch.  xix.  35.  25.  And— or,  'JSIoreover'  there  are 
also  many  other  things  which  Jesus  did,  the 
which,  if  they  should  be  written  every  one,  I 
suppose  [oV«i]— an  expression  used  to  show  that 
what  follows  is  not  to  be  jiresscd  too  far.  that 
even  the  world  itself  could  not  contain  the 
books  that  should  be  written.  This  is  to  be 
taken  as  something  more  than  a  mere  hyperbolical 
expression,  which  would  hardly  comiiort  with  the 
sublime  simplicity  of  this  writer.  It  is  intended 
to  let  his  reader  know  that,  even  now  when  he  had 
done,  he  felt  his  materials  so  far  from  being  ex- 
hausted, that  he  was  still  running  over,  and  could 
multiply  '  Gospels '  to  almost  any  extent  within  the 
strict  limits  of  what  "Jesus  did.''  But  in  the  limita- 
tion of  these  matchless  Histories — in  point  of  length 
and  number  alike— there  is  as  much  of  that  Divine 
wisdom  which  has  presided  over  and  pervades  the 
living  oracles,  as  in  their  variety  and  fulness. 


Final  close 


JOHN  XXL 


of  this  Gospel. 


every  one,  ^I  suppose  that  even  the  world  itself  could  not  contain  tlie 
books  that  should  be  written.     Amen. 


A.  D.  33. 

*  Amos  7. 10. 


[Amen.]  This  "Amen"  is  excluded  from  the 
text  by  Lachmann,  Tischendorf,  and  Tregelles; 
and  as  it  seems  insufficiently  supported,  it  is  prob- 
ably rather  the  irresistible  addition— shall  we  say  ? 
— of  the  transcribers,  than  from  the  pen  of  the 
Evangelist.  See,  on  the  same  closing  word  of  the 
Third  Gospel,  on  Luke  xxiv.  53. 

Remark. — Thus  end  these  peerless  Histories — 
this  Fourfold  GospeL  And  who  that  has  walked 
with  us  through  this  Garden  of  the  Ijord,  these 
"  beds  of  spices,"  has  not  often  said,  with  Peter  on 
the  mount  of  ti'ansfiguration,  It  is  good  to  be 
here!  Who  that  has  reverentially  and  lovingly 
bent  over  the  sacred  text  has  not  found  himself  in 
the  presence  of  the  Word  made  flesh  —has  not  be- 
held the  glory  of  the  Only  begotten  of  the  Father, 


full  of  grace  and  truth — has  not  felt  His  warm, 
tender  hand  upon  him,  and  heard  that  voice  say- 
ing to  himself,  as  so  often  to  the  disciples  of  old. 
"Fear  not ! "  Well,  dear  reader,  "Abide in  Him,' 
and  let  "//ts  ivords" — as  here  recorded— "  abide 
in  thee."  This  Fourfold  Gospel  is  the  Sun  of  the 
Scripture,  from  which  all  the  rest  derives  its  light. 
It  is,  as  observed  in  the  Introduction,  the  serenest 
spot  in  the  paradise  of  God ;  it  is  the  four  rivers  of 
the  water  of  life,  the  streams  whereof  make  glad 
the  City  of  God.  Into  it,  as  a  Eeseryoir,  all  the 
foregoing  revelations  pour  their  full  tide,  and  out 
of  iit,  as  a  Fountain,  How  all  subsequent  revela- 
tions. Till  the  day  dawn,  tlien,  and  the  shadows 
llee  away,  I  will  get  me  to  this  mountain  of  mjTrh, 
this  hill' of  frankincense!  (Song  iv.  6.) 


P.S. — In  discussing  the  genuineness  of  the  much 
disputed  passage  regarding  the  ivoman  taken  in 
adultery,  John  vii.  53-viii.  11  (pp.  400,  401),  we 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  rested  on  evidence, 
external  and  internal,  sufficient  to  satisfy  the 
reasonable  enquirer,  and  that  its  place — supposing 
its  historical  truth  and  canonical  authority  admit- 
ted— could  be  no  other  than  that  in  which  it  stands 
in  the  received  text.  But  there  was  one  difficulty 
which  we  candidly  acknowledged  we  were  then 
unable  to  remove — as  to  Jesus  having  gone,  on  the 
evening  before,  to  the  mount  of  Olives  (ch.  viii.  1). 
The  argument  against  the  passage  from  this  verse 
is,  that  'nowhere  else  in  this  Gospel  is  "  the  mount 
of  Olives"  mentioned  at  all,  nor  does  our  Lord's 
passing  the  night  there  agree  with  this  or  any  stage 
of  His  public  life  except  the  last.'  Of  this  objec- 
tion we  said,  at  the  close  of  the  discussion,  that  it 
'must  be  allowed  to  remain  among  the  difficulties 
that  we,  at  least,  find  it  not  easy  to  solve.'  But 
pince  that  paragraph  was  written,  it  has  occurred 
to  us  that  the  following  explanation  sufficiently 
meets  it.  The  first  three  Gospels  record  no  visit 
of  our  Lord  to  Jerusalem  except  the  last;  nor 
should  we  have  known  for  certain  that  He  was 
there  at  all  i;ntil  He  went  thither  to  die,  but  for 
the  fourth  Gospel  (see  page  21,  first  column).  It 
cannot  then  be  proved,  from  the  first  three  Gospels 
at  least,  that  His  retiring  to  the  mount  of  Olives, 
4S6 


instead  of  remaining  in  the  city  or  going  to  Bethany, 
was  inconsistent  with  any  earlier  stage  of  His  life 
than  the  last.  The  utmost  that  could  be  fairly 
alleged  would  be,  that  the  circumstances  which 
led  to  His  going  to  the  mount  of  Olives  at  the  time 
of  His  last  visit  had  no  parallel  at  any  earlier 
stage.  But  the  contrary  of  this  may  be  plainly 
gathered  from  what  is  recorded  immediately  before 
the  disputed  passage.  The  Pharisees,  having  sent 
officers  to  apprehend  Jesus,  were  galled  at  their 
returning  not  only  without  Him  but  with  a  con- 
fession of  their  impotence  to  lay  hands  on  so  in- 
comparable a  Teacher.  Scarcely  had  they  given 
vent  to  their  rage,  when  one  of  themselves  hinted  at 
the  illegality  of  condemning  a  man  unheard.  And 
though  this  division  in  their  own  camp  had  the 
effect  of  paralysing  their  efforts  to  arrest  the 
Saviour  at  that  time,  it  was  so  critical  a  juncture 
that  He  whose  hour  was  not  yet  come  might  well 
decline  to  sleep  that  night  in  Jerusalem.  In  that 
case,  whether  He  retired  to  the  mount  of  Olives, 
only  to  spend  some  quiet  hours  alone,  and  then 
retired  to  sleep  at  Bethany,  or  whether  He  spent 
the  whole  night  there — as  at  that  season  He  could 
safely  enough  do— is  of  little  moment.  Enough 
that,  either  way,  the  only  objection  to  the  genuine- 
ness of  this  passage,  from  internal  evidence,  which 
has  any  plausibility,  admits  of  sufficient  explaoa- 
tioii. 


VfllLTAM  COLLINS  &  CO.,   PKINTEJRS,   GLASGOW. 


BS491  .J32  V.5 

A  commentary,  critical,  experimental, 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 

IlllllllllllillllllllllllllllliliHI 


1    1012  00058  8071      -, 


DATE  DUE 


HIGHSMFTH  #45230 


